The new era of chaos begins in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 409 Breaking the Delusion
Li Gefei laughed again and said, "Oh? A thousand-foot-high red cloud? That's really impressive! When I met a sage in the past, I saw purple air coming from the east for thirty thousand miles. That was incredible. Even though you are not even one hundredth as good as a sage, you should be proud of yourself!"

Chen Shen's eyes narrowed, and he said, "If you have the ability to compete with the saints, I will be willing to bow down and surrender!"

Li Gefei laughed and said, "How can I be so capable! I just found a job as a gatekeeper and asked for a scroll of handwritten letter from a sage to get temporary protection!"

Chen Shen's frown deepened as he asked, "Are you Guan Yizi? Impossible! Wenshi Zhenren is a Taoist sage who once assisted the Taoist master in conquering the four directions. He is also the protector of the Taoist sage Zhuangzi. How could he be a lackey of the evil god?!"

Li Gefei laughed and said, "Nanhua and Huanan are both the same person!"

Chen Shen shook his head and said, "No! You are not Guan Yizi! Legend has it that during the Yellow Turban Rebellion at the end of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Jiao was taught the [Taiping Essential Technique] by the Immortal Nanhua and became a Taoist. If you were really Guan Yizi, how could Zhang Jiao do such a disastrous thing?!"

Li Gefei laughed in surprise and said, "You actually know this case?! Good, good, good! I lost the game, and I shouldn't have thought of tricking you with such a specious thing! In front of Hangu Pass that year, the sage I saw was not just Guan Yizi. I was the guard of the pass, standing beside you! Hahaha, that Guan Yizi was used to ordering his subordinates around, and getting one scroll of the sage's handwritten letter was not enough, so he asked for two more. That's exactly the opportunity that gave me..."

Only at this time did Chen Shen learn about the little mistake made by Master Wenshi back then.

Guan Yizi was born into a noble family and was used to being served by the people around him. He was originally instructed to wait for a sage in front of Hangu Pass. He did not recognize the sage's true face at first, and when he got a handwritten letter, he casually handed it to the waiter.

As a result, the servant got the book and ran away. Guan Yizi then realized that he had caused a big disaster, so he turned over a new leaf, asked for another book from the sage, and became a Taoist sage.

Li Gefei smiled and said, "Boy, I have told you what you should know, and you should not listen to what you should not know. As an elder, I cannot fight with you, so just kill yourself!"

Chen Shen shook his head and said, "My husband is so forgetful! I just told you that I have a red glow, please taste it!"

Li Gefei laughed loudly and said, "A thousand feet of red clouds! I regard it as nothing! Good! Since you insist on seeking your own death, then I will help you! Watch me kill your thoughts, destroy your literary talent, and destroy your spirit! Huh!"

Li Gefei turned into a ray of light and rushed directly into the center of Chen Shen's forehead.

Not long after, he sprayed out of Chen Shen's nostrils again, fell to the ground and rolled, and screamed in exasperation: "You thief! How dare you deceive me! How can it be a thousand-foot red cloud! It is clearly a red light of ninety thousand miles! Oh my! You treacherous boy! I swear I will never let you go!"

This guy rolled up from the ground, but he no longer looked like Li Gefei. He just had a pointed face and monkey cheeks, his eyes were red and swollen and full of tears, and he looked extremely miserable.

Chen Shen smiled and said, "Sir, please don't get angry yet. You cheated and I lied, so we are even. If you get so angry, it will be unmannerly!"

The man was so angry that he was dizzy and shouted, "You are so treacherous! You have hurt me so much! I won't bother with you today, but I will take revenge on you tomorrow!"

Chen Shen held a gun in his hand and said with a fierce smile: "You bastard! How dare you pretend to be an elder of our family? Not to mention that I just gave you a slight blow, even if I kill you, what else can I do? Don't leave, take my bullet!"

When the guy saw this, he was shocked.

Little did he know that Chen Shen's gun was quick, so he turned over and rushed out of the window.

Just as he jumped up, he felt a chill on his buttocks.

