“What’s their background?”
Ling Huan gathered Ling Xue and Jiu Ge to scout the area.
Their destination wasn’t the private school, but rather the territory of that certain gang to see what was what.
Hidden behind the dense foliage of an old locust tree at a street corner, the three of them locked their gazes on a mansion with vermilion gates ahead.
This was Zhuque Avenue, the most prosperous area in Qingmu City.
Every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.
Shops lined both sides of the street in neat rows, the sounds of hawking and the clicking of abacuses rising and falling in a peaceful, harmonious scene.
Yet, that mansion sat there like a crouching beast, abruptly occupying the most prominent spot on the corner.
Its walls were towering, and guards clutching long sabers could be seen faintly atop them.
Their expressions were cold and stern, completely out of place with the lively atmosphere surrounding them.
“Those expressions… that doesn’t look like a gang. They feel more like soldiers,” Ling Huan whispered.
“Master, you wouldn’t understand,” Ling Xue said softly, lazily resting her chin on top of Ling Huan’s head.
“The world is at peace now and there are no wars at the borders. To save on expenses and reduce funding, the imperial court has discharged many people from the army. Those who come from the military are often hired by gangs like this to serve as instructors, helping to train their younger members or guards.”
“That’s right, Young Master. The captain of the Ling Estate’s guard is a former soldier. That old man is a ruthless character who crawled out of a pile of corpses!” Jiu Ge chimed in.
‘Holy crap… cutting military spending? How is that any different from hacking at your own legs twice?’
“Jiu Ge, what’s this gang called?”
“Young Master, I didn’t come back immediately after I was beaten. I asked around. A new gang emerged in Qingmu City three months ago called ‘Black Wind Hall.’ They act very flashy. I just didn’t expect them to have the money to take root in the heart of Zhuque Avenue! You might not know this, Young Master, but the mansions in this area are either the ancestral properties of prominent local gentry or strongholds purchased by major merchant guilds for exorbitant sums. Ordinary factions wouldn’t even dream of buying one; they’d have to weigh their coffers just to rent a storefront.”
“Only three months? If they’re this arrogant after three months, what will they be like later?”
Ling Huan took a closer look.
His gaze swept over the pair of stone lions guarding the mansion.
The lions’ eyes were embedded with dark red crystals.
Though they weren’t magical treasures, they were still expensive rarities.
An ordinary small gang would never be so extravagant.
“It’s absolutely true!”
Jiu Ge nodded quickly.
“This Black Wind Hall appeared out of nowhere three months ago. No one knows who their leader is, but their spending is terrifyingly lavish. This mansion used to be the ancestral home of Member Zhang from the south of the city.”
“Member Zhang originally planned to sell it and move elsewhere, but that man actually dared to ask for 50,000 taels of silver! Logically, there should have been some haggling, but the people from Black Wind Hall paid the silver on the spot without even blinking! After all, no matter how much people talk it up, our Qingmu City is just a small border town. 50,000 is an astronomical figure. I reckon Member Zhang saw they were outsiders who didn’t know the local prices and decided to fleece them.”
“If they aren’t fools, then what are they?”
Ling Huan was dumbfounded.
“Even if you have money, you can’t spend it like that!”
Suddenly, he felt two pairs of eyes fixed on him.
“Young Master, you have a lot of nerve talking about others.”
“Master, do you have no self-awareness regarding your own spending?”
Ling Huan was a bit confused.
“What? I’m right. Throwing away 50,000 taels without even bargaining? If that isn’t being a spendthrift, what is?”
“I wonder which ‘Master’ it was who casually tossed a spirit stone to a small merchant.”
“Exactly. The news has spread all over Qingmu City. Young Master, your extravagance is so great that you don’t even care about spirit stones. Now, the wealthy young lords and ladies in the city don’t even dare to flaunt their wealth for fear of embarrassing themselves. Their parents are thrilled; rumors say they’re going to come to your door to thank you one of these days!”
