The Meeting

Don't lose your temper, he told himself. Don't lose your temper. If these bounty hunters really could wipe out that spider demon, the Bailong people would stand a far better chance against He Lingchuan. Only after Ye Qing and his companion departed did Lu Zhensheng exhale a long breath and say to his subordinate officials, "Don't mention a word of this to Qing'an. He already has enough headaches dealing with the war on the eastern front." "Understood." *** Two days later, on Heiye Island. Moqi Song stepped off the boat and walked toward the camp. Up ahead, he heard a clamor of voices and what sounded like the clang-clang-clang of a gong. The notice board outside the warehouse was surrounded three layers deep, inside and out. Someone seemed to be giving an announcement, and the crowd craned their necks to listen. Moqi Song could not be bothered to join the commotion and headed straight back to his quarters. Before long, his nephew arrived, bringing him a packet of dinner. It was a "packet" because the mess hall's communal meal tonight was bamboo-shoot-and-dried-fish seasoned rice, wrapped up neatly in bamboo leaves. Much like a zongzi, when the leaves were torn open on a chilly night, the rich aroma of the seasoned rice wafted up in a puff of steam. Inside was even tucked a generous slab of braised pork, seven parts lean and three parts fat. Men doing heavy physical labor needed plenty of grease, meat, and hearty grain to keep their strength up. Yet Moqi Song casually tossed it onto the table upon taking it, having no appetite for it. "What's going on by the warehouse?" "Word came down from above that the Emperor's Flowing Dew might fall in the coming days. For anyone hoping to use the dew for medicine, the camp apothecary has already prepared the ingredients in advance, available for purchase by the portion." Moqi Song was startled. "They know the Emperor's Flowing Dew is coming?" "Judging by how big of a deal they're making out of it, the Yangshan Archipelago must be fairly certain. Otherwise, they'd make laughingstocks of themselves in a few days." "In a few days?" Moqi Song's eyes brightened slightly. He cast a sound-dampening barrier before speaking. "What an opportunity. Once the Emperor's Flowing Dew descends, the archipelago's defenses are bound to grow lax and chaotic." "The archipelago is vast and travel is difficult. Do you even know where Island Master He will be when the Emperor's Flowing Dew arrives?" Moqi Feng offered a wry smile. "We haven't even found out which island he normally stays on." "Suoding Island, of course," Moqi Song said without hesitation. "Old Yu told us that his prized shipping route is his top priority. On the night of the Emperor's Flowing Dew, he'll surely be on Suoding Island guarding it to keep chaos from breaking out." In truth, Moqi Feng thought the same. "Over the past couple of days, we questioned some of the former pirates of the Yangshan Archipelago," Moqi Feng cleared his throat and continued. "Originally, only the outer islands were navigable. Any deeper in, and fiend energy ran rampant. It was Island Master He who found a way to absorb all the yin fiend energy surging from the leylines, which made developing the current fourteen islands possible." Moqi Song gave an "Oh?" "Did they see it with their own eyes?" "They did. They said that as soon as the fiend energy drew near Island Master He, he sucked it all in, not letting a speck touch anyone else." Moqi Song gave a dry chuckle. "Don't you know they're talking rubbish? Yin fiend energy is the bane of living creatures; living beings flee from it. Island Master He has the ability to absorb all the yin fiend energy in the entire archipelago?" "That's not something humanly possible!" He spat. "What does that tell you? It means Island Master He carries a treasure—an extraordinary treasure! If we seize it, we can absorb the fiend energy just the same. With that treasure, the fiend energy across these waters will be our natural barrier. If anyone dares come to conquer us, we can unleash the fiend energy and drive them off!" Put that way by his uncle, it actually sounded reasonable. Moqi Feng smiled wryly. "The second thing: the pirates under Min Tianxi swear up and down that when they hunted down Yue Pinghe, the Third Channel pirate chief, Island Master He summoned yin hui to aid him in battle." "How did they aid him?" "At that time, Yue Pinghe had already taken to the sea in a boat, and they were on the verge of losing him. Island Master He played a flute, and the yin hui arrived at the sound, capsizing both of the Third Channel pirates' vessels and dragging them back to the dock," Moqi Feng said. "A-Bo drank with two pirates, and both swore they were standing on the beach and saw it with their own eyes. There's no mistaking it." Moqi Song's brows drew together. "Are you saying we shouldn't fight?" "Uncle, this Island Master He likely has a few trump cards up his sleeve. Maybe we should pick another spot. Farther east, there are plenty of sea territories..." Moqi Song slammed his hand on the table with a loud smack. "Within a hundred li, this is the most suitable place! I've been asking around these past few days as well. That man surnamed He only has a dozen or so capable fighters around him, plus reportedly one big monster. The rest are nothing but useless rabble. As for some supposed monster army, there isn't a shadow of one! So what if those few subordinates of his are fierce? When we launch a surprise attack, six hundred against a dozen—we'll crush them by sheer numbers! And when the Emperor's Flowing Dew arrives in a few days, it will be the perfect chance!" He let out a cold laugh. "If you don't want to fight, go back ashore by yourself!" Moqi Feng swallowed his frustration. "Surrounded by water on all sides, if our operation fails or leaks, even fleeing will be difficult. Does the Lu family have reinforcements or a rendezvous arranged for us?" Shouldn't an escape route be planned before launching an attack? Moqi Song's eyes flickered. "I'll contact the Lu family and have them prepare support at sea." Seeing the reluctance on Moqi Feng's face, he clapped his nephew on the shoulder. "As long as we strike fast enough, Island Master He won't even have time to summon the yin hui. Besides, those creatures are only formidable in the water; once on land, their prowess is greatly reduced. Now tell me, what is there to fear from Island Master He?" Moqi Feng fell silent. Judging by the intelligence they had gathered, the Yangshan Archipelago's actual strength was indeed limited—too few elite warriors and far too much rabble. Having fought on battlefields for years, they knew well that a rabble could only fight when the wind was at their back; they were utterly incapable of withstanding an ambush. Striking on the night of the Emperor's Flowing Dew, picking off the few elites—the rest would pose no threat. The strategy seemed sound, yet his spiritual intuition repeatedly warned him that it was still far too risky. Yet he had no evidence to dissuade his uncle. Just then, a subordinate came to report: "Old Yu is here. He brought two extra people this time." Old Yu was the liaison sent by Lu Zhensheng. Two extra people? Uncle and nephew exchanged a glance. "Send them in." Old Yu was gaunt and dark-skinned, clearly a local of Suoding Island who made his living by fishing and farming. The other two men, however, had sharp, piercing eyes and solid, rooted stances. With their military backgrounds, the Moqi uncle and nephew could tell at a glance that these two were veteran soldiers who had walked off a battlefield. The Bailong men rested their hands on their weapons, their eyes glinting with menace. Old Yu quickly chuckled nervously. "What's all this? We're all friends here, all friends! Let's not harm our harmony!" Friends with whom? Moqi Song eyed him askance. "Where did these two come from? What did you tell them?" "These are friends introduced by our lord to work alongside you." Moqi Song grabbed him by the collar, squeezing words through gritted teeth: "They know everything?" That bastard surnamed Lu was too damn unreliable—broadcasting their plan to seize the islands all over the place and foisting people on them out of nowhere! "We know," Ye Qing stepped forward and said in a deep voice. "Our goals align. We can work together." Moqi Song replied bluntly, "Not interested." He cast a glance, and the Bailong men surged forward, poised to hack the three into mincemeat.