Taiheiki

Chapter 27 Taoist
"But what?"

"He simply hasn't met a true hero!" Zhao Yannian sneered, "If you were to make me a 2,000-stone official, and select three to five hundred strong men to train according to your method for two to three months, taking Zhang Bolu's head would be as easy as taking something from a bag!"

"Passed, passed!" Wei Cong didn't expect that chatting and eating melons would actually bring trouble to him. Just as he was about to say a few humble words, the door of the inn was pushed open and everyone's eyes were immediately focused on him.

Standing at the door was a man of medium build, wearing a conical hat, a dark brown robe, and holding a bamboo stick in his hand. He coughed and said, "Shopkeeper, please bring up some food!" As he spoke, he took out more than ten five-zhu coins from his sleeve and placed them on the table.

The shopkeeper responded, and the man sat down and took off his bamboo hat, revealing a handsome and elegant face with a red mole on his right cheek. Wang Shou lowered his voice and said, "This guy is born with a good appearance!"

"Wang Shou, don't talk too much. This guy is a Taoist priest, so don't cause trouble!" Zhao Yannian said.

"Taoist?" Wei Cong glanced at the man. "How did you tell? His clothes seem ordinary."

"Look at his bamboo stick. How many sections does it have?"

"Nine!" Wei Cong counted. "What does that matter?"

"This is the Nine-Section Staff, wielded by only a select few of the most accomplished Taoists within the Celestial Master Dao. It possesses immense magical powers. It's said that each of the bamboo sections on this staff represents a constellation. Pointing the staff to the sky, the gods of heaven perform a ceremony; pointing it to the ground, the gods of earth greet you; pointing it to the northeast, all the ghosts gather!"

"Ten Thousand Ghosts Forming?" Wei Cong laughed. "Yannian, have you seen it with your own eyes?"

"Of course not!" Zhao Yannian said, "But these Taoists who roam around are all quite capable. If possible, it's best not to provoke them to avoid trouble!"

At this moment, a scream echoed from the group of crimson-robed men. It turned out that the woman had somehow angered the young man, and after receiving a slap, she escaped and hid behind the Taoist holding a staff. The young man in the crimson robe chased after them, cursing and slashing at them with his sword: "Get out of my way, or you'll lose your life!" The Taoist's bamboo staff seemed to waver, and the young man in the crimson robe fell flat on his face.

That Taoist is so quick! Wei Cong's face changed drastically. He saw the group of crimson-robed thieves draw their swords and surround the Taoist and the woman. Zhang Boshi shouted, "Who are you? Haven't you heard of Jiangling's crimson-robed general?"

"A general is one who leads the army to suppress the strong and disloyal, and to bring peace! You gather together to bully the weak and disrupt the world, how can you be called a general?" The Taoist sneered, "I only see the crimson-robed thieves, not the general!"

The crimson-robed thieves were furious. Zhang Boshi shook his head nonchalantly. He reached his right hand behind his head to rub his neck, which seemed sore from sitting so long. Then, as if all at once, everything happened. The Taoist stood up, and Zhang Boshi suddenly swung his right hand. A blurry figure, a shimmering silver object, pierced the air. If the Taoist hadn't moved, the dagger would have struck him squarely in the Adam's apple. Instead, it grazed his ribs and remained lodged in the wall beside the door behind him, trembling slightly.

"Haha!" The Taoist laughed, a cold, hollow laugh that seemed to come from a deep well. "I was waiting for you. It's just as I expected." He raised his nine-section staff to block the first blow, then drew a rapier from the staff and cut the attacker's neck.

When the battle broke out, Zhao Yannian stood up, shielding Wei Cong behind him. The others drew their weapons, wary of possible attacks. Wei Cong was forced to observe the battle from between the crowds. Zhang Boshi was a calculated and methodical swordsman. His every movement and every step betrayed his thorough and meticulous training. He applied steady pressure to his foe, his longsword appearing precise and ruthless in his hands.

His opponent was probably the fastest person Wei Cong had ever seen. His movements were swift and silent, like a snake in the grass, and the rapier in his hand was like a venomous fang, precise and deadly. From time to time, a man in crimson robes would clutch his wound and fall in despair, only to be quickly replaced by the next person, maintaining the encirclement.

But the huge advantage in numbers still made the balance of victory tilt towards Zhang Bosi. The crimson-robed thieves forced the Taoist into a corner. There was already an ugly bloody crack on his clothes. He leaned against the wall, bleeding and gasping loudly. It seemed that the outcome was already decided.

"Drop your weapon and I will spare your life!" Zhang Bosi sneered.