‘That was only because the system gave it to me for free! Besides, I was doing it to show off for Yin Luoling! The reason she didn’t dare to strike back then—besides the restrictions—was probably because my level of extravagance was different from my previous life, which made her hesitate.’
Was that being a spendthrift?
That was called being frugal!
“However… although Black Wind Hall is generous with their money, they don’t skip a single thing a gang is supposed to do,” Jiu Ge said suddenly.
“In these past three months, they’ve started collecting ‘protection fees’ from several dozen shops on Zhuque Avenue and the West Market. At first, a few shops refused to comply and tried to unite in resistance. The very next day, their doors were smashed and the shopkeepers were beaten until they were bedridden. Since then, no one has dared to resist. Every month on the fifteenth, they obediently deliver the silver to their door…”
“Why didn’t they report it to the authorities?”
“It’s useless!” Jiu Ge said in a heavy voice.
“Completely useless! The government ignores everything related to Black Wind Hall. Even if they took the case, it wouldn’t matter.”
Useless?
The City Lord of Qingmu City might not be the most capable ruler, but at the very least, he wasn’t the type to take bribes.
“Did the City Lord take their money?”
“I don’t know, but I suspect there’s another reason—he’s afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“Member Zhang is dead.”
“Dead?!” Ling Huan almost couldn’t suppress his voice.
He instinctively wanted to shout, but fortunately, he covered his mouth just in time.
“Shh!” Jiu Ge looked nervously at the gate guards.
Seeing that they hadn’t reacted, he lowered his voice.
“It happened three days after he sold the mansion! An old acquaintance at the yamen told me in secret. After Member Zhang sold the house, he planned to move his family to the capital in a few days. But on the third night, something happened. Everyone in the household… they’re all gone!”
A massacre?!
How had he not heard of this?
“The Zhang family was a prominent household in Qingmu City. How could something as big as a family being wiped out not leak out at all?”
“It was the City Lord… the City Lord forcibly suppressed it. He had no choice but to suppress it!”
Recalling the scene described by his acquaintance at the yamen, cold sweat instantly broke out on the back of Jiu Ge’s neck.
His scalp felt numb, as if countless tiny insects were crawling over it.
His voice shook uncontrollably, his teeth chattering.
“The state of the bodies… it was too eerie! Not a single roof tile in the Zhang Estate was scorched, and not a single spark could be found in the courtyard. Yet, several dozen people in the Zhang family were all—all burned to ashes!”
“…That’s so sinister?”
“Not even a single scream was heard! In the middle of the night, the entire southern part of the city was eerily quiet. Even the insects stopped chirping. No one heard a single sound from the Zhang Estate!”
‘This… this sounds like a horror story…’
The wind carried a chill as it swept past the street corner.
Ling Huan felt a shiver run down his spine.
Cremation without fire, a silent extermination… this method was practically like encountering a ghost!
Or rather… the methods were incredibly sophisticated and ruthless…
Ling Huan’s head began to throb.
How was he supposed to play this?
How could he even negotiate?
Wiping out an entire family without making a sound…
This was impossible!
[Mission in Progress!]
‘Holy crap?! Don’t do this! My strength isn’t up to par yet!’
[An individual even more bestial and ruthless than the Host has appeared. The system absolutely cannot allow this! You must be even more of a beast, more ruthless, and more heartless than they are!]
[Mission Details: Engineer a conflict between Black Wind Hall and the free school. Lead the school to victory and completely eradicate Black Wind Hall!]
[Time Limit: Within three months.]
‘Three months? Why don’t you just ask me to die?’
[Reward: Access to Simulation Space Exchange. Insights and cultivation gained within the simulation can be brought into reality by consuming a specific amount of spirit stones. Additionally, spirit stones can be used to extend simulation duration.]
…
As the saying goes, if I don’t enter hell, who will?
An evil organization like this definitely had to be abolished!
‘Let’s do this!’