The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 168 Huang Lang's Ingenious Plan

Now that he had both the kingdom and the beauty in his hands, Kui Mulang was in high spirits and loudly proclaimed to the crowd in the hall: "Gentlemen, today is my wedding day and my ascension to the throne. It is truly a double celebration!"

"Go ahead and eat and drink to your heart's content! As long as I, the Yellow-Robed King, am on the throne, you will never lack good days!"

All the civil and military officials raised their glasses in celebration, saying, "Long live Your Majesty!"

When Wukong saw Jiang Feng also raising his wine glass to celebrate, blending in so naturally without seeming out of place at all, he was both amused and exasperated.

"Master, wake up! This is a monster! We have to subdue it!"

Jiang Feng said nonchalantly, "Let's see first. Didn't you see that everyone supports him? Even the king's own daughter doesn't object."

If he is truly better at governing the country than the old king, then he is the real king.

Kui Mulang looked at the crowd chanting "Long live the Emperor!" below the steps, a smug look on his face. He waved his hand to quiet the crowd and said, "My word is law, and I keep my promise. I hereby order the national treasury and granaries throughout the land to be opened, so that the people can enjoy three months of free, continuous feasts!"

A cheer immediately erupted in the hall, and all the civil and military officials showed expressions of great excitement.

If the national treasury were to actually implement a system of banquets, there would be far too many possible maneuvers involved.

By exploiting each layer of the system, they could embezzle at least 90% of the national treasury's wealth. As for the remaining scraps, they would generously distribute them to the people as a show of mercy, just to make them happy!

The king stared in shock at his minister, who seemed to have gone mad, and said, "If we keep indulging in feasts for three months straight, the national treasury will be emptied. How will our Baoxiang Kingdom continue to operate? What if there's a natural disaster? How will our people survive?"

Kui Mulang said confidently, "Father-in-law, don't worry, I've already come up with a brilliant plan."

The way of Heaven is to take from those who have more and give to those who have less. When we run out of food, we'll go to other countries to eat! Once we get there, with my abilities, I can easily don the imperial robes again, become their new king, and order the treasury to be opened for feasting.

There are so many countries in the world. The time it takes us to bankrupt one country, two new ones can be established elsewhere. We could never finish eating them all!

"Long live Your Majesty!"

The ministers were immediately swayed by his promises and plunged into a frenzy of celebration.

The king stood there helplessly, muttering blankly, "You've all gone mad, you're all insane—"

Looking at the absurd scene before him, Wukong exclaimed in shock, "I, Old Sun, always thought I was knowledgeable and experienced, but it seems I've seen too little."

Is this an idea that a human could come up with?

Master, do you think the Yellow-Robed Monster's absurd idea is feasible?

Jiang Feng exclaimed, "This Yellow Robe Monster is a real genius! This method is indeed feasible. The Yellow Robe Monster is strong enough, and their population is small, so they can definitely survive using this method."

But they wander aimlessly, constantly plotting to usurp others' positions, showing no concern for the lives of others; sooner or later, they will all be wiped out.

As they were talking, the king stumbled over to their side. Pigsy quickly moved the table that was about to be knocked over, causing the king to fall to the ground.

The king was jolted awake by the hard fall, and, slapping his thigh, he wept bitterly, "I let a wolf into the house! I truly let a wolf into the house! I was so foolish! I have failed my ancestors and the people of Baoxiang Kingdom!"

While protecting the food on the table, Pigsy said, "You chose this son-in-law yourself, who can you blame?"

Upon seeing the unfamiliar Jiang Feng and his companions, the king instantly recognized them. His eyes lit up with a desperate desire to survive, and he knelt down, pleading, "You are envoys from the Great Sui Dynasty. Please deliver a message to the Emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty and ask him to send troops to help me quell the rebellion!"

"As long as you can help me restore order, our Baoxiang Kingdom will henceforth be a nephew of the Sui Dynasty, paying tribute to the Sui Dynasty every year!"

Jiang Feng said with a strange expression, "Your request is probably impossible. Along the way, once I leave the border, I will be at the Flowing Sand River, and I will also pass through the Kingdom of Tianzhu once. After passing your Kingdom of Baoxiang, I might end up back at Shuangcha Ridge of the Great Sui Dynasty."

"With such complex terrain, even if the imperial court sent Li Jing to lead the troops, he would have to become like Li Guang (a legendary general known for his bravery and cunning)."

The king, his face filled with despair, lowered his arms and sobbed, "It's all over, all over! I've destroyed the entire legacy of my ancestors—"

Looking at his pitiful appearance, Wukong couldn't help but shake his head slightly and say, "You old man, it's lucky you met me, otherwise you really wouldn't be able to deal with this monster!"

The king's body trembled, his pupils contracting as he exclaimed, "A monster? This man in the yellow robe is a monster?!"

Wukong stood up, his face righteous, and said, "That's right, I, Old Sun, will show you mercy today and rid you of this bewitching demon!"

Showing great mercy? That's my word!

Before he could even complain, Wukong had already pulled the golden cudgel out of his ear and gently slammed it on the ground.

A loud bang rang out, and the entire hall shook violently. Everyone present was startled, and the hall fell silent.

Wukong grabbed his golden cudgel, pointed it at Kui Mulang, and roared, "Demon, you have bewitched people and caused chaos among the populace! Do you know your crime?!"

Kui Mulang looked closely and immediately recognized Sun Wukong.

As a celestial being, he was well aware of Sun Wukong's power, and instinctively took a step back, saying with a fierce but weak voice, "Who are you, daring to act so presumptuously here!"

Wukong shouted, "Listen carefully! Your maternal grandfather is the Handsome Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wukong swung his golden cudgel and smashed it towards Kui Mulang.

Kui Mulang drew a precious sword and parried it head-on, sparks flying everywhere in an instant.

The two then engaged in a fierce battle, exchanging blows for twenty or thirty rounds. After that, Wukong launched a flying kick that sent Kui Mulang flying.

Kui Mulang fell to the ground and with a "poof," revealed his true form, becoming a wolf-headed monster.

Wukong quickly took two steps forward and raised his golden cudgel to smash it down on Kui Mulang's head. Seeing that things were not going well, Kui Mulang used a trick to release smoke and escaped from the hall in the blink of an eye.

"Ah, the Third Prince Consort is a monster!"

At this moment, the ministers in the hall finally came to their senses and began to discuss among themselves.

The king was overjoyed to see the monster driven away. He rallied his spirits and approached Jiang Feng, pleading, "Holy Monk, your disciple is incredibly powerful; even the monster was no match for him. I beg you, Holy Monk, to have mercy and allow him to subdue that monster!"

The general, looking flustered, said, "Yes, although the monster was driven away, what if it comes back? We won't be able to defeat it!"

The prime minister said, "Holy monk, you were the ones who exposed the demon's identity. If it weren't for your interference, we would now have a wise king! You can't abandon us!"

Everyone chimed in with their opinions, and in the end, they all blamed Jiang Feng and his group, saying that they had been meddling and had caused the situation to escalate beyond repair.

Enraged, Wukong grabbed his golden cudgel and smashed the table beside him to pieces. He bared his teeth and said, "You people are ungrateful! I, Old Sun, subdued demons for you, and you've caused trouble for me?"

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