According to He Lingchuan's assessment, Yu Zecheng and his companions would most likely not meet on Suoding Island. That was He Lingchuan's territory, where surveillance was easiest.
So Dong Rui had followed Yu Zecheng's attendant onto a boat.
"He wandered through the market for a long time and even bought a few things, looking not the least bit hurried."
"Did he spot you?"
Dong Rui shrugged. "I'm not sure."
"The people Yu Zecheng brought have formidable cultivation. Zhu Erniang sent her little spiders to tail them before and never succeeded." He Lingchuan mused, "You probably didn't slip past him, yet he didn't try to shake you off either. Quite confident, isn't he?"
Dong Rui gave an indignant snort. "Then he went to the Yellowfish Tavern. Packed as usual."
"If it weren't crowded, he wouldn't have gone."
"He ordered a bowl of noodles, and I ordered one too. But after eating and eating, I didn't see him talk to a single soul." Dong Rui sighed. "Right then, Zhu Erniang suddenly alerted me through an eyeball spider that a familiar face was sitting by the window."
How many Beijia people could Zhu Erniang recognize? "One who pursued her in eastern Mou Kingdom?"
"No, the person by the window visited the Moqi uncle and nephew on Heiye Island a few days ago. Didn't you place an eyeball spider outside their door? It caught everything on watch."
A person who had visited the Moqi uncle and nephew had shown up in the same tavern as Yu Zecheng's attendant?
"Could Mustache see him from where he was sitting?"
"Yeah, sitting sideways to him." Dong Rui chuckled. "Only then did I notice the fellow tapping the table with his index finger—tapping in a distinct rhythm."
"A coded message." Mustache didn't even need to speak directly with his contact. No wonder he didn't care about Dong Rui tailing him.
Fortunately, Zhu Erniang's abilities were truly heaven-defying.
"Mustache finished his noodles and caught a boat back. I took the same ferry again."
"What about the guy who was tapping the message to him?"
"I didn't tail him, or Mustache would've known I'd discovered his secret," Dong Rui said with a grin. "Instead, I sent my little darling to follow him all the way to Banrong Inn in Blade Harbor. They stayed in a room by the window, but my demon puppet sensed danger inside and didn't dare get close."
"How many people were there?"
"It only spotted three or four, though I doubt that's all of them. The other side seemed to sense something was amiss, and a shichen later, they vanished."
Dong Rui's scout had lost them too.
"No matter. Zhu Erniang's little scouts have lost them many times as well. These Beijia folk have ways of concealing their movements; digging into their background won't be easy." He Lingchuan clapped him on the shoulder. "Still, identifying this contact is a major breakthrough in itself!"
Just as Dong Rui had said, Yu Zecheng's men had linked up with the Bailong people.
The two sides previously had nothing to do with each other. What reason could they have for a secret, closed-door talk? He Lingchuan could guess it without even thinking.
"We only just discovered the Bailong harbor ill intent. How could Yu Zecheng and these newcomers know it inside and out as well?" He Lingchuan's eyes shifted slightly. "It seems someone played matchmaker for them."
Dong Rui asked, "You mean..."
"If not Qing Kingdom, then Bailie." With Beijia meddling, the situation had grown murky and convoluted.
He Lingchuan drew a deep breath.
This would be his first clash with Beijia since crossing the sea and establishing his own foothold.
In this battle, he not only had to win, but win brilliantly.
And not just brilliantly—he had to strike the exact right balance.
Going too far wouldn't do either.
Gauging that balance would be tricky.
...
In the camp on Heiye Island, the rapid clang of gongs rang out once more—*clang, clang, clang, clang!* This time, announcing the impending arrival of a hurricane.
Hearing that it was still thirty shichen away, Moqi Song clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "If the hurricane hits alongside the Emperor's Flowing Dew, heaven is on our side!"
Two major celestial phenomena converging would unleash chaos upon chaos on the mortal realm.
The more chaotic Suoding Island became, the better for them to fish in troubled waters.
He hadn't been this happy in a long time, but Moqi Feng hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something.
Two shichen later, Ye Qing came ashore to make contact.
Moqi Feng frowned as he looked at him. "You're coming here too frequently. Be careful not to draw unnecessary attention."
"We've been mingling with the laborers the entire time, far from Master Yu, and we've never met Island Master He. The Yangshan Archipelago won't spot us." Ye Qing asked Moqi Song, "You heard the news about the hurricane, didn't you? Master Yu suggests striking then, whether the Emperor's Flowing Dew arrives or not."
The Emperor's Flowing Dew was due any day now, but no one knew if it would coincide with the hurricane.
Moqi Song nodded. "My thoughts exactly."
"Then let us discuss strategy," Ye Qing said. "Bailie's vessels have already been dispatched. On the day the hurricane arrives, the Golden Route will be at its busiest, and countless ships will dock at Suoding Island to seek shelter. With your dozens of ships mingling along the route and within the fleet, you won't attract the yin hui's attention."
That hurdle was easily cleared.
"Once you're on the island, where do you plan to hide?"
"Assign two hundred men to help unload cargo at the docks." Moqi Feng dipped a finger in water and drew a rough map of Suoding Island on the ground. "The hurricane will inevitably throw the docks into utter chaos. No one will notice two hundred extra hands, and the authorities will only want as much manpower as possible. When we make our move, we'll use them to seize control of the dock area."
"Where will you strike at He Xiao?"
"The Hot Springs Retreat." Moqi Feng had already thought it through. "The docks have the largest concentration of the guard force—not a good place to strike. The Hot Springs Retreat is far from the docks and the quietest spot, housing high-status guests. Once trouble erupts there, Island Master He is bound to rush over and investigate."
"An ambush en route would be best." Ye Qing pointed at the map. "There is only one path between the Hot Springs Retreat and the docks, known as 'Qingyun Road.' Both sides are flanked by dense woods, making it easy to conceal three or four hundred men."
"Then we must ensure that when the hurricane makes landfall, He Lingchuan will definitely take Qingyun Road." Otherwise, wouldn't their ambush be in vain?
"We can plant explosives in advance at both the Hot Springs Retreat and the docks," Moqi Feng said after a moment's thought. "If He Lingchuan is at the Hot Springs Retreat, we detonate the explosives at the docks to create chaos, and he'll rush toward the docks when he hears the commotion. If he's at the docks or anywhere else, we detonate the explosives at the Hot Springs Retreat, forcing him to hurry there. In either case, Qingyun Road is the only way in or out of the Hot Springs Retreat."
"That way, no matter where He Lingchuan is at the time, he is bound to take Qingyun Road." Moqi Song nodded. "Rushing in a panic, he won't have many men around him. We'll cut him down halfway!"
Both sides found the plan sound.
"Then let us agree on a signal," Ye Qing added. "As soon as you engage He Lingchuan, fire a command arrow into the sky."
The Moqi uncle and nephew raised no objections. Moqi Feng asked, "And you?"
"We'll be responsible for intercepting He Lingchuan's reinforcements."
Moqi Feng gave a low chuckle. "You mean that Burrow Spider Queen?"
Help them? Spoken so sweetly, yet these Beijia folk were only out to accomplish their own objective.
Chapter 974