As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 265 You've come back just in time!
The sun was shining and the sky was clear.

The white wolf beast, which had startled the city guards, darted into the street corner and disappeared.

On the other side of the road, a small, pure white dog strolled leisurely through the city with its owner.

The slightly salty sea breeze also carried the smell of gunpowder and blood.

The bustling, vibrant, and chaotic city I first visited now seems to be nothing but chaos.

The streets were a bit emptier; the vendors had all disappeared. There were traces of coal dust and undried blood, potholes of all sizes, rubble, collapsed houses, and a mess.

Soldiers roamed the streets, cleaning up the mess.

'Bang bang bang! '

The sounds of firearms being fired could be heard from time to time throughout the city.

Clearly, something happened here.

There were far fewer people on the streets.

During this period, those wandering outside are mostly idle vagrants and daring individuals.

Mingchen's group stood out conspicuously on the street.

"Let's go! What are you still doing wandering around the streets?! If we run into those thugs, we won't even know how we died!"

"Isn't it already over?"

"The Alliance Leader has already won."

"I heard that Zhu You of the Zhu You Gang once publicly announced that the Alliance Leader was the mastermind behind their gang, and that he helped the Alliance Leader kill a lot of officials!"

"Eh~ This is unspeakable, unspeakable! How can you believe the words of the Zhu You Gang? This must be something the Zhu You Gang said to slander the Alliance Leader."

"Not necessarily. If it's fake, why would the military governor of Bailing City rebel?"

"A lot of people died this time..."

"The alliance leader is truly enraged this time; he's still hunting down the remaining rebels!"

……

Mingchen had excellent hearing and managed to glean some information from snippets of conversation among the wandering people along the way.

"Dangdang!"

As I passed a familiar gate, I suddenly heard a dull sound.

Mingchen turned around and saw that the plaque with the words "Da Gui Men" written in a flamboyant style had fallen to the ground, with some bullet holes and coal dust on it.

A bountiful harvest of gold and silver depends on luck; wealth and prosperity come by chance.

The couplets on the two doorposts were also stained with some dark red bloodstains.

Grand Casino.

The place where he first interacted with that mermaid with her sparkling eyes, where he heard the girl speaking radiantly about her own theories of luck.

This is a gambling addiction that has led countless people to fall into depravity and ruin.

This place was once a haven for countless gamblers, who shouted and indulged in a life of extravagance and debauchery day and night.

This place has accumulated a great deal of wealth.

However, the scene here is completely different now.

It was a desolate and dilapidated place.

A large seal was affixed to the magnificent gate, and several guards carrying firearms stood watch there.

Keep away from strangers.

However, a few loiterers around kept glancing inside.

Unable to suppress their gambling addiction, these gamblers loitered at the entrance, staring at the sealed gate while muttering curses under their breath.

"The Great Noble Gate is closed? That son of a bitch, the Zhu You Gang! No wonder the Zhu You Gang is so rich!!"

"Let the alliance take over the Grand Noble Family! I want to gamble..."

"Zhu Youdu is dead, why won't the Great Noble Gate open?"

"A bunch of rebels, of all places could they go? Why did they have to end up in a casino...?"

"I never expected the Zhu You Gang's headquarters to be here?"

……

They are puppets of desire, and their minds have become disordered.

Even amidst the chaos of war and the uncertainty of life, they seemed unconcerned.

They just wanted to see when the casino would open again so they could pool their chips and go all in for another bet.

In just one month, everything has changed.

Mingchen fiddled with a copper coin in his hand, glanced at the familiar place, shook his head slightly, and left.

This city is completely different from what it used to be.

After walking for a while, Mingchen arrived at another familiar place.

The restaurant was closed at the moment, and it seemed that it was not doing business.

In times of chaos, preserving one's own life is of utmost importance.

Mingchen took two steps forward with the child and gently knocked on the door.

At first, no one paid any attention, but Mingchen was patient and kept knocking for a while.

The people inside finally lost their patience and shouted, "Go away, we're not doing business right now."

