Moqi Feng turned and led more than three hundred clansmen back into the darkness.
They were heading toward the southwestern beach to board their boats.
After marching a hundred-odd paces, a trusted confidant leaned in close to Moqi Feng. "Young Master, if he fails, it will... it will implicate us too."
Moqi Feng turned his head and glared at him. "Then tell me, what should we do?"
The subordinate dared not speak further.
If the young master wouldn't join forces with Moqi Song, yet wanted to avoid being dragged down with him, the best solution was to turn right around and report him!
That way, their few hundred men would be safe.
Yet the young master was definitely not capable of doing such a thing. Thus, he had better keep his mouth shut tight.
"Send someone to the docks to recall our men." They still had over a hundred men stationed at the docks. "Before the hurricane makes landfall, we must board the boats and get back to Blade Harbor as quickly as possible!"
Once Moqi Song lost this battle, the Yangshan Archipelago wouldn't be merciful to any of the Bailong people.
This was no longer a place to linger. They had best leave just as quietly as they had come.
***
Gazing out across the sea, gale winds surged, and muddy waves swelled skyward.
He Lingchuan leaned against the balustrade. On the surface, he was chatting casually with Fang Canran, but his mind had drifted entirely to the messy situation at hand.
The Burrow Spider Queen had appeared at the docks and strolled around several times already, yet the Beijia hadn't made a move.
As expected, the Beijia wouldn't loose their falcons until they saw the hare.
When would be the best moment for his side to strike?
Before he could make up his mind, Zhu Erniang's voice transmission suddenly rang in his ear: "Hey! The Bailong had a falling-out! Moqi Feng left with most of the clansmen, while Moqi Song stayed behind with the rest, lying in ambush along Qingyun Road."
*Oh? Really?* He Lingchuan thought he had misheard. The surprise and delight were immense. "Where did they go?"
Given the personalities of uncle and nephew, they wouldn't put on an act at a critical juncture like this. Besides, their internal conflicts had never been small to begin with, and the sudden pressure had very likely triggered the rupture.
The murmur was so low that Fang Canran didn't catch it. "Brother He, what did you say?"
He Lingchuan grinned broadly. "Nothing, nothing at all."
He hadn't smiled so genuinely and happily all night!
Zhu Erniang said quickly, "I only have one eyeball spider there. Leaving it to watch Moqi Song means I can't keep an eye on Moqi Feng."
Who would have guessed the uncle and nephew would split up at the eleventh hour? With only one eyeball spider, tracking one meant losing the other.
"What do we do now, eh?" Zhu Erniang also knew opportunities in battle were fleeting, and urgently asked him, the supreme commander. "Hurry, speak up! Everyone's waiting on your decision!"
Beside him, Fang Canran happened to say, "By the way, I've contacted several large merchant guilds in Mou Kingdom for you. They're all looking for high-quality oil sources, which should help open up some distribution channels for you. Ya Kingdom also likes using the palm oil produced around Blade Harbor; I'll ask around for you later on."
"Now that's my good brother!" Suppressing the urgency in his chest, He Lingchuan clapped his hands together. "Of all the words you've spoken tonight, not a single one was as delightful as that!"
His enterprise was still in its fledgling stage, facing many practical hurdles, and sorely needed this kind of support.
Fang Canran understood this very well, which was why he offered help when it was needed most.
After all, he still owed He Lingchuan a massive favor.
Favors had to be repaid, but often, the more favors one returned, the more accumulated, binding the relationship ever tighter. Fang Canran also believed that drawing closer to He Lingchuan was an investment with immense potential.
He Lingchuan threw a fierce punch into empty air. "Next, it's time for a big fight!"
"Fight?" Hearing those words, Zhu Erniang confirmed with him, "So we begin on our end?"
He Lingchuan rarely showed such genuine emotion, making Fang Canran laugh. "All right, here's wishing you prosperous business. Also, I haven't mentioned your grievance with the Lu family in front of Martial Uncle. I only said you bought the Yangshan Archipelago from Bailie. As for the rest, play it by ear yourself."
