The Heavens Cooperate

He Lingchuan patted down his robes and stood up. "I've had my fill of fishing. Time for you to head back too." Killing this white bird was not only to sever Yu Zecheng's eye in the sky, but also to deliver a stern warning right off the bat. Spying on the landlord on the Yangshan Archipelago—tch, how utterly uncivilized! After Min Tianxi left, the mirror asked He Lingchuan, "Isn't slaying that white bird just startling the snake?" "That's precisely the effect I want. It's a warning to Yu Zecheng." He Lingchuan stretched lazily. "Just killing one white bird won't scare off the Beijia." This blatant contempt and provocation was meant to force Yu Zecheng to make up his mind and strike as soon as possible. If he had let the white bird go, it would have reeked of weakness, and Yu Zecheng might have tried other conciliatory tactics. Better not waste everyone's time. The next day, Registrar Yang of Bailie traveled to Blade Harbor on business and stopped by the Maritime Trade Office to pay his respects to Superintendent Wu; the two shared a personal friendship. Superintendent Wu happened to hurry back just then. Seeing him, Wu managed a smile. "You've come at the right time. Saves me sending an official dispatch to Bailie." "What is it?" Registrar Yang could not help feeling that his smile looked a bit forced. Little did he know, whenever Superintendent Wu laid eyes on Bailie officials nowadays, he was reminded of the Baoji and two other fine ships overturned and sunk by the yin hui, and a knot of frustration tightened in his chest. If the Lu family hadn't insisted on enlisting him to make trouble for Island Master He, repeatedly assuring him that this green youth was "merely" an easy-to-handle outsider with zero local influence, how could he have suffered such a catastrophic loss? "Merely"? Heh. The vessels were wrecked, and the losses all fell on his own shoulders. Had Bailie chipped in a single copper coin to share the burden? Of course, with Superintendent Wu's shrewdness, these bitter grievances remained buried deep in his heart; even Assistant Commissioner Zhao never heard a single word of them. "Our office just used the Turbid Motion Gauge to take a reading. A hurricane will strike within thirty shichen at the latest." The Turbid Motion Gauge was a specialized magic artifact belonging to the Maritime Trade Office, capable of detecting natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. "Oh, a hurricane is coming." Registrar Yang thought to himself, *That's hardly good news. What are you smiling so happily for?* Aloud, he asked, "How could a hurricane arrive without any warning? It rained the past few days, yet today the sun is blazing bright." "You're not from the coast, so you wouldn't know," Superintendent Wu chuckled. "Before a hurricane hits, sometimes the winds and rain rage well in advance, while other times it's just like today—clear skies for ten thousand li! The Turbid Motion Gauge has never been wrong. In another dozen or so shichen, it'll become clear." Registrar Yang nodded repeatedly. "This is a major matter. In that case, I must report back to Bailie. Let's have a meal another day." Bailie was very close to Blade Harbor, never escaping the brunt of any hurricane. Once the Maritime Trade Office detected severe weather, Bailie had to make early preparations as well. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the original purpose of his visit. "By the way, what about the Yangshan Archipelago?" He had spent the past few days in Bailie and was still unaware of what had unfolded at Blade Harbor. Reluctant to bring up his humiliating defeat, Superintendent Wu merely said vaguely, "That man He has a few tricks up his sleeve. He isn't easy to deal with." Registrar Yang was startled. "What do you mean?" From those words, could Superintendent Wu have been handled by him? Superintendent Wu smiled. "You should head back now. This hurricane will pack terrifying power." Registrar Yang knew something was amiss, gave an acknowledgment, and hurried out of the Maritime Trade Office. Superintendent Wu stretched his arms, feeling considerably lighter at heart. The harvest across his family's hundred qing of mountain forests and hundred mu of paddy fields had long since concluded, and most of the produce had already been sold off. But the Yangshan Archipelago was an entirely different story. From what he knew, their farming was far from finished, and a great pile of buildings was still under construction. Once the hurricane swept through, it would tear through everything like dry twigs. He Lingchuan and his outsiders had never lived by the sea before, so they were utterly oblivious to the true might of a hurricane. Besides, scrambling to put up defenses now would be far too late. The Yangshan Archipelago was so vast; Longji Island alone was as large as several Blade Harbors combined! Spreading himself so thin, did that bastard He really think he could keep all his properties safe? Heh. Keep dreaming. Last time, when the Beijia approached him to move against He Lingchuan, he had weighed the pros and cons and declined, but that did not mean he had abandoned his desire for vengeance. This time, Heaven itself was playing along! Let the ferocious hurricane teach those blind, arrogant fools a lesson! At this thought, Superintendent Wu felt a great surge of vindication. Just then, however, Assistant Commissioner Zhao handed him a silver-gray letter sealed with silver wax. One look told Superintendent Wu it was from Noble Consort Yu. A faint chill ran through him; he dismissed his attendants before breaking the seal to read it. Sure enough, even though his previous missive sent to Qingdu had not breathed a single word about He Lingchuan's connection to the yin hui, Noble Consort Yu had found out anyway. Clearly, she possessed other eyes and ears in the harbor. She was furious over the sinking of the *Qingyu*, dragged under by the yin hui, and ordered Superintendent Wu to severely punish the Yangshan Archipelago. Superintendent Wu was ten thousand times unwilling. He sorely wanted to teach He Lingchuan a lesson, but He Lingchuan had already proved he was no soft persimmon to be squashed at will. Superintendent Wu was not the kind of fool who, knowing the opponent was covered in spikes, kept swatting at them only to end up bloodied every single time without ever learning his lesson. One small defeat had been enough for him to gauge his opponent's measure. Besides, Beijia and Bailie seemed far more