The fake Li Gefei was terrified, but did not dare to delay. He jumped out of the window, rolled again, and then disappeared.

Chen Shen in the room shook his gun and pretended to be annoyed, "You bastard, don't run away!"

Then he deliberately jumped out of the window a step slower, looked around, and then floated away in a certain direction.

Not long after, Chen Shen appeared at the entrance of a street market.

There were a constant stream of people walking on the street, but Chen Shen was standing in the road with his gun across his body, attracting the attention of passers-by.

But everyone was afraid of his power and did not dare to approach him to argue. Instead, they watched from afar and pointed fingers.

Chen Shen didn't take it seriously and just stood there with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, a clear sound of copper bells rang out from deep in the street.

Chen Shen looked up and saw a hunchbacked old woman sitting on a skinny donkey coming towards him.

The old woman came closer on her donkey, but her way was blocked by Chen Shen holding a spear.

The old woman raised her cloudy eyes and begged weakly, "Young sir, please be kind and let me pass through!"

Chen Shen said: "You can borrow my road, but the donkey must stay!"

When the old woman heard this, she begged, "I have always been weak and can hardly walk. I rely on this evil animal to travel. If it is taken away by you, I will be unable to move! Please be kind and forgive me!"

When passers-by heard this, they all stopped and pointed, and some who were eager to stand up for justice shouted, "You man, in broad daylight, how can you, a good man, bully the old and weak in the street and rob other people's donkeys and horses? Aren't you afraid of losing face?!"

Chen Shen did not say anything, but just swung the spear around his body, creating a fierce and vicious spear wind and a soul-stirring humming sound.

When others saw it, no matter whether they were near or far and knew the value of the goods, they all stepped back for fear of being scratched and hurt.

Chen Shen looked at the old woman and sneered, "This donkey is a lost item of our family. How can I let you take it away for free?"

The old woman raised her eyelids, revealing a pair of fierce eyes, and gnashed her teeth and said, "Young Master, are you really unwilling to show mercy?"

Chen Shen said in a serious tone: "Either you leave, or you stay and I kill you! There is no other way!"

The old woman sighed and said, "Good! Good! What a hard-hearted boy! It's my fault that I'm so unlucky today. You've done me a disservice!"

She leaned down and got off the donkey. The donkey immediately became angry and tried to kick her, but the old woman staggered to avoid it.

She said angrily, "What a wicked beast! It just broke free and came back to bite its old master. It's really something that can't be tamed!"

But the old woman was about to reach out to pat the donkey's mouth, but she didn't expect that a gun barrel would hit the back of her hand, causing her to shiver in pain.

The old woman turned her head suddenly, only to see Chen Shen staring at her fiercely.

The old woman only smiled awkwardly, limped away slowly with her legs tilted, and muttered as she walked: "Alas! The world is going downhill! People's hearts are no longer the same as they used to be!"

Chen Shen sneered, "Stop showing off your words here! Leave quickly! If you leave too late, don't blame me for changing my mind!"

After hearing this, the old woman restrained her thoughts and still dragged her legs, but she disappeared in a flash.

Chen Shen watched the old woman leave, then he grabbed the skinny donkey's chin with his backhand and said to the people watching the excitement: "May I ask who can fetch me a basin of well water? I will reward you handsomely!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, "You are a tyrant, you are not a good believer, who would be willing to go along with you?!"

Chen Shen laughed loudly and said, "You are just mortals, unable to tell good from evil, true from false, and you mistook wolves for pigs and sheep! I don't mind! That's it! I will let you see clearly! So that you don't have to suffer injustice!"

As he spoke, Chen Shen dragged the reluctant donkey straight into the depths of the street market.

Wherever there is a market, there must be a well.

Chen Shen dragged the skinny donkey to the well, then he used the bucket (used for drawing water) by the well to draw some clean water and brought it to the skinny donkey's mouth.

But the donkey didn't know what was good for him and turned his head away, refusing to drink.

Chen Shen pinched the donkey's jaw and forced it into the bucket.

Accompanied by the gurgling sound of bubbling water, the donkey struggled desperately.

