The Star River Era! The Dimensional Freedom Demon

(I'm being interrogated a lot, so you can understand a lot of things by just knowing what I mean. Bai Yang is a white lotus, and the Jurchen and Liao people are all pig tails.)

"Daqing?"

Ji Chen closed his eyes, recalling the memories that belonged to the skinny monkey.

Three Jiazi ago, the general guarding Shanhaiguan of the Great Chu betrayed his country and surrendered to the enemy, letting the wolf into the house.

Taking advantage of the situation, Nulangha, the Jurchen leader outside the Great Wall, marched south and carried out a massacre under the guise of "suppressing the rebellion".

Wherever the iron cavalry passed, the land was shattered, and several provinces in the Central Plains were stained with blood.

The Jurchens used war to sustain their war effort, plundering thousands of miles and causing endless wars.

The Southern Chu court suffered repeated defeats, eventually reaching the desperate situation at Yai Shan. Finally, the last emperor, wearing a dragon robe and holding the imperial seal, leaped into the raging sea, marking the collapse of the dynasty and the change of rulers.

Since then, the Daqing Dynasty has established its rule in the Central Plains, and has lasted for more than 150 years.

However, old grudges have not faded, and the pain of national subjugation still lingers in people's hearts.

"The history is strikingly similar."

Ji Chen opened his eyes, recalling the history of this world, and unconsciously touched the back of his head.

A crude and ugly money rat tail braid came into view.

"Tartars, how ugly they are, they deserve to die!"

No matter which world he saw this in, Ji Chen always felt an involuntary sense of disgust.

I glanced at the sky; night was gradually falling, and the depths of Dongting Lake seemed to be churning with ink.

"In this day and age, the wilderness is still too dangerous."

Ji Chen's current physical condition does not allow him to act recklessly.

The fisherman he possessed lost his father at a young age, his mother was missing, and he lived in poverty to the point that he gradually forgot his own name.

The harsh conditions prevented the body from receiving the necessary nutrients for growth.

This 14-year-old boy's physical fitness was not as good as that of a primary school student in his previous life.

Ji Chen staggered toward the place he remembered.

Walking along the path filled with the smell of fish, Ji Chen continued to recall things related to this body.

"I am a fisherman who is affiliated with Tiger, the fish market manager in Changjiang County. I make a living by rowing a boat with a group of beggars and orphans."

Although Dongting Lake supports countless fishermen, most of them can only fish and hunt on the edges of the lake.

The catch in the outer areas is limited, especially in places where it's easy to bait, so every fisherman here is vying for those spots.

With too many wolves and too little meat, and those who already had more wanting to take more, the struggles among fishermen were fierce.

If it weren't for a group of brothers helping him, a poor and weak boy like Skinny Monkey would have starved to death in some unknown corner long ago.

"Unfortunately, this is both their strength and their weakness."

Ji Chen shook his head and sighed for the boy who was struggling in a difficult life.

"About six days ago, I was out at night, rowing my boat to check on the fish in my 'territory,' when I found a corpse there."

The terrified young man initially wanted to report the incident to the authorities, but when he retrieved the body, he was surprised to find that the man had a bulging money bag.

"Who doesn't have greed? The young man, who had always dreamed of becoming a martial artist and roaming the world to break free from his cage, was tempted."

"The young man went to the martial arts school in the county town to pay the tuition fee, intending to secretly learn a few life-saving skills, leave some money for his brothers, and then leave this place with enough money to eat for half a year."

"Unexpectedly, his brothers, who had been with him for many years, noticed his abnormality in just a few days. Shrimp Head Brother secretly followed him and discovered his secret of going to the martial arts school to study. He was bewitched and went to find Tiger."

Then comes the story of the bully breaking the boy's wings, and the boy's tragic end at sea.

pity......

he came.

Ji Chen squinted and saw three teenagers squatting in front of his house in the distance.

Ji Chen, or rather, Skinny Monkey, knew these people; they were members of that group of "brothers."

They are quite diligent when working together, and the three of them are almost always involved in drying nets, fishing, and finding fish nests.

"I'm already 'dead,' what are they doing here?"

Ji Chen frowned, but did not dodge. He simply slowed his pace and continued forward.

With his skills, dealing with this kind of country bumpkin would be far too easy.

At the entrance to Skinny Monkey's house, the three were whispering among themselves.

"Brother Shrimp Head went to Tiger's to ask for a reward, aren't we going?"

"Go where?! Brother Monkey used to be good to us, but when he got into trouble, we not only refused to help, but what, are you going to go to Brother Monkey's enemies to ask for a reward?!"

"What else could we do? Tiger is a big shot who works for the Manchus. If we don't obey, we'll either die or be crippled. And then..."

A dark-skinned boy was making disparaging remarks about the skinny monkey when he suddenly glanced at a figure walking towards him.

"Monkey...monkey...Brother Monkey?!"

The dark-skinned boy's panicked voice caught the attention of the other two.

"What Monkey King... Isn't Monkey King dead? Blackie, it's one thing for you to be dark-skinned, but did you go blind too?"

They instinctively retorted, but what they saw when they turned their heads shut them up instantly.

On the dimly lit path ahead, the skinny monkey, whose skin had been soaked in the lake for several hours, was pale and swollen. In addition, Ji Chen disliked braids, so he let his wet hair hang loose.

This scene truly resembles the return of a vengeful ghost.

"Aaaaaah... ...a ghost!"

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. Brother Monkey, this has nothing to do with us! We don't know anything about it. It was all Shrimp Head and his gang who did it. Please, go find them!"

"Brother Monkey, please forgive us! We'll burn paper money for you every year from now on, please forgive us!"

 …

In an instant, the three men's ugly sides were fully exposed.

Unexpectedly, "Skinny Monkey" walked straight past them, entered the room, and slammed the door shut.

"this... ..."

The three looked at each other, finally realizing that something was wrong.

"Brother Monkey... ...could he still be alive?"

Upon hearing this, the boy who had previously expressed his gratitude to Brother Monkey first showed a look of joy, but then, remembering Tiger Lord's threat, his expression changed drastically.

"Quick! Quick! Go to Tiger's place and tell Shrimp Head that Skinny Monkey is still alive. Kill Skinny Monkey again before Tiger finds out, otherwise if Tiger finds out he's been tricked, we'll all be dead!"

The complexity and ugliness of human nature were laid bare before the other two at this moment.

The boy who had been preparing to slander the skinny monkey was startled and looked at him with slight surprise.

But he only hesitated for a moment before returning to normal, instead glaring fiercely at the boy who was looking at him.

"What are you looking at me for?! Do you want to die too? Aren't I doing this for everyone?"

...

Ji Chen was unaware of the farce unfolding behind him, but he could guess what was going on.

The people of this era had already had their backbone broken and lost the courage to resist after being repeatedly ravaged by the Jurchen invaders.

After all, those with backbone died one after another in the decades following the Jurchens' entry into the Central Plains.

By now, most people have truly become deeply ingrained with servility.