Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

......

General Xuanji sized up Chen Shao for a long time.

"Are you truly the current emperor?"

Chen Shao nodded: "However, it is I."

General Xuanji was stunned for a moment, then Xuanji laughed loudly.

"Okay, okay!"

"Brothers! We've captured the Emperor of Great Yan! The living Emperor!"

"That's Chen Shao!"

At least tens of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels gathered here.

Upon hearing this, a deafening cheer erupted.

What was the purpose of their rebellion?

It started with eating.

But as the scale grew, so did its ambitions.

In addition, there's brainwashing from above.

That was truly a risky move, daring to pull the emperor off his horse.

Some people immediately kowtowed towards the altar.

"General Ren Gong displayed his divine might!"

"We've captured the emperor!"

"Truly bringing glory to our ancestors, their graves are emitting auspicious smoke."

General Xuanji gestured with his hands to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Bring the altar!"

Chen Shao was being escorted by two Yellow Turban soldiers when they passed by Helian Xiong.

He took a sip.

"You're a real father, you bastard!"

Helian Xiong laughed heartily:

"So what if he's your dad? Go ahead and bite me if you dare."

"You just wait."

General Xuanji kicked Helian Xiong in the face.

I don't know where they got a smelly sock, but they stuffed it into his mouth.

Helian Xiong froze, nearly fainting from the fumes.

"stop!"

Hai Rui suddenly ran up to him.

"General, this man is not Chen Yuan. The wronged have their culprits, the debtors have their debtors; perhaps we should release him..."

General Xuanji frowned and gave a wink to the guards beside him.

Two Yellow Turban soldiers immediately grabbed Hai Rui from the left and right and pulled him backward.

"Sir, please don't make things worse."

Hai Rui struggled to shout again, but a rough, large hand covered his mouth.

Chen Shao was escorted to the execution platform.

The altar was surrounded by lit candles and filled with the aroma of incense.

A huge Bagua flag stands in the very center.

Standing beneath the banner was an old Taoist priest, dressed in an apricot-yellow robe and holding a whisk.

He possessed an air of otherworldly wisdom and extraordinary bearing.

General Xuanji stepped forward quickly and whispered a few words in the old Taoist's ear.

The old Taoist priest nodded slightly, waved his whisk, and signaled the escorting soldiers to release Chen Shao.

He walked slowly to Chen Shao and looked him up and down.

"I've heard you're quite skilled in Taoist magic?"

I know a little bit about it.

The old Taoist priest laughed and said:

"I am Zhang Liang, the general of the Yellow Turbans. I have studied the Taiping Yaoshu since childhood. I can cure diseases with talisman water, turn beans into soldiers, and summon wind and rain. I dare not say that I know even a little bit of it. You dare to say that you know even a little bit of it?"

Chen Shao straightened his clothes, showing no signs of stage fright.

He said in a loud voice:

"I am the Supreme Great Luo Heavenly Immortal, Purple Extreme Longevity Saintly Wisdom Illuminating Spirit, Unifying the Three Primal Elements, Proving Response, Jade Void, Supreme Master of the Five Thunders, Great Saint Emperor of the Xuandu Realm, who has descended to the mortal realm. Knowing a little is merely a humble way of putting it."

The Yellow Turban soldiers around the altar looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wow, that's a pretty long title.

It must be really amazing, right?

Many ordinary people blindly follow trends; they don't care about the meaning of the titles, as long as they are catchy.

Those three leaders of the Yellow Turbans were also generals, both heavenly and earthly.

Old Taoist Zhang Liang smiled slightly:

"Aren't you afraid of biting your tongue in the wind? But since you're so confident, I'd like to ask you for some pointers."

"Let's see if this humble general is more powerful, or if you, the Great Sage Emperor, are superior."

"Want to take a gamble?"

"Of course! How do we bet?"

"The duel will be best two out of three. If you win, I will personally escort you out of the camp without any hindrance."

"If you lose, disband the Iron Fist Army, open the gates of the capital, and welcome the Yellow Turbans into the city. How about that?"

Upon hearing that it was a contest of magic, Chen Shao completely relaxed.

If it were a fight, he had no confidence whatsoever. Even if it were a fight of wits, arithmetic, or physical strength, he felt he had little chance of winning.

But engaging in a battle of wits, isn't that like walking into the line of fire?

Chen Shao stood with his hands behind his back, his young face showing great composure.

"It's a deal!"

"Very good, very good. Indeed, new talents emerge in every generation. To dare to challenge me in magic is quite courageous."

Zhang Liang flicked his whisk.

Immediately, several Yellow Turban soldiers helped two sickly villagers up to the altar.

Both men had sallow complexions, were swollen all over, and walked unsteadily.

He looked as if he could pass away at any moment.

Zhang Liang said, "Cultivating the Tao is not about seeking immortality, but simply about saving all living beings with a single thought."

"The reason why our Yellow Turban Rebellion was able to grow so rapidly is because our Taoist arts are the way to save people."

"Both of these people are seriously ill. Let's each use our special abilities to see who can save them."

Chen Shao carefully observed the two villagers.

I already understand.

These people are fooling themselves because they lack common sense, thinking that just because they're swollen all over, you can't tell they're hungry?

This is malnutrition-related edema caused by long-term protein deficiency.

Chen Shao nodded: "Okay."

Zhang Liang took a yellow talisman from the table, made a hand seal with one hand, and flicked it lightly with the other two fingers.

The talisman spontaneously combusted without any fire.

This immediately drew cheers from the crowd below the altar.

He dropped the ashes of the talisman into a bowl of water that had been prepared beforehand, and personally served it to the first villager.

He was muttering to himself.

"The highest good is like water, which benefits all things without striving. Drinking this talismanic water will cure all diseases."

The villager excitedly accepted the bowl with trembling hands.

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Shao, with his sharp nose, noticed that this bowl of talisman water was different from anything he had tasted before.

This bowl has a slightly salty taste.

brine!

When a person is hungry and dehydrated, replenishing with a little salt water can indeed temporarily restore some physical strength.

This is the principle behind saline solution.

Sure enough, after the villager drank it, his originally sallow complexion did become a little rosier.

Lou Lou slowly straightened up and, with the help of the Yellow Turban Army, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"General Xie, save me! General Xie, save me!"

Zhang Liang stroked his beard and smiled.

"Go back and rest for a while, and you will be fully recovered. The talisman water will warm your yang and replenish your qi, and the illness will naturally be cured."

The Yellow Turban Army below the stage erupted in thunderous cheers once again.

His eyes... were filled with fanaticism.

Chen Shao sighed inwardly.

Can we blame the people for being ignorant?

No.

They are fanatical towards whoever can save their lives.

This is the underlying logic of society.

People only rise up when the world doesn't want them to live.

Chen Yuan, you son of a bitch, what a mess you've left me with!

"please."

The old Taoist was quite polite and made a gesture towards Chen Shao.

Chen Shao calmly took a piece of yellow paper from the altar.

Imitating the old man's manner, I casually pinched it between my fingertips.

Of course, his didn't contain phosphorus.

Chen Shao remained calm and composed.

He was also muttering to himself.

He mentioned everything he knew, including phrases like "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands."

But in my heart, I was screaming wildly:

Shedding its shell in the fire, quickly make it work for me!

The first part of the saying "shedding one's shell in the fire" means that prolonged contact with flammable materials can cause a fire.

Fortunately, the talisman paper is extremely flammable.

A moment later, Chen Shao's hand also caught fire.

Everyone gasped in shock.

Holy crap, he's really good at this!