Chapter 1, Everything has its limits

This world

The old man consumed a small piece of cake, took several hearty gulps of water, and felt a bit warmer in his belly, regaining some strength. He began to drag the corpse into the pit. At that moment, a few scholars passed by, their faces pale and devoid of color, having witnessed the tragic scene in the city, instilling a deep-seated fear within them

At the last moment, the young acolyte almost couldn't hold it in after that sentence was spoken

Another scholar snorted and said: "Pretentious, probably a person seeking false fame, burying a few people just to go out and show off to others, and still expecting gratitude and appreciation from them, what kind of world is this"

The faces of the four individuals turned grim upon hearing these words. One of them quickly walked up to the old man and asked, "Master, is there a way to break the spell?"

Yongqing County is under the jurisdiction of Youzhou, which nominally belongs to Jizhou. Among the thirteen provinces of the realm, Jizhou is the most chaotic

He leaned against the wall to rest for a while, looking around in search of something useful. In the city, there wasn't even a single iron tool to be found. Not to mention farming implements like shovels and sickles, even iron pots and kettles were completely absent. The bandits would take away all the iron tools to forge weapons and armor.

The old man turned his head to glance at him, too lazy to even speak a word

The old man was suddenly enlightened: "What you say does have some merit, so I will give you a discount... Each person will pay one tael of silver, and I will charge you at cost price."

The young Taoist looked at the large piece of cake and said, "Master, where did you get this food from?"

The old Taoist glanced at his hand, and the scholar immediately reacted, also taking out a few coins to hand to the old Taoist. After the old Taoist accepted the money, he said: "It is simple; you just need to prove that the four of you are not from the same place."

The old Taoist was troubled: "That is divine retribution."

The old man shook his head in silence

The other two individuals also wore expressions of indignation upon hearing this, and one of them muttered, "Aren't they afraid of retribution"

The young Taoist boy, who appeared to be around ten years old, rubbed his stomach, having been hungry for nearly two days. Two days ago, he encountered a wealthy family migrating to Jizhou. Upon seeing the two of them, they invited them over to tell their fortunes. The boy's master used five coins to cast the divination, which revealed that this family had a bright future ahead, especially the young master of the household, who was destined to achieve great success. They only needed to head northwest, where they would surely meet a benefactor.

Alas, it is indeed difficult

The old man chuckled and said, "I have been eating for a while now; I was just about to call you once I was full."

The young Taoist sometimes finds it amusing that a person as miserly to the core as his master can still be respected by others. Humanity is truly complex; in these chaotic times, money is not as valuable as food. Yet, his master regards money as more important than life itself

Recently, Yongqing County was attacked by a group of bandits, and the county office was set ablaze. The granary, which already had little surplus grain, appeared as if it had been licked clean by some giant beast, leaving not even a scrap behind, completely plundered. Not only was the granary emptied, but even the ground was scraped bare.

I can help you forge academic credentials and travel permits, which are indistinguishable from the real ones, and the official seal will not reveal any errors. This matter truly invites divine retribution. If it were not for the sake of the common people, I would not take such risks. I have seen through the worldly affairs and seek not longevity but peace of mind. Each document only requires five taels of silver

I, Daohao Changmei, never speak nonsense

The head of the wealthy household was pleased upon hearing this, and thus gave a considerable amount of divination money. However, it was somewhat disheartening that money could not buy food, as there were few vendors selling meals along the way. Fortunately, he managed to obtain a few flatbreads from that wealthy family.

Master, this is too much, we cannot bury it all

The young Taoist was infuriated upon hearing this. He initially intended to scold a few words, but then thought it would be a waste of energy. Thus, he frowned and sighed, "What a pity"

The old man fell silent for a moment, then sighed and said: "You four are all talented individuals capable of governing the country. If you could all enter officialdom, it would indeed benefit the people. As for me... I am already quite old and fear no divine retribution, so I will risk my life to assist you.

There is no need to bury them all

Daxing City is the capital, located thousands of miles away. Who knows how long it will take to walk there, and it also depends on whether one has good or bad luck. With bad luck, encountering bandits makes survival difficult. However, these students from humble backgrounds have no other choice but to take this risk. If they succeed, they will be able to receive a salary from the court in the future. If they fail... they can try again in three years. It is not uncommon to keep trying until one is gray-haired. Yet, these students from humble backgrounds have no other choice but to take this risk. If they succeed, they will be able to receive a salary from the court in the future. If they fail... they can try again in three years. It is not uncommon to keep trying until one is gray-haired.

