The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 215: Mystery of the Demon Star
Master Zhan and his companions rode at full speed and arrived at Dongxi Village in the evening. After asking around, they found Chao Gai's home and went to visit him.

The servant knew that his master loved to make friends with people from all walks of life. When he saw that these two people looked extraordinary, he thought they were here to extort money again, so he hurried in to report.

At this time, Chao Gai was burning paper with Wu Yong and others to swear brotherhood and vow to do something great. When he heard that there were strange guests coming to their house, he was afraid that the news would leak out, so he didn't want to see them. He just asked someone to send a small tray of silver to get rid of the two of them.

The farmhand was also good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that Chao Gai ignored the two, he also acted like Qiao and took half of the silver. Then he came out with a tray in one hand and handed it forward, saying with a fake smile:
"You two have worked hard on the journey, but my master is busy with important matters at the moment and cannot meet you. Please accept this as a small token of my gratitude."

"It's getting late today, so you two should collect your money and find a store to stay in. We can discuss our friendship when we meet again in the future."

When Gongsun Sheng saw this, he immediately became furious and shouted:

"We are here to discuss an important matter with Chao Baozheng. Please go and tell him to come out and see us."

The farmhand smiled coldly and said disdainfully:

"It's nothing big or small, it's just a matter of money. For people like you who are out to get money, my family has to receive 30 to 20 people every year."

"Look carefully, there is real silver in this plate, not copper coins or notes. If you still think it's too little, then you are being shameless."

Gongsun Sheng became even angrier and was about to go up and fight, but Master Zhan stopped him and said to him with a smile:

"I can tell from the looks of it that you don't have any experience in the martial world. This is a seventh-rank official at the prime minister's door. When we come to visit him, we have to give him some gifts. Otherwise, who will pass the message to you?"

After saying this, Master Zhan threw a gold ingot into the plate and said in a haughty manner:
"Hey, this is a reward for you, why don't you go and report the news quickly!"

As expected, money makes the world go round. The farmhand sank his wrist and quickly picked up the gold ingot with both hands. He took a bite and confirmed that it was pure gold. His face changed immediately and he knelt down to apologize:

"Please don't blame me, my lord. I am blind. Please wait a moment. I will go and inform the master."

He crawled into the yard and told Chao Gai the situation again, which immediately frightened Chao Gai and the others, wondering where this big shot came from.

"My dear brothers, please hide in the back hall for a while while I go out to see who this hero is."

Chao Gai hurried out and saw the two people in front of the door. With a quick glance, he determined that Master Zhan was the one in charge, so he hurried forward to bow and apologize.

"Alas, Chao was not a strict steward, and the two heroes were wronged. It's all Chao's fault."

As he spoke, he took the gold ingot with both hands and was about to return it. Mr. Zhan smiled and waved his hand, saying disapprovingly:
"It's just a small amount of gold, it's not worth much. If I say it's a reward, then it's a reward. There's no reason to take it back!"

The two sides pushed the issue back and forth for a while. Seeing that Mr. Zhan insisted, Chao Gai had no choice but to throw the gold to the farmhand and planned to make up for it in other ways.

The farmhand received the gold. He was happy but also terrified, knowing that he had embarrassed his master and might suffer heavy losses in the future. After tossing and turning for a long time, he quietly took the gold and some valuables and sneaked away in the middle of the night.

Master Zhan and Gongsun Sheng followed Chao Gai into the back hall. The servants brought them tea and they introduced themselves to each other. Chao Gai was naturally surprised by Master Zhan's title that meant neither a monk, nor a Taoist, nor a layman.

However, there are many strange people in this world, and it is normal for them to have strange personalities. Chao Gai did not dare to delve into it.

Mr. Zhan brought up the reputation of the Yushan bandits and made up a bunch of nonsense, and successfully fooled the person.

After the three of them talked for a few words, Chao Gai asked about the purpose of their visit. Master Zhan then gestured to Gongsun Sheng to speak first. Gongsun Sheng was not polite and said with a smile:
"I heard that there is an immortal in the capital. Now even the tribute of flowers and stones has stopped. All kinds of tribute items sent to the capital have become precious medicines. When the rich and powerful officials and the elderly get sick, they can't even use ginseng to save their lives. I want to make a fortune, so I came to find Bao Zheng to enforce justice for the heaven."

