Waterspout

If it were him, he would move straight onto Longji Island and unleash right in the yin hui king's face. "The Heavenly Order Precious Scroll can ward off the yin hui, but it can't keep out the yin fiend energy. Longji Island is one of the sources of the yin fiend turbidity; we can't get near it." Min Tianxi now answered every question and hid nothing. "Besides, if we rashly moved onto Longji Island, I doubt even the Heavenly Order Precious Scroll could withstand the fury of the king of the yin hui." He Lingchuan was always good at seizing on the crux of a matter. "What did the ancient immortals come to Longji Island for?" "Supposedly to extract and refine the yin fiend energy. As for what they refined from it, I have no idea," Min Tianxi said dryly. "Immortal methods are beyond me." "Refine?" Behind them, the spellcaster Xiang Lian spoke up, "Probably weapons against enemies, or some malicious contraptions." "Oh?" "Even in ancient times, there were forbidden deathlands that not even immortals cared to approach. I suspect a yin fiend deathland was one of them; linger here too long, and one would likely be plagued by evil karma," the spellcaster Xiang Lian explained beside them. "That being the case, the yin fiend energy might well have been refined into a weapon. Ancient immortals often gathered a wisp of rosy glow, a mountain's miasma, or a river's flowing waters to refine. Perhaps their purpose in coming here was simply to harvest raw materials." He Lingchuan thought of the Verdant Flask once kept in the Azure Palace, which indeed had effortlessly swallowed half a river's water and smashed Zhao Pan's army to pieces. Min Tianxi had been keeping a close eye on the vessel's heading, and now he could not resist asking, "Eldest Young Master, isn't this ship heading into the depths of the archipelago?" "It is." Min Tianxi asked gingerly, "The yin fiend energy in the depths of the archipelago is so thick that even immortals wouldn't come near. Aren't... aren't you afraid?" He Lingchuan glanced at him and smiled. The previous few times, he had killed immediately after smiling. Now, a chill gripped Min Tianxi's heart whenever he saw that smile, and he subconsciously averted his gaze. As arrogant as he had been before, that was how docile he was now—at least on the surface. He Lingchuan was relatively pleased with this. Sure enough, showing bandits nothing but forbearance and appeasement only made them think you were easy to bully. You had to sway them with the truth, which was: Whoever had the hardest fist was the boss. If they were fierce, you had to be fiercer; if they were brutal, you had to be more brutal. Only when the pirates' arrogance was worn down completely by pain and terror would they bow submissively to He Lingchuan. Later on, if their master showed them even a shred of kindness, they would weep with gratitude and serve him with absolute devotion. After all, bullying the weak while fearing the strong, preying on the helpless while revering the powerful, was ingrained in the instincts of most people. He Lingchuan knew well that methods existed solely to serve the ultimate objective. When objectives varied, methods had to adapt endlessly. Taming pirates took this approach, but winning over other factions might require a completely different tactic. "I said earlier that I could disperse the yin fiend energy of the Yangshan Archipelago, but you didn't believe me, did you?" He Lingchuan looked toward Longji Island. "Then seeing is believing." Today was overcast, with dense clouds blanketing the sky and the sun never showing its face. Heading into the depths of the archipelago right now was exceedingly dangerous, because the yin fiend energy had long since spread over the sea. Min Tianxi did not utter a sound. After having his face bashed twelve times by He Lingchuan, his head was actually clearer: This Young Master He actually conducted matters with great methodical precision; the others simply hadn't understood before. So... he probably, likely, perhaps wouldn't drag an entire ship of people along to their deaths, right? The other pirates' eyes darted about, silently calculating the odds of jumping overboard and swimming for their lives. Qiu Hu and the others noticed their suspicious behavior and chuckled quietly without saying a word. Yet He Lingchuan just had to ask, "You've seen people die from fiend energy, haven't you? What is it like?" The pirates were inwardly startled: *You don't know? You don't know, yet you dare plunge into the depths of the archipelago? And you're dragging us along to die with you?* Cold sweat broke out on Min Tianxi's forehead once more. "Everyone's constitution is different, and so is their resistance to fiend energy. But for most people, even if they hold their breath upon encountering fiend energy, it still seeps through the pores into the skin and invades the five viscera. "Generally speaking, touching just a bit of light mist causes dizziness, nausea, and unstoppable vomiting, but retreating quickly can still save you. If one lingers in the mist too long, or if the yin fiend energy is dense, a person quickly goes mad and dies soon after." He Lingchuan asked, "No exceptions?" "Some people grow hair after death and turn into mindless zombies that wander the islands day and night. But they fear water and light, so they generally don't reach human settlements." He Lingchuan muttered, "Why does that sound like a place a ba would love?" "A ba?" Min Tianxi actually knew of such monsters. "Yes, I've heard that very, very long ago, a ba appeared in the Yangshan Archipelago." He Lingchuan instantly perked up. "When?" "I couldn't say. It's only a legend." After sailing for another couple of hours, the ship drew deeper into the archipelago, and thin wisps of gray mist began appearing on the sea ahead. It looked as if dark clouds had drifted down to the water's surface, shifting directions midway as though alive. The moment the crowd caught sight of the gray mist, it moved, drifting straight toward the vessel. It grew faster and faster, without swerving in the slightest. Seeing the yin fiend energy converging from the fan-shaped expanse ahead, the pirates felt their scalps tingle with dread. Yet the ship boldly surged forward to meet it. Two splashes sounded as a pair of pirates seized the chance to abandon ship and dive into the water, swimming toward an island behind them without looking back. The nearest island behind was three li away; with their swimming skills, reaching it would be no trouble at all. The two did not forget to look back and observe, only to see the yin fiend energy rushing toward the ship with swooshing gusts, frightening them so badly their jaws hung open. The Mount Rong men aboard had experience with this and directly stepped ten feet behind He Lingchuan. The yin fiend energy paid no heed to anyone else, throwing itself at He Lingchuan like moths to a flame, and then— It vanished. It was as if this man were an immense black hole, or a bottomless abyss; the moment the yin fiend energy touched him, it vanished without a trace. The four remaining pirates on the ship were dumbfounded. Min Tianxi pointed at He Lingchuan, so shocked he could barely speak: "Th-this, this...?" *How is this possible!