Chapter 41: Zhang Jiao's Death?

  Zhang Jiao's face was hideous, with bulging eyes and disheveled hair, exactly like a malevolent ghost. Instead of the rolling dark clouds people imagined, a small lightning bolt appeared above Zhang Jiao's head, striking him directly. Zhang Jiao seemed to be in immense pain, his face contorted, as tiny electric currents danced across his body like snakes, growing more and more numerous, exceeding human endurance.

  "Alas! You wicked disciple, what's the point of this again?" Seeing Zhang Jiao was about to self-destruct, Nan Hua Xianren waved his hand at the lightning in the sky, and it seemed to lose its energy, disappearing with a few hissing sounds.

  "Master, back when we were learning our skills on the mountain, you always favored Left Elegance and Yu Ji, those two brothers. You only passed down this 'Taiping Heavenly Book' to them, not to us three. And you wouldn't even let us leave the mountain. One time, I snuck down with Yu Ji without your knowledge, and that's when I discovered how wonderful life was down there. The wealthy families wore silk and jade, without a care in the world. I told myself, I don't want to live on the mountain eating vegetarian meals and reciting Taoist scriptures anymore. I want to leave the mountain, I want to be a superior being." Zhang Jiao's face looked as if he had been deeply wronged, his expression manic.

  "Alas! I didn't realize you had already entered the demonic path. How can we cultivators of the Tao be attached to the luxury of the mundane world? Your fellow disciples, Zhang Jiao and Yu Ji, have followed me in cultivation for many years, laying a solid foundation, which is why I was able to impart the 'Taiping Tian Shu' to them. But you three have shallow foundations, and as your master, I was afraid that if you went down the mountain, you would make mistakes, so I had you observe fasting and recite the Tao to consolidate your foundations. Who knew you had already entered the demonic path? Alas!" It's not hard to see that Nan Hua Xian Ren still had high hopes for Zhang Jiao.

  "Don't say any more, everything has already been settled. From the moment I used the Divine Drunkenness to knock you out, it was already irreversible. I was originally puzzled as to how you woke up so early, but now that I see Mo Yan, I finally understand - it was the Mo family who ruined my plan. Zhang Fei, Zhu Xuan, Mo Family, I will remember all of you."

  "I, Mo Family, although I haven't been out in the world for many years, actually also have a successor traveling the Jianghu. Later, I discovered that there is a force stirring on the Jianghu. Then, Xun Shuang, the principal, sent me a letter saying that at Yingchuan College, an unknown force was stealing the 'Qimen Dunjia', and then used it to scatter beans into soldiers. Only then did I think that something must have gone wrong with Nanhua's side. Unexpectedly, when I found Nanhua, he had been made unconscious by his good disciple's poison, and I also spent a long time trying many methods before finally waking him up."

  "Zhang Jiao, did you ever think that because of your own selfish desires, how many families were destroyed, how many people were separated from their wives and children, and how many Yellow Turban soldiers died for the sake of your own selfish desires?" As a Confucian scholar, Xun Yu naturally looked down on Zhang Jiao's behavior.

  "Haha... Is it my fault that families are broken and people are scattered just because I, Zhang Jiao, didn't appear? Are you kidding yourselves? It's obvious that the Emperor of Han is incompetent and corrupt, allowing treacherous officials to dominate the court, making it a dark and gloomy place. So many people have become refugees, wandering without homes. What I'm doing is upholding justice on behalf of Heaven, everything I do is for the sake of justice!!!"

  Xun Yu was speechless in response, and Zhang Jiao's words were not unreasonable. After Emperor Ling ascended to the throne, he did not set a good example, but instead caused troubles that harmed the country and its people countless times. As Zhang Jiao said, without him, who knows if someone like Li Jiao, Wang Jiao or Zhao Jiao would emerge? Throughout history, there have been numerous peasant uprisings, with Chen Sheng and Wu Guang being prime examples.

  "Too much talk is useless, come on, Yellow Turban's secret technique: Five Thunderous Blows to the Top!" Zhang Jiao quickly moved forward, swinging his hands, and it was clear that this move was aimed at Xun Yu.

