Yefutidaolu

Chapter 245 The Human Market, the Temple (Bonus Chapter)
Xuanwu District, Weisu, Tomb 3.

To be honest, Takami thought he would see the stereotypical 'slum'.

In his imagination, upon arriving at such a place, a dilapidated road would stretch out before him, leading to a village utterly devoid of life.

The houses were mostly dilapidated, but the few buildings that were there were crammed together without any regard for the fact that it didn't look like a fixed town. Instead, it looked more like a nomadic people's winter campsite.

Compared to the number of houses, there seemed to be a slightly larger number of people here, making it look quite crowded. Moreover, most of them had dull, lifeless expressions, and their faces had a sickly grayish-white hue.

It was dirty and dilapidated. For many people, their only shelter was a few dollars' worth of planks made of straw. There were no doors, and no floor inside; the floor was just dirt.

They had no beds, slept on straw mats on the ground, and their only possessions were a few earthen jars.

Here, doors are useless, since there's nothing worth stealing anyway. Many people lazily lie on the ground sunbathing, showing no desire to get up and do farm work. They just lie there on the dirty ground, picking lice off their bodies, then killing them and wiping them on the ground. Some even smear the lice directly on their bodies.

That's what he was thinking. After all, what else could a slum look like? He had seen what a slum looked like many times in Cangzhou.

But in fact……

Upon finally arriving at Tomb Three, Takami discovered that the place was quite prosperous.

Poor people?

There are no poor people anywhere; you can't see them at all.

Like other parts of the capital, this place features uniform floating arrays, magnificent airship routes, towering pavilions, and clean streets. Cultivators come and go, some flying on their own, others riding mounts.

The surrounding area was bustling with taverns, restaurants, and all sorts of shops. The streets were crowded and lively. Although the people living here didn't have the air of nobility of those living above the Three Walls, none of them seemed particularly poor.

Gao Jian followed Uncle Huang all the way there, and felt that this was a completely normal street in the capital.

The shops hawking their wares on the street, the white smoke drifting on the road, the giant flying ships rumbling across the sky, and the mythical beasts that can be seen everywhere on the road—all of these must be kept by someone.

What seems normal is now a bit abnormal.

Even Dansha couldn't help but ask, "This place doesn't look like a poor place. Isn't it quite prosperous?"

Uncle Huang laughed and said, "Miss, you are joking. This is, after all, the capital city. How poor can the capital city be? How could you possibly see poor people in the capital city?"

"That's true, the capital city, there's no such thing as a poor place." Gao Jian came to his senses, clearly having realized something.

In the capital city, the most basic requirement for houses is that they can fly. In addition, they must also have other abilities, such as being able to connect to formations or having a substrate that can become a magic weapon.

Of course... all of this only applies to the capital.

Only in the capital city can there be so many cultivators, and so much wealth and materials to squander.

It's like going to a rural area where there are wooden houses, and then suddenly coming to the city and finding that the city is full of reinforced concrete houses.

City dwellers believe that a house should at least be a reinforced concrete structure, so that it won't leak, is windproof, and earthquake-resistant. The house should also have electrical wiring and water pipes inside, so that there is electricity and water as soon as it is turned on.

Houses without these features are uninhabitable and do not meet the standards for habitation.

That's why they say even gods don't have poor people.

But these needs are too fantastical for people in the countryside.
Water? Of course, we'll fetch water from outside.

What is a faucet? Turning it on and water comes out immediately seems too fantastical, doesn't it?
A drafty house? That's practically a given. Moss and straw can't seal all the gaps, so of course it will leak. Earthquake resistance...? Electrical wiring? Water pipes?
Never heard of it.

To use electricity, you need to connect bare wires. You can clearly see a line extending from the meter, and it's even a bit charred.

For people in the countryside, their situation is perfectly normal.

For city dwellers, their situation is perfectly understandable.

The capital city is a place that is 'naturally' completely different from other parts of the Divine Dynasty.

However, by now, Gao Jian has gotten used to it a bit.

This place... is really rich.

"Yes, sir, you've probably already guessed it, haven't you?" Uncle Huang said to Gao Jian.

Gao Jian nodded: "I guess so."

"What did you guess?" Dansha asked, leaning closer in, puzzled.

"I've guessed the form in which the orphanages in the capital city exist, and also, I've figured out where the poor people in the capital city are," Gao Jian said.

"Huh? How did you guess that?" Dansha asked, puzzled.

