Chapter 32: Yuzhou Laiqiang (Part 2) Knowledge changes destiny. ...
Wei Yuanye said, "I asked, and they'll be there around tomorrow morning."
"Okay," Zhang Deng said, "but we have no money, what should we do?"
"I have it." Wei Yuanye pressed his pocket and said, "It's all here."
Zhang Deng checked his pockets, but found nothing. He asked, "Why is there nothing in mine?"
"Because I'm the captain," Wei Yuanye said, "the captain controls the funding."
Zhang Deng: "Who agreed?"
Wei Yuanye asked: "Who disagrees?"
Zhang Deng: “…”
"Okay," Zhang Deng said, "Captain, what should we do next?"
Wei Yuanye said, "Don't worry."
"I want to go see Xiao Mi," Zhang Deng said, his only slight worry. "And Xiao Ai needs watering every two weeks. When I left, it had already been a week since the last watering."
Wei Yuanye felt it was a bit difficult, and he said, "Seven days is not enough."
"How long will that be?"
Wei Yuanye: "It's hard to say about this kind of thing."
The two of them were chatting when Lin Yuzhou got on the carriage. They stopped talking and Lin Yuzhou said, "Did I disturb you? Then I'll go down and wait for a while."
Zhang Deng said, "Oh, it's okay. It's not a big deal."
"Then tell me about it?"
"It's not such an unimportant matter." Zhang Deng immediately changed his words.
Lin Yuzhou laughed heartily and said, "What are your plans when we get to Yingzhou tomorrow?"
"You've embraced the rebels, recruited an army, and established your own kingdom. If you don't make a name for yourself, you'll be a resounding success, becoming the new king of Yingzhou," Zhang Deng said. "Will you join me? I'll grant you the title of King of One Word and One Shoulder."
Lin Yuzhou almost fell in love with him and said, "You are so funny."
Zhang Deng always uses humor to respond to sensitive questions that he doesn't want to answer, and Lin Yuzhou likes his cleverness.
That night, Zhang Deng didn't sleep well because he was about to arrive at a new place and was a little anxious. He could feel Wei Yuanye tucked the blanket in for him twice late at night. In the second half of the night, Lin Yuzhou began to snore lightly.
It seems that Lin Yuzhou is also tired and has relaxed his vigilance.
But nothing happened that night, and their convoy arrived in Yingzhou smoothly at dawn.
Zhang Deng heard the sound of many people talking and woke up. Wei Yuanye was leaning against the window looking out. Seeing that he was awake, he exchanged glances with him.
There was some commotion outside, and Yu Zhi said from below, "Dear guests, we have arrived in Yingzhou."
Zhang Deng and the others walked down. Zhang Deng looked back and said, "Huh? Ah Ping and the others didn't come down."
The others in the carriage watched the people below silently in the darkness, their gazes taking on a slightly deeper meaning under the firelight.
"A Ping?" Yu Zhi was puzzled for a moment, as if he suddenly remembered who it was. "Of course they won't get off the bus."
Wei Yuanye pulled the lamp to stop him from talking. He said to Yu Zhi, "Thank you very much. If you have anything to say next time, just let me know."
Yuzhi thanked him profusely and turned on the light to search for Aping on the bus, as if he saw Aping's eyes through the cracks.
Zhang Deng suddenly felt a sense of doubt and uneasiness in his heart.
Wei Yuanye took him aside and said, "What's going on? Why don't they get out of the car?"
"The guy called Yuzhi said it a long time ago," Wei Yuanye said with a complicated look in his eyes, "He was sent to Yuzhou Qiang."
Zhang Deng asked, "What is Qiang?"
"Human sacrifice." Wei Yuanye only said these two words.
Zhang Deng was stunned for a moment. This word was too unfamiliar. He had never heard of it in real life. He asked, "What?"
"Life?" Zhang Deng asked. "Human...sacrifice?"
Zhang Deng suddenly remembered some words he had read in books: "two-legged sheep", "light a fire", "exchange children for food"...
Zhang Deng thought again of the gloomy looks given to him by the people in the car he had just seen, and suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer and his legs could not stand steadily.
