CHAPTER 213: CHAPTER 212: THE SECOND-IN-COMMAND (COMBINED CHAPTER)

Feelings are something where timing is key, knowing someone too early or too late won’t work.

— Anonymous Author, "Youth Daily"

Yin Minghong never really understood this sentence before, but over time, he began to understand it.

In Xuanzhu County, during the ’Golden Wind’ season, the day breaks particularly early. After Yin Minghong finished washing up, he found Mu Qingmei still lounging in bed and knocked loudly on her door from outside: "Get up and practice!"

He called several times before a soft mumble came from inside: "...No practice today."

"That’s not how it works. Train in summer’s hottest days or winter’s coldest days, skip a day and you’ll know, skip a week and the enemy knows, skip a month and everyone knows. Get up, get up!"

"Don’t disturb my sleep!"

Inside, Mu Qingmei let out a roar like a little tiger, very cute and adorable, making people tempted to go in and wake her up. However, Yin Minghong frowned and went to the storeroom to fetch the firecrackers he had hidden. After lighting them, he threw them into Mu Qingmei’s room and then used the lightweight skill of Lingxu Battle Technique, darting like a phantom out of the courtyard!

As he exited the courtyard gate, a loud boom exploded in Mu Qingmei’s room, and the next second, a sharp blast of light shot through the window, grazing Yin Minghong’s ear and nicking his earlobe!

Formless Battle Technique · Divine Spear!

Seeing the light explosions intertwined inside, Yin Minghong quickly closed the courtyard door and slipped away, shouting as he left: "Finish your training and hurry to work!"

Another light explosion flashed, hitting the dented steel courtyard gate heavily.

Since childhood, Mu Qingmei had always lived with him, and he had always been responsible for her daily routines. During the days he was at the Red Moon Fortress, Mu Qingmei lived on her own, with no outsiders involved in their sibling life.

For no other reason.

Because Mu Qingmei’s morning temper was simply too fierce.

Back then, Medical Officer Wen Hong once thought of taking care of Mu Qingmei for a while, but in the end, obediently let her live alone. Living with Mu Qingmei, as Wen Hong put it, was like ’either my inner realm battle technique ascends to the peak of perfection, or my youthful beauty fades away.’

Ever since Yin Minghong returned to Xuanzhu County, he had been urging Mu Qingmei to practice diligently. During the days he was away, Mu Qingmei, though idle every day, only practiced perfunctorily, not practicing in the dark, when too sunny, or too early, simply going through the motions.

If her full effort in training was 100, then her perfunctory effort was at most 50.

Lately, because she had to manage newspaper affairs, there were even more excuses not to practice, possibly dropping to 40.

And Yin Minghong’s full effort in training should be only about 10.

So even at the risk of being accidentally killed by Mu Qingmei, he must ensure she trains properly.

"There are three kinds of clumsy birds: one doesn’t fly, one flies first, and one makes its children fly diligently."

Yin Minghong suddenly recalled this sentence he saw in the newspaper a few days ago.

He chuckled, secretly acknowledging he was such a person, but felt no shame.

Because Mu Qingmei represents the future, her current task is to grow up quickly, fly higher, and soar into the blue sky.

And he, a clumsy bird still somewhat useful now.

Is naturally responsible for handling the dirty work like removing pests.

After winding his way through, Yin Minghong arrived at the Half City, which was in a state of recovery. At this time, Half City was already in its reconstruction phase, with many workers transformed into masons; however, moving bricks required no special training, and those accustomed to hard labor quickly got the hang of it.

Due to the dense commercial atmosphere and the loss of ’factories’ as prisons, from Xuanzhu County to the small path into Half City, a mini-market unknowingly formed, with vendors selling drinks and food bustling, and even storytellers present. Workers who hadn’t yet started moving bricks gathered in a circle, listening intently.

Yin Minghong listened in for a moment and discovered they were talking about the story of ’Liu Yu’ taking the college entrance examination from "Future Echoes," seemingly stringing together ’Liu Yu’ plots into a continuous narrative.

He was a bit surprised, thinking the workers would prefer the story of ’Hidden Sound,’ as it depicted a transmigrator’s fantastic journey to find a job in the future world, which should be more appealing to them.

