Yan Wushi: Use your body to serve the demons.

Chen Qiao:...

Chapter 16

With Yan Wushi here, there is naturally no need to follow those safer official roads. In order to take a shortcut, Yan Wushi did not cross Chang'an, but went directly south to Luozhou and then went from Luozhou to Shuzhou and Suizhou.

This road shortened many distances, but also because these places are close to the surrounding borders of Qi, it is not very peaceful, especially after the disaster at the end of last year, there were thousands of miles of dry land and refugees everywhere, and they flocked to the surrounding prefectures and counties with more abundant food and grass, which led to the fact that Chen Qiao and others could still see many refugees along the way.

In terms of martial arts, few people can compete with Yan Wushi today, but he is obviously not a good travel companion. Chen Qiao's old injuries have not healed, and his eyes are sometimes good and sometimes bad, and he has never been able to return to normal. At most, he can only see some light and shadows as before. Yan Wushi did not feel pity for this and treated him with special preference. He did not need to take a car, so he did not even hire a carriage. He walked slowly ahead, with a stance of "If you can keep up, follow, and if you can't keep up, you have to follow."

After walking for several days, they were about to enter Xiangzhou City, and they met a group of refugees outside the city.

These people originally came from Guangzhou. Due to famine there, they had to travel thousands of miles to the richer Xiangzhou. Unexpectedly, the governor of Xiangzhou refused to open the city gate for them and ordered the soldiers to strictly guard them, so that a refugee could not be allowed to enter.

The refugees did not have the energy to go to the next place to try their luck, so they could only stay there, but in fact they were just waiting to die slowly.

From the perspective of governing the local area, it is understandable that the governor of Xiangzhou does this, because the food in a city is limited, and when the refugees come in, they have to be responsible for settled them. These people should actually belong to the people under other places. This is equivalent to adding pressure to Xiangzhou itself. At that time, the food in Xiangzhou is not enough to eat, and the local people will be implicated. Now Emperor Gao Wei of Qi is busy seeking fun and has no intention of governing the government. Before the food allocated by the imperial court reached the local area, it has been consumed in layers of exploitation. Even if the governor of Xiangzhou takes all these refugees into the city, he will not be commended by the imperial court.

Xiangzhou is already very close to Xuandu Mountain. Just walk southwest for a few days to reach Xuandu Mountain next to Mianzhou.

The closer you get to Xuandu Mountain, the better Yan Wushi seems to be in a good mood.

He even slowed down and waited for Chen Qiao to follow him, while giving him some interest in giving him guidance on local customs and culture. If he didn't know the relationship between the two, at first glance, he might think they were old friends who had been together for many years.

He said to Chen Qiao: "Xiangzhou belongs to Chu in the Warring States Period, so the Chu wind is very strong, which is also considered a rich place. Unfortunately, Gao Wei was not interested in managing it. The efforts of several generations of the Gao family are probably going to be defeated by him."

Yan Wushi obviously had no respect for Emperor Qi, so he called him by his name.

Chen Qiao narrowed his eyes and saw a lot of people gathering outside the city, among which the old, young, women and children accounted for the majority. The loss is that the weather is not hot now, otherwise he was afraid that a large plague would have caused it. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "How difficult is people's livelihood!"

Yan Wushi said lightly: "Actually, such a scenario is also true in other countries. Since the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, the Five Barbarians invaded China, and all parties have fought for power and profit, countless blood and lives have been filled in. Such famines occur every year, especially on the border. In order to shirk responsibility and transfer pressure, countries are eager to push refugees to other countries. In the year of good times, they often launch wars to annex the cities of neighboring countries. Internal mutinies are frequent, and regime changes often occur. In a few years, they will change their names. Naturally, no one will focus on governing the country. Northern Qi is just getting worse."

Chen Qiao: "But I heard that Sect Master Yan had other high-ranking officials and generous salaries in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and he was very relied on by Emperor Zhou. I believe that in your heart, I must think that the Northern Zhou Dynasty is more likely to unify the world?"

