Conspiracy

Old Yu trembled like a leaf and tried to bolt outside, but Ye Qing grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back. "Our leader is right on Suoding Island. If you're thinking of silencing us to cover your tracks, don't blame us for showing no mercy." If these men reported them, the Moqi uncle and nephew's operation would be dead in the water. Moqi Feng waved a hand to signal his men to stand down, then stepped outside to look around. Once certain they hadn't attracted any unwanted attention, he came back inside and asked, "Who on earth are you people?" Ye Qing swiftly produced an official token and flashed it at them. "Beijia. The Black Tiger Army." The Bailong men's expressions all shifted. The faint luminescence on the token proved it was no forgery. These fellows sneaking onto the island were actually Beijia soldiers? The Bailong had no fondness for Beijia. Moqi Song could not help demanding, "What are you doing here?" Ye Qing made a deliberate, slow movement, drawing a wanted poster from his robes and offering it across. "This is our target." The Moqi uncle and nephew unfurled the yellow scroll and looked at it. "Zhu Erniang?" "Have you seen this massive beast?" Both shook their heads. "She is a high-profile criminal wanted by Lingxu City, and we are under orders to bring her to justice! But He Xiao, the master of the Yangshan Archipelago, has done everything in his power to harbor her, refusing to hand over this spider demon!" Moqi Feng pondered for a moment. "Speaking of which, one of my men, A'ji, once went ashore on an island aboard a transport vessel. Supposedly, it's inside the archipelago's restricted zone, where only a select few authorized ships are permitted to approach. The moment you set foot on the island, cobwebs are everywhere!" Ye Qing pressed immediately, "What else did he see?" Moqi Feng shook his head. "They didn't see a single living soul on the island, only several large warehouses on the shore. The captain instructed them to load cargo from the warehouses onto the ship and leave immediately, warning them on no account to approach the jungle, or they'd be answering for their own lives. "The woods behind the warehouses were shrouded in thick spiderwebs, and there seemed to be silhouettes of spiders moving about, though he couldn't see clearly. One laborer accidentally knocked over a crate, and inside was white silk." "That wasn't silk, but burrow spider silk! The Yangshan Archipelago is collaborating with the Burrow Spider Queen, selling the nest's harvest to the outside world," Ye Qing said in a grave voice. "Our Captain Yu wishes to collaborate with the Bailong people. Each gets what they need!" "Captain Yu?" Moqi Feng questioned him. "Why didn't this Yu fellow come to see us himself?" That seemed less than reliable. "Island Master He is hosting a banquet in his honor tonight, so Master Yu cannot pull himself away." Yu Zecheng was being entertained at an island feast, while the Moqi uncle and nephew were left here chewing on packets of rice. The disparity in status was instantly apparent. Moqi Song sought confirmation once more: "We seize the islands, and you only want this spider demon?" Ye Qing chuckled faintly. "Beijia is endowed with boundless treasures and rich lands. We have no interest whatsoever in the Yangshan Archipelago, nor do we have any interest in you!" His tone was dripping with disdain, but neither Moqi Song nor his nephew took offense. "How many men did you bring?" "Seven or eight right now. Give it two more days, and we'll have a dozen." Moqi Song knitted his brows, echoing Lu Zhensheng's exact words: "So few?" "The only great demon by Island Master He's side is this single creature. We'll handle keeping it tied down; you just deal with the rest," Ye Qing relayed Yu Zecheng's words. "According to our scouting, Island Master He doesn't have many elites under his command. All you need to do is cut them down without delay." Had anyone else presumed to instruct Moqi Song on tactics, he would have delivered a ringing slap across their face. Coming from a Beijia operative, however, he felt little anger. He merely grabbed his nephew and stepped aside, murmuring, "Just when we're nodding off, someone delivers a pillow. With Beijia warriors in the fray, our chances of victory are that much better." Moqi Feng shook his head. "They have too few men. If they could handle it alone, they wouldn't need us." "He's mostly commanding a rabble. Pin down the great demon, kill off the elites, and the rest aren't worth worrying about," Moqi Song said. "Beijia's credibility has always been sound. Let's do it!" Was Beijia's credit truly sound? Moqi Feng reflected on it. There certainly seemed to be many tales and examples to that effect—such as Beijia folk never failing to repay a debt, return a favor, or avenge a grudge, all recounted in vivid detail. Furthermore, Beijia was unlikely to covet the territory of the Yangshan Archipelago, making them far more trustworthy on that front than Bailie. Though small in number, this band had a clear objective—they were here strictly for the great demon—and surely possessed the methods to handle it. The Bailong people may have disliked Beijia, having had little prior contact with them, but the might of the northern demon kingdom was beyond question. That Burrow Spider Queen was likely Island Master He's strongest fighting asset; with Beijia taking charge of dealing with it, their own confidence in taking down Island Master He grew all the greater. Heaven helps those who help themselves. The Bailong tribe had suffered a long streak of wretched luck—was fortune finally turning in their favor? At this point, Moqi Song had already walked back to Ye Qing and asked, "Are you truly confident you can take down that spider demon?" "We can. Its weaknesses are glaring." Hearing the yielding tone in Moqi Song's voice, Ye Qing knew the fish had bitten. "Since we came for it, we can bring it back." He enunciated each word: "Those whom Beijia wants dead must die." The Moqi uncle and nephew exchanged a glance, reading the underlying warning in his words. "Besides, when the Emperor's Flowing Dew falls in a few days, the entire archipelago will be thrown into chaos, and He will have his hands full just keeping order. That's our prime window to strike. We originally had no quarrel with He Xiao; he was simply too stubborn and blind to see reason. Once this operation concludes, we will take only the spider demon. Whatever