Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 477 - 428: In This Place

Chapter 477: Chapter 428: In This Place
Master Jianquan fell silent for a moment and then asked indifferently, "What do you want?"
"How about fewer deaths?"
Li Ang said, "Master Jianquan, since you have the ability to read others’ lives, you should be clear about who lives a happy and fulfilling life, who suffers hardship, who is kind and virtuous, and who is vile and evil. Since the Master wishes to guide and transform the world, why not choose those who are most deserving to enter the Six Paths Illusion Realm?"
"Do you want me to select only the five thousand or thereabouts, the ones most deserving of death, to enter the illusion? That way, we can minimize the losses and incidentally eliminate those in the city whom you find disagreeable."
Whether it was because he was caught in a stealthy attack, suppressing his anger, or because advancing the Six Paths of Reincarnation led to a further decline in that part of his personality that was originally Master Jianquan’s, Master Jianquan no longer referred to himself as "this poor monk" but directly used the pronoun "I."
"Oh? Does that mean the minimum number of people required to operate the Six Paths of Reincarnation Illusion is around five thousand?" Li Ang keenly seized on the key point in Master Jianquan’s words. "Or is there no limit on the number of people at all? As long as the final candidates for the Hell Path and the Human Path are killed, one can achieve transcendence. Are you gathering so many Xingzhou people merely to make the realm appear more ’robust’?"
Perhaps, just like the video games remembered from memories of another world, the more NPC passersby there are, the more vibrant it seems, and the more realistic this world appears.
The old monk did not answer this question. He glanced indifferently at Li Ang, then turned his gaze towards the crowd on the street, which he had regained control of, and suddenly said, "Ran Wu just strangled his own daughter today."
"Hm?"
Jianquan’s abrupt words made both Li Ang and Sui Yi furrow their brows simultaneously, not understanding the old monk’s intent.
"That’s Ran Wu."
Master Jianquan pointed at the crowd. The gathered Xingzhou people automatically dispersed, revealing an elderly man standing at the back of the crowd. He was probably in his forties to fifties, his face marked with deep wrinkles from years of hard labor, his complexion dark, and his temples peppered with white. He was dressed in the hemp cloth clothes commonly worn by workshop laborers, his fingers covered in thick calluses.
Just like the countless old farmers and laborers in Yu Country whose spines were crushed by the heavy burden of life, he was ordinary and unremarkable.
Li Ang did not understand why Master Jianquan pointed out Ran Wu, but stalling for time suited his plan, so he did not ask questions and continued to listen.
"Ran Wu was originally a farmer from Jingshui Village, west of Xingzhou City. His wife had died early, and their daughter was not quite normal since she was young—more clumsy and dull than other children, unable to speak. By the age of six, she became regarded as a fool by others.
"Ran Wu took his daughter to seek medical treatment in hopes of a cure, but aside from wasting their family’s money, it was useless. He had no choice but to return to the village, subsisting on a few meager fields to feed himself and his daughter."
Master Jianquan’s gaze was profound as he said quietly, "The village had many children, and sometimes children can be very cruel. They would coerce the weakest child under the guise of play, forcing them to eat tadpoles, jump into filthy ponds, spit on them, pull their hair, throw cow dung, and so forth.
"Unfortunately, Ran Wu’s daughter was the weakest among them. She didn’t even understand malice and thought the other children were playing with her. Ran Wu had no choice but to lock his daughter at home, but this was of little use. After all, he had to leave the house at times.
"His daughter was thirteen when she first became pregnant. It might have been the work of a bachelor in the village or a wandering vagrant from outside. Nobody could say for certain. Or rather, the villagers laughed at Ran Wu, enjoying the spectacle of his family’s misfortune, and even if they knew who was responsible, they did not tell him.
"Ran Wu was an honest man; he crushed his suffering and swallowed it. He sold the family’s chickens and went to the city to seek a doctor and buy an abortifacient. It didn’t work. His daughter became pregnant a second and third time under confusing circumstances, always while he was not at home.
"Malice and indifference spread through the village. The seemingly harmonious and peaceful mountain community, where neighbors were close and even the sounds of chickens and dogs were familiar between households, showed its devouring nature."
Master Jianquan said calmly, "Ran Wu sold his farmland and took his daughter to the city. A kind-hearted workshop owner took them in, providing him with a job and even arranging a separate flat for him and his daughter. Ran Wu, grateful for the workshop owner’s benevolence, worked hard at the workshop until he discovered he was coughing up blood.
"Worried about his illness and knowing he couldn’t afford to be sick, he first went to the Little Medicine King Temple in the city, praying devoutly to the statue. Then, with trepidation, he sought out a clinic physician, only to learn he had worked too hard and was too exhausted. This had led to the growth of tumors in his body, which, according to the classification of the Chang’an Imperial Medical Bureau, were incurable.
"The dispirited Ran Wu returned to his workshop dormitory to find out that his daughter was pregnant again—it was likely the work of those seemingly friendly workshop fellows. Ran Wu had no words. His disease was serious, and he wouldn’t be in this world much longer. What happened to his daughter would only become more horrific after he was gone; she would be treated like trash by the people around her.
"He took out all his savings and spent yesterday evening strolling through the night market with his daughter. He bought her pretty clothes and jewelry, treated her to delicious snacks, and gave her the happiest day of her life. Then, back in the flat, he strangled her to death."
Master Jianquan’s gaze lingered for a moment on Ran Wu’s calloused hands. "His daughter still thought her father was playing with her, laughing and touching his face with her hands. She remained confused right up until her death, not showing sadness or pain, just not understanding what had happened. Ran Wu’s daughter was dead, and his heart died with her.
"He decided to do the last thing in his life: visit all the pharmacies in the city and buy poison. If you opened the bundle in his arms now, you would find many packs of poison—he intended to poison the villagers of Jingshui Village and his co-workers at the workshop."
Master Jianquan gestured with his palm, and a paper-wrapped bundle flew out from Ran Wu’s arms, containing arsenic.
CRUMPLE.
The old monk crushed the paper package with his bare hands, and the white arsenic powder scattered on the ground, like falling snow.
"Ran Wu killed his own daughter and now wanted to poison dozens, maybe hundreds of others. According to Yu Law, even if he isn’t sentenced to death, he would be exiled thousands of miles away. However, the Yu Law only deals with retribution for killing and has neither the time nor the capability to investigate why Ran Wu killed."
The old monk turned to look at Li Ang and said indifferently, "You see, the three realms have no peace. They are like a house on fire, filled with all sorts of suffering, which is truly terrifying. Mr. Li, you must have also seen all sorts of misfortunes and tragedies in the Human World. For many, death is actually a release from such suffering."
"..."
Li Ang remained silent. What Master Jianquan said was true: the common people really suffered too much, and there were far too many cases like Ran Wu’s.
The old monk stepped forward and gently placed his hand on Ran Wu’s forehead. A white phantom flew out from between Ran Wu’s brows and dove into the old monk’s palm.
"Here lies the Hell Path."
The old monk turned around and said calmly, "This is hell."