Unlimited employment

Chapter 135, Section 134: [Liangshan Marsh]

After a joyous banquet, the Dragon Kings of the North Sea and the South Sea departed from the East Sea, completely satisfied.

During the banquet, the three parties swore an oath of blood, pointing to the East China Sea as their symbol, and signed an alliance contract.

In the future, Chen Sheng will form an alliance with them, helping each other and advancing and retreating together when they encounter attacks from sea monsters in the outer sea.

Correspondingly, seagoing vessels from the Liangzhe region, including those from the Qiantang River, Oujiang River, Feiyun River, Yongjiang River, Cao'e River, and Jiaojiang River, which were under Chen Sheng's control, would be able to sail freely in the North Sea and the South Sea.

This agreement completely resolved the threat of the sea creatures in the East China Sea being plotted against by force, restoring peace to this vast sea area.

Afterwards, Chen Sheng worked on integrating his forces and merging the land and sea demons into a unified whole, while also diligently studying the [Star Number] technique among the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques.

It took a month to master this difficult and profound Taoist art, and he then hid the pillar of destiny connecting his head to the Ziwei Star.

Although a newly learned third-tier Dao technique is certainly not something that can escape the perception of an expert.

But the cultivators in this world are mostly mediocre people.

A Taoist technique of such a high level was enough for Chen Sheng to conceal his whereabouts and identity, reducing a lot of unnecessary trouble.

After spending a month together...

The newly subdued monsters realized that the new Dragon King was not a murderer, and their mentality gradually calmed down, and they truly accepted his rule.

They began to communicate more frequently with the spirits on land, getting to know each other and sharing the profits from shipping, steadily moving towards the goal of ethnic integration.

Once his power was on track, Chen Sheng announced that he would go into seclusion and live in a dark hall deep underground in the Dragon Palace, where he would no longer see anyone.

In fact, on the very day he went into seclusion, he broke out of the East China Sea, breaking his promise in the Three Seas Pact not to leave his territory lightly, and flew towards the land.

Using the [invisibility] spell, I headed north-southwest, starting from the East China Sea, passing Liangzhe Road, crossing the Yangtze River, passing Huainan East Road, and heading straight into Jingdong East Road.

First, you see the azure sea, followed by beautiful green mountains, winding rivers, bustling cities, and villages with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys. Occasionally, you can also see fleets of ships and horses transporting precious stones along the way.

In just over half an hour, we arrived above Liangshan and saw a vast expanse of water shimmering in the sunlight.

Looking from the sky, one can see that the boundless waters have submerged most of Liangshan's land, leaving only some small islands of varying sizes exposed above the water.

The dense reeds growing in the shallow water stretch out in patches, where flocks of waterbirds fly, and the clear water reveals the bottom, with a large number of fish swimming among them.

We've arrived at Liangshan Marsh!

Hundreds of years ago, this place was just a small marshland. Due to the chaos of the previous dynasty, the Yellow River was left unmanaged and repeatedly breached its banks and changed its course, which gradually led to its current scale of 800 li.

With its vast waters, dense reeds, and extremely complex terrain, it is difficult for large armies to enter, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack—a perfect place to establish a kingdom in the mountains.

In the third year of the Jiayou era, the 108 streams of malevolent energy released from Longhu Mountain were reincarnated and, guided by fate and those with good intentions, successively gathered here.

Through rebellion—the most radical and radical act of human change—we must temper ourselves in the mortal world, absorb the power of people's hearts and minds, and forge a cohesive and earth-shattering Taoist force.

With such a commotion, the whereabouts of these 108 people could no longer be kept secret.

Chen Sheng didn't even need to actively inquire; the relevant information was delivered to his desk by his demon subordinates.

With the temptation of 108 evil spirits before them, even knowing that the Liangshan bandits were seeds sown by Longhu Mountain, they could not stop the greed of cultivators.

At this very moment, countless people from both reputable and unorthodox sects, some guarding the area around the marshland, others having infiltrated Liangshan, are all coveting the soon-to-be-mature Qi of the evil spirits.

As soon as Chen Sheng flew into Liangshan, he saw a large army gathering and setting up camp on the west side of the marshland, a hundred miles away.

With tents inside and fences outside, the troops were in strict military formation, flags fluttering everywhere, and tens of thousands of soldiers gathered together, clearly indicating that the imperial court had dispatched troops to suppress the Liangshan bandits.

Chen Shengyun looked up through the wall and saw that the military aura above the camp had condensed into a gray tiger-shaped cloud, staring menacingly at the east.

In addition, several bright pillars of fortune soared into the sky, connecting with several general stars and literary stars, clearly indicating that the imperial court had sent several fourth-level experts to oversee the army.

