Taiheiki

Chapter 294 A Person Waiting to Die
"So that's how it is. Filial piety is the foundation of all virtues!" The Taoist priest sighed and said solemnly, "Although this was unavoidable, your son still ate his grandfather's food, ultimately causing his grandfather's generation to starve to death. He is also guilty. However, since you have shown remorse, come, bring me the talisman water!"

"Here!" The servant boy scooped a spoonful from the pot with a long-handled wooden ladle. The Taoist took the ladle and walked to the boy: "If you drink this talisman water, Heaven will forgive your sin!"

"Thank you, Taoist priest! Thank you, Taoist priest!" The woman quickly kowtowed twice while holding her child before taking the wooden spoon and letting her son drink the talisman water. A short while later, the boy's stomach rumbled, and he was quickly helped to a nearby reed bed. He suffered severe diarrhea, and after about half a cup of tea's time, when he emerged from the reed bed, his previously swollen abdomen had flattened. Although his complexion was still sallow, his spirits were much better, and he was able to kneel and thank the Taoist priest with his mother's help.

"This is a blessing from Heaven, not my doing! You don't need to thank me!" The Taoist priest dodged the mother and son's bows and said with a smile, "Next, boil some reed root water and drink it once in the morning and once in the evening. You'll be better in seven or eight days!"

Seeing the mother and child leave with profuse thanks, the others stepped forward one by one to confess their sins. After listening to their confessions, the Taoist bestowed upon them talismanic water, which worked on all those who were ill. A chorus of praise and admiration filled the air. Seeing that everyone had already taken the talismanic water, only a sallow-faced man sitting in the corner remained unmoved. The Taoist walked up to him and smiled, "Hey, man, why don't you come forward to repent and take the talismanic water to cure your illness?"

"I have committed no crime, why should I repent?" the man said coldly.

"You have committed no sin, so why did Heaven make you sick?" the Taoist priest asked.

"Because God is blind!" the man cursed. "Damn God, blind, damn God!"

"How dare you!" The Taoist's expression changed drastically, and he roared, "What are you saying? How dare you curse Heaven! Repent at once, or you will surely be punished!"

“Good people never die a good death, while the wicked and thieves live rich and powerful generations. Heaven clearly bullies the good and fears the evil. Who is afraid of its punishment?” The man sitting on the ground sat with his legs spread wide, looking arrogant and unruly. He looked up at the sky and laughed, “So what if I cursed you? Come on, if you really have the guts, God, strike me down with lightning and kill me. I’ll admire you a little.”

Hearing the man cursing the heavens, everyone was terrified and quickly scattered, fearing that lightning might strike and implicate them. But after a few minutes, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and there was no more thunder.

Seeing this, the Taoist priest sighed, poured out two pills from the gourd at his waist, and gave them to the man, saying, "In your condition, drinking the talisman water will only do you harm. Take these two pills instead; they will be good for you!"

"Enough! A man's life and death are preordained. I am destined to die today, and what can any talisman or medicine save me?" The man laughed and said, "If you really pity me, bring me some wine so I can drink to my heart's content. Don't bring me any of these pills or talisman!"

"Where can I find any wine here?" the Taoist priest said with a wry smile.

"Then leave me alone and let me die in peace!" The man lay down on his back, looking like he was waiting to die with his eyes closed. The Taoist priest could only nod helplessly when he saw this.

“This man has a heroic bearing and is no ordinary person!” Wu Jing said in a low voice.

"Hmm!" Yuan Shu nodded. He turned around, found a gourd in the cabin, jumped off the boat, and walked towards the wall. Wu Jing hurriedly asked, "What are you doing?"

"Don't come out, just wait for me on the boat!" Yuan Shu walked forward without turning his head. Wu Jing dared not step forward to stop him, lest he attract the attention of the people in the reeds. He could only hold his breath and stare intently at Yuan Shu's back.

Yuan Shu walked through the reeds and went straight to the man lying on the ground. He gently kicked the man and said, "There's wine here!"

The man opened his eyes wide and saw a gourd in front of him. He glanced at Yuan Shu, took the gourd, pulled out the stopper, smelled it, and immediately his face lit up with joy. He quickly took a big gulp, but did not swallow it. Instead, he left it in his mouth to savor the taste before finally swallowing it. He sighed and said, "It's been so long since I've drunk such good wine. Now I can die in peace!"

"Drink this good wine quickly, and give me back the gourd when you're done!" Yuan Shu said.

“That’s easy!” The man quickly drank the wine in the gourd in one gulp, then returned the gourd to Yuan Shu: “Thank you very much. May I ask your esteemed name, my benefactor?”

