He Lingchuan reckoned that even if he left for a few months now, the archipelago could function on its own.
Following local tradition, the Yangshan Archipelago was also holding the Chunhua Festival to celebrate the harvest and pray for blessings throughout the coming year.
Held after grain was safely stored in the granaries, this festival brought everyone together to parade through the streets, watch performances, browse the markets, feast, dance around bonfires, or don masks to sing and dance from nightfall until morning.
Come year's end, this usually resulted in a fresh crop of newborns.
In keeping with local custom, the Yangshan Archipelago had also invited high-ranking officials, prominent gentry, and wealthy merchants with whom they maintained close ties to join the festivities.
That night, the massive bonfire on Heiye Island blazed halfway up the sky, casting a ruddy glow over every smiling face.
Fine wine and sumptuous dishes were served in an endless stream, and everywhere people were clinking cups and mingling in high spirits.
He Lingchuan had already made a round of toasts to the visiting merchants. Returning to his seat, he rolled his neck and patted his cheeks.
Socializing was truly exhausting; his face had frozen stiff from smiling.
Lingguang hurriedly offered him a small blue pill. "Take this, quick! It cures drunkenness!"
"Are you sure?" He Lingchuan caught an odd smell from the pill and immediately grew suspicious. "Last time you gave out the wrong medicine, you had Qiu Hu shitting his guts out all night."
"I didn't give him the wrong medicine! He had been training too fiercely around then, so he needed to purge the toxins."
"...You really don't understand the ways of the world." That night, Qiu Hu had planned a romantic rendezvous under the moon with his lady fair, only for...
In any case, Lei Ni had worn a long face for days afterward—even he, her boss, could see it.
"Just take it. You've already downed three jars of wine. I'm afraid you'll jump into the sea to catch the moon in a bit." Lingguang rolled its eyes at him. "Do you even remember how you behaved the last time you got drunk?"
"What did I do?"
"You squatted on the beach of Centipede Island clawing at the sand with your bare hands, digging for clams all night long and insisting you were going to stir-fry two dishes for Master Sun!" Lingguang asked, "Who is Master Sun, anyway?"
He Lingchuan gave a hollow laugh. "Did that really happen?"
"It didn't?" Lingguang had a sharp memory. "Then where did those two big buckets of clams come from?"
Just then, someone approached. He Lingchuan popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it without even chewing.
Looking closely, he saw that it was Sixth Lu, Lu Zhenxian, coming over to offer a toast.
"Brother He, congratulations! A bountiful spring harvest!" Sixth Lu had a roundish face and the genial air typical of a merchant.
He was also in the grain trade. Originally, the Yangshan Archipelago had bought grain from him, but now that they were starting to sell grain, competition between them was inevitable. Still, Lu Zhenxian had quickly shifted his thinking; after all, in Mou Kingdom's deep interior, grain was hard currency, merely a matter of time and price.
He Lingchuan raised his cup in return. "I hear your business has been booming lately, Sixth Master Lu. Truly worthy of celebration."
The businesses of Lu San and Sixth Lu had originally been mediocre, as the main branch monopolized the finest resources. However, He Lingchuan intentionally cultivated good relations with them, purchasing large quantities of goods from both households at favorable prices. The furs and clothing produced by Lu San's family, as well as the ceramics, lacquerware, and medicinal herbs supplied by Sixth Lu's family, had all found a ready market in the Yangshan Archipelago.
At present, the Yangshan Archipelago had a permanent population of seventy thousand, and more people were constantly arriving. These newcomers had a robust demand for household goods.
In other words, the Yangshan Archipelago was the biggest client of Lu San and Sixth Lu.
With these two cousins doing business with the Yangshan Archipelago, Lu Zhensheng had naturally been displeased and tried repeatedly to cut off their revenue. A struggle had broken out within the Lu clan, of which He Lingchuan had heard wind.
