Chapter 147: This official, his heart is truly black!
No one could have imagined that this ordinary-looking old monk in front of them was actually a grandmaster!
A grandmaster was the highest expert in the world, capable of taking on thousands of soldiers and horses alone! You could tell just by how arrogant the newly-crowned Saber Saint and Saber Immortal were towards the Great Wu Dynasty.
Anyone below a grandmaster was like an ant, and the only ones capable of fighting against them were other grandmasters. No matter how many others tried to fight against them, it would be useless.
Therefore, no one dared to make any sudden moves, afraid of provoking the grandmaster in front of them and being slapped to death with a single palm.
“Amitabha Buddha! Good, good!” The old monk lowered his presence, returning to his true nature and emitting no aura, as if he were an old dying monk.
Lin Beifan walked out, smiling from behind him.
“Now, everyone sees it, right? If you want to witness this world-shocking battle, unless you have grandmaster strength, you must pay up to me! If you don’t want to pay, then don’t bother coming!”
Martial arts heroes and legends in the Jianghu world felt both frustrated and angry. They had always been the ones robbing officials, but now they were being robbed by officials, which had never happened before.
However, the situation prevailed over individuals. In front of grandmaster-level experts, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.
As a result, they all handed over their money one after another. Lin Beifan’s money bag quickly filled up, and he had to switch to another one.
Lin Beifan smiled from ear to ear. “This is what I’m talking about! Fighting and killing hurt the atmosphere, and harmony brings wealth!”
Everyone wanted to slap this hypocritical official who only cared about his own profits. They had kept the peace, but he was the only one getting richer.
This official was despicable!
In just half a day, Lin Beifan had collected millions of silver.
You should know that in two days, it would be the night of the full moon, and that was when the two grandmasters would fight.
Now those who have rushed over are all martial arts people who have just come from the capital, and many more martial artists are still on their way.
This group is very large in number, and can definitely make Lin Beifan fill up his bowl and overflow with profits. Just thinking about the bright future, Lin Beifan couldn’t even open his eyes from smiling too much.
“Now, can we go in?” The martial artists present said with hatred.
“Of course!” Lin Beifan put away the money bag and said with a smile, “But, let me remind you all! You must follow the rules when you go in, put away your weapons, settle your grudges, and don’t fight and kill recklessly. Otherwise, I will have to drive you all out!”
The Jianghu people nodded. They could accept these rules. They didn’t want to start fights with others while watching the battle.
“Furthermore, do not provoke any officials and soldiers of the court!”
Lin Beifan continued, “The reason we sent so many soldiers over is mainly to maintain order at the scene and ensure that everyone has a happy viewing experience! If anyone deliberately causes trouble, don’t blame us for being ruthless!”
The Jianghu people nodded again. They could accept these rules too. They came to watch the battle, not to stir up trouble. Also, with a grandmaster presiding over the event, they dare not make a move.
“One last thing!”
Lin Beifan smiled and said, “Once you go in, it’s best not to come out, otherwise I’ll have to collect another payment!”
This time, the martial arts heroes became emotional and indignant.
“I’ve already paid, why do I have to pay more?”
“Are you deliberately robbing us?”
“Clearly the actions of a despicable official!”
…
“Because I have face blindness and can’t recognize who is who!” Lin Beifan remained calm and said confidently, “If you keep going in and out, I won’t recognize anyone and some of those who haven’t paid might sneak in. Isn’t that unfair to everyone? I’m thinking of you!”
Everyone was livid!
How shamelessly he could say these things with such dignity!
He’s clearly just thinking of his own money bag!
We all see through you!
However, everyone was too lazy to argue and just glared at Lin Beifan before walking in with resentment.
Next, many more martial arts people came in droves and were unsurprisingly scammed by Lin Beifan.
Everyone came with enthusiasm but left with disappointment, cursing Lin Beifan to the Heavens.
Lin Beifan remained calm. Let them curse as much as they like; they wouldn’t be able to harm a hair on his head. Only the money in the bag was real.
In this way, Lin Beifan’s income for the day quickly broke through tens of millions.
The officials of the court were salivating at the sight of the profits.
Lin Beifan smiled and grabbed a thick stack of silver bills and stuffed them into the arms of Guo, the head of the Six Doors.
Guo looked down and his eyes nearly popped out!
Good gracious, this one stack of thick bills alone was worth at least 100,000 taels!
“Principal Lin, what do you mean? I can’t accept this!” Guo quickly took it out again.
However, Lin Beifan pressed it back and said with a smile, “Guo, just accept it, don’t refuse! You guys have been guarding the palace these days, and this is what you deserve. Go buy something nice for yourselves!”
Guo slowed down his pace as he thought about the hardships of the past few days.