No, how come she's the only one who doesn't know? This is so annoying.

Then Dansha looked at the mouse.

The mouse immediately slumped back and lay on Gao Jian's head, completely ignoring that it hadn't heard anything.

I don't think, I don't care. My brain isn't big, so I'll leave the thinking to someone else.

Upon seeing this, Dansha suddenly understood, as if enlightened. Her pupils shone brightly, and all her confusion vanished instantly. She immediately quickened her pace, following Gao Jian with boundless energy. Her robes fluttered, and her hair swayed back and forth.

Yes, she understood.

If you just don't think about anything like a mouse, you won't have so many doubts!
And on the other side-

Your insight is excellent; you already have a pretty good understanding of the situation in the capital.

Yes, even God doesn't have poor people.

Because... the poor are not in the capital city. The poor people in the capital city are all brought in from other places!

Therefore, it is naturally impossible to find it...

Those orphanages were more like 'goods distribution centers' than true orphanages.

While thinking about these things, Gao Jian had already arrived at a cluster of buildings.

The architecture of the capital city is somewhat different from other places. Here, each street is connected by 'waterways', and the interconnected areas, these streets that can be stepped on, are similar to 'floating islands' in the air.

Just like the stars in the sky, each star is connected by a flight path.

From a distance, the shipping lanes resemble the lines connecting stars on a constellation map, and these lines create the constellation map, presenting the constellations in a very intuitive way.

If you were on the ground, you could clearly see the specific appearance of the Three Enclosures, Four Phases, and Twenty-Seven Mansions. It wouldn't be a hazy image that requires you to fill in the blanks with your imagination; it would be clear and distinct, drawn out clearly with waterways and city blocks.

This place is a separate neighborhood; the only way to get here is by flying.

Upon arriving here, Takashi can see that there is even a specially built airship port here, used to dock large cargo ships.

"This place is much more terrifying than I imagined." Gao Jian landed here, looked around, and realized that he had underestimated the God Capital.

"That's not entirely true. After all, only a minority of people practice that kind of method. My lord, no matter what, it's still an evil method. Evil methods can't have many practitioners."

"If there are too many, wouldn't that become the righteous path? Right, hahaha," Uncle Huang said with a laugh.

The expert nodded in agreement.

Yes, distinguishing between evil and righteous practices is actually quite simple.

That is, any practice with few followers is considered evil.

Upon hearing this, Gao Jian even felt a moment of relief, thankfully it was an evil technique.

"We've arrived, sir. This whole street, about two miles ahead, has a dozen or so buildings, all of them 'orphanages.' This is the secluded block of Cemetery Three," Uncle Huang said, pointing to a straight road ahead.

"Are they all places like that?" Takami asked, gazing into the distance.

"It's not that bad. There are always kind and benevolent people like you. It's just that good people come and go, and in the end, only those who remain are left. The world is full of people, all for profit."

"Good deeds can be done, but if there's no benefit and they're just troublesome, they never last long," Uncle Huang said with a sigh.

"Are you implying something when you say that?"

"Well, it may be unpleasant to say, but you're a smart man, and smart men can listen to what's said. We don't want to deceive you, sir. After all, that's how things are. If you want to do it, sir, we'll definitely cooperate fully. We just hope you won't give up halfway." Uncle Huang said, "Human nature is inherently evil. Badness is ingrained in people's bones, while doing good is a habit that requires years of persistence and self-discipline to form. Those who can persist are always a minority, sir."

That's quite a blunt statement, but... that's just how it is with words.

He had already figured it out along the way.

If Gao Jian were a spoiled young master, or someone who simply did whatever he pleased, or even just there to put on a show, then he would definitely flatter him relentlessly.

In this way, even if the other party knows he is flattering him, they will not hold a grudge against him. He doesn't need to get too close. After dealing with things here, he can get away, and the other party will just treat him like a fart.

But he had already seen the place where this adult was thinking and observing on the way, and knew that the other party was not the kind of frivolous playboy. When talking to this kind of person, sometimes it is easier to get along with him if you are a little impolite and point out the problem directly, because the other party will not blame you. On the contrary, he will feel that you are talking to him seriously.

Uncle Huang runs a gang of swindlers, so he naturally knows the principle of speaking human language to human beings and ghost language to ghosts. His current rhetoric is simply about choosing what wise people like to hear.

However, Takami ignored these words because... he saw something amazing.

A shelf, and it's full of... people?

I wasn't entirely sure of Gao Jian's opinion; a question mark hovered over my mind.

