Chapter 57: Debunking the Rumors (Revised and Republished Edition)

Within the empire, there was a universally known rule: whenever the television channels suddenly began a countdown, it meant that once the countdown reached zero, the Saint would personally deliver a nationwide television address.

At this moment, not only the official channel of the imperial capital, but every television station across the entire empire—regardless of whether they were broadcasting movies, TV series, anime, or variety shows—would have their signals forcibly interrupted.

All screens would uniformly switch to the countdown display, allowing citizens nationwide to mentally prepare themselves to listen to the Holy Voice.

Certain fanatical worshippers of the Saint were already prostrating themselves in intense agitation at this sight, shouting slogans of "Boundless is the Saint" with tears streaming down their faces.

Rejecting the notion of loyalty, they believed themselves even more devoted to the Saint than the soldiers of the legions, and thus naturally felt the need for new terminology to highlight this distinction.

Master Qinglan, of course, was no fanatical devotee of the Saint.

Yet, he similarly abandoned the idea of "fortune-shifting" with the young lady before him.

The rare occurrence of the Saint delivering a nationwide address meant that whatever followed was bound to be of utmost importance.

Though he was fond of female beauty, he would never allow it to delay matters of consequence.

The woman stood frozen in place, watching the countdown on the screen finally tick down to "one."

Immediately, the screen shifted abruptly, revealing the solemn scene of the Holy Palace's press briefing hall.

Against the pure white walls, nine huge relief dragons inlaid with pure gold shone brightly, projecting a magnificent and imposing aura.

Bai Yujing stood before the podium, a sleekly designed microphone placed in front of him.

Li Jingxing stood slightly behind him to the side by half a step, looking somewhat constrained and humble, entirely lacking his usual dignified aura as prime minister, resembling instead a nervous elementary school student called upon by his teacher.

"Dear citizens of the empire, the primary purpose of my address to you today is to clarify certain false rumors circulating recently on the internet."

Bai Yujing never bothered with empty and superficial pleasantries, cutting straight to the point. "Regarding the rumor that Prime Minister Li Jingxing instigated his wife to accept bribes, it is entirely malicious fabrication.

The truth is that his wife was led astray by a so-called 'master,' mistakenly believing that 'accepting gifts without performing favors' could enhance Li Jingxing's personal fortune, and thus accepted gifts behind his back."

"Here, I must solemnly remind all citizens never to believe those itinerant charlatans and swindlers who go about deceiving the public!

Throughout the course of my long life, I have never witnessed any so-called deities.

In this world, gods do not exist at all!"

He reiterated this point once more with absolute finality.

Even though he had personally experienced the miracle of crossing over to Blue Star, he still refused to acknowledge the existence of "gods."

Because all entities on Blue Star referred to as "gods" had subsequently proven to be nothing more than superpowered individuals in disguise.

He had never encountered a "god" that matched his understanding of a truly omniscient and omnipotent being.

As a steadfast materialistic warrior, Bai Yujing only acknowledged things that could be verified.

As for those concepts that existed solely within fantasy and legend, unsupported by any evidence, he dismissed them all as falsehoods.

Naturally, some people would hang onto his every word with absolute belief, while others would stubbornly insist that the Saint was vehemently denying and blackening the existence of "gods" purely out of fear of them.

"Regarding the economic problems recently faced by the empire, we have indeed encountered certain developmental bottlenecks, but please believe that these difficulties are merely temporary..."

Bai Yujing then proceeded to elaborate in detail on the cabinet's upcoming cross-regional economic cooperation policies on television.

Such information could actually be found on the government's official website, but the vast majority of people never bothered to check it specifically.

Only by addressing the entire nation in person could he reach them.

As a steadfast anti-imperialist, Qinglan had naturally already studied all the policy documents on the official website thoroughly.

Yet he still listened with intense concentration, afraid of missing any new phrasing or subtle hints.

Not until Bai Yujing's speech came to a complete end did Qinglan let out a soft breath.

He knew that the plan to force the prime minister to step down through protests and marches had completely fallen through.

"Sigh."

He let out a sigh of mixed feelings, cast a lingering and reluctant glance at the plump and alluring body of Mela before him, and quickly stood up. "Miss Mela, I suddenly have some urgent matters to attend to. We will conduct the fortune-shifting ritual another time; please get dressed."

"Huh?!"

Mela turned her head in shock, her face written all over with astonishment and incomprehension. She wanted to say something, but considering the man's unfathomable identity as an "eminent monk," she ultimately dared not ask too many questions.

Qinglan swiftly slipped back into his monk's robes and immediately left the luxury suite.

He took the elevator straight down to the hotel lobby, bypassing the main entrance, and instead slipped quietly and familiarly out the back door, quickly boarding an ordinary-looking sedan.

As soon as he got into the car, he pressed a modified button inside, causing the license plate to instantly flip over to a completely different number, after which he drove the vehicle away.

During the drive, his other hand was not idle, deftly removing his phone SIM card and replacing it with a brand-new one.

He was well aware that this current identity as an "eminent monk" could no longer be used.

Wealthy and powerful figures flipped their faces faster than turning the pages of a book.

When his "prophecies" came true, he was an eminent monk revered by all.

Once a prophecy failed, he would instantly transform into a street-rat charlatan reviled by everyone.

The primary objective of the Feathered Cult's conspiracy to assassinate the prime minister's wife this time was to detonate long-buried charges, forcing the prime minister to step down and thereby hoodwink and control certain members of high society.

Yet they had not anticipated that the Saint's attitude would be so uncompromising, devoid of the slightest hint of compromise.

Since his method of utilizing so-called "spellcasting" to inflict bad fortune on the prime minister and cause the cabinet to collapse and reorganize was rendered ineffective, he naturally dared not linger in place.

Qinglan drove toward a covert safehouse stronghold.

Along the way, his Bluetooth earpiece suddenly rang.

He pressed the earpiece to answer, and a steady male voice came through: "I just received word that the application for the sixty-person protest march organized in Washington City has been canceled."

"Quite normal."

Qinglan chuckled softly. "Since the Saint himself has spoken out to back the prime minister, which guilds would dare to defy the current wind at a time like this?"

The person on the other end of the line seemed somewhat puzzled: "You don't sound disappointed at all?"

"My father's move is an overt strategy."

Qinglan explained patiently: "Regardless of success or failure, it holds great benefit for us.

If I am not mistaken, protests in other regions will likewise subside one after another."

"The wave of protests involving tens of millions of people was instantly quelled by a single word from the Saint, which naturally demonstrates the Saint's supreme prestige.

Yet real-world conflicts will never truly vanish simply because of a word from the Saint."

"As long as the Saint refuses to change his stance, he will never be able to satisfy that group of people, and this is precisely the prime opportunity for us to infiltrate the middle class and expand our influence!"

At this, the smile on Qinglan's face grew increasingly brilliant.

Beneath the Saint, all beings are equal.

Though the slogan sounded impressive, there were always those who wished to make themselves stand out from the crowd.

Billionaires, celebrities, famous streamers...

Everyone had their own fixed circles and instinctively wanted to bestow a special status upon their circle.

Yet Bai Yujing refused to accommodate those people, placing their circles on the exact same level as everyone else.

The dissatisfaction within those people's hearts served as exploitable fuel.

Coupled with the fact that the enemy was out in the open while they were in the shadows, Qinglan was filled with confidence regarding his father's grand "Deification Plan."

After all, the Saint probably still remained entirely unaware of the existence of the "Feathered Cult," so how could he possibly guard against their erosion from the shadows?