Plans for the Future

Zhu Daniang mused, "The one speaking with you just now was probably the king of the yin hui itself." He Lingchuan and Qiu Hu exchanged a glance. "An avatar?" "Perhaps it has a way to communicate with its offspring in real time, much like how I use eyeball spiders as my ears and eyes." "It seems the king of the yin hui cannot leave the sinkhole at will." Zhu Daniang's earlier deduction was indeed confirmed. He Lingchuan said slowly, "Whatever the reason, it still doesn't want to expose that weakness." The king of the yin hui had dispatched its offspring to convey the message only as a last resort, making it easy for He Lingchuan to read its cards. *** Yellowfish Tavern. Huang Zhao was a tall, bulky man, built completely opposite to Min Tianxi. He had a bulbous, flushed nose, and his eyes were squeezed into narrow slits. He Lingchuan's first meeting with Huang Zhao went surprisingly smoothly. Naturally, this was largely because Min Tianxi had gone ahead to lay the groundwork, communicating thoroughly with Huang Zhao and accurately conveying He Lingchuan's intentions. Put simply, his mission was to persuade him to surrender. He had even brought Lei Ni along. After hearing about He Lingchuan's extraordinary feats, Huang Zhao knew he was dealing with an exceptional figure, so he reined in his wild, outlaw temper. For that alone, He Lingchuan held him in higher regard. His men would not remain rough bandits forever; only those who knew how to push forward, hold back, and change course when needed were the talent the Yangshan Archipelago required. Huang Zhao spoke to him with great courtesy. "Island Master He, I started this no-cost trade because my men needed to eat, and nothing else could keep our bellies full. Since you're a man of such great capability, it's not out of the question for me to work under you. But I have some two hundred men here, plus Old Min's four hundred or so. Every morning when we open our eyes, over six hundred mouths are waiting to be fed. What line of business do you plan to run on these islands?" He Lingchuan smiled. "The supply post is already being expanded. In the future, it will offer food, drink, entertainment, and storage in one seamless service, which will require plenty of hands. The island soil is fertile, and I've designated several islands for land reclamation and farming; tenant farmers have already gone ashore to clear and till the fields. Within the next few days, all the wheat seeds will be sown, and by late spring or early summer next year, there will be a harvest." Influenced by nearby volcanic ash, the soil in the Yangshan Archipelago was relatively fertile and had never been cultivated before. He started by opening up several outer islands for tenant farmers to till. One could not grow fat from a single bite; he chose a steady, measured approach. Besides, even if he recruited tenant farmers for Longji Island, no one would dare sign up. Deep autumn was fast approaching, and if the first crop of winter wheat were not planted now, it would be too late. Fortunately, Ding Zuodong worked with great efficiency. In addition, production supplies like seeds and farm tools were provided by suppliers Lu Qing'an had arranged. Those merchant guilds had countless ties to the Lu family, but because He Lingchuan had deep pockets and Ding Zuodong disbursed payments promptly, they were eager to build good ties with this new island master, helping recruit all sorts of personnel for the Yangshan Archipelago. Over the past two days, He Lingchuan had been meeting and dining with local guild heads without pause, to the point where he felt his waistline thickening. "That's fine," Huang Zhao coughed, "but the supply post business isn't big enough, and farming won't yield anything until next year. As for that..." The Yangshan Archipelago was not far from Blade Harbor, where most ships stopped, resupplied, or transferred cargo. Not to mention, dining, leisure, and lodging were far more developed there. Only a minority would choose the Yangshan Archipelago. That was precisely why business at the supply post had been so bleak for years. "It's merely a matter of pricing, and that can be solved." The best way to drive customer traffic quickly was subsidies. But He Lingchuan had no intention of discussing such details with a band of pirates. "In fact, there is another good business that can be started right now." "Oh?" Both pirate leaders showed interest. He Lingchuan glanced at Lei Ni. "The palm oil processing workshop on Suoding Island was secretly built by your family, wasn't it?" Registrar Yang had looked rather displeased back then. Lei Ni pouted slightly and answered with some reluctance, "Yes. Business at the supply post was slow, so didn't my family have to find another livelihood?" "How long have you been doing it?" "A few years now." "How's the quality?" He Lingchuan was not very familiar with the trade. "First-rate." Lei Ni rested her chin on her hand. "The palm oil I sell is top quality. People come regularly every year to buy it, so I don't even need to market it myself." Min Tianxi chimed in, "That's the truth. Our stronghold uses her family's oil too, and she won't even sell me extra." "How many times a year do the oil palms fruit here?" "Twice a year. Once around the fourth and fifth months, and another harvest in the ninth and tenth months." "Isn't that perfect? The archipelago's palm fruits are about to enter their major ripening season. I inquired with the merchant guilds, and pressed oil fetches a high price." He Lingchuan looked at Lei Ni with a smile. "You already know that, of course, or you wouldn't have been pressing it secretly." Lei Ni rolled her eyes. "You expect to get rich pressing oil from the palms on these few islands? It's barely enough to scrape by." He Lingchuan popped a salted peanut into his mouth. "How many islands do I have? I'll give you a chance to reconsider your answer." "Forty-two... Wait, can they all produce palm oil?" Lei Ni nearly saw gold stars before her eyes—literal gold. "You can really purge the yin fiend energy from all the islands?!" Palm trees were everywhere