The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 736 Shen Le: I severed the Han Dynasty's dragon vein? Are you kidding me?!

Shen Le held her breath, staring intently, almost obsessively, at the platform above.

He dared not place his spiritual power too close—the power of heavenly lightning would directly damage spiritual power—he could only spread it out from a distance, cautiously.

It lingers below the stage and around, like a thin mist drifting in the air, allowing one to try to feel the changes in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at the moment the spell is cast.

Before we knew it, dark clouds had begun to gather in the sky, growing thicker and lower.

Shen Le was unfamiliar with the local weather and didn't know if there would be convective clouds in the afternoon or evening. He could only be certain that he didn't sense any signs of magical power being activated within the clouds.

Then, as Zhang Jiao raised his sword and pointed upwards, a bolt of lightning, like a gleaming longsword, cleaved through the air and crashed down onto another mountain not far away!
"what!"

Screams rose and fell. Then paused, replaced by desperate shouts:

"A great and virtuous teacher! A great and virtuous teacher!"

"The Great and Virtuous Teacher's power is boundless!"

"May Heaven rise!"

The Yellow Turban followers below the stage shouted, waved their arms, and even kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down their faces.

Beside Shen Le, the long-bearded Taoist who had recruited him into the sect raised his arms high, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

Judging from his appearance, if Zhang Jiao shouted "Charge!", he would truly be willing to risk his life and rush in the direction indicated by this great and wise teacher, even if it meant being struck by an axe...

Shen Le's pupils contracted sharply, then slowly dilated. He stared at the mountain peak where the lightning had struck, a relaxed yet slightly regretful smile slowly spreading across his lips.

Oh, it's fake.

With his expanded spiritual power, he could sense an iron wire rising straight into the clouds. The instant Zhang Jiao shouted "Thunder, come!", a fierce bolt of lightning rolled down along the iron wire—

Although it's unclear how the time was managed so well, even Shen Le could come up with many ways to do it.

For example, an iron pillar is erected underground. Someone uses a mechanism to pull the iron wire like a kite, watching Zhang Jiao wield his sword and perform magic. The end of the iron wire is then connected to the iron pillar.

Thinking this, he momentarily forgot to shout, kowtow, and weep like the other believers, expressing his shock and emotion in various ways.

When he remembered he had to put on a show, he suddenly realized that Zhang Jiao was already looking over from the high platform, his eyes meeting his in the crowd!
They've been noticed!
Seen through!

No way, he found out I saw through his trick?
Shen Le quickly smiled at him, expressing "I came with good intentions" and "I won't expose you," and then waved her arms like the people next to her, shouting "Great and wise teacher" in the exact same way.

Alas, in ancient times, attending a speech wasn't easy either; if you didn't integrate into the atmosphere, you'd be beaten.

On the other hand, if you're watching a speech in a beer hall and someone shouts "500,000 marks for a loaf of bread," what do you want if you don't get angry and shout along?

Do you want to be beaten into a Frenchman, or into a stir-fried squid?

He mentally cursed himself for barely surviving this ordeal and then retreated with the crowd. He'd just settled in here when people arrived and knocked on his door.

The Great Teacher summoned him...

What? They want to see me again? Could it be that you already remember me after that one glance?
Shen Le, harboring ulterior motives, followed the long-bearded Taoist priest and their guide through the winding mountain valley. As they walked, their hearts calmed down.

So I wasn't the only one summoned!

There were quite a few people making this call!
It seems that when Zhang Jiao arrives at a new place, he meets with the local elite disciples to see who can be developed into core members. This is standard practice, nothing to worry about...

He stood in the queue, sitting quietly in the waiting room, waiting for the line to move forward, waiting for small groups of people to go out and small groups of people to come in.

After waiting and waiting, they finally arrived and were led to another room. By candlelight, Zhang Jiao, already somewhat weary, immediately rose to greet them.
"Qingyuan, you've arrived. These... are they disciples you recruited locally?"

"Yes! Disciple Qingyuan greets the Great and Virtuous Master!" The long-bearded Taoist's face flushed with excitement as he answered loudly, bowing his head in greeting.

Immediately afterwards, he turned slightly and began to introduce the saints in his mind one by one:

"This is Mingxin, a child I found among the refugees. He has a very kind heart and is always willing to help others."

This is Wang Erlang, an orphan cured by his disciple. He is very strong and can easily defeat three to five ordinary people with just an iron rod.
This is Shen Le…”

He was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to introduce it—some things about Shen Le could be introduced privately, but not in front of everyone.

