The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 34 One Dragon

Yang Guang stood with a solemn expression, his back to the entrance of the main hall, emanating a chilling killing intent.

"My mother has always wanted to make me the crown prince, but my father is very hesitant about it. If my mother falls ill and never recovers, I will lose my greatest support in the court."

Jiang Feng frowned and said, "You suspect the Crown Prince was behind it?"

Yang Guang sighed, "The imperial family is the most ruthless place. I hope it's not my elder brother. I have already ordered the summoning of Buddhist and Taoist priests, as well as hermits and masters from all over the country, to the capital. We must cure the Empress Dowager."

Jiang Feng asked疑惑地问道, "If that's the case, then why did you come to me? Wait, you don't think I'm invincible, do you?!"

Yang Guang glanced at him sideways: "I'm not so old and blind as to be that bad."

I'm worried about them. If any of those conscripted are aligned with the Crown Prince, shirk their duties, or secretly sabotage the Empress Dowager, causing her harm, then it will be my fault."

"You have the well-being of the people at heart, and you are not afraid to confront me and the noble families for the sake of the refugees. This aligns with my mother's vision of treating the people kindly. I believe you would never harm my mother, so I would like you to go to the capital on my behalf to supervise those I have conscripted."

"In the past six months, you have taken in more than 200,000 refugees, and more than half of them are slaves, right? I can swear to Buddha that no matter whether you can cure the Queen Mother or not, I will solve their household registration problem for you."

As Yang Guang spoke, he turned and bowed to Jiang Feng: "Finally, as a son, I beg you to save my mother. Please do not refuse!"

Jiang Feng pondered for a moment before saying, "My land is exempt from tax for three years. If you agree, I will go to the capital for you."

"make a deal!"

Yang Guang let out a long breath, straightened up, and seemed to feel much more relaxed.

[Your compassion has solved the livelihood problems of 230,000 people. Your boundless love has moved Heaven, and you are rewarded with mastery of the "Scattering Beans to Create Soldiers" technique.]

Huh? Why is it the Taiping Dao's magic again?

Seeing Jiang Feng standing in front of Cui Ying's statue in a daze, Yang Guang smiled knowingly and said, "Take Cui Ying with you. Her master, Wang Yuanzhi, has also been summoned by me. Let them meet in the capital."

Wang Yuanzhi and I are very close friends; he would never serve the Crown Prince, so you can rest assured about him.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng's expression became somewhat strange.

He was quite certain that Wang Yuanzhi would not serve the Crown Prince, because Wang Yuanzhi had served Li Yuan, and that was while Wang Yuan was still alive...

Why does Yang Guang's judgment of people fluctuate so much?

Jiang Feng only just learned that Cui Ying's master was Wang Yuanzhi, the patriarch of the Shangqing School, who was the leader of Taoism in Jiangnan and the only person who could rival Zhiyi of the Tiantai School.

Cui Ying is his last disciple and will inherit his lineage in the future, so it is not surprising that he receives strong support from the Cui family.

Because of the tight schedule, after the temple opening ceremony, Jiang Feng packed his bags and set off with Cui Ying.

On the way, Jiang Feng said with a regretful expression, "Sigh, so many people came to congratulate us, and I didn't even have time to properly entertain them with a banquet before sending them off down the mountain. I feel really bad about it."

Cui Ying smiled and said, "Yes, it's a pity that you bought two catties of tofu and three cabbages. That would have been enough for each of them to have a sip of clear soup."

Jiang Feng retorted, "That's slander! I clearly bought five radishes to prepare a four-dish-and-one-soup feast, which would be more than enough for each of them to eat five bites!"

"Anyway, they won't get any, and it's shameful to waste food. I brought all the ingredients with me when I left home, and I'll cook for you later."

Cui Ying: "..."

The two chatted as they traveled, and before they knew it, they had arrived in Chang'an.

At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, the capital was set in Chang'an, which was built by the Han Dynasty. Because Chang'an was small and dilapidated, Yang Jian ordered Yuwen Kai to build Daxing City south of Longshouyuan. After its completion, the capital was moved to Daxing City.

The city gates of Daxing City were now closed. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, the two did not try to force their way through the gates, but instead found a dilapidated temple near Longshouyuan to stay in.

The temple houses a dragon king statue with peeling paint. It is unknown when it was built, but it looks very different from the current dragon king statues and appears quite strange.

It's not surprising that there's a Dragon King Temple in this place. Legend has it that during the Qin Dynasty, a black dragon emerged from Zhongnan Mountain and flew to the Wei River in the north to drink water.

The places it passed through happened to form earthen hills, and the place where the dragon's head was located was called Dragon Head Mountain, which later evolved into Dragon Head Plain.

Jiang Feng took out the ingredients and pot and began preparing dinner.

First, cut the tofu into cubes, then tear the cabbage leaves by hand, then cut the radish into cubes, and finally put the air into the boiling pot.

"Wait a minute? Where are the ingredients I chopped?"

Jiang Feng's hands, which reached for the ingredients, only managed to grab a handful of air, and his eyes widened in shock!

Just then, a small head popped out from behind the pot. It was a girl of about seven or eight years old, with big, pitiful eyes, who called out to Jiang Feng in a soft, sweet voice, "Hungry~"

Jiang Feng glanced at the little girl and noticed she had a pair of deer antlers on her head. He exclaimed in surprise, "Cui Ying, I've found a wild deer demon!"

The little girl cried out indignantly, "Dragon! I'm a dragon!"

Jiang Feng quickly corrected himself: "Cui Ying, come quick! I found a deer demon that claims to be a dragon!"

The little girl: "..."

Damn mortals!

Cui Ying walked in carrying a pile of firewood. Seeing the little girl gritting her teeth, she used her Qi-gazing technique to observe her for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Jiang Feng, she really does look like a dragon!"

Jiang Feng regretfully shifted his gaze from the little girl's head: "What a pity, I thought we'd get to eat deer antler today..."

The little girl covered her dragon horns in fright: "Evil mortal, how dare you try to eat me!"

Jiang Feng laughed and said, "You're so small, you're not even enough to fill my teeth."

The little girl breathed a sigh of relief, and then heard Jiang Feng continue, "We have to fatten them up before we eat them."

The little girl glared at him angrily, put her hands on her hips and said, "How dare you?! I am the aunt of the Jinghe Dragon King... the Dragon King of Longxugou, personally appointed by the Jade Emperor—Ao Ying!"

"If you dare eat me, neither my nephew nor the Jade Emperor will let you off!"

Jiang Feng looked at the little dragon king in front of him and asked curiously, "Since you are the dragon king, why aren't you staying in the dragon palace? What are you doing here?"

Ao Ying burst into tears: "My Dragon Beard Ditch has dried up long ago! I haven't had a full meal in three years!"

Seeing her crying so miserably, Jiang Feng comforted her, "Hey, it's just that the river has dried up and we're not getting enough to eat. Don't cry. Try to think positively. Maybe in a few days... you'll starve to death, and then you won't have to go hungry anymore, right?"

"ha??!!"

Ao Ying's crying stopped abruptly. Her big eyes widened, and she leaped high over the iron pot, baring her teeth and claws as she pounced on Jiang Feng.

"Are you even speaking human language?! You evil mortal, I'll fight you to the death!"