Chapter 70 Draft - Do Not Subscribe, Please Await Revision
"Well..."
You Mingjiang smiled without saying a word, and with a flick of his wrist, a bow suddenly appeared out of thin air in his palm.
The old man's eyes widened suddenly, and he quickly reached out to rub them.
But she smiled faintly, held the bow properly, twisted it with her thumb, and the bow spun in her palm before being put back into her storage space.
The bow vanished into thin air!
Lu Xiaojia was already used to her telekinetic abilities.
Old Skinny's reaction was quite intense.
Having lived to this age, he thought that no matter how supernatural the methods in the world were, they couldn't frighten him anymore. But the scene before him really gave the old man a fright, and even his soul seemed to leave his body.
"What...what kind of illusion is this?"
The old man suddenly stood up, slipped on his foot, and nearly tripped over the bench.
Yu Mingjiang tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then conjured the bow out of thin air once more.
Old Skinny gasped.
They watched helplessly as the bow disappeared again.
He mustered his courage and circled around You Mingjiang, trying to see through the flaws in this illusion.
"Where did you hide it?"
After circling around a few times, the old man, his lips trembling, asked, "Who exactly are you?"
You Mingjiang took out the bow again, plucked the bowstring with his fingers, and said with a smile, "Envoy of the Temple of Salvation."
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"The messenger of the Temple of Salvation?!" The old man's eyes widened, and he stood up excitedly. "You're the one... the one who did the free clinic at the old temple..."
You Mingjiang nodded and said, "It's genuine."
Old Skinny had heard about this, but he thought it was just another new trick to harm people out of fear, and he didn't dare to go at all.
This wasn't the first time Ling Luoshi had engaged in such a vicious business.
Years ago, this old temple was originally a Dragon King Temple, and it was very popular with worshippers.
The fearful general also led his troops to offer incense, but unexpectedly, they encountered assassins.
The assassin was hiding behind the Dragon King statue.
In order to kill the assassin, Ling Luoshi destroyed the Dragon King statue as well.
Therefore, the old temple gradually fell into disrepair and became a desolate ruin.
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Upon hearing You Mingjiang reveal his identity, the old man let out a loud "Aww!" and burst into tears.
The people of the besieged city prayed to the gods and Buddhas their whole lives, but the gods and Buddhas never showed their power.
Do you all not know whether gods and Buddhas exist? Yet this girl claims to be some kind of divine messenger.
No one worships gods or Buddhas anymore. As for divine messengers, no matter how mysterious their methods are, they're useless.
Old Man Shou understands this principle, and so do the common people.
Whoever enables people to survive, to have enough to eat and wear, is the true god.
But what if this divine messenger truly practices medicine, relieves suffering, and saves all living beings?
The old man, who was desperate and would try anything, had a renewed hope in his eyes and insisted on kneeling down before her.
"Please save my cat..."
This was his last straw.
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Yu Mingjiang, holding a bow, quickly used it to press against his knees to prevent him from kneeling. "Old man, you flatter me! Tell me about the cat girl instead."
After what happened to Rong Sao, she already had someone in mind to suspect, but she still wanted to hear Lao Shou's testimony.
"What a tragedy!" The old man plopped down on the bench. "It's all because of that damned pimp, Huo Shanpo... That old hag ran into Maomao last time and was determined to marry her off to the General as his thirty-eighth concubine. When she saw that I didn't agree, Huo Shanpo's face changed immediately, and she presented Maomao's portrait to him..."
That very night, Huo Shanpo, carrying the betrothal gifts from the Terrifying General's Mansion, kicked open the door of the Old Skinny's house.
The old man, tears streaming down his face, said, "The general said... he'll send a bridal sedan chair to fetch the bride in half a month. He threatened that if he doesn't see happiness, there will be bloodshed. I reckon he's just going to use the same old trick, saying there's a riot in Laoqu Town and he's sending troops to suppress it..."
really.
You Mingjiang's eyes were filled with disgust.
I knew I couldn't have wronged him!
Ling Luoshi is so old, half of his body is buried in the yellow earth, yet he still fantasizes about an old ox eating young grass!
What a shameless scoundrel.
The old man rolled up his sleeves and kept wiping away his tears: "I've never done anything wrong in my life, how could I have suffered such a disaster..."