"Think of the gold and pearl treasures, which are heavy and small, and can be smuggled by pushing a cart or carrying a shoulder. It is difficult to find their traces. But although this precious medicine is good, it needs to be cultivated with soil, so it must be placed in a flowerpot, and it must be guarded by someone on the road. It is even more difficult to transport, and its whereabouts can be easily tracked."

"We are different from those people in the capital. We only want the precious medicine, regardless of life or death. After we rob it, we uproot it and push it with three or five carts, and then we can get away with it. It's perfect."

After hearing this, Mr. Zhan curled his lips and was quite disapproving in his heart, but Chao Gai was overjoyed when he heard it. Just as he was about to ask in detail, Wu Yong suddenly rushed out from behind and said jokingly:
"Okay! There are laws in the open and gods in the dark. How can you discuss such things? I have heard it many times!"

Mr. Zhan had known about this passage in the book for a long time. When he saw this black-hearted thief appear, he pretended not to know. When he heard him say this, he suddenly jumped up, kicked him away, drew his knife and chopped him, shouting:
"Since you heard something you shouldn't have heard, I'll kill you to silence you!"

"Stop!" ×N!

Chao Gai and others were shocked and rushed to intercept them. The three Ruan brothers behind them also rushed out and each picked up a weapon to block.

With a few crisp "ding ding" sounds, the steel knives and harpoons in the hands of the three Ruan men were easily cut off by Master Zhan's titanium alloy knife. However, with this obstruction, Liu Tang pounced on Wu Yong, hugged him, and rolled away.

"Mr. Twenty-four, please don't be so hasty. This is Mr. Jialiang, a good friend of mine. He was just joking just now and didn't really want to turn himself in."

Chao Gai hurriedly stood in front of Master Zhan, separated him and started talking.

Although the three Ruan brothers suffered a loss at the hands of Master Zhan, they were not angry. They just kept staring at the precious sword in Master Zhan's hand, and their envy was beyond words.

"Ah, I see. Someone is overreacting."

Although Master Zhan is only a clone at this time, if he really wants to kill him, it is just a matter of one sword, and no one can stop him. The reason why he was spared is purely because there is no colorful light on his body. It would be a waste to kill him now, so he will be spared for now, and it will not be too late to slaughter him after fattening him up.

Master Zhan sheathed his sword, saluted in a fake manner, and said with an insincere smile:

"The reason why my family's Yushan was suppressed by the government was because there was a traitor inside, so I hate this traitor the most."

"Please don't blame me for my rashness."

Wu Yong had escaped death, his face pale, he trembled and crawled to his feet, cupped his hands and forced a smile, saying:

"Mr. Twenty-four is an extraordinary martial artist. Jialiang admires him. It's just a misunderstanding. Don't take it to heart. Let's continue discussing important matters."

Chao Gai hurriedly introduced the two parties to each other. After they exchanged some pleasantries, they sat down and continued to discuss important matters.

"What Mr. Yiqing said is also what we think in our hearts. We are gathered here now, and we also want to get this 'Precious Medicine Compendium'. Since the two heroes have the same idea, then we can act together."

Master Zhan, who was listening, sneered:
"I thought it was some big deal, but it turned out to be this kind of thing. If it's just this, then I'll forgive you for not getting involved."

Wu Yong had just been frightened by Master Zhan, and although he did not show it on the surface, he was still holding a grudge in his heart. Now that he heard Master Zhan speaking against him, he immediately frowned and said sarcastically:
"Why, Mr. Twenty-four, have you been frightened by the government troops and are no longer willing to do such a business that could get you killed?"

Master Zhan shook his head and said:

"It's true that even a summer insect cannot talk about ice!"

"You are only thinking about the small matter of robbing and looting, but you don't know that the biggest thief in the world is the imperial court. Instead of making small fuss, it is better to raise the banner of rebellion and do something that will change the world."

