Chapter 926: Gold Scroll

He Lingchuan opened his mouth, and Dong Rui interrupted him: "But it has already been picked clean by you, nothing is left. It's really gone!" "A divine tomb? Are there living Heavenly Gods inside?"

Dong Rui looked at him as if he were caring for the mentally disabled: "What kind of talk is that? Of course not! Otherwise, would they let me take blood and cut bones?"

Lu Qing'an returned home, and it was already late.

His father, Lu Zhensheng, had already returned and was waiting for his report.

Lu Qing'an took out the forty thousand taels of silver notes but didn't mention the accident during the sea inspection, only saying that today was exceptionally smooth.

What was the use of mentioning it? The archipelago had already been sold.

The only thing the old man could complain about was that it was sold too cheaply—since someone had their eyes on the archipelago, perhaps they could have accepted a higher price.

Speaking of which, had the man surnamed He been bluffing him these past few days?

Lu Qing'an was a little annoyed.

Lu Zhensheng also let out a long sigh of relief when he saw the silver notes, and then smiled bitterly: "Bowing down for a mere few tens of thousands of taels of silver. Alas, I didn't expect that you and I would have this day."

"Everyone who does business knows that everyone has times when they are short of cash," Lu Qing'an comforted him. "It's just a half-month difficulty, it will pass. Next month, the autumn grain and taxes will be collected one after another, and the treasury will be full again."

Bailie's land was very fertile, with few disasters and no wars, and there could be a bumper harvest every few days.

Lu Qing'an changed the subject: "By the way, the Baishun Festival is next month. What are the plans for the second brother and his wife?"

In previous years, Lu Qinglin and his wife often returned home to visit relatives during the Baishun Festival.

"There is a war in the west, and Qinglin is still on the front line, so it's hard to say at this time," Lu Zhensheng said casually. "Most likely they won't come back."

Lu Qing'an said "Oh" and felt relieved.

This sister-in-law of his was a top-tier power broker in the Mou Kingdom, Xia Lishang, the daughter of General Yutian. Every time she came to visit relatives, Bailie had to provide the highest standard of reception to show importance.

What is the highest standard? Expensive.

Spending money.

Wasting manpower and money.

These three words were about to become Lu Zhensheng's taboo; he would get a toothache whenever they were mentioned.

It happened to be the autumn harvest, and Bailie had finally managed to save some money. If Xia Lishang came, he didn't know how much would be ruined.

If she didn't come, it was truly a happy ending for everyone.

In order to save some money, Lu Qing'an could not see his second brother; this was no problem at all.

￥￥￥￥￥

The next day was cloudy.

The morning sun was blocked by thick clouds, and the wind on the sea was a bit chilly.

The Fish Bone Reef was very small, only thirty or forty square meters. Rather than a "reef," it was more like a small, slanted beach. The part exposed above the water was clean and delicate, shaped like a fish bone, hence the name.

When the tide rose, the entire Fish Bone Reef would be submerged.

Today at the hour of Chen, it was exactly the lowest point of the ebb tide. He Lingchuan arrived by boat, and his subordinates set up a table and two chairs on the Fish Bone Reef, and placed a jar of fine wine on the table.

He Lingchuan sat here waiting, drinking by himself while listening to the rising and falling of the waves.

Qiu Hu and other guards stood behind him with their hands behind their backs, motionless.

After half an hour, Qiu Hu leaned closer and said: "Young Master, the time is more than half over."

He Lingchuan nodded, not in a hurry at all.

Why was he certain that the pirates would keep the appointment? It was simple. Before Lei Ni left the pleasure boat yesterday, He Lingchuan had secretly placed an eyeball spider on her.

This girl really found the Second-Way Pirate Leader and conveyed Young Master He's request.

The pirate den was immediately in an uproar, laughing and joking about him, the new island master. However, after hearing about Lei Ni's experience on Suoding Island, the Second-Way Leader decided to come and meet him.

Not to mention anything else, the location He Lingchuan chose for the meeting showed sincerity.

The Fish Bone Reef was not on land, nor even in Blade Harbor; the beach and the sea were wide open and unobstructed, and there was no place to hide ships, which ruled out the possibility of an ambush.

If you want to talk properly, you have to find a location where both parties can feel at ease.

Another half hour passed.

Just as the hour of Chen was approaching, a speedboat suddenly approached and dropped anchor, its movements exceptionally agile.

Afterwards, more than thirty burly men jumped off the boat and walked towards here.

The leader was not tall, with a big head and a thick neck, and a long scar on his left face, extending from his eyebrow and eyelid to the corner of his mouth. No matter what expression he had, it looked ferocious.

These people had dark, shiny skin, like old farmers in the fields. But He Lingchuan knew that this was the result of being blown by the sea wind and exposed to the sun.

He let Min Tianxi bring only five people to the reef, but this fellow brought more than thirty. Black and oppressive, they were numerous and powerful.

Why should pirates listen to the words of a small "Island Master"?

The pirate leader looked him up and down a few times: "He?"

He Lingchuan waved his hand: "The Second-Way Leader is here? Please sit."

This person was not afraid either and sat down boldly. The pirates dispersed from behind him, relying on their numerical advantage to surround Qiu Hu and the others, staring like tigers.

35:6, the ratio of the number of people on both sides.

Surrounded by a group of bandits, He Lingchuan remained calm: "How should I address you?"

"My name is Min Tianxi." He didn't believe He Lingchuan hadn't inquired about his name.

"Leader Min." He Lingchuan personally lifted the pot and poured him a cup of wine.

The wine was fragrant, but Min Tianxi didn't even lift his hand. How could he drink wine of unknown origin?