Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Upon reflection, everyone realized it made perfect sense— the country has been quite turbulent in recent years, and for some reason, perhaps as a side effect of the information explosion, news related to superstition has suddenly sprung up everywhere. Many posts online claiming to have encountered ghosts or demons appear out of nowhere. Although these posts are quickly deleted by censorship departments, any exposure inevitably sparks considerable discussion, and accumulated, they become a significant force.
Not long ago, the water level of Wushan Reservoir in the south rose sharply, and many locals excitedly spread rumors online that they had encountered the Changyou[1] mentioned in the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”. They were certain that the rise in the water level of their reservoir must be related to this Changyou, since the “Classic of Mountains and Seas” said that the Changyou’s ability was to cause floods, which just matched up.
You can’t believe it, people like this. They actually believe in myths and legends like the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”. If we really use that book to explain natural disasters in various places, and the Wushan Reservoir’s water level surged because of Changyou, does that mean the drought before Wuhua was caused by Feiyi?
That’s absolutely anti-intellectual!
There was also the previous incident of the dragon shadow in the Yellow River, coupled with the subsequent torrential rains and floods in various coastal areas downstream. Although “Believe in Science” and various news media had actively debunked the rumors, many people still wishfully believed in the “truth” they wanted to believe.
And there were more and more cults causing trouble, all of which were doing evil under the guise of righteousness. For example, the Xiusheng Cult that was arrested in Xin’an last time was said to be secretly doing dirty things like destroying the relationship between couples. Despite this, there were still many old men and women in Xin’an who believed in them and practiced qigong diligently.
Because of these people, the originally stable and developing society was frequently disrupted by considerable turmoil, causing widespread anxiety.
Some science bloggers were speechless at the current situation. Unfortunately, their abilities were limited. Just look at a show as big as “Believe in Science,” which had failed to convince everyone to believe in science. Compared to that, aren’t they even more insignificant?
Upon realizing this, everyone immediately understood. So that’s how it is! Taicang Sect was actually an ally. No wonder they acted so strangely!
Television commercials, official channels, and searches can be found in every corner of the country— what a huge platform! Rather than letting ordinary people from all walks of life, who are not well-informed and not educated enough to be easily deceived, believe in cults, wouldn’t it be better to promote a legitimate and legal faith to them?
….
This argument became even more tenable when supported by another piece of evidence that was subsequently discovered.
A well-known animal science blogger quickly posted the newly revised list of protected animals online, gleefully commenting, “Look what’s new on it!”
At first, netizens were confused, but after seeing it, they all forwarded it and burst into laughter.
“My bladder is bursting from laughing, what the heck?! Hahahaha!!!”
“A Class A protected animal, the Azure Dragon! Hahahaha!!!”
“No problem! Celebrating the Azure Dragon’s vindication! Share this comment and in three days, one lucky follower will win a 666 RMB red envelope.”
“What do you mean ‘no problem’? So what if it’s a Azure Dragon? Why is it a top-tier protected animal from the start, a level above my giant panda? Panda fans are extremely indignant! [doge emoji]”
“Ugh! You pandas are really shameless! In terms of status and position, how can you be confident enough to compete with our Azure Dragon! Once our Azure Dragons arrive, your position as national treasures will probably be in jeopardy!”
“Exactly! Where did this wild pheasant come from, clucking here? Quickly find a chicken coop and lock it up. Our Azure Dragon has been firmly in the center position for thousands of years, why can’t we beat your panda!”
“23333 I never expected that the first Class A protected animal since the founding of the People’s Republic of China would be the Azure Dragon. Honestly, just looking at how rare it is, it truly deserves the title, hahaha!”
Foreigner: ‘??? You guys actually have dragons???
“The nation: I’m so happy to have done this!”
Even the science bloggers themselves couldn’t stop laughing: “Taking the path of a cult, leaving no way for cults to go, this is the way to deal with feudal superstition! Taicang Sect is absolutely awesome!”
….
Tuan Tuanyi was initially a little flustered. After the advertisement aired, in addition to fans who were shocked and speechless, a large number of unfamiliar accounts flooded the comments section of Weibo, cursing them for promoting feudal superstition and threatening to report them to some bureau. The social reaction was completely different from what he had expected.
He didn’t dare tell his master about it, sand he could only secretly discuss it with his junior brother, who just stared at him as if he were an idiot.
Tuan Tuanyi was deeply hurt. After searching online for reviews, he finally realized that something seemed wrong. Modern society was no longer the era of widespread illiteracy and worship of gods and Buddhas. The core socialist values shone brightly across the world, and even the orthodox Buddhist and Taoist religions were scorned by many young people. His own newly emerged little sect simply could not win over the masses.
Just as he was feeling sad, the tide suddenly turned. Those accounts that had previously hurled insults at his sect returned with a vengeance, this time leaving only friendly apologies.
“Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I was impulsive and didn’t recognize this as a friendly force. Put away my forty-meter-long sword and hit your head at the same time.”
“Hand over some spaghetti to our ally. Our ally has been wronged. Work hard, our ally, and strive to have followers all over the world!”
Tuan Tuanyi: “???”
What does this mean?
There was also a popular science blogger with a large following who had previously left a deep impression on him in the comments section, and just now he really stirred up quite a storm.
The blogger deleted his previous denouncing comments, and the top-voted one was replaced with another: “Believe in science, oppose pointless prayers and worship. Our allies have a long way to go and must continue to work hard.”
Tuan Tuanyi was very confused, and still angry from being scolded earlier, he couldn’t help but reply, “What are you talking about? Of course our sect worships gods. Didn’t you see the pinned post? We worship the Enlightened Celestial Venerable!”
The blogger who was initially very hostile now subtly and intimately reposted: “I understand, I understand, it’s the enlightened celestial being, believe in science, believe in the enlightened celestial being, without further ado, I’m the first to believe!”
The next post was met with a barrage of “hahaha.” To be honest, anyone with even a slight understanding of religion knows that there has never been a deity like “Enlightened Celestial Venerable” throughout history. This ally from Taicang Sect was really putting on a show, even cooperating with them in this online feud.
After this farce, many netizens started flooding their homepages with the hashtag #Believe in Science, Believe in the Taoist Heavenly Venerable#, and coupled with the wildly shared, mesmerizing advertisement for the Taicang Sect, the topic suddenly surpassed the popularity of countless celebrities, becoming a bizarre phenomenon.
Tuan Tuanyi: “???”
After his pleasant moment, Wei Xi finally remembered to ask his apprentice about the market feedback.
Tuanyi looked at the ever-increasing number of accounts claiming to be followers of the Taicang sect on his phone, along with the almost unscientific rate of increase in followers. After a long silence, he could only conclude that: “It seems very enthusiastic. I don’t know why, but everyone is responding so actively.”
Wei Xi had no idea about this, and nodded with satisfaction: “It seems that our business direction was indeed correct, don’t you think, Que’er?”
Shuo Zong: “…”
If you mean taking the path of a cult to leave no way for cults to go, then that is indeed true.
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[1] Changyou is a four-eared, ape-like mythical beast from ancient Chinese mythology that serves as an omen for major floods.
