Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 543 Departure, Chang’an

Tian Peng’s words, though plain, were true, for he indeed had no knowledge of repairing water channels; it was all based on his own guesswork.

Now that he thought about it, the successful repair of the water channel was purely a matter of luck, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.

"There are two rivers outside our village, one of which has dried up, and the other is the Yellow River. All we did was divert the water from the Yellow River into the dried-up one, greatly facilitating water access for the common folk."

The method might have been simple but it was the most effective and safest. Had he attempted a more risky approach without prior experience, it could have easily backfired.

"To have thought of this, you’re quite capable," the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture said with a laugh.

"With that said, can you trust me now?" Tian Peng asked. "If the corrupt officials are not dealt with, I fear our town will not be able to return to peace. I have come here now for two reasons only."

"Two reasons?" the registrar questioned. "Besides asking us to punish the corrupt officials, what else is there?"

"Shouldn’t the manpower spent on the water channel repairs and the silver allocated for the disaster relief be distributed to us?" Tian Peng said matter-of-factly.

"Weren’t you the one who volunteered to repair the water channels? Why are you asking for silver?" the registrar, a bit irked, "Does that mean you are implying that you repaired the water channels just for the silver?"

"I can forgo the silver."

"Then isn’t that contradictory to what you just said?"

Standing in the middle of the hall, Tian Peng was neither humble nor pushy, his voice resonant and commanding.

"I never came for the silver in the first place; wealth is external to me, I don’t care for such things."

"But it wasn’t just me who repaired the water channel—more than fifty people from our town did too. They shouldn’t have to work for nothing. Providing food was my initiative, but if the government gets involved, it must do its part."

Fine then, that argument was logical and well-founded; no one present could refute his point.

The official from the Kaifeng Prefecture signaled the registrar to drop it; he himself felt invigorated just listening to Tian Peng’s account.

This young man was undoubtedly talented, not just a rare find but also one of the few exceptional talents in the world.

His earlier thought of enticing this youth to his side was far too naive. Even after this matter was resolved, the young man would not remain in that small place, for his ambitions were not so limited.

"I believe you," said the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture.

Upon hearing this, Tian Peng merely nodded; he was neither surprised nor particularly pleased.

"The official has said he believes you, yet you don’t kneel down to express your gratitude!"

Watching Tian Peng’s composed demeanor, the registrar was frustrated, almost wishing he could forge steel out of the young man’s character. What was he thinking in his mind? Hadn’t he gone to such lengths just to convince them of the truth?

Now that they were convinced, why was the young man still so aloof?

Tian Peng glanced indifferently at the registrar, "There’s no question of belief or disbelief; what I said was true. The official, surely bearing the world in his heart, has chosen to help Huang’an Town, and the people there will be grateful to him."

"You..."

The registrar wanted to object but was at a loss for words, the youth’s reasonable yet inexplicable speech left him unsure of how to respond.

"Does the official plan to take care of matters in Huang’an Town now?" Tian Peng inquired. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Not at the moment," the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture said. "My rank is three grades higher than Huang’an Town’s County Government Office, but I cannot act against them directly. This matter must be reported to the Jade Emperor, and only after his edict can I act."

"So what now?"

"We must go to Chang’an now to report your situation to His Majesty," the official from Kaifeng Prefecture said.

If they continued on like this, much time would be wasted. Tian Peng originally thought about having them directly depose the County Magistrate, but upon reconsideration, he realized that the issue was not so easily resolved.

Even in the Heavenly Court, he could punish his subordinates, but to remove an official in command required submitting a report to the Jade Emperor.

In the mortal realm, the process was naturally similar. With this in mind, Tian Peng agreed to proceed.

After all, the village now had a water source, so the villagers wouldn’t have to worry about irrigating their fields.

Now that they had just finished spring planting and it wasn’t yet time to collect taxes, Tian Peng reckoned that the County Magistrate couldn’t stir up any serious trouble even if he wanted to.

However, this meant that much more time would now be needed.

Kaifeng Prefecture was quite a significant estate, and since the County Government Office had to travel to Chang’an, a round trip would take at least half a month.

Before leaving, all affairs must be properly arranged; they couldn’t simply pack up and leave as he did.

Kaifeng Prefecture was a large place, and Tian Peng, thinking he had little silver, naturally looked to save where he could. He did not seek an inn that night but rather stayed in a guest chamber at the prefecture.

By the next morning, Kaifeng Prefecture had prepared a carriage for the journey to Chang’an.

Tian Peng joined the carriage, thus beginning his journey to Chang’an.

The carriage traveled the official road, which was generally safe from bandits, but they still hired an escort from the security escort bureau for added assurance.

The reason they chose the security escort bureau rather than their own guards was because the escorts, who traveled year-round, knew the road conditions better and were more suited for the job.

The official from Kaifeng Prefecture sat in the carriage, accompanied by his personal guards and the escorts, who followed on foot. After traveling all morning, the official kindly suggested they rest, have some water and a bite of their dry provisions before continuing.

Having already been on the road since morning, upon hearing the official’s words, everyone gratefully stopped for a break.

Tian Peng pulled out his provisions from his pocket. The dry provisions he had brought with him were gone, and now he was eating the coarse grain cakes provided by Kaifeng Prefecture, which were not as tasty as the white flour cakes he had before.

Tian Peng took a bite and found it distasteful, but now was not the time to be choosy. He ate, washing down each bite of dry food with a gulp of water.

After eating and resting for a while, both horses and men were ready. The official then asked, "Is everyone rested? Let’s depart now."

With these words, the group continued their journey.

There were rest stops along the official road, and they aimed to reach the nearest one before nightfall, ensuring safety.

Even on the official road, the night could bring wild animals or bandits, so the group headed towards the rest stop.

Seeing the sunset about to dip below the horizon, the Head Escort of the bureau calculated the time and said, "Everyone, pick up the pace a bit more. We can reach it in half an hour. The sun is setting, and if we delay any further, we may not make it to the rest stop before dark."

The coachman raised his hand, cracking the whip a little harder; the horses neighed and picked up speed.

With increased urgency, the party managed to reach the rest stop before dark. The rest stop had an inn that provided lodging, so they decided to stay there for the night.

The rest stop also offered hot water for washing, and it was then that Tian Peng realised he hadn’t washed for several days; he had lacked the means before, but now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to clean up properly.

After freshening up, Tian Peng came down from upstairs wanting to grab something to eat. On his way down, he spotted a shiny, large round platter that became even more dazzling under the lights.