Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Return to the Strange House

As soon as Liu Yunfei returned to the palace, he immediately went to pay his respects to King Abdullah. The king summoned the old prince as well. Liu Yunfei recounted everything he had seen and heard in detail, then summarized the seductive tactics of the Temple of the Sun cult: "Last time, you mentioned that the demon Iblis lives in people's hearts, exploiting the weaknesses of human nature to control their actions. Based on my observations this time, the Temple of the Sun opposes the Islamic prohibitions on alcohol and prostitution. The long-suppressed Muslims are easily lost in this, and their repeated claims to save the Arab nation have also deceived a large number of young people. In short, they're exploiting the weaknesses in human nature, catering to people's desires."

"My merciful Lord, please save these lost children," the old king prayed ceaselessly as he listened, as if hearing these things was a sin unto itself.

"Your Majesty, why don't you send the army or police to shut them down?" Liu Yunfei asked in confusion.

"We've discussed this problem before," the old prince explained. "We're permitted to allow missionary work, and there's no evidence to prove they're a cult. As you have seen, many children of the upper class have become their followers. More seriously, our investigations have found that it's not just young people—even many high-ranking officials and princes are their believers. If we don't reveal their cult nature and rashly take action, it would cause widespread social backlash, with many people rising up to obstruct us, possibly even leading to social unrest."

"And even if things don't escalate so far, they would simply go underground and conduct secret activities. Their followers are extremely devoted, and it would become even harder for us to understand their situation," the old king added.

"But how can we expose their cult nature? How can we wake everyone up?" Liu Yunfei pressed further.

"At present, we know almost nothing about them—their motives for choosing Saudi Arabia, their goals, or their true strength. We just know that Hadina has been stirring up trouble in the international oil market lately, making a lot of money," the old prince replied.

"But I suspect their goal isn't just money. For example, what was the purpose behind kidnapping you?" Liu Yunfei analyzed.

"Yes, I agree. They're not just after money. Toppling the Saudi kingdom? That doesn't seem likely. Their core group is small and they haven't established an armed force," the old king said, revealing that they'd pondered this question for a long time, yet still had no answer.

Suddenly, Liu Yunfei thought of 'Infernal Affairs.' "You guys are too naive—send in an undercover agent."

"We've sent numerous batches already," the old prince said helplessly. "Every time, we choose resolute Muslims from the army or police. But after attending just a few group prayers, they become loyal followers. Not only do they reveal their identities there, but when they return, all they talk about is how wonderful the Temple of the Sun is. I truly don't know what kind of concoction they've been fed."

Concoction? Liu Yunfei recalled the water he drank upon entering. "Oh, before prayers, they make everyone drink a cup of water. Is there something in that water? I drank it and felt my mind getting fuzzy. If it were an ordinary person, they'd definitely be brainwashed."

"If only we could get some for testing," said the old prince.

"I brought some back—get me a basin," Liu Yunfei instructed. When the basin was brought, he poured out the water he'd preserved in his Light Jade slip space.

"All right, you take the water for testing. Tomorrow, I'll go back to investigate further." Liu Yunfei set off like a fly straight toward the mysterious little building.

The next afternoon, Liu Yunfei first scouted the small building. Inside, it seemed to be just a dormitory for the followers. It appeared the key was in the strange house.

Today was not a gathering day, so there were no followers in the strange house—only one of Hadina's attendants was dozing at the stone table. Liu Yunfei went up to the second floor and vaguely heard voices from the innermost room. He flew over and entered through the crack in the door.

Inside were three people. Liu Yunfei recognized one as Hadina. The other two were old men with long beards—one dressed entirely in black robes and a black headscarf, the other in white, resembling the Chinese figures of Black and White Impermanence. Both elders had blue eyes, likely Europeans, but wore Arab robes.

Hadina was conversing with them in English. "Our expansion is going very well. With you two elders arriving in Riyadh, it's like adding wings to a tiger."

"Haha, with you, Master Hadina, presiding, how could things not go well!" White Impermanence flattered, then continued, "But our Holy Order has always operated secretly underground—aren't you worried that such openness will attract attention from the Muslims and cause unnecessary trouble?"

"On the contrary, I want them to notice us. Haha, to divert their attention—only then can our plan proceed more safely. Besides, who says our Holy Order must hide in the shadows? A thousand years ago, we preached openly. We're not breaking the law—what can they do? I even give them patriotic education, talking about nationalism every day. Now, I almost feel patriotic myself. Hahaha," Hadina laughed mockingly.

"I want to ask why you pay so much attention to those sons of princes and ministers. In my view, they're all useless—hoping for anything from them is futile," Black Impermanence said indignantly.

Hadina laughed. "Elder Rollo, you're too shortsighted. They may be useless, but their fathers and grandfathers hold high positions. They are like nodes—or nails in the wall. Through them, we can infiltrate and expand among the upper echelons, causing more cracks in the wall until it collapses."

"But that doesn't really relate to our ultimate goal," Black Impermanence insisted.

"No, no, at the very least, it distracts them, letting the Muslim authorities be led by the nose. More importantly—oh, forgive me for keeping a secret. I'll tell you when the time comes."

Liu Yunfei cursed all the women in Hadina's family silently, just as he was about to gloat over hearing a secret, Hadina suddenly refused to reveal more. Frustrated, he heard White Impermanence say, "I wonder how the old Master is progressing over there?" Hadina replied, "His work never needs our worry. As long as young prince Owali is in his hands, things will go smoothly."

Liu Yunfei mused: There's an old Master besides Hadina? And what does this have to do with Owali? How does it relate to their so-called ultimate goal? It seems today's visit was not without gain.

Liu Yunfei was about to wait and see if they'd say more when footsteps sounded outside, followed by a knock. An attendant entered: "Master, a follower has arrived outside, requesting a baptism and blessing for his daughter. She's quite a beauty." As he spoke, his formerly serious face couldn't help but break into a lewd smile.