But upon hearing the workers’ murmurs, he instantly understood why the storyteller chose the ’Liu Yu’ segment.

"I used to be just like Liu Yu, super good at studying, lots of girls came to ask me questions. If I transmigrated, I’d definitely become whatever it’s called, yeah, a top student!"

"Ha! If it were me, I’d definitely get into that Tsinghua or Peking University, get a scholarship, not need to spend a penny to attend university, and even send money back home!"

"You’re bluffing!"

"Aren’t you also dreaming awake!"

"You all keep dreaming, didn’t you hear, the college entrance exam requires competing with students from all over the country— in the future, there will be millions of candidates, you think you two small potatoes can beat hundreds of millions?"

"We’re just lacking the conditions!"

"Nonsense, if you had the conditions, why would you need to be moving bricks?"

"Quiet! It looks like the school beauty, who resembles a sister from a past life, is coming to see Liu Yu! The main event is here!"

"Oh oh oh oh!"

Yin Minghong listened for a while longer and realized that the storyteller had embellished the tale.

It’s widely known that Mr. Tree-man is an author who doesn’t dabble in lowbrow humor, avoids crude jokes, and writes with a proper, pure, and elegant style. Although he’s written ’Liu Yu’ encountering the little demon apprentice, the tsundere senpai, the innocent school beauty, the gentle female teacher, and other characters in the future world, his writing is very restrained with rare updates, often just barely touching upon events without giving readers much room for imagination.

However, such stories naturally couldn’t earn rewards from the general public, so the storyteller added some colorful plot himself. Early in the morning, he stirred up everyone’s excitement, then pretended to pause to drink water, causing the audience to generously open their wallets.

’Mr. Tree-man never wrote such a scene!’ Yin Minghong mentally critiqued, quickly leaving and heading towards the new camp beside the patrol team.

Many people lurked in the shadowy corners nearby, while many children gazed curiously. Two soldiers in light blue uniforms stood at the entrance, along with a man wearing a hood leaning against the wall. As Yin Minghong approached, the man proactively came forward, "Second in command."

It was the handyman of White Night, the ruler of the skewer world, a man pursued by ten wealthy women daily for marriage, Rong Yao.

"Good morning." Yin Minghong nodded to Rong Yao, "Let’s go in."

The two entered the camp to see several teams of Linhai Army soldiers practicing combat techniques on the flat ground, bare-chested, building up strength. A young and strong officer inspected each team’s training conditions, delivering a kick whenever there was any slack, reprimanding sharply.

Seeing Yin Minghong enter, the officer’s face lit up with joy, then turned back and yelled, "What are you looking at? Whoever dares to slack off and glance over here will get thirty more laps!"

"Old Wan, why do I always see you drilling the troops whenever I come?" Yin Minghong laughed.

"These brats, if they don’t train for a day, they’ll be eaten up by Sea Barbarians when they return!" The officer laughed, "Second in command, do we have another mission? I’ll gather the troops right away!"

Watching the officer excitedly blow a whistle, Yin Minghong felt quite complicated.

This person named Wan Xisha held the rank of Assistant Commander, sent by Lan Yan in command of five hundred Linhai Army troops.

He was a very peculiar person.

The Linhai Army had been stationed in Half City for over a week. Within this week, the Silver Blood’s eighty-eight merchants carried out a series of tricks, delivering carts of free wine and fish, and even women, one after another. When Yin Minghong came over the previous days, women’s panting sounds could be heard intermittently around the camp.

First, Wan Xisha declined these offers. When various families insisted on sending delicacies, he used Jing Zhengwei’s tactic and dispatched Linhai Army to distribute food in the slums. If they insisted on sending gold, he sent it openly to Jing Family. If they insisted on sending women, he sent them to Jing Garden.

Jing Family did nothing yet became the biggest winner.

He seemed like a flawless steel soldier, completely immune to capitalist corrosion. But Silver Blood merchants were like black-blooded flies capable of penetrating seamless eggs; Wan Xisha, you’re impressive, you’re a saint, but surely not all your five hundred subordinates are saints?

