Chapter 102: The Plain is Barren and the Scholars are Full of Vigor "Tao Dao is so kind and elegant!" After sitting under the camphor tree for a while, Tao Tie heard a sigh coming from behind. Dong Shou's whole body was no different from when they parted in the morning, he was still as clean and refreshed, but there was a hint of gloom in his eyes, and the temperament he exuded was a little dim. Even the voice he spoke in was heavier, not as proud as before. "In the mood?" Tao Tie smiled and said, "I won't meddle in other people's business, so I'll naturally be in a good mood." While they were talking, Dong Shou had already arrived in front of Tao Tie and asked solemnly, "But I saw that Daoist Tao also saved the souls he met on the road. What do you think about this?" "Sit and chat?" Pointing to the grass beside him, Tao Tie extended an invitation, then asked, "Friend Dong, you only saw me saving lonely souls, right?"

"Indeed." Dong Shou was thoughtful when he heard this. I also sat down following Tao Tie's instructions. Tao Tie became interested and asked, "Friend Dong, what do you think of the saying 'One should not meddle in other people's affairs if one is not in their position'? What do you think about the fact that even though the Lord of Mount Dadong has been brought to the capital for such a long time, there are still some places in the three southwestern states where the order of yin and yang has not been properly restored? Are the government offices at all levels in the three states unwilling to contribute, or are the immortal gods at all levels in the three states just sitting there doing nothing?" Dong Shou thought seriously for a while and said in a deep voice: "It's because the City Gods and Land Gods of the three states are also undergoing a blood transfusion and reorganization. Even the City Gods of some prefectures and counties have been stripped of their positions. Once the internal rectification of the City Gods and Land Gods of the three states is completed and the proper operation is fully restored, these chaos will naturally be sorted out. But..." Tao Tie spoke first, taking over the conversation: "But what is the guilt of the people, right?" "exactly." Dong Shou raised his head, his expression solemn, and his voice excited, "As scholars, we should assist the emperor and support the country when we are in the government, and we should worry about the world and benefit the people when we are in the society. If we see injustice on the road, we should intervene!" Tao Tie admired this scholar's spirit very much, and then asked: "What is your position?" This question stumped Dong Shou. The Celestial Empire was at its peak and had not lost its power. Looking at the world of Dayong, there may be some minor problems, but there will definitely be no major unrest. From the imperial court to local government offices, from the human world to the underworld, there are indeed many problems. However, the Celestial Empire did not indulge in luxury and debauchery while being indifferent to these problems or not taking them seriously. On the contrary, since the emperor himself, all the wise officials in the court and officials at all levels have been committed to pursuing long-term peace and stability in the world. If there is a harmful animal in the group, we must chase it out and kill it. If there are any villains who harm the people, they must be punished and destroyed. This time, the poisonous tumors such as gods, officials, and powerful families, headed by the Lord of Dadong Mountain, were completely eradicated in the three southwestern states, which is a clear proof. For China, since it has a mature and stable system and a clear and ambitious goal, the top priority is for everyone to perform their duties and cooperate with each other.

Even if supervision and assistance from private forces are needed, formal channels have been opened. For example, the existence of monster catchers. The four departments of Demon Slaying, Demon Extermination, Taoist Records and Monk Records were merged and reorganized into the Department of Immortals and Gods, but the system of catching demons was retained intact. If anyone thinks or finds that there is injustice, they can become a monster hunter and take formal channels to deal with it. Righteous! Righteous! Dong Shou is not a demon catcher. Even though he has achievements, he has no official position. Therefore, when he went to the underworld in Huaili Township, Qingshui County, he not only failed to manage the things he wanted to manage, but also suffered cold ridicule from the God of the Land in Huaili Township. They say he is meddling in other people's business! Being called a dog, Dong Shou was so angry that he almost overturned the underworld of Huaili Township. Fortunately, his reason made him control his anger and he did not do so. When asked this question by Tao Tie, Dong Shou couldn't help but think of the past. He had also heard similar suggestions from some of his teachers who valued him. But that's how learning works. The end of the paper is so shallow that I know that this matter must be carried out. Without this experience, Dong Shou would not have been able to deeply understand why his teachers always said that it is okay to be a person with a scholarly spirit, but it is not okay to do things with a scholarly spirit. Now that I think about it, I really can’t just act recklessly based on my own emotions. The rules that should be followed must be followed. Only in this way can we do things better. However, Dong Shou had a new doubt. As the saying goes, one of three people can be my teacher. Dong Shou sincerely asked Tao Tie: "What if you are in a position but there are shackles and obstacles, and you want to make plans but can't make them?" Tao Tie waved his hand: "I am not a scholar, I don't really understand these things, and I don't want to talk too much." Dong Shou was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect to get such a cold response. This is not a taboo, so why don't you want to talk about it openly? Although he was puzzled, Dong Shou was not the kind of person who would argue nonsense, so he changed the subject and asked: "So, Fellow Daoist Tao believes that the fifth phase of this Tianjiao Conference, warding off disasters and relieving misfortunes, is because the governors/prefects of the three states discovered these chaotic phenomena, but it was not appropriate for them to directly interfere in the affairs of the City God's underworld system, so they decided on a roundabout way?" Tao Tie looked at Dong Shou in surprise and looked him up and down carefully. Dong Shou looked him up and down, his face full of confusion: "Why are you looking at me like this, Brother Tao? Is there something wrong with me?" "There's nothing wrong with that." Tao Tie shook his head slightly, and then said, "What you said just now was purely your own. It has nothing to do with me. I didn't say that, and I didn't say that. It has nothing to do with me." After he finished speaking, Tao Tie lay down, waved his hand gently, took out a straw hat, and covered his face with it: "I am sleepy and want to sleep, you can go by yourself, sorry I can't see you off, goodbye." This action made Dong Shou even more confused.

