Chapter 1397

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Zhuo'an.

Early morning was a sunny day, baking the soil until it was about to smoke.

"Not good, didn't you say it would rain recently?" Dong Rui couldn't help but complain to He Lingchuan. "In this ground condition, my treasure can't move."

The prerequisite for the Snail Toad to travel a hundred li at night is damp earth. If the surface is dry, it will have to lie down within five li.

Today is the big day to act, but the weather is not cooperating.

Ominous, ominous.

He Lingchuan smiled: "What's the rush? The time hasn't come yet."

Seeing him so calm, Dong Rui was skeptical. This guy loves to appear unfathomable, yet seven or eight times out of ten he can guess right; it's so annoying!

Sure enough, before the end of the un-hour (2 PM), the sky suddenly darkened, and dark clouds gathered.

Several claps of thunder rolled across the sky, shaking the ground, followed immediately by a torrential downpour.

He Lingchuan said leisurely: "What did I say earlier?"

Actually, a Yangshan team arrived in Zhuo'an a few days earlier than him, collecting intelligence on hydrology, weather, and local customs. Unlike the scene at the Heavenly Palace, He Lingchuan now stood with an entire team behind him; he no longer had to fight alone and do everything himself.

The Yao Nation has many rains in summer, and recently there have been heat thunderstorms every afternoon for three or four days.

Sure enough, today was no exception.

Dong Rui breathed a sigh of relief: "That's more like it."

He had been in Zhuo'an for two days, and He Lingchuan had been dragging Fan Shuang around, visiting local noble families and merchant societies like a revolving lantern, running to eleven of them in a day and a half. Fan Shuang's legs were almost broken, and he expressed deep admiration for his infinite energy.

Only He Lingchuan and Dong Rui knew that they had to finish the necessary formalities before the official action. With so many noble family children having seen him, the news of the Yangshan Island Master passing through Zhuo'an was confirmed.

While speaking, Fan Shuang came to invite: "Brother He, Brother Wei, shall we go to the front courtyard for a drink? If we're late, there won't be any seats."

The inn they were staying at was also hinted at by He Lingchuan for Fan Shuang to choose. The front courtyard was a restaurant, the back courtyard was guest rooms, and the two were connected by a corridor bridge, so guests wouldn't get wet walking back and forth on rainy days.

This place was near the mountains and water; in front of the restaurant was an arc-shaped river bend, and the reed marshes by the stone beach were taller than a person, so even a hundred people could hide inside. Once it rained, the mist would be thick, and the low houses on the opposite bank would be invisible, creating a vast and boundless expanse.

This was exactly the exterior scene He Lingchuan needed when acting. An inn built by the river allowed him and Dong Rui to come and go without a trace.

To ensure the action didn't go wrong, he had to pay close attention to every detail.

So these past few days, whenever it rained, the front courtyard would be packed with guests drinking and watching the rain.

While enjoying the rain, they could also watch the embarrassed appearance of passersby getting soaked; it was truly refreshing!

He Lingchuan calculated the time; Xue Zongwu still had three hours before arriving in Mangzhou, so the time was still ample, so he stood up: "Let's go, let's not return until we're drunk."

These past few days, he had already figured out Fan Shuang's alcohol tolerance; getting this person drunk wasn't a difficult task.

Dong Rui, however, said: "You guys go ahead, I have something to do."

With the action imminent, he had to tune the Snail Toad; this little thing had been a bit active recently.

Fan Shuang and He Lingchuan called Commander Zhao, and together they walked to the front courtyard.

Along the way, the rain hit the trees, having a unique interest.

Just as Fan Shuang expected, the front courtyard was crowded, and the hall of more than two hundred square meters was almost full.

There was only one private room left.

Fan Shuang asked and found out that a large merchant caravan was staying here today, and since there was nowhere else to go on a rainy day, everyone was huddled here.

Mangzhou was truly lively, and the high-grade inns were all full; some merchant caravans simply found other places to stay, such as Zhuo'an.

Fan Shuang hurriedly said to the shopkeeper: "I'll take that private room."

It was noisy in front of the counter, but another person said in unison with him: "We booked that private room!"

With two 'clangs', two ingots of silver were thrown onto the counter.

The shopkeeper didn't want to offend either side and smiled apologetically: "There is only one private room left. Would you two guests negotiate?"

Fan Shuang turned his head and saw that the person competing for the private room with him was a man in his twenties.

"This..."

Before he could finish speaking, the other party said: "The General wants this private room. You guys find another place."

General? Fan Shuang was startled. Which general? There were quite a few generals in the Yao Nation, both legitimate and miscellaneous.

A person emerged from behind the man and smiled at Fan Shuang: "Brother Fan, Commander Zhao, long time no see."

He Lingchuan swept his gaze over; what a coincidence, it was actually another acquaintance.

General Chongwu!

Back then, this young Yao Nation general led a group to hunt down the Three-Tailed Fox Demon, using the encirclement technique, with a clear method. If He Lingchuan hadn't caused trouble, the Three-Tailed Fox Demon would have been executed long ago.

That night, General Chongwu was caught off guard by the Luo Sheng Evil Armor that had just been born, and his army suffered heavy losses.

It wasn't until the Yangshan Society settled in the Yao Nation that He Lingchuan occasionally heard his name. It seemed the Yao Nation court was very dissatisfied with his performance at White Tip Mountain.

Why did he happen to meet General Chongwu here at this time? He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat; sure enough, actions always have accidents.

Fan Shuang immediately greeted him: "General, are you well? Oh my, where is there no meeting in life?"