"I think that the Liangshan Marsh is a good place with good feng shui. I want to build a base there, raise the flag of rebellion, and change the dynasty. I heard that Chao Baozheng has always been a hero, so I came here to invite you to go there together to build merit and establish a career."

"I have long heard of Mr. Jialiang's name, the three Ruan brothers, and the Liu Tang brothers. Now that I have the honor of meeting them, why don't we all go to that mountain together to gather together!"

"What?" ×N!

At this moment, everyone was shocked and looked at each other. Except for the three Ruan brothers who had some desire in their eyes, everyone else was very resistant to this. Chao Gai laughed dryly and said:
"Mr. Twenty-Four has lofty ambitions, but Chao has a family and a business now, so it's ok for me to do some business, but I won't mention the idea of ​​raising the flag of rebellion."

Mr. Zhan urged:

"Chao Tianwang is only a guard now, but if the rebellion succeeds, he can at least become a duke!"

"The king has practiced martial arts for many years, is he going to waste it on robbing people?"

"Besides, there's no future for you as a robber!"

"Don't listen to what Mr. Yiqing said about the 'Precious Medicine Compendium', as if you can make a fortune by robbing it. In fact, it is simply impossible!"

"If it was the 'birthday gift' from the past, it would be all gold and silver. There is no need to sell the stolen goods. You can just use them directly. You get as much as you rob."

"But the precious medicines you stole need to be handed over to the pharmacy for sale. However, most of these pharmacies are controlled by local tyrants, and most of these local tyrants are local gentry and powerful people."

"Don't think that a root of old mountain ginseng is worth dozens of strings of cash in the market today. But when the pharmacy buys the ginseng from the herbal farmers in the mountains, it is considered a lot to pay one or two strings of cash. It is simply not worth the price."

"If you go and sell the stolen goods, the same result will happen."

"I can see that you have never done such a low-cost business before. You are very unfamiliar with this line of work. If you can give you 10% or 20% of the price for selling stolen goods, it is because the master is being kind. Most of the goods have been taken away by those powerful people. There won't be much left in your hands."

"Also, the bulk of the 'Precious Medicine Compendium' is not actually the precious medicine, but the beauties!"

"Precious medicine is a natural treasure. It takes who knows how many years to grow one. The quantity is limited. Even if it is very expensive, there is always an upper limit."

"But there are so many beauties in the world, and you can get as many as you want. Even if the price is cheap, there are too many people to buy them!"

"Anyway, they are all sent to the Immortal Palace to try their luck. Since we don't know who will be selected, of course we use numbers to fill the gap. As long as they are outstanding in appearance, they are all stuffed into the convoy to the capital."

"Moreover, the 'Birthday Gift' in the past was a private matter, and private individuals were involved. But now the 'Precious Medicine Gift' is a matter of concern to the entire court, so the Imperial Guards are used for escort. You don't have a few hundred followers, so it's impossible for you to rob the 'Precious Medicine Gift'. It's impossible to take advantage of the situation!"

Chao Gai and others were stunned by the ridicule of Master Zhan.

"Let's not talk about selling the stolen goods for now. Who said that the 'Precious Medicine Collection' would include any beauties?" "And you said that the 'Precious Medicine Collection' was escorted by the Imperial Army. Where did you hear that?"

Master Zhan looked around at them and finally understood why they were planning to take possession of the "Precious Medicinal Compendium".

This is pure ignorance and fearlessness!

The reason why Master Zhan was worried that they would not seize the "Precious Medicine Gang" and cause the original "Seven Heroes Gathering" to disappear was because he was in a high position and could know all the information. No matter how he thought about it, he felt that the Seven Heroes were not fools and would not go to the "Precious Medicine Gang" and hit a wall.

But in fact, these seven heroes are just a group of underworld folks, and a lot of information they get is purely based on rumors, so they know very little about everything.

They just thought that this "Precious Medicine List" was the same as the previous "Birthday List"!

But they don’t know that the two are completely different and are two completely different things.

