radicalducati Page 22
Page 22
He remained as lazy as ever, showing no signs of sadness at parting.
He shoved a gourd the size of his palm into Zhang Yunyuan's hand.
"Elder brother, what is this?"
"I'm bored down the mountain, so I'm here to cheer you up."
Zhang Zhiwei yawned and said lazily.
"The alcohol inside can be invigorating; it might come in handy in a critical moment."
After saying that, he waved his hand, turned around and left without any hesitation.
Holding the slightly cool wine gourd in his hand, Zhang Yunyuan watched his senior brother's departing figure, then glanced at Tian Jinzhong beside him, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.
He bowed deeply in the direction the two had left.
Then, he turned around without looking back and strode towards the mountain gate.
The mountain wind blew up his Taoist robe, making it flutter.
Ahead lies an unknown world, a chaotic era of upheavals and turmoil.
That is also his true world, the world of "Under One Person".
Chapter 24 Entering the Chaotic World, the Beginning of the Northward Journey
Zhang Yunyuan bid farewell to his master and officially descended the mountain.
Beyond the mountain gate lies a continuous ancient path paved with bluestone.
Before the mountain gate lies the chaotic and bustling world of mortals.
One step out, and it's like entering two different worlds.
The tranquility and serenity of the mountain were instantly cut off, replaced by a murky atmosphere mixed with gunpowder smoke, dust, and the blood and tears of the people.
The sky was gray, the ground was yellow, and on the distant horizon, a few wisps of black smoke could be faintly seen.
Zhang Yunyuan wore a plain Taoist robe and carried a simple bag containing only a few changes of clothes and the wine gourd his senior brother had given him.
As he walked along the official road, all he saw was a shocking desolation.
Fertile fields lie fallow, villages are dilapidated, and nine out of ten houses are empty.
Occasionally, one could see a few emaciated people with blank stares, like walking corpses.
This is troubled times.
It is far more cruel and direct than the words in books or the images in one's memory.
Zhang Yunyuan knew in his heart that the prelude to the Jia Shen Rebellion would inevitably begin in the north.
He remembered that the first gathering of the Thirty-Six Bandits was in the Qinling Mountains.
He set a general direction for himself and headed north.
This journey was both to witness the beginning of the storm and to complete his own "check-in" trip.
His first stop was in Hubei Province, specifically Wudang Mountain.
The journey from Longhu Mountain to Wudang Mountain is long and requires traversing several provinces.
On this day, he passed through a dilapidated market town.
The town is small and must have once been quite prosperous, but now only ruins remain.
The few shops on the street were all closed.
At the town's entrance, in front of the only grain shop still barely open, a group of ragged people were gathered, pleading with each other to exchange their meager copper coins or odds and ends for a little food to survive.
Suddenly, a chaotic sound of horses' hooves approached from afar.
A group of seven or eight ruffians, riding skinny horses, swaggered into the market town.
Their military bearing was disheveled, and their faces bore the air of bandits; they were clearly defeated rabble who had now become a scourge on the region.
The leader was a one-eyed man. He reined in his horse and greedily scanned the few bags of grain that were already scarce at the entrance of the grain shop.
"Damn it, the brothers have been traveling all day and they're starving."
The one-eyed man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and immediately dismounted.
"Shopkeeper, we'll take this grain!"
The grain shop owner was an elderly man over fifty years old. Upon hearing this, he trembled with fright and quickly stepped forward to bow.
"Sir, sir, please have mercy."
"This...this is the last life-saving food for the town's hundred or so people! If you take it all, we..."
"Get out of here, motherfucker!"
The one-eyed man ignored his nonsense and kicked the old shopkeeper to the ground.
"We're fighting for our country on the front lines, what's wrong with us eating some of your food?"
"If you utter another word of nonsense, I'll stew your old bones along with me!"
The soldiers behind him laughed loudly, dismounted, and pounced on the bags of grain like wolves.
The surrounding people dared not speak out in anger, their faces filled with despair and fear.
A woman holding a child mustered her courage and knelt down on the ground.
"Sir, please, leave us some food. Our child hasn't eaten for two days..."
"Get out of here, you bitch!"
One of the soldiers, finding her in the way, raised his foot, ready to kick the child in the woman's arms!
Zhang Yunyuan stood at the street corner not far away, not wanting to meddle in other people's business.
In chaotic times, such things happen every day. He can't manage them all, and he doesn't want to expose himself too early.
But when he saw that kick about to strike the baby, a cold glint flashed in his usually calm eyes.
The bottom line has been crossed.
He sighed and slowly stepped out of the shadows.
His movements were slow, but each step seemed to land at some peculiar point, making people subconsciously ignore his presence even though they could see it.
It wasn't until he walked up behind the soldier that the soldier, who had just lifted his foot, realized there was someone behind him and turned around impatiently.
"Where did this little Taoist priest come from? He's asking for death..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw a small hand gently press on his back.
Zhang Yunyuan didn't speak, he just looked at him calmly.
Before the soldier could react, he felt an extremely subtle yet destructive force instantly penetrate his body.
He didn't even feel any pain; all he saw was darkness, and all his strength was instantly drained, causing him to collapse limply to the ground.
"Lao San, what's wrong with you?"
The one-eyed man sensed something was wrong, turned around abruptly, and witnessed this scene.
His pupils contracted, and he shouted sharply.
"Where did this quack Taoist come from, daring to meddle in your grandfather's business!"
He drew the sword from his waist and was about to step forward.
Zhang Yunyuan ignored him and moved like a ghost through the crowd.
He calmly brushed past several other soldiers who were also looting grain.
Each time they brushed past each other, his elbow, shoulder, or fingertips would lightly touch the other person in an extremely subtle way.
This kung fu technique, which he created himself, is best suited for situations where he doesn't want to make too much of a fuss.
The soldiers only felt a light bump and didn't take it seriously, continuing to scramble for the grain.
"Stop it all!"
Enraged by this, the one-eyed man raised his knife and slashed at Zhang Yunyuan's back.
The surrounding people gasped in surprise.
Zhang Yunyuan did not turn around, but simply pointed with his hand in the distance.
A golden beam of light, condensed to its fullest extent and carrying a barely perceptible trace of lightning, struck the one-eyed dragon's wrist, which was holding the knife, with pinpoint accuracy.
One-Eyed Dragon felt a numbness in his wrist, as if he had been burned by a red-hot iron, and his sword fell to the ground.
He was about to lash out when his expression suddenly changed drastically.
He saw his brothers, who had been lively and energetic just moments before, now lying on the ground one after another, clutching their stomachs and showing expressions of extreme pain, like mudfish whose tendons had been pulled out.
They were foaming at the mouth and convulsing. There were no visible injuries, but they were visibly weakening.
The one-eyed man was instantly terrified.
What kind of magic is this? !
He looked again at the young Taoist priest who stood there indifferently, and all that remained in his eyes was endless fear.
"You...who are you?"
Zhang Yunyuan slowly turned around and dusted off non-existent dust from his Taoist robe.
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"I am just passing by today and have witnessed your behavior, which is contrary to the harmony of heaven and earth."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers writhing on the ground in agony.
"Considering Heaven's benevolence towards life, we will spare your lives for now."
A single word, devoid of any emotion.
One-Eyed Dragon felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet, helped up his half-dead brothers, and fled the town as if a vengeful ghost were chasing him.
It wasn't until they completely disappeared that the surrounding people came back to their senses from the shock.