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

Chapter 381 Bet
"Woooooo~"

The sky was clear and cloudless.

The large ship, somewhat out of step with the times, emitted a series of whistling sounds, spewing large amounts of steam from its smokestacks, and swiftly moved forward, cutting through the waves.

A slightly salty sea breeze ruffled my hair and blew against my face, bringing with it a salty, fishy smell.

On the deck of the main ship, Mingchen quietly watched the waves being parted by the hull.

Human wisdom is astonishing; with just a little guidance, it can unleash tremendous power.

Not long after, the ship was reinforced once again.

Faster speed, higher displacement, greater load capacity...

Mingchen stayed in Yueyang City for some time, but he did not make a public appearance, nor did he attend court to receive Xiao Xinyue's praise or the flattery of the officials.

They set off very discreetly along with the surprise attack naval forces that were traveling north by waterway.

The monk also came, but he had drunk wine the day before and was fast asleep in the cabin.

"This ship is quite interesting."

A soft, seductive female voice came from her arms. The little fox poked her head out, tilting her head back. The gentle sea breeze caressed her soft red fur, making her look incredibly cute.

The cunning fox-like eyes watched the large ship sailing on the waves with great interest.

Even with her extensive knowledge, she found the large ship somewhat peculiar.

"what is this!"

Mingchen simply patted her head and said with a smile.

"In the future, we will be able to build ships hundreds of times larger than this, and even fly airplanes on them!"

The little fox was taken aback, then asked with great interest, "What is an airplane?"

Mingchen lowered his eyes and smiled, "An airplane is a tool that can be piloted to make people fly into the sky. It is extremely fast, even faster than the white wolf."

Time flies!
The past life was like a dream, Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly, or perhaps a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi.

He could no longer clearly distinguish the memories of his past life.

"Oh?"

The little fox raised an eyebrow: "Isn't that just a magic weapon?"

Moreover, it's a very ordinary magic weapon.

She can simply fly into the sky without any tools.

With the White Wolf's limited skills, it's easy for him to be faster.

Mingchen shook his head and laughed, "It's not a magic weapon, it doesn't require magic power, and it's not that precious or rare. As long as you have money and resources, you can build many of them. After training, even ordinary people can master them. They can also be equipped with weapons to carry out air-to-ground strikes and reconnaissance work."

The little fox was stunned: "Huh? This... how is this possible?"

Mingchen countered, "What's impossible? Human creativity is boundless. In ancient times, would people living in caves have imagined that they would build cities and houses in the future? Would they have imagined that we would have such bustling shops, such novel objects, such books that carry culture, and such delicious food?"

"Perhaps in the future our lives will become more convenient, with light sources that can illuminate without lighting a fire, communication devices that allow us to communicate across millions of miles, and more convenient means of transportation that can travel thousands of miles a day..."

Thinking that is too far ahead of its time will be defined as madness by those who are confined to the ideas of this era.

The little fox shook its head, unable to comprehend the world Mingchen described.

Just looking at this crazy visionary, I thought: "This is impossible."

“The actions of mortals have crossed the line; they have infringed upon the domain of immortals and gods.”

What Mingchen said is not untrue.

But those are all magical treasures, and they are extremely rare.

It's just a treasure created by a great master, passed down through almsgiving.

The world has different levels.

There should be a barrier between the upper and lower levels.

Knowledge, power, information... these are used to divide social classes.

Otherwise, how could those high and mighty beings be considered noble?
The higher the level of authority, the less it desires change in the situation, and the less it desires progress from those below.

The gods and rulers would rather see the people on earth toiling away, day after day, without ever changing.

We always hold the heavens and earth in awe, yet are disturbed by nature.

During droughts, they have no other recourse but to humbly plead with the mighty forces of heaven and earth, and pray to the gods for rain.

People fear the darkness, so they believe in the sun and yearn for light.

……

Because we are insignificant, we worship and make offerings to beings with higher-dimensional abilities.

But what if people have more control?
If humans possessed greater power, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, would they still need to pray to gods and immortals?
If people could make rain on their own, would they still respectfully worship gods and immortals?

If humans could control their own light source, would they still revere the sun? Would they still fear the darkness?
Humanity progresses step by step, and civilization progresses step by step. Mastering increasingly powerful tools and taming increasingly formidable forces diminishes our sense of awe and gradually infringes upon the rights of beings in higher dimensions.