“Haha…” Master Zhan laughed coldly and said disdainfully: “If you had gone to the capital for a stroll, or asked someone who had returned from the capital, you wouldn’t be so ignorant and know nothing!”

"To do big things, you must first have accurate intelligence. Otherwise, you will run into an ambush and lose your life."

Everyone looked unhappy after being scolded by Master Zhan, but it was even more heartbreaking to see that the profitable business was gone.

"If it weren't for Mr. Twenty-Four telling us, we wouldn't know these. We have to thank Mr. Twenty-Four." Chao Gai forced himself to bow to Master Zhan to express his gratitude.

"You and I are destined to be together, so there's no need to say thank you or not." Master Zhan waved his hand and continued to instigate: "Robbery is already a sunset industry, there is no future!"

"Let's go up the mountain and gather together, get 18000 brothers, conquer the state and the county, and gain wealth and honor. This is the right way!"

"There's no need to mention this matter again, no need to mention it again..." Chao Gai refused with a sullen face.

"Tsk!" Seeing that he was reluctant to give up his little property and refused to change his mind, Master Zhan could not help but think of luring him to the mountain, so he finally persuaded him: "The king must have heard of killing people and setting fires to be recruited. Even if you don't want to really rebel, it's always good to use this method to win a title for your wife and children, right?"

Chao Gai still shook his head to refuse, but several people around him were already tempted.

San Ruan was a poor man who had never been afraid of anything. He decided to rebel, as it was better than going fishing and starving.

Liu Tang was a scoundrel. Although he had many fears of the government, he was no longer afraid when he heard that the purpose was to recruit amnesty.

Wu Yong thought that he was extremely talented but no one appreciated him. He could not get ahead through formal channels, so he chose to take this crooked path and was willing to agree.

So everyone started to speak up and lobby Chao Gai.

Chao Gai was good in every way except that he was not thick-skinned enough. After being framed by everyone, he showed no mercy. Although he was unwilling in his heart, he had to reluctantly agree in order to maintain the loyalty of the Jianghu. However, he made three rules:
"This rebellion is a big deal. We need to plan it carefully first. Before that, no news can be leaked."

"The rebellion requires a lot of money, food, and manpower. Although my farmhands have some, they are not enough. I have to contact other heroes to raise the banner of rebellion together."

"It is said that there is already a stronghold in Liangshan Marsh. We need to recruit the people there before we can go up the mountain."

Everyone agreed, and Master Zhan took the responsibility and said:
"Although Yushan was annihilated by the government troops, we have accumulated a lot of gold and silver over the years. I can take care of all the expenses. You brothers don't need to worry about it."

To prevent people from not believing him, Master Zhan directly threw out a big bag of gold beans. Ignoring the estimation, the value of the gold beans was no less than a huge million, and it was probably not much inferior to that "Precious Medicine Compendium".

Everyone was even more delighted, clapping and cheering, and clamoring to become sworn brothers.

Chao Gai and his six companions had already sworn brotherhood once before, and now they wanted to add Master Zhan and Gongsun Sheng, so they asked people to bring up paper money, pigs, sheep and other items.

But when it came to discussing seniority, conflicts arose again.

"Brother Baozheng is the elder, so he should sit facing forward."

Wu Yong and others recommended Chao Gai to be the leader, but how could Master Zhan agree? He was an immortal, he was not here to be someone's follower!
Only reputation and position cannot be delegated to others. If you become a younger brother, your status will be determined. Although Master Zhan does not care about brothers' quarrels, many things will be very inconvenient.

If I don't do what the boss tells me to do, I'd be disloyal. If I do it and it makes Master Zhan unhappy, it would be better not to become sworn brothers with him!
Mr. Zhan said without hesitation:
"The position of the leader of this mountain stronghold should belong to a virtuous person!"

"This gathering on the mountain was originally initiated by Zhan. All expenses of the mountain stronghold were paid for by Zhan. If we talk about morality, he should be the best among us!"

"Who else but me can be the leader of this village?"

Wu Yong and the others certainly did not agree, and just shouted:
"As a man of the world, we value loyalty over money. How can we let you become the village leader just because you paid?"