* Pointing at someone like this was exceedingly rude, but He Lingchuan knew his emotions were churning violently, so he didn't bother taking offense. Another pirate said in a trembling voice, "Are you an immortal? Only an immortal can ga-gather yin fiend energy!" They were seasoned pirates who had weathered storms and seen the world; they knew yin fiend energy could not vanish into thin air, but it could be gathered by someone. What He Lingchuan was doing wasn't dispersing the fiend energy at all—he was collecting it! Hearing this, the others thought it made sense. Hadn't Xiang Lian just said that only immortals possessed such methods? How could a mere mortal pull off such a feat! He Lingchuan smiled without a word, projecting an air of profound mystery. A sense of mystery could turn fear into reverence. Making people fear you from the depths of their hearts was not hard, but making them genuinely revere you took far more than mere cleverness. Only Qiu Hu still remembered the two in the water. "Those two who jumped overboard—should we fish them out?" "Fish them out." Soon after, the two clever little devils who had jumped ship were hauled back aboard. Sopping wet, they stared at He Lingchuan, shivering uncontrollably—whether from the cold or sheer terror, none could say. What they had witnessed today had shattered their worldview again and again. As the ship drew closer to Longji Island, the gray mist over the sea grew thicker and more abundant, hurtling toward He Lingchuan with ever-greater resolve. The scene resembled a great whale sucking in water; the gray mist threw itself in from all directions, even forming a massive vortex visible to the naked eye above the vessel. From a distance, it looked as though a tornado had whipped up over the sea, commonly known as a waterspout. And at the very center of the vortex was He Lingchuan, where there was not a speck of gray mist—none at all! He simply sat down to drink wine. Were it not for the swirling gray mist surrounding them, his demeanor would have seemed like nothing more than an outing at sea. To the crowd sheltering at the stern, this "young master" was like a bottomless pit, welcoming any amount of yin fiend energy without turning a single wisp away. As time passed, the spectacle grew ever more awe-inspiring. Until an hour later— Like the men of Mount Rong, the pirates went from initial disbelief to utter bewilderment, and finally to feeling relieved and taking it all in stride. With Young Master He present, the yin fiend energy couldn't touch anyone else, so they had nothing left to fear. In the pirates' minds, there were at least two theories: either Young Master He could absorb the yin fiend energy himself—could his true identity be some manner of demon or specter? Or, the other possibility was that he possessed a treasure capable of drawing in and storing yin fiend energy! If that were the case, what an extraordinary treasure it must be. If an ordinary magic artifact came into contact with yin fiend energy, it would be contaminated just like a human, sustaining damage if exposed for too long. And so, Min Tianxi was completely bewildered. He Lingchuan turned back to ask him, "Have you ever seen the king of the yin hui?" Min Tianxi hastily shook his head. "I've only heard its cries. Besides, we generally don't enter the depths of the archipelago." Although yin fiend energy could not withstand sunlight, the sea was fraught with wind and rain; sometimes, a drifting patch of cloud was enough to block out the sun. When one might encounter yin fiend energy was truly impossible to predict. Therefore, the pirates around here never ventured deep into the archipelago; only merchant ships driven to desperation by pirate pursuit would dare take such a risk. Now, the ship was less than twenty li from Longji Island, and the yin fiend energy along the way had all been absorbed by He Lingchuan. For a local pirate born and bred here like Min Tianxi, opportunities to approach the depths of the archipelago were exceedingly rare. They looked this way and that, charting sailing routes in their minds. He Lingchuan asked them, "If I turned this ship over to you, how quickly could you row it out from the depths of the archipelago?" Min Tianxi glanced at his fluttering sleeves, looked up at the sky, and even tilted his head back to sniff the air several times before answering, "Depending on the conditions, fifteen minutes at fastest, or the burn of an incense stick at slowest, and the wind will shift. When do you want to turn back and leave, Young Master?" He Lingchuan considered it. "Within half an hour." "By then we'll have a following wind, and we can take the West Wind Strait. This ship is quite good; if the five of us coordinate, it will only take half an hour to clear the danger zone, and two hours to reach the outermost perimeter." Min Tianxi gave a very confident answer. "Strange, though... is there still heavy cargo in the hold? There are fewer than twenty of us aboard; the ship ought to move faster than this." He knew very well that he was only safe on this ship if he proved his worth. He Lingchuan gave a slight nod. "Right, there are items stored in the hold. They cannot be thrown overboard." If he said they couldn't be thrown out, then they couldn't. Min Tianxi thought for a moment and added, "Once the sun comes out, the wind will pick up even more." "When will the sun come out?" Min Tianxi did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked up at the sky and conferred briefly with his companions: "Judging by these clouds, half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea at most."