187: Great Compassion and Mercy Save the Wronged Souls

After Chu Mo and Li Tian Ce met, Bai Lu was left aside, as the two walked and conversed.

Bai Lu simply followed behind them, without any complaints, like an emotionless robot.

In this world where immortals and Buddhas are absent and demons run rampant, as a demon herself, she felt a great deal of pressure.

Because from the conversation between Chu Mo and Li Tian Ce, it was clear that there were still Dao cultivators no weaker than Fahai, as well as demons and ghosts, in this world...

This meant her situation was not very good, and she needed to cling tightly to the powerful figures in the group.

The outcome of Chu Mo and Li Tian Ce's discussion was simple: first, take control of the peripheral towns and small counties, using a strategy of surrounding cities with villages and towns to gradually encroach upon the Jin Dynasty's territory.

Of course, the most important part was to win over the Daoist and Buddhist orthodoxies and ascertain how many powerful experts the Jin Dynasty possessed.

None of the three were ordinary people; even while chatting and walking, they quickly emerged from the mountain path onto a relatively well-preserved official road.

Ancient official roads were certainly easier to traverse than overgrown mountain paths, but they were still full of potholes and very uneven.

They were incomparable to modern roads.

Fortunately, none of the three were ordinary people; walking was a trivial matter for them.

If not for Chu Mo wanting to investigate firsthand how many bandits they might encounter while traveling, they could have flown directly to the county town.

Guo Bei County did not have a large population, but bandits were extremely rampant nearby; as Chu Mo and his companions traveled, they frequently encountered bandits attempting to rob them.

Roughly every few miles, a group of bandits would jump out, brandishing large swords, and declare, “This road I opened, this tree I planted; if you wish to pass, leave behind your toll and beauties.”

The money was easy to understand.

But beauties...

Naturally, they were referring to Bai Lu.

However, she was not a beauty in the true sense, but a snake, a large white snake.

Towards these mountain bandits who coveted her body, Bai Lu acted decisively.

Eye-gouging, heart-gouging, severing legs to ensure no more offspring...

All sorts of underhanded tactics emerged endlessly, and Bai Lu even grandiosly claimed: “These bandits and mountain robbers have harmed countless innocent travelers; killing them so easily is actually letting them off lightly.”

Then, using the method she learned from Cao Qing, she righteously pleaded with Chu Mo to collect the souls of these people and banish them to the eighteen layers of Hell, so they would never be reborn.

Chu Mo expressed his difficulty with this, stating that he was not Yama, and banishing them to the eighteen layers of Hell was not within his purview.

However, as the chairman of Hell's Soul Power resources, he could not tolerate any lingering souls in the world.

Especially in this world where Hell had fallen and demons ran rampant, leaving them in the world would inevitably lead to them becoming powerful and causing chaos in the future; it would be better to collect them into the Human Emperor Flag for re-education through labor, striving to become a 'soul above souls' as soon as possible...

Along the way, because of Bai Lu's killings, Chu Mo, with his 'great compassion,' delivered the deceased souls, significantly improving the environment around Guo Bei County.

At least there would be fewer bandits and mountain robbers in the future.

Harmful lingering souls would also not appear.

The two could be said to have made a contribution to the common people.

Upon entering Guo Bei County, Chu Mo sensed that everyone's gazes converged on the three of them.

Of course, the main focus was Bai Lu.

Looking at himself and Li Tian Ce, it was merely for their wealth.

Looking at Bai Lu, it was definitely for her beauty.

However, although Guo Bei County was a mixed bag, the environment inside was not too bad.

At least it was better than outside Guo Bei County.

There were no people so foolish as to directly start a fight in the street; perhaps they were afraid that if they acted first, others would take advantage of the conflict.

The three needed to use Guo Bei County as a base for development, radiating outwards, so naturally, they needed to deal with the local county yamen.

Guo Bei County was a mixed bag of people, with various mountain bandits, robbers, and highwaymen gathered there; the yamen had essentially become a mere formality, not only was the county entrance unguarded, but even the yamen runners would moonlight as bandits and robbers outside the county to earn extra money.

Many bandits and robbers, after failing to rob on the road and being scared witless, would reveal their identity as yamen runners.

“Dong dong dong.”

At this moment, outside the yamen, someone was beating a drum.

This person was none other than the scholar with whom Li Tian Ce had once conversed, except he was now even more disheveled.

Not only had his satchel been lost, but even his already dirty long robe was gone, his clothes were tattered, and there was a footprint on his backside.

This clearly indicated that he had tried to collect a debt, failed, and was beaten.

However, in this simple folk Guo Bei County, it was not an uncommon occurrence at all.

That he hadn't been slaughtered and put on a chopping block was already a blessing in misfortune.

“Dong dong dong.”

The scholar was still beating the drum, but the stand beneath the large drum kept shaking, making a 'creak, creak' sound.

With one heavy strike from the scholar, the weathered drum and stand finally gave way under the strain.

The drumhead was broken through, and the stand scattered across the ground.

The scholar was dumbfounded.

“I, I clearly didn't use much force!”

“Crack—!”

The dilapidated yamen door was pushed open, and two yamen runners, still half-asleep, rubbed their eyes and poked their heads out, cursing.

“Beat your mother, beat! Don't you know the County Magistrate isn't hearing cases lately?”

As soon as the two came out, they saw a dirty beggar holding a drumstick.

The drum and stand had both been 'intentionally' damaged by this person.

“Two yamen officer brothers, I didn't do it on purpose.” Seeing the two emerge, the scholar dropped the drumstick in his hand and bowed to them: “This humble student is here to report a case!”

Guo Bei County was mostly comprised of bandits, mountain robbers, highwaymen, and vicious criminals who spoke profanities and had extremely rude attitudes.

But now, such a polite, scholarly-looking fellow had appeared.

It was quite rare!

“You wait.”

The two yamen runners did not get angry again, only telling the scholar to wait outside.

One of them entered the yamen, while the other kept a close eye on the scholar outside, as if afraid he would run away.

After a while, that yamen runner came out, holding a wanted poster, which he placed next to the scholar for comparison.

“This one has no beard....”

“This one's eyes are too fierce....”

“This one is too vicious....”

“Hey, found it!”

The yamen runner found two drawings from a pile of wanted posters, folded them together, and placed them next to the scholar for comparison; indeed, they were seventy to eighty percent similar.

“Isn't that it? A reward of five taels; the County Magistrate will probably pocket four taels, we two brothers get one tael, only enough for a little wine, can't go to the pleasure house...”

The portraits on the wanted posters were extremely crude, and coupled with the simple folk customs of Guo Bei County, it was common for people to be arrested to take the blame and claim rewards.

From the two yamen runners' skilled operation, it was clear they did this frequently.