Chapter 104: Deeds of Immortal Chivalry |
At this moment, Chu Xun suddenly understood why he had done so many good deeds previously but always felt something was lacking, and where it originated from.
Simply doing good deeds and saving people in times of crisis was nothing more than a wandering knight-errant.
Now, saving people with the marvels of Daoist magic like this was the foundation.
"The former is a knight, one person in front, acting chivalrously and upholding justice."
"The latter is an immortal, amidst a sea of people, Daoist magic follows nature."
"On the path of longevity, frequently performing deeds of immortal chivalry will prevent it from seeming dull."
Chu Xun laughed heartily, only feeling that he already had a clue about what to do in the future.
His heart suddenly enlightened, muttering, "Golden Millet Dream, a dream, a blessing, a disaster..."
The crows on the eaves tilted their heads to look at him, not understanding why.
Caw—
Chu Xun looked up at the cawing crows and scolded with a smile, "What do you livestock know."
---
Spring of the 12th year of Chongming.
Huang Qi converged with Qi Songren's refugee army, joining forces in one place.
Due to limited troop strength, Hong Zexu was forced to attack the formation, suffering significant losses, and had to retreat to Hulao Pass.
Everyone thought the refugee army would continue to attack Hulao Pass.
Liao Shouyi left about ten thousand people to continue defending Fenggu City, converged with the Ministry of War's twenty thousand troops, and headed straight for Hulao Pass to provide assistance.
However, what no one expected was that the refugee army actually bypassed Hulao Pass and headed straight for the Capital City.
After receiving this news, Minister of Revenue Zhang Jingheng was both shocked and anxious.
"Do these people not want their lives! Who fights a war like this!"
As everyone knows, with a majestic pass in front, conquering it would result in heavy losses.
If not conquered, one might fall into the disadvantage of being attacked from both front and rear, having their provisions cut off.
Encountering a city without attacking is only used during surprise attacks by strange troops.
In large-scale combat, such behavior could be called a great taboo for military strategists.
But the refugee army did exactly this.
Their speed was extremely fast, bypassing Hulao Pass and heading towards the Capital City with lightning speed.
Hong Zexu led his troops out of the city to provide emergency assistance.
Even Liao Shouyi, who was originally coming to Hulao Pass, had to temporarily change direction.
Throwing away all heavy objects, traveling light, they had to return defense at the fastest speed.
In the Capital City, the high officials and nobles who received the news were already in a mess.
Didn't they say Hulao Pass was impregnable, and even if five or ten times more refugee troops came, they couldn't conquer it.
How come they've already fought to within two hundred miles of the Capital City now!
Where is Hong Zexu!
Where is Zhang Jingheng!
Spring of the twelfth year of Chongming.
The refugee army, like a surging flood, broke into the Capital City.
Emperor Chongming and the civil and military officials, escorted by the Capital City's inner guards, urgently fled to Tengyuan Prefecture.
The refugee army occupied the Capital City and engaged in a fierce battle with the Jing Kingdom army that followed.
No one could have imagined that a group of salt workers and farmers could actually fight their way into the imperial palace courtyard.
Although lacking provisions and supplies, meaning they would inevitably be defeated later, this battle was enough to be recorded in the annals of history.
Pingshui Town.
Chu Xun stood in front of the Bai family's old shop, waiting for the shopkeeper to fetch wine.
Not long after, the white-haired Bai Min'an came over holding a wine jar.
"Mister Chu, your wine."
Chu Xun took it and paid for the wine.
Bai Min'an looked at him and suddenly said, "Why do I feel that Mister Chu seems somewhat different from a few days ago?"
"How different?" Chu Xun asked.
"Hard to say." Bai Min'an chuckled dryly a few times and said, "Just feel that although you are standing right in front of me, it also seems like you are further away."
"Maybe the smell of wine here is too strong, making your eyes blurry," Chu Xun said with a smile.
A woman in her thirties, leading a young child, came over from the street. Seeing Chu Xun, she hurriedly curtsied and bowed.
"Shuyu greets Mister Chu."
Chu Xun nodded slightly, glanced at the child looking at him curiously, and smiled, "Grown quite a bit taller."
"Thanks to your blessing, he has indeed grown a bit taller."
Chu Xun reached out and rubbed the little boy's head, then asked the woman, "Where is your husband?"
"Today the medical clinic is holding consultations on the street, he is busy," Bai Shuyu answered.
The little girl from back then had grown up, married a physician surnamed Han.
Gave birth to a boy, and life was going pretty well.
Chu Xun didn't ask anymore, holding the wine jar and leaving.
Bai Shuyu watched him leave, then led the child into the shop.
"Grandpa!" The boy happily ran to hug Bai Min'an.
"Good boy, oh my, you're heavy, almost can't carry you anymore," Bai Min'an said, but still picked the child up.
Bai Shuyu hurriedly said, "Dad, be careful, don't sprain your back again."
"It's fine, while I can still carry him, later I won't be able to even if I want to," Bai Min'an said with a smile.
