"Good, this place is truly wonderful!" Wasn't this the very reason Elder Moqi had come? Casting aside all hesitation, he said, "Far from the mainland, far from conflict, yet close to Ya Kingdom—and bustling and prosperous on top of it. What's more, it's vast. Far from just forty thousand, even if you threw four or five hundred thousand people in here, it would still be sparsely populated."
Moqi Feng smiled. "The clansmen like it here too. Over the past few days, people have constantly been asking me, both openly and discreetly, if we can stay."
He and his men had already been living on the island, each family occupying an independent small courtyard like this one.
When visitors from the main Bailong host dropped by, they looked on with burning envy: the clansmen who had arrived a few months earlier not only had places to live, but lived so comfortably!
He Lingchuan's fleet had originally been supposed to transport the Bailong tribe to Blade Harbor, but had instead brought them straight to the Yangshan Archipelago. Moqi Feng understood his lord's intention: he wanted the Bailong people to see and experience the archipelago's environment, economy, social life, and atmosphere firsthand.
Whether they liked it, whether it suited them—one only knew by experiencing it in person.
Only if the Bailong people liked it here would they genuinely want to stay.
Once they wanted to stay, the matter was already eighty percent accomplished.
Now that the topic was out in the open, Elder Moqi no longer minced words. "Island Master He is truly capable, and so amiable toward us. I see that these islands have continually been taking in outsiders. Ah Feng, do you think he might... er, be willing to accept the Bailong tribe?"
Moqi Feng popped a peanut into his mouth. "The Island Master is benevolent. He mobilized the full strength of the archipelago to rescue our people, risked offending Ya Kingdom, and settled us on the islands. But frankly speaking, if he didn't want to take in the Bailong tribe, why would he go to all this trouble?"
Elder Moqi nodded.
Pies did not fall from the sky, and unwarranted hospitality did not exist without a reason. Naturally, he too had guessed Island Master He's intentions.
Although the Bailong tribe was down on its luck now, it had once been a formidable warrior tribe in Ya Kingdom.
Whether fleeing or retreating, the clansmen had carefully protected their children.
Given some time to rest and recuperate, the Bailong tribe could regain its vitality.
In just a few years, half-grown boys would mature into capable warriors.
Island Master He needed hands, warriors, and laborers, while the Bailong tribe needed a foothold and a stable life.
It was a mutual desire, a perfect match.
Yet Island Master He was waiting for them to speak first—or perhaps he had calculated all along that they inevitably would.
After all, compared to the uncertainties and bleak prospects in Mou Kingdom and Bailie, the Yangshan Archipelago's abundance, prosperity, and booming growth were visible to the naked eye. Moreover, Moqi Feng served under Island Master He and would certainly strive for his people's well-being.
"Island Master He has done us a great kindness," Elder Moqi said in a deep voice. "Ah Feng, the clansmen are all willing to work hard to repay his goodwill and benevolence."
"I understand." Moqi Feng tilted his head back, draining his final cup of wine. "I will make the request to the Island Master."
In the afternoon, the rain arrived.
After two months of clear skies, the Yangshan Archipelago finally welcomed a hearty downpour.
He Lingchuan stood in the Shuyu Pavilion where he conducted his official business, watching the rain beat against the lotus leaves and duckweed on Ding Lake.
"This rain came at just the right time. The wheat has been harvested, the rice has been planted, and only now does it begin to fall."
Every year, the Yangshan Archipelago and Blade Harbor experienced the pre-flood season—a sequence of rains that arrived before the actual flood season. In previous years, if the rain came too early, it would hinder the winter wheat harvest; if it didn't come or arrived too late, the resulting drought would hamper the growth of the rice.
Behind him, Moqi Feng stood with his back straight. "A good rain knows its season."
He Lingchuan chuckled and turned back to the original topic. "Congratulations on rising to clan leader."
Though they were superior and subordinate, communication between them was even smoother than between Moqi Feng and Elder Moqi.
Moqi Feng had already stated his purpose: the Bailong people wished to live and work on the islands, and in the future, they would fight for Yangshan! As the newly appointed clan leader, he needed to obtain Island Master He's permission for the entire tribe to settle here.
Hadn't He Lingchuan gone through all this trouble precisely to hear those words?
And so he agreed—calm and nonchalant on the surface, but overjoyed within.
Instead, Moqi Feng seemed slightly uneasy. "My Lord is magnanimous, but I wonder if others might harbor concerns?"
"Such as?" He Lingchuan asked, already knowing the answer.
Moqi Feng weighed his words carefully. "Our numbers are, in truth, quite large."
Once the Bailong tribe settled in, they would account for over a third of the archipelago's fewer than one hundred and thirty thousand residents.
People in a foreign land were prone to banding together, and with so many Bailong, the trouble that could arise was far more dangerous than simple factionalism.
This was the exact scenario leaders and rulers guarded against most vigilantly.
In truth, both men understood there were no "others." Moqi Feng was simply worried that this might arouse He Lingchuan's suspicion toward him.
After all, he was now the leader of forty thousand people.
"And if they do?" He Lingchuan countered. "What will you do?"
"I will strictly keep them in line and command them to abide by the rules and laws," Moqi Feng replied solemnly. "If any of my clansmen commit an offense, My Lord may hold me solely responsible!"
Yet he didn't breathe a single word about leaving.
Vast as the world was, there was nowhere else for him or the Bailong tribe to go.
"Isn't that enough? If they cause trouble, I come to you; if they commit crimes, you take the punishment." He Lingchuan leaned against the railing and gazed out toward the distant mountains. "Look—are humans the only ones living in the Yangshan Archipelago?"
Uh... Moqi Feng scratched his head in embarrassment.
That was true. The Yangshan Archipelago was unlike other places. It was not merely a settlement for humans; the scions and broods of Zhu Erniang, King Yinhui, and King Siwen thrived here as well, along with a multitude of avian demons—and more monsters were bound to arrive in the future, never fewer.
Factoring in the demons, the proportion of Bailong people didn't seem quite so high after all.
Take Zhu Erniang alone: no one knew exactly how many burrow spiders were on Pansi Island right now, as no one could possibly count them.
In any case, the laborers who went to the island to haul cargo always used a single phrase to describe them:
Swarming in dense masses.
That had to be several thousand at the very least, right?
Considering these great monster clans, any humans living alongside them would naturally behave themselves.
"Let me ask you another question," He Lingchuan said. "Do you think the Yangshan Archipelago has a large territory?"
"At least... it isn't small."
"Compared to Bailie?" He Lingchuan asked. "Compared to Ya Kingdom?"
Never mind Ya Kingdom; even if these forty thousand people were tossed into Bailie, they wouldn't seem like much at all.
Though Bailie wasn't vast, its soil was fertile, and its population exceeded a million.
"..."
"And what if we compare it to Mou Kingdom? To Beijia?"
Moqi Feng looked abashed. "Subordinate understands."
"The world out there is so vast—how could we confine ourselves to a few dozen islands?" Standing with his hands behind his back, He Lingchuan watched the rain cascade from the eaves like a beaded curtain. "In expanding territory, what matters most?"
Without hesitation, Moqi Feng replied, "People!"
Without people, what use was land?
Without people, who would defend even the most sprawling territory?
That was why the Island Master wasn't afraid in the slightest of a diverse, mixed demographic among newcomers. If anything, the more, the better.
Chapter 1078