Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 524

Tian Peng spoke the truth; the County Magistrate hadn’t considered this aspect before. Upon hearing what Tian Peng had said, he fell silent.

He was originally only interested in withholding the peasants’ taxes to line his own pockets but had never thought of obtaining money in such a manner.

Seeing that the County Magistrate did not react, Tian Peng sneered inwardly. It seemed the County Magistrate was enticed by his words, so he continued, "Think about it, isn’t that the truth?"

"What, should whatever you say be taken as truth? Why should I listen to you?"

The County Magistrate was initially hesitant. He’d been considering the feasibility of this matter, but upon hearing Tian Peng’s words, his interest seemed to fade instantly. He couldn’t be sure if this man was just bluffing or stalling for time.

"Alas, County Magistrate, how can you think of me that way? Think about it; I feel I haven’t done anything else besides evading taxes," Tian Peng said.

Indeed, the County Magistrate didn’t know why he disliked Tian Peng so much.

If it’s about tax evasion, it wasn’t just him; there were others as well.

The other villagers were always thinking of ways to leave, to report to authorities elsewhere, or to gather many people and start some kind of rebellion.

They were ordinary villagers who couldn’t even get a full meal, with little knowledge or savvy, always at a disadvantage against their government. Then they were captured and thrown into prison, ensuring peace for their areas for quite some time.

These incidents were not infrequent; every once in a while, there would be a few such cases, but to no avail. In the end, his official hat remained firmly on his head.

But there was something different about Tian Peng. He didn’t pay taxes and had no rebellious tendencies, merely a lack of money. Besides having no money, he had nothing to offer, neither silver nor his own life.

He didn’t work, and it was a mystery where his food came from.

Somehow he kept eating, growing taller and more robust. When asked for payment, his response was always the same: no money.

"Don’t think of playing any tricks," said the County Magistrate.

The County Magistrate watched Tian Peng with a skeptical face. He had never spoken this way before; what had changed now that he could calmly reason with him?

Looking at the fire tongs in his hand, it suddenly became clear: he was afraid.

But as for fear, Tian Peng wasn’t truly afraid.

He had endured the pain of having his Immortal Bone extracted in the past; how could mere mortal flames and fire tongs make him frightened?

However, at this moment, Tian Peng could understand the Three Demons’ attitude towards him.

He had thought the Three Demons looked down on him more and more, but now he realized it wasn’t contempt; they were angry because he hadn’t lived up to his potential.

He had been foolish indeed, coming to this realization only after they had left.

Yet, this wasn’t the end. Tian Peng thought that indeed, among the immortals, there were those who had looked down on him.

If he continued to live in such a desolate way, perhaps after a hundred years, when he entered Reincarnation, those immortals who had looked down on him would despise him even more.

Ascension to immortality was about one’s Life Pattern and luck. Tian Peng knew he surely had the Immortal Bone required for becoming an immortal.

As for luck, well, that truly depended on timing. Living a mediocre life would definitely not bring about good fortune. To ascend, he needed to do something remarkable.

With this thought, Tian Peng felt invigorated, filled with strength. If he did nothing, he would indeed waste his life.

Even though there was another life to come, there was no guarantee that no one would intervene and cause his next incarnation to be something like a sheep or a cow.

The Three Demons were already quite angry with him now; they certainly wouldn’t help him in a short time.

"I’m telling you the truth, County Magistrate," Tian Peng addressed him. "Didn’t you want to recruit me as a constable before? Just think about it, I can not only be a constable but even serve as your military advisor, ensuring that you won’t waste your life in this small town."

The County Magistrate had indeed considered making Tian Peng his constable before; Tian Peng’s height and build were top-notch, and he would certainly be imposing as a constable.

Therefore, he had previously thought of hiring him with a monthly stipend of ten coins, but unfortunately, Tian Peng refused.

Tian Peng’s reason was that ten coins a month were too little—so much so that he wouldn’t accept them even if they were offered for free.

The County Magistrate had already been quite angry about this, and what’s more, Tian Peng’s action even inspired many citizens who had been contemplating rebellion.

The citizens felt that since Tian Peng refused the government’s bribes, he must be a man of righteousness, and thus they incited him to lead a rebellion.

Since he wouldn’t agree to the government’s terms, why would Tian Peng agree to those penniless citizens?

Looking at the jubilant citizens, he said, "I’m not interested in this; whoever among you wants to go can go."

Though this was a statement of refusal, it sounded like encouragement to the excited citizens—it meant that he would always be their strongest backup, so they went ahead with the uprising, which eventually failed.

However, several people in the County Magistrate’s office were injured, and it cost him quite a few silvers as a result.

It wasn’t that the County Magistrate had a conscience; if he didn’t give out silver, no one would be willing to be a constable in the future. He was thinking about the days to come when he decided to compensate them with silver taels.

That’s also why the County Magistrate disliked Tian Peng.

The County Magistrate was now nearly fifty years old, and at fifty, one often looks quite aged; with a beard and a face full of wrinkles, he appeared almost a hundred years old.

When he heard what Tian Peng said, he was indeed very hesitant, but he had been contending with Tian Peng for many years—how could he be easily persuaded by a word or two?

"I don’t believe your nonsense. You must be afraid of me, and that’s why you came up with this on the fly," he said.

"I tell you, those words might work on someone else, but if you think you can deceive me, let me tell you, that’s just impossible!"

In his hands, he was still holding the red-hot flat tongs.

Tian Peng kept a close watch on him without speaking, trying to see what the County Magistrate was really up to.

"If you’re really scared, beg me for mercy, better yet, kneel down and beseech me. Knock your head three times and bow nine times, then I might consider forgiving you," the County Magistrate said, thinking of the sight of Tian Peng kneeling and begging him, and he couldn’t help but chuckle before adding, "Of course, when I speak of forgiveness, I don’t mean letting you go—I’m just talking about giving you a quick death. I’ll count to three and I’m curious to see what you’ll choose."

"One, two."

As the County Magistrate counted to two, Tian Peng remained unmoved, which irritated him. "Do you really want a scar seared into you with this fire tong?"

"No," Tian Peng replied, "it seems like your beard has been singed by the fire."

The County Magistrate was taken aback and quickly looked at the people on either side. They cringed and nodded, indicating that what Tian Peng had just said was true.

Hurriedly, the County Magistrate dropped the fire tongs; he had been smelling something burnt since a while ago, only to realize that his beard had been singed by the fire.

"Why didn’t you tell me?" the County Magistrate said, wiping his face. "What a bunch of useless fools you are!"