Douluo: Wuhun Qimen Formation, control everything!

Chapter 142 Everything is in need of rebuilding
City Lord's Mansion.

An hour after Zhou Xuan and the others left, a dark figure suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect Zhou Xuan to be so ruthless."

This person was none other than the titled Douluo in the stone chamber of the teahouse.

Since leaving the city, he had been following Zhou Xuan from a distance.

As for why he hadn't made a move, it was naturally because he had discovered Elder Xuan's presence.

In terms of raw strength, he was certainly inferior to Elder Xuan, but in terms of concealment, even if Elder Xuan's soul power reached level ninety-eight, it was still not enough in his eyes.

If he couldn't kill the enemy with a single blow, he would rather wait another year.

Otherwise, if Zhou Xuan hadn't been killed directly, he probably wouldn't have had a second chance. Moreover, given Shrek's abilities, if he fell into their hands, it would be difficult for him to guarantee that he could still maintain his identity.

When Gao Hongyu appeared, he thought it was a good opportunity. Gao Hongyu was quite strong. Although the steward next to Zhou Xuan was also strong, if they wanted to defeat Gao Hongyu, Elder Xuan would definitely have to take action. At that time, it would be his turn to make his move.

It's truly unexpected that Gao Hongyu has been recruited by Zhou Xuan. Now, it will be even more difficult for him to make a move.

The shadowy figure sighed and glanced around: "But it's not like there's no chance."

He walked to the city lord's corpse, bent down, and groped around on his body for a while.

He pulled out a domino.

"As expected, they are related to evil spirit masters, and it seems that their upper limit level is not low."

This explains why a small city like Sai has so many Soul Kings, and where these trafficked children ultimately went.

Now it seems that this is hardly a city.

This is clearly the blood field of evil soul masters; the city lord and his ilk are at most the administrators of this blood field.

However, all of these administrators have now been eliminated by Zhou Xuan.

The loss of such a city would be a significant blow to this evil spirit master.

Moreover, to use an entire city as a bloodbath, especially one not too far from Shrek Academy, and considering Shrek Academy had already conducted a major purge against evil spirit masters, is truly remarkable.

He must be quite strong to have survived that purge. He'd probably be at least a Title Douluo, otherwise how would he have the guts and the strength?

The shadowy figure looked down at the dominoes and grinned, "Hopefully, this will give me a little surprise."

"Crack!" With a single grip, the domino shattered, and a barely perceptible wisp of soul power dissipated, gradually drifting into the distance.

Although the shadowy figure also noticed this soul power, he did not stop it.

After all, this suited his purposes perfectly.

Only when things fall into chaos will he have a chance.

After crushing the dominoes, he erased all traces of his existence, and with a flash, the dark figure disappeared from the spot.

In a restaurant in the city, Zhou Xuan and his two companions were having a meal.

The owner was carrying a plate of fragrant food over his shoulder. It was a plate of golden-brown fried fish with crispy skin, which looked very appetizing.

"Boss, no need to bring any more. We can't eat any more, so let's not waste it," Zhou Xuan said with a smile, waving his hand.

For them, eating is just about enjoying the flavor; they don't need to eat that much.

Moreover, this scene was far too unfriendly to Elder Xuan, who was hiding in the shadows. As a gourmand, being unable to touch so much delicious food was a form of torture.

Upon hearing this, the owner shook his head, tears of gratitude glistening in his eyes. He solemnly placed the dish on the table, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply: "My benefactors, you are too kind! This is our shop's signature dish, the Golden Bell Fish. You must try it. You benefactors have rid our city of Sai City of a great scourge; this is all I should do."

The boss's voice choked with emotion. He straightened up and said solemnly, "We ordinary people know in our hearts that the evil deeds of the city lord and his gang are well known, even though we dare not speak out."

For years, we've lived in fear, terrified our children would be taken away. The news of what you did has spread; everyone knows it was your benefactors who intervened.

The diners at the surrounding tables also stood up, raised their glasses to Zhou Xuan and the others, their eyes full of respect.

The owner continued, "This meal is not only free, but it would be right to give my little shop to these benefactors!"
Please enjoy this, my benefactors. This is a small token of our appreciation from the people of Sai!

Since things had come to this point, Zhou Xuan had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Seeing that Zhou Xuan agreed, the boss smiled and went to prepare the next dish.

