Chapter 929: Patrolling the Island

He added, "If Yu Liang were here—he’s one of my subordinates—he would be much more accurate than us at observing celestial phenomena and predicting wind and rain." The clouds in the sky were very thick, and He Lingchuan was a bit skeptical.

But half a cup of tea’s time, he could afford to wait.

Just as everyone was talking, the gray mist shrouding the entire Longji Island seemed to be guided by something, drifting toward the ships on the sea.

It was truly treacherous and vast.

Just like the clouds in the sky.

The cloud layer seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible hand, and after a few dozen breaths, it inexplicably vanished.

The sky was clear for ten thousand miles, sunlight shone upon the earth without obstruction, the sea surface sparkled with golden ripples, and the island was lush and green—it was indescribably beautiful.

The pirates had indeed guessed correctly; within half a cup of tea’s time, the clouds parted to reveal the sun, and it was a fine day with clear skies for ten thousand miles.

He Lingchuan smiled and said, "This is truly heaven helping me." He then ordered his men, "Sail to Longji Island as quickly as possible."

Otherwise, the wind direction would soon change, and sailing would become twice as difficult.

Before long, Longji Island was in sight.

It was only just past noon, the world was bright and clear, and it was the time of day when the yang energy was at its peak.

The yin miasma on the sea surface had long since vanished, and everyone could gaze out at the long, narrow coastline and precipitous cliffs of Longji Island.

Following He Lingchuan’s request, the ship stopped half a mile from the shore.

At this distance, the human eye could already see many things clearly.

A pirate pointed at the beach and shouted, "Dead bodies!"

The beach of Longji Island, originally as white as moonlight, was now covered in spots—the small black dots were all the remains of Yin Serpents.

Yin Serpent remains had appeared at Blade Harbor over the past few days, but compared to the quantity here, that was simply child's play.

Seeing it with their own eyes, the pirates finally dared to confirm that something had indeed gone wrong with the yin miasma on Longji Island. The way they looked at He Lingchuan had shifted from initial shock to something incomprehensible.

Along this journey, how much yin miasma had Young Master He absorbed? Was the death of the Yin Serpents truly brought about by his own hand?

The ship did not move any closer, partly because of He Lingchuan’s order, and partly out of fear of the stench emitted by the serpent corpses on the shore.

Furthermore, while ordinary creatures begin to decompose naturally a few days after death, there were no scavengers to eat the serpent corpses, and there was no telling how long they would rot and stink here.

Aside from that, the scenery of Longji Island that everyone saw on the shore was truly top-notch.

He Lingchuan knew that as long as he approached the coast, the yin miasma on the island would overflow endlessly, so he wasn't in a hurry and just chatted with Min Tianxi: "Do you know that the Yangshan Archipelago produces Shaoling Ore?"

Registrar Yang said Lei Ni knew, but he guessed Min Tianxi should know even better.

"Shaoling Ore?" Min Tianxi thought for a moment. "Oh, it's on Leigong Island. Others can't go there, but Young Master He, you can."

"How so?"

"I heard from my elders that the yin miasma of the Yangshan Archipelago is like a tide, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting, but the intervals are very long; for the past sixty years, the range of the yin miasma has actually been expanding." Min Tianxi explained, "Leigong Island used to not be within the coverage of the yin miasma, so people could go up and mine; later, the yin miasma enveloped it, and the mine was left idle."

"How much reserve is left?"

"Oh, that I don't know; that was before my old man was born." Min Tianxi answered truthfully, "It's quite a pity, Leigong Island isn't small."

"Does the archipelago have other mineral resources?"

"It seems there are some copper and iron mines, but I'm not too sure." Min Tianxi asked cautiously, "Do the mineral resources on the island also belong to Young Master He?"

"Everything produced on the ground, underground, and in the sea—agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fishing, and mining—all belong to me." He Lingchuan pointed at him, "Including you."

Min Tianxi’s smile was extremely forced.

If he became an islander, he would naturally belong to the island master.

Just then, a long, drawn-out roar came from the island.

It sounded like an infant crying or a night owl, but it was particularly sharp and loud. Although they were far away, everyone still felt a palpitation, which was very uncomfortable.

This roar seemed a bit... angry? Min Tianxi was greatly alarmed: "This is the cry of a Yin Serpent—no, it's the cry of the Yin Serpent King!"

"You've heard it before?"

"When I was young and mischievous, I made a bet with a friend—well, it was with Lei Ni’s father—and then sailed close to Longji Island. The weather that day was as good as it is today. I stood at the bow and heard this kind of cry. Not long after, my father arrived, told me to turn around and leave immediately, and said that the Yin Serpent leader on the island was definitely not something human power could contend with." Min Tianxi said quickly, "Young Master He, we should leave too!"

Qiu Hu spoke up: "The daylight is bright right now."

Yin Serpents and yin miasma both fear light; this ship is protected by sunlight, what is there to fear?

Min Tianxi shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, Yin Serpents can avoid the damage of sunlight by lurking underwater. They are also very skilled at attacking from underwater!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a bang at the bottom of the ship, as if it had hit something, and the hull swayed by at least thirty degrees.

Fortunately, everyone had a stable stance, so they didn't fall over.

Speak of the devil, and the Yin Serpent comes? He Lingchuan decisively ordered: "Turn around, we're leaving!"

Without needing him to urge them, five pirates spontaneously joined the ranks of the sailors.

They had been expert swimmers and seasoned sailors since childhood, and their skills were countless times better than those of He Lingchuan and the Rongshan people. Once the ship was in their hands, it seemed to have a soul; not only did its speed double, but even the arcs it carved and the angles it banked were graceful.

Qiu Hu subconsciously looked at them a few more times. On land, he could take on seven or eight of them by himself, but at sea, even a few of him combined wouldn't be as proficient at controlling the ship as they were.

This is what is meant by "there is a specialty in every trade." The Young Master specifically arranged the previous battlefield on Fish Bone Reef rather than on a sea ship; he truly had foresight.

"There has been no sign of Yin Serpents entering the water from the coast." He had been watching the whole time. "There were probably Yin Serpents patrolling in the water to begin with."

He Lingchuan nodded: "Last time we came, we almost wiped out the Yin Serpent lair. It’s no surprise that the Yin Serpent leader sends its subordinates to patrol the sea at regular intervals."

It was pure luck that they were able to drive straight in and sail close to Longji Island today.

At this moment, there was another loud bang at the bottom of the ship, and the hull swayed incessantly. A pirate near the gunwale was almost knocked into the sea, but Wang Fubao grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back.

At that very instant, a Yin Serpent lunged out of the water, ferociously pouncing toward the pirate.

If not for Wang Fubao’s timely pull, that pirate would have been snatched away in a second.

Seeing the Yin Serpent appear, everyone’s expression changed. Xiang Lian gasped: "So big?!"

This thing didn't show its whole body, but the part that emerged from the sea was already two zhang long, and its chest circumference, even without being fully expanded, would require a person to wrap their arms around it.

Ordinary Yin Serpents are usually one zhang long; these were rare giants.

This monster was out of the water for less than two seconds before diving back in, but He Lingchuan had already seen the gray smoke rising from its body and heard the faint hissing sound.

This was the reaction to being scorched by sunlight; if it dared to linger on the ship, it would be burned into a lump of charcoal in the blink of an eye.

Before the words had faded, a crunching sound came from the bottom of the ship, like a mouse gnawing on wood, magnified ten times over.

(End of chapter)