Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 267 Your Stone Man? It's My Stone Man!

The hand that was touching the stun gun stopped.

Lin Dao looked astonished. "What did you say your name was?"

Shi Nai'an, who was planning how to distract Lin Dao so he could take the opportunity to cross the seven-step distance, was also stunned upon hearing this.

"I am Shi Nai'an. Do you perhaps know me?"

"Shi Nai'an from Xinghua, Jiangsu?"

"It's the old man."

"Why are you here?"

This question made Shi Nai'an feel somewhat ashamed.

"I was traveling around when I was captured by government troops. I had no choice but to stay here and work as a clerk at the river works office."

Lin Dao laughed, "You were captured, but instead of being forced into hard labor, you were made into a clerk?"

“This…” Shi Nai’an gave a bitter smile. “Twenty years ago, I passed the imperial examination.”

He was born in the second year of the Yuanzhen era and is now fifty-five years old.

Despite his advanced age, he remains agile and walks with incredible speed.

If you're not in good health, you won't be able to travel the world.

Moreover, two years later, he joined Zhang Shicheng in an uprising against the Yuan dynasty and personally went to the battlefield!
Look at the detailed descriptions of battles in "Water Margin", such as Wu Song changing his sword, crushing gold and silver utensils, tearing off Pan Jinlian's clothes before killing her, and other details.

It's clear that Shi Nai'an, as the author, definitely had relevant experience.

Among those who passed the imperial examination in the same year was a famous person.

His name is Liu Ji.

I sensed that the killing intent emanating from Lin Dao was gradually dissipating.
Shi Nai'an simply sat down on the ground and said, "Twenty years ago, I passed the imperial examination and became the magistrate of Qiantang County."

"Because he defended the poor and corrected their grievances, he was reprimanded by the county magistrate. He then saw through the darkness of the court and resigned to return home."

"In recent years, when I have nothing to do, I travel around and visit different places."

“I was dragged to the river work site by the soldiers. When they learned that I had once been an official, they gave me a clerical job.”

He raised his hand and pointed to the flickering firelight on the distant riverbank.

"I occasionally stroll along the riverbank, reminiscing about stories from the past."

"Unexpectedly, we ran into a group of people acting suspiciously over there."

"I hid in the pile of rocks, wanting to see what they were doing."

"Next, it's your turn, young man, come over here~"

He probably came to the riverbank to relax and ponder the plot of Water Margin.

Thinking of this, Lin Dao's heart stirred slightly.

"Mr. Shi, I have a question I would like to ask you to answer."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."

"Speaking of which, a group of bandits are having their year-end meeting," Lin Dao said with a smile, taking a step back.

"The bandits who grow grain say they didn't make any money from it this year."

"The bandits who run the hotel said they didn't make any money this year either."

"The mountain bandits who fished said they didn't make any money this year either."

"At this point, the bandits who robbed the highway said that not only did they not make money, but they also lost money. Mr. Shi, do you think that's possible?"

Shi Nai'an stroked his beard and smiled.

"That's utter nonsense."

"Other things are easy to discuss."

"But those highway robbers who collect tolls are making a profit without any initial investment; how could they possibly lose money!"

"Haha~~"

Lin Dao laughed, tears streaming down his face. "You understand this principle, but some people act as if no one else does."

Shi Nai'an was greatly puzzled.

What exactly is this person saying?

The torches in the distance were gradually disappearing, indicating that they had finished their work.

Lin Dao stood up and gestured for Lin Dao to throw the dagger on the ground.

He pulled a dagger from his boot and threw it down, then spread his hands to indicate, "I meant no harm."

"Walk."

Lin Dao, still holding a pistol, gestured for Shi Nai'an to go first and say, "Go and see what these people are doing."

Based on the descriptions in Water Margin, Shi Nai'an must have personally killed people.

Despite his advanced age, he is still incredibly skilled.

For Lindao, the necessary vigilance must never be relaxed.

On the riverbank, there were obvious signs of disturbance in a patch of silt.

"They're burying something."

Looking around and circling the muddy area several times, Shi Nai'an concluded, "Judging from these drag marks, the thing is very heavy."

Taking out the multi-functional stun gun, flipping it over to turn on the flashlight at the other end, Lin Dao slowly nodded. "Mr. Shi, what do you think was buried, Mr. Shi?"

Shi Nai'an, trembling, pointed to the flashlight, his face pale as if he had seen a ghost.

"Oh."

Lin Dao smiled and explained, "This is my magic weapon."

"Gathering the brilliance of the bright moon and condensing the essence of the moon's soul."

"Store it for use as lighting when it gets dark." Lin Dao flipped the flashlight over, revealing one end of the stun gun. "It can also release magic to deal with bad guys."

'Sizzle!'

The leaping arcs of electricity made Shi Nai'an's lips twitch.

If I remember correctly, this person had previously tried to use this item against me.
"Little brother~"

Trying to calm himself down, Shi Nai'an revealed a sincere smile: "Who exactly are you?"

They even brought out the ritual implements.

Shi Nai'an was not some clueless young man.

He knew very well that if he mishandled the situation, he would not see the sun rise tomorrow.

"You travel the world." Lin Dao had made his decision. If he couldn't recruit them for his own use, then he would write "Water Margin" himself.

"I suppose you must have heard of it."

"When the white lotus blooms, the wise king is born, and the white lotus is born."

Shi Nai'an nodded repeatedly, "This is a prophecy of the White Lotus Sect; I have heard it before."

"Maitreya will descend to earth, and the Bright King will be born."

Shi Nai'an nodded again, "This is a prophecy of the Maitreya sect."

"The Wise King has been born to save all living beings."