In the end, both sides compromised: Lu Zhensheng turned a blind eye to their business with the Yangshan Archipelago, while Lu San and Sixth Lu had to hand over a share of their profits on the grounds that they were utilizing clan resources.
Upon hearing this news, He Lingchuan knew that the rift and friction between the Lu brothers had been pried even wider by his financial offensive.
Now that he was Sixth Lu's god of wealth, Sixth Lu treated him with exceptional warmth. Taking an exquisite brocade box from an attendant, Sixth Lu presented it with both hands. "A modest gift, hardly worthy of you."
"How could I accept this?" He Lingchuan's mouth protested, but his hands were far from shy as he popped the lid open.
Inside lay a golden bowl embossed with a peacock, its crest and tail feathers inlaid with ruby chips.
Pure gold, utterly gorgeous, it gleamed brilliantly even under the glow of the fire.
"A golden rice bowl?" Sixth Lu certainly knew how to give gifts; this one was delightful.
Sixth Lu beamed. "Hold a golden rice bowl in your hands, and you'll never have to worry about a thing."
The onlookers chimed in with compliments.
Just then, a young man and woman pushed their way past Sixth Lu. After staring at He Lingchuan for a good while, the young man finally exclaimed in delight:
"He Xiao!"
He Lingchuan was standing with his back to the bonfire. The fiercer the flames blazed, the darker his face appeared in shadow, making it hard for bystanders to see him clearly. The youth shifted angles twice before finally making him out.
"Lu Qingbang!" He Lingchuan's eyes lit up. Striding forward, he slung an arm around the young man's shoulders and shook him firmly a few times. "Long time no see!"
This youth was none other than Sixth Lu's son, Lu Qingbang. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a sturdy build; only his chin resembled his father's.
The two clasped arms, looking at each other with hearty laughter.
Sixth Lu rubbed his hands together, delighted. "You two really know each other?"
"We certainly do," Lu Qingbang nodded repeatedly. "We drank and took boat rides together in Lingxu City last year. Who would have thought that back here in my hometown ten thousand li away, I'd get to see Brother He again!"
Back then, He Xiao had shot to fame in Lingxu City through the elixir of immortality case, surrounded by admirers like the moon amidst a host of stars. Lu Qingbang had been one of those "stars." Hailing from a remote region and lacking standout eloquence, he had not interacted much with He Lingchuan, who only vaguely remembered that such a person existed.
He had not expected the young man to be a relative of this body's original self.
Sixth Lu smiled at He Lingchuan. "My boy just returned from the front lines and insisted on coming onto the island to see you."
Lu Qingbang said solemnly, "What Brother He accomplished in Lingxu City was incredible. When someone of such caliber is here, of course I had to come pay my respects!"
During his study tour in the Beijia Kingdom, Lu Qingbang had merely been a spectator. He Lingchuan, however, had plunged into the deepest political struggles of Lingxu City—a boat navigating raging seas and treacherous waves, where the slightest misstep would have ground him to dust. Yet He Xiao had managed to emerge completely unscathed, and now stood right here, hale and hearty.
That feat alone was remarkable.
Inside He Lingchuan's robes, the soul-snatching mirror gave a low chuckle. "The way he talks, I almost thought your torching of Zhaixing Tower had been exposed."
Nearby guests grew curious and chimed in, "Tell us the story!"
"Hold on a moment!" Lu Qingbang quickly introduced the young woman beside him to He Lingchuan. "This is my younger sister, Lu Feiyan."
Lu Feiyan was only half a head shorter than her brother, with a solid, robust build far surpassing that of an ordinary girl. One look at the muscles on her arms convinced He Lingchuan she could punch any spoiled rich boy in town until he bawled.
Now this was a tough woman who could wield a spear on horseback and slay foes on foot.
Her round face was rosy, and her gaze upon He Lingchuan was brimming with curiosity. "Hello. My brother praises you to the high heavens. Whenever he mentions you, he gets as excited as a monkey. When can the two of us trade a few moves?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, girl!" Sixth Lu jumped in alarm, terrified his reckless daughter would bruise his golden goose. "If you want a fight, go find your brother!"