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Yuan Shu glanced at the man on the ground. "Aren't you about to die? Even if you know my name, what makes you think you can repay me?"

"This—" The man was stunned for a moment, not expecting Yuan Shu to be so sharp-tongued. At this moment, the Taoist priest laughed and asked, "Who are you? Why didn't you appear just now?"

Yuan Shu glanced at the Taoist priest, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "My name is Chen An. I came without prior notice from the reeds. Please forgive me, Taoist priest!"

"My name is Zhang Jiao from Julu!" The Taoist returned the greeting and said with a smile, "Seeing so many poor and helpless people in the world, I travel around to burn talismanic water to cure diseases and save lives! Please excuse my humble efforts!"

"It's a good thing that you can save people, Taoist priest!" Yuan Shu said, then turned to the Taoist priest Zhang Jiao and said, "We've just met by chance, would you like to come aboard and talk?"

Seeing Yuan Shu's extraordinary demeanor, Zhang Jiao nodded in agreement and said to his attendant, "Pack up your things here and go back to the county town to wait for me!"

"Yes, sir!" the attendant replied. Zhang Jiao was about to board the ship with Yuan Shu when the man on the ground finished his wine in his gourd and handed it over: "This little bit of wine isn't enough. Do you have any more on your ship?"

Yuan Shu took the gourd and laughed, "You rascal, you still remember to drink even when you're about to die?"

“Since we’re all going to die anyway, we should drink a few more sips!” the man replied.

"Not bad, not bad!" Yuan Shu laughed. "There's no more wine on the ship, but we still have money. We can go buy some. Would you like to come aboard and wait?"

"Go up there!" the man laughed. "If I die, there's no need to bury me. Just leave me by the roadside to feed the dogs!" "How can you talk like that!" Zhang Jiao said, displeased. "Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. You don't cherish them when you're alive, and you won't cherish them when you're dead?"

"My parents died before I was even born and I knew anything, how would I know who I was born to?" The man laughed and said, "Come on, give me a hand!"

Yuan Shu reached out and helped the man up from the ground, asking, "If you want to board the ship, you should at least tell me your name and background, right?"

"I share the same surname as this Taoist priest, and I'm from Jingzhou! Everyone calls me Big Eyes," the man said, using Yuan Shu's help to stand up. Only then did Yuan Shu realize his large stature; he was a burly man, but so thin he was almost unrecognizable, making his large eyes appear even more striking. This must be his nickname. Yuan Shu knew that some heroes in the martial world feared revealing their real names and implicating their families, so they used nicknames instead of their given names. This man was probably the same. He didn't press for details, but laughed, "Well done, Zhang Big Eyes! I see you not only have big eyes, but you're also quite tall!"

“They’re all going to die anyway, otherwise why would they be asking you for liquor!” Zhang Damu chuckled. The three of them walked into the reeds, and Yuan Shu called out from afar, “Brother Wu, I’ve brought two more friends back!”

"I knew you wouldn't come back alone!" Wu Jing, who could see clearly from the boat, laughed and said, "The boat isn't big, so please forgive the cramped conditions."

Zhang Jiao and Zhang Damu boarded the boat and greeted Wu Jing. They then rowed into the lake, chatting as they went. The more Zhang Jiao talked, the more he felt that the two men were exceptional in their conversation and knowledge, especially Chen An, whose every move exuded the air of someone who had long held a high position. But why would such outstanding individuals be traveling in a small boat among the reeds? They were most likely evading capture, and the name "Chen An" was probably just something they made up. Thinking of this, Zhang Jiao couldn't help but become more wary.

“Zhang Damu, I see that although your illness is not serious, you have a solid foundation. As long as you see a good doctor, you should be able to recover easily, right? Why do you look like you're waiting to die?” Yuan Shu asked.

“What’s the point of living in this world? And what’s there to be afraid of in death?” Zhang Damu replied.

“You are clearly a dignified husband, so why do you speak like a weak woman?” Yuan Shu laughed.

"What about my husband?" Zhang Damu sighed. "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Don't look at my current miserable state. I once had hundreds of thousands of troops under my command, but now they have all vanished. When fortune is bad, even a mighty overlord can only commit suicide at Wujiang. What about me!"

"Hundreds of thousands of troops?" Wu Jing was taken aback. He looked Zhang Damu up and down and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

"Now that things have come to this, I'm too lazy to hide it anymore!" Zhang Damu said proudly. "My surname is Zhang, my given name is Song, and Damu was my nickname when I was young. I was the eldest disciple of the Great Master of Virtue and a General of Chariots and Cavalry. If you want to take me to the government for a reward, then come and take my head!"

