Chapter 261: The Devil Feeds on the Mortal World
Chapter 261: The Devil Feeds on the Mortal World (Part 1)
Xu Qing joked with the old emperor for a while before coming out of the old emperor's palace.
Speaking of which, his current relationship with the old emperor is quite strange.
Although normal etiquette exists, in many cases, people don't really pay attention to hierarchy and often joke around.
On the contrary, the old emperor now quite likes to talk to Xu Qing like this.
Alas, the emperor is also a human being. He also hopes to have a free communicator, but he just doesn’t dare to think about it on weekdays.
It is lonely at the top, mostly because of the coldness of people's hearts.
As a living being in this world, no one likes loneliness and emptiness.
Just to pursue high power and status, some human qualities must be sacrificed.
Just like in his previous life, he didn't like socializing very much because it was tiring.
But there is always some happiness in the interactions between people, it’s just not worth paying so much for, and I don’t have that much, so I can only give it up.
Therefore, even though he has become a demon now, he still has only a vague feeling about the subtlety of human hearts and what their true nature is.
Because it is not something that is immutable, nor is it as obvious as the rising and setting of the sun and the moon.
The more this happened, the more Xu Qing wanted to explore.
After becoming a demon, he now seemed to crave emotions more than ever before, just like a person wanting to fill his stomach.
Does the devil actually feed on the mortal world?
Xu Qing was walking on this road alone, with no one to learn from. He could only move forward based on vague instincts, and go wherever he went.
On the way back to Xu's house in Jiangning Prefecture, Xu Qing met someone.
"Master, are you waiting for me here?" Xu Qing said with a smile when he saw the person coming.
This person is none other than Xiong Chan.
The monk was able to bend and stretch himself, and now he has become a guest of honor of the old emperor.
Look at them, they are all martial saints, and they can adapt to the times, just like the dragon mentioned by Cao Mengde, which can be big or small. When big, it can create clouds and mist, and when small, it can hide in a mustard seed.
Such a person cannot fail to succeed.
The great monk has profound spiritual attainments.
"Gongming, I'd like to ask you for help with something." Xiong Chan stated his purpose directly.
He actually wanted to build a pagoda in Yuhang Bay.
Yuhang Bay is located in Zhijiang Province and belongs to Yuhang Prefecture, the capital of Zhijiang Province. It is also a major seaport.
Since Xu Qing and the old Prime Minister started shipping, the importance of coastal ports has become more and more prominent. Because most of the current sailing is offshore, it is necessary to replenish supplies along the coastline, so the major ports have naturally become more prosperous.
Once the port is prosperous, the population will naturally increase and the economy will be good.
Places with money and people have always been the favorite places of Buddhists.
Moreover, pagodas have another function in today’s era, which is to act as lighthouses.
The existence of lighthouses is, firstly, to facilitate sea navigation, and secondly, to leave a mark in human geography, which is naturally extremely beneficial to enhancing the influence of Buddhism.
However, building a lighthouse is very expensive, so the Buddhist community often takes the lead, summoning local gentry to raise a large sum of money to get the matter done.
If the government came, the gentry would be unwilling to pay.
Of course, when Xiong Chan wanted to build a pagoda, it was not a matter of money, but a matter of technology.
The tallest pagoda in Yuhang Prefecture today is the Leifeng Pagoda in Jinshan Temple, which is more than 20 feet high. If Xiong Chan wants to build a pagoda that is taller and stronger than this one, he needs the help of the current Ministry of Works and Fangxiandao.
Although Xiong Chan could destroy such a tall pagoda by himself, he was unable to build it.
The construction of tall buildings has always been a difficult matter and requires high standards in materials.
In fact, the imperial city of the Han and Tang dynasties was larger than that of this dynasty. Ultimately, this has a lot to do with the materials used.
Because giant trees were easy to obtain at that time.
Nowadays, it is no longer possible to find so many huge trees suitable for building palaces.
After being reminded by Xiong Chan, Xu Qing realized that the construction of a lighthouse should be put on the agenda, and this was also a way to consume labor.
The fact that the imperial court had no spare money did not mean that the local gentry had no money. It was not that they had no money, but that they did not know how to spend it. Sometimes, spending money was also a process of seizing power.
Local gentry assumed the obligations of the government and naturally competed for the government's power.
Power is not obtained by a decree, but is fought for.
For example, the governors of the previous dynasty and the governors today, their initial duties were to supervise the local areas, but in the end they became provincial governors. A careful study of the process would reveal that it was a classic drama of seizing power.
The essence behind it is the struggle for power between the court and local factions.
But over time, governors and provincial governors could easily become local factions.
Therefore, there came into being people like the Inspectors and Censors to check and balance the situation.
There is no eternal law in this world. The only way is to respond to change with change.
Xu Qing did not reject Xiong Chan's request, but discussed the matter seriously with Xiong Chan.
Xiong Chan also bargained seriously with Xu Qing.
Xu Qing did agree to build a pagoda in Yuhang Bay, but his additional condition was to build lighthouses for several small seaports, and not to use the name of a pagoda.
Anyone would find it strange to see two of the world's top figures haggling over such a trivial matter.
In fact, it is no small matter for Xu Qing and Xiong Chan.
The great way is to strive for success.
Any interests that belong to you, no matter how small, cannot be ignored, otherwise it would be a kind of mental surrender and concession.
Ordinary people say that they don’t fight for bread, but for their reputation.
It is also suitable to be used among extremely powerful people.
For them, this breath is something they must fight for.
It is not only a dispute over face, but also a determination to not give up an inch of ground in the struggle for the main road.
Even if we give in, we still have higher demands.
The two of them pushed back and forth until they each got a result that satisfied both parties.
Xiongchan's intention is to further enhance the influence of Dachan Temple by building a pagoda.
The original Leifeng Pagoda of Jinshan Temple was built when the reputation of Jinshan Temple was extremely high.
Leifeng Pagoda once became the symbol of Jinshan Temple.
Later, the collapse of Leifeng Pagoda became a symbol of the decline of Jinshan Temple.
Even if the later generations rebuilt the Leifeng Pagoda, the reputation of Jinshan Temple would never be as good as that of the previous dynasty because the Leifeng Pagoda collapsed once.
Xu Qing returned to Jiangning Prefecture and went straight to see Fu Xuan.
Fu Xuan is in a very bad condition now. He has a broken arm and has lost a lot of Martial Saint's blood. If Fu Xuan himself was not one of the strongest men in the world, he would have been buried by now.
He was still holding on, simply because he was too unwilling to give up.
If they are unwilling to die, beings like him will even transform into powerful demons and monsters after death.
Although they will still have memories of their previous life, their consciousness will become extremely paranoid and irrational, causing great damage to the human world.
Fu Xuan didn't want to become like that after his death.
This is also one of the reasons why he came to find Xu Qing.
If he died, Xu Qing could suppress him. If he couldn't, then it would be a destruction in the enemy country.
After all, he is still a grassland man.
However, Fu Xuan was not without reward. He forced himself to cheer up and wrote down his life-long practice experience, as well as his martial arts experience in many life-and-death battles.
These are things that are priceless.
After all, people are contradictory and complex.
(End of this chapter)