He Lingchuan replied modestly, "Senior flatters me. Everything here was thrown together in haste, and much is still wanting."
Unfortunately, the island was teeming with people tonight—those busy unloading cargo ashore, those reinforcing structures against the wind, those hauling supplies, those showing guests to their lodgings... It didn't come close to matching words like "tranquil" or "leisurely."
Two large patches of turf had already been trodden completely bare.
Wang Xingyi nodded. "Yes, this place needs proper planning."
What was his breadth of experience? In his eyes, everywhere on Suoding Island cried out for proper planning.
How could He Lingchuan not know? But he was simply too busy, stretched far too thin, and his subordinates lacked talent in that domain.
For now, the expansion of Suoding Island only aimed for functional completeness—so long as it served its basic purpose, that was enough. As for whether zoning was sensible, architecture aesthetic, or service attentive, those were matters for the next step, or several steps after that.
A meal had to be eaten one bite at a time, and such concerns had to wait in line.
"Why not ask Songyuan for help? He's an expert at this."
Fang Canran smiled as well. "I'm still waiting on a shipment of goods to clear transit, which happens to give me seven or eight days to spend here."
He Lingchuan was overjoyed. "Excellent, excellent! My islands are saved."
Fang Canran managed all of the Jinjiao clan's properties in Lingxu City, personally keeping several large gardens as picturesque as poetry. Helping him refine the planning of Suoding Island would be a walk in the park.
In He Lingchuan's blueprint, only two or three islands bordering the shipping lanes, including Suoding Island, would be open to the outside world—a one-stop hub for ship mooring, leisure, commerce, dining, and entertainment, with major focus on polishing its public image.
As for the remaining thirty-odd islands, while the number sounded impressive, most were unsuitable for habitation. Aside from the fourteen islands currently under development, seven or eight more could eventually be utilized, primarily for agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production, and—most importantly—military use.
Outsiders would not be permitted to set foot in those places.
He Lingchuan's gaze drifted from time to time. Seeing this, Fang Canran murmured, "Did we come at a bad time?"
"Not at all!" He Lingchuan laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Your timing is great—hehe, far too good, in fact!"
Only he knew it was a bitter laugh.
What kind of auspicious day was tonight, anyway? The Mou Kingdom, Beijia, the Bailong people, and He Lingchuan himself—the four factions had enough to sit down for a game of mahjong.
Just then, a giant spider crawled out from the shadows of the trees and strolled along the main street, acting as though no one else were around.
Wang Xingyi was worldly and experienced, yet this was his first time seeing a giant spider demon of such massive build. Taken aback, he took a second look before remarking, "Is that a Burrow Spider Queen?"
Though the monster looked grotesque and terrifying—causing surrounding travelers to retreat several paces, with the fainthearted already poised to turn and flee—the merchants along Suoding Island's streets remained exceptionally calm. Those conducting business kept conducting business, and those serving guests kept serving guests, completely unfazed.
It was evident the behemoth was a regular customer here.
"Indeed," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "She usually lives on Pansi Island, but occasionally drops by Suoding Island to do some shopping."
Sure enough, the group watched the giant spider walk up to an open-air stall, order a jar of aged wine, slap off the clay seal, and begin slurping it down.
In less than a few dozen breaths, she downed the whole jar—even more thoroughly than the way He Lingchuan used to throw his head back and chug bottled soda.
Unfazed, the stallkeeper hauled over another jar.
A passerby called out in greeting, "Erniang, visiting again?"
The Spider Queen ignored him.
By the time He Lingchuan, Wang Xingyi, and the others walked away, she was still drinking.
Fang Canran asked He Lingchuan, "Is this Burrow Spider Queen...?"
With so many ears around, he did not finish his question:
Was she the partner who raised havoc in the Heavenly Palace with you?
Yet He Lingchuan caught his meaning instantly and nodded. "Yes."
Just then, Qiu Hu ran over and whispered a few words to him.
The news was simple: there were about a hundred Bailong people at the docks, twice as many as had been arranged. However, more and more large vessels were docking right now; with guests to direct and cargo to load and unload, everything was in a frenzied rush, and no amount of manpower felt like enough.
Had He Lingchuan not instructed them in advance, no one would have noticed this variable.
On this night of the hurricane, Suoding Island had only one defining theme:
Chaos.
Right on the heels of that, Zhu Daniang's voice transmission reached He Lingchuan's ears:
"The Emperor's Flowing Dew is coming soon. I can sense it!"
She was an ancient demon, and her perception of celestial phenomena far exceeded that of ordinary mortals. If she said the Emperor's Flowing Dew was coming, it was eighty to ninety percent certain.
He Lingchuan looked up and sighed silently.
Of all times, was the Emperor's Flowing Dew really going to descend tonight?
The heavens truly knew how to make trouble for him.
The Emperor's Flowing Dew was indeed a coveted treasure sought by all living beings, but appearing tonight would only make Suoding Island's turmoil all the more chaotic.
A hurricane and Emperor's Flowing Dew—a double checkmate.
Zhu Daniang asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"We tackle trouble one piece at a time; we can't let it bunch up," He Lingchuan said decisively. "Move the operation forward, prepare to strike! Don't wait for the hurricane to actually arrive!"
Since the Bailong people and Yu Zecheng had chosen their time to act, the key to parrying their moves lay in disrupting their rhythm!
The progress and tempo of this battle had to remain firmly in his own hands!
"Got it."
Just then, Dong Rui's voice chimed in. "Aiyo, you're not acting as bait anymore? What a pity, what a pity. I was hoping to see your head come off!"
Zhu Erniang asked curiously, "How do you know he'd lose his head if he acted as bait?"
"I hear Moqi Song loves lopping off heads in battle and mounting them on shelves as trophies afterward."
In turbulent times, such an eccentricity was hardly out of the ordinary.
The soul-snatching mirror inside his robe joined in the banter. "Oh? Did you originally intend to let Moqi Song chop off your head? When someone's cut off that many heads, they've got the feel down to an art. Could you really fool him?"
Without waiting for its master to reply, it rambled on, "Actually, maybe... Let me think. Yeah, seems like you could."
He Lingchuan couldn't be bothered to entertain their chattering trio. The situation was growing increasingly chaotic and delicate; one wrong move would mean losing the entire game. He was under immense pressure.
His gaze swept across his distinguished guests of the evening, and he suddenly said to Wang Xingyi and Fang Canran, "Please excuse the mess. The docks are crowded and clamorous tonight. How about I escort the National Preceptor to the Hot Springs Retreat? The small private courtyards there were only completed a few days ago. The surroundings are serene and undisturbed, and each comes with its own hot spring pool, perfect for unwinding after dinner."
"Oh?" At this, Wang Xingyi's eyes lit up. "Good, good! Sounds delightful."
Fang Canran laughed. "My martial uncle loves hot springs the most. In the Mou capital, he visits three or four times every month."
The bustling fervor of Suoding Island's docks was indeed overly noisy and grating for guests of this stature. Aside from wars and grand celebrations, it had been a long time since Wang Xingyi had heard such racket.
With that, He Lingchuan leisurely led his esteemed guests across the main street toward Qingyun Road.
The hundred-odd elite guards stood tall and formidable, and with He Lingchuan escorting them at their side, the party drew gazes like stars orbiting the moon wherever they went.
Many veteran captains and regular patrons called out greetings to He Lingchuan one after another.
Chapter 978