"Is it that terrifying? Jiang Mengxin expressed her doubt.
"What kind of organization is this so-called White Lotus Sect? What do they do?" she asked.
The driver replied, "On the surface, they are a charitable organization, dedicated to sponsoring the impoverished, much like the Red Cross. But..."
He trailed off, seemingly hesitant to say more.
"Just say whatever you need to, don't beat around the bush," Jiang Mengxin urged.
The driver forced a smile. "Some things, I've only heard about, with no concrete proof. Patriarch Jiang, you can just take it as a joke. I've heard that this White Lotus Sect isn't as simple as it appears. It's an organization that wields power, status, and wealth. While they do help many impoverished people, they have also eliminated a large number of those who questioned or resisted them. In Jinling, anyone who openly opposes the White Lotus Sect is not far from 'disappearing'."
Disappearing?
What did that mean?
"Are they arrested, or killed?" Jiang Mengxin inquired.
"Neither. Disappearing means disappearing," the driver shivered involuntarily, a chill running down his spine. "To 'disappear' means a person vanishes completely, neither seen alive nor dead, their whereabouts unknown. It's as if... as if dragged into hell by a vengeful ghost, utterly terrifying."
He paused, then continued, "There was once a reporter who wanted to investigate the internal structure of the White Lotus Sect, to understand how they operated. He volunteered to join and investigate. Three days after joining, that reporter disappeared. His family, friends, and the police conducted a thorough search, but found no trace. To this day, no one knows where that reporter went."
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
It sounded frightening.
It seemed the White Lotus Sect was an organization that, under the guise of sponsoring the impoverished, secretly harbored its own forces, a truly overbearing and powerful entity.
Jiang Mengxin took a deep breath. "It seems we really cannot afford to provoke the White Lotus Sect."
The driver chuckled. "Actually, if you don't actively provoke them, they won't bother you. And if you encounter trouble you can't resolve, you can even seek their help. As long as you join the sect and become a disciple, the White Lotus Sect will help you solve your problems. No matter what kind of trouble!"
No matter what trouble?
Jiang Mengxin didn't believe it. "Is there really such a good thing?"
The driver insisted, "It's true. Someone owed a massive gambling debt of thirty million yuan and was being pursued relentlessly by enemies. But after joining, the White Lotus Sect immediately helped him pay off the debt. Another person drove drunk and killed someone. After joining, no one knows how the White Lotus Sect handled it, but they managed to reach an out-of-court settlement, and he only served half a year! A series of unbelievable events that exceed your imagination. So it's not without reason that the White Lotus Sect has grown so powerful in Jinling. As long as you join, they will help you solve all your problems. I've even been tempted to join myself, and have the White Lotus Sect help me buy a detached villa in the city center, hahahaha."
It did sound quite appealing.
The problem was, there was no free lunch in the world, and miracles didn't just happen.
No one would be genuinely good to you without expecting anything in return.
Why would the White Lotus Sect be so accommodating?
"What do you have to do after becoming a disciple?" Lu Ming asked.
The driver shrugged. "I don't know about that. I'm not a disciple myself, and the White Lotus Sect is very strict with its followers, prohibiting them from leaking any internal information. It's just very mysterious, and it seems the disciples are divided into different ranks, with each rank performing different tasks."
The more he spoke, the more exaggerated it became.
What kind of organization was this White Lotus Sect? What were they truly after?
Were they just after money?
That didn't seem to be the case.
If they were after money, there were countless other ways to achieve it. Why would they recruit disciples?
This White Lotus Sect was truly bizarre.
"Oh, right," the driver suddenly remembered something. "I heard that after becoming a disciple of the White Lotus Sect, a white lotus flower is forcibly tattooed onto their body. So, you can tell if someone is a disciple by whether they have this tattoo."
Huh?
Jiang Mengxin and Lu Ming exchanged glances, both stunned.
A white lotus tattoo?
Jiang Mengxin swallowed. If that was the case, it was highly probable that her mother, Xu Qin, was a member of the White Lotus Sect, having joined at some unknown time.
Lu Ming was even more shocked.
Because only he knew that the deceased Wu Lingxuan also had this white lotus tattoo, indicating that Wu Lingxuan was also a disciple of the White Lotus Sect.
Thinking about it carefully, many of Wu Lingxuan's actions were quite similar to the White Lotus Sect.
Wu Lingxuan had used the earthquake to scam donations and then defrauded people with inferior meat, enriching herself.
The White Lotus Sect did the same.
On the surface, they appeared to be helping the impoverished, but were they plotting schemes behind the scenes?
Was the White Lotus Sect also scamming donation money?
"Is the White Lotus Sect that wealthy? They casually help people with thirty million yuan gambling debts. Where does their money come from? Donations?" Lu Ming asked.
"Yes! But..." the driver said with a smile, "The White Lotus Sect doesn't accept money from ordinary citizens. According to them, ordinary people have a hard life, and they shouldn't burden them further by soliciting donations. All their funds come from wealthy merchants worldwide. Many Fortune Global 500 companies donate to the White Lotus Sect, and there are even more hidden billionaires. It's hard to say how much money the White Lotus Sect truly possesses."
Uh...
Jiang Mengxin was puzzled. "Why would wealthy people worldwide donate to the White Lotus Sect?"
The driver replied, "I don't know about that. Perhaps when people earn a lot of money, they like to give to others and do charity. If I earned millions a year, I'd also sponsor impoverished children. Doing good deeds, who wouldn't want to?"
Heh, these were just the driver's personal thoughts.
Not everyone who earned a lot of money necessarily did good deeds. In reality, many people were wealthy and unscrupulous, while others never felt they had enough money.
There must be a deeper reason why global billionaires donated to the White Lotus Sect.
As they chatted, the car stopped.
The engine turned off.
The driver said, "Patriarch Jiang, we've arrived home."
Jiang Mengxin pushed open the car door and looked at the familiar house. It felt good to be home, but her good mood quickly vanished as she saw her father, Jiang Xueyi, standing at the entrance, looking at her with a face full of sorrow.
"Dad!"
Jiang Mengxin got out of the car and walked towards Jiang Xueyi, Lu Ming following closely behind.
Upon reaching him, she asked, "How is Mom?"
Jiang Xueyi sighed deeply. "Sigh, you go in and see for yourself. Be prepared."