Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 88 I'll help you! (2600 votes plus more)
"I want to hear you say it yourself." Ren Yuan said coldly.

"Just say it yourself." Chen Baxian sighed and said, "Alas, where should I start?"

"Let me start from the beginning."

"That's fine. Originally, I was considered a prominent figure in this county. Although my family doesn't have much money, I am from the Yingchuan Chen family, a famous family..." Chen Baxian emphasized his background again.

"They said you were an imposter." Ren Yuan exposed him mercilessly.

"They are talking nonsense, I am the real one!" Chen Baxian's face flushed and his eyes widened. But he felt a chill on his neck and said weakly, "Our ancestral home is Yingchuan, and my last name is Chen, both of which are true..."

"Okay, okay, that's it, just continue." Ren Yuan didn't bother with Chen Baxian. He didn't care about the other party's background.

"In short, I was a village head in the county. I was not as good as the better ones, but better than the worse ones. I was free and easy every day." Chen Baxian said with a nostalgic look: "What wonderful days those were."

"During your happy and carefree days, are you just having affairs and seducing decent women?" Ren Yuan asked.

"Brother, please don't misunderstand me. I never take the initiative in matters between men and women." Chen Baxian said with a smug look on his face:

"I just never say no..."

"And you never take responsibility?" Ren Yuan sneered.

"Oh my god, you are so understanding!" Chen Baxian winked and said, "It seems that we are also from the same field..."

"You're talking nonsense. A Yuan said that women will only hinder one's cultivation!" Senior sister glared at him.

"Hehe." Chen Baxian smiled and did not refute, then continued:
"I thought I could live a carefree life like this, but the good times suddenly came to an end. In fact, it had nothing to do with me at the beginning - at the beginning of the year, five monsters came to our county, calling themselves the Five Gods. I heard that they came here because they couldn't make it in other counties."

Ren Yuan and his senior sister looked at each other. That was most likely the Wuchang God that was chased away by County Magistrate Xie.

"I didn't expect that the five evil gods were still in our county. They do have some tricks that can help people get promoted and make money, so the county magistrate and the wealthy families in the county are very superstitious and even built a Wutong Temple for them next to the county government office."

"Who would have thought that after these guys gained a foothold, their true natures began to show, openly raping people's wives and daughters everywhere, and even forcing their husbands to watch. The victims were afraid of their magical powers, so they could only submit and wait until they had had enough fun..."

"The common people were very resentful, so they cursed them behind their backs. Somehow, they ended up cursing me, saying there were actually six Wutong gods, and I was the sixth. They also said I was the one who invited them here."

"At first I thought the rumor would collapse on its own, but it became more and more outrageous, with more and more people believing it. They didn't dare to offend the Five Gods, so they threw bricks at my house, set it on fire at night, and stabbed me in the back. Even my nephew was beaten by other children when he was playing outside."

"That's tragic enough." Ren Yuan nodded, but he didn't deserve sympathy.

"So, in order to prove my innocence, I decided to challenge the Five Gods and get rid of the evil for the people!" Then I heard Chen Baxian cheer up and say, "It was fine at the beginning. I drove them away a few times for others, and my reputation was finally restored. In the end, those five damn bastards had no martial ethics and actually went out together, five against one!"

"It's hard for me to beat one, how can I stand up to five? Moreover, they also know the 'five bodies in one' technique, which makes the five of them become one, and the power is even more terrifying. They caught me and hung me up and beat me, and even stripped me naked and hung me upside down at the temple gate..." Chen Baxian's face was filled with shame and anger, his eyes were red, and he said:
"Alas, if I hadn't become so tough in my dreams, I would have hanged myself a long time ago..."

"What happened next?" Ren Yuan stopped teasing him and signaled his sister to put away her sword.

"Later, my victims collected a large sum of money to redeem me. But the Wutong God expelled my whole family from the city and warned me that I was not allowed to enter the city again, otherwise he would punish me every time he saw me." After Chen Baxian finished speaking, he picked up the wine pot and drank it all in one breath. "These Wutong are too arrogant!" Senior Sister slammed the table and said, "Let's fight them!"

The table immediately broke into pieces like soft tofu...

Chen Baxian was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately leaned forward and begged, "Please help me get rid of those five evil gods. I will pledge my loyalty and never betray you, even if I die!"

"We can help you." Ren Yuan said in a deep voice: "But you have to tell us honestly first, do you really know who can cure the corpse king's poison?"

"I know!" Chen Baxian nodded heavily and said, "In Qiantang, there is a Taoist priest who is my lifelong friend and is the best at treating this poison. If he can't cure it, I really can't think of anyone else in the world who can."

After a pause, he promised: "Once this matter is over, I promise to take you there personally. I will come back when I am cured. Is that ok?"

"Okay, I'll trust you one last time." Ren Yuan nodded and said, "We'll go into the city tomorrow!"

"But my face is too famous, so I can't enter the city." Chen Baxian said fearfully, "Those damn guys guarding the city gate are hoping to get a reward from me."

"This is easy." Ren Yuan was full of confidence.

~~
The next morning.

Ren Yuan and the other two stood in a long line waiting to enter the city.

When it was their turn, the soldiers guarding the city looked at Chen Baxian as if they didn't know him. They just said, "You're from out of town, show me your ID!"

The "Guosuo" is similar to the road pass of later generations. It is the certificate for ordinary people to enter and leave the city. It contains the holder's name, age, place of origin, skin color, facial features, and the reason for leaving the hometown.

Before going out, ordinary people had to apply to the township first. After verification that they were not serving in the military, they could go out only after the county government issued a pass. Otherwise, they would be arrested and sent to serve in the military unless they did not go into the city.

Chen Baxian didn't have such a thing, so he looked at Ren Yuan who had made the promise and said, "Brother, is my passport in your hands?"

"Yes." Ren Yuan nodded. In fact, he didn't have that thing at all. There was no one in the village, so who would open it for him?
Ren Yuan was not in a hurry. He looked at the "passes" of others and then took out three pieces of white paper from his sleeve and handed them over.

Chen Baxian was stunned. Isn't this too bold? Not to mention that the three pieces of white paper were empty without a single word. Just to say that the other person's records were all bamboo slips, who are you trying to fool with a piece of white paper?
But what shocked him even more was that the soldier actually held up three pieces of white paper and examined them in comparison with their appearances. Then he returned the paper to Ren Yuan and said, "Go into the city."

Chen Baxian didn't dare to say anything more. He led the two into the city first. When they were at a place where there were no people, he whispered, "Why are those guard dogs like they are blind? Not only can they not recognize me, but they also mistook a piece of white paper for a police station?"

Ren Yuan flipped his hand and took out a palm-sized bronze mirror and asked Chen Baxian to look at himself.

"Oh my god, who is this rat-faced guy?" Chen Baxian was startled and asked, "It can't be me, right?"

"It's just a trick, a trivial one." Ren Yuan said calmly.

(End of this chapter)