The person's expression brightened: "Real person, can you make it a bit cheaper?"

An old man and a young boy, both Taoist priests, took turns digging and resting. After nearly two hours of intermittent work, they finally finished digging the pit. Leaning against the edge of the pit, they were so exhausted that they could hardly catch their breath, as if they could fall asleep with their eyes closed. After resting for a while, the old priest noticed that his disciple had his eyes closed and was resting. He laboriously raised his hand and pulled out a hard, dry biscuit from his robe. He broke off a large piece to give to his disciple, then broke the remaining small piece in half. He took a small bite from one quarter of that small piece, but pretended to have his cheeks stuffed full, and nudged the young Taoist boy with his shoulder, saying, "This is yours." After resting for a while, the old priest noticed that his disciple had his eyes closed and was resting. He laboriously raised his hand and pulled out a hard, dry biscuit from his robe. He broke off a large piece to give to his disciple, then broke the remaining small piece in half. He took a small bite from one quarter of that small piece, but pretended to have his cheeks stuffed full, and nudged the young Taoist boy with his shoulder, saying, "This is yours."

The old Taoist let out a snort: "Being this foolish and without money, how can one enter the officialdom?"

The old man shook his head: "They have very little money in their hands, each taking one or two taels. It is because their intentions are not upright; taking more would mean that my own intentions are not upright."

The little man chuckled and said, "That was a bit of a deception; each person should receive two taels of silver."

One person said: "Where can we possibly come up with five taels of silver? Even if we could, there would be very little left. How could we still make it to Daxing City?"

The little man sighed: "Once again, I have been deceived"

The day before yesterday, I asked that family for food and told you that I had requested four pancakes, two for each person. The pancakes were the size of a palm, and you finished yours in one sitting. However, I actually asked for five pancakes and secretly hid one for myself

The young Taoist looked at the old master and said, "Master, I have not cultivated enough, but did I make a mistake?"

When a family accumulates poverty, it suffers; when a nation accumulates poverty, it becomes weak. If families suffer and the nation is weak, how can the people survive

He looked at the young Taoist and said, "Li Diudiu, remember that everything has its limits"

The scholar gritted his teeth, took down the money pouch, and counted out a few coins from it: "I won't let you speak for nothing."

The young Taoist snorted: "Even I have been deceived!"

In a little while, he returned with a small piece of cake in his mouth: "Master, Master, I saw some scholars on the street, carrying their bundles, walking hurriedly, and they are about to arrive here soon."

The old man reiterated a few words, emphasizing that they must not be disclosed, and the four individuals left with countless expressions of gratitude

The young Taoist collected the silver, and the old Taoist immediately began to create counterfeit academic credentials and travel permits, doing so with astonishing speed. He used the covers belonging to the four individuals, but replaced the paper inside. Then, he took out the four square seals and stamped each counterfeit credential with a series of sharp sounds. Each of the four individuals received a copy and examined it carefully, making it truly difficult to distinguish between the genuine and the fake.

In the treasury, a delicate-looking young acolyte wandered around for quite a while, then let out a soft sigh: "Cleaner than my face"

One of the scholars curiously asked: "There are so many corpses outside, why haven't you buried them all?"

At this moment, all four individuals became anxious, and one of them strode up to the old man and said: "You, you thieving priest, what nonsense are you spouting!"

The old man grunted, "The three-year major examination; these students are likely to be on their way to Daxing City."

He tucked the pancake into his bosom: "First, let me go relieve myself."

The old man reached out to take the four taels of silver and tucked them into his bosom, continuing to bury the corpse. As he buried, he remarked: "Scholars look down on each other; those whom they disdain will not be drawn to them, and those they cannot esteem cannot ingratiate themselves. Thus, these four must share a common stench; if they cannot flatter one another, how could they possibly come together? People are like this; they look down on those beneath them and cannot integrate into a higher circle..."