Wei Yuanye said, "I also heard him say that the Qiang people thought of this. Because of the chaotic rule here, they have been carrying out large-scale sacrifices and raising slaves to sacrifice to the gods. Most likely, this time they are paying tribute to commemorate their spirit's true body, so they paid tribute to some Qiang people."
Zhang Deng had almost never heard of these things. These things were too far away from him. Therefore, even though there were so many strange places these days, Zhang Deng had never thought about it in this direction.
Zhang Deng asked, "What should they do then?"
Wei Yuanye said, "I have some idea of the rules of this world. Those on this axis love to raise human sacrifices. These human sacrifices are raised from childhood as sacrificial offerings. They believe they are no different from pigs and sheep, born only for a certain day to come."
Zhang Deng couldn't accept his explanation. He asked, "So?"
This is too crazy. Zhang Deng was scared. He had talked to those people and they were no different from ordinary people, but they thought they were born animals. How could this be?
Wei Yuanye whispered in his ear: "There's only so much we can do."
Zhang Deng understood that there was a limit to what he could do. He was just an ordinary person and could not be a savior. Changing himself would not change the current situation. But, but, isn't this still a self-deceiving excuse for not wanting to take responsibility?
Wei Yuanye put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him aside. When their heads touched, Wei Yuanye said, "I heard the festival is in three days. There's still time. Let's not alert them now."
Zhang Deng seemed a little confused. He asked, "So what should we do now?"
Lin Yuzhou hugged them from behind and said, "Brothers, what's the next plan?"
"You haven't left yet," Zhang Deng said, "I didn't see you just now."
Lin Yuzhou: "I'm going to pee. I have a good friend in Yingzhou. If you two have nowhere to stay, why not come with me? We're all here for the same thing."
Zhang Deng thought about it, but couldn't make a decision. He glanced at Wei Yuanye, who didn't hesitate much. He said, "I won't bother you anymore. Maybe next time there's a chance."
Lin Yuzhou did not insist and said, "Then we'll have to meet again if fate allows."
Zhang Deng actually liked Lin Yuzhou very much and said, "See you later."
Lin Yuzhou waved at him, turned around and left, disappearing into the night.
Zhang Deng couldn't help but feel as if there were eyes like a ghostly flame gazing at him from behind. He didn't dare look back at the eyes in the carriage. He let Wei Yuanye pull him away from the street corner. To divert attention, Zhang Deng asked, "Why don't you go with Lin Yuzhou?"
Wei Yuanye said, "That man cannot be trusted."
Zhang Deng also felt that Lin Yuzhou was full of mysteries, but he was very willing to trust people and said, "I don't think he is a bad person by nature."
"Perhaps our positions are different," Wei Yuanye said cautiously. "Observe more, talk less."
Zhang Deng said, "But where are we going?"
Being in an unfamiliar place made Zhang Deng feel very empty and helpless. There were rules everywhere that he didn't understand. It was just like when Zhang Deng had just graduated and was alone submitting resumes, looking for a job and renting an apartment. Everything seemed very illogical and lonely.
Wei Yuanye didn't seem to have this feeling at all. He seemed to be very good at dealing with such moments.
Yingzhou's infrastructure is closer to that of the 1970s in the world of Zhangdeng. The buildings are relatively old, and the streets are a combination of old and new, giving the impression that it is still undergoing renewal. Perhaps because this is a world of magic, the sense of technology is not strong, and most people on the street walk, with basically no means of transportation.
Wei Yuanye walked through the streets with Zhang Deng and stopped in front of a low building with a blue plaque. He walked in and found the counter empty. Wei Yuanye knocked on the counter and heard the sound of a stool being moved from behind. A face appeared from below and Zhang Deng was startled.
It was the face of a rat, covered with gray hair, with yellow teeth biting its lower lip, and its eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Wei Yuanye said: "One room, two beds."
"No more," said the mouse, "only one bed."
Wei Yuanye didn't hesitate: "Okay."
Mouse: "Three yuan."
Wei Yuanye took out a banknote with "10" written on it from his pocket and gave it to him. Mouse stretched out his hand with long and dirty nails, found seven banknotes for him, handed him a key and said, "Go to the right, the third room. Don't make too much noise at night. The guy next door has a bad temper." Then he jumped off the chair and disappeared.
