The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 694 What? Why is a Taoist priest trying to recruit me?

Shen Le's feet never touched the ground as he drifted with the wind. From the first light of dawn until sunrise, a swaying reed bed finally came into view.

Shen Le couldn't help but float higher, trying to look around. It was winter, and the reeds were mostly withered and yellow, revealing the not-so-clear waterways.

On the water, a small boat drifted slowly back and forth, sometimes moving, sometimes stopping. Although it was winter, the water was low and the fish had sunk, but the people in the boat still tried their best to cast their nets, and then sighed at the few small fish that were caught in the nets after they were pulling them up with all their might.

Looking further in, the land in the far distance was covered by a thin, gray mist. It was hard to tell whether it was the morning fog that hadn't dissipated or the smoke from cooking fires that had already risen. Reflected in the red sun, it looked peaceful and leisurely.

Shen Le thought for a moment, then activated his spiritual eye and gazed into the distance. Neither the waterways, the reed marshes, nor the distant lands caused him any particular discomfort.
Is this Gaojibo well-maintained?
"Daoist Master! Daoist Master Mingde!"

Someone below raised their voice and shouted. Shen Le looked down and saw Dou Jiande waving at him forcefully, then pointing to the side:
"Here! The dock is this way! The ship to pick us up has arrived!"

"This Gaojibo is like Liangshanbo, with a special dock for foreign visitors. Does it even have a hotel for guests?" Shen Le muttered as he floated down.

Following Dou Jiande around a section of road, sure enough, a small inn stood nestled among the trees, with a wine flag flying high at the entrance. Behind the door, a small dock extended into the water, where someone was rowing a boat, darting towards it like lightning.

Dou Jiande and his men dismounted, tossed the reins to the innkeeper, and strode across the inn. Reaching the dock, they waved to Shen Le.

"Taoist Master, please!"

The boat had probably always been used as a ferry, as it didn't smell fishy at all—or rather, even if it did, it hadn't been used for a long time and was very clean.

Shen Le slowly floated down, touched the ground with her toes, stood at the bow of the boat, and followed them into the moor, half-floating and half-submerged.

After winding and turning, bypassing countless clumps of reeds and navigating numerous puddles of water, Shen Le's eyes finally lit up:
"arrive!"

"Yes, we've arrived." Dou Jiande smiled and gestured forward, then strode ahead. He jumped onto the dock, led Shen Le along a small path, and turned left.

Under the sunlight, Shen Le let out a soft sigh of relief:

"what……"

The scene before him was perfectly normal. Or rather, it was too normal, so normal that he was even a little dazed: Was this really a chaotic world?

Is this place actually the base of a peasant uprising army or a warlord at the end of the Sui Dynasty?

The fields are neatly arranged, row upon row. Although it is already winter and the fields have been harvested, the traces of careful management can still be seen from the square ridges and orderly furrows.

An old farmer sat by the field, his fingers flying as he quickly wove reed mats with grass stems; a woman walked carefully, her belly cradled, her face radiating peace and joy; and children ran around, chasing each other, their laughter echoing through the air…

If Shen Le hadn't known that the man beside him was Dou Jiande, and if he hadn't known his role in the peasant uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he would have almost thought that this was a scene from a peaceful and prosperous village.

"What do you think of our place, Taoist priest?"

Dou Jiande walked silently beside him, occasionally gesturing to guide him, without urging him or asking any questions.

Only after Shen Le slowed his pace, stopped in the center of the village, looked around, and then smiled:
Is what I see today acceptable to me?

"The elderly with white hair and the children with their hair in tufts, are enjoying themselves." Shen Le racked his brains and managed to come up with two lines from "The Peach Blossom Spring," finally managing to make himself appear less illiterate in front of the ancients.

Dou Jiande laughed heartily and led him further inside:

"You flatter me, Daoist Master. We can barely take in some refugees here, but it's very difficult to ensure they can live peacefully and steadily. Daoist Master, please follow me and let's see something else?"

He raised his hand in invitation, then strode forward. This man truly lived up to his reputation as a great figure from the late Sui Dynasty; just standing there, he was an imposing giant, tall with long legs and an extremely fast pace.

If Shen Le didn't want to run all the way, he would have to activate his magic and use the gentle breeze to lift himself up, so that he would appear calm and composed, without the slightest sign of panic.

Passing through several rows of houses, we arrived at a threshing ground, where we could hear deafening shouts of battle from afar.
Shen Le paused briefly, activated his spell again, and then breathed a sigh of relief. The shouts of battle were loud, but the killing intent was weak, failing to even affect his spell.