  "Be careful." Cao Cao also saw Zhang Jiao's attack and reminded him.

  Xun Yu was just spoken by Zhang Jiao, and he seemed to be thinking deeply. Seeing Zhang Jiao's attack, he couldn't react in time. He didn't expect that such a despicable person as Zhang Jiao would launch a sneak attack. Zhang Rui, who was closest to Xun Yu, reacted the fastest, quickly summoning his mechanical shield, and using his divine power to block Zhang Jiao's attack. His right hand had already aimed at Zhang Jiao with a sleeve arrow, and he used his divine power to fire it.

  With a whoosh, the sleeve arrow hit Zhang Jiao's brow, and Zhang Jiao, who was moving, suddenly stopped, but his mouth revealed a sinister smile. A drop of fresh blood dripped from the sleeve arrow to the ground, and it was clear that Zhang Jiao was already dead beyond death.

  "Alas! Brother Mo Yan, since Zhang Jiao is dead, I won't stay here any longer. I'll return to Mount Kunlun to cultivate the Tao and from now on, I won't interfere with worldly affairs." Having said that, Nan Hua flew away.

  The immortals are not actually flying through the clouds and riding the fog, flying thousands of miles a day, they are all deceiving people. The immortals are also using Taoist footwork, combined with their own magical powers to achieve the art of escaping and hiding.

  "Zhi Bo, I won't be staying here for long either. Seeing you master the mechanical skills I taught you makes me very happy. Work hard and take care. Take this token, if you need to find Mu Men, just bring it to any woodworking shop in the various states, and you'll find me." Mo Yan tossed a small wooden token with a single character "Mo" engraved on it to Zhang Rui, who felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart as he touched the token.

  "I hope nothing is wrong." Cao Cao was quite worried, currently he had only two and a half important strategists under him, one Xun Yu, one Xun You, and half of Zhang Liao who kept his distance from him. He didn't want to lose his Xiao He so early on.

  "I'm fine, Your Excellency. Don't you think that Zhang Jue's words also make sense? Given the current state of the imperial court, even if Zhang Jue didn't appear, there would still be many more people rising up in rebellion and resisting the imperial rule. Ah, therefore, we should help His Majesty to clear away evil influences and teach him to widely implement benevolent policies, only then can there be peace throughout the land." said Xun Yu.

  Zhang Rui shook his head, this Xun Yu is really hopeless. In later generations, a great man once said that only reform can save China. If a dynasty has already rotted from the roots, no matter how much water and fertilizer you add, it will not bloom or bear fruit. Only by digging it up and replanting a new seed can it bloom and bear fruit next year. Are all Confucian successors bookworms? Or is it related to the Confucian tradition of inheritance? Alas, poor Xun Yu is still pouring his heart out to Cao Cao, unaware that Cao Cao has already been swayed by Zhang Jue's words, and power is truly a devil.

  "It's all right as long as Wenruo is fine, I was really scared just now. If anything happens to Wenruo, Cao Cao will not know what to do. Fortunately, Zhibo reacted quickly and shot Zhang Jue to death. Zhibo has made a great contribution this time, Your Majesty will surely reward him heavily." Cao Cao then turned to flatter Zhang Liao, who always addressed him as "Cao Cao" instead of "My Lord", which had been a sore spot for Cao Cao all along.

  Cao Cao walked forward and beheaded Zhang Jue with his sword, ordering someone to wrap the head up and send it to Zhang Lu.

  "Now that Zhang Jiao is dead and the Yellow Turbans have been eradicated, our mission can be considered accomplished. Let's go." Cao Cao led his men on horseback to depart.

  Everyone was unaware, after everyone left, Dong Zhuo led a small team of cavalrymen appeared.

  "Hmph, Yellow Turban bandit! You almost insulted me earlier, this time I'll trample your corpse. What a great virtuous teacher, still can't escape being stepped on by me, hahaha!"

  Dong Zhuo was very satisfied with his own secret actions today, swinging his whip and lashing Zhang Jue's body. However, what Dong Zhuo didn't notice was that a wisp of black smoke seemed to fly out of Zhang Jue's body and into Dong Zhuo's nostrils, entering his body.