The donkey just struggled, but its body shrank and half of its skin was dragged on the ground.

When the people around saw this, they all screamed in surprise.

Someone with a quick tongue shouted, "Look at that donkey! Look at that donkey!" Chen Shen casually let go of the "donkey head", and everyone could see clearly that it was a strange creature in the shape of a man and covered with donkey skin struggling there.

Everyone was trembling with fear, and some timid ones screamed, "Why is there such a strange donkey? Is it a monster?!"

There were also some brave ones who moved forward to get a clearer look.

Chen Shen didn't care about anything else. He used the tip of his gun to slash the donkey's belly, then reached out and tore it apart. A naked white-skinned young man fell out.

The young boy's eyes were cloudy and he fell naked on the ground, but he came to his senses a little. He looked around at the onlookers who were either surprised, excited, or scared. He was terrified in his heart, but he could only scream "Wooah Wooah".

When some women saw his appearance, they either covered their faces with their sleeves or looked in with laughter. The frightened young man's heart suffered a hundred thousand times the attack, and he could not help but cross his hands to cover his vital parts, which only led to more laughter.

The young man almost wanted to commit suicide.

Chen Shen casually covered the young man with a robe to cover his embarrassment.

Another bolder one asked loudly, "Hey, good man! We are ignorant and blind, and don't know what's going on. Can you tell me something? What's so strange about this?"

Chen Shen raised his fist towards the people around him and said, "I was just about to tell you all! There is an evil sorcery in the Jianghu that harms people. It can turn good men and women into pigs, sheep, cattle and horses, and then sell or slaughter them for profit! This is my brother, who was kidnapped by the evildoer some time ago. I have been chasing him for a long time, and fortunately I rescued him today!"

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on and were all amazed.

A curious person asked, "Good man! What is the meaning of that evil magic?"

Chen Shen said: "The evil magic has caused great harm to people. I am not in a position to say more. I will only tell you some solutions. If you find some restless cattle or sheep, give them some clean water to drink, and you can break the evil magic!"

Someone else asked, "If a person turns into a pig or a sheep, will he no longer be able to speak like a human?"

Chen Shen said: "The evildoers are vicious. When they perform their magic, they often use poisonous salt to make the victims mute, so they are unable to speak!"

After a brief discussion, Chen Shen said to everyone, "This matter is over. You can go now. I have to settle my brothers."

Then Chen Shen dragged the young man away under the eager gaze of everyone.

Just as this strange story was being widely circulated in Huangzhou City, Chen Shen took the young man back to the inn.

Chen Shen invited the young man to sit in the room where he had been staying for a short time recently, poured him a cup of tea, and looked at the young man's slightly familiar haggard face before asking, "Do you still remember whose family you are?"

The young man had felt embarrassed because of Chen Shen's protection before, and was somewhat dependent on him, but also felt uneasy, so he looked at Chen Shen like a frightened little animal.

When he heard Chen Shen's questions, he just uttered "ah ah" a few times, and then tears fell like rain out of anxiety.

Chen Shen smiled and soothed him, "Don't worry! Don't worry! Your throat was only injured by the evil villain's poison, it's not incurable! I will heal you now! And drink a cup of tea to moisten your throat!"

Hearing this, the young man couldn't help but feel hopeful. He picked up the teacup with trembling hands and drank it down in one gulp with trembling hands.

After the young man drank the tea, Chen Shen asked him to sit down, put his palm on his throat and patted it gently a few times.

The boy was nervous for a moment and subconsciously wanted to yell "ah ah" to ask the question, but suddenly he felt itchy in his throat. He couldn't help coughing, and the more he coughed, the more he wanted to cough. He coughed until his whole body was shaking and his abdominal muscles were sore.

While coughing, the boy spat out a lot of black and bloody phlegm, which fell to the ground and twisted.

Chen Shen raised his foot and stomped out these twisted sputum blocks, as easily as stomping out cigarette butts on the ground.

The young man coughed enough, but said in a hoarse voice: "Well... benefactor, my... throat is itchy... can I speak now??!"

