Chapter 103 Ghost Layers of red clouds fell. However, he did not attack Dong Shou who was targeted and Tao Tie who was blocked as expected. Instead, it makes the entire Pingyuan County area seem both real and unreal, both true and illusory. Compared with the small illusion carried by the mural of the goddess scattering flowers in Wushan Temple, Pingyuan County at this moment can be called the "realm of fantasy". Dong Shou, as the culprit who caused this strange change, was targeted from the beginning and was naturally included in the illusion without any doubt. Tao Tie actually had enough time and space to escape, and even had the ability to avoid the illusion. However, the information fragments triggered by [Knowing Everything] just before the red cloud was about to fall on him made Tao Tie choose not to avoid it in the end. [Wonderland: The human world? Hell?] [Rank: Unknown] [Information fragment 1: Hungry!!!]
[Information fragment 2: Why are you taking our food? We want to survive, too!] [Information fragment 3: Pretending to be alive is also living! ] The three pieces of information are neither detailed nor clear in direction, making them seem mysterious. However, Tao Tie quickly connected them with the past events he had heard from the mountain god of the Eight Immortals Mountain. From this perspective, Tao Tie vaguely got a glimpse of the current situation in Pingyuan County, as well as the truth behind the sudden change caused by Dong Shou's rash killing of the magistrate of Pingyuan County. "It's all here." With such thoughts in mind, and perhaps some immature emotions, Tao Tie sank into a fantasy world. The space remains unchanged, but the time switches. It is still a plain county, without red clouds and not desolate either. Sparsely populated? how can that be possible. On the contrary, Pingyuan County has a very large population. Relying on the comfortable living environment and annual bumper harvests, the county has a population of about 300,000. Among the twenty-seven states of the Dayong Dynasty, it is considered a large county. Another year of harvest. After a busy day storing grain into the warehouse, it is natural to relax. Pingyuan County held a temple fair as usual. Large and small gatherings were held in front of the City God Temple in the county town and in front of the Land God Temples in every village and township. Small gatherings will be held first in each village and township. The villagers displayed their products, including bamboo products, gourds, dough figurines, and clothes... There are so many varieties and styles to suit your needs.
Then comes the largest and most lively gathering in front of the City God Temple. The county government dispatched yamen runners several days in advance and organized people to clean up the venue and plan the stalls. Selling goods, selling food, juggling, performing magic tricks... Anyone who wanted to set up a stall at the temple fair had to go to the county government to apply for a stall and pay money. As the sun sets, the sunset glow and the faint moon hang in the same sky. The county town of Pingyuan was already brightly lit, especially in front of the City God Temple. The prosperity and bustle arrived in an instant. Some were wearing silk and satin, some were wearing coarse cloth, some were alone, some were with their families, young lovers were affectionate, and old couples were shy, all kinds of people gradually came. "Candied Haws!" “Dough figurines! Lifelike dough figurines!” "Don't miss the juggling shows and the beating of drums and gongs if you pass by." The hawking sounds and shouting were deafening. "Mom, I want to eat that." "Husband, does this hairpin look good on me?" "Daddy, daddy, please buy me a rattle. Buy me one, please, please, please." "Nannan, come here, grandpa will tie a sachet for you." The coquettish ones, those who dress to please others, those who play tricks on others, those who are loving... What a peaceful, prosperous, safe and happy world this is. In the county government office, the county magistrate had a gloomy look on his face. His face was filled with anger, his neck stiffened, and he took off his black hat: "Five hundred thousand dan of grain, Pingyuan County cannot provide it. If you insist on taking it away, you can chop off my head first." Standing opposite the Pingyuan County Magistrate was a superior whose face was vague and whose specific appearance could not be seen. Seeing the Pingyuan County Magistrate's tough attitude, Shangguan did not get angry, but said coldly: "I am not here to discuss with you, I am here to give orders. Want to threaten me with my position and life? I can help you at any time! If you come forward to collect grain now, everything will be fine. If you don't come forward and ask me to do it myself, Pingyuan County will not have a good result." The Pingyuan County Magistrate heard the cruelty that Shangguan had not said clearly, and his eyes widened immediately, staring at Shangguan angrily: "How dare you?" Shangguan said indifferently: "The lives of tens of millions of people in Hengyun Prefecture rest on my shoulders. As long as I can prevent them from starving to death, I can do anything, no matter how evil it is. There is nothing I dare not do." "The people of Pingyuan County are also the people of Hengyun Prefecture. The people of Pingyuan County are also human beings and they also need to survive!" The magistrate of Pingyuan County started to shout, becoming more and more angry. Shangguan turned his face away, not looking at the Pingyuan County Magistrate, and said directly: "You have one day. By this time tomorrow, I will take 500,000 dan of grain away." The magistrate of Pingyuan County stared blankly at his determined Shangguan. The light in his eyes dimmed, and he walked out of the county government office lifelessly and came to the City God Temple.