He Lingchuan coughed and said with absolute firmness, "No problem, that's what we'll do!"
Fang Canran: "..."
*Do what? And why so forcefully?*
Zhu Erniang: "Understood!"
Fang Canran studied He Lingchuan closely for a couple of seconds. This kid was acting rather odd tonight.
Setting aside the chaos brought on by the hurricane, was he doing something else on the side?
Reflecting on He Lingchuan's past exploits, Fang Canran found it increasingly likely.
"Brother He, it seems we didn't arrive at the best time?"
He Lingchuan laughed aloud. "What are you talking about, Songyuan? In a hurricane like this, if you didn't seek shelter here with me, where else could you stay?"
"It looks to me like you—"
Before Fang Canran could finish, a thunderous boom erupted in the distance, blossoming into a plume of raging fire!
Even on a night of howling hurricane, the spectacle of sound and light from this blast was cranked to the absolute maximum.
Golden-red flames were swept into the hurricane; from their vantage point, they could clearly see a blazing fire-tornado rising halfway into the sky!
Fang Canran lost his voice for a moment, recognizing the direction... Suoding Island docks!
The place where Wang Xingyi and he had disembarked earlier had exploded?
He subconsciously looked at He Lingchuan, only to see the man's face shifting unpredictably under the red glow of the explosion, his eyes sparkling with sharp brilliance.
He Lingchuan looked back at him, cupped his fists, and said in a grave voice, "Something happened at the docks. Brother Fang, excuse me for now!"
With trouble on Suoding Island, he, the island master, naturally had to rush over to handle it.
Fang Canran asked immediately, "Do you need help? Martial Uncle Wang still has over a hundred elites at his disposal."
"No need for now, they can't turn the heavens upside down!" Forgoing the stone steps, He Lingchuan leaped straight off the viewing platform. "Please convey my apologies to the National Preceptor. I will come pay my respects later!"
Did he want outside help?
At this juncture, short-handed and stretched to his limits, he wanted it desperately!
Who didn't know that borrowing another's strength to strike was the sweetest move? Besides, those assigned as elites beside National Preceptor Wang were all hand-picked warriors.
Yet he understood even better why Wang Xingyi had come to the Yangshan Archipelago in person:
It was to test him.
No matter what exploits he had achieved in the past, that was ancient history.
A true hero doesn't boast of past glory.
If the present He Lingchuan couldn't even quell a mere riot on his own island and had to rely on Mou Kingdom's outside force, how could he ever deserve Lingshan looking up to him in the future?
How could his future plans ever unfold smoothly?
This hurdle before him was one he had to grit his teeth and get through on his own.
Naturally, if things deteriorated and he couldn't handle it himself, he might have no choice but to borrow the National Preceptor's might.
That, however, would be the worst of all options.
Before Fang Canran could get a clear look, He Lingchuan's silhouette was already several zhang away, vanishing out of Bailang Villa in a flash.
Wang Xingyi's guards were stationed outside the gate. Seeing a dark figure suddenly dart out from inside, they all raised their sabers and spears.
Yet He Lingchuan moved like a fleeting shadow, and only his voice drifted back:
"Ah Hu!"
From the pitch-black woods, more than a dozen riders immediately bounded forth, led by none other than Qiu Hu.
Without waiting for the horse to halt, He Lingchuan took the reins from his hand, vaulted into the saddle, and led the dozen or so riders galloping toward the front mountain.
"Operation begins! Have Lü Qiuwei keep a tight watch on Yu Zecheng. Under no circumstances must they clash with him, and under no circumstances must he be allowed to leave Nuanxiang Chamber by even half a step!" One of the vital keys to tonight's operation was to prevent Yu Zecheng from entering the field in person!
"Yes, sir!" One rider broke away from the group and sped toward Nuanxiang Chamber to deliver the message.
