It was Lu Zhensheng who started the conversation again:
"By the way, how did Blade Harbor fare?"
The two places were less than forty li apart, so news traveled fast. Lu Qing'an already knew that nearly three thousand trees had toppled in Blade Harbor, and twelve ships were lost—even though they had all been moored in dry docks, several small vessels had still been swept ashore and smashed to splinters.
There were also six hundred and ten dead, over two thousand one hundred injured, and countless ruined warehouses, goods, and houses. The simultaneous arrival of Emperor's Flowing Dew and the hurricane was enough to leave any administrator overwhelmed, not just Bailie.
Over the past two days, Blade Harbor had been busy with disaster cleanup, and white mourning banners were a common sight hanging outside doors in every street and alley.
Evidently, Blade Harbor's losses were far worse than Bailie's. Lu Zhensheng nodded. Comparing misery made him feel a bit better.
Blade Harbor's Maritime Trade Office had only anticipated the hurricane and had not expected Emperor's Flowing Dew, catching them completely off guard under the double blow.
At a time like this, Emperor's Flowing Dew was less an auspicious blessing and more a disaster!
Lu Qing'an knew his father best. "Does Father wish to ask about the Yangshan Archipelago?"
The hurricane had packed quite a punch this time, making direct landfall on the Yangshan Archipelago first before lumbering unhurriedly onto the mainland. Fortunately, its landfall point had not been Blade Harbor, but several dozen li to the west.
Even so, torrential rains and violent winds had raged for two straight days. It was as if the sky had sprung a leak, pouring water down furiously.
Judging by this path, the Yangshan Archipelago, which had taken the brunt of the typhoon's direct hit, should have suffered the most catastrophic damage. With Heaven helping him, Lu Zhensheng hoped that after this calamity, that kid named He would meet with misfortune as soon as possible. Besides, the Bailong people would surely seize the chaos to revolt, wouldn't they?
Oh, right—there were also those bounty hunters from Beijia.
"He didn't get his hands on a single one of the Yashan Merchant Guild's dozens of ships." And that was after they had found someone to rush word to Ding Zuodong ahead of time. "His luck can't hold forever, can it?"
"Their current losses remain unknown. News from the sea travels slowly, after all; it takes several days to reach the mainland." Lu Qing'an felt the fire in his throat flare again, so he poured himself a cup of warm tea to quench his thirst. "However, some merchants took shelter on Suoding Island during the hurricane. They said it was well built—ships sheltered from the wind, people went ashore, and there was plenty to eat, drink, and sleep in."
"The kid named He is fine?"
"He should be, or else they would have heard about it."
Lu Zhensheng also found it a little strange. Old Yu was nowhere to be found and had not returned to report after the hurricane.
He had been running about frantically these past few days, and only now that he could rest did he remember such a person existed.
Hmm, could it be...?
Probably not, he reassured himself. There was just too much to handle during a hurricane.
Even so, he was deeply disappointed. Those Bailong people were truly useless! No wonder the Ya Kingdom had chased them across thousands of li.
Before the hurricane, Old Yu had returned with word that the Moqi uncle and nephew were willing to cooperate and would make their move soon. Lu Zhensheng had been overjoyed back then. After all, the combat prowess of the Moqi uncle and nephew was renowned far and wide, and they commanded six hundred elite soldiers—making them the perfect "blade" for a plot to borrow a knife to kill.
Who would have thought that even after the hurricane and Emperor's Flowing Dew were over, He Lingchuan would appear completely unscathed?
What a waste of such a golden opportunity.
Lu Qing'an added, "On the day the merchant ships and travelers departed, Suoding Island was even selling pills refined from Emperor's Flowing Dew."
"Selling what?" Lu Zhensheng could not believe his ears. "Say that again?"
"Two types of pills refined from Emperor's Flowing Dew, one thousand of each." Lu Qing'an also found it incredible. "Several merchants said they took them on the spot, and they were indeed effective, so they bought more to keep or resell."
"How much Emperor's Flowing Dew did the Yangshan Archipelago collect to be able to refine it into pills for sale?" Anyone capable of that was no small power.
Lu Zhensheng could no longer sit still. He stood up and paced. "Did those merchants say what actually happened on the island?"
"They did. Suoding Island had gentle breezes throughout, and the hurricane was kept entirely outside, making it much easier for them to collect the Emperor's Flowing Dew." Otherwise, whether it was the dew or the torrential rain, both would have been blown away by the gale, making them nearly impossible to catch.
"The hurricane was kept out?" Lu Zhensheng nodded. "A barrier. That kid He used a windbreak barrier as well."
A barrier was nothing unusual; their estate used one too, and not a single roof tile had blown off.
The problem was the vast area and scattered settlements of the Yangshan Archipelago. Could that kid He have set up windbreak barriers everywhere?
What an astronomical expense that would be!
"When Emperor's Flowing Dew arrived, Suoding Island distributed containers to them and had them stand in the open ground before the guest rooms, bounded by a white line. A squad of guards stood by with clubs; whoever crossed the line took a blow to the head, was knocked out cold, and locked inside a room, denied any further chance to collect the dew.
"After a dozen or so were struck down like that, the rest behaved and stood at their doorsteps gathering Emperor's Flowing Dew all night long."
"Distributing containers, drawing white lines, and posting guards? They were prepared well in advance." Suspicion crept into Lu Zhensheng's heart as he listened. "Do you remember, two days before the hurricane, someone returned from the Yangshan Archipelago and told us..."
"Yes. Back then, He Lingchuan notified everyone that Emperor's Flowing Dew would descend within a few days, claiming the archipelago had prepared all the medicinal herbs needed for refining pills and powders, and that anyone interested could buy them the day after the dew fell. Supposedly, the people on the island were skeptical and buzzed with rumors."
