The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 42 You're Ruthless

The next morning, Jiang Feng went to the Honglu Temple, greeted the official in charge of Buddhist and Taoist affairs, and then took Cui Ying and Ao Ying to the West Market.

Daxing City was bustling with activity. The West Market was teeming with people, foreign merchants and travelers came and went in an endless stream, and the atmosphere was filled with exotic charm, giving it the air of a celestial empire.

Although Yang Jian was stingy, he was very generous in bestowing gifts upon foreign countries. In addition, the Sui Dynasty was powerful and defeated the powerful Turks several times. Therefore, he was respected by the surrounding countries as "Sage Khan".

The foreign merchants in the market were friendly to the ordinary people of the Sui Dynasty and dared not offend them easily.

As Jiang Feng strolled through the streets, experiencing the local customs and culture, he was just about to try a sugar figurine when he suddenly felt someone tug at his sleeve.

Looking down, Ao Ying pointed to a fortune-telling stall and said, "Look, that scholar in white is my nephew!"

Looking in the direction she pointed, a middle-aged man wearing a headscarf with the character "逍遥" (Xiaoyao) on his head and a jade-colored silk robe exuded the majesty of a superior; he must be the Jing River Dragon King.

Behind the fortune-telling stall was an ordinary-looking young Taoist priest, with a donkey tied beside him, chatting and laughing with the Jing River Dragon King.

Jiang Feng curiously approached and overheard their conversation.

"Are you going to bet me whether it will rain in Dragon Beard Gully today?"

"If it rains today, you owe me a copper coin. If it doesn't rain, you can have this donkey. What do you say?"

The Jing River Dragon King laughed heartily. Did he, the Jing River Dragon King, not know whether it would rain in Dragon Beard Gully today?

"Okay, I'll bet with you!"

Looking at this scene that seemed so familiar, Jiang Feng was completely bewildered: "@#￥%￥#@……"

Have I traveled back in time to the Tang Dynasty, several decades in the future?

And then there's the Jinghe Dragon King with that cunning, calculating look on his face. He's truly cunning, yet he can't figure things out.

They clearly knew who you were before setting you up!

After a moment of confusion, Jiang Feng glanced at the fortune-telling youth, speechless.

Dude, putting aside who sent you, you can't keep targeting the same person when you're trying to fleece them!

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Feng stepped forward and grabbed their arms, one in each hand.

"You two have broken the law. The Kaihuang Code, Volume Twelve, Miscellaneous Laws, prohibits gambling among the common people!"

If the value of stolen goods is less than five bolts of silk, the punishment is eighty strokes of the cane; if it is five bolts or more, it is treated as theft, with a minimum sentence of one year of penal servitude; for large sums, the punishment is increased, up to and including exile!

Jinghe Dragon King: "..."

Young Taoist priest: "..."

In an awkward silence, Jiang Feng looked at the young Taoist priest: "Name, place of origin!"

The young Taoist priest was both amused and exasperated: "I am Zhang Guo, a man from the mountains with no registered residence. I have come here on the orders of the Prince of Jin to diagnose the Empress's illness."

"Please, officers, spare my life! I will repay you handsomely!"

"Your name is Zhang Guo?"

Jiang Feng glanced at him in surprise, then at the donkey tied up beside him, and felt that he must be a younger version of Zhang Guolao.

"Isn't this a coincidence? I am Jiang Feng, the Grand Commander of all monks and Taoists in the Great Sui Dynasty, specifically in charge of you!"

"Your donkey is probably not worth five bolts of silk. Come back with me to the Court of State Ceremonial and receive eighty strokes of the cane."

Then he looked at the Jing River Dragon King: "And you, come back with me to be punished, let's see if you'll learn your lesson this time!"

The Dragon King of the Jing River kept winking at Ao Ying, who asked with a puzzled look, "Nephew, what's wrong? Are your eyes dry?"

Jinghe Dragon King: "..."

Zhang Guo, feeling a sudden toothache, said to Jiang Feng, "Commander Jiang, I'm here on orders to treat the Empress. You can't let a small matter ruin everything!"