Several guests taking a stroll outside Hot Springs Retreat saw the dozen or so riders flash past like lightning, charging straight toward Qingyun Road.
The clatter of hooves soon faded into the distance.
Fang Canran gazed in the direction he had gone, deep in thought.
Having not seen him display his martial prowess in over a year, He Xiao's cultivation seemed to have advanced yet again.
Was the heavy preoccupation he showed today because he had anticipated trouble at the docks?
It seemed he and National Preceptor Wang had arrived just in time for the curtain to rise on a fine show.
He brushed off his sleeves, descended from the viewing platform, and went to find Wang Xingyi.
The explosion was far too loud for the National Preceptor to have missed it.
***
Watching Moqi Feng and over three hundred clansmen depart, Moqi Song ordered everyone to lie back down in their positions and wait for their chance.
Travelers came and went along Qingyun Road, entirely unaware of the bizarre occurrences deep inside the woods.
Seeing Moqi Song's eyes bloodshot, Wang Xiang couldn't tell whether it was from stinging rainwater or rubbing them himself.
"Your nephew left, and he took more than half your men with him. Are you still going through with this or not?"
"We do it! Stick to the original plan!" Moqi Song stared fixedly at Qingyun Road, a ruthless glint crossing his face. "Once the Emperor's Flowing Dew arrives and the docks explode, He Xiao will pass through here. We take him out, and we're done!"
Since he had chosen to stay, he had to firmly believe in his reason for staying. Seeing his expression, Wang Xiang relaxed; there was no need to waste breath trying to persuade him.
"He doesn't have many elites under his command. If we catch him off guard, our odds of winning are high!" Moqi Song exhaled. "The high official from Mou Kingdom most likely won't send his guard to escort him... We won't be that unlucky!"
Wang Xiang was still uneasy. "Your nephew changed his mind at the last moment. He wouldn't turn right around and report us, would he?"
Moqi Song's gaze hardened, and he suddenly seized Wang Xiang by the lapel.
Failing to dodge in time, Wang Xiang grabbed his wrist, his face darkening. "What are you doing?"
"My nephew is not that kind of person!" Moqi Song said word by word. "What kind of scumbag are you to measure him by your own yardstick?"
Swallowing his anger, Wang Xiang slapped his hand away. "I don't know him. By walking away like this, hasn't he already put you in grave danger?"
The sudden fallout between the Moqi uncle and nephew had to be reported to Captain Yu as soon as possible!
Wang Xiang backed away to the side. Just as he formed a hand seal for a spell, an explosion suddenly roared from not far off—
*Boom!*
The ground shuddered right up into their feet. Everyone looked up, only to see that in the direction of Suoding Island's docks, fed by the wind, flames were raging, and black smoke surged halfway into the sky!
Seeing this sight, every single one of them was struck dumb.
This was the agreed-upon signal to strike. Bailie had supplied the explosives, and the Bailong had stashed them in advance in a warehouse near the docks. Once lit, the effect was supposed to be devastating.
The problem was, Emperor's Flowing Dew hadn't descended at all! The operation wasn't supposed to begin now!
Moqi Song closed the distance in two strides and grabbed Wang Xiang. "Did you people do this?"
Grabbed yet again, Wang Xiang's spell was snuffed out entirely, and he couldn't help roaring in fury, "You're the ones guarding the powder kegs and setting them off, and now you're asking me?!"
Moqi Song knew that, of course, but had these Beijia people secretly set their eyes on the powder kegs too?
"Did you want to strike the spider demon, so you deliberately set them off early?" Moqi Song sneered. "Only our two groups knew where the explosives were hidden! If it wasn't you, what, did that man He blow himself up?!"
Wang Xiang couldn't fathom his train of thought at all. "The Emperor's Flowing Dew hasn't fallen yet, so why would we blow up the docks? For that matter, wouldn't your nephew be far more suspicious?!"
Chapter 983