Bai Shuyu originally wanted to say what kind of talk is this, but seeing her father's graying hair, she sighed.
Thinking of Chu Xun who just came to buy wine, she asked, "Is Master Chu really not coming back? When I was little, I even said I would fetch wine for the old master."
Bai Min'an shook his head and said, "Who knows, probably won't be coming back. But although this Mister Chu is young, he is also a lover of wine, quite similar to the old master."
Saying that, Bai Min'an reached out and pinched his grandson's nose, smiling, "When you grow up in the future, help grandpa fetch wine for people, okay?"
"No, no, I want to learn medicine from dad." The boy shook his head like a rattle-drum.
Bai Shuyu walked over and smiled, "Don't even think about passing this wine shop to him. Being a physician is always better than selling wine."
"How is it better? Isn't it all to earn silver." Bai Min'an snorted and said, "None of you want it, who will this wine shop be passed to in the future? Might as well just sell it to Mister Chu!"
"If he is willing to buy it, that's fine too," Bai Shuyu said.
Bai Min'an snorted again. This wasn't just casual talk.
No one in the family was willing to take over the wine shop business, and he couldn't just let outsiders have it cheap.
On the contrary, Master Chu and Mister Chu, two successive generations came here to buy wine.
From his grandfather's generation to now, his daughter had already married and had children. Being able to last so long, there was only this one family.
Unfortunately, he heard that although Mister Chu loved drinking, he was a blacksmith.
Probably wouldn't have time to run a wine shop.
Bai Shuyu suddenly asked, "But do you feel that Mister Chu is somewhat different from when he first came last year?"
"You felt it too?" Bai Min'an was somewhat happy, sure enough, it wasn't the smell of wine that made him dizzy.
"When he left just now, I always felt he was very conspicuous in the crowd. But looking closely again, I felt he was very inconspicuous, it's weird," Bai Shuyu said.
Bai Min'an thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps because he has done many good deeds and gained merit, that's why he is so extraordinary."
The streets were full of people everywhere, bustling without pause from the New Year until now.
After the refugee army left, the commoners seemed to vent the pent-up resentment in their hearts. After the various shops reopened, they ushered in a peak period.
The commoners cheered and danced on the streets, with deafening gongs and drums, several times livelier than usual.
Chu Xun held the wine jar, shuttling through the crowd.
Many people knew him; the title of Great Philanthropist Chu had long spread widely.
Chu Xun politely responded to them and slowed his pace. He really liked this lively atmosphere.
Unfortunately, in the past, there was someone accompanying him, but now he was a loner, which was somewhat unbeautiful.
At this time, Chu Xun suddenly saw something that hadn't appeared in his memory for a long time.
He immediately walked over and saw an old man with a handlebar mustache, wearing an old Daoist robe, sparse teeth, and gray hair shouting on the side of the street.
Under his butt was a broken chair with a missing leg. One hand held a cloth banner saying "Cures All Diseases", and the other hand pressed on a three-foot-high wooden cabinet beside him.
A faint medicinal fragrance wafted from the wooden cabinet.
The same scene, Chu Xun had seen decades ago.
At that time, because Zhang Anxiu couldn't have children, she secretly went to find this old man to buy medicine.
But after taking a bottle, it had no effect at all, obviously a swindler.
Chu Xun didn't take it seriously before. After all, swindlers were everywhere, nothing surprising.
But seeing this old man again today, that was very surprising.
If he remembered correctly, the first time he saw this person should have been in the twenties of the Jing Kingdom.
At that time, he was already an old man, looking no less than sixty or seventy.
Now over forty years had passed, he should be over a hundred years old, yet he was still like this.
No matter how good an ordinary person's health was, they couldn't live that long.
Unless they were a martial artist above the first rank.
But martial artists had abundant qi and blood, fundamentally different from this old man.
Decades had passed, and the other party's appearance hadn't changed at all. Even the chair under his butt and the three-foot wooden cabinet were exactly the same.
Chu Xun raised his eyebrows, immediately hid his cultivation, and walked over.
He just saw the old man smilingly take silver from a woman's hand and hand over a bottle of medicine.
"Cures all diseases! If it doesn't work, come back and find me, guaranteed refund!" The old man patted his chest and said confidently.
Turning his head and seeing Chu Xun standing there, he asked, "Little brother wants to buy medicine?"
The other party didn't seem to recognize his identity, and Chu Xun didn't ask him why that bottle of medicine back then didn't work.
He took out two taels of silver and handed it over. The old man took out a small medicine bottle from the wooden cabinet and handed it over.
Chu Xun glanced at the cloth banner and asked, "You're not going to ask me what disease I have?"
The old man pointed to the words on the cloth banner and said, "Cures all diseases, see that? If it doesn't work, guaranteed refund!"
Chu Xun said no more, put the medicine bottle in his pocket, turned, and left.
Walking far away and looking back, the old man was still there.
Chu Xun laughed. He originally thought that the people he had seen back then would never be seen again.