Yan Wushi said with his hands behind his back: "As an emperor, no matter whether he is a wise or a fool, he has always been a slight pound. The only difference is that some can restrain his desires, some cannot or do not want to restrain him. Although Yuwen Yong is fond of war and killing, he forbids and bans Buddhism and Taoism, and does not like Confucianism, so he has little choice. I want to unify the three sects, and I also need his help. The Yuwen family has been in the Central Plains for many years. Although his ancestors were Xianbei people, they have long been sinicized. The Zhou Dynasty system is no different from the Han system. If it is an emperor, it may not be worse than the Chen Dynasty in the south."

Over the past few days, Chen Qiao has already gained a general understanding of the world's forces.

Zen Master Xueting, who attacked Yan Wushi at Izumo Temple that night, originally supported the Northern Zhou Dynasty, but he supported Yuwen Hu, the former regent of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, rather than the current emperor Yuwen Yong.

Zen Master Xueting left Tiantai Sect and was a brother of fellow disciples of the Tiantai Sect, Fayi, but the position of the Tiantai Sect is inclined toward Nanchen. This matter involves the internal grievances of Tiantai Sect, which is another long story.

After Yuwen Yong regained his power, in order to eliminate the influence left by Yuwen Hu, it is naturally impossible to continue to reuse Buddhism. Therefore, the Xueting lineage is actually in a somewhat awkward position in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Although he will not completely lose his status, Yuwen Yong will be in power for one day, and Zen Master Xueting will not be able to restore his former honor in one day.

For Yuwen Yong, the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism each have their own demands. Once they are involved with them, their own governance will inevitably bring the color of one of them. This is something that an emperor with a strong sense of autonomy is unhappy to see. In contrast, although the Huanyue Sect also has its own purpose, they are obviously more suitable for cooperation than other schools, and will not ask Yuwen Yong to promote the theory of a certain school to influence his ideas.

The two of them said as they walked, heading towards the city gate.

Ordinary people or business travelers enter the city. In order to prevent harassment from refugees, they often need to travel with each other. It is best to have a male guard, because refugees may become bandits when they are extremely hungry. When they find that begging is useless, they will definitely rob. When they are desperate, beautiful women and children are lost to the hands of refugees. Not only will they lose their chastity, but they may be cooked into meat soup in the end.

In this case, Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao became a rather strange and eye-catching combination.

One had empty hands and had nothing to carry, the other was leaning on a bamboo stick, and the other looked weak as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. No matter how he looked, he didn't look like an ordinary traveler.

There were refugees on the roadside who were begging to them from time to time. Yan Wushi saw that he was a difficult person to mess with. The refugees did not dare to come forward to ask for it, so they could only beg for Chen Qiao, who seemed to be gentle and easy to talk.

Among them, a couple, dragging three or four children on the road, were skinny and bony, and could not see any human appearance. They looked like puppet zombies, and even their expressions were numb. The oldest was only six or seven years old, and the youngest was only two or three years old. They were staggering and staggering when they walked, and their parents didn't have the strength to hold her. She grabbed the corner of her mother's clothes and followed behind her and walked staggeringly.

If this situation continues, the youngest child should be sent to exchange with other people's children first, and add food to their parents, or he will be cooked and eaten by his parents. He is born in troubled times and is at a desperate situation. In order to survive, family affection can also be put aside.

Seeing Chen Qiao passing by, the couple knelt down and begged for food from him. Chen Qiao thought about it, took out a pancake with oil paper from his arms and handed it to the youngest child.

The couple was ecstatic and thanked her repeatedly. The husband grabbed the pancakes from the child, opened his mouth and took a big bite. When they saw his wife and children, they looked at them eagerly. After hesitating for a long time, they reluctantly broke off a small piece for their wife.

My wife took the small piece of cake, but she didn't eat it, but she was careful, and she cherished it and broke it into several portions, and distributed it to several children.

The pancakes were not big, so they finished eating them in a few bites. The refugees around were jealous and stared at Chen Qiao.

The husband begged Chen Qiao: "The children have been hungry for several days, so I would like to ask the nobles to give them an extra piece of cake so that they can get into the city!"