Mingchen wasn't annoyed, he just smiled and said, "Tell your manager, how can you go back on your promise when an old friend is visiting?"

After a while, the old man opened the door and was shocked to see Mingchen's face. He looked as if he had seen a ghost and said in disbelief, "Guest, this...this, why are you here?"

"The innkeeper promised me room and board, but I don't know if that's still true?"

"This……"

The old man, who had been cautious his whole life, was somewhat troubled by Mingchen's words. He craned his neck to look outside, and finally gritted his teeth and welcomed Mingchen and his party into the house: "Come in quickly."

This old man has some gentlemanly qualities; even in this extraordinary time, he is willing to keep his promise and allow Mingchen and his group to stay.

Mingchen entered the room, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you."

The old man pulled Mingchen to sit down and asked with some concern, "Guest, you didn't leave Bailing City? Bailing City is under martial law now, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. How did you get back?"

Didn't Mingchen check out and leave a long time ago?
There's chaos in Bailing City now, and martial law is in effect both inside and outside. How did he get back?
Mingchen simply waved his hand and laughed, "I do have some skills, but don't worry, shopkeeper, I can assure you there's nothing to fear."

"Um……"

This mysterious young man is no ordinary person; the old man has some insight into this matter.

Mingchen didn't say much, so he didn't ask any further questions.

The waiter brought tea and poured it for the two of them.

Mingchen asked, "Shopkeeper, could you tell me what's been happening in the city lately?"

Having seen and heard along the way, Mingchen had a rough idea of ​​what was going on, and now he needed to confirm and summarize it.

The old man paused, then sighed softly, "Alas... these are turbulent times!"

Originally, when Qian Yuan was in charge, this place was considered a war reserve area. The conscription of people and the collection of taxes had already led to the decline of Bai Ling City.

Later, the Jinglan Alliance joined, and the administrative and economic center played a role in the rapid prosperity and development.

With Mingchen's help, he should take this opportunity to make a fortune.

Just when I thought everything was looking up, this unexpected turn of events occurred.

This city seems to be born with bad luck.

The old man stroked his beard and began to speak slowly and deliberately to Mingchen: "As you know, the guest is familiar with the Zhuyou Gang..."

Not long after Mingchen left.

White Spirit City then suffered a major upheaval.

The leader of the Zhu You Gang, who had been wanted by the alliance for a long time, suddenly jumped out and publicly announced that the person behind him was the alliance leader. He claimed that he was gathering rebels, causing sabotage, eliminating dissidents, and assassinating high-ranking officials under the alliance leader's instructions.

At the same time, Xi Licheng, the military governor of Bailing City, immediately led two thousand garrison troops in a rebellion, declaring that the alliance leader was immoral, arrogant, domineering, lazy, and scheming, and was unworthy of being the leader of the alliance.

Everything happened so suddenly that the league didn't have time to react.

This rebellion seemed to have been planned for some time. The Zhu You Gang gathered a large number of angry people and rebels who disliked the alliance. Together with two thousand regular troops, they quickly seized the armory under the cover of night and killed a large number of officials and soldiers who supported the alliance leader, causing great chaos in the city.

Even Lord Chen, the right-hand man of the Jinglan Alliance leader, who diligently helped the leader handle daily affairs and held the high position of prime minister, died in this rebellion.

Fortunately, the leader was blessed by heaven. Even though the rebel army surrounded the city lord's mansion and killed everyone, not even a fly was released, they still failed to capture the leader, who narrowly escaped.

After escaping, the leader of the alliance quickly organized a counterattack, mobilizing the remaining troops to wipe out the rebels.

Hong Ling Shuang is a hero of the world, who unified the archipelago. She emerged from a sea of ​​corpses and bloodshed, and she has experienced many things.

It is impossible to be defeated by chaos.

Her reputation and prestige were earned step by step by herself. Xi Licheng betrayed her, but no one else did.

They just suffered a great loss; they weren't killed outright.

She loves to dance on the edge of a knife, but she always leaves herself a way to survive.

This motley crew merely caught the alliance off guard; in terms of true strength, they were no match for Hong Ling Shuang.