He didn't expect one was still left.
Although he couldn't see the other party's depth, he was obviously not an ordinary person.
As for who he was and why he made a living by swindling, Chu Xun didn't care.
Some things, if you really get to the bottom of them, become uninteresting.
After returning home, Chu Xun placed the wine jar in a corner of the room.
Many wine jars were already piled up here. Some were bought back many years ago and stored if they couldn't be finished.
The longer they were stored, the mellower the taste.
He took out the medicine bottle from his pocket, opened the stopper, and poured out a pill.
It was still like mud rolled into a ball, completely inconspicuous.
Although it smelled of a faint medicinal fragrance, he could be sure it was completely useless.
Chu Xun smiled freely, put it back in the medicine bottle, and casually placed it together with the wine jars.
A few days later.
It was another late night with a bright moon and sparse stars.
Chu Xun opened his eyes in the room.
Experiencing months of karmic fire burning made his eyes even brighter than before.
His whole person's temperament had climbed a small step.
[Divine Office 752/30000, Unconferred loose god, obtained divine abilities, Golden Millet Dream, Hide Form and Conceal Shadow, Observe Qi and Know Opportunities (The pseudo-orthodox god position can cast divine abilities once a year), remaining hours that can be hidden per year, 0.5 (After conferment, can obtain orthodox god divine abilities, can lodge soul to substitute death)]
"It's this time of the year again."
Chu Xun stood up and picked up a cloth bag from the head of the bed.
Five feet long, as huge as a bucket. With a slight shake, clinking sounds came from inside.
Stepping out the door, the crows on the eaves immediately raised their heads.
Caw—
An old crow cawed, causing the weasels, field mice, and rabbits to all run out from their corner holes.
"None of your business, go do what you should be doing." Chu Xun waved his hand.
A few old crows flapped their wings, seeming somewhat unable to hold back.
But they still obeyed Chu Xun's instructions, squatting on the eaves without moving anymore.
Chu Xun didn't delay any longer, hugging the cloth bag and taking a step forward.
The benefits brought by the karmic fire allowed him to walk further than before.
Originally, one step was at most a hundred meters, now it was already a hundred and two meters.
It seemed like a small amount, but this was only about two months' time.
A year, ten years, a hundred years.
By the time of the next cultivation advancement, this enhancement would be terrifying, far exceeding the strength this realm should have.
Not long after, Chu Xun arrived at the bank of the Songliu River.
Three behemoths swam over from the river.
Two giant pythons over ten zhang long poked their heads out, flicking their tongues from afar.
The green and white python, which was already about seven zhang long, poked out more than half its body, affectionately rubbing against Chu Xun's hand.
Feeling that its scales were much harder and thicker than last year, Chu Xun was still satisfied in his heart.
Having been fed Essence of Ren Water for so long, the green and white python's growth speed was nearly twice as fast as its parents.
If nothing unexpected happened, in a few more years, it would be as big as the other two giant pythons.
It was just that it still needed a long time before transforming into a flood dragon.
"No rush, take it slowly," Chu Xun said habitually.
Having lived a long time, this phrase seemed to have become a catchphrase.
The green and white python suddenly dove into the water, splashing a spray of water.
When it came out again, there was a silver carp weighing fifty or sixty jin in its mouth.
This was a small gift it presented. Chu Xun shook his head, "No time, let's talk about it next time."
The green and white python turned its head and threw the silver carp back into the river. Although such a big fish was rare, with its current size, it could eat whatever it wanted and didn't really care.
The silver carp hurriedly flicked its tail and fled, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Chu Xun didn't delay any longer.
He patted the green and white python's head, then walked towards the stone bridge.
The green and white python followed all the way until Chu Xun stepped on the stone bridge and reached the opposite bank. He looked back at it and scolded with a smile, "If you don't go back now, when the Underworld comes, you'll become that fish."
The Underworld might not do anything to a python that hadn't achieved much, but if it was staying with the Songliu Water God, that might not be the case.
At this moment, it was better to stay far away.
The green and white python flicked its tongue, fiercely swung its tail a few times, and then dove into the water.
The other two giant pythons also shook their heads at Chu Xun, entered the water together, and disappeared without a trace.
Chu Xun hugged the cloth bag and came to the Songliu Water God Temple.
Last year, there were still a few local gentry forced to flee by the refugee army stealing offerings to eat here, this year was better.
With the implementation of the national policy, many commoners had returned to their hometowns to make a living.
In front of the divine statue, there was still a disc-shaped longevity incense, emitting curling blue smoke.
A faint sandalwood fragrance assailed the nostrils.
Still hugging the cloth bag in his arms, Chu Xun sat down on the futon in front of the divine statue, looking straight ahead.
Calming his mind and concentrating, like an unsheathed sword.
At the instant the dark clouds obscured the moonlight, the golden body in the City God Temple of Zhangnan County vibrated.
"The Songliu wild god has appeared. Civil Judge, Martial Judge, follow this City God to capture him!"
[End of Chapter]