Wu Tian took Wang Damao to the same restaurant they had visited with Xu Xiaofang.
Wang Damao was astonished when he saw it was a high-class establishment.
"Wu Tian, how dare you eat in a place like this? It's so expensive!"
"Let's go somewhere else. I can't afford to treat you here!"
Wu Tian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Village Chief. I'm treating you to this meal. Just relax and enjoy your food."
Wang Damao asked, "What's up, Wu Tian? Did you strike it rich?"
"I heard you were selling cabbage. I didn't realize you had such a good business sense!"
Wu Tian chuckled, "You flatter me. It's all thanks to Xiaofang's good management; I had nothing to do with it."
They walked to the restaurant entrance, where the same two cheongsam-clad beauties were standing.
Upon seeing their slender legs in thin stockings, Wang Damao's eyes widened.
"My goodness, Wu Tian, such beautiful women are standing at the entrance as receptionists. Isn't that a waste?"
Wu Tian smiled and said, "Village Chief, you're at it again. Didn't we agree you'd abstain from lust? Why has the old habit returned?"
Wang Damao smiled sheepishly, "No, no, I'm just admiring them, that's all."
They entered the restaurant, and Wu Tian booked a private room.
Wang Damao asked Wu Tian to order, but after looking at the menu a few times, he didn't know what to choose, so he let Wu Tian decide.
Wu Tian also wasn't sure what to eat, so he asked the beautiful waitress to order the same dishes as last time.
Knowing that Wang Damao liked beer, Wu Tian ordered a large mug of iced beer for him.
Wang Damao picked up the mug and drank more than half of the beer in one gulp.
He slammed the mug on the table, his face flushed, and cursed, "Chen Sheng, that son of a bitch!"
"All he talks about is money. I think he's fallen into a money pit!"
"If I ever get the chance, I'll report him!"
Wu Tian knew that Wang Damao's anger had been building up for a long time.
He said slowly, "Village Chief, it seems we need to plan this carefully."
"Since that guy is a director, if he doesn't agree, we can't get the tap water connected."
Wang Damao asked, "Then what do you suggest we do? Should we really scrape together fifty thousand yuan for him? What a joke!"
"Even if I could get that much money, which I won't discuss now, I wouldn't give it to him! Isn't that encouraging bad behavior?"
Wu Tian felt that Wang Damao was quite upright in some ways.
After all, as long as it involved principles of fairness and justice, he wouldn't make mistakes.
Wu Tian said, "Let's discuss this further when we get back. For now, let's eat. We need to fill our stomachs before we have the energy to act!"
The two of them ate heartily and finished their meal quickly. Then they walked out and waited for a taxi by the roadside.
Wu Tian was now considered a boss, so his mode of transportation had upgraded. He used to take the bus, but now he took taxis.
The main reason was that he couldn't drive and didn't have a license; otherwise, he would have bought a car.
A taxi stopped. Just as Wu Tian was about to get in, screams were heard from ahead.
Then Wu Tian heard someone shout, "Murder! Murder!"
Murder?
Wu Tian's expression turned serious. He forgot about getting into the taxi and rushed towards the scene.
A crowd had already gathered. Wu Tian saw a middle-aged man lying in a pool of blood, twitching slightly.
His chest had been stabbed with a knife, and blood was gushing from the wound.
On the other side was the killer, a man in his forties. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be from the countryside.
He held a knife in his hand, his face a mixture of anger and fear.
Upon seeing the man, Wang Damao froze and then shouted, "Sun Sheng! What are you doing!"
Sun Sheng turned and saw Wang Damao, trembling slightly, "Village Chief Wang, why are you here?"
Wu Tian frowned and asked, "Village Chief, do you know this person?"
Wang Damao replied, "How could I not know him? He's the village chief of Luotu Village. We even had a meeting together half a month ago!"
"The village chief of Luotu Village?" Wu Tian was puzzled.
Luotu Village was also a poverty-stricken village, on par with Taohua Village.
If this Sun Sheng was the village chief, why would he kill someone?
Wang Damao, unafraid that Sun Sheng would harm him, walked up and snatched the knife away.
He angrily said, "Sun Sheng! Are you tired of living? How could you kill someone!"
Sun Sheng paused, then seemed to break down.
He yelled hysterically, "What else could I do! What else could I do!"
"Our village has no tap water. I went to the Water Resources Bureau thirty or forty times, but no one helped me. They just demanded fifty thousand yuan!"
"These bastards deserve to die! Do you know that? They all deserve to die!"
Wang Damao and Wu Tian were somewhat stunned.
So they were facing the same predicament.
Wang Damao said, "Sun Sheng, are you out of your mind?"
"The person who demanded money from you was Chen Sheng, right? Go find him if you have a problem. What are you doing now?"
Sun Sheng exclaimed, "That guy Chen Sheng, I'll go kill him right now!"
"But that guy is the director of the Water Resources Bureau. Since he's the director, he must be involved in this dirty business!"
"If I kill him while I'm at it, it'll be a service to the people!"
Wang Damao's eyes turned red with anger, and he roared, "You fool! You're so foolish!"
"What's the use of doing this? In the end, you'll only ruin yourself!"
"Now that you've killed someone, you'll be sentenced!"
Sun Sheng, overcome with rage, didn't care anymore and shouted again, "I don't care what happens to me!"
"I just want to get water for our village. This is a matter of justice. What crime have I committed?"
Seeing Sun Sheng's frenzied state, Wu Tian couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Sun Sheng's actions were certainly wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry with him.
The world was like this; many things couldn't be simply defined by right and wrong.
He spoke up, "Calm down a little. As long as you didn't kill anyone, you won't be sentenced."
Looking at Zhao Qi in the pool of blood, Wang Damao said, "Wu Tian, what are you talking about? Look at him, is he still salvageable?"
Wu Tian said calmly, "He's not dead yet, so he can be saved!"
With that, Wu Tian squatted down and placed his hand on Zhao Qi's wound.
The onlookers looked on in confusion, not understanding what the young man was trying to do.
As Zhao Qi's injuries were severe, Wu Tian channeled a large amount of spiritual energy.
After several minutes, the spiritual energy accumulated within Zhao Qi took effect.
What happened next left everyone in utter shock.