Chen Qiao refused, "I am not a wealthy person either. I only have two pieces on my body. I will keep one piece for you, and I will keep one myself."

The husband heard that Chen Qiao still had food on his body, and his expression changed immediately. He saw that his eyes were dull and he had to rely on a bamboo stick to support him. He couldn't help but have bad thoughts and rushed towards Chen Qiao.

Unexpectedly, before he touched his sleeve, his body flew out in the opposite direction, and then landed heavily on the ground, screaming.

Looking at Chen Qiao again, he was still sick and weak. He could not tell that he had just knocked the person out.

He obviously did not expect that his temporary kindness would lead to such a result. When he looked at the man's wife and children, he was so scared that he hugged him.

When other refugees who were ready to move saw this scene, they naturally did not dare to move again.

The man struggled to get up, but did not beg for mercy, but cursed in turn: "If you have the ability, you will beat me to death! People like you are the most slanderous and righteous. Don't you just rely on charity to exchange for us to kowtow and thank you? Why don't you save people to the end? There is obviously a cake, why don't you take it out! If you don't want to take it, just don't take it, so that we can taste the sweetness and can't eat enough. What's the difference between you like killing people!"

Chen Qiao sighed, shook his head, said nothing, and turned around and left.

Yan Wushi always stood at a distance of not far or near, standing with his hands behind his back, watching coldly, neither intervening nor leaving, as if waiting for him, but his face was filled with a smile.

The skill that he had just revealed was that he knew that he had food on him, and the others could only watch him leave.

When he approached, Yan Wushi said, "Fight Mien and bear the grudges. Have you ever heard of this sentence?"

Chen Qiao sighed, "I am reckless. There are many people suffering. It is impossible for me to save it alone."

Yan Wushi sneered: "The father doesn't care about his children's life or death, but you help him care about his children. Master Chen really has great love. It's a pity that human nature is unsatisfactory and cannot understand your kindness. If you can't protect yourself today, you might have become a meat soup now."

Chen Qiao thought carefully: "If I could not protect myself today, I would not choose to take this path. I would rather go further away and avoid places with refugees. Human nature seeks profit and avoids harm. I am not a saint, no exception. I just can't bear it when I see someone suffering."

He chose the good and was stubborn, but Yan Wushi believed that human nature was evil. The two of them could not say the same from the root. Although Yan Wushi could have put Chen Qiao to death in force, even if he strangled Chen Qiao's neck, he could not change Chen Qiao's thoughts.

With this little episode, the atmosphere that had finally calmed down between the two people was gone.

"Mr. Lang!"

The voice was small and weak, coming from behind.

Chen Qiao turned around, but only saw a vague figure, thin and low, and should be a child.

The child ran to him and knelt down and kowtowed him three times seriously: "Thank you, my husband, for giving us cakes just now. My father is rude to you. I can only kowtow to you. Please don't bother with him!"

Why did he bother with a child? Chen Qiao sighed and stepped forward to help him up: "I didn't care. I heard that it will be the birthday of Buddha in a few days. People in Xiangzhou City worship Buddha. At that time, the facilities and porridge yard will be opened, and some refugees will be placed in the city appropriately. You still have a glimmer of hope."

The child's eyes glowed and he thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you, my husband, I wish you a good name, and I will repay you if you have the chance in the future and set up a tablet of immortality for you!"

Chen Qiao touched his head and said warmly: "There is no need for these. You can take good care of your mother and younger siblings."

The child nodded vigorously and whispered: "Don't worry, in fact, I didn't eat the cake that my mother gave me just now, and I secretly stuffed it to my sister!"

Chen Qiao felt sad when he heard this, and sighed at his sensibility. After thinking about it, he took out the remaining cake from his arms and handed it to him: "Take it back and eat it, don't let your father discover it again."

The child was so hungry that his face was pale and thin, but he didn't know where he got his strength and refused to accept it. In the end, Chen Qiao forced him to put it in his hand: "Push it again, let others see it, and it will cause trouble again."

He had no choice but to accept it, knelt down and kowtowed to Chen Qiao, and insisted: "Please tell me your name!"
Chapter completed!