I Don't Want to Get Hurt, So I'll Max Out My Defense-Chapter 967 - 968: The Baby and the Little Girl
Chapter 967: Chapter 968: The Baby and the Little Girl
On the following morning, Li Xiaobai arrived in the Western Desert.
It was still a stretch of barren yellow earth, creating a desolate scene. Many temples within view had turned to ruins.
Clearly, the Western Desert had suffered greatly before the arrival of Master Tianxuan. Compared to the borderlands and the Northern Region, this place truly bore the scars of war, looking like the aftermath of conflict.
He took out today’s edition of the Immortal Spirit Daily.
At his request, Elder Tianji did not conduct any sales transactions with today’s Immortal Spirit Daily, distributing all copies for free instead. He sent birds and beasts to drop the newspapers from the sky, ensuring that the cultivators in every city could see them.
Li Xiaobai unfolded the newspaper, perusing the headlines on the front page.
...
“Cultivator Li Xiaobai from the Immortal Spirit Continent responds to the Hundred Flowers Sect underwear incident, ‘Rather than the color, isn’t it more important to ask if I wore any at all?'”
“Famed cultivator Li Xiaobai calls out the Blood Demon Sect, ‘I’m not targeting anyone in particular, but I just want to say that everyone present is trash!'”
“Pride of the Immortal Spirit Continent Li Xiaobai to the Heavenly God Sect in the Holy City: Your poisons from the Five Poison Cult can’t kill me, come fight if you disagree!”
“Shocking! The Heavenly God Sect’s fortunes are waning, rumoured to be overturned and eradicated by Li Xiaobai within three days!”
“Spiritual leader Li Xiaobai will soon arrive on the battlefield—be prepared!”
“…Is this the distortion of human nature or the degeneration of morality!”
The headlines on the newspaper were all bold and marked in red, extremely striking. Li Xiaobai nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the headliners of each major section. He wanted to provoke the major sects and max out their hatred towards him.
He wanted the experts of these sect forces to gather together, making it convenient for him to take them out in one fell swoop, saving him the effort of searching door-to-door.
Within the Western Desert, led by the Thousand Buddha Kingdom, many temples congregated here, as well as the homes of ordinary civilians.
However, the current state of the Thousand Buddha Kingdom was just as dilapidated, not much better than the temples on the desolate plains.
Walking along the official road, Li Xiaobai passed by the Golden Light Temple where Monk Liaowang had once been interrogated about his state of mind. The temple had already collapsed into a ruin filled with dust, and the high platform in front of the door was also torn with huge crisscrossing chasms, marked by the scars of war.
On both sides of the road were civilians with no homes to return to; their temples destroyed, they had nowhere to go. Every now and then, one could see many exhausted cultivators sitting by the roadside resting. The street had become their last refuge.
“Fellow Daoist, I’m from Central Province. What happened in the Western Desert? Why has it turned into such a wasteland?”
Li Xiaobai asked a young man beside the road.
“What else could it be? It’s all the doing of those monks from the Central Origin Realm!”
“Some Buddhist monks were dissatisfied with their actions and defied them, only to be branded as ‘demonic heretics’ and attacked. In the end, the monks were suppressed, and the Thousand Buddha Kingdom was destroyed. That’s why they say that foreign monks chant the scriptures well. They came here claiming to be the true Buddhist Sect, intending to lead the Western Desert to prosperity.”
The youth spoke with a shadow in his eyes, his resentment apparent.
“Prosperity? I haven’t seen any. I just saw my home get split in two by their palm strikes, and now I don’t even have a place to stay, waiting for Master Xuan Bei to distribute some relief money!”
A middle-aged man by the young one’s side added.
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“I notice several temples within the Thousand Buddha Kingdom still intact. Why don’t they take in the civilians?”
Li Xiaobai continued to inquire, as Master Tianxuan and his monks from the Central Origin Realm didn’t seem to care about the lives of the common people, but Masters Xuan Bei and Xuan Ku should be willing to lend a hand.
“The remaining few temples are not large enough to accommodate so many cultivators. Damo Institute, the largest one, has been occupied by those foreign monks, who do not allow outsiders to enter. Hence, we have to set up temporary resting spots by the roadside. After all, we have lived in the Western Desert for many years. Even if there’s only a slim chance, we don’t want to leave our homeland.”