But they have already ordered us to leave, and they were the first to come here and have already cleaned the place, so we should be more sensible. With all kinds of confusion and doubts, Dong Shou stood up, bowed, left under the camphor tree, and continued to complete the fifth part of the Tianjiao Conference. It has not ended yet and the places have not been determined, so we still need to pay more attention and not be careless. Under the camphor tree, Tao Tie did not lie to Dong Shou, he really fell asleep. But I didn’t sleep for long. I woke up after just over a quarter of an hour. Then we set off on our long journey on foot. After passing Qingshui County, the terrain is no longer mountainous and forested, but an open plain. So this place was named Pingyuan County, which is a simple and unpretentious naming method. Basins gather energy, and plains nourish people. These two types of landforms generally have larger populations and higher population densities. Logically speaking, Pingyuan County should have a larger population, a more developed economy, and more prosperous people's livelihood than Qingshui County, which has a mountainous terrain. However, the reality was that after Tao Tie walked twelve or thirteen miles, he only saw one village. Large tracts of land are left barren and no one is cultivating them. It is most appropriate to describe it as sparsely populated. Tao Tie frowned and an idea came to his mind. The Yin God "Taiyi Great Emperor" who was close to a pure Yin body integrated [Knowledge of All Things], the physical supernatural power [Clairvoyance], [Hearing], the Earthly Evil Technique [Passing the Netherworld], the magic [Circular Light Technique], and [Breath of Wind], and conducted a full-scale three-dimensional scan of the range that the divine consciousness could cover. This was the wonderful manifestation of the successful practice of the divine refining technique. If there is no Yin Shen to integrate them, Tao Tie would easily encounter incompatibility problems if he wanted to use these methods at the same time, coordinate them, and use them together. Now there is no need to worry at all. The Yin God "Taiyi Great Emperor" is like an AI that continuously conducts deep learning and self-iterative optimization. It will automatically discover incompatible problems, analyze incompatible problems, and solve incompatible problems. Let’s not go off topic. Avoiding some people and places that might easily cause misunderstandings, Tao Tie quickly completed this all-round three-dimensional scan. The information he gained from the reconnaissance made him frown even more. Such a large plain county with such a good terrain for supporting people, but the county’s population is less than 30,000! The permanent population of Liuxian County alone is no less than 140,000. Including the vast countryside, the entire Liuxian County should have a population of around 250,000. "This is a big problem!" After discovering this situation, Tao Tie immediately recalled the information he had written down, such as maps, court bulletins, travel notes, and geographical records, and sighed in his heart. At least at the level and channels he could access, there was no description of the current situation in Pingyuan County.

