There were only two thin sheets of paper: one a battle plan, the other a proposal for the island.
The seventeen or eighteen drafts Dong Rui mentioned had indeed all been scrapped. He Lingchuan also noticed a smudge of ink at the corner of Moqi Feng's mouth, likely from chewing on the brush while wracking his brains.
The future of himself and his people truly was a mountain weighing down upon his head.
He Lingchuan picked up the two pages, reading through them line by line, word by word.
These two sheets of paper would decide the fate and future of hundreds of people. Gripped by nervous dread, Moqi Feng didn't even realize he was pressing his hands tight against the seams of his trousers.
Even as a boy having his essays graded by his tutor, he had never been this anxious.
"Done." He Lingchuan set the papers down. "Terribly written."
Yet the fellow's handwriting was remarkably neat, and his phrasing and choice of words were far more refined than Qiu Hu's.
Moqi Feng's face fell. Was he about to be berated again?
Then He Lingchuan changed his tune. "Still, it's not entirely without merit. A point or two in your island proposal is usable, and you certainly don't lack ambition. 'Quell bandits and expand territory, reach outward for dominion'... Heh, do you really think my archipelago is too small a stage for you?"
"Your lands are suited for taking refuge," Moqi Feng said, measuring his words carefully. "Yet you... you do not strike me as a man content to stand aloof from worldly strife."
When the Moqi uncle and nephew had rebelled, if He Lingchuan had truly wanted nothing more than to nestle peacefully in a remote corner of the world, he would have just cut them down with two strokes of a blade once captured. Why waste his breath?
Island Master He prized talent, which meant he had grand ambitions.
How could a man of such character have no interest in contending with the world?
Moqi Feng had finally figured this out the previous night.
"'Quell bandits and expand territory'—those words are very much to my liking. It's impressive that you could write them." Wasn't the essence of those words to establish great deeds and forge a legacy?
It was rare that this young man had also considered outward development and territorial expansion.
On these two points, their minds were entirely aligned. He Lingchuan was well pleased; this time, without him having to lift a finger, Moqi Feng had drawn the pie for himself, and a rather round one at that.
"With these two plans, I'll count it as a bare pass for you. Have you thought it through? Where do you intend to take your people to quell bandits and expand territory in the future?"
He had promised Moqi Feng that if the plans he presented proved satisfactory, he would grant the Bailong people a path to survival.
"I have thought it through." The trepidation on Moqi Feng's face had vanished.
Beside them, Dong Rui wore a look of displeasure. If this kid simply took his people off the island without looking back, wouldn't he and He Lingchuan have wasted an entire night of effort for nothing?
"Oh?" He Lingchuan put away the proposal sheets and asked casually, "Where to?"
With a thud, Moqi Feng dropped to his knees before He Lingchuan, pressing his forehead against the backs of his hands, and declared loudly, "I, Moqi Feng, take He Lingchuan as my lord this day. I pledge to serve you like a hound or a steed, ready to shed my blood and lay down my life without regret. Should I violate this oath, may Heaven condemn me and Earth abhor me, and may my soul drift to Wuxiang after death!"
With that, he seized the little finger of his left hand and snapped it backward with a sharp crack.
That sealed a blood oath.
Dong Rui was dumbfounded. This kid had hemmed and hawed all night, so why had he suddenly grown so decisive today?
He Lingchuan, however, stepped forward with open delight to help Moqi Feng up, a broad smile on his face, uttering three consecutive praises:
"Good. Good! Good! You've finally seen the light."
To the Bailong people, "Wuxiang" was a realm of ultimate terror; any soul that ended up there would endure torment for all eternity.
In He Lingchuan's understanding, it was essentially cursing oneself to hell, making it an exceptionally venomous oath.
Moqi Feng said solemnly, "Yes. I was dull-witted and needed most of the night to understand."
There was a reason He Lingchuan had treated these six hundred Bailong people with such generosity.
That reason was He Lingchuan's true objective, and it was the answer Moqi Feng had been expected to deliver.
"At the crucial moment, you finally made the right choice." He Lingchuan shifted his shoulder, and Lingguang the medicine ape instantly leaped over to tend to the injury on Moqi Feng's left hand.
If the bone were set quickly and treated with medicine, it would leave no lasting impairment.
To a battle-hardened warrior, such an injury was trivial. While Lingguang worked, Moqi Feng did not even let out a grunt. "You were right. I possess only martial skill, but know nothing of war. I have failed our warriors and their families. That is why I also yearn to stay, so that I may learn much from you in the days to come!"
"I know what you desire." He Lingchuan's opening words struck straight at his heart. "Follow me, and everything you desire will be yours."
Moqi Feng opened his mouth, then hesitated. Island Master He could naturally see right through him with ease.
What he wanted was for his people to live and work in peace and security, no longer hunted and driven from place to place like stray dogs.
"A man ought to harbor soaring ambitions. Once you have accumulated enough merit under my command, why should your people ever have to live under someone else's roof again?"
Could... could those words mean...? Moqi Feng's eyes lit up.
He Lingchuan smiled without a word.
Giving him far more than what he had originally envisioned—now that was how you painted a grand vision.
Moqi Feng immediately said, "I shall follow my lord with undivided loyalty!"
Even someone as unobservant as Dong Rui could see the young man's genuine sincerity.
He Lingchuan gestured toward the carriage. "Get in. We're going to the storehouse to release your people."
Now that Moqi Feng, their leader, had pledged fealty, gaining the surrender of the rest of the Bailong people would be no issue. Besides, did they have any better place to go?
Winning over Moqi Feng this time had hinged entirely on personal enlightenment.
Pledging oneself to a worthy master rather than fighting alone was the real shortcut for the Bailong people.
Yet Moqi Feng had to realize this thoroughly on his own for the drive to come from within.
Assigning the young man that little essay had been entirely about forcing him to think it through and point out a clear path for himself.
Dong Rui waved to them. "I'm heading back to catch up on sleep. I was worn out last night."
"What exertion did you even put in to be worn out?" He Lingchuan asked disdainfully. "Weren't you just a driver?"
Just like the operation at Mount Xu, all the fellow had done was steer the snail-toad back and forth.
Dong Rui's face stiffened. "What the hell do you know? I spent most of the night studying True Monarch Musu's avatar, that Nine-Death Resurrection Grass. It gave me a great deal of inspiration."
With that, he turned and slipped away.
He Lingchuan climbed into the carriage, settling into a comfortable position before speaking to Moqi Feng. "To be blunt, when you serve under me in the future, if you ever fail to distinguish priorities again, the punishment won't be as light as a slap on the wrist like this time."
Moqi Feng said solemnly, "I shall strictly obey your teachings!"
He Lingchuan let out a soft sigh. "Once the storm passes, bring all the families over from the deserted village to the island. Seeing them scrape by from meal to meal out there, they've had no peace of mind."
Originally, the Moqi uncle and nephew had intended to seize the island, which was why they had temporarily stashed their families elsewhere to prevent their vulnerabilities from being exploited.
Times had changed, and Moqi Feng had no reason to insist otherwise; he agreed at once.
With all the families settled securely on the island, the Bailong people would serve He Lingchuan with even greater devotion.
He hesitated for a moment, looking as if he had more to say.
He Lingchuan saw right through him. "Speak."
Moqi Feng watched his expression, choosing his words with care. "My uncle took up arms against you, which is indeed an unpardonable offense. But... but he was never like this before."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan gave him the floor.
"When the old clan chief was alive, my uncle was ever victorious under his command, caring deeply for our people and fostering the younger generation. Even if he had a fiery temper, he was profoundly loved and respected by all."
Chapter 1013