Upon hearing Zhang Damu's words, the other three people on the boat were all greatly shocked. The recently quelled Moth Rebellion had lasted for several years, sweeping across the four provinces of Jing, Yang, Xu, and Yu. At its peak, it commanded hundreds of thousands of followers, and its army reached as far as Wancheng. Although its scale and influence could not compare with the Yellow Turban Rebellion in history, it was undoubtedly the largest peasant uprising in the Eastern Han Dynasty of this world. Wei Cong, Feng Kun, and Zhang Huan were able to command large armies and eventually seize power precisely because of their merit in suppressing the Moth Rebellion. Zhang Song, as the eldest disciple of the Great Teacher of Virtue, commanded the Moth Rebellion's army in conquering cities and seizing territories. His prestige was probably even higher than that of the Great Teacher of Virtue, who always remained hidden behind the scenes. He could be considered the greatest bandit of the Eastern Han Dynasty. And now, he was sitting in front of the three of them, which was truly unbelievable.

"What's wrong? You don't believe me?" Zhang Song asked.

"I do find it hard to believe!" Zhang Jiao said with a wry smile, "I've heard that Zhang Song is the leader of the Moth Bandits, commanding a large army that has swept across the Jianghuai region, repeatedly defeating the imperial forces, and capable of summoning clouds and rain. But you—"

"Hehehe!" Zhang Song laughed. "My teacher may have the skills you mentioned, but I don't. As for commanding a large army, I did have them, but not anymore. I was utterly defeated by Wei Cong. A fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken. You should understand that, right?"

“Wei Cong?” Zhang Jiao asked, “But I heard that you were defeated by several government troops, why only mention Wei Cong!”

A look of extreme pain flashed in Zhang Song's eyes. He shook his head and said, "These are all rumors. The government army did have several routes, but the only ones that truly defeated us were Wei Cong's troops. This man is extremely powerful. If he hadn't marched north from Jiaozhou, I would have already entered Luoyang by now!"

"Luoyang, you have quite the nerve!" Wu Jing sneered. "I remember you couldn't even take Wancheng, did you? You say you can take Luoyang? Aren't you afraid of biting your tongue?"

"I'm not exaggerating, it's the truth!" Zhang Song replied, "At that time, our army had already advanced to Wancheng, and there were only about ten thousand soldiers in the city who could fight. Feng Kun was also exhausted. The Han River was under the control of our naval forces, allowing us to advance and retreat freely. Reinforcements and supplies could be transported by water. It was only a matter of time before Wancheng was captured. Once Wancheng fell, Luoyang would be indefensible, and everyone knew that!"

"Then why don't you keep fighting?" Wu Jing sneered.

"There was no way to fight. Wei Cong first traveled by water from Jiaozhou to Jiangling, then gathered his fleet in Jiangling and sailed down the river, encamping at Sangluozhou. He then dispatched a fleet to attack my counties of Lujiang, Jiujiang, and Yuzhang. I had no choice but to send my deputy general Qi Tie with his fleet to reinforce them. As a result, Wei Cong first inflicted a major defeat on my fleet at Sangluozhou, then captured Xiakou, trapping the remaining fleet in the Han River and cutting off the water transport route for my 200,000-strong army. I had no choice but to abandon the attack on Wancheng and lead my troops back to reinforce it, attempting to recapture Xiakou and reopen the waterway. But I was defeated by Wei Cong in both battles, and my entire army was wiped out. From beginning to end, Feng Kun and Zhang Wan did nothing; the only one who truly defeated me was Wei Cong!"

Wu Jing was somewhat unconvinced and asked a few more questions, which Zhang Song answered fluently and without hesitation. At this moment, all three people on the boat understood that the man waiting to die in front of them was indeed that notorious bandit. After all, there were too many details here that you would never know unless you had personally commanded a large army, and you couldn't make it up even if you did.

If what he said is true, then the reality is terrifying. Wei Cong single-handedly quelled the Moth Rebellion, while Feng Kun and Zhang Huan were merely mediocre followers who benefited from the chaos. But then again, it's no wonder these two were so submissive to Wei Cong. They did nothing, yet became high-ranking officials with stipends of ten thousand households. Faced with Wei Cong, who single-handedly quelled hundreds of thousands of Moth Rebellions, they couldn't possibly be assertive!

"So what are your plans for the future?" Yuan Shu asked.

"Plans? What plans can a dying man have?" Zhang Song asked. "You're not even planning to take my head to the government for a reward? It should be worth quite a bit of money!"

"Don't worry about that, my friend and I are not the kind of despicable people who would betray their friends for personal gain!" Yuan Shu laughed. "Reverend, isn't that right?"

"Yes, yes!" Zhang Jiao quickly replied, "Brother Zhang, you don't need to worry, just focus on recovering!"

(End of this chapter)