I survive in the weird Liaozhai

"Master, what is the world like down there? Can you tell us about it?"

That year, Gu Nian'an was nine years old and Gu Caixi was seven years old.

Two little kids, who were just over one meter tall, sat on small stools and looked expectantly at Taoist Master Qi Yuan, who was leisurely basking in the sun.

Yes, that’s right. Their master’s Taoist name is Qi Yuan. We have no idea what his secular name is. We only know that his surname is Gu. Later, after he received the fortune, his Taoist name was Qi Yuan, or Qi Yuanzi.

The master is a very talented person. He has some knowledge of medicine, astrology, feng shui, and physiognomy.

According to him, the more skills one has, the more chances of survival he has.

Taoist Qi Yuan smiled and moved the small stool under his buttocks to a new position, sat opposite the two little rascals, and then slowly spoke.

"When I was young, I also wandered around the world for a while, so I know a thing or two about the trivial matters in this world."

Then let me start with our current country. The dynasty we are in now is called Daqian.

The country has been established for about 372 years. The current country name is Dingwu, and Dingwu 27 years means that the current emperor has been in power for 27 years.

King Song Tianchen, what have you done? ... It's OK, at least the people can still live.

Daqian is divided into nine states, eighteen circuits and seventy-two counties. Our Xiaoqingfeng is located in Anyang County, Jiannan Circuit, Qingzhou.

As for the divisions under the county, there are counties and villages, which is more complicated to explain.

Some counties had jurisdiction over a dozen or so, and some had as many as seventeen or eighteen. The imperial court did not have much control over this.

However, the Daqian court had clear regulations that the population of a county could not be less than one million. If the population was too small, the county magistrate would be punished and might even be dismissed from office and imprisoned.

……? ? ? Gu Nian’an, Master, are you serious?

There are 10 counties in provinces of Jiuzhou. Even if each county has only counties and each county has a population of only one million, how many people are there in Daqian? It's over billion.

Gu Nian'an remembered that the most populous time in ancient China in his previous life was probably during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, with a population of about 4.1 million.

But at the end of the Qing Dynasty, basic industry and agriculture were relatively mature, but even so, it was still a bit difficult to feed 4 million people.

It is a mystery how a feudal society with no industry and relatively backward agriculture could feed a population of over 10 billion.

Taoist Qi Yuan was very happy to see that the two little guys were listening attentively, and subconsciously reached out and touched their noses.

When it comes to teaching his apprentices, he - Qi Yuan - is serious.

After taking a breath, Taoist Qi Yuan continued his story.

"On this continent, Daqian is not the only powerful empire."

"There are barbarians in the northern wilderness, there are pancreatic people in the South Sea, and even in the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the southwest there are many foreign savages.

The world is so vast, no one knows how many unknown races there are in it."

Suddenly, Taoist Qi Yuan felt that he had gone too far and quickly retracted his thoughts.

"Actually, telling you all this is just adding some unnecessary knowledge."

"After all, most ordinary people can only live on their own small piece of land for their entire lives."

"Then let me tell you about our Yuntai Village."

"Our Yuntai Village is located at the northernmost part of the entire Langhuan County. About 200 miles north along the official road, we are out of the territory of Langhuan County."

"That place is under the jurisdiction of Guobei County. Guobei County is much more prosperous than Langhuan."

"But relatively speaking, there are more martial artists in Guobei County, and the security environment is not very good."

Ugh!

Wait... did you hear some strange name just now?

Gu Nian'an didn't care about being rude and quickly interrupted the Taoist Qi Yuan who was talking nonstop.

"Master, what was the name of the county you just mentioned that is two hundred miles north of us?!?"

"Guobei County! What's wrong? Is there anything wrong?"

Taoist master Qi Yuan looked at his disciple with some confusion.

"Master, have you ever heard of a famous temple in Guobei County called Lanruo Temple?"

To be honest, Gu Nian'an is a little nervous now, and his voice seems to be trembling.

"Ugh!"

"How do you know about Lanruo Temple? A hundred years ago, that place was quite prosperous. But I don't know what happened later, and it has been abandoned for decades."

"Also, there have been some bad rumors about Lanruo Temple in recent years, and not many people know about it. Where did you hear about it?"

………Where did he hear it from? Can he say that he heard it from a story called “A Chinese Ghost Story”?

His expression was dull at the time, as if he was shocked and dumbfounded.

Oh my god!!! I might not have traveled through time, I might have traveled through a book. I might have traveled to the world of A Chinese Ghost Story.

No, this is not the worst "A Chinese Ghost Story". It is just a small story in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" that is more well-known.

If this world is real, the worldview is complete.

It is more likely that he has traveled to the world of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio".

………! ! ! Gu Nian’an’s entire body was about to break apart at that time.

What is "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio"? It is the earliest collection of ghost stories in China. All kinds of ghosts and monsters are trying to get out in various ways, and there is no one in charge among the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

This is such a fucked up world.

Let me give you two examples. First, there is the tree demon in Lanruo Temple who was so arrogant that she used the temple as her lair and ate people in front of the Buddha every day. She lived happily for many years, but in the end, only Yan Chixia, who accidentally inherited some immortal ways, foolishly killed her (him) with a big sword in his hand and risked his life.

Then, then there is the tree demon grandma’s backer, the Black Mountain Old Demon, who is so powerful that he even occupied the City of the Dead in the underworld.

What is the City of Wrongful Death? It is an underworld city created by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to accommodate the souls of those who died unjustly.

Its nature is similar to that of a prison in the mortal world where criminals are detained. It is a place full of evil spirits and ghosts.

To be honest, if it weren’t for Yan Chixia, Ning Caichen would have the halo of the protagonist, and the grass on his grave would probably be three feet high.

The last one is Pudu Cihang, an old monster who is obsessed with turning into a dragon and doing business. If it weren’t for the moon being eaten by the heavenly dog ​​and if he hadn’t eaten something he shouldn’t have, the protagonist group might have been wiped out.

………So, to sum up, this world is too dangerous, and he wants to go home if possible.

He can be a corporate slave working 996 hours a day, and if that doesn't work, he can just change the world, at least to a world that is a little friendlier to humans. Gu Nian'an is actually not picky.