The spy the Lu family sent had mingled among the crowd on the archipelago and overheard it, subsequently rushing back to report.
When the father and son had heard it, they were utterly stunned.
They had a firsthand source of intelligence because Lu Qinglin obtained it from the Mou Kingdom, whereas Blade Harbor did not, leading to heavy losses.
Where on earth had He Lingchuan acquired such vital intelligence?
Did this kid have some other channel? Did an expert stand behind him?
"No wonder the Yangshan Archipelago bought up large quantities of medicinal herbs a few days ago." Lu Qing'an's face was dark. "Damn it, they slipped through our fingers again!"
"This kid has some tricks up his sleeve. His subordinates are an assorted rabble cobbled together from all over, yet they didn't flip the table and riot on the night of Emperor's Flowing Dew? Something is getting more and more unnatural." Lu Zhensheng frowned deeply. "Qing'an, we cannot let this boy establish a firm foothold, or he will bring endless trouble down the line."
Lu Qing'an nodded, then suddenly recalled something else:
"By the way, Third Uncle and Sixth Uncle have been doing close business with He Lingchuan lately, and their relationship is growing quite warm."
Warm? Lu Zhensheng knew the temperaments of those two relatives best. Why warm? Wasn't it simply because they had made money!
"Those two fellows are fraternizing with our rival?" He was quite infuriated. "Have they lost their minds?"
Lu Qing'an cleared his throat softly. "I asked Third Uncle. He said it was purely business, nothing more."
"Understood. I will have a good talk with them!"
***
Early the next morning, Lu Zhensheng's principal wife, Lady An, arose to wash and dress while instructing the kitchen to serve green lotus seed, red date, and millet porridge.
At this time of year, green lotus seeds were already scarce, but the Lu residence naturally had ways to procure them. These freshly peeled tender seeds stimulated the spleen, moistened dryness, benefited the stomach and intestines, and also improved skin elasticity, adding radiance to a woman's complexion.
However, before the lotus seed porridge arrived, a servant rushed in to report:
"Seven brocade boxes have suddenly appeared on the table in Runtang!"
"What? Brocade boxes?" Lady An was bewildered. "Who put them there?"
Runtang was the living quarters of Lu Zhensheng and his wife, as well as where they usually ate breakfast. Located behind the inner gates, it was never open to outsiders.
If someone had delivered gifts all the way into Runtang, Lady An's first reaction was not joy, but suspicion.
The servant could only claim ignorance. The watchmen on duty last night had clearly patrolled both inside and outside before locking the doors. Yet when they opened the doors at cockcrow to sweep, they found a stack of brocade boxes that had materialized on the table out of thin air.
It was the octagonal table where Lu Zhensheng and his wife dined.
Encountering such a bizarre occurrence, the servants naturally dared not act rashly and rushed to consult the mistress of the house.
Lady An hurried over to Runtang to take a look. Sure enough, seven square brocade boxes sat on the table. Their exteriors were wrapped in golden silk cloth, looking not only sumptuous and grand, but also emitting a rich fragrance.
Huh? They had even been scented with incense before delivery to signify their value.
Full of suspicion, Lady An glanced around before ordering a servant to step forward and open one.
With the boxes of unknown origin, she dared not touch them herself.
The servant unwrapped a cloth bundle and lifted the lid. Instantly, he screamed and stumbled backward three paces in terror!
"A h-human head!"
He didn't need to say another word; Lady An could already see the contents of the box:
A severed head.
The deceased was a man in his forties with a twisted face and half-open eyes, offering a vivid depiction of death's grim chill on this bright, sunny morning.
Lady An's shriek immediately echoed throughout the entire Lu estate!
Half an incense stick later, both Lu father and son stood in Runtang.
"Father, who is this?" Lu Qing'an did not recognize the head, but he knew it had to be connected to his father; otherwise, these boxes would never have been delivered to their estate.
Lu Zhensheng turned pale and muttered, "Old Yu! That's Old Yu."
"Who?" Lu Qing'an had a bad premonition.
"Old Yu works for me." At this point, Lu Zhensheng had no choice but to tell the truth. "I sent him to contact the Bailong people."
This was the subordinate he had dispatched to liaise with the Moqi uncle and nephew, and the spy who had infiltrated the Yangshan Archipelago ever since Ding Zuodong first began recruiting!
Lu Qing'an pressed a hand to his brow.
Lu Zhensheng added, "When the Beijia people wanted to deal with He Lingchuan, I also had Old Yu take them onto the island to make contact..."
Among Lu Zhensheng's subordinates, Old Yu was meticulous, exceptionally skilled in disguise, and knew how to adapt to changing circumstances.
Besides, his mission had only been to make contact and persuade, not to personally assassinate He Lingchuan.
Therefore, even though Old Yu had not shown himself over the past few days, Lu Zhensheng had never thought anything major could have happened to him.
Now he had finally appeared, yet he was lying inside a box delivered by He Lingchuan!
"Beijia people?" Lu Qing'an cut his father off, his voice rising three pitches higher. "When did this happen? How did I not know about this!"
"Just a few days ago, on the night of the hurricane."
Cold sweat broke out on Lu Qing'an's temples, and he said in a strained voice, "Open the other boxes!"
Several attendants summoned their courage, stepped forward, and opened the remaining six brocade boxes.
Without exception, every single one contained a severed head.
Six ghastly pale heads with disheveled hair, each frozen in a different expression.
The Lu father and son stood speechless for a long time.
Lu Qing'an looked at his father. "Are these all your men?"
"Y-yes, they are the people I sent to the Yangshan Archipelago." Lu Zhensheng's throat choked up, and he could not help swallowing hard. "He Lingchuan rooted them out."
He Lingchuan knew everything!
Chapter 1020