Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 536: Going Far from Home, Naturally One Must Be Fully Prepared

Chapter 536: Chapter 536: Going Far from Home, Naturally One Must Be Fully Prepared

"There’s not a single official who’s an independent faction, they all have some kind of family connection to one another."

"That’s an exaggeration," Tian Peng laughed. "If they were all related by blood or marriage, wouldn’t the government have died out by now?"

"Anyway, everyone in the government knows each other. You say you’re a simple man with no one to back you up, so even if you do file a complaint, it’s one person covering for another. In the end, you won’t only have failed to lodge the complaint but also have gotten yourself into a mess. It’s best to keep your head down and live peacefully," the person began to lecture Tian Peng.

"Big brother, you got it wrong," Tian Peng retorted. "If everyone were to keep their head down, would there still be these problems?"

"Even if the imperial court has what you mentioned, there must be some upright officials as well. I simply don’t believe that the County Magistrate, who does nothing but collect taxes, can’t be brought down by me."

Tian Peng spoke with conviction, and the people thought of him as a good person; they couldn’t bear to see him wronged for nothing.

They advised him for a while, but realizing his mind was firmly made up and unwavering, they stopped trying to persuade him.

"Ah, Zhu, you have to look out for yourself, then. We’ve tried to talk you out of it, but can’t change your mind. If you’re set on going, then go," they said.

"I said before that I’m going, so I’ve obviously planned it out already. Don’t worry, I’m determined," Tian Peng declared.

These people didn’t doubt Tian Peng; it’s just that they had been through so much darkness that they felt compelled to try and dissuade someone heading into potential danger.

When they couldn’t discourage him, there was nothing they could do but let the matter rest.

In their hearts, they intended to pray fervently for this kind soul once they got home, hoping he would return safely. That was the most support they could offer.

After these people left Tian Peng, he started to consider how to proceed with his journey. Not knowing the way wasn’t a problem; he could ask around. Once he got the directions, everything could be arranged.

But he was now human, no longer in the Heavenly Court; he couldn’t go without food or water. He had to eat.

The provisions Sun Wukong had given him were all unprocessed, leaving him without any ready-to-eat rations. Moreover, he didn’t know how to cook. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

In all these years, the only thing he’d learned was how to make milk tea. His home was practically empty, not even a stove to speak of; he had no choice but to seek help from others to cook for him.

Fortunately, having repaired the water channel, his reputation in the village had risen. As soon as he stepped out and asked, there were those willing to cook for him, so Tian Peng took some white flour over to them.

The person had initially thought to make Tian Peng a few pancakes, as her household only had corn flour left, and that had been saved for a long time.

But considering that this man had dug a water channel for the village, securing them against droughts, she agreed to cook for him.

She was a widow; her husband had passed away years ago, leaving her with only a five-year-old child at home. Because she and her child didn’t eat much, she could spare some flour to make dry rations.

She hadn’t expected, though, that he would come bringing his own flour.

"What is this?" the widow asked.

"Oh, big sister, this is the flour. I asked for your help with cooking because I can’t cook, and I have my own flour at home. I couldn’t let you provide it for me." Tian Peng set the flour on the stove. "See, I’ve even carried water over, knowing that it must be hard for you to fetch water alone. So, I’ve provided both the water and the flour."

"In that case." The widow quietly set her corn flour aside.

This young man looked like he came from a wealthy home, yet curiously, he seemed to be all alone.

This white flour, she wouldn’t even dare to eat during the New Year, but someone just casually brought it over to her as if it was ordinary flour.

The young child looked at the white flour on the stove with some surprise and asked, "Mom, what kind of flour is this, why is it white? Isn’t the flour we use yellow?"

The widow quickly pulled the young child behind her, "Don’t dirty it. This is from your big brother, mom is just helping out, don’t touch it. If it gets dirty, big brother won’t be able to eat it."

"It’s okay, it’s okay, I asked for your help after all. You can use all this flour to make pancakes, and let the child have some too," Tian Peng said hastily.

"That won’t do, you’ve already done so much for our village. Now you’re just asking me to make you pancakes, how could I possibly allow the child to get involved."

While saying this, the widow pushed the young child away, opened the pot lid on the table, took out a pancake, and placed it in the young child’s hand, "Take this and go play outside."

The young child happily took the pancake and ran outside to play.

"Thank you," Tian Peng said.

"What are you thanking me for? We’re the ones who should be thanking you," the widow said as she stuffed some firewood under the stove and then took out a basin to start kneading dough.

Tian Peng remembered seeing the firewood and realized he seemed to have missed a detail. He indeed forgot this task, as chopping wood was not as easy as fetching water.

"Sister, you go ahead and make the pancakes for me. There’s something I just remembered I haven’t taken care of, I need to step out for a bit," Tian Peng said.

The widow didn’t know what Tian Peng had to do but assumed he really had something important to attend to, so she nodded, "Alright, you go ahead, I’ll make the pancakes for you here."

Tian Peng left the widow’s house, and not far away there was a hill, not very big, but with plenty of dry, dead trees on it, perfect for firewood.

With the Nine-toothed Rake in hand, Tian Peng quickly chopped down a tree and carried it on his shoulder back to the widow’s house.

There happened to be an axe for splitting wood outside, Tian Peng sat down, picked up the axe, and started chopping the wood.

Chopping wood was laborious but for someone like Tian Peng who frequently did heavy work, it was nothing, especially since he was naturally strong, making wood chopping very simple for him.

The widow was inside making pancakes while he was outside chopping wood.

Whenever the widow needed firewood, she would step outside, but as soon as she did, she saw Tian Peng with the axe chopping wood and exclaimed in surprise, "Young man, didn’t you say you had to go back to handle something? Why are you here chopping wood? You should rest, you don’t need to do this."

"It’s nothing," Tian Peng said with a smile. "I did have something to do when I left, but on the way I saw a fallen tree. I thought since I was free anyway, I’d just carry it back. I’m free either way, so I might as well chop some firewood for you."

It sounded casual, but who didn’t know the real effort involved?

Deeply moved, the widow quickly spoke, "Young man, you really don’t have to, don’t think because I’m a widow I can’t manage. I’m used to living by myself, I can manage these things, you don’t need to help me."

"Sister, listen to what you’re saying. If I’m asking for your help, I certainly can’t let you help for nothing," Tian Peng replied.

"Making pancakes requires firewood, so of course I should prepare the firewood for you. This isn’t really helping you; it’s something I should do anyways," Tian Peng said.

Those words were one thing, but all that firewood would be enough for her family for half a month.

Since the firewood was already brought over, the widow had no choice but to thank Tian Peng again before carrying the firewood she needed back inside to continue making pancakes.