Divine & Bizarre: Increasing Points to Invincibility-Chapter 941 - 250: Blood Gu Sect Emerges! Sudden Turmoil!_2

Mere population density alone might not represent the true strength of a dynasty. However, once a dynasty not only boasts a dense population but also has very prosperous commerce and considerable military power, and when the number of cultivators is also substantial... such a dynasty, if not a great power, then what other dynasty would dare to call itself a great nation?

"Fortunately, there is a vast strait and the Great Yan Dynasty separating the Shangwu Dynasty from the Great Zhou Dynasty. Otherwise, with such a strong neighbor nearby, wouldn’t everyone in the dynasty, from top to bottom, be unable to sleep in peace?" Yun Jiuqing mumbled to herself, murmuring especially about those government officers and members of the royal family.

"I, however, feel that it’s actually hard to say," Xing Fengzi suddenly interjected. "If the Great Zhou Dynasty is willing to pay tribute to the Shangwu Dynasty, there shouldn’t be any problems, right? The Shangwu Dynasty... should give some protection to the dynasties that pay tribute, right? They couldn’t possibly just take the silver and do nothing, could they?"

"Indeed, they would offer a certain level of protection," Bai Sheng replied with a smile. "However, Taoist Priest, don’t underestimate these national affairs. Everything comes with a price, especially the disputes of interests between two dynasties. The Shangwu Dynasty indeed protects the dynasties that pay tribute. The cost is that the military forces of the Shangwu Dynasty must be allowed to be stationed within the other dynasty."

"Although I am a person from the Shangwu Dynasty, I must say... any sensible Emperor would not want the troops of another dynasty stationed in their own, right? If a dynasty has the garrisoned troops of another within it, then what is the surname of that dynasty? And what if those foreign troops suddenly turn hostile?"

When Bai Sheng uttered these words, his tone was relatively neutral and objective: "It’s like, if your Taoist Temple were visited by a group of monks, and the temple to which these monks belong is much more powerful than yours. They station themselves within your Taoist Temple, and their every word and action could even affect your incense guests."

Bai Sheng posed a critical question: "So, Taoist Priest, in your eyes, are these monks good or bad? What if they openly promote Buddhist Law within your Temple? Or if they even slander the gods of your Daoist Sect? And what if they brazenly bully men and women within your Temple?"

"Uh..." Xing Fengzi did not know what to say, as his imagination painted such a picture that made his fists clench. Even as a Taoist who is usually detached from worldly desires and adopts a non-contentious demeanor, he still had several bottom lines in his heart.

For example, he would not accept a bunch of monks showing up in his Di Zu Guan. If one day such a group of monks appeared in Di Zu Guan, he, a Taoist Priest who normally harbored no contention, might very well become murderous! Hence, Xing Fengzi came to a realization, he understood.

"I have been educated!" Xing Fengzi bowed earnestly to Bai Sheng in a Daoist gesture of deep respect. He could not help but admire that indeed, as the scion of the Commerce Dynasty, just a few short sentences could lead to some enlightenment. They also made him, a Taoist Priest barely exposed to the secular world, aware of certain truths.

"Taoist Priest, it’s normal for you not to know these things with your lack of worldly experience," Bai Sheng said with a smile. "If you wander in this secular world for a few more years, you will understand many principles. In my youth, I too was like you, but then I spent several years traveling through the Shangwu Dynasty."

"During that time, I saw the brevity of human sorrow, experienced human joy, and witnessed human grief. A multitude of firsthand experiences became intertwined, sometimes even directly involving me. In just a few short years, such exposure can transform a person with little worldly experience into someone far more grown."

"Tsk... You scions of major families, in the way you do things and the words you say, are so skilled," Yan Dalong, who was walking ahead, chimed in without turning back: "It’s obvious that this young Taoist Priest Xing Fengzi is just inexperienced. When he grows up, he’ll understand!"

Yan Dalong was straightforward in speech, and the reality was indeed as he said. After all... Xing Fengzi was not even eighteen years old yet; he was only sixteen or seventeen. Plus, having stayed within the Taoist Temple and never having left the mountain before, his thoughts sometimes tended toward the naïve.

While the group was walking and chatting along the way, suddenly, there seemed to be a strange commotion up ahead. It sounded like there were people banging gongs and drums, the sound of horseshoes clattering on cobblestones, and even the creak of wooden cartwheels rolling.

Of course, the sound of those wooden cartwheels had nothing to do with the Destiny Coffin. Because the Destiny Coffin was behind Fan Wu and his companions, while those sounds were coming from ahead. Some of the commoners on the road seemed to have seen something too, as they all hurried to the sides of the road to make way.

When the commoners had cleared away sufficiently, it was possible to see ahead that officers of the government were escorting several prison carts coming in this direction. It was distinctly visible that each cart held two or three prisoners, summing up to at least seven or eight individuals in these carts.