"So that you can kill me?" the Taoist sneered.

"You're already exhausted and still bleeding!" Zhang Boshi pointed out, "If you keep hitting me, you'll be finished soon!"

"Then give it a try!" The Taoist used a nine-section staff to support the ground and held the sword across his chest.

"You think we can't? You're bleeding!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a short scream came from behind him. Zhang Bosi subconsciously turned his head and saw Zhao Yannian pulling out a sword from the back of a companion and looking at him coldly. Almost at the same time, Wei Cong's guards launched a fierce attack from behind and killed most of the crimson-clothed thieves effortlessly.

"Zhao Yannian, you--!" Zhang Bosi's eyes were about to burst.

"My husband asked me to do it!" Zhao Yannian smiled and said, "But my husband has always had a good eye. Watch out for what's behind you!"

Zhang Boshi instinctively turned his head, and a low table slammed down hard on his calf. He barely managed to steady himself, but the Taoist ducked to avoid his hasty blow and pierced Zhang Boshi's throat with a ferocious blow. Blood splattered on the ceiling and wall. The blade lodged in Zhang Boshi's cervical vertebrae, and the Taoist twisted it hard to free it.

The remaining crimson-clad thieves fled towards the door. Wei Cong could smell their fear, but the other half who stayed to guard the carriage blocked the exit. They retreated back to the inn in despair, glaring at Wei Cong and the others viciously.

"You are dead, the general will not let you go!" shouted a thief.

"That's right, our leader is the general's most valued cousin, you killed him!" "Unless you escape Jingzhou, you will die!"

Facing the threat from the crimson-robed thieves, Wei Cong made a gesture, and bows and crossbows appeared behind him. The arrows on them flashed with a cold light, just like the mood of the crimson-robed thieves at the moment.

"Put down your weapon, or you will die now!" Wei Cong said.

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"This wound isn't deep. Change the dressing every other day, and it should heal in less than two weeks!" Wei Cong carefully bandaged the Taoist's wound. He clapped his hands and handed him half a bottle of ointment and gauze. "Remember, don't bandage it too tightly, otherwise it won't heal well!"

"My name is Liu Xin from Qinghe. Thank you very much for your kindness!" The Taoist bowed to Wei Cong. Although there were traces of battle on his body, he still looked so elegant and noble, as if it was another person who had just fought a life-and-death battle with the thieves.

"I'm Wei Cong from Yecheng!" Wei Cong hurriedly returned the greeting, "No need for that. Just now, you were all alone, yet you drew your sword to help a weak woman. I truly admire you!"

"It's nothing but blood-soaked courage. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead!" The Taoist sighed, "Brother Wei, I've heard of the reputation of these crimson-robed thieves. Their presence means General Crimson's troops are probably roaming nearby. They could show up at any moment, so it's best to leave as soon as possible!"

"That's right, I didn't expect that!" Wei Cong nodded: "Brother Liu, you are injured and your movements cannot change, so come with me!"

"Then I'll trouble you, Brother Wei!"

The two men boarded the carriage and escorted the captives all the way to Xiangyang City. They chatted in the carriage and got along quite well. Liu Xin introduced himself as the sixth-generation grandson of Emperor Guangwu. As he grew older, he had traveled extensively to famous mountains and rivers, embracing Taoism for nearly twenty years.

"So Brother Liu is a descendant of the imperial family. I'm so sorry!" Wei Cong hurriedly saluted.

"Absolutely not!" Liu Xin hurriedly returned the greeting. "Although I am a descendant of Emperor Guangwu, my father was already a commoner during his time. I have traveled extensively and am only an ordinary citizen. Looking at this carriage, these maids, and his attendants and guards, Brother Wei must be either rich or noble. How can I possibly accept your courtesy?"

"There's no such thing as being either rich or noble!" Wei Cong laughed. "I'm just running a business for a friend. The journey won't be safe, so I brought a few guards with me. Just in case something goes wrong, I'll have a backup plan!"

"So that's how it is!" Liu Xin nodded. "But I don't know what kind of business it is?"

Wei Cong hesitated for a moment when Liu Xin asked, then spoke directly. Firstly, if he set his sights on something, everyone would know about it, making it impossible to hide it from anyone. Secondly, although Liu Xin claimed his father had been a commoner, and he himself held no official position, wandering the land in search of Daoist techniques, Wei Cong dared not underestimate him. For modern Chinese, accustomed to the trinity of an atomized society, a market economy, and the dominance of the nation-state, the existence of the monstrous existence of village clans was difficult to comprehend.

