An Old Scene in the Painting

The Soul-Snatching Mirror asked in wonder, "Why are you laughing so cheerfully?" It rarely saw He Lingchuan laugh with such abandon. "You don't understand! My chessboard has come alive!" He Lingchuan beamed. "I'm safe, Eldest Mother and Second Mother are safe, and the archipelago is safe." Beijia would never send him money for no reason. The so-called "trade route" was almost certainly a mere cover. Fu Shanyue was right: the Yangshan Archipelago held an exceptional geographic position. If Beijia could extend its reach here, it would gain a much closer springboard to liaise with the Ya Kingdom! The archipelago's relationship with the mainland was delicate. Neither the Qing Kingdom nor Bailie could extend their authority here, making it a natural offshore hub. With Fu Shanyue stationed here, Beijia could build an intelligence base on these islands—an intelligence base deep in the Mou Kingdom's rear. Yet He Lingchuan did not fear this in the slightest. The Yangshan Archipelago was his, kept firmly within his grasp. If Beijia wanted to funnel messages and intelligence through here, they would have to dance to his tune! Having reasoned this far, He Lingchuan also realized whose handiwork this was: National Preceptor Shuangye. If Shuangye had sent someone else to the Yangshan Archipelago for this task, He Lingchuan would certainly have resisted with deep wariness, perhaps even finding a way to drive the "envoy" away. Given the way He Lingchuan had handled Yu Zecheng, that was hardly outside the realm of possibility. Yet National Preceptor Shuangye had sent the Crown Prince of Chiyan. He Lingchuan could only welcome him—and welcome him warmly at that. That old fellow National Preceptor Shuangye was truly a master of calculating foresight. Realizing this, the heart that had hung in He Lingchuan's chest for so long finally settled. After dealing with Yu Zecheng, he had also written an earnest, heartfelt letter to National Preceptor Shuangye. But Shuangye had never replied. Over the past several months, Beijia had taken no further action against him, the Yangshan Archipelago, or the burrow spider demons. Even Zhu Erniang's bounty posting at second place on the Heaven Ranking had been revoked. It was clear that the great empire had no intention of pursuing the matter in the short term. The day he learned Zhu Erniang's bounty had been rescinded, he had specifically cracked open several jars of aged wine in celebration. The archipelago and he were finally safe for the time being. Yet he still hadn't known National Preceptor Shuangye's personal attitude. Strictly speaking, that He Lingchuan had dared to make a move against Yu Zecheng's party and dared to cook Beijia's monsters into dishes for Yu Zecheng to eat was partly because he was stationed in the Mou Kingdom's rear, but primarily because of his ties to National Preceptor Shuangye! If Beijia wanted to pursue him and uncover his background, it would very likely drag National Preceptor Shuangye into the fray and rake over the files of the elixir of immortality case once more. For his own sake, National Preceptor Shuangye would most likely choose to let sleeping dogs lie. In this matter, He Lingchuan had used National Preceptor Shuangye. No matter how sincere his letter had sounded, it couldn't change that fact. So would National Preceptor Shuangye retaliate in secret? He Lingchuan had constantly worried. If he couldn't do it openly, what was stopping him in the shadows? He had told Lü Qiuwei that Yu Zecheng could not represent Beijia, and that Yu Zecheng's strength did not equal the might of Beijia. But National Preceptor Shuangye could! National Preceptor Shuangye was the foremost of Beijia's Four Great National Preceptors, commanding vast power and countless capable retainers. Yu Zecheng was not even qualified to carry his boots. At the thought that National Preceptor Shuangye might retaliate, He Lingchuan felt a chill down his spine. No matter how many people lived on the Yangshan Archipelago now, it couldn't offer him the slightest sense of security. He was someone who knew National Preceptor Shuangye's methods; the man was not only powerful, but had patience to spare. To bring down his old rival National Preceptor Qingyang, Shuangye had kept Xi Yunhe hidden on ice for over a decade, just waiting for the right moment to strike a fatal blow. Even National Preceptor Qingyang couldn't escape his schemes. What right did He Lingchuan have to think he would be spared? Now, National Preceptor Shuangye had finally responded: He had dispatched Fu Shanyue here. Regardless of how many instructions and caveats Lingxu City had given Fu Shanyue, his arrival alone conveyed a clear signal to He Lingchuan: National Preceptor Shuangye was not angry, nor did he intend to hold a grudge. Having figured this out, how could He Lingchuan not be delighted? National Preceptor Shuangye's tolerance was truly unexpected. But the minds of the mighty were as deep as the sea; whatever else Shuangye might be plotting, He Lingchuan had no way of divining. One could only say that from the Battle of the Hurricane Night, the spoils he gained from Beijia had turned out even better than anticipated. With his greatest lurking fear after the Yu Zecheng incident thoroughly dispelled, he could now act with a free hand going forward. Upon returning to his quarters, he casually opened the scroll box, only to freeze in surprise. The painting measured two square chi. Its subject was not the conventional towering mountains and flowing waters, but woodland, marsh, and wild deer. The brushwork was superb; with only a few sparse strokes, the untamed wilderness of the forest and mire leapt out from the scroll. Yet the painting's contents struck He Lingchuan as both somewhat eerie and oddly familiar. The Soul-Snatching Mirror cried out, "Look at the signature! Look at the seal!" At its prompt, He Lingchuan unrolled the scroll to the end, but there was no signature at all. Right there, a maple tree had been painted, and where a signature ought to be, only a single maple leaf drifted down, lifelike and vivid. The seal bore no carved characters either, appearing only as a blood-red square. "Maple leaf, maple leaf..." He Lingchuan murmured. "Could it be National Preceptor Shuangye?" The Soul-Snatching Mirror was puzzled. "Wasn't this painting sent to you by Songyang Mansion?" "What kind of man is Li Qingge? Ever since the Nian Zanli incident, he's probably been connected to the Autumn Palace." The Li