SFS Chapter 105 Matters of Immortals and Heroes
Chapter 105 Matters of Immortals and Heroes
Chapter 105 Matters of Immortals and Heroes
At this moment, Chu Xun suddenly realized that despite doing so many good deeds, he always felt something was missing, and he wondered where that came from.
Simply doing good deeds and rescuing people from danger is nothing more than being a chivalrous knight-errant.
The fundamental way to guide people now is through the subtleties of Taoism.
"The former is a knight-errant, one person leading the way, upholding justice."
"The latter is an immortal, amidst a sea of people, following the natural way."
"On the path to immortality, engaging in the activities of immortals and heroes will keep things interesting."
Chu Xun laughed heartily, feeling that he already had a clue what he would do in the future.
A sudden clarity dawned on him, and he murmured, "A dream of wealth and glory, is it a blessing or a curse?"
The crows on the eaves tilted their heads and looked at him, puzzled.
Cawing, Chu Xun looked up at the cawing crows and laughed, "What do you beasts know?"
Spring of Chongming 12th year.
Huang Qi and Qi Songren's refugee army joined forces and fought together.
Due to limited troop strength, Hong Zexu was forced to retreat to Hulao Pass after being subjected to a forced attack, suffering considerable losses.
Everyone assumed that the refugee army would continue its attack on Hulao Pass.
Liao Shouyi left about 10,000 men to continue defending Fenggu City, and joined forces with 20,000 troops from the Ministry of War, heading straight for Hulao Pass to provide reinforcements.
However, to everyone's surprise, the refugee army bypassed Hulao Pass and headed straight for the capital city.
Upon receiving this news, Zhang Jingheng, the Minister of Revenue, was both surprised and anxious.
"Are these people crazy?! What kind of war is this?!"
As we all know, if a formidable pass lies ahead, its capture will result in heavy losses.
If we don't take it down, we risk being caught in a pincer movement and having our supplies cut off.
The strategy of not attacking a city is only used when launching a surprise attack.
In large-scale warfare, such behavior is a major taboo in military strategy.
But that's exactly what the refugee army did.
They moved with incredible speed, bypassing Hulao Pass and heading towards the capital city with lightning speed.
Hong Zexu led his troops out of the city to provide emergency relief.
Even Liao Shouyi, who originally planned to come to Hulao Pass, had to change his course at the last minute.
Drop everything heavy, travel light, and be sure to replay the video as quickly as possible.
In Kyoto, the high-ranking officials and nobles who received the news were in complete chaos.
Wasn't it said that Hulao Pass was impregnable, and that even if five or ten times the number of refugee troops came, they would not be able to take it?
How come we've already fought our way to within 200 miles of the capital?
Where is Hong Zexu?
What about Zhang Jingheng?
Spring of the twelfth year of Chongming.
The army of refugees surged like a flood and stormed into the capital city.
Emperor Chongming and his civil and military officials fled to Tengyuan Prefecture under the escort of the capital's imperial guards.
The refugee army occupied the capital city and engaged in fierce battles with the Jing Kingdom army that followed.
No one could have imagined that a group of salt workers and farmers would actually be able to storm into the imperial palace.
Although the lack of supplies meant that defeat was inevitable, this battle was still worthy of being recorded in history.
Pingshui Town.
Chu Xun stood in front of the Bai family's old shop, waiting for the shopkeeper to dispense the wine.
Not long after, Bai Min'an, with gray hair, came over carrying a wine jar.
"Mr. Chu, your wine."
Chu Xun took it and paid for the drinks.
Bai Min'an looked at him and suddenly said, "Why does Mr. Chu seem a little different than he was a few days ago?"
"How are they different?" Chu Xun asked.
"It's hard to say." Bai Min'an chuckled a few times and said, "It just feels like they're standing right in front of me, yet also seem a bit far away."
"Maybe the smell of alcohol here is too strong and it's making your eyes blurry," Chu Xun said with a smile.
A woman in her thirties, leading a young child, came down the street and immediately bowed to Chu Xun.
"Shuyu greets Mr. Chu."
Chu Xun nodded slightly, glanced at the child who was curiously looking at him, and smiled, "You've grown quite a bit taller."
"Thanks to you, I have indeed grown taller."
Chu Xun reached out and patted the little boy's head, then asked the woman, "Where is your husband?"
"He's busy seeing patients at the clinic on the street today," Bai Shuyu replied.
The little girl from back then has grown up and married a doctor surnamed Han.
She had a son, and life was pretty good.
Chu Xun didn't ask any more questions and left with the wine jar.
Bai Shuyu watched him leave, then led the child into the shop.
"Grandpa!" The boy ran happily to hug Bai Min'an.
"Sweetie, oh dear, you're getting heavy, I can hardly carry you anymore." Bai Min'an said, but still picked up the child.
Bai Shuyu quickly said, "Father, please be careful and don't strain your back again."