The five hundred Linhai Army were indeed not saints, with quite a few brats among them.

Yet Wan Xisha possessed unique leadership charm, exceedingly strict with soldiers, but always provided himself the worst, prioritizing the soldiers’ needs. When they first arrived in Half City, the camp was still unfinished, lacking tents. He had the officers pulled out, letting rank-and-file soldiers settle in first while they fed mosquitoes outside.

Indeed, some Linhai Army couldn’t withstand it and accepted the Silver Blood merchants’ recruitment, but upon returning, a stern glare and shout from Wan Xisha made them spill all secrets like diarrhea.

Though Silver Blood Association exhausted all means day and night to corrupt these five hundred men, they still trained daily, obeyed orders, united as if their loyalty levels were locked by a modifier in Wind Spirit Moon Shadow.

Only then did Yin Minghong realize why Lan Yan sent only these five hundred.

They might not be the strongest combat unit of Linhai Army or the most versatile, but they were definitely the most steadfast.

Wan Xisha wasn’t particularly talented. He didn’t excel at training, only blindly shouting and hitting; neither was he skilled in strategy, always asking Jing Zhengwei, Yin Minghong, or letting deputies decide. He lacked initiative, just doing whatever Jing Zhengwei told him, even without asking reasons.

He had only two good qualities.

One was treating all soldiers like family.

"Gu Xiaosan!" Wan Xisha suddenly shouted, pointing at a soldier, "You, go see the medical officer for your leg, then stay in the camp today for extra training! You’re kicked by me but still plan on carrying out the mission?"

"But I really want to go out!" The young soldier shouted loudly.

"Fine, I’ll buy you a chicken leg when you’re back, go go go."

"Really? I want a soy sauce chicken leg! You know I love soy sauce chicken leg!"

"So many demands." Wan Xisha spat, "Everyone listen up! Bullets loaded, safety on, don’t misfire!"

"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison.

"Second in command, you lead the way!"

When Yin Minghong led armed Linhai Army out of the camp, many spies scrambled to relay messages, releasing pigeons, firing signal guns, and even setting off firecrackers. But Yin Minghong and Wan Xisha didn’t care, marching forward swiftly, quickly passing through Xuanzhu County.

Along the way, Patrol Execution Guard, patrol teams, and even ordinary civilians dared not hinder them, and many even kept pace, eager to watch the spectacle.

Upon realizing Linhai Army was heading towards the port, a mercury spill of informing erupted. Nearby shops closed their doors, gangs retreated far away, and traders along the route ran out from their homes.

Many couldn’t help but laugh.

The scene of hawker stalls chased off by Patrol Execution Guard was a regular sight.

But seeing Silver Blood nobility and gangsters scared out of their wits rolling away was a first.

Turns out, they’re not so impressive after all.

...

Meanwhile, at the third dock of Xuanzhu County, Warehouse C9.

The members of the Li family, who were eagerly awaiting the return of the fleet and watching the distant sea horizon, received the bad news of the Linhai Army heading their way.

"No way, are they coming for us?"

"Did someone tip them off!?"

"It must be those damned peasants. I told you, once they delivered the goods, we should have killed them immediately, or they would definitely spill the beans! Now with the high bounty offered by the Linhai Army, we can’t count on those peasants!"

"Perhaps they aren’t coming for us, everyone stay calm."

"Don’t cling to wishful thinking. The Lin family thought the same, and as a result, their treasury was completely seized by that bastard Yin Minghong and the Linhai Army, and their Patriarch was shot to death! They will likely be removed from the Silver Blood Association soon!"

"We absolutely can’t let those beasts succeed!"

"Quick, have them throw the goods into the sea; we can fish them out later."

"But the sea is turbulent right now..."

"We can’t afford to worry about that now!"

Over twenty minutes later, Yin Minghong and the Linhai Army surrounded Warehouse C9, blasted the lock, and entered only to find it empty, not a soul in sight.

Wan Xisha looked at Yin Minghong.

Yin Minghong pondered, "They found out we were coming ahead of time, moved the goods, and hid themselves."