Qingge he knew would never pass up such an opportunity. "It was inconvenient for National Preceptor Shuangye to give it directly, so he used Songyang Mansion's name." Why would National Preceptor Shuangye send him a painting? He Lingchuan scrutinized it carefully, finding the tiny figure crouching in the grass increasingly unsettling the more he looked. It seemed to be a boy of five or six, with an oversized head and a tiny body. Turning his head, he stared intently at the fawn drinking water. Despite his tender years, he possessed none of the innocent charm of an ordinary child; instead, he gave He Lingchuan an extraordinarily sinister, malevolent impression. Stranger still, He Lingchuan felt there was something familiar about his silhouette and posture. And this place in the painting... He suddenly blurted out, "Demon Nest Swamp?" No wonder it looked familiar—this place truly resembled Zhu Erniang's former residence! There were marshes everywhere, herds of wild deer everywhere, maple trees everywhere, familiar structures everywhere, and even a corner of the Demon Nest peeking out from behind the thicket. Only, the trees around the pit were young and small, markedly different from what he had seen. "Is National Preceptor Shuangye trying to tell me that he has already uncovered where I came from?" Zhu Erniang had originally resided in the Demon Nest Swamp for a long time. The person who had struck an agreement with her to go to Lingxu City and retrieve the immortal molt on her behalf must also have visited the Demon Nest Swamp. The thought truly sent a shiver down his spine. Was National Preceptor Shuangye warning him not to assume he could act with reckless abandon just because he had dodged a bullet? The Soul-Snatching Mirror asked, "Then what about this little imp in the painting?" What was the purpose of painting a little boy? He Lingchuan shook his head in bafflement. Did it evoke the idiom of the mantis stalking the cicada? In National Preceptor Shuangye's eyes, then, who was the fawn, and who was the boy? "Regardless, I've finally eliminated this nagging worry from behind." He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together, barely able to contain his eagerness. "In at most one more month, our forces will finish reorganization and training. Then we can begin the next phase of our plan!" Factoring in the newly joined Bailong warriors, the Yangshan Guard's numbers were now approaching six thousand. Such a force was already remarkably prominent among the minor states. If neighboring Bailie and the Qing Kingdom knew he possessed this many troops, they wouldn't be able to sleep soundly at night. What was more, the army's combat strength grew by the day, practically night and day compared to nine months ago when it was first formed, bolstered by ready-made, formidable warriors like the Bailong people. Island Master He now had real muscle at his disposal, and he had had his fill of the busy yet peaceful island life. It was time to stir up some wind and waves. So the next step was...? The Soul-Snatching Mirror ventured, "Bailie?" "Right!" Wasn't the fundamental reason he had poured so much effort into developing Yangshan to sit in the south while casting his gaze north? Now, it was time to take Bailie into his grasp. "Yangshan's operations are on track. Although population, trade, and agriculture are progressing steadily, seeing another explosive boom like in the early days is going to be difficult." The Yangshan Archipelago was steadily improving, turning outsiders green with envy, but He Lingchuan felt this pace of growth was far too slow—especially when it came to population. Ever since the archipelago aggressively expanded its recruitment, neighboring states and factions had issued relocation restriction orders to halt local populations from migrating to Yangshan. To date, the Yangshan Archipelago had only about a hundred and thirty thousand people, of which over forty thousand were Bailong clan members. The headache that troubled He Lingchuan most was where to secure substantially more people. Once he took Bailie, that problem would naturally be resolved, and his power would experience another explosive leap. Bailie was a juicy piece of fat he had coveted for a long time, constantly scheming how to swallow it whole. The Soul-Snatching Mirror let out an 'oho': "You're finally making a move? Aren't you rushing things a bit?" How long had this master of its been running Yangshan? Less than two years. "I am," He Lingchuan did not deny it. His ties with Lingshan and the Mou Kingdom were still neither close nor distant—an acquaintance, but hardly solid. Making a move now was not the absolute best timing. The trouble was, when was there ever a "best timing"? The stronger the Yangshan Archipelago grew, the more of a thorn in their side it became. Even if He Lingchuan wished to keep a low profile, with such a formidable neighbor looming nearby, which of the surrounding states wouldn't harbor deep suspicion? Moreover, he harbored another consideration: Over the past two thousand-plus years, the frequent occurrences of Emperor's Flowing Dew presaged the onset of great chaos. His dealings with Nailuotian's avatar and Lingshan, along with the occasional dispatches from Shinan, gave him a persistent sense of crisis and urgency, stoking his hunger for power. Before the great chaos fell upon the world, would he have enough time to prepare and amass sufficient strength? Time waited for no man. *** Early the next morning, Fu Shanyue pressed He Lingchuan to take him to the yin fiend grounds, practically bursting with impatience. "Aiya, what's the rush?" He Lingchuan was at Ding Lake discussing goods with Fang Canran, who had just ferried a shipment of supplies from Platinum Island, including the demon beast essence souls Qiu Hu had been pining for. For the ancient demon soul within him, these were a potent tonic. "Hurry and take Taozi and me to feast our eyes!" However much mortals yearned for grotto-heavens and blessed lands, ba craved grounds of yin fiend energy just as deeply. The great tiger Jiao Yu had tagged along as well, yawning as he lay down and stretched out luxuriously. He didn't care for fiend energy; he had simply come to join the fun. He Lingchuan rubbed his massive head. It felt as wonderfully satisfying as ever. Just then, Fu Shanyue sniffed the air a few times and turned toward Fang Canran with a look of suspicion. "Huh, your scent smells somewhat familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"