Where is the bustling and lively temple fair in front of the City God Temple? Where is peace and joy? There were only common people who had not yet starved to death but whose faces were pale and whose eyes were dull. The magistrate of Pingyuan County tried hard to straighten his body, but his spine seemed to be broken, and he stood in front of the people. After a long silence, the Pingyuan County Magistrate waved his hands feebly, his voice like the whine of an old bellows or a dying old dog: "I obey your order, collect grain." They also wanted to straighten their bodies, but their spines were broken. The yamen runners rushed towards the people, the houses, the villages, and the granaries to take away the last bit of food rations of the people in Pingyuan County. The magistrate of Pingyuan County turned his back and burst into tears. Where are the starving people behind him? There were only corpses lying on the ground, some skinny and some with bloated bellies. It was clearly agreed that there would be 500,000 shi, but after 500,000 shi, there was another 500,000 shi, and after 500,000 shi, there was another 500,000 shi. Pingyuan County had been completely emptied! "grown ups……" A weak voice sounded at the feet of Pingyuan County Magistrate, and the Pingyuan County Magistrate's trouser leg was gently pulled. The Pingyuan County Magistrate looked down and saw an old man who was about to die. Trying hard to keep his hazy eyes open, he saw the magistrate of Pingyuan County looking at him. The old man pursed his lips and wanted to speak. My throat was so dry that I couldn't make a sound. Ho... ho... It made an unpleasant and shrill wheezing sound, like a broken bellows or an old dying dog. The old man squeezed out strength and energy from nowhere, sat up, and asked anxiously, one sentence at a time: "Sir, where is the relief from the court?" "What about the relief from the court, sir?" "Pingyuan County has a bumper harvest this year, sir!" “Why is there no food?” “Why should I starve to death?” "Sir, we don't want to die. We don't want to die, sir." "us……" "I just want to live." "Alive!" The old man who wanted to live opened his cloudy eyes wide and died. The magistrate of Pingyuan County could no longer cry. His heart was broken and his tears had dried up. Shangguan is here again.
The magistrate of Pingyuan County grinned, an expression that was unclear whether it was laughter or tears, ridicule or numbness, and asked in a daze, "Is the superior here to collect grain?" Shangguan nodded, his voice was hoarse: "Collect grain." The magistrate of Pingyuan County pointed his finger at the pots with smoke rising from them, at the meat and bones in the pots, and said, "Go and collect the troops yourself, Shangguan." As soon as he finished speaking, the magistrate of Pingyuan County broke his own heart, died with his eyes open, and his body stood still. This year's harvest is great. Harvest! Why did people starve to death in Pingyuan County? Why did more than 200,000 people starve to death in Pingyuan County? why? Endless resentment surged out from the body of Pingyuan County Magistrate. The magistrate of Pingyuan County was a scholar, a young scholar, a talented young scholar. Despite his young age, he has already reached the fifth level of cultivation. He passed the imperial examination and was ranked first in the imperial examination and third in the imperial examination. After the six ministries finished observing the government, he took the initiative to request to be transferred to other places to try to govern a county. He came to Pingyuan County and served as the county magistrate for five years. He developed water conservancy projects, reclaimed wasteland, cultivated good seeds, promoted good laws, promoted trust and friendship, and brought peace to Pingyuan County. The yield per mu has increased a lot, and the total output has doubled. Unexpectedly, more than 200,000 people starved to death at his hands. What an irony! Also, what about the relief from the imperial court? where? Why have you taken so long to come? Endless resentment surged out from the corpses and souls of the people who starved to death in Pingyuan County, and instantly gathered on the resentful spirit of the Pingyuan County magistrate who had just died. Endless resentment surged out from the corpses and souls of the people who starved to death in the three southwestern states, and instantly gathered on the evil soul of the Pingyuan County magistrate. Then, the perspective of the Demonic Soul, the magistrate of Pingyuan County, rose to the same height as the sky. What kind of scene did he see? He saw the enemies in the Million Mountains joining forces with the enemy gods to erect a barrier, isolating the southern part of the world. It was seen that the surrendered people in the three southwestern states, led by the Lord of Dadongshan, were not putting in any effort. I saw that many of the indigenous nobles had second thoughts and were dragging their feet. We saw the Chinese army struggling to break through the isolation barrier and bringing in mountains of relief grain, but they were unable to break through it. After all, the three southwestern states were cut off from millions of mountains. It was very reasonable for those people and gods in the Million Mountains to make a backup plan when they evacuated. Once these back-up plans are triggered, they will lock the reality and void of the three southwestern states, making space transfer and space storage methods such as Hu Tian unusable, which is also very reasonable. It is also reasonable that once these back-up plans are triggered, they will disrupt the earth's veins, making it difficult to grow crops, vegetables and fruits in the fields. It so happened that a major event occurred in the heart of the Celestial Empire, and the energy of all the top dignitaries and powerful people was diverted, making it impossible for them to launch a thundering attack and directly break through the barrier of southern Tian. The only option was to send out a large army and use brute force to dig it out.