Whether Ling Luoshi is a local tyrant or a mud tyrant, he is old, ugly, and bald.
How can I be worthy of a cat as beautiful as a flower bud?
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You Mingjiang frowned and tapped the table lightly with his fingers.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud, interrupting the old man's sobs.
"Is it funny? What time is it, and you, the [Divine Messenger], can still laugh?" The old man's eyelids drooped, and his lips were taut, displeased by her laughter.
You Mingjiang twirled her hair and chuckled, "Old man, it is because you have accumulated virtue and done good deeds all your life that you have been blessed to meet me, the [divine messenger], who will save you from danger and disaster."
"What do you mean by that? Please enlighten me." Having figured out her words, the old man was overjoyed and quickly refilled her bowl with hot tea.
You Mingjiang raised an eyebrow, picked up her teacup, and the steam shimmered around her eyes. She said, "Just find someone to take her place in the marriage."
"A substitute bride?" The old man was greatly disappointed, his back slumped again, and he shook his head like a rattle drum. "No, no."
Putting aside Ling Luoshi's notorious reputation, what good person would want to be associated with him?
Besides, isn't someone else's daughter a daughter too?
Does saving one's own daughter mean pushing someone else's precious child into a fire pit?
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"You don't need to worry. Just agree to the General's Mansion. When the time comes... there will be someone to take the bridal sedan chair for Maomao. Moreover, I guarantee that this person will be the most suitable, neither against the will of Heaven nor against the will of others."
Just thinking about that candidate made You Mingjiang want to laugh. She kept trying to suppress her laughter, her shoulders trembling, and she could barely hold her teacup.
Lu Xiaojia, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly looked up, her hand quietly resting on the hilt of her sword, and said indifferently, "You're talking nonsense again. Where did you get someone to take your place in the marriage?"
She hoped that this "substitute bride" she spoke of wasn't referring to herself. Otherwise, if she dared to get into the bridal sedan chair of the Terrifying General, he would stab her with his sword... Hmph!
You Mingjiang took a sip of tea and said calmly, "The most suitable substitute bride is still the one you personally brought back to the Hall of Salvation from Suffering."
“When did I…” A rare look of confusion appeared on Lu Xiaojia’s face.
When did he bring any women to the Temple of Salvation?
He's talking nonsense again.
Aside from helping her drag that Rose General out of the sack, when else...
Um? !
Lu Xiaojia's expression hardened.
The best candidate she mentioned, could it be...?
You Mingjiang raised an eyebrow, winked at him, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes.
That's right, it's General Rose, Yu Chuntong.
Lu Xiaojia sighed softly and said, "What a dog-eat-dog show."
Since it's a dog-eat-dog show, how can it be complete without a mad dog?
First there was the story of the raccoon dog replacing the crown prince; now there's the story of the mad dog replacing the cat.
I want to see what a bloody scene it will be like when two mad dogs, one big and one small, bite each other.
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Unsure of what the two were implying, the old man looked at her with a mixture of belief and doubt, "This...this method really can work?"
"It's going to work out, old man, you can rest assured." You Mingjiang nodded firmly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a rapid sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, shaking the houses in the town.
The old man's expression changed drastically: "They're government officials!"
"Wait, this doesn't seem to be a constable!"
After listening intently for a while, Lu Xiaojia's expression turned serious. "It's a squad of twenty or thirty armored soldiers that's coming."
The sound of horses' hooves was loud and chaotic, coming from multiple directions, accompanied by the sound of armor clashing. Such a bright and blazing formation could not possibly be that of ordinary officials.
To be precise, they were government troops!
Could it be that Ling Luoshi discovered their whereabouts and sent his men to chase them all the way to this remote Laoqu Town?
You Mingjiang and Lu Xiaojia looked at each other, exchanging silent glances.
"If these people were to break in and see this scene, they might implicate Old Man Shou."
"Later, I'll take Old Skinny hostage and cover our retreat. You go first."
"That's not a good idea. I'll cover the rear, you go first!"
"You go first!"
...
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"Da da da—"
Old Shou's big yellow guard dog, which had been circling and biting its own tail, suddenly darted back into its den upon hearing the noise.
At this moment, the two riders had already arrived at the gate of the courtyard.
The two people sitting upright on their horses were none other than Xiao Jianseng and Shadow General Shagang.