Yin Minghong sat on a wooden box, crossed his legs, and mused, "They’re much smarter than the Lin family. The Lin family stupidly tried to reason with us. These guys fled and the money’s gone..."

"However, while people can escape, money can’t. The money must still be nearby. Take a team and arrest all of the Li family’s direct lineage."

"Remember the chairman’s orders," Yin Minghong reminded, "no smashing, looting, or burning. If there’s resistance, just kill them. Absolutely do not damage the assets; they belong to the Silver Blood Association."

"Understood."

Half an hour later, the entire Li family was captured and brought to this warehouse. The women wept like pear blossoms in the rain, while the men remained silent.

"Second Boss, you invited me here, what for?" The Patriarch of the Li family maintained the demeanor of a wealthy merchant, asking with fists clasped firmly.

"I don’t deserve to be called Second Boss by you, Old Li."

"You certainly do. Who doesn’t know by now that you, Yin Minghong, are Jing Zhengwei’s top henchman, helping the Linhai Army ravage Xuanzhu? Jing Zhengwei is the First Boss, so naturally, you are the Second Boss." The Patriarch of the Li family sneered.

Yin Minghong forced a smile; this "Second Boss" was merely Jing Zhengwei’s old nickname for him. After his position changed, Jing Zhengwei still referred to him this way. Somehow, it spread, and he became the true Second Boss of the Jing family.

But.

This feeling isn’t all bad.

"Then I’ll get straight to the point," Yin Minghong said. "Patriarch Li, you know the primary affairs of the Silver Blood Association now revolve around meeting the Linhai Army’s ’military fund’ demands. But since liquid assets are ’liquid,’ the chairman has given you some time to tally and collect your family’s liquid assets. Then, based on your respective asset levels, forty percent will be taken to fill the ’military fund.’"

"After all, it’s better to let everyone gather the assets themselves first than to let the Linhai Army come and ’do it themselves,’ right?"

Wan Xisha very graciously fired a shot into the air, scaring the children of the Li family into tears.

"In terms of feelings and reason, the chairman has considered it for you, hasn’t he? And this proposal has passed with unanimous support from the Silver Blood Association. So, in other words, you old man agreed to it as well, didn’t you?"

The Patriarch of the Li family only sneered coldly and remained silent.

"But some people think they can find loopholes by transferring assets early in hopes of paying less," Yin Minghong sighed. "Don’t you know that the Linhai Army can rush into Xuanzhu County within half a day? If the ’military fund’ can’t be satisfied, everyone will be in trouble, right?"

"I don’t know if everyone will be in trouble; all I know is that Jing Zhengwei certainly won’t be." The Patriarch of the Li family said dismissively.

Yin Minghong ignored his raving words and continued, "Moreover, this move not only harms the bigger picture but also the small community. If you pay less, then others will have to pay more. In due time, the amounts each family contributes will be made public. When everyone sees, they’ll know what tricks you used to pay less. Isn’t it counterproductive in the end? Don’t you understand that, old man?"

"Whether the military fund can be met or not is just one side of Jing Zhengwei’s story." The Patriarch of the Li family said bitterly, "Everyone is forced to comply under the oppression of the Linhai Army, but who doesn’t know that Jing Zhengwei just wants to seize the opportunity to harvest us with a sickle? Do you really think we’ve agreed out of desperation and are willing to be slaughtered obediently?"

"So you’re saying you don’t accept gentle measures and insist we use force?" Yin Minghong sighed. "I’ve received accurate intelligence that the Li family transported a large amount of wealth to the port late at night. Tell me, where exactly did you hide the goods?"

"Second Boss! If you continue with Jing Zhengwei, you’ll only end up in a miserable state!" The Patriarch of the Li family’s aged face flared with fervent color. "Once the Linhai Army leaves, Jing Zhengwei will certainly suffer backlash, and the Silver Blood Association will definitely divide and consume the Jing family! And you, you’ll find yourself with no place to be buried!"

Yin Minghong nodded, "Yes, once the Linhai Army leaves, the Jing family will be finished."

Hearing this, the Patriarch of the Li family couldn’t help but brighten his eyes, "Yin Minghong, if you’re smart, you should—"

"Too bad the Linhai Army not only hasn’t left but is still right in front of you."