anxious. Better to leave the opportunity to them. Still, Superintendent Wu knew Noble Consort Yu's temper. If he bluntly told her that He Lingchuan was dangerous and that the yin hui in the sea were not to be trifled with, she would only chew him out and order him to find a way this instant, right away, immediately. "How hard can it be to kill a man?" He could practically hear the imperious disdain in Noble Consort Yu's voice. Having been promoted single-handedly by Noble Consort Yu, he could not openly defy her wishes. He could only take up his brush and write that a hurricane was imminent, which would inflict devastating damage upon the Yangshan Archipelago; furthermore, Bailie regretted selling the islands and, under his subtle instigation, was currently scheming to bring down He Lingchuan. Their side needed only to watch and wait for events to unfold, at which point they might collect their dues with interest, especially since the yin hui truly posed a threat to Blade Harbor, and so forth. He sealed the letter with red wax and handed it to Assistant Commissioner Zhao to dispatch. The latter acknowledged the command, then asked cautiously, "My Lord, moving forward, how should we handle the Yangshan Archipelago...?" "Hold our forces and let Bailie make their move first," Superintendent Wu replied in a deep voice. "Do not interfere with normal trade between Blade Harbor and the Yangshan Archipelago." "Ah?" Assistant Commissioner Zhao was caught by surprise. Had Noble Consort Yu's letter implied that? "Understood." Having served at Superintendent Wu's side for years, he understood his master's reasoning to some extent. The yin hui under He Lingchuan were ruthless predators, and Blade Harbor made its living from the sea. If the other side used the yin hui to retaliate and launched massive strikes on the shipping lanes, Blade Harbor's maritime traffic would plummet off a cliff. There was no need for Blade Harbor to fight tooth and nail to the death against that man He. Superintendent Wu harbored yet another inner thought, one he shared with no one: Losing a single tribute ship was, in the grand scheme of things, a trivial matter to Noble Consort Yu. She managed ten thousand affairs each day; her reprimand was likely just a passing whim. So long as Superintendent Wu dragged his feet, she would most probably forget all about it, and the matter would blow over. The supreme secret to all worldly matters lay in the single word: stall. In public office or private affairs, this was the ultimate trick to turn big troubles into small ones, and small troubles into nothing at all. The Maritime Trade Office was responsible for safeguarding the port against disasters. While he was drafting his letter to Noble Consort Yu, the hurricane warning was rapidly circulated as well. Weathering hurricanes was nothing new to coastal dwellers; a comprehensive defense protocol had long been established. The Maritime Trade Office posted notices across public areas like docks, markets, and outside government offices, then dispatched personnel to beat gongs and shout warnings through every street and alley, alerting merchants and commoners alike. The entire harbor burst into frantic activity. Ships rushed to unload their cargo before retreating into docks to ride out the storm; residences, shops, government offices, and all sorts of public facilities were reinforced, most commonly by nailing wooden boards over doors and windows. Fortunately, late autumn was approaching, and trees near houses had already shed their leaves; otherwise, they would have had to be sawn down. Low-lying buildings were barricaded with sandbags to prevent torrential rains from flooding them. Securing granaries was the highest priority in disaster prevention, requiring specialized windbreak and water-repelling formations. Back in Beijia, especially in Lingxu City, such formations would be laid out everywhere against windstorms or torrential rains, as if powering them cost nothing at all. In Blade Harbor, however, only the most vital supplies and structures enjoyed such luxury. A constraint of treasury funds, after all. In truth, experienced merchants and cargo owners stocked up on talismans and formation implements every year to prepare for unforeseen weather. The shops selling these supplies in Blade Harbor saw business explode the moment the Maritime Trade Office announced the coming hurricane. The common folk were equally busy. With a hurricane looming, everyone had to make preparations at home—stocking firewood, fresh water, food, and other essentials, while reinforcing their doors and windows. The news of the approaching hurricane soon reached the Yangshan Archipelago as well. He Lingchuan promptly gathered his people for a brief council to assign tasks for hurricane defenses. Although Blade Harbor forecasted landfall within thirty shichen, hurricanes were notoriously fickle—sometimes veering off in great arcs, sometimes charging straight ahead. At fastest, it might make landfall in just thirteen to fifteen shichen. He Lingchuan's territory was substantial, and all storm precautions across the islands needed inspection and reinforcement; time was running tight. Ding Zuodong, Guan Ke, Lei Ni, and the others took their orders and departed, while He Lingchuan turned to Qiu Hu and the men of Mount Rong. "The good show is about to begin." Wang Fubao asked foolishly, "What good show?" *Smack!* Lü Qiuwei rapped him on the back of the head. "We're going to fight!" "Oh?" Wang Fubao rubbed his skull. "Great, great, great!" Such a prime moment of timing was practically egging his rivals on to strike. He Lingchuan sighed inwardly. To think a hurricane would join the fray at a time like this; the Heavens truly loved to play tricks. Did they think he had too few troubles on his hands? Dong Rui strolled over at a leisurely pace and whispered, "Bad news: Yu Zecheng has made contact with the Bailong." He Lingchuan felt a jolt. "You confirmed it?" "Yep," Dong Rui chuckled. "Didn't you want to keep an eye on Yu Zecheng? His lackey—the one with the handlebar mustache—took a boat back to Blade Harbor this morning. I happened to be on the very same vessel." The people Yu Zecheng brought along certainly numbered more than two, with additional helpers hiding in the shadows, but this crew was bound to maintain communications. Furthermore, the distance between the Yangshan Archipelago and the mainland was simply too vast, far beyond the reach of ordinary instant-communication divine abilities.