Cooperation?

Naturally, the Yangshan Archipelago was large, and the territory that needed guarding was vast, so the total amount of profound crystals expended was by no means small. For the safety of the Yangshan Archipelago, He Lingchuan spent the money willingly. Yet he had also been shrewd. The Shigandang he crafted were not carved into showy shapes like those of the Piaomiao Sect; instead, he chose nondescript large stones and inscribed the formations right on their undersides, then tossed them into farm fields, edges of buildings, and roadside verges. The Yangshan Archipelago was already strewn with rugged rocks and rocky hills everywhere. These Wind Lion Lords were simply tossed into piles of roadside boulders, so no passerby would spare them a second glance. Yet Zhu Daniang knew very well where the Wind Lion Lords were positioned along this road. She had her sister uproot the Wind Lion Lord. Once lifted off the ground, the formation ceased to function, thus dispelling the barrier, and violent winds instantly swept over the hilltop, incidentally blowing away all the little wooden figures and the spores of the Nine-Death Resurrection Grass. In this era, human power could hardly withstand the heavens, and even a former ancient demon immortal was no exception. Without reinforcement, the wooden behemoths were much easier to handle. The spider demon sisters successfully joined forces, using a seesaw pincer tactic to bind one wooden behemoth tight. The ghost ape turned and fled, and whenever the other wooden behemoth turned back to engage the spiders, it doubled back in pursuit. Pursuing and retreating, retreating and pursuing like this, they never strayed too far from the hill. Not until three-quarters of an hour later did the battered wooden behemoths collapse with a crash. Their gnarled wooden bodies were covered in gray mold, which blew away in the wind and vanished. In the end, only three bone-buds tied with red string remained on the ground, palm-sized, dry, and shriveled to the touch. Zhu Daniang was tired from running and squatted down to rest her legs, asking her sister, "What about the Beijia operatives? Did you catch them all?" "Caught eight, two dead, and one jiaoren escaped—it knows water evasion." Zhu Erniang tapped the ground. "In this kind of weather it's hard to catch; it dived into the sea." Right now, the island both above and below water was a world of rain, very advantageous to a jiaoren. The ghost ape stowed its patterned gold staff, transformed into a little monkey, and hopped back onto Zhu Erniang's head, then spat into its palm—it hurt! It would have to ask Lingguang for some medicine later. Now that the battle was finally over, lingering fear churned in Zhu Erniang's chest. If not for Zhu Daniang and the ghost ape coming to assist, and without He Lingchuan laying plans beforehand, relying solely on herself and her brood against all those bizarre tricks of the Beijia operatives plus True Monarch Musu's avatar, the outcome would truly have been unpredictable. The duration of True Monarch Musu's avatar had exceeded her expectations. If she had followed her old habit of running when outmatched, there was no telling how monstrous this thing would have grown. Going it alone had its limits. Against an enemy like Beijia, sticking together was essential, and having a patron was a must. *** He Lingchuan and Yu Zecheng had already played three games of shuanglu, with two wins and one loss. This Yu fellow's style was surprisingly similar to his own, also fond of unconventional gambits and trying his luck. Risking small to gain big—a textbook gambler's mindset. From his moves on the board, the fellow never let any opportunity slip. After adjusting his state of mind, Yu Zecheng even began to question him in turn: "How does He Xiao plan for the future?" "Hold our own across the sea, establishing an independent domain." He Lingchuan picked up a white piece and moved it two spaces. "What suggestions do you have, Mister Yu?" "The location of your archipelago is truly exceptional," Yu Zecheng said. "It would be a pity to use it merely for commerce." "In your view?" "Why not cooperate with us?" He Lingchuan paused with the dice raised. "Cooperate? With you, Mister Yu?" "With Beijia." He Lingchuan felt a slight chill in his heart, but on the surface he appeared quite intrigued. "Do tell." "The outer seas are fraught with wind and waves, ill-suited for ships. If..." Before Yu Zecheng could finish, Wang Fubao came striding in from outside, leaning in to whisper urgently into He Lingchuan's ear. He Lingchuan immediately looked surprised, then fell into thought. The news Wang Fubao brought was one of the night's major surprises: Moqi Feng was outside, requesting an audience! Tonight, He Lingchuan had captured Moqi Song first and then cornered Yu Zecheng, all according to calculated strategy; only the movements of Moqi Feng and his four hundred men had fallen outside his predictions. Moqi Feng had not joined his uncle in the rebellion. Was this an internal feud between uncle and nephew, or part of another plan? Inopportune—arriving right at this moment. He Lingchuan looked at Yu Zecheng across the board. The man had just lifted his black horse onto the bar, then looked up with piercing eyes. "Island Master He has his hands full—do you still wish to linger over the board?" Seeing trouble find this young man was something he relished. "What are you saying, Mister Yu? With such an honored guest before me, how could I neglect you? Let's play, let's play!" He Lingchuan turned to Wang Fubao with just a single sentence: "Let him in." Before long, Moqi Feng strode into Nuanxiang Chamber. Inside the chamber, it was warm as spring, so much so that a window had to be cracked to let in a few cool drafts, creating a world apart from the dreary wind and bitter rain outside. Moqi Feng was soaked to the bone, beads of water rolling down from his forehead to his chin, yet his spine was ramrod straight and he walked with brisk, powerful strides, paying no heed to his disheveled appearance. "Island Master He!" Naturally, he recognized He Lingchuan. Yet he had spoken only those three words when Island Master He waved a hand at him. "Hold on." He Lingchuan did not even look him in the eye, merely stroking his chin and contemplating the board in deep thought. Another crucial moment. What should the next move be? After a good while, he finally took a white piece and advanced it two spaces. Yu Zecheng rolled the dice immediately. Seeing a three and a four, he couldn't help letting out a hearty laugh. "Island Master He, your luck in this game seems rather poor." Playing shuanglu required rolling dice, so luck was a major factor. When fortune departs, even heroes are held captive by fate. Yu Zecheng picked up his black horse and struck off He Lingchuan's foremost white piece. "Thirty percent is decided by heaven; sometimes, exhausting every scheme proves entirely futile." "Heh, quite a dark horse." As he said this, He Lingchuan glanced at Moqi Feng. The man was frowning deeply, having just declined the hot tea offered by an attendant. Yu Zecheng continued, "Shall we return to the matter of cooperation?" "Sure." He Lingchuan patted the top of a piece. "However, my archipelago is so far from Beijia, even from Dushan Harbor. How exactly would we cooperate?" Yu Zecheng asked, "You've been to Dushan Harbor?" "I went ashore there once." The easternmost port along Beijia's coastline was Dushan Harbor. When He Lingchuan had sailed east from the Yuan Kingdom, his voyage had passed through Dushan Harbor; the ship had lingered there for a day to load and unload cargo and replenish provisions, and he had gone ashore to look around. "Dushan Harbor is more than twice as busy as Blade Harbor," Yu Zecheng said, looking up. "Around the clock, ships flow in an endless stream, a thousand sails competing at any given moment." He Lingchuan nodded. He had seen it with his own eyes and knew Yu Zecheng wasn't exaggerating. The bustle of a foreign port reflected thriving overseas trade; Dushan Harbor's grandeur was merely the tip of the iceberg of Beijia's economic might. "Yet what you don't know is that official vessels and tribute ships make up thirty percent of that." He Lingchuan looked enlightened. "That I indeed did not know." He had been merely a passerby at Dushan Harbor, able to see only its surface prosperity. "If the Yangshan Archipelago cooperates with Beijia, the shipping routes from Beijia's ports can extend all the way here."