He speaks these words without confidence; in chaotic times, people place greater faith in deities and Buddhas

It is said that these two master and disciple should not be lacking in money, at least that is what the young Taoist thinks. His master is a well-known Daoist in the seven counties of Youzhou, and even if they encounter bandits, they would not be harmed. The old Daoist is known as Changmei, having spent most of his life wandering within the seven counties. It cannot be said that he is particularly charitable, but he is certainly willing to help others, which has earned him a loud reputation and great respect.

He left the treasury and saw his master struggling to move one corpse after another to the open ground. He had already moved dozens of them, and there were corpses everywhere in the city, at least over a thousand. The old man was already too weak from hunger, and after moving dozens of corpses, he could no longer continue.

Before the county town was breached, the wealthy families within the city had already received the news and fled in advance. They had carriages and places to go, so they were relatively safe. However, the majority of the common people in the city had nowhere to escape. The disaster brought by the bandit soldiers was far greater than that of natural calamities. Countless families were left shattered, either killed or forced to become part of the bandit ranks. Thus, the ranks of the bandits grew larger like a snowball.

Enter a fart

Master, is it not unfair if not all are buried? It would be better to not bury any at all

Helpless, the old Taoist picked up a piece of tile and began to dig a hole in the open ground. The young Taoist ran over, picked up a piece of tile as well, and joined in the digging. The two of them, starving with their stomachs pressed against their backs, still persevered.

Another person tentatively said: "The real person has helped us, you say it is for the benefit of all living beings, since that is the case, there should be rewards, thus it can offset divine retribution"

The old Taoist looked into the man's eyes as he spoke. Upon hearing the words "Changmei," the man's eyes immediately lit up: "So it is the True Man of Changmei. I truly apologize for the offense just now. True Man, what do your words mean?"

The old man shook his head: "You are not mistaken, there is indeed only one person."

The young Taoist tugged at his sleeve and said: "Go ahead and bargain, give it a try. My master has a kind heart, but it’s best to negotiate well."

He opened the backpack and took out some items, arranging them one by one.

The Long-Browed Daoist also sighed and said, "What a pity"

I recalled that my face should not be very clean, and I muttered to myself, "It's cleaner than my butt... my butt is cleaner than my face, what kind of world is this"

Fool, to exert oneself to the utmost in doing what one believes should be done is to have a clear conscience. The fact that we can bury these dozens of people is already the limit; we have a clear conscience. To exhaust oneself in doing good is equally a form of wrongdoing

The young man asked again, "Master, can they really have someone enter officialdom?"

In times of flourishing civilization, barbarism arises in times of chaos. Fortunately, this great nation in the Central Plains has thrived for several hundred years. Even though it may now appear somewhat like a vast empty shell, few outsiders dare to provoke it. However, calamity does not come from external sources but rather from internal strife, and the people must still find a way to make a living

Many people have not truly understood that those who commit crimes are all considered evil. Those who become criminals for wealth are mostly regarded as minor offenders; minor offenders harm others. However, those who become criminals merely to earn a living are seen as major offenders, and major offenders bring chaos to the world

Daoist priest

The four individuals immediately became cheerful, each taking out one or two silver coins to hand to the old man. The old man, with a face of integrity, said: "I do not partake in yellow or white objects; these silver coins must also be used for saving the world and helping the people. You may give them to my disciple to accept."

The old man’s eyes lit up at the sight of the money. Although those few coins could not even buy a single sesame cake, he immediately took the coins, weighed them in his hand, and after placing them in his bosom, said: "If I am not mistaken, the four of you possess similar knowledge and often gather together to seek each other's advice. Therefore, not only is your knowledge comparable, but your ideas are also quite similar. With the abilities of the four of you, it should not be difficult to achieve academic success. However, since you all come from the same place, your answers will likely be very similar during the examination. According to the unspoken rules of the court, it is not possible to select four candidates from the same location, so only one can be chosen based on merit."

The young Taoist asked curiously: "Master, how do you know that their knowledge is similar and their thoughts are also alike?"

The first scholar who spoke could not help but ask: "What a pity?"

He took the pancake and glanced at the small piece in his master's hand: "Master, yours is too little."

The four individuals approached, and one of them said: "In person, our origins are all recorded, issued by the Youzhou Academy, and it bears an official seal. How could we possibly prove that the four of us do not come from the same place? And what about the travel permits!"

The old Taoist did not speak, and the young Taoist boy shook his head and said: "What a pity, the four of you went to take the exam together, but only one person..."