"The imperial court has sent quite a few experts; I wonder if they want a share of this feast."

Having clearly seen the forces of the imperial court, Chen Sheng turned and looked towards Liangshan.

This was quite a surprise.

Within the mountain stronghold, over a hundred pillars of fortune of varying thickness stood upright, mingling with the military aura of the Liangshan army to form a massive, dark cloud of mist whose interior was obscured.

Even Chen Sheng, a fourth-level cultivator, felt an unbearable stinging pain in his eyes after just one glance and had no choice but to look away.

"Good heavens, no wonder the Liangshan rebellion was able to gain momentum."

These 108 streams of malevolent energy, connecting the celestial bodies above and the earth's energy below, once formed into an array, might only be able to briefly contend with a fifth-tier cultivator.

Upon arriving at Liangshan, Chen Sheng sensed, with just a fleeting glance, that the waters here were unfathomably deep.

Blinking his eyes, which were moist and sore, Chen Sheng, lost in thought, did not fly directly to Liangshan, but instead looked around.

Soon, on the south side of the lake, at the mouth of a river where it flows into the lake, a bustling market came into view.

The market was not large and the buildings were dilapidated, but several hundred people gathered there, seemingly unaffected by the fighting taking place dozens of miles away.

More importantly, Chen Sheng also saw the aura of a cultivator within it.

"The fact that this cultivator would stay near Liangshan Marsh during this time of war and chaos suggests that he came for the Qi of Gangsha."

"Since I'm new here, I might as well go find him and get some information about the battle situation."

With a thought, Chen Sheng changed direction in the air, flew more than ten miles, and landed not far from the market.

Dispel the [Invisibility] spell, follow a dirt road worn into the countryside, turn several bends through the dense reeds, and pass a dock where more than a dozen fishing boats are moored.

I walked into a small market filled with the sounds of men joking, women yelling, dogs barking, roosters crowing, and loud cheers.

The noise came from a simple wooden gambling den in the center of the market, with a damp thatched roof and pillars made of wood with fresh leaves, and no earthen walls to block the wind.

Hundreds of fishermen dressed in shorts and t-shirts surrounded the gambling den, watching a unique gambling event.

Chen Sheng glanced inside and saw through the layers of people, where two women of decent appearance were fighting with two large dogs on a gambling table covered with mattresses.

The piles of copper coins on the gambling table reflected a dim copper light, while the gamblers around them, who had placed bets, clutched their two-colored betting slips tightly, shouting wildly with red eyes.

"Lieutenant Hong, pull yourself together! I've staked fifty cash on you."

“Black Whirlwind is strong, I think we should suppress Black Whirlwind.”

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. This dogfight is unusual; it's a contest of physical strength and skill."

In comparison, I think the Red Captain fought much better.

"Look, Black Whirlwind's attack rhythm is starting to become unstable. Is he about to lose?"

"You only need to place a bet of one cent to see this kind of performance. Even if you lose, you won't lose anything."

According to the gamblers, this bet was a contest between humans and dogs to see which dog could last the longest.

The desire for wealth and lust are two instincts deeply rooted in the human heart that cannot be erased.

The effect of a gamble that combines two desires is self-evident. Listening to the cacophony of shouts around him, Chen Sheng also noticed some robust roosters and male dogs locked in cages in the corner of the gambling den.

Clearly, this place not only offers betting on human-dog battles, but also betting odds on cockfights and dogfights.

During the Song Dynasty, extravagance was rampant, and cockfighting and dogfighting were extremely popular in Bianliang, the eastern capital, and were deeply loved by princes and nobles.

As the saying goes, "What the superiors like, the inferiors will do even more."

The gambling associated with it quickly became popular in brothels and theaters all over the country, and could even be found in small markets.

The spiritual light of the cultivator Chen Sheng was looking for was inside the gambling den, but he did not step into the gambling den. Instead, he went into a nearby thatched shed selling soup noodles and asked the old man selling noodles for a bowl of vegetarian noodles.

Seeing the old man standing in front of the pot cooking noodles, Chen Sheng couldn't help but ask curiously why he didn't go to the gambling den to watch the excitement.

The old man chuckled.

"The dog-human war in Qingjiang City is indeed exciting, and many people have made money by betting on dogs and chickens."

But I can only do small-scale businesses where I can only make a living if I stop working; I can't earn this kind of risky money.

How could one neglect their livelihood just to watch the excitement?

As he spoke, the old man scooped a bowl of noodles from the boiling pot, added a few green vegetable leaves, and placed it in front of Chen Sheng.

Seeing that most of the people in the market were watching the gambling game and the old man's business was not doing well, Chen Sheng bid an extra five coins.