"I came from Zhizhou, escorting some gifts to the capital, but was poured in here by this heavy rain." General Chongwu greeted Commander Zhao as well, and only then did his gaze sweep over He Lingchuan. "This is?"

"This is He Xiao of the Yangshan Society; we all call him Island Master He." Fan Shuang introduced both sides enthusiastically. "Brother He, this is the youngest great general of our Yao Nation, General Chongwu! He studied in Spirit Void City and returned to the country three years earlier than me."

Ever since he was sent as an envoy by King Yao, Fan Shuang's tongue had become more and more nimble. By mentioning this, he bridged the distance between himself and General Chongwu.

They were both returnee students, and they had had contact in Spirit Void City.

General Chongwu wasn't as arrogant as Xue Zongwu, and both sides exchanged greetings with smiles, quite polite.

He Lingchuan remembered that he was the son of the chieftain of Bixia, and his status back in Spirit Void City was likely lower than that of a government official's son like Fan Shuang.

General Chongwu then said: "The wind is strong and the rain is heavy, with nowhere to go. How about we share a table?"

Fan Shuang looked at He Lingchuan upon hearing this, and the latter nodded with a smile: "That would be great, I was just about to ask for guidance from General Chongwu."

Thus, several people booked the last private room.

This private room was in the corner of the inn's first floor and should have been quite quiet, but today, even with the door closed, one could still hear the noise outside.

He Lingchuan personally rolled up the bamboo curtain facing the river bend; between the sky and earth, there was only a curtain of rain, like a thousand needles and ten thousand shuttles, piercing pearls and splashing jade.

The fragrance of grass and soil also arrived with the wind.

Everyone clapped and cheered: "Good rain, good rain!"

Enjoying the rain like this was truly comfortable; occasionally, a few water droplets flew onto their bodies, adding more interest.

One couldn't just drink on a rainy day; there had to be snacks. Fan Shuang called the waiter and ordered six or seven snacks in one breath: "My treat, my treat, no one fight me for it! General, the signature dish here is the fire-exploded nine-gate head, you must taste it!"

General Chongwu laughed upon hearing this: "When did you guys arrive, that you can even introduce the signature dish to me?"

"The day before yesterday." Fan Shuang shook his head. "We originally wanted to take the route through Mangzhou, but heard that the inns there were already full and there was no place to stay. Brother He wanted to come to Zhuo'an to walk around the business relationships, so we are here."

General Chongwu's gaze turned to He Lingchuan: "Today is the first time I've met Island Master He, but for some reason, I always feel like I've met you before."

He Lingchuan touched his nose, secretly thinking that this guy's "feeling" was really not wrong. He had indeed crossed paths with him, only he was wearing a mask and riding on the back of a bat demon puppet, instigating Axun, who was wearing the Luo Sheng armor, to fight General Chongwu.

His smile was like a spring breeze: "Seeing General Chongwu for the first time, I also feel a connection. Heh, this word 'connection' is truly wonderful. Some people are like old friends at first sight, some are like new friends even after a lifetime."

"Well said, what a 'connection at first sight'." General Chongwu toasted him. "Seeing is better than hearing; in the past, I only heard that Island Master He was a successful big merchant, wealthy and powerful; meeting today, you are actually of dragon and phoenix stature."

"General is too kind." Just as the steaming fire-exploded nine-gate head was served, He Lingchuan casually took a chopstick-full.

The so-called "nine-gate head" refers to nine parts of a cow, including the tongue tip, stomach head, tripe, heart tip, kidney, heart crispy tube, etc. Don't look at it as just stir-frying; the cooking time for each part is different. If the chef doesn't grasp it well, the ingredients will be overcooked.

Everyone ate a few pieces and praised it one after another.

Crispy, tender, fresh, fragrant, spicy—all five flavors were complete.

The Soul-Stealing Mirror in his bosom said 'ah oh': "Right, this guy is the son of the Bixia chieftain! You funded the Allied Army to attack Bixia, he must look at you with displeasure. Oh my, today he's going to ruin things!"

He Lingchuan shook his head slightly. This slow-witted mirror only just remembered this layer of relationship?

But General Chongwu didn't show any hostility at all, instead saying with great interest: "Speaking of the Yangshan Archipelago, I passed through there twice when returning to the country from Spirit Void City, and even stayed overnight at the supply station on the island seven years ago. Sigh, unforgettable for a lifetime."

He Lingchuan also remembered that before he bought the Yangshan Archipelago, two islands had supply stations, but the conditions were crude. Lei Ni's family was okay, at least clean and tidy, the other one was simply...

"General has suffered." He couldn't help but smile. "Welcome to visit the Yangshan Archipelago again; it's already a completely different scene now."

General Chongwu nodded repeatedly: "Must, must. I've heard that it has changed a lot long ago, I must find a chance to go again."

"He 'heard'!" The Soul-Stealing Mirror screamed. "He's really been inquiring about your affairs!"

Fan Shuang added: "The Yangshan Archipelago is located on the Golden Shipping Lane. After Island Master He's management over these few years, it is now the busiest port west of the Yao Nation. Mou Nation, Beijia, including Ya Nation, all have a large number of merchant caravans taking that route."

"I remember, the Yangshan Archipelago was originally shrouded in evil spirits, and living things couldn't get close." General Chongwu wondered. "Full island development, how did Island Master He manage it?"

He Lingchuan smiled mysteriously: "I have some ancestral secret methods that can deal with evil spirits."

(End of chapter)