Change will cause the established barriers to collapse, and the lofty hierarchy to crumble.

The little fox thought Mingchen's words were pure fantasy.

If that were possible, wouldn't everyone become a god?

That would create chaos in the class system.

This is impossible.

Those living in higher latitudes would not allow such a thing to happen.

"The realm of immortals and gods?"

Holding the little fox in his arms, Mingchen asked with a smile, "Who made that rule?"

There is an inherent conflict between progressive civilization and conservative old order, which is why dynasties constantly change.

Anything that blocks the progress of the times, no matter what it is, will eventually be crushed into dust by the surging torrent.

Only by embracing the future and embracing innovation can we survive.

Mingchen lowered his eyes and said with a smile, "Want to make a bet?"

The little fox's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and it immediately said, "Okay! You said it yourself!"

She didn't actually care about what Mingchen said.

However, she cared a lot about the bet with Mingchen.

His dark eyes darted around, reflecting Mingchen's image: "I want to bet. I bet what you said is impossible. If I win, you have to kowtow to me three times, publicly call me Aunt Hua Rong, and say, 'I was blind and offended Aunt Hua Rong. I deserve to die. I will never dare to do it again in this life...'"

She finally got her chance.

She always suffered defeats at Mingchen's hands and never won a single time.

Her wins and losses weren't the kind of fights where magical power was compared, but rather the kind of mischievous pranks and teasing she played on each other.

It has nothing to do with the size of the force, but only with who can gain the upper hand and manipulate the other.

Mingchen, that scoundrel, is incredibly cunning; he made her suffer setbacks one after another right from the start.

If she gets the chance, she'll definitely teach that guy a lesson!
The little fox raised its head, its spirits soaring.

It was as if she could already foresee the scene of Mingchen respectfully bowing to her and praying to her in the future.

It unconsciously wagged its tail, grinning mischievously in a human-like way: "You'll do whatever I tell you to do!"

What a beautiful thing this is!

Just thinking about it made her breasts feel better.

Mingchen: ...

Even your aunt wants to sleep with you?
Judging from her expression, you can tell she's up to no good.

You vixen!

The goal is not small!

Mingchen asked with a smile, "What if I win?"

The little fox rolled its eyes: "How could that be?!"

No matter what it is, it cannot imagine things it has never seen.

"It's fair to agree on the stakes when making a bet."

Meeting Mingchen's gaze, the little fox shivered for no reason, as if it were being stared at by something unclean.

"You win, and I'll let you do whatever you want with me." The little fox proudly declared, "I, Hua Rong, can afford to lose!"

What a load of rubbish!
That's what she said, but in her heart she was thinking: if Mingchen really does create a miracle and wins, she will then make an escape!

Only a fool would honor a bet!
She refused to believe that this guy could catch her!
"it is good!"

Mingchen, unaware of what this guy was thinking, simply smiled and nodded, saying, "Then it's settled. How long is the time limit?"

"I won't bully you, let's make it two hundred years!"

The concept of time for immortal beings is different from that of ordinary people.

Two hundred years is enough time for a dynasty to rise and fall, to go through a cycle of life and death.

But in the little fox's mouth, it was just a casual bet.

Perhaps it will only be a fleeting moment, and then it will be over quickly.

This guy is most like Mingchen; he talks nonsense and can't be believed a word he says.

Mingchen didn't believe him at all when he said that his cultivation had only been around for a few hundred years.

Upon hearing this, Mingchen lowered his eyes and smiled, "Two hundred years? I might not even live to see that time!"

The little fox wagged its tail and said nonchalantly, "Then I'll find you, dig out your skeleton, and fulfill my bet!"

I, Hua Rong, lost the bet and have to run away.

If you lose the bet tomorrow, you have to crawl out and agree to the travel bet!
Mingchen: ...

There's no need to be so alarmed.

"Humph!"

Come to think of it, it seems that not long ago a mermaid made a bet with him!
Our Emperor is truly impressive; he actually won for Mingchen.

What kind of bet should he ask for next time they meet?

Mingchen held the little fox and looked north, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

"Let me make this clear first... I'm just out for a stroll. I won't get involved in the fighting between your two countries, nor will I engage in magical duels with those shady characters."

The wisdom that time brings is to avoid getting involved in irrelevant whirlpools of interests when you have nothing better to do.

Mingchen is indeed an interesting person, imaginative and unpredictable.

