madnovel Chapter 594 Hell on Earth
Chapter 594 Hell on Earth
Chapter 594 Hell on Earth
"Is that the holy mountain and holy city they spoke of?"
Qingwan stood on a hill, gazing at the distant land.
A much taller snow-capped mountain appeared before us, and a city could be vaguely seen at its foot.
Qingwan took out another object and looked into the distance. She could see a golden Buddha statue shining brightly on the mountain, which she estimated to be over a hundred feet tall.
"There really is such a golden Buddha statue. I wonder if it's really made entirely of gold..."
Along the way, they heard a lot about the Great Buddha Temple.
Legend has it that the hundred-foot-tall golden Buddha statue is made entirely of gold. Every year, people contribute a lot of gold to cast the Buddha statue. It is a Buddha statue created by the devout faith of thousands of people, which can protect the peace of this area, protect it from natural disasters and calamities, and keep it away from worldly suffering.
However, during their journey, Lu Zheng and his companions witnessed all the suffering of humankind.
They passed through many small towns and villages, places where there were few ordinary people, but mostly various kinds of slaves who depended on the local nobles and landowners for survival.
Those slaves, on the other hand, had to serve their masters for their entire lives, enduring beatings and killings at will, never finding peace.
It is said that those people were enslaved to atone for their sins, and that they were destined to be born as lowly people.
Even the Buddhist monks here preach this, arbitrarily manipulating those at the very bottom of society.
Some people lost their hands or feet for making mistakes, while others were even tortured to death.
Outside some villages and towns along the way, one can see mummies or skins, all of which were cruel punishments inflicted on the lower classes by their superiors, leaving the corpses to be displayed as a warning to others.
There were also nobles and landowners, and even items from people's bodies were made into playthings or low-level magical artifacts.
Sometimes, when people's hearts turn evil, even demons and ghosts are afraid of them.
The level of civilization in this harsh and cold land is not even comparable to that of the barbarian tribes that Lu Zheng and his companions had seen.
Even though Qingwan had followed Lu Zheng to so many places, she was still shocked by how terrible this place was, like a living hell.
People with status and position here seem inhuman, and their actions are repulsive.
What Qingwan found even more abhorrent was the person who had caused this place to become such a hellish place.
And such people may exist in the holy city.
Lu Zheng and his two companions continued north, heading straight towards the Great Snow Mountain.
Passing by a village, I saw a group of people gathered outside the village.
Their gazes were fixed on a large tree.
A thin, dark-skinned boy was hanging from the tree, barely breathing, already in a coma.
The boy's right arm was swollen and blackened, with an unnatural twist, and his body was covered with fresh wounds from being whipped with thorns.
Bloodstains crisscrossed his emaciated body, a horrifying sight.
The onlookers all wore expressions of appreciation, as if they were watching a play and finding it amusing, without a trace of pity.
How could people of such status feel pity for these lowly slaves, who are even less than livestock?
A cold wind blew, and the boy's body swayed in the wind without making a sound.
Someone stroked their chin and couldn't help but say, "Did he hang himself?"
A plump middle-aged man said leisurely, "Don't worry, I'm watching. He won't die. He's so rebellious; he deserves to suffer!"
The middle-aged man beckoned to two attendants to lower the boy down from the tree and forcibly pried open his mouth to feed him some vegetable porridge and medicine.
Seeing that the boy had regained some vitality, the middle-aged man had him hung up and exposed to the wind.
Qingwan couldn't stand it any longer and quickly stepped forward to stop them, shouting, "What are you doing!"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads and their expressions changed upon seeing the three approaching individuals. Some revealed a greedy look in their eyes, but quickly concealed it.
Judging from the fact that Lu Zheng and the other two were not dressed in luxurious clothes, but their fair and handsome faces, as well as the aura they exuded, everyone thought that the three of them were high-ranking nobles.
Seeing the slightly stunned and scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Qingwan asked again, "What mistake did he make? Why are you punishing him like this?"
This was the first time they had ever seen a living person being tortured in public.
A young man dressed in exquisite fur clothing, his eyes gleaming, quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Qing Wan, "Miss, I am Kang Wang, the second son of the Kang family of Holy City..."
“This lowly servant offended the Buddha by defiling the altar and stealing offerings at the temple… Although the merciful Bodhisattva spared his life, he still deserves punishment. So he must be properly punished.”
Not long after the boy returned to his residence, news of what he had done at the temple reached his master's household.
Upon hearing this, the master of the house was shocked and furious, and immediately ordered a punishment for Tu.
However, upon learning that the merciful Bodhisattva had appeared and pardoned his sins, the master of the house could not bring himself to kill Tu.
Death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be avoided.
The master ordered his steward to handle the matter, insisting that the young boy suffer as much torture as possible.
Kangwang had come from the holy city to watch the play after hearing about it, and he described it vividly there.
Someone spoke up: "It's only because of the Bodhisattva's mercy that this lowly servant committed such a heinous act; otherwise, he should have been skinned alive..."
Qingwan frowned as she listened, growing increasingly disgusted by the expressions of the onlookers.
If one were a true Bodhisattva, one would certainly bestow offerings upon the poor and needy, rather than punishing a young boy and condemning him to a lifetime of silence.
The three Bodhisattvas on that sacred mountain were probably just three fake Bodhisattvas.
Lu Zheng remained silent and strode toward the boy lying on the ground.
When the others saw Lu Zheng approaching, it seemed as if there was some kind of aura emanating from him that made them feel uneasy, and they couldn't help but step back.
Lu Zheng approached the boy, squatted down, and placed one hand on the boy's emaciated chest.
A teenager with multiple fractures in his limbs and ribs, and countless old and new injuries both inside and outside his body.
A person's vitality is like a candle flickering in a storm, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
One of the people next to him said, "Oh dear, this lowly slave's body is filthy. Sir, please don't get your hands dirty."
Lu Zheng remained calm and said softly, "If the body is dirty, a wash will do. But if the heart is dirty, it's much harder to wash."
The crowd fell silent upon hearing this, feeling somewhat uneasy. They sensed that Lu Zheng was implying something, as if he were scolding them, but it didn't seem like he was.
Lu Zheng infused the boy with a surge of righteous energy, alleviating his injuries.
Lu Zheng looked at the middle-aged man and said, "This boy is fortunate to have been forgiven by the Bodhisattva. I want him."
After saying that, Lu Zheng took out a piece of silver and handed it to the middle-aged manager.
The middle-aged manager paused, a look of hesitation on his face, "This..."
Seeing that Lu Zheng had an extraordinary bearing, he knew he must be a person of noble status and dared not refuse him.
But this boy was too special, so he couldn't release him immediately.
The steward couldn't help but say, "Young master, I cannot make this decision myself; I must report it to the master."
Just then, a burly monk strode over, his face solemn and dignified, and said in a loud voice, "He cannot leave!"
(End of this chapter)