The middle-aged man continued, his words filled with bitterness.
“Then have Masters Xuan Ku and Xuan Bei done anything?”
Li Xiaobai asked further.
“Indeed. I am here in search of an elder of the Heavenly God Sect. Do any of you know of their whereabouts?” Li Xiaobai inquired.
“Turns out it’s another one trying to pull connections, didn’t know, didn’t know, scram now!”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the middle-aged man’s brows raised in anger, and he began to rudely shoo people away. The cultivators around him also started to look on with unwelcome gazes. Their current sentiment towards cultivators from Central Origin Realm could not be any worse, bordering on enmity.
In their eyes, this youth looking for an Elder of the Heavenly God Sect must surely be a degenerate from Central Origin Realm.
“Hmph, the old saying really is true, calamity reveals true feelings. Lately, the number of young people switching sides at the last minute is on the rise, completely disgracing the name of our ancestors!”
“Exactly, if I had such descendants, I’d probably be so mad my grave would be billowing smoke and the coffin lid would be thrown off!”
The cultivators sneered and mocked. Li Xiaobai touched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed. The backbone of these cultivators was still intact, each one of them resolute and determined.
In fact, if Master Tianxuan were to hold a sermon just once, or recite the Six Syllable Mantra, it wouldn’t be a problem to convert all the cultivators and common folk of the Thousand Buddha Kingdom. But looking at the current situation, it seemed likely that the masters from Central Origin Realm looked down on the Barbaric Lands, even disdaining to convert them.
Little did they know that a dam a thousand miles long may collapse because of an ant hole. The more they looked down upon others, the easier it was to fall into their hands.
Continuing along the imperial road, Li Xiaobai switched locations to continue gathering information about the situation in the Western Desert.
Along the way, there were many scenes of monks providing relief to the common folk, all local monks from the Thousand Buddha Kingdom, sharing congee and steamed buns, which for the starving people, was already exceptional in terms of filling their stomachs.
“Amitabha, good patrons, my temple is about to run out of provisions too. The spirit stones have all been handed over to the masters from Central Origin Realm, to say that our temples are as poor as they can be is no overstatement,” the monks said with hands clasped together, their expressions showing their helplessness. They, being cultivators, had long since practiced abstaining from food and did not need to eat. The lack of spirit stones merely delayed their progression in cultivation.
But it was different for these commoners. Most of them had no cultivation level, and even if some did, they were only at the introductory realms like Qi Cultivation Stage or Foundation Establishment Stage. Without food, they simply couldn’t survive.
“The world is getting harder by the day. It’s already the epitome of kindness for the master to share some food with us. From now on, you don’t have to worry about us anymore; we will find our own way,” the commoners said.
“Gurgle gurgle gurgle!”
A succession of rolling sounds from wheels suddenly came from behind.
Li Xiaobai turned around to see a surprising sight—a young girl carrying a heavy load.
This girl appeared to be around ten years old, shouldering a bundle of hemp ropes and dragging a wooden board behind her. The board was filled with various jars and bottles, but what astonished him the most was that, at the center of the board, there was an iron bucket, in which sat a little toddler!
The baby’s mouth still bore traces of milk, looking here and there, curious big black eyes twinkling.
“Miss, is this child yours?”
Seeing this odd pair passing by, Li Xiaobai couldn’t help but ask.
“This is my younger brother.”
The girl kept walking, pulling the baby along as she passed by Li Xiaobai, speaking indifferently.
“Where are your elders?”
Li Xiaobai followed the young girl’s pace.
“My mother is waiting up ahead for me; thank you for your concern, elder,” the girl said softly, picking up her pace and pulling the baby away from Li Xiaobai.
Hiss!
This combo is quite interesting!
Li Xiaobai watched the two figures, one large, one small, growing distant, and appreciation flashed in his eyes. The little girl was quite alert; it was unfortunate she was born in such turbulent times.
“Never mind, I should focus on the task at hand. If I can sort out this area, that girl and the baby will have a place to settle down.”
