In this small cave belonging to the demons, although each human and animal country is an important property of its own demon force, no demon came to patrol for three days after the horse demons were killed by warriors in each city.
Apart from a few monsters with not very high cultivation levels in some big cities along the way, some patrolling monsters were seen when Ji Yuan and the old beggar's escape light passed through the border of the so-called Human-Animal Kingdom. This shows that the history of the Human-Animal Kingdom should be very long, and a kind of rules of mutual adjustment have been formed among them, which is why the so-called monsters rarely appear in front of people.
Of course, there are some things that are bound to make the people in the cave understand their situation. For example, when the people of Tianyuzhou were captured to form a new country, some indigenous people would pull carts with food and be blown by evil winds to specific locations to deliver food. At this time, those numb people can recall the fear deep in their souls, but they will become self-anesthetized again as soon as they go back.
After flying for about an hour, Ji Yuan and the old beggar arrived at a place that was originally a country of humans and animals. Looking down at the earth from the air, they saw that the people in each town were in a very low spirit. It was not because the population was too small, but because the fire was too small.
The two men landed in a city that seemed to be the largest on their way. It was the busiest time of the day, before noon. The streets of the city were constantly crowded with people. There were shops doing business, and vendors selling all kinds of small commodities. People had different expressions on their faces. They were not as numb as when they delivered food to the new country before. Instead, they all seemed to be talking and laughing.
"Hehe, living in a false dream."
The old beggar made a sneer and Ji Yuan shook his head and sighed.
"Everyone has seven emotions and six desires, happiness, anger, sadness, and joy. This is normal."
The two landed on the street, and people frequently saluted them as they walked. Not only did people in front of them look at them, but even passers-by kept looking back. Some people had curiosity on their faces, while some showed fear after coming to their senses. However, they did not dare to leave in a hurry, and instead pretended to leave in an orderly manner.
"Interesting, Mr. Ji, what do you think?"
Of course, the old beggar and Ji Yuan saw people's reactions. The former asked Ji Yuan in a playful manner, while the latter thought for a moment and said quietly.
"Mr. Lu's clothes are not that out of place, but I am not wearing very luxurious clothes outside, but here I stand out from the crowd. What do you think people will think of when they are curious about someone wearing clothes like me?"
The old beggar also sighed.
"A man-eating monster."
Unlike the millions of newly captured people in Tianyuzhou, the indigenous people here have almost lived here for generations. The clothes they wear are very different from those outside. Many of them are even naked, and the coarse linen clothes they wear outside are several levels brighter than those here.
Ji Yuan and the old beggar turned a blind eye to the people's fear. They just looked at the streets they passed by and everything they came into contact with. They also discovered more and more situations that were different from the outside world.
Apart from clothing, there is little etiquette here, and there are no literary classics. Even the shops have no signs? Only the shopkeepers will shout a few words. There is not a book or a word anywhere, and there is almost no currency transaction? But in the barter, some "impractical" stones will be exchanged, and even gold has appeared, but the real hard currency is medicinal materials.
It seems that there is no shortage of food. I guess the monster will still ensure good weather and good harvests here.
After walking through half of the city, Ji Yuan and the old beggar seemed a little tired, so they sat down under an open-air shed. It wasn't a big deal that they sat there, but the grandfather and grandson who were in charge of the shed were scared. But they didn't dare to pretend not to see it, and the pedestrians around them subconsciously walked away from the stall, or simply didn't walk towards this side.
The old man felt his scalp tingling when he looked at Ji Yuan and the old beggar. Even Ji Yuan's feeling that made most people feel close to him was useless. He grabbed his grandson who was playing on the side, lowered his head and whispered to him.
"Hide behind the car. Your parents will come to look for you when it gets dark. Remember to hide here and don't come out. Wait for your parents to come. Woo woo..."
The old man wiped his tears as he spoke, and his grandson tried to help him wipe them, but the old man hugged him. After a while, he stood up, picked up the tray and the teapot, and walked to the table of Ji Yuan and the old beggar. He placed the teapot on the table with slightly trembling hands.
"Two, two gentlemen, please have some tea..."
The old man spoke with trembling in his voice and looked up at him. It was obvious that the other party was very scared. The old beggar frowned and then shook his head.
"Do you think we are here to eat your monster? Well, at your age, according to the rules of this country of humans and animals, it is almost time for you to be 'naturally eliminated'."
The old man's body trembled violently, his face turned pale with fear. Of course, he had his share of joys and sorrows in life over the years, but there was always a death warrant hanging over his heart. To have safely reached this point in his life, his luck could not be considered bad.
Seeing that the old man was so frightened, Ji Yuan couldn't bear to scare him any further, so he comforted him in a gentle voice.
