Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 455 454 Peacemaker?
The toad-headed turtle dared not engage, and deliberately turned its attention to others, which weakened its momentum by three points.

Dumb Jin smirked, his disdain evident in his words: "It was the tax official who first brought up 'jianghu' (江湖, the martial arts world). I thought you were a hero who had fought your way through countless battles, but it turns out you don't even dare to take your own head. Tsk tsk tsk..."

Dumb Jin clicked his tongue: "...Looking at it this way, it's you who doesn't seem like a man."

"You son of a bitch—"

The bald-headed turtle clenched its teeth, then suddenly revealed a sinister smile: "Dumb Jin, don't provoke me. Do you really think I can't see through your intentions? You just want to force me to take action so that things can be resolved sooner."

Having his thoughts exposed, Dumb Jin wasn't embarrassed. He just chuckled softly, "So what? That's the difference between you and me. I'm willing to risk my life as bait, but you don't even have a shred of courage. A nobody like you, even with the title of tax official, will never amount to anything in your life. Your brothers are truly blind to have followed you."

The bald turtle's face darkened, and he glanced around furtively. He saw some brothers whispering among themselves, and he couldn't help but suspect that they had really taken Dumb Jin's words to heart.

Just then, a voice suddenly shouted from the edge of the crowd: "He's bluffing you! Do you really think he's not afraid of death? If you don't believe me, stab him twice and see if he dodges!"

The toad-headed turtle's expression changed again—it was the same voice from before!
Dumb Jin frowned slightly and glanced sideways at the source of the sound.

The bald-headed turtle yelled at the crowd, "Which son of a bitch is barking like that?"

Everyone turned around and looked at Shunzi—Shunzi's physique was already eye-catching, and he was a stranger, so anyone would suspect him first.

"It's you?"

"I asked with a grim expression," the toad-headed turtle asked.

Shunzi pointed to her nose and shook her head blankly: "I didn't say anything."

This sound is definitely not right.

The bald turtle then looked at Feng Xiuhu next to Shunzi—another unfamiliar face.

Before the toad-headed turtle could speak, Feng Xiuhu glared at him and asked, "What are you looking at?"

The toad-headed turtle was taken aback.

Feng Xiuhu then said, "What are you looking at?"

The toad-headed turtle was stunned again, and subconsciously asked those around it, "Is he talking to me?"

Feng Xiuhu wasn't finished yet: "Want to take a look at another one?"

The bald turtle gasped, "Where did this madman come from? Get him out of here!"

"Just try it!"

Feng Xiuhu shouted, pushed through the crowd and strode to the center. Without saying a word, he poured the remaining half bowl of porridge onto the toad's head.

The toad-headed turtle roared in fury, "You fucking want to die!"

He made a move to draw the short knife from his waist, but as soon as his hand touched the hilt, he froze on the spot.

Shunzi held the double-barreled shotgun in one hand, the dark muzzle pressed against the tortoise's head.

Shunzi looked down at him, her eyes disdainful: "My older brother is asking you a question, what are you looking at?"

Gudong.

The bald turtle swallowed hard. "I...didn't look."

Feng Xiuhu wiped the porridge stains from his hands on the bald turtle's clothes and laughed, "It's mainly because the bald spots on your head are affecting your appetite. I'm just trying to cover them up for you."

Shunzi chimed in, "Say thank you."

The toad-headed turtle forced a smile: "Th-thank you."

"You're welcome."

Feng Xiuhu patted him on the shoulder, then turned to look at the mute Jin. The mute Jin was also sizing up the two uninvited guests, and when he saw Feng Xiuhu looking over, he took the initiative to cup his hands in greeting.

Feng Xiuhu nodded slightly: "Let me say something fair."

The mute man, Jin, gestured and said, "Please speak freely, sir."

Feng Xiuhu covered his forehead with his hands, gazing at Tianpu River in the distance: "If you ask me, what's the point of arguing over such a trivial matter?"

“You bridge builders, just build it however you need to. If it’s a problem with water diversion, then just move the location of the river rites upstream, right? You can each do your own thing and not interfere with each other.”

The mute Jin smiled and nodded: "I think that makes sense."

But the toad-headed turtle protested: "No way! The River Flow Festival has been held here for thousands of years, why should we move?"

Feng Xiuhu spread his hands: "It's wrong of you to be so stubborn. Think about it yourself. Even if you win this year, what about next year, the year after, and beyond? Jiang Liuji's position will have to be changed sooner or later."

The toad-headed turtle was taken aback: "What kind of logic is that?"

Feng Xiuhu pointed to the river and explained, "Look, you can imagine how big a bridge that can span the river will be. Once the bridge is built, it will block the light and disrupt the feng shui, making it unsuitable to continue holding the River Flow Festival here. Won't you have to choose a new location?"

The toad-headed turtle stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then suddenly slapped its thigh: "How the hell didn't I think of that? We definitely can't let them fix it!"

Feng Xiuhu was stunned—he had come up as a peacemaker, but he had inadvertently killed the conversation.

That's it, there's absolutely no way to turn things around now.

"Big brother."

Shunzi suddenly beckoned to Feng Xiuhu, gesturing for him to look up.

Feng Xiuhu looked up and saw several figures on the deck of the large ship. Judging from their clothes, they were clearly priests of the Church of the Night.

Needless to say, they must have come out specifically to keep an eye on him and Shunzi.

Feng Xiuhu came to find a way to cross the river, not to cause trouble, so he waved his hand to tell Shunzi to put away his gun.

With no solution in sight, Feng Xiuhu simply asked the tortoise-headed turtle directly: "I'm not going to waste any more words with you. We need to go to the other side, are you going to let us through or not?"

At this moment, the tortoise was not being held at gunpoint, perhaps because he sensed that Feng Xiuhu had reservations, which gave him more confidence.

He then sneered and said, "I don't know which path this gentleman has taken to cross the river. Under normal circumstances, I would personally escort you across the river, but I can't do that today because the High Priest of Jiangliu Temple is watching you. If you have connections, you can go to the temple and talk to the High Priest, and see if he will let you cross."

"Trying to intimidate me with the temple?"

Feng Xiuhu couldn't help but laugh, and Shunzi laughed along with him.

The two laughed so hard that the bald turtle felt uneasy.

Shunzi said, "Brother, how about I just shoot him? If I kill him, the temple will have to show up. They beat up the little guy and then the old guy comes. That's how the temple is."

The bald turtle felt a chill run down its spine, and Shunzi's tone didn't sound like he was joking—of course, his scalp tingling could also be from being burned by the hot porridge.

Suddenly, the mute Jin spoke in a low voice: "Killing him won't help. If the temple can appoint him as a tax official, it can certainly appoint someone else. This method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. You still won't be able to cross the river. Since you have the ability, why not go directly to the temple to negotiate?"

Well, these two, one trying to intimidate others with his power, and the other trying to use one tiger to devour another, are neither good people.

With priests from the Church of the Night watching over him, Dumb Jin felt more confident than the bald turtle.

But Feng Xiuhu wasn't stupid; he wouldn't fall for it.

He glanced at the toad and the mute Jin a few times and said, "You two keep arguing, but I'm telling you this upfront: we'll cross the river at noon. Anyone who dares to stop us is welcome to try."

(End of this chapter)