"Old man, I'm new here and want to make a living in Liangshan Marsh. Could you tell me about things in this marsh?"

Chen Sheng's words startled the old man.

"Sir, you've probably come to the wrong place."

There's a band of river pirates in this marshland, raising their flags in rebellion. What kind of livelihood could they possibly have?

Look at these fishermen in the market, gambling in groups. Do you think they are greedy, lustful, and have lost their ambition?

Actually, that's not the case. It's just that there's a battle going on in the water, so the fish can't be caught.

At this point, the old man put the copper coins away and continued.

"Several months ago, the imperial army came once, and the two armies fought a great battle, resulting in a major defeat. Now this is the second time they have attacked Liangshan."

Once this war starts, who knows when it will end?

"The old man is hoping the war will end soon; it seems Liangshan is very popular with the locals."

After hearing Chen Sheng's words, the old man sighed.

"The imperial taxes can be so heavy they can kill people, and Liangshan is no better than that."

The tens of thousands of soldiers in the water fortress needed food, but there was little arable land in the marshland, and the food was far from enough. What could they do? They had no choice but to send troops to plunder.

The wealthy families in the state suffered, and the small and poor families in the neighborhood were not spared either.

Three months ago, the imperial court had just withdrawn its troops when our city was plundered by Liangshan, and many people were killed.

However, bandits passed by like combs, and soldiers passed by like fine brushes; compared to the areas where imperial troops passed through, Liangshan killed relatively few.

Chen Sheng nodded and then asked.

"This place is so chaotic, have you ever thought about moving somewhere else?"

"The whole world is not at peace; it's just a matter of whether there are wolves in one place or tigers in another."

"I'm getting on in years; all I want is to live out my days in my hometown, and be buried in my ancestors' grave when I die."

While eating his noodles, Chen Sheng inquired about the general situation around Liangshan.

He planned to capture the cultivator who was setting up a gambling den in the market in a little while, and use [Myriad Paths of the Forest] to probe his mind and learn about the hidden sects and forces in the surrounding area.

In that brief moment, Black Whirlwind on the gambling table had stiffened completely, then softened and was defeated.

With each bet, the outcome evokes a range of emotions from elation to outbursts of profanity, painting a vivid picture of life in the casino.

Amidst the commotion, a gambler who had won money offered thirty coins to kiss the woman who had just finished her battle.

It is said that the woman possesses a lucky charm that helps her win money, and she should celebrate in front of everyone, even going so far as to study with a dog to share in the good fortune.

With such an exciting program, the casino suddenly became even noisier.

Just then, a handsome middle-aged Taoist priest with a beautiful beard suddenly stepped into the food stall and sat down next to Chen Sheng.

He asked the old man for a bowl of noodles and then got straight to the point.

"I am Zhang Xubai, a Taoist priest of the Taiyi official position."

Although I don't know where you come from, I must advise you not to get involved in the mess at Liangshan.

Go back to where you came from, lest you lose your life in vain.

Chen Sheng narrowed his eyes and saw that the Taoist was radiant with spiritual light, with thousands of auspicious rays, and four halo rings floating behind his head. He was a fourth-level Thunder Tribulation Realm cultivator of the Daoist Realm.

"Taoist priests from Taiyi Palace?"

The 108 streams of malevolent energy from Liangshan belong to Longhu Mountain; it's none of your business, Taiyi Palace, managing them."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xubai shook his head.

"The Qi of Gang Sha only originated from Longhu Mountain."

Over the past few hundred years, countless Taoist sects across the land have contributed greatly to the refining of this powerful energy, and the rewards should naturally be distributed according to their contributions.

You, a Taoist who isn't even among those contributing, shouldn't dream of such a wonderful thing.

Chen Sheng drank the last mouthful of noodle soup in his bowl, grinning to reveal a mouthful of white teeth:

"What if I insist on indulging in wishful thinking?"

Seeing that Chen Sheng seemed to be about to make a move, Zhang Xubai stroked his beard and smiled, pointing to the two dogs that had just left the casino.

"If the two of us were to fight, the commotion would be so great that it might cause the heavens and earth to collapse, thus disturbing the battle situation on the Liangshan side."

How about we have a dogfight?
"If the dog you choose wins, I will give you a chance to share in the Qi of Anger. If the dog I choose is fortunate enough to win, I urge you to leave Liangshan immediately."

Chen Sheng stared at Zhang Xubai in front of him, his eyes flickering a few times.

After a moment's thought, he nodded.

Upon seeing that the bet was settled, Zhang Xubai exhaled a wisp of light energy towards the gambling den not far away, which then entered the body of the Red Captain.

(End of this chapter)