"Kid, although the cancer has been eliminated, many of them were part of the management of Sai City. Now that they're all dead, this city will probably be difficult to manage, won't it?"
Moreover, this city, in principle, belongs to the Star Luo Empire. Even if the city lord is incompetent, the Star Luo Empire should handle the matter. News from here will eventually get back, and things might become difficult then.

Zhou Xuan glanced at him with some surprise, not expecting this person to be so quick-witted.

"Don't worry about the Star Luo Empire. I have no intention of becoming the city lord. As long as I achieve my goal, it doesn't matter who sits on the city lord's seat, unless it's some kind of cancerous tumor."
Furthermore, what do you think is the most important thing in managing a city?

“Strength? As long as you have strength, these commoners, even if they have some complaints, won’t dare to say much. After all, for the strong, they can decide their life or death at any time.”

Zhou Xuan nodded first, then shook his head: "Yes and no, this is just a last resort. For the administrator of a city, the most important thing is not strength, but winning the hearts of the people!"
With the support of the people, everything becomes much easier, because everyone knows that your position as city lord is beneficial to them.

If we only use force to suppress, it will end up like this: after you die, all the people in the city will cheer, and not a single person will come forward to say that we were wrong.”

"But without the strength, can people like them really defend a city?"

Zhou Xuan shrugged and looked at Gao Hongyu: "Isn't there still you?"

Gao Hongyu chuckled: "So you were hired to be the city lord's bodyguard?"

"What else can I do? I'm paying you anyway, so what difference does it make who I pawn it for?"

Aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money?

Zhou Xuan shook his head slightly: "You wouldn't, and you wouldn't dare!"

Gao Hongyu was initially pleased to hear the first three words, but he became somewhat displeased upon hearing the last three: "I am a Title Douluo, do you think I wouldn't dare?"

"If I can afford to hire you, I can afford to kill you too. You're not that stupid."

"Aren't you afraid I'll attack you right now?" He then glanced at Uncle Wang and noticed that the other man was looking at him warily. "I admit that this old gentleman is very strong, but at this close range, if I wanted to kill you, he couldn't stop me."

Zhou Xuan looked at him and grinned: "You can give it a try."

Gao Hongyu was a little confused. Why was a child who hadn't even reached the Soul Master level so confident in the face of a Title Douluo?

However, he still adhered to professional ethics, and at least he wouldn't lay a hand on Zhou Xuan until the money in that card was all spent.

"You win. I know you're praising me, but could you please be more tactful next time?"

"So, you're agreeing?"

"Otherwise what? You're the boss, so you can do whatever you want. It's fine with the others, but do you have someone in mind for the position of city lord?" At this moment, Zhou Xuan trusted Gao Hongyu more. To be honest, he was just testing him, since he really intended to keep Gao Hongyu here.

Originally, he only wanted to control an academy to discover some talents, but now it seems that he can indirectly control a city, so he has no reason to give it up.

Although his opponent was a Title Douluo, he was still confident he could dodge at such a short distance.

However, the final outcome was good; the other party did not make a move, and everyone was happy.

"Yes." He felt that Elder Li was very suitable. Such an old man was capable enough, and his reputation in Sai City was certainly not bad.

The people will not have any objections.

After eating a little, the group decided to leave.

Although the boss didn't ask for money, he still felt he had to pay what was due.

In the end, Zhou Xuan left behind a silver soul coin, which was roughly the cost of the meal, neither more nor less.

The three then quickly left.

By the time the boss chased after them, the three had already disappeared.

He looked at the silver soul coins in his hand and sighed heavily.

There are still more good people than bad in this world.

He bowed deeply again from a distance.

The number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased. Although their faces still showed some fear, the heavy sense of oppression between their brows had dissipated considerably.

For them, this day was like a rebirth; they no longer had to worry about their children mysteriously disappearing.

Upon seeing Zhou Xuan and the other two, they merely bowed from a distance, not daring to approach, but their eyes were filled with gratitude.

"Where do we find the person you mentioned?" Gao Hongyu looked around. Although the city seemed fine now, without a ruler, relying solely on the people to develop freely would inevitably lead to problems sooner or later.

Zhou Xuan was aware of this as well. After all, people have inherent flaws, especially ordinary people like them. Without management, the city would descend into chaos within days.