The reason for this question mark is that it is really difficult to determine whether these are people.

Rather, it's more like a 'meat strip'.

These people had been completely dismembered, headless, and their muscles were scraped off like fingernail pieces. It felt like even if you pricked them with a needle or made a knife, no more blood would come out, because it had already drained away. Their internal organs, bodies, and heads were all hung on poles for public display.

Moreover, these "strips of meat" on display all looked very young, without any signs of old age; they should all be teenagers, and could not possibly be too old.

"What are you doing?" Gao Jian asked softly, looking in that direction.

Uncle Huang lowered his head and said, "This is the Shovel Head Meeting; it's a public punishment."

As he spoke, Uncle Huang began to explain.

People who are bought always need to be taught a lesson. When they are taught a lesson, they will inevitably resist. Some of them resist fiercely, and some even gather to run away. In those cases, they should be made public.

If we make an example of them, fewer people will run away.

The specific measures were quite simple: gather dozens of escapees, bury their heads in mud, or use a frame to prop them up so that their heads were side by side, leaving only their tops exposed, and then use a large axe to shave off several heads at once, which was called the "Head-Shaving Gathering".

After that, there are also "brushing", "owl order", "weighing pole", and "intestine extraction", which are also hung on the rack.

This set of food from last night is what Gao Jian is seeing now as those 'meat strips'.

But this doesn't seem to be the end of it.

Uncle Huang immediately pointed to another spot where a dozen or so people were clearly visible, all of them teenagers, around eighteen or nineteen years old, just coming of age, or, according to the Divine Dynasty's calculations, already adults.

“Look, a new round has begun. Over there it’s called ‘dental repair,’ which is used to punish people whose injuries aren’t that serious.”

Then, the men came forward and first hung him up. Then, several strong men quickly came over and turned the thin boy over. One of the strong men held his head down, making him face up, another held his arms, and yet another pried open his mouth, took a small sharp knife, grabbed his tongue, and cut it in half. Then they took a small iron hammer and a small iron chisel and started hammering his upper and lower teeth in his mouth. In just two blows, all his teeth were knocked out.

They knocked out his teeth before letting him go, but he was bleeding profusely and crying silently. They didn't know if he could make it through the night.

A burly man said, “That’s all for today. Those fifteen members of the Shovel Gang who fled in a group deserve to be killed. As for that one man who instigated others to flee, we’ll cut out his tongue and knock out his teeth as punishment. Remember, we will find you good families. You can’t escape; you’re all doomed.” After saying that, they packed up their stall and left without doing anything further.

Takashi looked at all this, gripping the knife tightly, but in the end he chose to put it down.

These people are really lucky.

If we make another move, Gao Jian will definitely not be able to resist.

But it was already over; everything that remained had been taken back, so Gao Jian decided to hold back.

I haven't finished watching it yet.

He had only strolled around the cemetery a few times; this neighborhood was vast, and this was just the first one he had encountered.

Therefore, Gao Jian decided to continue observing.

"Sir?" Uncle Huang glanced at Gao Jian.

"It's nothing, let's keep going."

All kinds of people—women, children, men, the elderly, and all kinds of humanoid figures—were slaves to be chosen. They were not all human; in fact, the Divine Dynasty treated all species equally.

The slaves before me come in all sorts of forms and races: clam maidens, tree spirits, mountain spirits, water monsters, fox spirits, tiger spirits, humans, or something else entirely... in short, they are all-encompassing.

Their situations varied. Some were locked in cages, some were shackled, and some were being whipped by their trainers. But some were in better condition, some were resting and seemed to be unrestrained. There was even a woman and an old man who were being served, with good food and drink, and servants bringing them tea and water at any time. It was unclear who the slaves were.

Does the divine dynasty oppress mortals?

No, you're wrong. The Divine Dynasty oppresses not only mortals, but also all living beings whose cultivation is insufficient to protect themselves.

We won't go into any nonsense here. There are only two distinctions: your background and your cultivation level.

Apart from that, there is no difference.

Being born as a human being doesn't mean anything. Only by being a cultivator, or even at more than one level, can one preserve oneself.

Besides... this is very likely your fate.

Gao Jian turned another corner and this time came to a place where the houses were not well repaired. It didn't seem to be a very 'high-class' place. There were no mountain spirits or monsters for sale. All the people there were ordinary people, and even the old, weak, sick and disabled. He rarely saw the young people he had seen before.