This chiseling took a full six months. The canal was not opened until the grain reserves in most parts of the three southwestern states were almost exhausted. The reason for this is not that the Celestial Empire’s army is incompetent, but that it is afraid to act rashly. Without the cooperation of those with great supernatural powers, the army could not guarantee that after breaking through the Tiannan Barrier, the already disordered land veins in the three southwestern states would not deteriorate rapidly to the point of collapse. If the earth veins collapse, the three southwestern states will be hit by wave after wave of disasters. Earthquakes, mountain fissures, floods, lava eruptions... The demon soul of Pingyuan County Magistrate was about to lose his mind and could not control his thoughts and actions. These were all he could see in a quick glance. Neither comprehensive nor in-depth. But that's enough. Pingyuan County Magistrate Mohun has a more important doubt that needs to be solved. Why did the superiors collect grain again and again without caring about the lives of the people in Pingyuan County? Millions of people in Hengyun Prefecture must survive. Are the people of Pingyuan County not human beings? Don’t the people of Pingyuan County deserve to live? The Demon Soul, the magistrate of Pingyuan County, looked towards Pingyuan County and found that the ground veins of Pingyuan County had been completely bound to the Tiannan Barrier. Whether the army forcefully breaks through the Tiannan Barrier, or a powerful master uses gentler means to eliminate the Tiannan Barrier, it will have an impact on the land veins of Pingyuan County. It can be light or heavy. Things like ground veins are both real and imaginary. It is not only physically connected to the land and mountains, but also vaguely connected to the fate of the people. The moment the Tiannan Barrier was erected, the fate of the people of Pingyuan County was actually doomed. Shangguan's difficult voice sounded at this time: "It's not that I'm cruel, but it's destined to be like this. It has to be like this." "Ha ha……" The Demon Soul, the magistrate of Pingyuan County, laughed loudly, "Haha..." The laughter echoed throughout Pingyuan County. The last bit of grain was collected, totaling 500,000 stones, and piled up at the county border. "Don't you want food, Shangguan? Go and move it away, and don't come again." Shangguan took a deep look at the Pingyuan County Magistrate Mohun, sighed, and said nothing more. He turned around and came to the county border and moved 500,000 shi of grain out by himself. After all the grain was moved, the demon soul of Pingyuan County Magistrate waved his hand, took the seal of Pingyuan County Magistrate into his hand, opened his mouth and sucked the tablet of Pingyuan County City God into his stomach. Then, filled with endless resentment, anger, murderous intent and evil spirit, he rushed forward with all his might.
The real and virtual ground veins of Pingyuan County were suddenly broken. The Celestial Empire's army gave another light blow, and the barrier to the south of the sky collapsed. Seeing that Pingyuan County was about to suffer disasters such as earthquakes, mountain fissures, and mudslides, the Pingyuan County Order's Demonic Soul dispersed into thousands, carrying with it the resentment, anger, murderous intent, evil spirit, and the obsession with the people of Pingyuan County who had starved to death, and merged into the shattered Pingyuan County veins. "Alive!" “We don’t want to die.” "We just want to live!" One sound after another, countless sounds, whispers, pleading, shouting, pain, weeping, all combined into one sound. "Alive!" One by one, countless, old, strong, young, male, female, four generations living under one roof, widows, widowers, lonely, newlyweds, those with happy families, and those who are single, all merged into one. "We live together!" The land veins of Pingyuan County were glued together, and the entire Pingyuan County became clear. Where are the famine and starvation? Where is the corpse that has not yet cooled down? Where is the despair and sorrow? There is only a peaceful, prosperous, safe and happy world. From then on, 30,000 living people and more than 200,000 dead souls lived together in Pingyuan County. During the day, 30,000 people farm, study, practice martial arts, cultivate themselves, and make a living; At night, 30,000 living people and more than 200,000 dead souls farm, read, practice martial arts, cultivate themselves, and make a living together. Of the thirty thousand living people, not a single one has ever left Pingyuan County again. When outsiders enter Pingyuan County, they can stay, eat, and travel as usual without any disasters. Dong Shou and Dong Guinian, two young men with lofty ideals, were filled with righteous indignation and killed the magistrate of Pingyuan County. Who else could it be but the one who turned into a demon spirit? As if he had just watched a CG cutscene, the scene in front of Tao Tie suddenly changed. The gathering in front of the City God Temple is lively. Dong Shou was wearing the official robes of a county magistrate, holding an official document in his hand, and a superior official was sitting in front of him. Since you say that you are a person who just sits in office and does nothing, you should be ashamed to be an official and not worthy of being a scholar. Then you can be the parent official. Shangguan did not give Dong Shou a chance to argue and spoke indifferently: "Five hundred thousand shi of grain, I want it tomorrow." (End of this chapter)