"It's alright, while I can still carry you, I won't be able to carry you anymore later," Bai Min'an said with a smile.
Bai Shuyu wanted to say something like, "What are you saying?" but seeing her father's gray hair, she sighed.
Remembering Chu Xun who had come to buy wine earlier, she asked, "Is Master Chu really not coming back? When I was little, I said I would buy wine for him."
Bai Min'an shook his head and said, "Who knows? I reckon he won't be coming back. But this Mr. Chu, although young, is also a wine lover, much like the old man."
As he spoke, Bai Min'an reached out and pinched his grandson's nose, laughing as he said, "When you grow up, you can 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 said with a smile, "You shouldn't even think about handing over this wine shop to him. Being a doctor is much better than selling wine."
"What's so great about it? It's all about making money." Bai Min'an snorted and said, "If none of you want it, who will inherit this wine shop? We might as well sell it to Mr. Chu!"
"It's fine if he's willing to buy it," Bai Shuyu said.
Bai Min'an snorted again, this was no casual remark.
No one in the family was willing to take over the liquor shop business, so we couldn't just let an outsider have it.
On the contrary, Mr. Chu and Mr. Chu have been coming here to buy wine for two generations.
From my grandfather's generation to the present, his daughters have all married and had children. This family is the only one that has lasted this long.
Unfortunately, I heard that although Mr. Chu loved to drink, he was actually a blacksmith.
I'm afraid I won't have time to run a liquor store.
Bai Shuyu suddenly asked, "But don't you think Mr. Chu is a little different than when he first came last year?"
"You felt it too?" Bai Min'an was somewhat pleased, realizing that it wasn't the smell of alcohol that had made him dizzy.
"When he left just now, I felt he stood out in the crowd. But upon closer inspection, he seemed quite inconspicuous, which was strange," Bai Shuyu said.
Bai Min'an thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's because he has done many good deeds and accumulated merit that he has such extraordinary achievements."
O
The streets are packed with people, and the bustling activity has continued non-stop since the Lunar New Year.
After the refugee army left, the people seemed to want to vent their pent-up resentment, and the reopening of various shops ushered in a peak season.
The people cheered and danced in the streets, and the sound of gongs and drums filled the air, making it several times more lively than usual.
Chu Xun, carrying a wine jar, weaved through the crowd.
Many people know him; the name of the great philanthropist Chu has long been widely known.
Chu Xun responded politely to them and slowed his pace; he really enjoyed the lively atmosphere.
Unfortunately, he used to have people by his side, but now he is all alone, which is somewhat unpleasant.
At this moment, Chu Xun suddenly saw something that hadn't appeared in his memory for a long time.
I immediately went over and saw an old man with a mustache, wearing an old Taoist robe, with sparse teeth and gray hair shouting on the side of the street.
He sat on a broken chair with a tumor on its leg, held a cloth banner that read "Cures All Diseases" in one hand, and rested the other hand on a three-foot-tall wooden cabinet next to him.
A faint scent of medicine wafted from the wooden cabinet.
Chu had witnessed the same scene decades ago.
At that time, Zhang Anxiu was unable to have children, so she secretly went to this old man to buy medicine.
But after taking a whole bottle, it had absolutely no effect; it was clearly a scam.
Chu Xun hadn't taken it seriously before, after all, there were scammers everywhere, so it wasn't surprising.
It's quite surprising to see this old man again today.
If I remember correctly, I first met this person sometime during the twenty-something years of the Jing Kingdom.
He looked like an old man back then, no less than sixty or seventy years old.
More than forty years have passed now, and it should be over a hundred years old, yet it remains the same.
Even the healthiest person cannot live that long.
Unless one is a martial artist of the first rank or above.
But the martial artist had plenty of energy and blood, which was fundamentally different from the old man.
Decades have passed, but the other person's appearance has not changed at all; even the chair he sat on and the three-foot-tall wooden cabinet are still exactly the same.
Chu Xun raised an eyebrow and immediately concealed his cultivation level as he walked over.
Just then, the old man smiled and took the silver from the woman's hand, then handed her a bottle of medicine.
"It cures all diseases! If it doesn't work, come back to me, money back guarantee!" the old man patted his chest and said confidently.
Turning his head, he saw Chu Xun standing there and asked, "Young man, do you want to buy medicine?"
The other party didn't seem to recognize him, and Chu Xun didn't ask him why the medicine from back then hadn't worked.
He took out two taels of silver and handed it over, and the old man took out a small medicine bottle from the wooden cabinet and handed it to him.
Chu Xun glanced at the banner and asked, "Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong with me?"
The old man pointed to the words on the banner and said, "Cures all diseases! See? Money back guarantee if it doesn't work!"
Chu Xun said no more, put the medicine bottle in his pocket, and turned to leave.
After walking a long way, I looked back and the old man was still there.
Chu Xun laughed. He had thought that he would never see the people he had met back then again.