The young man stared at Chen Shen in disbelief. After only two sentences, he realized that he could speak again.

The young man was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Chen Shen several times, saying in a low and hoarse voice: "My benefactor... saved my... life and cured my... muteness. This is like... giving me a new life!"

Chen Shen helped him up and said, "Dou Chong'er, you and I are not strangers. It is only natural for me to save you. Why should I be so polite?"

When the young boy heard the name "Dou Chong'er", he was stunned. Few people knew his nickname, and only his closest relatives called him by it.

The young man could not help but get excited and asked tremblingly: "Well... who is the benefactor?!"

Chen Shen smiled and said, "I am from Ye County, Xiangzhou. My surname is Chen and my given name is Shen. I was engaged to a talented girl from the Li family when I was young, but the marriage has not come to fruition yet!"

When the young man heard this, he suddenly remembered who Chen Shen was. He sat up in shock and asked in a trembling voice: "You are...you are..."

But he was so anxious that he only repeated that sentence, and he couldn't utter the rest of the words for a while.

Chen Shen smiled and patted Douchong'er's shoulder, led him to sit down, and said, "Don't be anxious! If you have something to say, take your time! We have plenty of time."

Douchong'er finally calmed down, but asked, "Are you really my brother-in-law? No!"

The bean worm suddenly remembered something and asked, "Tell me what your nickname is? Otherwise I won't recognize you!"

Chen Shen smiled and said, "My official name was given to me by Mr. Su. My previous nickname was Er Gou. But now I am no longer ordinary. If anyone says my nickname, they will suffer bad luck. Beanworm, remember this: don't call me by my nickname!"

Douchonger then laughed and said, "It really is you, Brother Ergou!"

Just as he finished speaking, Douchonger suddenly felt the chair he was sitting on tilt, and he fell to the ground with the chair.

Chen Shen smiled bitterly and said, "Silly boy! I warned you not to call me by my nickname, now you are in trouble!"

Douchong'er was very sad, thinking that his brother-in-law was playing tricks on him. He was unhappy but in his heart he wanted to go to his sister to complain.

Chen Shen helped Dou Chong'er up and said a few words of comfort, "Dou Chong'er, tell me, why did you end up in this situation?"

Douchong'er was shocked when he heard this. He couldn't help but think of his hellish experience, which was hard to describe in words.

He cried for a while before telling about his bizarre experience.

But one day, the women of the Li family went out for fun, leaving Dou Chong'er alone at home to practice calligraphy. Li Gefei, who had been to court, suddenly returned home, accompanied by several palace eunuchs.

Li Gefei told Dou Chong'er that his family had been denounced as traitors by the government and would be exiled.

It was just that the emperor was concerned about Li Gefei's reputation, so this demotion was kept secret. Apart from Li Gefei himself, even his family members would not know about it. However, the palace supervisor still produced the imperial edict as evidence.

Li Gefei said that he did not want his wife and daughter to worry, and only asked Dou Chonger if, as a man of the Li family, he was willing to go with him to the place of exile to show his filial piety.

Douchong'er had no doubts and agreed. Then the two of them left a letter to their families and set off on their own.

Dou Chong'er didn't have any doubts along the way, until the fake Li Gefei called Dou Chong'er's nickname wrongly, then the young man from the Li family realized something was wrong.

What follows is darker yet simpler.

Dou Chong'er realized something was wrong and wanted to escape, but was caught by the fake Li Gefei, who turned him into a donkey and forced him to ride all the way to Huangzhou.

When they arrived in Huangzhou, the fake Li Gefei rented the donkey transformed from the bean worm to a merchant, saying that he could beat, scold or do the donkey as he pleased, but he was not allowed to kill the donkey, otherwise he would have to pay a thousand taels of silver as compensation and would also be held responsible.

The merchants thought that Li Gefei was exploiting them by relying on his official power, so they did not dare to resist.

It was not until Chen Shen arrived that the fake Li Gefei's disguise was exposed. He took back the donkey that Dou Chong'er had transformed into and wanted to flee far away, but was intercepted by Chen Shen halfway.

(End of this chapter)