Zhang Jiao had already nodded with a smile:
“I saw him, a very bright child. Hmm, you've worked hard all these years—how are the people in the counties you've been working in? Are they still able to eat their fill?”

He was kind, caring, and even had a bit of a sense of humor. Even though Shen Le was listening nearby, she couldn't help but feel an urge to blurt everything out.

He had to try hard to recall Li Shimin's voice, appearance, and smile, and compare them with Zhang Jiao: Hmm, Li Shimin was more flamboyant and sharp, with a kind of arrogance that looked down on the world.
Zhang Jiao, perhaps because he spent a long time preaching on the front lines, seems more down-to-earth and relatable.

He sat cross-legged on the reed mat, talking to them while occasionally tearing off a piece of dry bread to fill his stomach, or picking up his water bowl to take a sip.

The water bowl was a very crude earthenware bowl, and the dried cake looked like it was mixed with a lot of wheat bran, wild vegetables, and even some things that Shen Le didn't quite recognize...

Even he would rather not eat this stuff now! It makes his throat sore!
Zhang Jiao chatted with the long-bearded Taoist for a few minutes, then talked to each of the disciples he brought with him, or rather, asked questions and praised them one by one.

Whether it was Mingxin, Wang Erlang, or the other disciples, they were all excited when he touched their sore spots with just a few words or inquired about their hardships. Some even wanted to rush down and pledge their loyalty on the spot.

However, when it came to Shen Le, he only gave her a deep look and smiled slightly:
"Oh, it's you. -- Well, stay behind for a bit, I have something to say to you privately."

They were singled out!

Will he be spoken to alone, and possibly even kept by Zhang Jiao's side?

Shen Le was slightly taken aback. He had no choice but to bow deeply. Zhang Jiao smiled at him and continued to offer his condolences one by one.

After everyone had lined up and left, he raised the ceramic bowl in his hand to Shen Le and then pushed a flatbread towards her:
"Did you just arrive today? Have you had lunch yet?"

He certainly hadn't eaten before. As soon as he arrived, he followed the crowd to watch Zhang Jiao's speech and then queued up to be summoned, without eating a single grain of rice or a drop of water in between. However, even if he had eaten before, it didn't mean he couldn't eat again—two meals a day, morning and afternoon, were something that Shen Le, who was used to eating three meals a day, could never get used to.

Not to mention, when this body was still growing, it was like a half-grown boy who would eat his father out of house and home. How could it possibly be full with just a little bit of dry food?
"Never used it before? — Eat it." Zhang Jiao smiled kindly, then pushed over another earthenware bottle, shook it, and the bottle, mostly full of water, rattled.

Shen Le glanced at him quickly, then, without saying thank you, turned the earthenware bottle over and gulped down half of it in one go. She then grabbed a pancake and tore into it.

Zhang Jiao smiled at him, saying nothing, letting him eat without looking up. Only after he finished the entire cake and drank several large gulps of water did he suddenly ask:

"Just now—did you notice when the lightning was being summoned?"

Shen Le was instantly horrified. If he were still eating or drinking at this moment, he would probably spit it out on the spot or choke to death.

Fortunately, no, and he quickly calmed down, took a deep breath, and met Zhang Jiao's gaze calmly:
"Scattering beans to create soldiers is a true magical technique."

"You're very good." Zhang Jiao leaned back and let out a soft sigh.

"I have read Qingyuan's letter. You are compassionate, skillful, and, most importantly, one of our kind—"

"Would you be willing to follow me, traveling the four corners of the earth, spreading blessings far and wide, in preparation for a prosperous era for Heaven? I can pass on all my Taoist scriptures and immortal arts to you!"

There really is a chance to learn magic from Zhang Jiao!

Only a fool wouldn't learn that!

Even if Zhang Jiao was afraid I would expose his scheme and wanted to keep me by his side to watch over me closely, even if in the end I had to fight alongside Zhang Jiao to hold off the Yellow Turbans, it would still be worth it!

The memory of dying once is fake, but the spells I learned are most likely real. The spells I learned before can still be used in reality. The copper coin has never lied to anyone!
Shen Le suppressed the myriad thoughts in his mind, knowing that he had spent a year and a half in this memory, enduring countless hardships, and that the time for harvest had finally come.

His face lit up with joy, and he immediately bowed and replied, "Disciple Shen Le is willing to follow the great and virtuous teacher!"

From then on, Shen Le became a member of Zhang Jiao's entourage. With his limited knowledge ahead of his time and his few, albeit ineffective, magical spells, he quickly gained Zhang Jiao's favor.
Who wouldn't want someone who can learn magic quickly, and even more deceptive tricks, and then see through them without revealing them?

