Fortunately, these demons had no need for roads at all. Whether scaling mountains or crossing ridges, they simply trampled right through.
King Siwen trotted beside Zhu Daniang, his beady little eyes constantly darting up toward the human on her forehead.
No demon with any self-respect would casually let another creature step on its head, as though acting as someone's mount.
King Siwen knew a bit about Zhu Erniang's background, and he figured this Zhu Daniang had to be an equally arrogant ancient demon immortal. How could she be so obedient to a mere human?
What was so remarkable about this "island master"?
As the boar ran through the calculations in his head, He Lingchuan asked about the situation in the Demon Nest Swamp.
At the mention of the Demon Nest Swamp, King Siwen felt deeply aggrieved.
It turned out that after the upheaval at the Heavenly Palace, Beijia had quickly tracked down Zhu Erniang's dwelling. Before long, the peace the Demon Nest Swamp had enjoyed for over a century was shattered by the invading Beijia army!
Naturally, Zhu Erniang had already moved out with her brood of descendants. But the swamp demons who refused to leave could hardly last a few rounds against the onslaught of Beijia's army.
The northern demon kingdom showed no mercy toward these wild beasts of the wilderness.
By the time the Beijia army confirmed they truly did not know Zhu Erniang's whereabouts, more than half the wild demons were dead or injured, and even King Siwen had suffered grievous wounds.
A demonic army wielding origin power was truly their natural nemesis.
Yet what truly forced King Siwen to make up his mind to leave the Demon Nest Swamp was the "Wilderness Order" Beijia had issued to the surrounding mountain monsters and wild demons.
In the past, they had lived free and unrestrained, ruling their own mountains as kings, and Beijia had never bothered to pay them any mind.
Yet ever since the incident in Lingxu City, some nerve of the Demon Emperor had apparently been struck. He actually promulgated the "Wilderness Order," demanding that all wild monsters and demons in the regions surrounding Beijia immediately pledge allegiance to the northern demon kingdom and be placed under local territorial jurisdiction. Those who defied the order were to be executed!
Once this decree was issued, the Beijia army began sweeping across the land. Wild demons were slaughtered, fled, or surrendered. The regions around Beijia fell into utter chaos for an entire year, and even now, the cleanup was not completely finished.
The carefree days of living at peace with the world were gone forever.
The more King Siwen thought about it, the angrier he grew. He snorted bitterly at Zhu Erniang, "It's all because of you!"
He still had a huge scar on his backside, concealed only by his coat of mud armor.
"You can't blame Erniang for everything," He Lingchuan lied with a straight face.
Of course Zhu Erniang was to blame for this... and so was he!
It was the two of them who had caused the Heavenly Palace to lose a divine artifact and cost Beijia its dignity. Afterward, reflecting bitterly on their painful lesson, Beijia's rulers concluded that their lax control over wild monsters had allowed the upheaval at the Heavenly Palace to happen in the first place, and thus resolved to eliminate all hidden dangers once and for all.
He asked the giant boar demon, "You know that Beijia is at war with the Mou Kingdom, right?"
King Siwen rolled his eyes. "Who doesn't?" Did this human think he was completely cut off from the world?
"Beijia hasn't met a worthy adversary in a long time. It won't rest easy until it clears out all the unstable elements along its borders," He Lingchuan said solemnly. "And this isn't the first time Beijia has done something like this. In the past, whenever it rounded up the surrounding wild demons, it followed up by sharpening its weapons and preparing for war. This is a sign that it is preparing for a protracted campaign. The Mou Kingdom and Bailie believe it will halt its advance anytime soon, but I fear they've miscalculated!"
Before fighting a massive, grueling war, one had to eliminate any trouble on one's flanks so the enemy couldn't exploit it later.
King Siwen grunted sullenly. "So the Demon Nest Swamp became unlivable. What a pity."
Was it really so difficult for a free-roaming demon like him to live a comfortable, carefree life?
"It's no pity at all," He Lingchuan smiled. "This place is exceptionally rich in natural resources, a hundred times better than the Demon Nest Swamp."
King Siwen grunted twice but did not refute him. He had eyes of his own, and the further east they went, the more pleased he became.
The eastern mountains of Pansi Island were covered in bamboo groves, wutong trees, and dense brush. Wild boars were natural experts at digging up bamboo shoots; before the tips even broke the surface, when they were at their crispest and tenderest, the boars could root them out and feast.
It was already summer, and colorful mushrooms flourished beneath the shady trees and across the turf. The wild boars squealed with delight at the sight—there were several varieties of red and green mushrooms here that gave quite a kick when eaten, enough to keep them happily in a daze all day.
Rosy elaeagnus berries and purplish wild grapes hung in dense clusters from the branches.
He Lingchuan also reached out to pluck a few clusters of wild kiwis that looked like tiny potatoes and tossed them to the boars. They were sweet and sour, bursting with juice in a single bite.
Following the stream, there were several muddy pools along the banks—perfect spots for wild boars to indulge in mud baths.
Weathered rock caverns dotted the landscape everywhere, ready to provide shelter for their new masters.
Gobbling hallucinogenic mushrooms and then soaking comfortably in a mud pit for an entire day—could life get any better than that? King Siwen was thoroughly satisfied in his heart, but out loud he still grumbled, "This place... hmph, I suppose it's passable!"
Zhu Daniang suddenly came to a halt. He Lingchuan smiled and said, "Let's discuss our terms."
He was the island master; settling on his island did not come without conditions.
Though King Siwen was a wild demon, he understood worldly wisdom well enough—especially with the twin spider demons flanking him on either side.