Jiang Feng snorted coldly: "No matter who you are, there's no exceptions in my eyes!"

Zhang Guo sighed and said, "Okay, actually we didn't make a bet at all; we were just joking around!"

After saying that, he exhaled a breath of white air towards the donkey, and the donkey immediately turned into a paper donkey folded from white paper.

The Dragon King of the Jing River's eyes widened in shock: "You're trying to fool me with a paper donkey?!"

Zhang Guo retorted angrily, "I'm just lying to you, so what? Do you want to go to the yamen with him and get a beating?!"

The Dragon King of the Jing River swallowed back the profanity he was about to utter, forcing a smile as he said, "Yes, we were just joking around, there was no gambling at all! Who gambles with paper donkeys!"

Jiang Feng released their arms: "Haha, I was just kidding!"

Zhang Guo rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "I don't think it looks like it at all..."

[Your compassion and mercy dissuaded Zhang Guo from gambling with the Jinghe Dragon King, and your boundless love moved Heaven, rewarding you with mastery of the "Dragon Taming Technique"]

Seeing their defiant expressions, Jiang Feng's expression turned serious: "How many people have lost their fortunes and families because of gambling, all starting with a bet of just one copper coin?"

Those people, once they win, want to win again; once they lose, they want to turn things around. They get trapped in this cycle, and by the time they want to turn back, it's completely beyond saving.

Zhang Guo looked like he had learned something and nodded slightly.

The Dragon King of the Jing River also showed a helpless expression and stopped hating Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it. I'll bet a copper coin that if I hadn't stopped you this time, one of you would have died sooner or later!"

Zhang Guo: "Huh??"

Jinghe Dragon King: "@#￥%￥#@……"

A moment later, Jiang Feng led them to a tavern, ordered some snacks to go with the drinks, and began to chat.

According to Zhang Guo's own account, he set up a fortune-telling stall in the West Market to gain some fame so that he wouldn't be looked down upon after entering the palace. Meeting the Jing River Dragon King was purely an accident.

The Jinghe Dragon King was also unlucky; he went out for a stroll and ran into Zhang Guo, who wanted to use him to boost his reputation.

If the bet stands, he will undoubtedly lose today, because Zhang Guo really did predict that it would rain in Longxu Ditch today.

He was extremely skilled in astrology and even predicted that the Jinghe Dragon King would be unlucky today, but he failed to predict that he himself would also be unlucky.

He was extremely frustrated because he lost face in front of everyone when he met Jiang Feng.

He took a sip of his wine and began to scrutinize Jiang Feng's face: "I foresaw that Empress Dugu would be protected by a lucky star this time, and the calamity would disappear on its own, but this tribulation would shorten her lifespan. I just don't know if that lucky star will befall you."

"The more I look at your face, the more you resemble Buddha?"

Jiang Feng couldn't help but complain, "I'm not some weasel begging for a title, so what's the use of looking like one?"

"That's true, I can't see your fate at all."

Zhang Guo couldn't help but chuckle, then looked at Cui Ying, "Then I'll give her a free divination!"

After a while, Zhang Guo felt a bright light flash before his eyes, which immediately made him close his eyes in shock.

"What's that bright light?!"

Cui Ying was somewhat surprised: "What light?"

Zhang Guo rubbed his eyes and lowered his head in disappointment: "I can't see clearly. It seems I need to practice my physiognomy skills for a few more years."

Jiang Feng comforted him, saying, "Don't be discouraged. I also know physiognomy. If you want to learn, I can teach you."

Zhang Guo immediately became interested, his eyes lighting up as he said, "Then let me see!"

Jiang Feng stared at him for a few moments, a mysterious smile appearing on his face: "You're either a man or a woman, either a god or a mortal, either alive or dead!"

I call this physiognomy technique the "Three Meanings Explained." Once you learn it, I guarantee you'll be able to make accurate predictions!

Zhang Guo sneered, "Is that so? Then I'll cut myself down there now, and you tell me, were your calculations accurate or not?"

Jiang Feng gasped, "Then I'll admit you're ruthless!"

Zhang Guo: "..."