When it comes to truly treating illnesses and saving lives, the effects are particularly remarkable. In critical moments, it can truly cure serious illnesses and save severely injured disciples, leaving only the possibility of bringing the dead back to life and restoring flesh and bones.
Shen Le followed Zhang Jiao's carriage, traversing eight provinces. Time flew by, and three or four years passed quickly.

He also learned most of Zhang Jiao's magic and incantations, and even the 170 volumes of the "Taiping Jing" that formed the basis of his life:
It turns out that the ability to create soldiers from beans really exists, the ability to cure diseases with talisman water really exists (although the success rate of curing diseases is really not as good as his healing skills), the ability to send generals to exorcise ghosts really exists, and even the ability to summon heavenly thunder really exists.

However, Zhang Jiao's spells and the immortal spells Shen Le learned in his previous memory all share the same flaw:
It works well in rural areas, but not so well in big cities or near government offices;

It works for ordinary people, but not for high-ranking officials, especially those who are upright and honest. It is particularly ineffective against the military, especially against armies that are well-formed and exude a fierce aura.

However, magic found more and more uses. As time went on, the famine worsened, and the number of refugees increased.

As Shen Le traveled the world with Zhang Jiao, large groups of refugees would frequently join them.

Having food to eat is good, not starving to death is good, and receiving medical treatment is even better! Following the great and virtuous teacher, there is a way to survive, there is hope!

Some state and county officials were helpless, while others intensified their exploitation. Powerful families built numerous manors and even fortified strongholds, effectively isolating themselves. It was the same everywhere; there were no exceptions.

Even in the territory of Yuzhou, in the renowned Yingchuan Commandery, those gentlemen, those virtuous men, those who claimed to be morally upright...

The talk of the Eight Dragons of the Xun Clan and the Three Gentlemen of the Chen Clan is impressive, but the tenant farmers and common people in their hometowns didn't live much better than others...

Shen Le's mood grew increasingly heavy. A storm was brewing, and the people's resentment surged like water on a high embankment, which was clearly already a suspended river.

Once it collapses, it will inevitably sweep across the world!

Now it is the year of Guihai, and next year will be the year of Jiazi...

Summer passed, autumn arrived, and winter came. The cycle of seasons turned, and the year of Jiazi finally arrived. However, due to Tang Zhou's betrayal, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was forced to begin its uprising ahead of schedule.

The slogan, "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise; in the year of Jiazi, great fortune will come to the world," resounded throughout the land!
This was the first time Shen Le had witnessed these peasant armies sweeping across the land from the perspective of the rebels.

Those people, with yellow turbans wrapped around their heads and dressed in tattered clothes, carrying hoes, sickles, rakes, and even wooden sticks, shouted and yelled as they charged toward the government offices, the landlords' manors, and their fortified villages:

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"The sky is dead, Huang Tian must stand!"

"Revenge! Avenge my father! Avenge my mother!"

"You dare steal my wife! You dare kill my son!"

"You forced me to wear mourning clothes for your dog! Now it's your turn! You should kowtow to Grandpa a few more times! Kowtow! Kowtow!"

"Grain! They have grain!!!"

Looking at the faces twisted with hatred, at the surging torrent, at the cities and country houses that were being opened up, Shen Le felt both exhilaration and a faint sense of fear.

He could only be thankful that he was by Zhang Jiao's side and was skilled in healing arts, so he was not sent out to take charge on his own, but instead stayed in the central command to treat the wounded and allocate medicines.
He was also glad that he had secretly asked someone to take his father's family away and send them to Jiangnan: from Qingxu to Jianghuai, the future would be filled with war and disaster, only in Jiangnan, perhaps there was still a way to survive?

However, the imperial court's counterattack came swiftly. Before long, a massive army marched in, heading straight for Changshe.

Standing outside Changshe City, Shen Le gazed into the distance and saw tens of thousands of troops, their camps linked together, flags fluttering, stationed along the city walls. They faced off against the Yellow Turban Army, whose camps were built on the grass, their military might and imposing presence exceptionally impressive.

"Can we win...?"

Beside him, someone lowered their voice and asked the Heavenly General, who was holding a nine-section staff and gazing upwards.

Shen Le, on the other hand, pressed his hand to his brow, silently activating his spiritual eye to observe from afar:

His eyes suddenly narrowed. On the walls of Changshe City, a giant dragon, old and weary, still roared fiercely at the Yellow Turban army formation!

So, to win next, we must sever the Han dynasty's dragon vein?
Did something go wrong?
(End of this chapter)