When they learned from the leader of the Grain Boat Gang that the food he used to feed the demons came from the baby tower, Xue Cheng and Huang Ling looked at each other.
"What is this?"
Seeing the confused expressions on their faces, the leader of the Liangchuan Gang sneered. Knowing that none of these nobles had ever heard of the Baby Tower, he explained it to them in detail.
"Babies in the countryside are different from those from aristocratic families. When they are still in the mother's womb, their mothers lack food and clothing. Many of them will die before they are born. There are also many who are born alive but have no milk or nutrition afterwards.
They will also die, and the number of deaths is still quite large..."
"...If a baby who is too young dies, it cannot be included in the family tree, nor can it be buried. The rule in the countryside is to put them in a baby tower..."
"... Of course, many times, even if the babies are healthy, due to disasters and lack of land, many live babies will be put into baby towers. In the early years, such things were rare, but in recent years, it has become the norm..."
When saying these words, the leader of the Grain Ship Gang spoke with great irony.
As the leader of the Grain Boat Gang, he certainly knows the reason why all this happened. The land in the countryside is getting less and less.
Only the poorest fields, which are difficult to grow crops, are not occupied by people. Nine out of ten of the remaining fields are in the hands of wealthy families. Most people in the countryside can no longer live happily.
Therefore, many live babies were thrown into the baby tower, and they were picked up by him to feed the demon and ensure that his waterways were smooth.
The clerk next to him who was responsible for recording was writing furiously. Huang Ling listened and first signaled the clerk responsible for recording not to write, and then silently pulled Xue Cheng to the back.
"You can't write this."
"What?"
"You can't write about the baby tower."
Huang Ling handles cases in Liumen all the year round, often interacts with county government officials, and is more familiar with many rules in officialdom, so Xue Cheng is also willing to listen to what he has to say.
"how?"
"This will affect the gentleman's face."
"What?"
Xue Cheng was surprised and frowned, not quite understanding.
"Everything has happened, why can't we just retaliate?"
"In the world of demons and monsters, the superiors attach the greatest importance to investigations. If we conceal it and don't report it, big problems may arise. And only when this matter is reported can we correct it, right?"
Xue Cheng was quite serious, but Huang Ling sighed after hearing this. He often handles cases at Liumen and knows official documents best. Incidents like this baby tower hurt the hearts of the gentlemen the most.
After all, gentlemen cannot see the suffering of the world. If this is reported, they will not have much impact, but it will not look good on the official side.
"You can make another memorial privately and discuss it with the county government. The public report should focus more on the grain boat gang smuggling victims and raising monsters. As for the baby tower, you can mention a few words, but it should not be the focus..."
"...Why is this so? Under the rule of Mr. Guan, such things as abandoning wives and children, which are contrary to ethics, are not good-looking for anyone..."
Huang Ling explained in detail. Although Xue Cheng was puzzled, he nodded in agreement and said solemnly: "Such a major matter that violates human ethics still needs to be rectified. I will donate twenty taels of silver afterwards, hoping that something can be done."
What’s changed…”
After hearing this, Huang Ling just sighed, praised Xue Cheng's righteousness, and took out more than ten taels of silver himself.
But he knew that no matter how much money he gave to these rural residents, it would be useless.
They have no ability to make a living, and their fields are all occupied. The two silver coins allow them to respite for a few years before they will still fall into the original reincarnation.
As for taking action against the local landowning family, Huang Ling did not dare to do so. The same was true for his family itself.
I feel unwilling to accept it, but how can I change it?
This has been the case for thousands of years, so what's the use of changing it?
…
"I didn't expect that this young master actually has compassion..."
Wang Mazi sighed inwardly, took a hundred taels of silver notes and went to Yahang to buy hundreds of acres of farmland.
Originally, there were very few real estate transactions, but a number of high-level figures in the Grain Ship Gang were all imprisoned, leaving a large amount of land available for retention.
The best and most elite ones were taken away by tycoons such as Wang and Li, while the second-rate ones that remained were divided among new gang members and even those from the Qing Gang.
Only the most inferior corners of the land are left, and low-quality fields that are not very fertile are left, so they are very cheap.
Now that he is the leader of a new gang, Wang Mazi does not need to do these things personally. He ordered two of his confidants to investigate the baby towers around Jianyi.
Collect the live babies there, find their parents, and let them farm on their newly purchased property.
Hundreds of acres of farmland are not enough to support too many people, but Wang Mazi exempted them from relevant taxes. As long as there are no major natural or man-made disasters, this group of people can still survive.
As the leader of the new gang, Wang Mazi is not short of money. He himself has risen from the ranks of these low-class people, so he is more organized in doing things and knows that money cannot solve problems.
Only by giving them land can these people truly become good people and survive here.
Without land, this group of people cannot survive.
"I just hope this young master can maintain his compassion for a few more years."
Wang Mazi also saw the baby Wang Mazi in the baby tower. He had a miserable life before, but the corpses of ungrown babies everywhere in the baby tower still shocked him greatly.
When he thought about the Liangchuan Gang leader's house being ransacked, his more than ten wives and concubines, and the tens of thousands of acres of property under his name, he became a little depressed again.
"What can I do in this world? I can help everyone."
…
Zhang Mingtu was sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, a blood-stained Dragon and Tiger Waidan appeared in front of him.
In the past, the Dragon and Tiger Waidan was silver-white and transparent, but today the inside was filled with blood.
And it also fluctuates from time to time, which is not much different from Zhang Mingtu’s breathing and heartbeat rhythm.
It was the essence and blood of the demons in the True Yuan Realm that had been swallowed up, and it also contained the essence and blood of thirteen demons in the True Yuan Realm.
These essences and blood are top treasures for everyone. Aristocratic families, six gates, and Jin Yiwei will all collect them.
Demon blood contains extremely abundant energy. After corresponding guidance and refining, combined with suitable herbs, top-notch tonics can be produced, which can greatly improve people's progress in marrow cleansing and blood exchange.
Zhang Mingtu knows quite a few prescriptions and refining methods, but with the Dragon and Tiger Waidan, these are not needed.
At this moment, inside the Longhu Waidan, the chaotic essence and blood showed the appearance of fourteen demons, which were the violent mental thoughts of the demons in the essence and blood.
The reason why it needs to be refined before it can be taken is because these violent thoughts will affect people's spirit.
Taking it without refining will make people demonized, their spirit will be mixed with animalistic nature, their aura will be chaotic, and it will be difficult to break through to a higher level.
But Zhang Mingtu had the dragon and tiger elixir, and among the dragons and tigers roaring, the fourteen demons were divided into two teams. Some joined the dragon gods, and some joined the tiger demons.
The two fight each other and kill each other without mercy.
In the middle of the battle, as soon as Zhang Mingtu saw which side was at a disadvantage, he took the initiative to replenish the energy in his body.
During the fierce fight between the two, all the energy that was not pure enough was refined and destroyed. The fourteen demons also became one in the process. The blood could not see clear layers and gradually turned into a bright red ball.
Blood elixir.
The Dragon and Tiger Waidan itself is a top alchemy furnace.