"He is the principal of Qiming Soul Master Academy, and his reputation is not bad. Although his strength is average, in other aspects, even I can't find any fault with him. He is also someone you will have to protect in the future." Zhou Xuan recalled the information he had gathered earlier.

"An old principal?" Gao Hongyu frowned slightly. "Is he up to the task? What if he can't keep things under control?"

“Isn’t that what you’re here for?” Zhou Xuan glanced at him. “Don’t worry, this Old Man Li has a very high reputation in Sai City, especially among the common people.”
You'll be dealing with the official authorities of the Star Luo Empire, as well as other ill-intentioned individuals.

For the Star Luo Empire, exchanging the prestige of a Title Douluo for a remote small town is still a very worthwhile deal.

The three of them walked along the street towards the Qiming Soul Master Academy.

“Qiming Soul Master Academy…” Gao Hongyu murmured the name, “It sounds pretty prestigious.”

Before long, a college that looked old but was kept very clean and tidy came into view.

The academy gates were wide open, and there wasn't even a single guard at the entrance.

"Can this be a legitimate academy? How come there isn't even a security guard?"

Zhou Xuan rolled his eyes at him: "Given the situation in Sai City before, what use would it be if someone wanted to harm these children, even with guards?"

"That makes sense."

Zhou Xuan made his way to the principal's office with practiced ease.

"Dong~dong~"

"Please come in." A kind but gentle voice came from inside.

As soon as the three entered, Principal Li recognized Zhou Xuan. Compared to the last time, he had a bigger smile on his face and was more enthusiastic. He bowed slightly to the three and said, "So it's you, young master. Please have a seat."

After the three of them sat down, Principal Li sat down again, his expression complicated: "I have already heard about what happened in the city."

"Young master, I never expected you to go in the end. I just never imagined you would go to such lengths. I thank you on behalf of these children."

“Principal Li, you’re too kind.” Zhou Xuan got straight to the point. “We’ve come here today to ask you for a favor.”

"Please speak freely, young master. I will never refuse anything that is within my power."

"I would like to invite you to become the new city lord of Sai City."

Principal Li was taken aback, then waved his hands repeatedly: "My benefactor is joking! I am but a mere principal, and I have managed to turn a college into this mess. How could I possibly manage a city? Absolutely not, absolutely not!"

"You're joking. It's not your fault that the academy has become what it is today."

He paused, then continued, "You have taught at the academy for many years and are deeply loved by the people; your prestige is unmatched. Only your intervention can quickly stabilize public sentiment and restore order to the city."

Fearing he might refuse, Zhou Xuan added one last thing: "You don't want things to finally be peaceful again, do you?"
"Then it will be these children who suffer."

That last sentence really touched on Old Li's heart. If there's one thing he's most worried about right now, it's definitely the children in the academy.

These children were not just those who had just awakened their martial spirits, but also the teachers who were willing to dedicate themselves to their work. To him, they were all like his own children.

He may not care about power or status, but he cannot disregard the safety of Sai City, nor can he disregard the students he has taught.

"But... I am old and frail, and I know nothing about politics. I'm afraid I will disappoint you and harm the city of Sai."

Moreover, the appointment of the city lord will likely require the intervention of the imperial authorities. His face was full of difficulty.

"You don't need to worry about those things. The most important thing now is to have someone keep the people in the city in check. As for the rest, we can deal with them gradually. As for safety, you don't need to worry about that either."

Gao Hongyu released a trace of the pressure belonging to a Title Douluo at the right time. Although it was only a fleeting moment, it was enough for Elder Li to feel that powerful force.

A Title Douluo! A Title Douluo is willing to stay and protect Sai City?
Zhou Xuan observed the changing expressions on the other person's face and knew that the time was almost right.

“Principal Li, I know this responsibility is heavy. But it’s not just about power, it’s about responsibility, about this city, about the hundreds of thousands of people here. I can’t think of anyone more suitable than you.”

This move by him borders on moral blackmail, and for someone like Mr. Li with such high moral standards, it's like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Although it's a bit unethical, it's the only option left, since Zhou Xuan can't stay here forever.

Old Li sighed deeply, but a resolute look appeared in his cloudy eyes.

He slowly stood up, bowed deeply to Zhou Xuan, Gao Hongyu, and Wang Bo: "Young master has spoken so plainly, if I were to refuse again, it would be to abandon the people of Sai City to their fate."

"This city lord, I...accept!"

(End of this chapter)