Unlike when he was by Dou Jiande's side, even just him and his cavalry could hinder his magic; nor like when he entered the palace with his senior brother, Huli Guang's roar could shatter the magic he used!
"Does the Taoist priest also know about military affairs?"

Dou Jiande had been closely observing Shen Le's expression. Seeing that he looked relaxed, he asked with a smile. Before Shen Le could shake his head, he continued:
“These people were all farmers a few months ago who fled to my place. During the off-season, I gathered them together to practice. It’s very rough, please forgive me, sir.”

"It's already quite good that you've trained like this for several months." Shen Le comforted himself insincerely, constantly convincing himself: This is a farmer, a farmer, an illiterate and uneducated farmer.

Don't assume that college students will look better after a month of military training. Farmers and college students are definitely not comparable. When Yuan Shikai trained his troops at Xiaozhan, many soldiers still couldn't tell left from right and needed to be taught slowly!
"Sigh, it won't work." Dou Jiande shook his head heavily. Before Shen Le could press him for details, he continued speaking with a troubled expression:

"The imperial army could come to annihilate us at any time. I heard that Zhang Xutuo has already defeated Wang Bo. Who knows when they will come to attack us?"
Zhang Jin said that guy had gathered tens of thousands of people and was burning, killing and looting everywhere. A few days ago, he even sent a letter to us demanding grain. If we didn’t give it to them, they would send troops to rob us.

The defeated soldiers from the northern expedition against Goguryeo are everywhere... These days, it's hard to even find a peaceful place to farm!

"This is nothing!" Shen Le gave him a sympathetic look.

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, peasant uprisings swept across the land, known as "sixty-four routes of smoke and dust, seventy-two routes of bandits," ensnaring the people and leaving no day of peace.

If we want peace in the world, we have to wait until all these forces are eliminated and the Li family unifies the world, then the common people can breathe a sigh of relief—until then, we can farm.

At the very least, in the entire Central Plains, there is no place where one can peacefully farm...

"I observe that the Daoist priest possesses unparalleled magical abilities and also has compassion for the common people. Could you teach me something?"

Dou Jiande suddenly stopped and bowed deeply to Shen Le. He raised his hands high above his head, bent over, and his body swayed to the ground, drawing an arc of nearly 180 degrees.
"I beg you, Taoist priest, to spare some guidance for the sake of the people's suffering. I, Dou, will be eternally grateful on behalf of the people of this place!"

"Hey, no, no!" Shen Le hurriedly reached out to help. What advice could he possibly offer?
His limited magical abilities were only enough to allow him to survive alone in chaotic times, and even then, he had to avoid large armies. How could he possibly instruct a peasant uprising army on how to survive in such a chaotic world?
He doesn't know how to farm, but he does know a little about fighting—to be honest, he does know a bit about fighting, but he really doesn't want to go to war.

He can't make steel, he can't make gunpowder, he can't fire glass, so is he going to help fire a batch of porcelain?
"...What I excel at is exorcising demons and ghosts, and helping those suffering injustice to find peace." Finally, Shen Le could only manage a wry smile.
"If you have any ancient vengeful spirits or dangerous places that you shouldn't go to, I might be able to help a little—otherwise, I really can't!"

"Then... then Taoist priest, come with me." Dou Jiande was still somewhat unwilling, but he did not force him. He simply led him through a series of twists and turns until they arrived at a sunny, sheltered hillside with many graves.

He whispered a few instructions to his attendants, telling them to go and call the villagers over:

"Previously, the people from the surrounding area had been displaced and fled here in a sorry state. Many of the elderly and weak could not bear the hardship. Some of them managed to get here, but fell ill and never recovered, and were hastily buried here."

The land here is austere, and no offerings can be made, causing unease among the departed souls. Since you have come, could you please perform a ritual to appease them in the afterlife and comfort the living?

You've caught me, so you're trying to squeeze out as much of my remaining value as possible, otherwise you won't feel at ease!

However, Shen Le did not refuse on this point. He opened his spiritual eyes and looked carefully again, and indeed saw some black mist lingering in the cemetery area:
Not only the cemetery, but even the surrounding foothills and waterways were shrouded in a dark aura. Reflecting on the proportion of able-bodied young people versus women, children, and the elderly I had seen along the way, I suddenly understood:
It must have taken many more elderly, weak, women and children to fall on the way to Gaojipo for these people to make it this far.

Their grief and resentment have not yet faded away...

Alas, the Chinese people are usually the most docile when life is peaceful. However, when they can no longer survive, this docility turns into an unstoppable violence, burning away all grievances and suffering...

Shen Le didn't refuse. He calmed the swirling wind around him and slowly descended to the ground. He didn't ask for a ritual altar, nor did he ask anyone to help him hold up the flags or banners. He didn't even draw his sword. He simply lowered his head slightly and stood quietly on the ground.

