Journey to the West: The Mountain Shaker

Chapter 81 Paying to Avoid Disaster

A sword light suddenly appeared on the Great Sage Stone.

Before the flying sword had even come to a complete stop, Peng Yulang knocked out the guard boy with a single finger, then gracefully stepped off the flying sword.

The deputy colonel stared at him, his eyes practically spitting fire, and demanded in a low voice, "It's you!"

At this moment, Huaguo Mountain was unusually peaceful.

Taking advantage of the brief pause, the thieving bird soared into the sky, and after a few breaths, its figure had become a small black dot in the northern sky; the Three Evils also took advantage of the old dean going into the sea to rescue Feng Xiangguo to create distance and head straight for Aolai Main Island.

Thousands of shrimp and crab spirits scurried towards the sea, receding like the tide; countless bird monsters cried out as they flew north, drawing a winding black line across the azure sky, contrasting with the distant crimson sunrise and golden-edged clouds, a scene of both beauty and grandeur.

The old dean and Fang Yingyue flew back to Huaguo Mountain with the seriously injured Cai Fei and Feng Xiangguo. Long Hen also carried the still unconscious Guo Xiqin. The three of them flew straight to the Water Curtain Cave to treat the injured and handed over the important task of looking after Haixing to Zhao Shizuo.

The Thief Bird and the Three Evils of Aolai will not return, but the Sea Monster and Bird Monster will return soon. There will be a peaceful period of one or two hours in between, and Peng Yulang took advantage of this opportunity to return to the Great Sage Stone.

There were too many unexpected events today, and the plans have been completely ruined.

The first surprise was Cho Si-tso.

The fat guy I've always looked down on actually knows the Dragon Binding Technique!

This was completely unexpected by Peng Yulang; it was simply illogical.

The Dragon Binding Technique is one in a million, and anyone who knows this skill must be a core disciple of the Zhao family. How could such a person come to this poor and remote place, Aolai?

I really misjudged!

If I had known that there were core members of the Zhao family here, I would never have made contact with the Star Moon Sect.

Zhao Shizuo may indeed be a drunkard who focuses on brewing wine, but a core disciple of such a prominent family must be accompanied by capable servants.

Over the past five years, I have accomplished so much. Zhao Shi has been watching from the sidelines; I wonder how much she knows. I must find out this as soon as possible.

The second surprise was Cai Fei.

The so-called son of Aolai is really something!

At this moment, he was still unaware of what exactly was happening in the air. Although they were far apart, the range and frequency of Cai Fei's movements in the air were clearly the result of spiritual power manipulation at the seventh level or above.

He and the steward had been absolutely certain that he was at the sixth level of cultivation. The Three Evils of Aolai used this as a basis to estimate his combat power. Since they were a small realm apart, it was natural that some errors would occur.

Of course, the biggest surprise was the Great Sage.

The Great Sage manifested, and Aolai trembled!

This is an unprecedented event in 100 years, and it will surely alarm the Nine Heavens and Mount Lingjiu.

Both sides will send people to check whether the seal is secure, and the people sent will definitely be figures of the level of Nine Heavens Inspector or Five Directions Exorcist.

Compared to such a figure, his background as a member of the Peng family was simply insignificant.

He had tried to stay away from this incident as much as possible, thinking that he would not get into trouble. The Guo family of Qiantang was a small family that posed no threat to him, but now Peng Yulang was very uneasy.

Therefore, you must wipe your bottom clean.

Both the black and white sides will come together; let's pay to avoid trouble.

Without even looking at his deputy, Peng Yulang stood by the stone platform, gazing at the main island of Aolai, and said, "Brother Xiang, you come from Guanzhai Mountain in Fujian Province."

"What? Are you checking my household registration?" Xiang Lizuo became very wary.

"Guanzhi, Guanzhi, able to distinguish right from wrong, that is Guanzhi. Alas, jade that is too rigid is easily broken, and a person who is too insightful can also die." Peng Yulang continued gazing into the distance, his tone soft, as if talking to himself.