Zhang Deng followed Wei Yuanye closely. After they entered the house, he asked Wei Yuanye, "What is that?"
"It's probably a pet raised by the Taoist Jujin Shancai," Wei Yuanye said, not quite sure. He might have been to this world before, but because it was so long ago, he only had vague memories. "Many people who practice Taoism here practice unorthodox methods, and many monsters are domesticated. Don't provoke them lightly."
Zhang Deng said, "Gathering wealth and fortune? How can one cultivate the Dao then?"
"It's not for the sake of immortality," Wei Yuanye said. "Many people practice Taoism just for immortality. In fact, having money is also a means to achieve immortality."
Zhang Deng had never heard of this before. He said, "That's very strange."
Wei Yuanye said, "In this world, there aren't many people seeking immortality. This is because almost everyone has seen magic, so they don't have a strong desire to become immortal. They just want to live forever, not make progress. As a result, technological and economic development is also very slow."
Zhang Deng said, "I see. Technology is also Muggle magic."
Wei Yuanye took off his clothes, looked around, and said, "The conditions here are quite difficult. Please be patient. We will get it done as soon as possible."
"But the world is so big," Zhang Deng said, feeling somewhat unsure, "Could we have come to the wrong place from the beginning?"
Wei Yuanye: "Normally not. Our landing point and the people we meet will generally overlap with the mission target."
Zhang Deng could only optimistically believe that what Wei Yuanye said was true.
This room only has one bed and is about 20 square meters. The furniture consists of a bedside table, a table, a chair and a wardrobe. They are all very worn out, the paint on the wood is damaged and they emit a bad smell.
When Wei Yuanye went to take a shower, Zhang Deng looked at the yellow light bulb above his head, not knowing what he was thinking. When Wei Yuanye came out, this was the scene he saw: Zhang Deng was lying on the bed with his head tilted back, his eyes staring straight up.
Wei Yuanye sat on the chair and asked, "Do you want to save them?"
Zhang Deng said dejectedly, "I don't have the ability."
"Actually, you do." Wei Yuanye said, "Saving people isn't difficult."
Zhang Deng said, "It was you who said there were limits to what we could do."
"It's indeed very limited," Wei Yuanye said, "Didn't you notice that all the people you met on the road, except for the 'alien' Lin Yuzhou, didn't have a surname?"
Zhang Deng seemed to suddenly realize this. Yuzhi, Aping, Lixiao, and Feimao all had no surnames.
Wei Yuanye said, "In this world, they are all slaves. In this world, only nobles have surnames. They have no ability to support themselves. Even if they are rescued, they have no identity or status. No one will take them in, and they will easily be captured again."
"But..." Zhang Deng wanted to retort, even if no one took him in, couldn't he survive?
But then he thought again that he didn't understand this world, and perhaps this world was not as kind as he imagined.
Wei Yuanye said, "This is the world of the nobles and Taoists. The rest of the common people are either food or sacrifices. There are also some people like Yuzhi, who will only take their turn when there are not enough Qiang people."
"Then who exactly are we looking for?" Zhang Deng thought this was too absurd. He asked, "Is he a man-eater, or is he the one being eaten?"
But none of this can be blamed on Wei Yuanye. It wasn't Wei Yuanye who made the world like this. Zhang Deng said, "I'm not targeting you. I'm just a little disgusted."
Zhang Deng was always able to accurately describe his emotions. Wei Yuanye knew his personality and said, "He must be at the center of the vortex. The 'Martial Soul True Body' is the biggest issue right now. The person we're looking for is somewhere around this."
Wei Yuanye knew that Zhang Deng just wanted to do what he could and release the people in Aping's car. He had no intention of stopping him. He was just afraid that he would think he had done a good thing but be disappointed after seeing the truth of the world in the future, so he said these words in advance.
Wei Yuanye said, "We can release them at night. They have a magical device under their feet that locks them up, and it's easy to break."
Zhang Deng was relieved to see him relax. He said, "I've been really tired these past few days."
As he said this, he turned over and fell asleep.
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