The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 37 Ruthless

Dugu Tuo was Empress Dugu's half-brother. He was of bad character, extremely greedy, and had an unseemly eating habit. Despite being reprimanded by Empress Dugu many times, he did not change his ways.

It's not surprising that his subordinates, influenced by his habits, would do something as outrageous as diverting water from canals to sell it off to the public.

Liu Daoren was instructed by his servant Dugu Ming to build a dam here and sell the water for profit.

According to Liu Daoren, he contributed both manpower and effort to this matter, and even provided the funds for building the dam.

However, the money earned from selling water was to be split 30/70, with Liu Daoren only taking 30%.

According to Liu Daoren's account, he himself became an innocent and pitiful person, forced by Dugu Ming's power to do bad things against his will.

After a tearful plea, he looked at Jiang Feng with tears streaming down his face: "Please, spare my life, I beg you, because I truly repent!"

Jiang Feng said coldly, "You asked me to spare your life, but why won't you spare the lives of the people in Longxugou?"

If I don't kill you today, how can I face the people who died of thirst because of you, how can I face the villagers who were forced to leave their homes because of you?

But don't worry, monks are compassionate, I will properly perform the rituals to help you pass on to the afterlife.

After saying that, Jiang Feng took out the Demon-Subduing Pestle and stabbed it at Liu Daoren.

Seeing that he was unmoved by Liu Daoren's pleas, Liu Daoren gritted his teeth fiercely, clenched his right hand, and the black command flag returned to his grasp.

In the next instant, the command flags multiplied into five, each a different color: blue, red, white, black, and yellow. They circled around him, with the yellow flag turning to face him and blocking Jiang Feng's Vajra Pestle.

The two magical artifacts collided, producing a burst of white light. The yellow command flag fell to the ground, and then the red command flag turned back to him, spewing out a flame that forced Jiang Feng back three zhang away.

With a wave of his right hand, Liu Daoren caused the fallen command flag to rise again. His eyes flashed with a fierce light as he said, "If you let me go now, I won't hold it against you. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"So ruthless! You used to pick chili peppers, didn't you!"

Seeing that the Vajra Pestle could not restrain his magic weapon, Jiang Feng flipped his hands and pulled out an AK47, pulling the trigger without hesitation.

"Da da da da!"

A burst of gunfire rang out. The five-colored command flags were powerless against the bullets formed from magical power. They shattered after only one breath, turning into tattered pieces that drifted to the ground.

Liu Daoren was instantly riddled with holes, blood gushing out from his body, and in the blink of an eye he became a blood-soaked figure.

"What an amazing magical artifact..."

Liu Daoren's eyes were filled with disbelief, and he fell backward.

Jiang Feng waved his right hand, and the Vajra Pestle pierced Liu Daoren's forehead, destroying his magical power and completely severing his life force.

Seeing that Liu Daoren was dead, Cui Ying withdrew the travel-blocking talisman and stepped forward, saying, "This evil Taoist has been dealt with, but what about that Dugu Ming?"

Jiang Feng said, "Of course we should show mercy and send him down to reunite with Taoist Liu, so that Taoist Liu won't be lonely on the road to the underworld."

[Your compassion and thoughtfulness in finding a companion for Liu Daoren on his journey to the underworld have moved Heaven, and you are rewarded with mastery of the "Five Elements Escape Technique"]

After receiving the reward, Jiang Feng glanced at the trembling Taoist boy hiding behind the door, then pressed his gun against the boy's forehead.

"Where do you keep the money you get from selling water? If you dare lie to me, I'll show you your own brains in the next moment!"

The young Taoist was so frightened he wet his pants and hurriedly said, "It's in the cellar! All the money is in the cellar! I'll lead the way for you!"

Looking at the mountain of copper coins piled up in the slow cellar, Jiang Feng glanced at Ao Ying and said, "Take them all and return them to the people of Longxugou."

Seeing that he could finally be of use, Ao Ying excitedly patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'm good at this. It's just scattering money, like it's raining!"

After saying that, she took a deep breath, and the mountain of copper coins on the ground quickly entered her mouth, leaving not a single coin in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, a servant came to Dugu Ming and reported that the dam had been washed away.

Enraged, Dugu Ming slammed his fist on the table and cursed, "That damned Taoist Liu! He swore to me that the dam would last for three hundred years, but it broke down in less than three years!"

The servant asked, "Master, should we have Liu the Taoist Priest rebuild the dike?"

Dugu thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "No, the noise from this breach is too great. If we rebuild the dike, we won't be able to hide it from the local government."

"The governor of Yongzhou is Liu Shu, the son-in-law of the emperor. He has always been at odds with our Dugu clan. We cannot let him find any fault with us."

"Go and deal with Liu the Taoist priest. Make sure it's done cleanly, so no one can trace it back to me."

"No need, I've already taken care of him for you."

Jiang Feng's voice rang out at the doorway. Dugu Ming's pupils contracted, and he called out, "Who goes there?"

Jiang Feng emerged from the darkness and said, "Jiang Feng, the Executive Deputy Chief Administrator of Yangzhou Prefecture, the Chief Administrator of all Buddhist and Taoist sects in the land, and the Abbot of Xuyuan Temple, has come to pay his respects."

Before his departure, Yang Guang submitted a memorial to the emperor, requesting that Jiang Feng be appointed as the "General Supervisor of All Monks and Taoists Under Heaven," under the Honglu Temple, on par with the third-rank official, to facilitate his supervision of the monks and Taoists who had been summoned.

Yang Guang also produced the seal of the Executive Deputy Chief Steward and gave it to Jiang Feng, making Jiang Feng feel for a moment that Yang Guang was really treating him well.

Yang Guang truly gave out benefits; no wonder that even until his death, a group of gentry remained loyal to him...

Dugu Ming was momentarily stunned upon hearing Jiang Feng's long list of titles, but he quickly recovered and rose to greet him: "So it's Steward Jiang, an honor to grace my humble abode!"

"Chief Steward Jiang, you just said that you've already dealt with Taoist Liu?"

Jiang Feng walked straight to the head seat and sat down, looking disgusted. "If I hadn't cleaned up the mess for you, you'd probably be in jail by now, thanks to Liu Shu. Be more careful next time, so you don't tarnish your master's and Prince Jin's reputation."

Dugu Ming let out a long sigh and said with a forced smile, "Thank you very much for your help, Steward Jiang. I will remember it. I will present you with a small gift later, and I hope you will not find it offensive."

Jiang Feng gave a calm "hmm" and asked, "Was the dam project your own decision, or was it ordered by your master?"

Dugu Ming said with a look of shame, "Master is too busy to deal with such trivial matters."

My master entrusted me with the management of all the properties in Chang'an. I wanted to share my master's burdens, so I took it upon myself to build a dam, but I ended up making a mess of things.

"Thanks to Steward Jiang's help this time, I am deeply grateful."

As he spoke, he approached Jiang Feng and bowed respectfully in thanks.

Jiang Feng gripped the Vajra Pestle and plunged it into the top of his head: "No need to thank me. As the saying goes, if you're going to do a good deed, do it to the end. If you're going to help someone, help them to the end."

"Today, this humble monk will show you great compassion and completely resolve your worries."

Dugu Ming collapsed to the ground in terror, staring intently at Jiang Feng.

He couldn't believe it no matter what. Jiang Feng, who had been chatting happily with him just a moment ago, had turned on him the next moment. He died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

[Your compassion and mercy have completely resolved Dugu Ming's worries. Your boundless love has moved the heavens, and you are rewarded with mastery of the "Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth Technique".]