"Threatening me?" Xiang Lizuo gritted his teeth and said, "Don't think I can't bite you to death! That Guo guy has been keeping an eye on the Haixing case three years ago, and you were the only Foundation Establishment cultivator present at the scene of the crime back then!"

"So what if there's only one? There's still no evidence." Peng Yulang smiled, turned to look at Deputy Chief Xiang, and said, "Since Brother Xiang comes from Fujian, he naturally knows about Wuyi Yuanhua Grotto-heaven. Although Guanzhi Mountain is good, it's only a second-level spiritual land. If there are any Foundation Establishment cultivators in Brother Xiang's clan, I can still put in a good word for them in Wuyi."

"No need, my Guanzhai Mountain can build its foundation on its own!" Xiang Fuzuo sneered.

"You're going to be accused of 'dereliction of duty' anyway, so why drag me into this?" Peng Yulang was still smiling, but with his cold eyes, the smile looked fake. "One million spirit stones, plus ten cultivation slots in the Yuanhua Cave Heaven, for a single word from you."

Xiang Fuzuo remained silent—indeed, given the magnitude of the Haixing incident, he could not escape the accusation of dereliction of duty, and dismissal was inevitable.

However, the Xiang clan actually has a small population and accounts for a very small proportion in Guanzhi Mountain. In recent years, very few people have entered the Dao, so the ten Yuanhua Cave Heaven slots are useless. The whole clan is counting on him to make a name for himself.

The position of deputy commander of Huaguo Mountain was a useless job for these scions of noble families, but for him it was a good stepping stone that he had to work hard for. Who would have thought that he would be tricked by such a big trick on this crucial day of Haixing? This pretty boy ruined everything for him!

"One and a half million! That's all I have!" Time was running out, and Peng Yulang couldn't hold back any longer. "Don't be ungrateful! What good will it do you to go to jail? If you really send me in, the Peng family will definitely retaliate!"

Xiang Fuzuo clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. After a few moments of silence, he finally relented: "100 million, but I don't want your money. I want your Peng family to help me secure a new position, no lower than Deputy Commander of the Pacification Division, and the spiritual land of the post must be no lower than the third rank."

So he was a careerist after all?

Peng Yulang was taken aback, thought for a moment, and nodded in agreement: "Okay."

One million to reinstate a seventh-rank celestial official who was dismissed for dereliction of duty is a task that Guanzhai Mountain would find extremely difficult to accomplish, but for the Peng family it would be a piece of cake. Under normal circumstances, it could be done for five or six hundred thousand, which would save them money.

Of course, this is also a good thing for this Deputy Colonel Xiang, because it was Peng's doing, so he will be considered one of Peng's people from now on, and others will look at him with more respect.

"Remember, this is how it happened—you were injured while patrolling the sea, and you asked the academy's steward to buy a Wenjing Fruit. You took the medicine on this Great Sage Stone, and there was no one around you when you took the medicine," Peng Yulang explained.

"The one in charge of the formation arrangement at the academy?"

"Yes. Just say that he was on good terms with you, and that he learned about your injury during a casual chat one day, so he specially bought medicine to help you relieve your worries. Anyway, he is already dead, killed by the Three Evils. If you reply like this, there will be no further evidence."

Peng Yulang nodded to the deputy colonel and noted it down before leaving satisfied.

It is true that the Wenjing fruit was obtained from Fangcun Mountain by the steward. This story is nine parts true and one part false, and there is no witness to the false part, so it can definitely fool everyone.

For just a few hundred thousand, I could clean up my mess and even buy a good dog. Things couldn't have gone more smoothly.

So now the only problem is Cho Shi-tso.

Peng Yulang flew back to the patrol point on his flying sword. When he passed the Dizi picking point, he saw Fatty Zhao.

The latter was comforting the teachers and students of the academy. When he flew by, he simply waved and smiled as usual. His small eyes were almost slits in his chubby face, casual and friendly.

Peng Yulang used to wave his hand casually, but today he solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

He may not have followers either—although both are among the six great families, perhaps the core members of the Zhao family are different from those of the Peng family?

Peng Yulang thought to himself, then flew back to the patrol point to continue his work.