Zhu You was assassinated by his own subordinates; his grotesque head was hung in the city center square as a warning to others. Seeing that all was lost, Xi Licheng also committed suicide.

Now everything has settled down, and we are finishing up.

The entire city was sealed off, and the traitors were hunted down.

What should be recovered should be recovered, what should be seized should be seized, what should be pursued should be pursued, what should be arrested should be arrested, and what should be executed should be executed.

Hong Ling Shuang was truly enraged this time, preferring to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free, and completely eradicated all opposing forces.

Although this catastrophe did not kill her, it was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Jinglan Alliance.

The Alliance was already the smallest force on the continent, and now, with a large number of officials and soldiers dead in this internal chaos, the entire power structure was somewhat paralyzed. The prosperous and free city, built over two years, was shattered in an instant, all efforts were in vain, and the city was in chaos.

Moreover, the rumors and gossip never seem to go away.

Zhu You is dead, but his words have remained.

The Zhu You Gang has done a lot of bad things and is inherently hostile to the Alliance; their credit limit is actually not high.

However, Zhu You's words were all meant to attack the heart. Why is it that Zhu You's gang has only killed high-ranking officials all these years but has never affected the leader of the alliance?

Why were the high-ranking officials killed either those who had conflicts with the leader of the alliance or those who were corrupt?
Why did the Zhuyou Gang rise so smoothly and never get wiped out?

Why did the Zhu You Gang receive the support of the city warlord?
Even Zhu You's final death was somewhat suspicious. Why would his confidant suddenly betray him and assassinate him?

These questions cannot be answered.

Unless there is solid evidence to prove it, people will always find various ways to interpret the secrets behind the event.

The leader of the alliance is the ruler; he may be able to control what the people say, but he cannot control what they think.

Now that Zhu You is dead, the Zhu You Gang is basically destroyed.

Whether the leader of the alliance is a supporter of the Zhu You Gang or not, this question may never be answered.

The old shopkeeper was just a person from the bottom of society. He couldn't get the full picture of the events, nor did he know the undercurrents and conspiracies behind them. He could only tell Mingchen what he had seen and heard during this period.

However, Mingchen was not of the same class as him. His understanding of the city's power structure, combined with the information shared by the old man, was enough for him to piece together the complete picture of the matter.

The old man shook his head, somewhat sighing, "That's just how it is, guest."

As ordinary people, they don't really care who the leader is, who is good and who is evil, who is the mastermind behind the scenes, or who is loyal and treacherous...

He simply hoped for a stable environment so that they could live peacefully.

He looked up at Mingchen and said, "The city is still hunting down the remnants of the Communist Party. If your identity is unclear, you'd better be careful. Just stay here with me and don't go out."

Mingchen remained secretive and did not reveal any information about himself to the old man.

They met by chance, and the old man has already done more than enough for them.

Keeping one's word is quite difficult for a businessman who weighs the pros and cons.

"Unidentified?"

Mingchen smiled at him: "Shopkeeper, believe it or not, it won't be long before you get a prestigious brand."

The old man was taken aback by what he heard, somewhat bewildered: "Huh?"

Mingchen ignored the old man's advice and simply patted the child's head: "Shy Butterfly, wait for me here, okay?"

The child looked at him with dull, gray eyes and nodded: "Mm."

Mingchen kept the little bird, the little dog, the little fox, and the little snake.

He went out the door while the old man stared blankly at him.

"Child, you wait here for your brother."

The shopkeeper didn't know who Mingchen was, but since the other party had left so ostentatiously, there was nothing he could do but take care of Mingchen's family.

He led the child up to the second floor, to the same place they had stayed before, and said with a kind expression.

"Ah."

The child, holding the little fox, nodded gently.

Just as the old shopkeeper was about to leave, the child spoke up, which was unusual for him: "Grandpa, my brother is the Marquis of Jing'an. At least he can keep you safe."

She doesn't like to talk unless her appearance changes.

This was one of the rare instances where she disclosed information to the old man without asking Mingchen's permission.