Therefore, modern people find it very strange when reading history: Liu Bei was born into a poor family and had to sell reed mats and straw sandals to make a living, but history books also say that Liu Bei was educated since childhood, and he also liked dogs, horses, music, and beautiful clothes. When he grew up, he was able to become a disciple of high-ranking officials and Confucian scholars such as Lu Zhi, and when he became an adult, he was able to go to Luoyang and have interactions with top second-generation officials and noble sons such as Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

(According to Wang Can's "Records of Heroes in the Late Han Dynasty," Liu Bei was already in the capital during the last years of Emperor Ling's reign, returning to Pei with Cao Cao to jointly recruit and defeat Dong Zhuo. Some believe that Liu Bei and Cao Cao had known each other before Emperor Ling's appointment of the Eight Commandants of the Western Garden, in August of the fifth year of the Zhongping reign. Liu Bei also participated in He Jin's subsequent attempt to exterminate the eunuchs and to lure Dong Zhuo's foreign troops into the capital. At that time, Liu Bei was only 27 years old. It's likely that after Cao Cao's failed assassination attempt on Dong Zhuo, he fled home with the young Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei by his side, not Chen Gong. This explains why Liu Bei was always looked up to by every faction he joined. It's simply because he truly was a veteran revolutionary who had shared arms and prostitutes with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.)
The contradiction between his economic hardship and his aristocratic lifestyle, coupled with connections and access to the highest echelons of political life, seems strangely disjointed to most modern people. However, it was quite normal during the Han and Wei dynasties, and even during the Jin dynasty. The reason is simple: Liu Bei, though poor, was not abjectly inferior. He was a member of a fallen aristocrat, and his innate bloodline gave him the right to participate in high-level politics.

As a member of the Liu clan, he had the opportunity to receive free education in the clan school since childhood. As long as he could demonstrate sufficient ability, the wealthy members of the clan were willing to provide money to support his political career. It's true that cruel struggles between legitimate and illegitimate children do not exist in modern online novels, but in more cases, the elders of the same clan are more willing to support and cultivate outstanding talents among the younger generation rather than suppress them. After all, in ancient society, the clan was a natural community. If a talented person emerged from the younger generation, others would naturally benefit from it. If they really suppressed the talented, the rest would be useless, and the family business would be left to outsiders, and their own sons would not be able to benefit.

So even though Liu Xin claimed he wasn't an official, he was still a relative of the Han Dynasty, descended from the same ancestor as the current emperor. His appearance, martial arts, and conversation were all there, and if he ever got the chance, he could have risen to prominence. If someone like that were to ask you about something, and you kept it a secret, you might end up in their hands one day, and by then, it would be too late to cry.

"So Brother Wei and Deng Shimao of Nanyang have known each other for a long time!" Liu Xin laughed. "Well, opening up a combined transport system from Wancheng to Jiangling. Merchants don't need to prepare their own vehicles. They can just pay and receive their goods with a ticket. Brother Wei is truly a man of great courage!"

"Brother Liu, do you know Shimao?" Wei Cong asked.

"That's not the case!" A hint of sadness flashed in Liu Xin's eyes. "I've only heard of him for a long time. He's the Queen's cousin, and his family is worth billions. How could he recognize a wandering seeker like me?"

"There's nothing wrong with traveling and seeking the truth!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Even someone as wealthy and powerful as Liu Hou, after helping Emperor Gaozu pacify the world, abandoned worldly affairs and followed Chisongzi to seek immortality and the truth! What Brother Liu is doing today is also emulating the ancient sages!"

Liu Xin laughed when he heard this: "Thank you so much for your kind words, Brother Wei!"

As they were talking, the group had already arrived in Xiangyang. Liu Xin got off the carriage and said goodbye. Wei Cong tried to persuade him to stay but failed, so he took out a thousand coins and some ointment and gauze as a gift. Liu Xin accepted them without hesitation. Watching his back gradually disappear in the crowd, Wei Cong sighed and said, "Things in the world are unpredictable, and official positions are not guaranteed. To be able to live like this, it can't be said that it is not a blessing!"

"My dear!" Zhao Yannian whispered, "This man's identity may not be as simple as he claims. Why don't you arrest him and interrogate him thoroughly?"

"I'm not an official, why would I do this?" Wei Cong laughed. "Besides, everyone has secrets, and you and I are no exception. Why do we have to get to the bottom of everything and get to the bottom of everything? Isn't it enough to just know that there's no ill will between him and me?"

　There was a problem with the computer network at home, so I uploaded it from my mobile phone, so it's a little late, please forgive me! Please vote, reward and collect!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)