Beside Dou Jiande, there was a slight fluctuation in the atmosphere, as if someone was doubting, signaling, or urging him, but this powerful man silently suppressed it.

Shen Le stood with his eyes closed, his mind like a calm lake, constantly expanding to reflect everything within it. He didn't care, simply sensing this world peacefully, letting his spiritual energy interact with the external world.

In an instant, a gentle breeze rose around me, stirring up dust and pushing it outwards in concentric circles. Wherever it passed, withered grass flew up, trees swayed, and broken grass and fallen leaves were swept higher and higher by the swirling winds that appeared out of nowhere.

The whirlwind pushed up the slope of the cemetery, and at each grave, whirlwinds, some half a foot high, some a foot high, and even as tall as a person, appeared out of thin air, howling and spinning, constantly merging into the whirlwind—

"Let us return... let us return..."

Shen Le opened his arms and chanted loudly. Behind him, Dou Jiande's entourage, the villagers who had rushed over, and the cavalrymen riding in from afar all held their breath and watched in awe.

Suddenly, a young man rushed out, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed violently:
"Father! Mother! May you rest in peace! Your son is here, farming the land! When the mourning period is over, your son will marry a wife, have a big, healthy grandson, and bring him to your grave to kowtow!"

His shout seemed to open a floodgate, and cries of agony erupted across the open space, with people calling for their parents, weeping for their wives and children, and the sounds continued for a long time.

As they wept, someone started clapping along and, with tears streaming down their face, began to sing a dirge:
Whose land is Haoli?

Gathering souls and spirits, there is neither the wise nor the foolish.

Gui Bo urged him on.

Human life cannot be sacrificed in the slightest!

The demon soldiers who came to arrest me are urging me on so urgently, but my beloved family, please slow down, please slow down...

Shen Le tried his best to calm himself down, refusing to look at, listen to, or think about these sorrows. He simply guided the grief in the room to resonate with the dark aura in the cemetery, using the sorrow of the living to comfort the dead, and then guiding their lingering thoughts to slowly disappear.

After chanting softly for a long time, the surrounding black mist was finally gradually dispelled, merged into the vortex, and then lifted up into the sky by the vortex.

Ascending into the sky and illuminated by the sunlight, it vanished, leaving only scattered pale golden fragments that drifted down with the wind, sprinkling onto Shen Le, onto everyone around him, and onto the earth and the surface of the water...

After the ritual was completed, when Shen Le opened his eyes again, the way people looked at him was completely different. Dou Jiande stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Immortal Master! Thank you for your mercy in helping the departed souls find peace. Since you have compassion for the dead, why not have compassion for the living? There are tens of thousands of people in Gaojibo. What will become of them? They are in dire need of a capable person like you to help them!"

Shen Le: "..."

He forced himself not to roll his eyes, and quietly took a step back, intending to create some distance before soaring into the sky and disappearing.

Unexpectedly, a call echoed from the woods:
"Could you be a fellow Daoist from Xuanzhen Temple? — Fellow Daoist, the world is in chaos now, it is the time for heroes to rise up."

A Taoist priest dressed in a Bagua robe, holding a whisk, and carrying an ancient sword with dragon patterns on his back, rushed over from afar at a speed faster than a galloping horse, and grabbed Shen Le's sleeve:
"I observe that Lord Dou is generous and heroic, with an extraordinary bearing, truly the mark of a noble person. Why don't you join me in assisting Lord Dou and together accomplishing great things?"

...You've studied physiognomy for years, and now you're telling me about signs of great fortune?

Shen Le gave the Taoist priest a strange look, not recognizing him. After thinking for a moment, she decided to play it safe:
"What is your relationship with Yuan Tiangang?"

"Lord Zi Guanling? Such a noble person is beyond my reach; how could I possibly have any connection with him?"

Where is Li Chunfeng?

"……who?"

"Alright, this guy's definitely a charlatan. He hasn't even heard of the two most famous fortune tellers from the late Sui and early Tang dynasties." Shen Le sighed, forcefully freeing his hands and turning to Dou Jiande:

"Lord Dou, if you wish to preserve your wealth and status, you must always remember Gao Jibo's original intention—you only wish to bring peace to the people, not to seek a position of power. When the world is about to be at peace, if you encounter a noble person with the countenance of a king, then serve him and avoid committing further bloodshed."

He took two steps back, then two more, and before the surrounding military aura could press in, he summoned a gentle breeze to surround him and fly high into the air.

Wanting to fly away, a thought suddenly struck him, and he said aloud:
"Otherwise, be careful, 'like beans falling into a cow's mouth, the momentum won't last long!'"

(End of this chapter)