"In terms of reputation in the martial arts world, Brother Baozheng is naturally the most famous, and his sense of righteousness is well known to everyone. Brother Baozheng should be the leader of this stronghold."

"Haha..." Master Zhan sneered and said disdainfully, "What do you mean by reputation in the martial arts world? There are countless people in the martial arts world who are much more famous than King Chao. If that filial and righteous Black Sanlang comes in the future, do you think you will give up your position to him?"

Chao Gai patted his chest and said:
"I have also heard of the name of Song Yasi, the timely rain Hu Baoyi. If he really comes to the mountain stronghold, I will definitely not be greedy for the position and will definitely give it to him."

Seeing Chao Gai being so magnanimous, Wu Yong continued to sarcastically say:
"If you are greedy for power, we will not fight with you and let you be the second in command!"

Others also chimed in:

"Yes, you can be the second in command, but the first in command must be Brother Baozheng, otherwise I, Liu Tang, will be the first to disagree."

"My three brothers, Ruan, do not obey anyone except Brother Baozheng. If you make the decision, my brothers will not obey."

Even Gongsun Sheng came over to persuade him:

"Brother Twenty-four, let's put the overall situation first. Don't hurt our brotherhood for a mere seat. Just accept the position of the second village chief for the time being, and we can discuss it later."

Master Zhan sneered:

"I am rebelling in order to overthrow the Song court and become the emperor myself. If I give in now, and Chao Gai wants to recruit me in the future, won't I be sold out by him?"

Everyone was furious, but no one dared to pat their chests and guarantee that this would not happen. Even in their own hearts, they did not believe that they could really overthrow the court and establish their own kingdom, so they just wanted to seek amnesty.

Seeing that everyone was not on the same page, Mr. Zhan became furious, stood up and left.

"Forget it, a bunch of short-sighted people who only think about the benefits of a few melons and dates. They are not the material to build an empire at all!"

"Humph, how can an insect like this accomplish anything great!"

"The seven of you should just form a sworn brotherhood among yourselves. Master Zhan, I will not accompany you any longer!"

Everyone looked unhappy after hearing his scolding, and seeing that he was about to leave, no one stopped him and let Master Zhan go out the door, mount his horse and leave.

After everyone had gone far away, Wu Yong rolled his eyes and sighed:

"Before, Bao Zheng said that he dreamed of the Big Dipper falling on the roof. I saw eight people sitting here just now, and I thought that Bao Zheng had a dream. Now I know that this is destined!"

"It is destined that my brothers and I will become sworn brothers. There should be seven of us. Master Zhan is not of the same kind as us brothers. He should not be in this dream."

After hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was going on and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Zhan is very power-hungry and doesn't get along with us. It's better not to force us to be together."

So the seven of them put Master Zhan's matter behind them, rearranged their seating order, cut off a chicken's head and burned yellow paper, and formally became sworn brothers.

As for Master Zhan, after he left the house, he did not walk far. He found a secluded place, reined in his horse, and looked back quietly at Chao Gai's mansion.

The purpose of his trip was to get the seven heroes to reunite. If there was one more person, the seven heroes would become eight heroes. Whether this would be considered the fulfillment of the destined event, he had no idea.

Therefore, the best way is to just facilitate the seven people to become sworn brothers, while he himself stays out of it and just watches from the side.

Sure enough, a moment later, a starlight flashed above Chao Gai's mansion, and seven huge evil stars fell from the sky and went straight into the courtyard.

Master Zhan's yang spirit left his body and rushed over in an instant. With a glance, he saw the seven people in the courtyard. As expected, they were all surrounded by colorful light and were clearly possessed by the evil star.

After taking back his Yang Shen, Master Zhan frowned, a little confused.

Chao Gai is also an important character in "Water Margin" and can be considered a major supporting role. It is not surprising that he is surrounded by colorful light.

But he is possessed by the evil star, and that’s a problem!

The thirty-six heavenly lords, the seventy-two earthly demons, those demon stars all have a fixed number, among them...

But there is no one named Chao Gai!

He is not one of the 108 generals!
(End of this chapter)