Unexpectedly, one person was left.
Although I can't tell how powerful the other person is, they are clearly not an ordinary person.
As for who he was and why he made a living by swindling, Chu Xun didn't care.
It's pointless to keep digging into the details of some things.
After returning home, Chu Xun placed the wine jar in a corner of the room.
There are already many wine jars piled up here, some of which were bought many years ago and stored because they couldn't finish them.
The longer it is stored, the richer and more mellow the flavor becomes.
He took the medicine bottle out of his pocket, uncorked it, and poured out one pill.
It was still as unremarkable as a ball of clay.
Although it smells faintly of medicine, it's certain that it's completely useless.
Chu Xun smiled nonchalantly, put the medicine bottle back in, and casually placed it next to the wine jar.
A few days later.
It was another moonlit, starry night.
Chu Xun opened his eyes inside the room.
After months of being scorched by karmic fire, his eyes became brighter than before.
Her overall demeanor has improved slightly.
[Cleric Rank 752/30000: Unconferred as a scattered god, gains the following supernatural powers: Dream of the Yellow Millet, Concealment, and Observation of Qi (can be used once a year as a pseudo-god), remaining time for concealment each year: 0.5 (can gain the supernatural powers of a true god after conferment, and can possess a soul to die in place of another)]
"It's that time of year again."
Chu Xun stood up and picked up a cloth bag from the bedside.
It was five feet long and as big as a barrel; if you shook it slightly, you could hear a tinkling sound coming from inside.
As soon as I stepped out the door, the crows on the eaves immediately raised their heads.
嘎—
An old crow cawed, attracting weasels, field mice, and rabbits to run out of their burrows in the corner.
"This is none of your business. Go do what you're supposed to do." Chu Xun waved his hand.
Several old crows flapped their wings, seemingly unable to contain themselves.
But he still obeyed Chu Xun's orders and squatted on the eaves without moving.
Chu Xun didn't delay any longer, and took a step forward while holding the cloth bag.
The benefits brought by the karmic fire allowed him to go further than before.
Originally, a single step could cover a maximum of 100 meters, but now it covers 102 meters.
It may not seem like much, but it only takes about two months.
One year, ten years, a hundred years.
When the cultivation level advances again, this increase will be terrifying, far exceeding the strength one should have at this level.
Soon after, Chu Xun arrived at the banks of the Songliu River.
Three enormous creatures swam from the river.
Two giant pythons, each several tens of feet long, poked their heads out and flicked their tongues from afar.
The blue-white python, which was already nearly seven zhang long, stretched out most of its body and affectionately nuzzled Chu Xun's hand.
Feeling that the scales were much harder and thicker than last year, Chu Xun was still satisfied.
Having been fed the essence of Ren water for so long, the green-white python's growth rate is almost twice as fast as its parents'.
If nothing unexpected happens, it will be as big as the other two giant pythons in a few years.
However, it will still be a long time before it transforms into a dragon.
"No rush, take your time," Chu Xun said habitually.
As people live longer, this phrase seems to become a catchphrase.
The blue-white python suddenly darted into the water, splashing up a spray of water.
When it came out again, it had a silver carp weighing fifty or sixty pounds in its mouth.
This is a little gift from it. Chu Xun shook his head: "No time, let's talk about it next time."
The blue-white python turned around and threw the silver carp back into the river. Although such a large fish was rare, given its current size, it could eat whatever it wanted, so it didn't really care.
The silver carp hurriedly flicked its tail and fled, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
With the time running out, Chu Xun didn't delay any longer.
He patted the blue-white python's head and then walked towards the stone bridge.
The blue-white python followed him all the way until Chu Xun stepped onto the stone bridge and reached the other side. He looked back at it and laughed, "If you don't go back now, you'll become that fish when the underworld comes."
The underworld might not do anything to a python that hasn't yet gained any power, but it might if it were to stay with the Pine and Willow Water God.
At this moment, it's best to stay away.
The blue-white python flicked its tongue, swung its tail violently a few times, and then submerged into the water.
The other two giant pythons shook their heads at Chu Xun, then entered the water and disappeared without a trace.
Chu Xun, carrying a cloth bag, arrived at the Pine and Willow Water God Temple.
Last year, there were still a few local gentry who were forced to flee by the refugee army and were stealing offerings to eat. This year it's better.
With the implementation of the national policy, many people returned to their hometowns to make a living.
Before the statue, there is still a disc-shaped incense stick, emitting wisps of smoke.
A faint sandalwood scent wafts through the air.
Still clutching the cloth bag in his arms, Chu Xun sat down on the prayer mat in front of the statue, gazing ahead.
Calm your mind and concentrate, like a sword yet to be drawn.
The moment the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, the golden statue of the City God Temple in Zhangnan County trembled.
"The Wild God of Pine and Willow has appeared! Judges of both civil and military affairs, follow this City God to capture him!"
>