Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 372 371 Fame and Profit

The chief priests were indignant upon hearing this.

"Utterly despicable!"

"shameless!"

"I'm ashamed to be associated with them!"

"Scorpion-hearted!"

"receive."

Feng Xiuhu raised his hand to silence everyone.

He stared into Zhuo Sushou's eyes and asked the same question again: "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Zhuo Sushou, his neck stiff, shouted, "I'm not afraid!"

Feng Xiuhu pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Ma Sanjiang: "Are you afraid of death?"

Ma Sanjiang nodded hurriedly: "I'm scared!"

One is afraid of death, the other is not; it seems there's still something unclear about this.

Feng Xiuhu, however, was no longer in a hurry and paced back and forth.

Shunzi was filled with resentment and didn't want these two bastards to live a moment longer: "Brother, I don't care if they're afraid of death or not, just kill them with one blow! And burn this dilapidated temple down with them!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ma Sanjiang and Zhuo Sushou shouted in unison, "No way!"

"Ok?"

Feng Xiuhu turned around in surprise.

He first asked Zhuo Sushou, "Why not?"

Zhuo Sushou's eyes flickered: "There are still dozens of female workers imprisoned in the temple's cellar. You should at least rescue them before burning it."

Feng Xiuhu was even more puzzled: "Isn't it a bit too late to try to clear our names now? The men won't buy it."

Zhuo Sushou remained silent.

Feng Xiuhu then asked Ma Sanjiang, "Why can't you do it?"

Ma Sanjiang crawled several steps to Feng Xiuhu's feet, grabbing his trouser leg and crying, "Second Master, I don't deserve to die! Don't be fooled by how well the Zhu Linjin brocade is selling; I haven't made much money. If you want it, I'll give it all to you, okay? Just consider it as buying my worthless life—"

Before Feng Xiuhu could utter a sound, Shunzi kicked Ma Sanjiang to the ground and yelled, "We don't want your dirty money!"

Feng Xiuhu opened his mouth—whether it was dirty or not, he hadn't made a single sale yet after all this time.

This kick enraged Ma Sanjiang, who shouted angrily, "Dirty money?!"

Ma Sanjiang got up and pointed at the group of people around him: "Ask them, who hasn't taken my dirty money? During holidays, have I ever missed out on any of their gifts?"

Shunzi looked up and saw that the chief priests were either silent with their heads down or stroking their beards without saying a word; none of them responded.

Ma Sanjiang gained momentum, sneering repeatedly: "Do you really think business is so easy? Is Jiangluoxi's current prosperity entirely due to Zhulinjin? In the end, Zhulinjin is just a piece of cloth!"

"I've been selling Zhu Lin brocade for so many years, and the annual output is only so much. The county government has to give rewards to the subordinates who do the work, the higher-ups have to give tributes to you priests, the officials of the prefecture have to be bribed one by one, and then there are the noblemen from Taijing who reach out to me every time they come. I have to smile and offer them the Zhu Lin brocade that I prepared in advance. With so many people going through it, do you think I'll have much left?"

Ma Sanjiang stared intently at the crowd, pointed around, and suddenly shouted hysterically, "If I am guilty, then you are all guilty! The officials of the prefecture are guilty! The magistrates of Taijing are guilty—even the President is guilty! If we're going to die, we'll all die together!"

"You fart!"

A shrill voice startled everyone. Turning around, they saw that the first person to refute Ma Sanjiang was Zhuo Sushou.

His only remaining eye glared angrily at Ma Sanjiang: "Zhu Linjin is not just a piece of cloth! It is a treasure that has never been seen before or since!" Feng Xiuhu's eyes lit up; he seemed to have a clue.

"You're insane! I knew it was you who was holding us back!"

Enraged, Ma Sanjiang lunged forward and began to fight with Zhuo Sushou.

Even with his magic power sealed, Zhuo Sushou's skills were not something Ma Sanjiang could easily fake. In just a few moves, Zhuo Sushou pinned Ma Sanjiang down.

Zhuo Sushou raised his voice and said, "Save your energy. Neither of us will live today. You can't take your money with you, but I have something that I can leave behind in this world."

Feng Xiuhu walked over, bent down, and asked him, "So this isn't the first time you've had this conflict, is it? He's after profit... and you're after fame?"

Zhuo Sushou smiled with satisfaction: "The world only knows that the Zhu Lin Jin is a miracle bestowed by Granny Caiyi, but they don't know that it was actually made by me..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Ma Sanjiang's outburst of curses: "Madman! Fool! How can you not understand with your blockhead—if you didn't fabricate the miracles of Granny Caiyi, how could Zhu Linjin have gained such a great reputation today? If you tell the truth that Zhu Linjin was created by a mere priest like yourself, let's see if the lords of Taijing will still buy it!"

Feng Xiuhu nodded and said seriously, "I think County Chief Ma makes sense."

Zhuo Sushou's face paled: "So what? What's mine is mine. Even without involving Granny Caiyi, the Zhu Linjin is undoubtedly a world-class treasure in terms of both color and rarity..."

Feng Xiuhu succinctly pointed out the essence of the matter: "A treasure is merely a title bestowed upon it by people, but if it remains unknown, what is the point of whether it is a treasure or not? You have put the cart before the horse."

Upon hearing this, Ma Sanjiang burst into laughter: "Hahaha! Did you hear that! You surnamed Zhuo, so in terms of merit, I deserve more. Without me—pah! You're just a piece of rag, you wouldn't have any reputation!"

Feng Xiuhu stepped on his mouth and said, "I am the most fair-minded. I will speak the truth. Even without the cloak of miracles, Zhu Linjin is still a rare treasure. So even without you, Zhu Linjin will not have to worry about finding a market."

He looked at Zhuo Sushou again: "I just don't understand, since you are seeking fame, why didn't you tell the truth from the beginning, instead of waiting until now?"

Zhuo Sushou smiled helplessly.

Ma Sanjiang made a series of muffled sounds from the soles of his shoes: "Mmm! Mmm!"

Feng Xiuhu raised his foot: "You have something else to say?"

Ma Sanjiang took a breath: "Because he's more hypocritical than me! More greedy than me!"

"You think that guy surnamed Zhuo only cares about fame and not fortune? He actually wants both! It's just that now that he's made enough money, he wants to take back the fame that belongs to him as well!"

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized, and pointed at Zhuo Sushou, saying, "Then you are indeed quite greedy."

Zhuo Sushou pushed away Feng Xiuhu's hand: "There's no point in saying more. You've come not too late. If you want to kill, then kill."

Feng Xiuhu tilted his head: "What do you mean by 'not late'?"

Suddenly, a soft moan was heard, and Zheng Ajuan, who was on Shunzi's back, finally woke up.

The medicine from the Barefoot Temple was indeed effective; Zheng Ajuan's high fever had subsided, and her lips had regained their color.

When she woke up again, she looked around in confusion: "Where am I?"

When she saw the dense crowd around her, panic flashed in her eyes.

Shunzi comforted her, "Don't be afraid, we're safe now."

He put Zheng Ajuan down and helped her stand up.

Zheng Ajuan then realized that they were standing at the entrance of the Caiyi Temple.

She murmured, "My husband and I came here that night too, but I don't know where he is now..."

Suddenly, Zhuo Sushou spoke coldly: "Don't wait anymore, your man is already dead."

(End of this chapter)