Chapter 188 Chaotic Dance of Gods and Demons
Having learned the general outline of the demon, Rong Yi asked about the deity that Constable Wang had mentioned earlier, "Then the deity you spoke of... is it a belief?"
Officer Wang looked puzzled. "Didn't your masters tell you about the existence of deities?"
"They only mentioned it briefly, and neither of us paid attention," Wei Yanqing casually made up an excuse to brush it off.
Upon hearing this, Constable Wang's expression turned devout, and he clasped his hands together, saying, "The gods are the ones who protect us. It is because of the gods that we mortals have immortal masters, and when great demons are born, the gods will take action to suppress them. Otherwise, we would have all perished under the tyranny of the demons long ago."
This implies that deities truly exist.
Rong Yi couldn't imagine what a so-called god was like, or what level of power they possessed.
Their curiosity about the gods mentioned by Constable Wang surpassed that for the demons.
Officer Wang spoke with great emotion, but their reactions were lukewarm, or rather, somewhat curious.
“I see.” Rong Yi said knowingly, “I noticed that the Li Family Village you mentioned was destroyed, but this seems to be quite common here. Won’t this affect the population in the long run?”
When Li Family Village was mentioned, Constable Wang sighed, “There’s nothing we can do about villages like this that live outside the town. Some of them were exiled because their ancestors committed crimes, while others were relocated because nearby towns were destroyed or people were forced to move. But they haven’t left yet. Most of the farms near the towns belong to landlords. Ordinary people either work for landlords for generations or cultivate their own wasteland. Moreover, the royal family encourages villagers to cultivate their own wasteland.”
“The destruction of villages has indeed been common throughout history, but it is usually the villages with fewer households that are destroyed. Larger villages can unite against external forces and seek a chance to survive.”
In Rong Yi and Wei Yanqing's eyes, the situation of this world gradually unfolded. It seemed that the most miserable people were the common people at the bottom of society. They were not only exploited by those in higher social classes, but also in danger of being killed and devoured by monsters at any time.
Because the world is so dangerous, the people here have evolved in a different direction. In short, they are exceptionally prolific, with a family typically having at least seven or eight children.
On the way, Rong Yi saw many adults with a line of children. The older children not only had to take care of their younger siblings, but also had to help their parents carry things.
In addition, the time for conceiving a child is not ten months in most worlds, but six months, and the child can run and jump around six months old.
Besides growing fast, they are also quite strong and have a relatively long lifespan, with many living to their fifties or sixties. Moreover, they are quite strong at that time, and only those who are truly extremely old only live for two or three years.
"Can landlords also guarantee food security?" Rong Yi asked.
Officer Wang sighed, "We have to be able to, even if we can't. When the demons come, they not only eat people, but also steal the crops we've planted. For landlords, eating people is a minor matter compared to the importance of food. So every year they spend a lot of money to hire lay disciples from the immortal sects to protect their fields from the demons. But the landlords will find ways to extract that money from the tenants, so many people will still reclaim the wasteland and build villages on their own."
It's dangerous outside the town, but if you take a chance, at least your children and grandchildren will have a future and won't have to be tenant farmers for landlords for generations.
Officer Wang continued, "Furthermore, most of the villages that demons slaughter are small in number. Even when they attack large villages, they target the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Great demons generally don't bother with small villages, because if they did, the immortal sects would come after them, which would be a losing proposition. Therefore, these kinds of great demons usually only target large towns."
There was a disheartening thought that Chief Constable Wang didn't voice: the fact that the demons were targeting the old, weak, sick, and disabled actually reduced the pressure on the villagers.
As for powerful demons, swallowing the entire population of a village wouldn't benefit them much, and they would be hunted down by the immortal sects. Therefore, if you're going to do something, do something big.
"Of course, the immortal sects may not care if they only eat the old, weak, sick and disabled, but if they always eat children, the immortal sects will definitely eliminate them completely."
Rong Yi and Wei Yanqing understood Wang's point. If they kept eating children, even if the locals were very fertile, they couldn't keep up. It would inevitably affect the population, so of course they had to get rid of them.
Chief Constable Wang escorted them to Fengdeng Tower before returning to his office to report.
The accommodations in ancient times were quite good. The innkeeper could tell that Rong Yi and Wei Yanqing were of extraordinary status from the clothes they were wearing. In addition, with Constable Wang personally delivering the clothes, he naturally welcomed them with a smile.
The innkeeper's old face beamed with a smile, "How long will you two gentlemen stay? Our inn is the best in Gaoyang Town. We provide two meals a day, and hot water is available for bathing at any time. Our best rooms offer a view of most of the street from the window..."
It was a long and rambling introduction when Wei Yanqing pulled out a gold coin the size of a finger joint, immediately silencing the shopkeeper's incessant chatter.
"Stay until the day after the festival ends. We'll skip the two meals, but we'll arrange the best room and serve you a pot of fine tea."
The shopkeeper smiled, picked up the gold, took a small bite, and confirmed it was genuine gold. "Alright, I'll arrange it for you two right away." He stretched his head out and called out, "Little Liu! Lead these two distinguished guests to Lan Jun's room and Mo Ya's room."
A waiter named Xiao Liuzi came running over quickly and said, "This way, please, distinguished guests."
The two guest rooms the innkeeper mentioned were not cheap; they were usually occupied by well-off scholars who came here to take the imperial examinations.
However, these two were much more impressive than the scholars I had ever seen. Just by looking at their clothes, I knew they were of extraordinary status, probably young masters and ladies from some big city.
Not long after arriving at the room, the waiter, following the two's instructions, delivered tea to Lan Jun's room.
The waiter had just come downstairs when the manager called him over and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Did those two say anything?"
The waiter shook his head. "No, I was just sitting by the window looking outside. When the tea came, I was told to come out."
The shopkeeper pinched his long beard between his thumb and forefinger. "Hmm... Remember to treat these two distinguished guests well. You might just get a great benefit from it. Look at this gold."
Xiao Liuzi was his nephew, which is why the shopkeeper asked him to receive the two of them.
·
Officer Wang returned to the yamen and explained the situation in Lijia Village to the magistrate. Before he returned, the magistrate already knew that no one in the village had survived.
"Alas, I've tried to persuade that village chief many times, but it all ended in a hasty and unsuccessful conclusion," the county magistrate lamented.
He had previously advised Lijia Village to relocate and merge with Dahe Village near the town, but the village was preparing for the sacrificial ceremony and they wanted to move there after the ceremony, which led to the incident.
The magistrate then looked at Constable Wang and asked, "Who are those two? Have you managed to find out even a single word about them?"
Officer Wang replied truthfully, "Judging from their household registration, they are from the capital, but they said they grew up in the mountains and never mentioned their master. Therefore, we don't know which sect they belong to. But we brothers have all seen their skills, so they are probably taught by a famous master."
The magistrate nodded. “In that case, please provide proper assistance. If you need anything, please let us know. To deal with the Snow Rabbit Demon with your bare hands is indeed quite impressive. With the sacrificial ceremony approaching, I will have my clerk accompany you to the relatives in Li Family Village to provide them with compensation.”
The imperial court encouraged the people to reclaim wasteland and build villages, and naturally, it did not just offer empty words of encouragement. Given the danger of being far from towns, it introduced a policy that the relatives of villagers killed by monsters could receive a sum of money as compensation.
(End of this chapter)
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