Throughout history, people like those in villages have always had to survive in the cracks.
The Principle of the jungle: survival of the fittest.
Sects, aristocratic Aristocratic Clan, and dynasties often treat ordinary people as worthless.
If nothing happens on a normal day, they won't pay any attention to you. If they're in a good mood, they might smile at you or give you something that could set them on the path of cultivation... but for cultivators, these are things they look down on.
If he's in a bad mood, he can kill these ordinary people without hesitation to vent his anger, even if it's not their fault.
For these people, the lives of ordinary people are of no concern whatsoever.
Just like it is now.
They sent these villagers to be human bombs, sparing even unarmed women and children.
Ning Chenxin's appearance undoubtedly reassured these villagers.
Upon hearing this, the ten armored cavalrymen all turned their astonished gazes toward Ning Chenxin.
"Who are you? How dare you interfere in the affairs of our dynasty?!"
Ning Chenxin said calmly, "Who I am is not important. I've come here as a wanderer, and the villagers have given me food and drink and treated me warmly, so I can't just ignore them."
"Ha, you think you can?" The armored man at the head of the group sneered coldly, saying, "With their mortal bodies, if they can delay the enemy for a while and buy our country a chance to defend itself, that would be an immense honor for them!"
Ning Chenxin frowned; it was this attitude of treating human life as worthless that made him very uncomfortable.
The key point is that this happens almost everywhere.
Behind him, another soldier shrugged and sneered, "It's just that this is all they're good for."
Hearing this, the villagers could only clench their fists in anger, unable to utter a word...
Ning Chenxin raised her head and looked at the ten soldiers, a trace of sorrow appearing in her eyes. "Does lack of strength mean they are not human beings? They simply lack the means to access these things, but they work every day, without stealing, robbing, killing, or looting, content with their lot and finding joy in doing their duty. And you look down on and even despise such people?"
The ten soldiers were all taken aback upon hearing this.
I didn't feel guilty because of Ning Chenxin's words, nor did I have a change of heart.
He was simply astonished and incredulous at Ning Chenxin's words.
Such thoughts have never crossed their minds, nor have they ever considered them.
They simply believed that these villagers lacked power, and since they lived within their borders, they had to contribute to them, even at the cost of their lives.
This would not cause any loss to their dynasty, and it would also delay the enemy for some time, causing them to lose some of their fighting strength.
Why wouldn't you do a business that's guaranteed to make a profit?
That's right... In this situation, the lives of ordinary people certainly wouldn't be counted as losses.
After the initial shock...
The soldiers behind him snorted, "He's a real madman! Don't bother talking to him, just kill him!"
After saying that.
This person was the first to leap off his horse and charge towards Ning Chenxin!
"Careful!"
Upon seeing this, the villagers' pupils constricted slightly, and they couldn't help but offer a reminder.
Ning Chenxin sighed softly, took a book from the basket behind his back, opened it, and uttered a soft command, "Suppress."
A single, soft word.
The space around that soldier began to distort wildly.
At the same time, the soldiers' forward momentum suddenly stopped, and then they plummeted downwards, their entire bodies crashing heavily onto the ground with a loud bang!
As if the sky had fallen, the soldiers' faces were pressed firmly to the ground, appearing somewhat distorted.
Seeing that this seemingly harmless, refined scholar had rendered him powerless to fight back with just a single word.
The other soldiers were also taken aback.
Seeing this, another soldier telepathically asked the leader, "Commander, shall we attack together?"
The commander shook his head, his expression grave beneath his helmet, and said, "He's no match for me... I can't gauge his strength."
The soldiers were all taken aback!
The commander took a deep breath, spurred his horse forward a few steps, and looked at Ning Chenxin, "No matter who you are, this is a matter for our dynasty. Your intervention seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?"
Ning Chenxin slightly and looked at the commander, saying, "I can't just stand by and watch them go to their deaths."
The commander frowned and said, "Since you value human life so much, then what about the people in the city behind this village?"
The commander continued, "The city in the rear is a crucial defensive hub for our dynasty. If this city falls, it means that cities within a radius of tens of thousands of miles will suffer! Aren't the lives of these tens of millions of people worthless?"
Ning Chenxin frowned and said, "Do you really think that all these villagers' sacrifices can change the situation?"
"It's truly beyond saving." The commander shook his head. "But their sacrifice is enough to allow our troops to return to defend, so at least we won't be breached."
"It is more likely that their sacrifice will save the city and spare tens of millions of people from disaster."
The commander stared intently at Ning Chenxin, took a few steps forward, and pressed on, saying, "If you value human life so much, then it should be obvious which is more important, these dozens of powerless villagers or the tens of millions of lives in our dynasty."
Upon hearing this...
Ning Chenxin gave a bitter smile to herself.
Although such things are not entirely unforeseen.
Even his master had spoken to him about something similar, asking him how he would have handled it back then.
Ning Chenxin was very conflicted at that time, and her final answer was to improve her own strength, so that she could have the best of both worlds.
However, when she actually encountered such a situation, Ning Chenxin still couldn't help but feel conflicted.
As the commander said.
Logically speaking
The lives of tens of millions are far more important than the lives of a few dozen.
But...
Can human lives be compared?
Whose life isn't a life?
But what if this very reason leads to the fall of the enemy city and the loss of tens of millions of lives?
Ning Chenxin recalled what her master had said.
This kind of thing is unavoidable and cannot be eradicated; it appears in every world at all times.
If you want to resolve this, you can only rely on suppression by force...
Although he still pursues strength in essence, just like everyone else, there is nothing shameful about it. Without the deterrent effect of strength, mere persuasion is futile.
Thinking about this...
Ning Chenxin looked up at the commander and said, "I'll help you defend the city."
The commander was taken aback.
Obviously, they didn't expect to get such an answer.
But...
After these words were spoken...
Ning Chenxin's figure was forcibly dragged into the sky!
Before him, an unseen, ethereal figure said, "Alright, you've made your choice. Now, let's see what happens."
The next sentence was exactly the same as what Master had said before.
This is also what I was just thinking, a follow-up to what my master said.
"But eventually, there will come a time when your strength hasn't reached the point where you're powerless to help and have to abandon one side. What will you do then...?"