After some bargaining, the two sides reached an agreement: King Siwen and his descendants could claim the eastern region as their lair, occupying roughly one-fifth of Pansi Island's total area.
Should disputes arise among the demon clans on the island, He Lingchuan would mediate.
In return for their landlord's generosity, the wild boars would repay him by defending their home and fighting alongside his forces.
Demons across the entire island were to watch out for and assist one another; that went without saying. One for all, and all for one.
King Siwen had drifted over ten thousand li across the waters to get here, starving until he had shrunk two sizes, all for the sake of safety.
Furthermore, if He Lingchuan went to war with external forces, the boar demon would lead his progeny into battle to slaughter the enemy.
This was an obligation incumbent upon all demons on the island. King Siwen had initially grumbled, but upon learning that Zhu Daniang and Zhu Erniang were not exempt either, he thought it over and agreed. In any case, few large beasts were more prolific breeders than wild boars.
The rest of the details needed no further elaboration.
When He Lingchuan departed Pansi Island, he was in high spirits.
The more powerful demons settled on the island, the safer the spider sisters would be, and the formidable high-end fighting force of the Yangshan Archipelago would grow even stronger.
In a one-on-one duel, King Siwen was no match for an ancient spider demon, but unleash a massive herd of giant mud-armored boars onto a battlefield, and if deployed properly, they would be devastatingly lethal.
***
When Sixth Lu's daughter, Lu Feiyan, came looking for He Lingchuan, she was told that Island Master He had gone to inspect the recruit trials.
"What are recruit trials? Is it an entrance test?" Bailie's military did not just press-gang men at random either; they had entrance tests to screen soldiers based on height, weight, and combat experience.
"You've arrived early; the guard's mock combat drills aren't until the afternoon," Lei Ni, who received her, said. "Tests are tests, but trials are trials. Only by passing this trial can a recruit join the Yangshan Guard."
Lu Feiyan had intentionally arrived early, and her curiosity was piqued. "Take me to see it?"
The island master had already given instructions, so Lei Ni nodded at once. "Please follow me aboard the ship to Xiaoxu Island."
Xiaoxu Island was very small, not counted among the archipelago's official forty-two islands, and was designated a restricted area. Only the guard was permitted to garrison there; even permanent residents of the Yangshan Archipelago were forbidden from setting foot on it.
Occasionally, a yin hui would poke its head out of the sea, but they were sluggish and showed no aggression, merely glancing once or twice at the people on board before swimming alongside the vessel for quite a distance.
Lu Feiyan was intrigued. She had never seen yin hui coexist peacefully with humans before.
"Just how did Island Master He tame them?"
"Miss Lu jokes. How could creatures like these ever be tamed?" Lei Ni smiled. "Finding a way to live in harmony with them was difficult enough."
Lu Feiyan tilted her head. "When I returned to Qucheng, I heard these yin hui even taught the Maritime Trade Office a lesson."
Naturally, that was not all she had heard.
"That wasn't the only time Blade Harbor and the Maritime Trade Office were taught a lesson by the yin hui," Lei Ni sighed softly. "A few months ago, the yin hui attacked Suoding Island. My father and I were at the supply post on the island back then. Hearing the strange noise, we hid in the cellar and didn't dare come out until the next morning."
As the two women chatted, the ship arrived at Xiaoxu Island before they knew it.
Drawing near Xiaoxu Island, Lu Feiyan understood why no one lived here:
The coastline was entirely reefs and steep cliffs, with only a single sandy beach where boats could land. The island's peaks were sheer and sharp, rising opposite one another. Lei Ni explained that the landscape resembled the gaping maw of a baleen whale, which was how Xiaoxu Island got its name.
She led Lu Feiyan clambering up and down, circling past most of the mountain before pointing ahead:
"Here we are! They're right ahead!"
Ahead lay an expansive clearing—more accurately, a rocky platform jutting out over the sea.
At the moment, more than three hundred men stood on the platform, lining up to...
Jump off the cliff?
Lei Ni offered a timely explanation: "This place is called Bazhang Cliff. From the cliff edge down to the sea, the drop is exactly eight zhang. If they jump down from here and safely swim back, they pass the recruit trial and can openly earn a soldier's rations."
The pay for the Yangshan Guard was handsome, and the free meals were excellent—as was typical for hazardous, high-risk professions—so the able-bodied laborers coming to work on the islands all wanted to join.
Since they were already here, why not try? At the very least, they could get a bit more meat in their bellies and earn extra money and goods for their families.
Yet He Lingchuan had his own screening methods, and as the guard grew in number, the standards rose higher and higher.
Standards, after all, were meant for weeding people out.
Lu Feiyan couldn't help saying, "Your island master certainly knows how to put people through the wringer!"
She had never heard of a recruit test like this! But thinking back on it, grit and courage were indeed the qualities commanders valued most in soldiers. Lack of strength could be trained; lack of obedience could be disciplined; lack of skill could be honed through drills.
But without courage, one had no business making a living in the military.
Some people were simply born timid; when danger struck, what erupted within them was not courage, but terror.
"These recruits have already passed the other tests, such as endurance, speed, and reflexes. The final stage is coming to Bazhang Cliff to test their nerve."
Lu Feiyan asked, "Have you jumped?"
Lei Ni shook her head and answered honestly, "I wouldn't dare."
She was civilian staff; there was no need to risk her life like that.
He Lingchuan strolled over from the crowd, chuckling. "Miss Lu, you're early. Have you eaten?"
"I ate on Suoding Island." Lu Feiyan surveyed the recruits. Yes, sturdy builds, each possessing good arm muscle at the very least. It seemed He Lingchuan's standards for selecting soldiers were indeed not low.
Chapter 1056