Some moisture was still condensing on the eaves, and you could see that the roof, which had collapsed halfway and was barely repaired, was dripping water.

There were about thirty bamboo plaques hanging on the wall, pasted on the damp, moldy wall, arranged in two rows. Some ordinary people were there, and the sound of iron chains grinding against the blue bricks was like scraping bones with a dull knife.

Gao Jian happened to be passing by and saw what was going on inside. So he stopped and stood at a distance, using his superhuman hearing and eyesight to observe the situation inside.

“Look up.” Inside, there was a cultivator at the first level… or at most the second level, who stretched out his hand, wearing a jade thumb ring, and examined the teeth of an old woman in her forties.

The lamp was brought closer to her face, and the cultivator was startled by the old face: "No way, you're selling this kind of trash?"

"As long as they can reproduce, that's fine," the seller replied casually.

Because it was winter, the charcoal brazier beside his feet crackled and sputtered, but no one paid any attention: "Don't underestimate this old thing; it's as good as two oxen for plowing a field. I sold it myself; it's very powerful in the countryside."

"Why would I need to buy women when I'm farming? Besides, this is the capital city, where the hell is there any land? No wonder your business is in such a state, you don't even have money to repair your storefront. With this kind of business, how can you possibly succeed?"

The seller chuckled awkwardly, not wanting to argue, and simply nodded. Then he led over a young girl who was plain-looking, even somewhat ugly, just a village woman.

"Then take a look at this?" He pointed to it.

"Mute?"

"She was burned by high fevers since she was little, that's why she was sold." The seller pulled open the girl's collar, revealing her collarbone, and then pried open her mouth to reveal her teeth. "Look at this body, I guarantee it'll last for fifteen years."

The cultivator reached out and gently brushed open the girl's eyelids: "The whites of your eyes are yellow; could you be ill?"

"People in the mountains get sick from eating wild quinoa. That place isn't like the capital; you're bound to get some kind of illness from what you eat there," the seller said with a smile. "A couple of doses of herbal medicine will clear things up."

Upon seeing this, Gao Jian quickly left the area.

There are still many places to see, so we can't get angry now.

He continued walking and came across a shop with a relatively wide and large entrance.

Above the shop, there was a calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall, which looked like an advertising slogan.

And then, how should I put it... his insightful views were truly eye-opening.

The label reads: "All products from this store are listed in the table below!"

Get up early to sweep, eat and wash, mortar and pestle, cut poles and chisels, dredge ditches and tie up streams, hoe the garden and cut the paths, and clear the land.

He bent bamboo to make loquats, and shaved deer antlers. He sat on a high platform, then got off the bed and shook his head. He used a hook to cut hay, tied reeds and hemp ropes, and drew water from the river.

They weave coarse shoes, catch sparrows and birds, make nets to catch fish, capture geese and shoot ducks, climb mountains to shoot deer, enter the water to catch fish, and raise livestock freely.

Plant ginger and taro, raise pigs and foals, use manure to clean the halls and eaves, feed horses and cattle, cover the dikes and borders, harvest mulberry bark and palm leaves, and plant melons to make gourds.

They gathered scallions, burned taro, broke up the sealed fields, started pounding grain at cockcrow, managed the horses, carried wine jugs to sell wine, and drew water to make food.

Wash the cups and arrange the dishes, pull garlic from the garden. Cut the perilla leaves and slice the dried meat, stew the meat and taro, cook the turtle and boil the sauce, prepare all the tea utensils, feed the pigs and let the dogs roam freely.

They could cut and make boats, buy mats at Mianting, sell them in the small market, return to the capital carrying hemp, then go out to other places, leading dogs to sell geese, and buying tea and carrying lotus leaves.

Be wary of thieves and scoundrels, use harsh words and curses, know how to use knives and spears, trade sheep and cattle, cut tanned wood to make shafts, burn firewood to make charcoal, and build houses and houses.

They cut books to replace paper documents, read them in April, harvest them in September, collect beans in October, gather chestnuts and oranges, and pick cattails to make ropes.

They weave bamboo and woven cloth, plant peach and plum trees, pear and persimmon trees, and mulberry trees. They work diligently and tirelessly, planting pine needles and weaving mats. They pound a stone of rice a day and wash clothes until they are white.

To be honest, even Gao Jian was dumbfounded.

This whole thing is basically saying that the slaves they produce can do all these things!

It turns out that people can do so many things.

Gao Jian always thought he was very diligent in his daily practice, but looking at it this way, he doesn't seem so diligent after all...