transpires between you and He Xiao is none of our concern." This was to put the Moqi uncle and nephew's minds at ease. "The spider demon will most likely stay on Pansi Island, meaning there will be even less resistance when we capture He Xiao," he added with a smile. "Even if it does show up, we will handle it. You have nothing to fear." Moqi Feng knew his uncle's mind was made up, so he turned to Old Yu instead. "Are the support vessels ready?" "All ready. More than twenty vessels in total, each capable of carrying fifty men when fully loaded. On the day of the operation, they will pick you up from the abandoned pier at the western tip of Heiye Island," Old Yu replied, nodding repeatedly. "Succeed or fail, we'll await word from you on the southwestern beach of Suoding Island." "What about the gear we requested?" Most of the Bailong men had joined the guard force and held the right to carry sidearms. However, some tribesmen's weapons had been damaged or destroyed while fleeing the Ya Kingdom and had never been replaced. Since Bailie had deep pockets, it naturally had to cover these expenses. "Two hundred sets of sabers and hatchets, three hundred sets of light bucklers, thirty sets of flying cables and sleeve arrows, along with golden wound salve, explosives, and fiery talismans—all prepared." Old Yu glanced at Ye Qing. "The fine masters from Beijia will carry them onto Suoding Island and deliver them to the southwestern beach." Ye Qing and his men possessed storage rings with substantial capacity, which was the only way to transport so many weapons unnoticed. Once the group had agreed upon their signals and meeting arrangements, Old Yu and Ye Qing departed. With too many eyes and ears around, they couldn't afford to linger. "Then let's get ready!" Moqi Song said in high spirits. "Come, let's eat first. In a few days, I'll be drinking the finest wine on Suoding Island." On the trunk of a palm tree behind the quarters, concealed in the moonlit shadow, perched a tiny spider, its glossy black eyes fixed on the window of the Moqi uncle and nephew. Even if an ordinary laborer passed by and looked in through the window, they would only see a few blurry silhouettes, as if looking through frosted glass, because the Bailong men had inscribed an anti-scrying formation inside the room. But such rudimentary measures were hardly enough to fool Erniang's eyes. *** The tide was rising tonight, and the crescent moon hung like a hook. Min Tianxi went ashore on Centipede Island to report to his leader, only to find the residence empty. After wandering through a good half of the estate, he finally found He Lingchuan at the bay behind the new manor. A solitary reef jutted out from the shore into the ocean. He Lingchuan sat alone at the edge of the reef, angling, as if perched in the very middle of the sea. All around stretched countless leagues of azure waves, vast and solitary, with only the sea breeze and crashing swells for company. Min Tianxi tiptoed closer, just in time to see He Lingchuan give his rod a sharp tug, hauling a red fish over half a foot long out of the shimmering sea. "Creel." Min Tianxi quickly squatted down, lifted the fish creel dangling in the water, and opened the lid, letting He Lingchuan unhook the unfortunate sea robin and toss it inside. He glanced down and saw four or five fish of varying sizes already in the creel, splashing and thrashing vigorously out of water. "Quite a bountiful catch, my lord." "I've been angling since sundown, and this is all I've managed." He Lingchuan reeled in leisurely and baited his hook. "Just earlier, some fishermen out on the water told me tonight's catch was unusually heavy. Looks like the weather might very well turn in two or three days." He was simply stealing half a day of leisure from his bustling life, heading to the seashore to clear his mind and enjoy the simple joys of an angler. "Judging by the sunset glow, tomorrow should still be fine weather," said Min Tianxi, who was also a man who had made his living on the sea for years. He Lingchuan handed him the creel. "It's yours." Min Tianxi was flattered. "Thank you, my lord! When I get back, I'll have my woman braise one and slice another raw!" The fish itself was nothing special—who couldn't afford fish around here? What mattered was his lord's favor. "Which one is best raw?" Min Tianxi immediately scooped one out. "This amberjack is best sliced raw! Every household has its own house sauce, and paired with lemongrass and shredded scallions, it's absolutely exquisite." "Alright," He Lingchuan smiled. "Next time, I'll eat at your place." Min Tianxi nodded eagerly. "Wonderful, wonderful! I'll be sure to lay out a proper spread so my lord eats to his heart's content!" "Have a seat." With a soft plop, He Lingchuan cast his line once more. "What news have you gathered?" Since his lord was fishing, Min Tianxi lowered his voice. "The people around Moqi Song are all very wary and difficult to approach, but while sharing drinks with a few other Bailong men, we still managed to pry out a bit of information." Min Tianxi's guards were originally all pirates, skilled at blending in and mingling with anyone. Furthermore, with over six hundred mouths under him, Moqi Song couldn't possibly gag them all; someone was bound to get loose-tongued after a few drinks. "Putting everything together, Moqi Song had a falling-out with the chieftain's son, Moqi Tong, made a huge scene, and only then took his nephew Moqi Feng and left." "How old is the nephew?" "Twenty-four. His parents died when he was ten, and Moqi Song took over raising him, but growing up in the tribe, he was as close as brothers with Moqi Tong." Min Tianxi continued, "Moqi Song's own men suffered heavy losses while fending off the Ya pursuers. Most of the six hundred men who came onto the island were brought up and trained by Moqi Feng himself." He Lingchuan's eyes glinted. "How is the relationship between the uncle and nephew?" "Moqi Feng respects his uncle greatly, but the Bailong people have quite a few complaints about Moqi Song." Min Tianxi gently dipped the creel back into the water. "Their band originally numbered over a thousand. When facing the Ya pursuers, Moqi Feng intended to avoid their main force, but Moqi Song dug in his heels, resulting in the loss of three hundred men. Throughout their grueling flight, Moqi Feng did everything he could to manage provisions and rations for men and mounts, while Moqi Song cared only about getting dead drunk."