Sha Gang said impatiently, "Hey, old man, where's the grain!"
The collection of land taxes has recently become a matter of concern for the local headman, Fu Lao, who usually loves to curry favor with the general.
Fu Lao Jin meticulously recorded the details of each household, embellishing the story, and helped the General to plunder the people's wealth. His filial piety towards the General far surpassed that of his own father.
Fortunately, Heaven had mercy and burned this henchman, who was using the tiger's power to bully others, to death in the teahouse by a passing hero.
There was only one downside: with Old Fu nearing his death, Old Thin, now the town mayor, was forced to fill the vacancy.
However, these days, because of the troublesome marriage of the cat, Old Man Shou has not gone door to door to urge the payment.
Old Shou couldn't understand why the general wanted to collect land taxes in the spring.
In early spring, everyone is busy with farming, carrying hoes. Not to mention those that haven't been planted yet, even those that have been planted haven't had their crops ripen yet!
With little surplus grain from the previous season, how can we pay our taxes? If we can't pay the land tax, we'll have to mortgage our farmland, which would turn us into refugees.
Isn't this forcing people to sell their farmland and driving them to despair? Don't they care about the lives of the people at all?!
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You Mingjiang took out a stone bow and quiver from his spatial storage.
She gave Lu Xiaojia a look, glanced at the roof beam, and pointed to herself, indicating that she should take the high position.
Lu Xiaojia remained noncommittal, merely stroking the hilt of her sword, attempting to seize the initiative and execute her plan to cover the rear.
A shadow crossed his eyes.
We can't put her in the most dangerous situation.
If this sword can't even protect the person you love, then there's no need to call it a "fast sword."
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Seeing the two men's murderous aura, the old man quickly reached out to stop them: "You can't fight! These two ruthless jackals are here to collect land taxes. They're wearing armor; you're no match for them!"
"Tell me to go and meet them first."
.
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Author's Note: [Let me see] Thank you to all the little angels for the nutrient solution:
[Heart] "Quiet" irrigation nutrient solution +5, "sf" irrigation nutrient solution +2, "Clustered Fragrance" irrigation nutrient solution +10, "Crane Nine Clears to Go Ashore" irrigation nutrient solution +10, "Green Bamboo Red Peony" irrigation nutrient solution +5 [Heart]
In a race against time, I've updated it in a rush [helpless]. The little red flower didn't light up [crying]. This volume only has a few chapters left before it ends. After finishing the Dangerous City arc, I'll immediately turn to the Bat arc and fill in new plot.
To avoid writing a cold-blooded stereotype, I created an even bigger stereotype.
[Helpless] Actually, I wanted to write about a cocky, cold-blooded "gangster swindler," someone who'd fight anyone who disagreed, saying things like, "Everyone here is trash." A small identity, but great courage; a young, cold-blooded swindler, but a righteous constable. [Shrug] By the way, please don't have any romantic relationships with the suspect's family members, especially Ling Luoshi, who is absolutely disgusting. When I was reading it, I was seeing a bunch of tragic cases mixed with cold-blooded first love, and I felt nauseous. [Crying] I'm sorry.
[Laughing and crying while covering face] I'm better at writing ancient martial arts novels, but I'm not so good at this "court is the martial arts world" model. I can't just kill off the villains like Jin Yong and Gu Long did, and I'm forced to show off my not-so-clever power struggles. Then I try to find the logic to make Ming Jiang go in the direction of being cunning and scheming, revealing her ambition and ruthlessness. I'm also very uneasy about writing it, afraid that I won't be able to make it all work. [Clown]
I was terrified of Ling Luoshi. He wasn't just a thorn in my side; he was like a slime, like Cthulhu. So Ming Jiang kept avoiding him, creating obstacles for her own thoughts. It wasn't until Lu Xiaojia appeared, bringing a familiar feel reminiscent of Gu Long's style, that I finally had the courage to take down Ling Luoshi.
[Question mark] I've been thinking about the character Xiao Jianseng for a while now, and I feel like I've misunderstood him. I always thought he was an "incompetent undercover agent," but after digging deeper, I think he should be an "abandoned successor," someone with some partnership but who was abandoned or something.
Sigh, I'll revise it from the readers' perspective after the later parts are finished. [shy] I'd also like to hear everyone's thoughts and suggestions. [shrug]
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