"Don't worry, old man. Mr. Lu and I are not monsters. We are just sitting at your stall to rest today. We are not going to eat you. When we close the stall in the evening, you can take your grandson home by yourself."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. I kowtow to you. I kowtow to you. Thank you, sir!"
As the old man said this, he was about to kneel down, but the old beggar held him up with one hand.
"Hey, Mr. Ji has already said that we are not monsters, so you don't need to kneel down. Just go and make some food."
The old man wiped the sweat from his face, nodded repeatedly, and busily worked on the cart stove, taking out all the meat he could find. He didn't dare let the vegetarian food occupy the majority.
"If you live in deception, you will eventually be awakened by the nightmare one day."
Ji Yuan sighed like this, put aside the teacups and poured tea for the old beggar and himself. After taking a sip, Ji Yuan frowned slightly, but still chose to continue drinking, and the old beggar did the same. However, Ji Yuan did not pour a second cup, and the old beggar also did not want to refill his cup.
"Mr. Ji, when we first met in Yunzhou, I had already traveled all over the world and still lamented that the world was not good. Today, I have learned a lot. If you want to talk about hard times, there are many places that are more miserable than this, but if you want to talk about not being human, there is no place that can compare to this. What do you think will happen when this cave is broken and the people and animals see the light of day again?"
"Naturally, someone will educate them. The people here have been persecuted for hundreds and thousands of years. The deeper the repression, the greater the rebound. Before, those who delivered food to the new country, after seeing Zuo Wuji and his two men kill monsters in succession, weren't they also filled with passion?"
When Ji Yuan was talking to the old beggar, he did not communicate with them through voice transmission, nor did he lower his voice. The old man at the stall was also listening while preparing food. His fear gradually subsided, and when he looked at the two people sitting there, he felt that just looking at them made his heart calm down faster.
Soon, the old man heated and cooked the meat. The best seasonings here are salt and a very small amount of spices. He walked to the table of Ji Yuan and the old beggar with a tray. On the tray were two large basins, one filled with meat and the other with broth and vegetables. A lot of steamed bread-like pasta was also stuffed in the gaps on the tray.
The old beggar looked at the sumptuous food, shook his head and smiled.
"With so many dishes, I didn't expect that you and I would have the chance to benefit from the demon."
Ji Yuan raised his eyebrows and said lightly.
“You have to pay.”
"I am a beggar, so of course I eat Mr. Ji's food."
The old beggar took the chopsticks from the chopstick cage and picked up a large piece of meat to eat without blushing or beating his heart.
Ji Yuan felt a little helpless, so he also picked up the chopsticks and started eating. Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten for a long time, he thought the food tasted okay.
"Old man, have you lived a comfortable life?"
The old beggar chewed a piece of meat and asked the old man with a smile. This question scared the old man again, but his reaction was not as exaggerated as before. He just nodded.
"Having children and grandchildren, I feel quite comfortable..."
"Do you want your children and grandchildren, and your children and grandchildren's children and grandchildren, to continue living like this?"
The old man didn't know how to answer. He looked down at his grandson who was still hiding under the kitchen cart for a long time without saying a word. He had often had nightmares since he was old enough to understand. From childhood to adulthood, his peers had disappeared, his elders had passed away, and he had heard many, many "normal" things. There were some things he never dared to say, but at this moment, after being silent for a long time, he whispered something as if possessed by a ghost.
"This is our fate... What's the point of not wanting it?"
The old beggar knocked on the bowl with his chopsticks.
“Ding~”
"There is still hope."
"If there is no hope, would you want all the people here to go to Yunzhou?"
Ji Yuan smiled at the old beggar, then looked at the old man at the stall.
"Old man, we are not locals. We came here from a very far place. The money we carry may not be suitable for circulation here..."
The old beggar muttered to himself.
"Mr. Ji has gold..."
However, Ji Yuan pretended not to hear and continued in a slow and gentle voice.
"How about this, I'll tell you a story to pay for the meal?"
How could the old man dare to say no? He kept agreeing, and Ji Yuan began to speak.
"Between heaven and earth, all living things are born. Flowers, plants, and trees grow towards the sun. Birds and beasts live in their own habitats. Humans live among them and are the most intelligent creatures in the world..."
Ji Yuan's voice was not loud, but it could be heard from far away. Slowly, more and more people gathered at the old man's stall to listen to Ji Yuan's bizarre stories from outer space.
In the story, people have their own joys, sorrows, anger, and happiness. There are harmony and happiness, as well as natural disasters and man-made disasters. Life has ups and downs, joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, poetry, books, rituals, music, and all walks of life. Not everything is perfect, but it is a colorful world...