The words Mingchen uttered before leaving clearly indicated that he didn't care if others knew his identity.

He never concealed himself along the way, riding a white wolf in. Those who could guess his identity would have guessed it; it wasn't exactly a secret.

The old man was a man of great integrity. He took a huge risk to welcome Mingchen into the house and told him all the information without reservation.

If Mingchen is truly someone of unknown identity, he will face utter ruin and death.

Given such a sincere relationship, he shouldn't have to bear the undue anxiety and risk.

Even though he was just an ordinary, weak, and insignificant person.

Telling him about Mingchen's identity is really no big deal.

After considering all factors, the child said the following to the old shopkeeper.

"Marquis Jing'an...what...what Marquis Jing'an?"

The old man was stunned, unable to connect the information in his mind at all.

But upon hearing the word 'Hou', he trembled all over.

Even a fool knows what this means: the young man he could never understand was a top-tier nobleman he could never touch in his lifetime.

He... has made a friend who is a marquis?
His heart was pounding, and the old man was so excited he felt dizzy.

His face was flushed, his whole body trembled, and he kept staring at the child, about to say something: "What..."

Before he could finish speaking, the indifferent child had already closed the door.

Old man:......

……

Time passed slowly, and soon the sun set in the west.

The afterglow of the setting sun painted the sky with a rosy hue, carrying a touch of melancholy, as if reflecting something.

The City Lord's Mansion of Bailing City is Hong Ling Shuang's residence. Although Hong Ling Shuang herself does not care about how luxurious or wealthy it is, it is still a temporary political center and represents the face of the alliance. After the alliance arrived, it was renovated and built to be quite luxurious.

However, the place was in complete disarray, and the servants were still busy cleaning up.

Human life is a process of creation and destruction.

They used their wisdom to keep moving forward, constantly updating their tools and weapons.

Yet they are consumed by desire, using weapons to kill and destroy.

In the center of the courtyard, a stunningly beautiful woman gently stroked the jade flute in her hand, raising her head to gaze at the afterglow of the setting sun, her expression composed.

The dim, yellow light shone on her exquisite face, seemingly adding an inexplicable divine quality to her appearance.

The alliance leader, who values ​​freedom, is lazy about government affairs, and loves to play, hasn't left his house for the past few days. The great chaos has left a huge mess, and many people have died. These things all need to be dealt with.

No one knows what this unpredictable leader is thinking.

However, as everyone knows, after such a great upheaval, the leader of the alliance was naturally not in a good mood.

"Reporting, Alliance Leader."

The guard strode forward, knelt on one knee before Hong Ling Shuang, and reported, "The rebels in the southwest of the city have been completely wiped out, and the remnants of the Zhu You Gang have also been eliminated..."

The Jinglan Alliance is in a bad situation right now, and the leaders are in an even worse mood. Even the guards are reporting with some trepidation.

Hong Ling Shuang listened to the report with a blank expression, simply nodding indifferently: "Hmm."

"The city gate guards reported that at noon a strange white wolf was running as if it were flat ground on the vertical city wall. It carried a person over the wall and into the city, then disappeared."

However, upon hearing this report from his subordinate...

"Um?!"

Hong Ling Shuang abruptly turned her gaze away and looked at her personal guards.

His face, which had always been expressionless, finally seemed to show some change.

Meeting Hong Ling Shuang's gaze, the guard lowered his head again: "Alliance Leader, should we conduct a house-to-house search to apprehend this person?"

It was only for a moment. Hong Ling Shuang quickly regained her composure and looked at the jade flute in her hand. She said calmly, "No need! If he doesn't want to, no one can catch him."

"Go down and finish up the remaining work."

"Yes!"

The guard bowed and then retreated outside.

The courtyard was quiet, and only Hong Ling Shuang remained.

She raised her hand, looking somewhat dazed at the jade flute in her hand.

Her ponytail swayed in the wind as she murmured softly, "You've come back just in time!"

It's one thing that he saw me drunk last time.

This time... they really made a fool of themselves.

How embarrassing!
She was reluctant to see that person anymore.

(End of this chapter)