In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 233 Ming King?

Seeing the genuine bitterness on Li Qingyun's face, Chen Dao gained a deeper understanding of how difficult it is to be an honest official. On the tables of corrupt officials, if not delicacies, there is at least plenty of meat and fish. On the other hand, Li Qingyun...

They can't even afford meat. It's only because the former magistrate of Ding'an County left behind this mansion that...

Chen Dao even doubted whether Li Qingyun, the county magistrate, could find a place to stay.

"Brother Li remains as noble and virtuous as ever!"

Xu Zhiwen looked at Li Qingyun's face, which was much thinner than before, and sighed inwardly. As the head of a county, Li Qingyun must not lack money if he were willing to ask for it.

Unfortunately... he was a pedantic scholar who was unwilling to use his power to acquire wealth.

Soon, everyone took their seats and began to eat.

Although the meal was simple, none of the people present were well-off; in fact, many had previously lived in poverty, so they ate with great relish.

Seeing everyone wolfing down their food, Li Qingyun felt relieved and slowly picked up a bowl of white rice with scrambled eggs to eat.

Fifteen minutes later, the food on the table was completely devoured, not even a drop of soup was left.

After finishing his meal, Li Qingyun said, "Brother Xu, you must have had a long journey. Would you like to rest for a while?"

"Alright!"

Xu Zhiwen nodded.

Chen Dao then said, "I'm going out for a walk!"

After saying that, Chen Dao got up and led Chen Cheng out of the mansion.

Xu Zhiwen and Zhang He were led by Elder Xiang to their guest rooms to rest.

…………

…………

Walking along the streets of Ding'an County, Chen Dao observed the scenery and people around him and said, "Cheng-ge'er, what do you think are the differences between Ding'an County and Taiping County?"

"I can't tell!"

Chen Cheng scratched his head and answered truthfully.

Because of their proximity, Ding'an County and Taiping County share very similar customs and architectural styles. Walking on the streets of Ding'an County feels almost the same as walking on the streets of Taiping County.

Chen Dao nodded and led Chen Cheng on a more aimless walk.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a commotion came over them. Chen Dao looked up and saw a temple-like building in front of him. In the open space in front of the temple, which resembled a square, a large number of people were gathered!

Judging from their clothing and complexion, Chen Dao could roughly determine that these were ordinary people.

At this moment, the eyes of the people were all focused on the three people at the temple entrance, as if they were expecting something.

"Who is this?"

Chen Dao had excellent eyesight and could clearly see the clothing of the three people at the temple entrance. Their clothes looked somewhat like Taoist robes, but they weren't.

The garment also featured a lotus flower pattern tattooed on the chest, which looked extremely eerie.

Of course, their behavior was even more bizarre than their clothing. The three people in the temple had a basin of water in front of them. They kept taking out folded talismans, soaking them in the water, and then handing them to the expectant people.

"thanks, thanks!"

Every person who received the talisman showed excitement on their face and kowtowed repeatedly to the three people, as if the talisman was an extremely important thing to them.

The person distributing the talismans smiled and nodded, his face filled with piety: "Those who believe in the Wise King will naturally be free from illness and disaster!"

"King Ming?"

Looking at this bizarre scene before him, Chen Dao felt increasingly strange.

He tugged at the sleeve of a commoner next to him and asked curiously, "Brother, what are you doing?"

The man who was being pulled away glanced at Chen Dao and said, "Of course, he's getting medical treatment!"

After saying that, the man coughed a few times, his voice sounding somewhat muffled. Chen Dao guessed that he probably had a cold.

Instead of seeing a doctor for a cold, he came to this temple to collect talismans...

Isn't this going in the opposite direction?

"Why don't you go to a doctor for treatment? Why come here to get talismans instead?"

Chen Dao asked.

"I look down on doctors."

A hint of dejection flashed across the man's face as he said, "The doctor has taken too much money, so I can only come here to beg the Ming King for a talisman."

As he spoke, a hint of piety flashed across the man's face, as if the talisman of the Ming King could cure all diseases.

Chen Dao remained silent.

He had roughly figured out who the three people who distributed the talismans were. If nothing unexpected happened, they should be people of a certain religion, and they worshipped the Ming King.

What they did was similar to what Zhang Jiao did during the Han Dynasty in China: using talismans or talismanic water to cure people's illnesses!

Of course, these talismans cannot cure diseases. Even if people use the talismans, they can only rely on their own physical strength to fight off the disease.

But... in the end, you still have something to hold onto in your heart, don't you?

Most of the people who come here may not actually believe in any enlightened king, but are simply seeking psychological solace.

The most difficult thing to cure in this world is always poverty.

"I'm not talking to you anymore, it's almost my turn to get the talisman!"

The man coughed as he walked forward.

Chen Dao stood there blankly, staring at the people wearing talismans, lost in thought for a long time.

Whether in his past life or this one, Chen Dao has never been interested in religion. Only a fool would believe that there are gods in this world.

However, when he saw people flocking forward to receive talismans, Chen Dao began to have some different thoughts about religion.

The significance of religion is probably to provide a little psychological support for the poor and starving. When people are desperate, they will always place their hopes on an omnipotent god.

Unfortunately……

There are no gods in this world. When people believe in gods, all they get is a little psychological comfort.

And so, Chen Dao stood still, watching the people receive the talismans. Each person's face flashed with excitement as they received the talisman, as if their illnesses would soon be cured, and they kept praising the Ming King.

Gradually, darkness fell, and the people dispersed one after another, leaving the place deserted.

The three people responsible for distributing the talismans also noticed Chen Dao and Chen Cheng's presence.

The leader stepped up to Chen Dao and asked in a warm tone, "Young man, are you also ill?"

"no!"

Chen Dao shook his head and asked curiously, "Can your talismans really cure diseases?"

"Of course!"

The three men's faces showed piety: "This is a talisman bestowed by the Bright King. As long as you sincerely believe in the Bright King, you can cure all diseases and be free from illness and disaster!"

A talisman bestowed by the Ming King?

Chen Dao scoffed inwardly. He didn't even believe in the existence of the Ming King, let alone the talisman bestowed by the Ming King.

As for curing all diseases, from then on, one will be free from illness and disaster...

That's utter nonsense!

If such miraculous effects were truly possible, what need would there be for doctors or healers in this world? Everyone in the Xia Kingdom could simply worship the Ming King and wait for him to bestow talismans upon them!