Come and Get Me

Moqi Feng had no choice but to ask, "The Emperor's Flowing Dew is coming tonight? How did you confirm that?" The Yangshan Archipelago had put up notices earlier saying the Emperor's Flowing Dew might descend over the next few days, but it was hard to get accurate word on such things. "Demons have sharper spiritual senses than humans. They rarely make mistakes." Moqi Feng glanced at him. "Where are your men?" "Nearby." Moqi Feng pressed, "Where is 'nearby'?" "Within two bowshots," Wang Xiang murmured. "Don't worry. Once trouble starts here, my companions will arrive immediately." *These cowardly scoundrels who hide their heads and tails!* Moqi Song spat on the ground. Wang Xiang acted as if he hadn't seen the gesture and continued, "He Xiao is entertaining VIP guests and will likely stay at the Hot Springs Retreat for a while. Our leader says that once the Emperor's Flowing Dew descends, you are to detonate the powder kegs at the docks!" Moqi Song bared his teeth; that had been their plan all along. Moqi Feng's eyes shifted, and he suddenly said to Wang Xiang, "My men spotted a burrow spider demon down at the docks. A massive one." Sure enough, that caught Wang Xiang's attention. "How big?" "Like a small cottage. We looked closely—there were no little spiders around it." "What is it doing?" Wang Xiang had companions lying in wait near the docks as well, but he didn't know whether they had seen the spider demon. Such intelligence was still worth reporting. "Just patrolling back and forth along the edge of the docks," Moqi Feng said. "Isn't the Emperor's Flowing Dew coming soon? Perhaps Island Master He called that great demon over to hold down the fort." Wang Xiang turned on his heel. "I'll be right back." When he parted the tall grass and returned, Moqi Feng asked before he could speak, "What did your leader say?" "The original plan stands." They were still to wait for the Emperor's Flowing Dew to descend. Moqi Feng gave an "Oh," lowering his gaze as doubts deepened in his heart. Their target had suddenly shown up, yet the Beijia people were in no rush. They were dead set on letting the Bailong people serve as the vanguard. What a clever scheme. If things went south when the time came, would the Beijia people turn tail and sell them out? *** Suoding Island, the Hot Springs Retreat. Yu Zecheng had the window open, reading a book as he felt the breeze. The weather had turned cool. Atop a small red-clay stove sat a large white porcelain bowl filled with clean water, inside of which rested a silver wine cup. After warming for a while, the wine was pleasantly lukewarm, just right for sipping. Outside, people were bracing against the hurricane, yet all was tranquil and serene on his end. A subordinate entered from outside and said in a low voice, "He Xiao's men are still watching the foot of the stairs and the courtyard outside the window." He Lingchuan was the master of the territory here; he could monitor whoever he wished in broad daylight simply by stationing men. Even the men watching Yu Zecheng sat openly around a square table by the staircase, sipping tea and glancing upward without bothering to avoid the gaze of the Beijia men. Yu Zecheng gave a nod. On a hurricane night, He Xiao would certainly expect him to make a move. Sitting here drinking with the window wide open was meant to let He Lingchuan's men see that he was staying in his room and not roaming around. Did that man named He think that trapping him in a room under close watch would deprive him of a way to communicate with the outside? Naive. Yu Zecheng continued reading, taking occasional sips of wine, feeling particularly relaxed on this drizzly night. A few drops of water had splashed onto the tray beside the wine cup, which was inevitable. Yet at that moment, the water stains coalesced into several words: *He Xiao accompanied Mou Kingdom's National Preceptor to the Hot Springs Retreat.* Yu Zecheng's hand paused as he raised his cup. Why had Mou Kingdom's National Preceptor come? After a moment's thought, Yu Zecheng dipped his finger in water and quickly wrote two words on the tray: "Are you sure?" In just a few breaths, the words dispersed back into droplets of water. That indicated the other side had received Yu Zecheng's message. Then, the water droplets on the tray quickly formed new words: *Unexpected arrival on the island.* Yu Zecheng's mind raced. Mou Kingdom's National Preceptor came to see He Xiao? What did that mean? Before he could finish working through the possibilities, those words were overwritten by a new message: *The Spider Queen has appeared at the docks!* A twitch touched the corner of Yu Zecheng's eye, and his raised cup froze in midair. The weight of this information was even more startling than Mou Kingdom's National Preceptor visiting Suoding Island! He Xiao killing his white bird had been the equivalent of crooking a finger at him: *Come and get me.* Both sides knew that a night with both a hurricane and the Emperor's Flowing Dew was the prime moment to strike. The Beijia people could hardly let such a godsent opportunity slip by. Both sides also knew that if the Beijia people couldn't locate Zhu Erniang, they would target He Lingchuan himself. Under these circumstances, He Xiao had actually brought their ultimate target, Zhu Erniang, to Suoding Island. What was his intention? There were only two possibilities: Either He Xiao couldn't bear the pressure from Beijia, so he brought Zhu Erniang to his side to bolster his courage—sharing the burden while shielding his own safety. Given He Xiao's track record, this possibility was exceedingly slim. That left only the second possibility— The scoundrel had laid a trap, hoping to lure the Beijia people into striking! Zhu Erniang had been loitering near the docks; an ambush had likely been prepared there. Yu Zecheng sneered. To dangle such huge bait out in the open—how large a hook must be stuffed inside? He Xiao's trap was far too crude and unrefined. Was he stupid, or did he take Yu Zecheng for a fool? Dipping his finger in water, he wrote on the tray: *Hold your ground. Wait!* No matter how badly he wanted to capture Zhu Erniang, he still had to wait for a good opening. If no opportunity arose, the worst-case scenario was simply not striking. Tonight, the core strategy was to bide his time. At this moment, he felt glad that he still held the hidden card of the Bailong people. Six hundred Bailong fighters on the island would be enough to tilt the balance of combat power once fighting broke out. With them tying down He Xiao and his subordinates with all their might, his side could focus wholeheartedly on dealing with Zhu Erniang. As for Mou Kingdom's National Preceptor, Yu Zecheng pondered a moment, then called in the subordinate stationed outside. "Go check on the people from Mou Kingdom." "Understood." Before long, the subordinate returned to report: "The senior official from Mou Kingdom has moved into the rear of the Hot Springs Retreat. The detached compound there is called Bailang Villa, with over a dozen wings specially built for dignitaries, completed just a couple of days ago." "What about their guards?" "Guarding the compound. They won't let outsiders close." "None have come this way?" Although the Hot Springs Retreat was called a 'retreat,' it actually covered quite a large area. Between the detached compound and Nuanxiang Chamber lay a distance of over a hundred zhang, separated by a small lake. "Only a few were sent over, and right now they're sitting downstairs in Nuanxiang Chamber having tea." Yu Zecheng grunted softly. Arriving in a new place, a high official of Mou Kingdom wouldn't remain blind and deaf. Sending people to observe their surroundings and ensure security was a necessary precaution. Once the chaos erupted, he would watch what these Mou Kingdom people did, and then he would know how to proceed. *** The central part of Suoding Island was not a primary focus of development in the Yangshan Archipelago's early phase, and various amenities at the Hot Springs Retreat remained incomplete— Except for Bailang Villa in the rear. Located along the prime shipping route, Suoding Island had never been tainted by yin fiend energy and possessed hot spring resources, so older buildings remained on the island. Bailang Villa was a renovation of such an old structure. With solid foundations, refurbishing it hadn't posed much trouble. Leaning against the railing there, one could take in the view of half the bay at a glance.