Yin Minghong stood up, his back to them, "Excluding children and women, give each person four shots, bleed them from the limbs, avoid vital points. Someone will surely tell the truth before they bleed out."

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of gunfire, cries, and shouts mixed together; the bones of merchants are gold, not as hard as iron, and soon someone spoke the truth.

The Li family’s fleet will return today, and they plan to transfer the wealth onto the fleet. Once the fleet is resupplied, they will leave Xuanzhu County immediately and return once the matter is settled, thereby protecting the family’s assets.

The members of the Li family responsible for this are not here, and it’s unclear where they’ve escaped to; however, since the Li family has no other warehouses here, if they’re not in the warehouse, they might have been dumped nearby.

Yin Minghong was about to say something when Rong Yao surfaced from the water, shouting loudly, "There are many boxes down there, all containing gold and silver treasures, right underneath!"

Yin Minghong glanced at the Li family’s Patriarch, bleeding on the ground, and said, "According to the regulations, the property of families secretly transferring assets is directly incorporated into the ’military fund pool’. If you don’t plan on arguing, then this money belongs to the Linhai Army."

"You... may your death be miserable."

The Li family Patriarch glared resentfully at Yin Minghong, who shrugged, "I don’t know about my death, but if the Medical Officer doesn’t come soon, given your condition, you might die now."

He looked at the bleeding members of the Li family with a sigh: "If you had spoken sooner, you wouldn’t have had to suffer like this..."

Yin Minghong suddenly paused.

Zhengwei Jing deliberately gave them a week.

And they spent a week bringing about their own doom.

Then the Linhai Army crushed their family members.

Doesn’t the upcoming factory replacement plan face much less resistance?

Keep in mind, those who control the factory power are often the trusted members of the merchant association families. Jing Zhengwei is hesitant to remove his own family members, but against other families, unless they run into gunfire...

"Haha! Another huge sum confiscated! Second in command, good job!"

Wan Xisha excitedly patted Yin Minghong’s shoulder, then turned to the soldiers and scolded, "Be careful, this is General Blue’s military fund, if it’s damaged, I’ll hold you accountable!"

"Yes!"

Yin Minghong smiled, "No need to be so strict, they’ve surely damaged quite a bit by dumping things into the water; if you damage a bit more, it won’t make much difference."

"You can’t say that, General Blue needs it." Wan Xisha giggled, "The more, the better. Maybe General Blue is just short of a little bit?"

Wan Xisha’s second advantage.

Is loyalty.

Yin Minghong has never seen Blue Yan; he doesn’t know what kind of charm Blue Yan has to make this honest officer so wholeheartedly loyal.

Yin Minghong only knew that this man is utterly loyal to Blue Yan.

Blue Yan told him to obey Jing Zhengwei’s orders, and he listened.

Jing Zhengwei used military funds to coerce the Silver Blood Association, and he cooperated throughout.

To keep his subordinates’ fighting strength and prevent external influence, he promised to five hundred soldiers: after the event, his rewards would be given entirely to others, and he only demanded one thing—that everyone follows orders and transports the military funds back to the Linhai Army without fail.

He couldn’t promise Blue Yan would reward them.

The only thing he could decide on was his portion of the money.

But Wan Xisha’s share is insignificant compared to the massive military funds.

Yet until now, Yin Minghong hadn’t seen any soldiers escape with wealth.

Logically, Yin Minghong should hate such loyal officers; their loyalty to the ambitious would only hinder White Night’s development. It’s because of many loyal people in the world that the Radiant Dynasty could last over two thousand years.

"Hey, second in command, it’s almost noon, join us for lunch!"

Wan Xisha greeted, scratching his head, "We’re having braised chicken legs for lunch today! It’s uncertain if Xuanzhu County has that many chickens... but I love chicken tails too."

Yin Minghong glanced at him.

On the battlefield, they’d surely be enemies battling each other.

At other times, they’d at least be in a relationship full of trickery.

But now.

"Chicken legs, I like them honey-roasted." Yin Minghong smiled.

Feelings, timing is crucial. Knowing someone too early or too late just doesn’t work.