Lu Feiyan curled her lip. "My brother says he wiped the floor with the deputy commander of Lingxu City's Tongxin Guard, so he must have some serious skill. Can't I just ask for some guidance?"
Sixth Lu had no idea what kind of outfit the "Tongxin Guard" was, but anything prefaced with "Lingxu City" sounded formidable. So Brother He wasn't just sharp-witted, remarkably capable, and generously open-handed—he also possessed extraordinary cultivation? Befriending him had truly been the right move! Excellent, absolutely the right move!
"No problem. Come to Xiaoxu Island in a few days; the Yangshan Guard is holding a drill," He Lingchuan said to Lu Feiyan. "Bring an extra change of clothes. The sea mist is heavy there."
Lu Feiyan grinned with delight. "Great! You're a straightforward guy."
Someone called to her from nearby, and she walked over. Sixth Lu whispered to He Lingchuan, "That daughter of mine is just wild around people. Don't take it to heart, Brother He, and please don't spar with her. When she went with the army a while back, she got her face battered—a gash this long! Gave the whole family a fright."
Sixth Lu gestured across his own face, from the corner of his eye down to his mouth. "Luckily, we got hold of some fine medicine, or she'd have been scarred for life!"
"If you ever run into trouble like that again, just come to me." Lingguang was sitting on the table sipping wine, and He Lingchuan pointed toward it. "My apothecary specializes in compounding pills and salves. Guaranteed not to leave any scar."
With the racket around the bonfire deafening, He Lingchuan patted Lu Qingbang on the shoulder and invited him over to the reefs dozens of yards away to talk.
Today's meeting with the Lu siblings was, in truth, the result of repeated hints he had dropped to Sixth Lu.
Sixth Lu had caught the hint, allowing relations between both sides to take another step forward.
Far from the crowd, the rhythm of the waves was steady and pleasant. Now that the tide had ebbed, mudskippers and tiny crabs darted into crevices in the rocks at the approach of footsteps.
Lu Qingbang was the first to speak: "How did you end up coming out here to our parts, He Xiao?"
"Drifting across the world grew tiring, and I wanted to find a place to put down roots." He Lingchuan sat down, resting his long legs against the rock. "It seemed pretty good here, and once I arrived, I didn't want to leave."
"That's wonderful! I can seek advice from you much more often from now on, Brother He!"
He Lingchuan looked closely at Lu Qingbang. The young man's eyes were full of genuine delight, his expression free of pretense.
"Seek advice on what?" He Lingchuan said casually. "Brother Lu, you've become a military commander in your own right, taking to the field to slay enemies and defend your home. The scholars in Lingxu City only know how to fight battles on paper and boast of high principles; they can no longer compare to you."
Having spent plenty of time on the battlefield himself, He Lingchuan could instantly smell the scent of iron and blood on Lu Qingbang. Though the young man was not yet twenty, he had undoubtedly taken quite a few lives.
True knowledge came from actual combat. Returning home to fight in the war had transformed Lu Qingbang into someone completely different from two years ago. If he had possessed his current presence back then, He Lingchuan would have picked him out of the crowd at a glance and made a point of befriending him.
"It was only after going to the battlefield that I realized how hard it must have been for you back then, Brother He." Lu Qingbang sighed softly. "Back in Lingxu City, I heard people say that you were unmatched at reading hearts and judging situations—magnanimous in public, yet meticulous in private. The more I thought about it after returning home, the more I agreed. If only I were as perceptive as you, Brother He, perhaps I wouldn't have been so passive fighting on the front lines."
He Lingchuan was genuinely surprised. "Who said that about me?"
"Du Shan. Over drinks."
"...That sneaky bastard!" He Lingchuan couldn't help muttering under his breath.
Chapter 1052