Opportunity was fleeting.
Yu Zecheng tapped his fingers on the table a dozen times, suddenly recalling his original objective.
From the start, his plan had simply been to attack Zhu Erniang amid the chaos. As long as the Bailong pinned down He Xiao and the guard, the Beijia force could strike. What did that have to do with whether He Xiao lived or died?
Now that everything was going so well, why was he hesitating instead?
Even in the worst-case scenario, if unexpected variables arose, the fighters he had brought were powerful enough to handle whatever came their way.
If he missed tonight, when would he get another chance? He had pursued Zhu Erniang for more than half a year and had even requisitioned reinforcements from Lingxu City. Was he supposed to just sit back and watch it slip away?
In a few days, he would have to submit a military dispatch. How would he account for this to the National Preceptor? By claiming he had sat on his hands and let Zhu Erniang escape because he was worried the island master might be faking his death?
Such a ridiculous excuse would only be treated by his superiors as shirking responsibility. Let alone sending it to National Preceptor Shuangye, he wouldn't even be able to bring himself to write it.
"Move out!" Yu Zecheng finally gave the order. "Intercept Zhu Erniang!"
***
Bailang Villa.
Wang Xingyi stood on the second floor of the quiet retreat. When Fang Canran came up, he saw his martial uncle gazing toward the docks, his hair slightly damp.
"Suoding Island is quite lively tonight." No one could have ignored the earlier explosion from the docks.
Fang Canran said sheepishly, "It seems we chose a poor time to visit."
"No, the timing couldn't be better." Wang Xingyi stroked his beard with a chuckle. "Voyages at sea are always tedious; I thought this one would be no exception. Well now—a hurricane, Emperor's Flowing Dew, and a rebellion. Rare to find something so entertaining."
Fang Canran felt abashed. A National Preceptor certainly saw things from a different perspective.
He wondered whether He Xiao could clean up this mess tonight. The National Preceptor would surely scrutinize his performance to judge his worth.
Was He Xiao lucky, or unlucky?
Just then, several coarse roars drifted from the distance:
"He Lingchuan is dead! He Lingchuan is dead—I killed him!"
"I killed him! I took his head!"
Carried on the gale, the shouts drove straight into Bailang Villa, ringing clear in both men's ears.
Wang Xingyi glanced at Fang Canran, showing rare astonishment. "So fast? He Xiao seemed to have only just left the Hot Springs Retreat."
"This..." Fang Canran looked equally flabbergasted. "That can't be!"
A man who had shattered the Mount Xu barrier and escaped the combined pursuit of Celestial God Baizhan and National Preceptor Qingyang had his head lopped off by rioters the moment he stepped out of the Hot Springs Retreat?
What kind of sick joke was that?!
The killer sounded cocky and boastful, hardly the voice of a shrewd schemer.
If He Xiao had truly been killed by someone like that, well, he would turn in his grave.
Wang Xingyi gestured, and three guards stepped forward from behind him. He turned and whispered a few words to them. The guards nodded, changed into plain clothes, ran downstairs, and hurried out of Bailang Villa.
Fang Canran knew National Preceptor Wang had sent them to gather intelligence.
After all, they were guests here. If Suoding Island truly changed hands, the party of over a hundred men under the National Preceptor would have to adapt to the sudden shift in power.
Other guards began laying formations and defensive barriers throughout the villa to guard against external enemies launching a sudden assault.
***
When the docks exploded, Moqi Feng had already led his kinsmen past Ding Lake, continuing southwest.
There was no windbreak barrier along this route, and the icy rain battered their faces indiscriminately. The ground was slick and treacherous, preventing the Bailong warriors from moving quickly through the dark night.
The sound of the explosion carried downwind. Everyone turned back in unison to see towering flames and billows of black smoke rising over the docks.
"Why did the fighting start early?" Moqi Feng knew the explosion at the docks was supposed to be their signal to attack—he had been the one to order his men to plant those powder kegs.
Yet the docks had blown up before the Emperor's Flowing Dew even fell, which defied the original plan.
His dark premonition had come true; this ambush was riddled with variables.
A subordinate asked, "Young Master, what should we do?"
Moqi Feng stared at the soaring flames, torn by an intense inner struggle.
After a long while, he finally said, "Keep moving. To the southwest beach!"
Since he had broken with his uncle, he had only one goal: lead his Bailong kinsmen away from this den of trouble as quickly as possible.
Not long after, however, a command arrow shot into the sky behind them, bursting into green and red fireworks.
The flare did not linger long in the fierce wind, but the Bailong group still spotted it.
"Young Master, look! Look!"
"No way..." Moqi Feng stared in the direction the fireworks had risen. That was Qingyun Road, the spot where his uncle was lying in ambush. "Did they actually succeed?"
They were too far to hear Moqi Song's wild laughter, but he understood the signal's meaning:
He Xiao had been taken down!
This ambush... had succeeded? Moqi Feng could hardly believe it.
Had his worries been entirely superfluous?
The question was, what now?
According to the original plan, once his uncle brought down He Lingchuan, he would seize the docks, warehouses, commercial and residential districts, and the Hot Springs Retreat, swiftly bringing the entire island under control while crushing and absorbing the Yangshan Guard.
Without his four hundred-odd core fighters, his uncle's progress would certainly be slow.
Rain dripped steadily from Moqi Feng's chin. He wiped his face twice and finally made up his mind. "Turn around, everyone! To the docks!"
Between fleeing the island and joining the fight, he ultimately chose the latter.
He knew very well that if they missed this chance, the storm would only grow worse, and no ships would be able to put to sea.
***
Eastern Suoding Island.
A dark shadow emerged from the fir forest, swinging down onto a cliff like a pendulum, intending to access the main road from there.
It was a spider as large as a hillock, its entire body bristling with spikes.
This mountain road was one of the island's main perimeter thoroughfares, connecting the northern docks to the eastern boatyard. Since there were numerous houses along the way, it also enjoyed the protection of the windbreak barrier.
However, Suoding Island had issued a public notice earlier requiring all residents to remain indoors tonight, so the road was dead quiet, without a soul in sight.
The Burrow Spider Queen took two more steps, then abruptly halted. "Stop hiding," it rasped in a muffled, booming voice. "Come out."
Silence hung in the air.
The Burrow Spider Queen was patient, standing completely motionless.
Sure enough, more than a dozen figures emerged from the dense woods flanking the road, led by none other than Ye Qing.
The moment Yu Zecheng gave the order to attack, Ye Qing had led his squad to set an ambush here.
If Zhu Erniang wanted to reach the eastern boatyard, this road was the fastest and easiest route.
"Island Master He is dead! Zhu Erniang, surrender quietly and we won't make things difficult for you—"
Before he could finish, a swarm of burrow spiders leaped from Zhu Erniang's body, varying in size, surging toward the Beijia men like a tidal wave.
Some sprayed silk, some spat acid, and others leapt seven or eight feet straight for their faces.
The smaller ones were no bigger than coconuts but packed lethal venom; whether sprayed or bitten, the wound would swell up like a steamed bun, packed with pus that sloshed audibly when shaken.
The larger ones were the size of calves, able to grapple with men on their legs, and had shells that were absurdly hard.
Without a word of debate, Zhu Erniang launched straight into the fray, giving them no time to urge surrender or exchange empty pleasantries.
Chapter 986