Shi Nai'an suddenly realized, "This is the prophecy of the Vegetable-Eating Demonic Cult—no, it's the Ming Cult." Meanwhile, Lin Dao pressed the switch, and the electric arc at the end of the stun gun flickered.

“I am the Bright King.”

Shi Nai'an'(°ー°〃)'

He didn't reply, which made the atmosphere a bit awkward, with only the constant buzzing of the stun gun.

After a moment, Shi Nai'an, having composed himself, coughed and asked, "May I ask, young brother, which sect's wrathful deity do you belong to?"

Towards the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Cult, the Maitreya Cult, and the White Lotus Cult gradually began to merge under the pressure of the Yuan court.

Everyone claimed that the Wise King would save all living beings.

However, they have not yet merged and remain different sects.

Who exactly is this so-called "Wing King" who claims to be the reincarnation of a Bright King?
"That goes without saying." Lin Dao frowned slightly. "There is only one Ming King, and the three factions of Ming Kings are all referring to me."

Shi Nai'an was utterly speechless.

If he hadn't seen the magic weapon in Lin Dao's hand still glowing, he would have thought he had encountered a madman.

Just as he was about to say something, Lin Dao suddenly disappeared!
He first lowered his jaw and widened his eyes, then raised his hand and rubbed his eyes vigorously.

When I opened my eyes again, there was still no trace of them.

My legs went weak and I sat down directly on the riverbank.

"Ghost, ghost, ghost~ Ah, ghost~~"

He wrote *Water Margin*, not *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*.

This bizarre scene truly frightened him.

Fortunately, Lin Dao suddenly appeared the next moment.

He was holding two shovels in his hands.

"Why are you sitting on the ground?"

He threw a shovel over and said, "Come and get to work."

Struggling to regain his composure, Shi Nai'an got up and said, "You...you before..."

Lin Dao, leaning on a shovel, laughed and said, "I've already told you I'm the reincarnation of the Bright King, don't you believe me?"

"Trust, trust, trust!"

Catching his breath, Shi Nai'an picked up the shovel from the ground and nodded repeatedly, "This time, I truly believe it!"

The idea of ​​someone disappearing into thin air was clearly beyond his comprehension.

"Dig." Lin Dao gestured to the riverbank in front of him. "I want to see what they buried here."

Shi Nai'an wielded a shovel and dug with all his might.

Don't let his age fool you; he has real skills, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to travel the world.

As for being captured by the Yuan army~
Let alone Shi Nai'an, even if Lu Junyi, the strongest warrior in his works, came, he would have to kneel down if he encountered an army alone.

He dug and dug, panting heavily, until he was about half a person deep, then struggled to his feet to catch his breath.

Looking up, he saw Lin Dao standing by, shovel in hand, watching the commotion with a sense of melancholy in his heart.

If you don't want to do it yourself, just grab a tool.
Lin Dao opened a bottle of Yibao water and tossed it to him, saying, "Drink some water, rest for a while, and then continue."

Exhausted and with a sore back, Shi Nai'an no longer cared about the water bottle in his hand.

He drank it all in one gulp, rested for a while, and then continued wielding the shovel.

After a while~
'clang! ’

The shovel head clearly hit a hard object.

"There really is something there?!"

"Dig from the side." Lin Dao gestured, "Make the pit bigger."

'All you do is talk, why don't you come down and dig with me?'

Shi Nai'an muttered to himself, squeezing out all the strength in his body to continue digging.

When he was completely exhausted, he simply threw down the shovel in his hand, sat down by the pit, panting heavily and waving his hands.

"No, it really won't work!"

At this point, half of what was buried underground had been dug out.

It was indeed a stone figure.

Lin Dao took a closer look at the stone man's face; it only had one eye.

"Don't say the stone man has only one eye; that's where the story comes from."

Those people carrying torches earlier were probably Liu Futong, Han Shantong, and others.

They buried the stone figure here beforehand, and when the river workers dug it out, it fulfilled the prophecy that had been spread.

Lin Dao stroked his chin. "Replace the stone figures you buried with mine."

"Then all your propaganda will belong to me."

"Truly a helpful and kind friend."

"I suppose you don't have the guts to deny my identity as the King of Light."

He gestured for Shi Nai'an to move away.

After circling the pit twice to determine its dimensions, he jumped down and pressed his hand down on the stone figure's head.

The next moment, Lin Dao and the stone man disappeared together, leaving only a large pit.

Having learned from experience, Shi Nai'an was not as panicked this time.

He sat on the riverbank, catching his breath and waiting for Lin Dao to return.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of hot tea, Lin Dao reappeared, bringing back a stone figure that was clearly more exquisite.

The stone figure fell into the pit that had been left earlier.

Lin Dao came out and called to Shi Nai'an, "Come on, fill it back in."

This move was truly baffling to Shi Nai'an.

He was too lazy to ask anymore, so he rubbed his lower back and got back to work filling in the gaps.

Fortunately, backfilling is much easier than excavation, and with gritted teeth and perseverance, the work was finally completed.

After taking the shovel back, Lin Dao instructed Shi Nai'an, "Now that you know my identity, what will you choose?"

Panting heavily, Shi Nai'an immediately performed a deep bow.

"Shi Er is willing to follow the Wise King and save all living beings!"

He's not stupid.

Now that you've seen all their secrets, instead of pledging loyalty, are you going to threaten to report them to the authorities?

If you really do that, you might end up being buried next to this stone figure.

"it is good."

Lin Dao smiled and helped him up, saying, "Just stay here and wait until the stone man is born, then come find me."

Seeing Lin Dao leave, Shi Nai'an hurriedly asked again, "I still don't know the name of the Ming King~"

"Lin Dao, courtesy name Zihou!"

(End of this chapter)