Not even a single word. He was actually quite puzzled at first because the map he found from official channels only marked the geographical location and topography of Pingyuan County, and no other information. I originally thought that there might be troops stationed in Pingyuan County. Or it may have been incorporated into the Celestial Empire's grand strategy of developing millions of mountains and become a logistics base or transportation transit station, so it needs to be kept secret. I didn’t expect it to be such a big bomb! There are so many great and capable people in China. If Tao Tie says that China has not discovered the situation here, he would dare to write his name backwards. Since the situation in Pingyuan County has been discovered but has not been improved, there is no doubt that it is not that the Chinese government does not want to improve it subjectively, but that it is objectively impossible to improve it. "so……" Tao Tie recalled the map he had memorized, changed direction and took a different route. There is no need to return by the same route. Just take a tangent and bypass Pingyuan County. "Fellow Daoist Tao, please stay and wait for me." After walking for a long time, about an hour later, a familiar shout came from behind Tao Tie, in the direction of Pingyuan County. Dong Shou left at noon. Tao Tie pretended not to hear and continued walking at his own speed and rhythm. In just a few breaths, Dong Shou caught up, slowed down, and walked side by side with Tao Tie, saying with emotion: "Fellow Daoist Tao, we are really destined to be together." Tao Tie curled his lips: "I'd rather not have it." "what?" Dong Shou was stunned for a moment, smiled awkwardly, and then asked seriously, "Why do you say that?" Tao Tie did not answer, but asked: "The Tianjiao Conference has not yet ended. Before the dust settles, nothing is known. The quota to enter the capital has not yet fallen into your hands. Aren't you going to ward off disasters and resolve misfortunes as soon as possible?" "No rush, no rush." Dong Shou said complacently, "I'm sure I can get a spot." Tao Tie's expression changed slightly, and he asked seriously, "What did you do in Pingyuan County?" After discovering the strange situation in Pingyuan County, Tao Tie never took the initiative to spy on any place in Pingyuan County again, and only retained passive early warning measures within a certain range around him. Especially in plain counties. Therefore, Tao Tie had no idea what Dong Shou, who was not in Pingyuan County more than an hour ago, had done now that he was chasing him from the direction of Pingyuan County. Rather than proactively investigating, Tao Tie would rather ask questions of the person involved. Dong Shou laughed heartily and said, "I killed the magistrate of Pingyuan County!" "Ah."

Tao Tie nodded, "Hmm? Why did you kill him?" "What is the point of keeping a person who is just sitting there doing nothing but eating and drinking?" Dong Shou waved his hands, his eyebrows dancing with joy, and he said with his chest puffed out, "The Heavenly Dynasty appointed him as the magistrate of a county, a local official, to herd the people and guard the land, not to make clay sculptures or wood carvings. He is drunk all day long, not caring about the affairs of the county, and not caring about the people's livelihood. This kind of person is ashamed to be an official, not worthy of being a scholar." After a slight pause, Dong Shou suppressed his pride and said solemnly: "I know what Daoyou Tao said to me at noon is a correct truth. But I, Dong Shou, would rather die upright than compromise!" "admire!" Upon hearing this, Tao Tie gave a thumbs up and said, "Friend Dong, I really admire you." After saying this, Tao Tie immediately turned into a wisp of breeze and floated away. Use all means possible, as fast as possible, as far as possible. It is indeed right to be a gentleman. Dong Shou is undoubtedly a gentleman. However, such a gentleman can only be viewed from a distance and not approached. Many times, people like Dong Shou act according to their heart, and what they do can even poke a hole in the sky. Then, they themselves are safe and sound in the strong winds and waves, but those who travel with him are killed without a complete body. Tao Tie knew that he had been blessed with great fortune since coming to this world. Not to mention the [Knowledge of All Things] that comes with it, just the fact that he first obtained the "Taotie Visualization Method", then gained the teacher's favor, then obtained the Five Ghosts Bag, then obtained the Eight Immortals' teachings, and then received extra treatment from Marshal Zhao, this series of events or opportunities, if told about it, I don't know how many people would envy it. However, Tao Tie would never lose his reverence just because he had good fortune. I believe that although the world is big, there is nowhere we cannot go and nothing we cannot do. On the contrary, Tao Tie always has a mentality of being on the edge of an abyss, walking on thin ice, and trembling with fear. He keeps a low profile and acts cautiously. He wanted to reach the other side and didn't want to be separated by the waves on the way! Therefore, when Dong Shou solemnly said that he would not compromise, Tao Tie saw signs of disaster in him and immediately withdrew. I don't want to get involved in the disaster. Rumble… Boom! ! ! Just when Dong Shou couldn't understand why Tao Tie didn't treat him politely this time like he did the previous two times, but instead ran away in disgust and tried to avoid him as much as possible, It was as if thunder exploded in the sky. The entire sky of Pingyuan County was suddenly covered with dark clouds. It was like a piece of the sky collapsed and fell straight down. It was as if some existence had been angered, and in its rage, it wanted to wipe out everything in Pingyuan County, no matter if it was mountains, rivers, trees, stones, or animals or living people, to vent its anger! The first to be hit were Dong Shou and Dong Guinian, who killed the magistrate of Pingyuan County. Tao Tie, who managed to escape in time, was also affected. He suffered an unprovoked disaster. In front of the invisible barrier covering the border of Pingyuan County, Tao Tie, who was unable to get out for the moment, stopped and looked up at the sky. The real boss is right there, I'm about to leave, why are you hitting me?

You're forcing me to fuck you. (End of this chapter)