The Dharma Sea of ​​the Green Snake

Chapter 417
After making all the preparations, the group set off and returned to Ningxiang.

The whole journey was far calmer than imagined, except for those refugees who occasionally met.

Of course, this may also be because Pei Wende and his party took the official road, and ordinary robbers would not dare to appear near the official road to plunder.

Even so, Pei Wende's impression was refreshed by those refugees who looked like walking corpses with empty eyes.

If the refugees Pei Wende met at the beginning were pitiful enough, then the refugees he met along the way could no longer be described as "poor".

Because the vast majority of those who can go to Anxiangyi are strong young adults.

Those old, weak, sick and disabled who are too tired to walk are the real main force among the refugees.

During the not-so-long journey from Weishan to Ningxiang, Pei Wende experienced what is called the real "purgatory on earth".

The desperate old man collapsed beside the official road, and the immature children cried silently...

As far as Pei Wende could see, they were exhausted refugees who had given up struggling.

Even in some places away from the main road, Pei Wende's eyes were sharp enough to see some carrion vultures and jackals wandering around the official road for a long time.

There is no doubt that these scavengers smell death.

And judging from the number of scavengers along the way, they have long been accustomed to all this, and regard this official road made by humans as a "buffet" running water mat.

In addition, as a practitioner, Pei Wende also felt a desperate wish.

——All living beings have aspirations, and sorrow and suffering are visions.

——Making power to be good is to be the true God of Buddha, and making power to be evil is to be evil ghosts and monsters.

This is a fact that Pei Wende only knew after practicing the "Power of Mantra", and it is also the biggest reason for the emergence of demons in troubled times.

In peaceful times, the vows of all beings will be concentrated in behaviors such as belief and blessing, and most of these vows are biased towards good intentions.
But in today's chaotic world, the despair of human beings will breed evil spirits.

In addition to the evil spirits transformed by those who died tragically, those demons who usually hide among human beings will also take the opportunity to appear, devouring human flesh and blood and growing resentment.

【This is the real end of the dynasty...】

Before today, although Pei Wende knew that the era he lived in was the Tang Dynasty after the Anshi Rebellion, the era after the great Tang Dynasty flourished and then declined.

But he never thought about what the end of the dynasty would mean to ordinary people living in this era.

In layman's terms, the dust of the times falls on the top of an individual's head and becomes a mountain.

And this era of the end of the dynasty falls on the heads of the people living in this era, which is the despair brought about by various natural and man-made disasters.

"Brother, is this the world you see?"

Walking alone in the territory of Tang Dynasty as a wandering monk, Huiji must have seen more despair than Tanzhou now.

On the other hand, Pei Wende has been living under the protection of Zen Master Lingyou since he started to learn to walk in his life, and his life scope is limited to the villages, towns and counties near Weishan Mountain.

Two completely different ways of life have caused Pei Wende to never really see through the tragedy of this era.

"A nine-story platform starts from the base of the earth, and a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step..."

Pei Wende, who had already silently made up his mind, after reciting this famous line through the ages, drove the BMW under his crotch to approach the carriage beside him.

Button button ...

Accompanied by a crisp knocking sound, the windows of the carriage were slowly opened.

"Is something wrong?"

Pei Hong looked at Pei Wende who approached him with a look of surprise, not hiding his astonishment at all.

On the contrary, Zou Qiwu, who was sitting on the inside, remained silent as if he had expected it, and was not at all surprised by Pei Wende's initiative to talk.

"I want to save those people."

Without unnecessary nonsense, Pei Wende, who was on a horse, looked around the refugees nearby, and said in a firm tone.

"Save them?"

The astonishment on Pei Hong's face turned into shock in an instant, because he never expected that Pei Wende's first conversation along the way would be under such circumstances.

"Save them? Who do you want to save?"

Not understanding what Pei Wende meant for a while, Pei Hong first paused briefly, and then looked at the refugees outside the window with a puzzled expression.

"Everyone, I want to save them all."

As soon as this remark came out, Pei Hong immediately fell silent, and the shock on his face suddenly turned into helplessness.

"Are you dreaming?"

"Didn't I tell you before? This is not a problem that one person can solve at all."

What Pei Hong said was the truth. There were so many refugees in sight that it was impossible for one person to save them.

Even if Pei Wende can save one, it is absolutely impossible to save so many.

"That's why I'm looking for you, because you are the parent officer of Ningxiang County."

Unable to tell whether it was ridicule or helplessness, Pei Hong's voice dropped instantly.

Originally, the joy that his younger brother was finally willing to talk to him turned into extremely harsh words at this moment.

"Do you think the parent officer is a fairy?"

"With so many people gathered together, food, clothing, housing and transportation alone are a big problem, not to mention the chaos they may bring!"

"I want to save them too, but the problem is that I can't save them at all!"

The deep voice is not hoarse, but the meaning revealed in Pei Hong's words is a bit hoarse.

"I know what you think!"

"You people always think that officials only know how to fight for power and profit, and only know how to shirk responsibility."

"But in fact, as long as I have a little spare energy, I will not sit back and watch these refugees."

"Because my original intention of the imperial examination was that I didn't want to see more people displaced, otherwise I could go to Changsha with my father to enjoy the blessings."

"The current situation is not at all a question of whether I want to save people, but if I save these refugees, it will only make the people under my rule also become refugees."

Silently looking at Pei Hong who was venting, Pei Wende waited for the other party to finish speaking before slowly speaking.

"I know that this is indeed not a problem that a parent official can solve, not even a problem that an emperor can solve."

"This is a disease of the times, a chronic disease that has been suffering for years..."

After a slight pause in tone, Pei Wende's eyes swept over Zou Qiwu, Zhong Butler, Zhang Chusheng, and Yue'er who were in the carriage one by one, until they finally settled on Pei Hong's face.

"But I still want to save them, even if there is only one person."

"As long as you agree to my request, after this incident is over, I will go back with you... to recognize relatives."

—Recommendation ticket—/—Monthly ticket—

(End of this chapter)