in the archipelago. But previously, only a few outer islands were safe, and after pirates sprang up, the Bailie people had never bothered to properly manage them. If this new island master could unlock the productive potential of all the islands—forty-two in total, with those long shrouded in yin fiend energy being even larger—then at a conservative estimate, at least fourteen or fifteen were rich in oil palms, yielding two harvests a year... Heavens, how much wealth would that be? She could hardly calculate it. "Barring any surprises, yes." He Lingchuan looked at her, smiling. "By the way, would you like to take charge of it?" "Huh?" Lei Ni was momentarily dazed. Had she heard correctly? Could he mean what she thought he meant? "I just happen to need an oil supervisor. I originally planned to recruit in Blade Harbor, offering generous pay and bonuses based on volume," He Lingchuan said. "Someone to organize laborers and oversee the harvesting and pressing of the palm fruit." "Me! Pick me! I'm right here!" Lei Ni's eyes lit up. "I know how to do it all! I've always handled the palm harvesting and pressing in Uncle Min's territory anyway." Min Tianxi felt instantly embarrassed. "You cheeky girl!" That pirates were involved in the business did not surprise He Lingchuan at all. Who said pirates could only live by pillaging? The river bandits of Longchuan even enjoyed growing waxberries to brew wine. "If you two already collaborated in the past, all the better." He Lingchuan acted as though he had noticed nothing. "From now on, robbery is out of the question. These five hundred men will first go ashore to work, and once the farmhands arrive, you'll have other tasks." With island construction short on manpower, how could he waste over five or six hundred able-bodied laborers? For now, they would all go ashore to haul bricks for him. As for the pressed palm oil, Ding Zuodong was currently contacting merchant guild channels to sell it outside. This commodity was broadly useful: excellent for frying, and primarily used in kneading pastries, making flaky crusts, and the like. Virtually every baked good required it, and it could even be used to make soap. Some sugar palms could even yield syrup. As long as the palm oil from the Yangshan Archipelago met quality standards, sales would hardly be a worry. He Lingchuan then asked Min Tianxi and Huang Zhao, "Besides raiding and selling oil, what else do you smuggle?" The two exchanged a look, and Huang Zhao asked in surprise, "What makes you say that?" He Lingchuan smiled. "Every bandit I've ever known smuggles." Whether it was the sand bandits of Red Cliff Road or the water bandits of Longchuan, smuggling was one of the quickest ways to make money. They were already breaking the law anyway, so adding another charge hardly mattered. "Besides, I noticed you have an unusually large number of large ships." For simple piracy, raiding vessels should consist mostly of swift boats—fast, nimble, and suited for chasing prey, moving across the sea like the wind. Huang Zhao felt a slight chill. They were outsiders—where had they gotten this information? Min Tianxi scratched the back of his head and said in admiration, "The young master is truly observant to have noticed even that. We transport armor and weapons from southeastern Mou Kingdom out to sea to sell to the eastern states, and on the return trip, we carry grain, spices, and medicinal herbs back. Sometimes, we haul the goods directly to the ghost market on Platinum Island, where they fetch a good price as well." He Lingchuan was surprised. "Mou Kingdom is at war, yet they're exporting these things?" "By rights, they shouldn't. But some manufacturing officials there are willing to sell defective goods, and sometimes even a few magic artifacts..." Min Tianxi coughed softly. "A willing buyer and a willing seller, you know." Defective goods? The corner of He Lingchuan's mouth twitched slightly; he understood. "How is the quality?" "Good, very good," Min Tianxi smiled. "When shipped east, demand always exceeds supply." "How long have you been doing it?" "Just... seven or eight years." He Lingchuan was left speechless. Min and Huang both hastily added, "The source of goods there isn't stable either, and it's getting harder and harder to come by. That business won't last much longer, and we've already stopped." Now that their new master knew about their side operations, continuing them would be improper. After a moment's thought, however, He Lingchuan said, "No, we do indeed need armaments. Find a way to secure more. The quality must pass muster—I don't want genuine defects." To do good work, one had to sharpen one's tools first. He intended to build his own forces and core retinue; how could he do so without weapons and armor? The two paused, then quickly agreed. Throughout their conversation, Qiu Hu stood nearby keeping watch. Lei Ni glanced at him from time to time. He Lingchuan turned back to Huang Zhao. "Who can speak to the master of the Third Channel? Run an errand for me." Huang Zhao immediately pointed at Min Tianxi. "We of the First Channel have had our share of brawls with the Third Channel. I have nothing to say to that man surnamed Yue! Old Min can do it; the Third Channel master will still grant him some face." He Lingchuan looked toward Min Tianxi, who nodded. "Young Master He wishes to arrange a meeting with him as well?" "Of course." Min Tianxi glanced at Huang Zhao. "Very well, I'll give it a try." After chatting a while longer, they left the Yellowfish Tavern. Huang Zhao departed first. The remaining three had not walked more than a hundred paces when Min Tianxi murmured, "We were being watched back in the tavern. It's Third Channel men." He Lingchuan had already noticed. "With all of us gathering together, Yue Pinghe is bound to get suspicious." Yue Pinghe was the pirate chief of the Third Channel. Lei Ni snorted. "That wretch is no good sort." Min Tianxi agreed. "He's two-faced and treacherous. You'll need to keep your guard up when negotiating with him." He Lingchuan smiled. "Is that so?" To the three of them, that smile looked pregnant with meaning.