Lin Beifan continued with emphasis, “Besides, this is not the common people’s money, but the money of these Jianghu people! They often cause trouble for us, and we should take their money. Isn’t that justified? We are also getting rid of harm for the people and seeking revenge for our colleagues!”
Guo’s eyes lit up. That made a lot of sense! These Jianghu people were always against the authorities, causing them trouble and even killing some of their colleagues. Why can’t they take their money?
In fact, it’s justified!
Lin Beifan whispered to Guo, “This is just a small token of appreciation. Help me keep an eye on things and I’ll give you a big reward after I scam all these Jianghu people.”
Guo replied excitedly, “Principal Lin, don’t worry, I will!”
Lin Beifan smiled, “With you here, I’m at ease.”
Lin Beifan left, but Guo became energetic and shouted, “Everyone, keep a close eye! Don’t let anyone escape, otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
“Yes, My Lord!” Everyone responded in unison.
In addition to collecting money, Lin Beifan was also responsible for distributing money to all the officials present. According to their rank, ability and contributions, the higher officials received tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of taels, while the lower ones received at least a few thousand.
Even every soldier present received a silver tael from Lin Beifan, making sure that no one was left out. They all worked together as one team!
Seeing this scene, everyone couldn’t help shaking their heads and sighing.
One general even gave Lin Beifan a thumbs up, “Principal Lin is really generous! No wonder he was able to sit in this position at such a young age. He did it with his true abilities!”
“Yes, throwing away millions like this, he really has the guts to do big things!”
So, everyone worked harder, knowing that these Jianghu people were all their experience treasures and had to be watched closely.
The more greedy Lin Beifan was, the more they would get rich together!
In the palace, the empress knew about this and couldn’t help but cry and laugh, “This Lin Beifan always does things so perfectly, but can’t resist making money for himself afterwards. He even drags others down with him! He’s a complete corrupt official!”
Bai Guanyin shook her head and sighed, “This is the first time I’ve seen someone able to reach into the pockets of the Jianghu people and get money out of them. With so many martial arts people here, who knows how much money he can scam?”
“I’m sure it’s a lot!” The empress said angrily, “As the saying goes, poor in literature but rich in martial arts. How did they learn their skills without money? After acquiring good martial arts skills, they don’t sell them and instead engage in illegal activities to make money, causing constant chaos in the country! If they paid taxes according to the law, the treasury would have increased by at least 50 million taels! This time, it’s best to catch them through Lin Beifan’s greed!”
Bai Guanyin nodded with a smile, “Your Majesty is absolutely right!”
Under the attention of the empress and Bai Guanyin, Lin Beifan continued to fleece the martial arts experts.
In just one day, the entrance fees alone amounted to 20 million taels, mostly contributed by postnatal martial artists. There were too many of them, and 99% of martial artists were postnatal, which formed the foundation of the Jianghu.
Each person had to pay over 1000 taels, and with over 5000 people, that amounted to over 15 million taels.
Lin Beifan believed that there was still a lot of untapped potential. For example, the Great Martial Empire recorded over 20,000 postnatal martial artists, and there were even more undocumented ones. With the inclusion of martial artists from other countries, their numbers would increase by tens of times, which was impossible to count. Lin Beifan thought that in the end, he could break through 30 million taels or even 40 million taels!
“Freshly steamed buns and dumplings! We also have rice and dishes, everything you need…my heroes, do you want to try some? Prices are low, honest!”
During mealtime, Lin Beifan brought a group of officials and soldiers to serve hot food.
After spending a day at the martial arts event, everyone couldn’t resist the smell of the hot food.
“How much is a serving of food? Give me one!”
Lin Beifan smiled, “The prices are very cheap, only 100 taels!”
The martial artists there were outraged.
“What? You’re charging 100 taels for this plain food?”
“I’ve never eaten something so expensive in the capital!”
“Your heart must be black!”
…
“If you’re not satisfied, you can go back to the capital to eat. I won’t stop you,” Lin Beifan still smiled.
Everyone was so angry that their faces turned black!
If we could go back, we would have left long ago. Would we still be exploited by you?
Despite being reluctant, everyone smelled the food and knew that given the thousands of taels they had already spent, another hundred taels was nothing. They began buying food, but hesitated once they received their portions.
“Is this food safe to eat?”
“It should be!” A skilled martial artist sneered. “If they poison us, our sects won’t let it go easily. They wouldn’t want that responsibility.”
“True. Let’s eat without worries.”
“Can I have some water, please?”
And so, everyone wolfed down the food. In the end, everyone found that one serving wasn’t enough and ended up buying several portions, spending hundreds of taels more.
Corrupt official, your heart is so black!