The little fox enjoyed spending time with him and playing with him.

But this does not mean that she will help Qian Yuan and Bei Lie go to war.

The story behind this war is not simple.

She has a very clear understanding of the relationship between people and the nation, and between individuals and a particular power.

Mingchen chuckled and tapped her forehead: "I've been feeding and taking good care of you, and you really don't want to lift a finger!"

That's what they say, but if it really came down to a situation where she needed to take action, the little fox probably wouldn't stand idly by.

All parties involved have already entered the fray.

Earlier that night in the Northern Territory, Mingchen had also made a pact with that Taoist priest.

This time, it's a gamble for both sides.

On this trip north, Mingchen brought all the cultivators with him.

Only Ji Wen was left in the court to prevent any unexpected situations from occurring.

The monsters around them were treated differently from the cultivators who came to seek refuge.

Mingchen didn't press her, but said, "On this journey, you can keep an eye out for us and make sure no monsters or cultivators can spy on us."

Even those beings with great magical power and supernatural abilities cannot be omniscient and omnipotent, nor can they foresee the future.

They couldn't even pinpoint Mingchen's location.

For example, when Mingchen went to rescue Wang Huai last time.

The so-called Bodhisattva, and even the Buddha behind him, certainly did not know that Mingchen would come.

Otherwise, the Bodhisattva would never have appeared before Mingchen, nor would he have lost face and fled in such a disheveled manner.

Those high and mighty beings do not easily show themselves; they will only send down pawns and cultivators to exercise their will and influence the overall situation.

Intelligence is gathered through investigation.

Therefore, let the little fox look after things for a while.

The little fox stuck out its tongue: "Alright then."

After all, you're obligated to someone who feeds you.

"Brother~"

As the man and the fox were chatting and watching the sea from the boat, a voice suddenly called out from behind them.

The child ran up to the deck and came close to Mingchen.

Time flies by so quickly, without us even realizing it.

The dull, ugly child we found in the pile of bones in that desolate wilderness has grown into a young woman.

The pimples and acne on her face had all disappeared. Although she didn't have the stunning beauty of the women surrounding Mingchen, she was still quite pretty and lovely.

After Mingchen returned to Yueyang, the usually obedient child strongly requested that Mingchen take her with him this time.

This trip north was not a private trip, but rather an engagement in a major war.

Bringing this child along to the front lines of war isn't really a good idea.

However, this girl is no ordinary person; she is exceptionally talented and skilled in martial arts.

She has now fully grasped everything that Ling Yu taught her before.

She has masks in her hands, which can be used in countless ways to change her appearance.

Although Mingchen sees her as just a child, if she were to go to the battlefield, she would be capable of defeating a thousand troops.

She can take care of herself; Ling Yu can just arrange a small place for her to stay.

The incident involving Wang Huai served as a wake-up call for Mingchen.

Is it always safe to leave a war zone?

It's better to be by his side than to be thousands of miles away, not knowing what to do, and being killed by the enemy in a daze.

It's not a bad thing that the child is willing to follow him.

So Mingchen relented and took her with him on the journey.

The child is quiet and not one to cause trouble.

A black cat lay on the mast at the bow of the ship, its paws swaying gently as it basked in the sea breeze and sunshine.

Lazy and carefree to the extreme.

Besides the little fox and the child, there was also the cat and the old ghost, and Mingchen brought them along as well.

Tao Yaoyao was left behind in her hometown, while the little mouse, a non-combatant member, stayed in the field to farm...

It looks a bit bulky with the whole family around, but everyone is very easy to manage, so it's really not a problem.

Mingchen smiled and patted the child's head: "Are you getting used to being on this ship?"

The child leaned against Mingchen, his face expressionless, and simply whispered, "I'm used to it~"

"Speaking of which, it's been almost a year since you last saw your sister Lingyu."

"Come with me to the North, and you must listen to her."

"kindness!"

The two people and the fox stood on the deck, quietly watching the sea as the large ship sailed forward, cutting through the waves.

But just then, the little fox's eyes flashed, as if it had noticed something.

He kept reminding Mingchen, saying, "Mingchen, there are people in the water!"

The weather changed as soon as the words were spoken.

The next instant, dark clouds suddenly obscured the sun overhead, the sea breeze grew stronger, and the ships swayed.

A huge whirlpool suddenly appeared on the calm sea.

(End of this chapter)