This trip broadened his horizons.

He also saw many flying boats landing, each carrying various kinds of creatures.

Whether they are intelligent or not, spirits, monsters, or demons, they are all treated equally.

Anyway, that's what cemeteries are for.

He felt he had done enough of the sightseeing and it was time to make a move.

But at that moment, he saw something completely unexpected.

That was... a tower, or a 'pagoda'.

"A Buddhist temple?" Takami was surprised to see a building with a completely different style in the pavilion in front of him.

Without a doubt, this is a Buddhist temple. Although it is not large and does not have much gold or silver decoration, it still demonstrates the powerful productivity of the cultivators of the Divine Dynasty.

Even though there are no magical treasures or divine charm here, so the cost should not be high, there is still a pagoda inside, fifty feet high, with a stone base and an ancient shape. The paintings and carvings, the Buddhist halls and monks' quarters are all decorated with foreign styles. You can also hear the sound of chanting coming from inside. The voices sound very young, like children gathered together reading.

To be honest, when it comes to magnificent architecture, the Divine Dynasty really has it all figured out.

The buildings I saw in the inner city of Cangzhou, as well as in the county towns of Yuezhou, were not particularly small.

This land is vast enough, and so are the houses.

However, here, it stands out conspicuously from the crowd.

Despite the surrounding area being the same as before, a magnificent and tall pagoda and Buddhist temple suddenly appeared here, thus attracting the attention of the expert.

"Oh, you mean this? It was done by those bald monks. Their purpose... is probably similar to yours, but there are rumors that these monks are... not very proper," Uncle Huang said.

"Not very proper? What makes you say that?" Gao Jian asked.

"I don't know either. Rumor has it that kids who come out of here... can't make a sound when they fart," Uncle Huang said in a low voice.

"Pfft!" Shu Jian couldn't help but burst out laughing when he saw Gao Jian.

Gao Jian frowned.

Dansha, standing on tiptoe, asked Shujian curiously, "Rat, what do you mean?"

"If you don't understand, don't ask. Knowing about such things isn't good either," Shu Jian said seriously.

Dansha, enraged, yanked the rat off Gao Jian's head and dragged it aside, demanding, "Speak! What exactly do you mean by this!"

"Even if you catch me, I can't tell you. If all else fails, go ask Gao Jian!" The mouse was held in Gao Jian's hand and squeezed into a ball, but it refused to speak no matter what. It even threw the bag to Gao Jian.

"Insightful!" Dansha immediately looked at Gao Jian.

Who is Gao Jian? He has a wealth of knowledge in his head; he definitely knows!
However, when Dansha looked towards Takami, she discovered that... Takami was gone.

"Young lady, the master has already gone inside," Uncle Huang reminded her from the side.

"Going in?" Dansha glanced at the temple, then walked in without any hesitation.

She held the mouse in her hand and followed it inside.

The building occupies a large area, but Dansha's perception range is also quite wide. After entering, she could clearly sense Gao Jian's aura.

The reason you can't sense it from the outside is because these places are basically equipped with some kind of array, or the building materials themselves have the effect of concealing the aura, thus concealing the privacy inside.

Otherwise, if everyone were a cultivator, wouldn't they all be exposed to others? This is a basic requirement of a building, just like a house needs water and electricity.

Upon entering the temple, the first thing you see is the main hall, where many young novices are chanting sutras; of course, they are all boys.

But the real insight is not in this.

Dansha then placed the mouse on his shoulder and ran up to the only adult standing there, who was probably teaching the young monks to chant scriptures.

"Monk, did you see a martial artist just pass by?" Dansha asked.

"A martial artist? Oh, is that the same benefactor Gao from earlier? He went in to find the abbot; he's inside. Are you with him?" the monk said.

“Yes, we are together. Hmm… why don’t you have any celestial beings here?” Dansha looked around curiously. “The temples I’ve been to all have celestial beings.”

The Devas, or celestial beings, are a race that descended from the heavens of Buddhism to this place. They are the source of this lineage of Buddhist practice. The Divine Dynasty did not initially have this school of thought; the Dharma was spread by the Devas themselves.

The monk laughed and said, "Celestial masters are so rare, how could our small temple possibly have one? By the way, are you here looking for the benefactor who just came in? Shall I take you inside?"

"Okay." Dansha nodded and went inside.

Uncle Huang didn't go in, but chose to wait outside, seemingly for some reason.

(End of this chapter)