"System, what time are we at now?"
Chen Xi felt pain all over his body, and his mouth was full of blood. What exactly was going on? His ears were filled with noise, a cacophony all around.
"Ding, Host, we have now entered the end of the plot. Tianbao and Junbao are fighting on the training ground. However, this System has made a slight change here. Eunuch Liu was not killed by you, but was sent flying by Junbao's palm and pierced by a soldier's spear. This way, you will not become a wanted criminal of the Imperial Court."
"Kill him, kill him! He trained day and night, but for his own promotion and wealth, he didn't treat us like humans!"
These guys, they were clearly a bunch of disorganized soldiers. If it weren't for me, how would they have become elite soldiers? Now they're actually blaming me for being strict with their training. They're truly a bunch of ungrateful wretches. If soldiers don't train well normally, how can they defeat the enemy on the battlefield? It's useless to train these people any further.
Now that Eunuch Liu is dead, there's no point in me staying here. I can only try to find a way to leave.
Chen Xi endured the pain and slowly got up.
"Junbao, I was wrong. Please let me go this time. From now on, our friendship is severed."
Qiuxue hurriedly said, "Junbao, you can't let him go! He killed Little Winter Melon and so many benevolent people of the Jianghu. How can such an Imperial Court lackey be let go so easily?"
Chen Xi looked at Qiuxue in front of him, a wave of disgust surging in his heart. He never imagined that the woman Dong Tianbao had once saved would now be so ungrateful, meticulously plotting to put Tianbao to death!
Recalling the past, Chen Xi couldn't help but lament fate's trickery. If Dong Tianbao hadn't saved Qiuxue then, she would probably have been captured and killed by Eunuch Liu's men long ago. Yet, things are unpredictable, and who could have imagined the current situation would develop to this extent.
At this moment, Chen Xi deeply understood the principle that too many words lead to mistakes. Especially in such a situation, it was crucial to be cautious in speech and action. Everyone needed to calm down. He understood that given the deep brotherhood between Junbao and Tianbao, maintaining silence and observing the situation might be the best strategy.
And the ending of the original play was even more lamentable. Under the constant pressure from Qiuxue and others, Dong Tianbao was eventually pushed to a dead end, losing his sanity and madly attacking Junbao. In the end, Tianbao also lost his life because of this, meeting a tragic end.
"Alright, you can go."
Chen Xi thought for a moment and then said.
"Junbao, I hope this is the last time we ever meet. You and I are simply not on the same path."
Tianbao's words saddened Junbao.
Chen Xi clenched his fists tightly, secretly vowing: From today onwards, I will live this life anew as Dong Tianbao! I want to see if, without me, this so-called 'great villain' causing trouble, you can still live as carefree and smoothly as in the original play?
While thinking, Dong Tianbao picked up a waist knife and walked towards the stables, leading out a horse. He mounted the horse and galloped north.
At this moment, a large group of soldiers stood in place, each looking at the other, their expressions flustered, like headless flies completely at a loss. They truly didn't know how to deal with this sudden change, their hearts filled with fear and confusion.
Eunuch Liu had actually died tragically on the spot! And Dong Tianbao, who had always been seen as not treating them like humans, had now resolutely left, leaving these soldiers to face this chaotic situation alone. Now, they were like a body without a head, completely lost in their predicament.
The thought that if the Imperial Court investigated this matter, all of them would likely be held accountable, and might even suffer severe punishment, sent a chill down the spines of these soldiers.
Just then, everyone's gaze fell on Zhang Junbao. He had a calm expression, and with firm steps, he was slowly walking out with Qiuxue. Facing this extraordinary figure, although these soldiers felt uneasy, they dared not speak their anger, and could only obediently make way one by one, not daring to obstruct him in the slightest.
As a result, the originally somewhat orderly formation instantly became scattered and disorganized. These soldiers truly became "disorganized soldiers" in every sense of the word, no longer able to coalesce into a powerful force.
Junbao and Qiuxue arrived at an inn.
Qiuxue urged Junbao to continue joining the ranks of anti-tyranny righteous individuals, eliminating evil and bringing peace, acting heroically and upholding justice. At this moment, Junbao felt bored. After this series of events, he thought of becoming a monk and cultivating. So, he and Qiuxue parted ways.
He walked and stopped alone, traveling through more than a dozen cities in a year. He found that no matter where he went, there were bullies and corrupt officials oppressing good people. At first, he would be filled with righteous indignation when he encountered such things, and he couldn't help but take action every time.
But slowly, he realized that he simply couldn't manage it all. There were too many such incidents. Moreover, some people, under the guise of eliminating evil and bringing peace, and acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao, were actually engaging in petty theft and profiteering. He now had some fame, and sometimes others would even actively invite him to act on behalf of the Heavenly Dao. If he had a different opinion, he would even be forcibly morally coerced. Seeing through all this, he now felt more and more that this world was murky.
So, after a year, he came to a mountain, which locals said was called Wudang Mountain. On the mountain, he felt a sense of tranquility. So, he built a small Daoist temple on the mountaintop, widely accepted disciples there, and taught Tai Chi.
And where did our Tianbao go?
Since that day he parted ways with Tianbao, he had originally planned to go directly north to join the border army. However, Chen Xi found that although Tianbao was highly skilled in martial arts, as a modern person, even though he had Tianbao's memories and physical strength, it was still like watching a movie; he couldn't fully integrate. He asked the System, and the System also said that because he was a modern person, he had never practiced martial arts or fought against others. Even with those memories, it was impossible to master them all at once. He just needed to spend some time now, slowly practicing and honing, and he would quickly learn. In terms of physical aspect, Tianbao had practiced martial arts diligently since childhood. There was no need to worry about that. The main thing now was to change his way of thinking.
So, during this year, Tianbao was in a remote village in the north. He diligently practiced martial arts and his mindset, while also studying military strategies.
In these years, not only was the Imperial Court politically corrupt, but a minority ethnic group had also risen in the north, leading to constant border conflicts. Internally, peasant uprisings also frequently broke out.
Chen Xi's first thought was definitely to fight the foreign tribes, which would also allow him to establish merits and a career. The original body had previously followed Eunuch Liu in suppressing internal rebellions and rebels, which had given him a bad reputation. He was nominally an Imperial Court Qianhu and a Brocade-Clad Guard Garrison Commander, but others called him an Imperial Court lackey. Since that was the case, he might as well come to the border to resist foreign enemies, regardless of how chaotic it was internally.
Although this is the world of Young Zhang Sanfeng, it should logically be the late Song to early Yuan Dynasty. Perhaps the screenwriter didn't understand anything and forcibly made it the late Ming Dynasty, with Eunuch Liu still being the Grand Eunuch. This is how the world was generated.
According to the System's prompt, the world has now changed. It is indeed the late Ming Dynasty, the Emperor is indeed Chongzhen, and that Eunuch Liu was actually just a minor eunuch, not the greatest Grand Eunuch in the Imperial Court.
It seems that the Heavenly Dao of this world is forcibly correcting errors. This is good too; I still have some understanding of the history of the late Ming Dynasty.
"System, what year of Chongzhen is it now?"
"Ding, Host, it is now the seventh month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen."
There are still two years until the collapse of the Great Ming Dynasty. It seems that just wanting to be a wealthy idler will not be easy in the days to come.