Chapter 932: Persuasion

Min Tianxi walked to the front of the gathered pirates and pressed his hands downward, signaling for everyone to be quiet. As soon as he stepped out, the clamor of the bandits immediately subsided.

"Listen to me, everyone listen to me!" Min Tianxi gave a light cough. "Young Master He just led us deep into the archipelago and killed dozens of Yin Serpents. I guarantee you one thing: Young Master He can dispel the Yin malice of the Yangshan Archipelago!"

With a "buzz," the pirate group was nearly set off by this news.

Everyone spoke at once, and the loudest voices were shouting: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"That little thief, what kind of hallucinogenic drug did he feed our Dao Master!"

"If the archipelago's Yin malice could be dispelled, I'd stand on my head for three days!"

"Dao Master, if you are being coerced into saying this, just blink your eyes!"

Min Tianxi had been blown by the sea breeze for several hours and his eyes were dry; he had originally wanted to blink, but upon hearing this, he had to force his eyelids open to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

He Lingchuan specifically took a look at "Stand-on-his-head-for-three-days" and noted his appearance.

Once pirates started making a racket, the place was like a wet market, and it wouldn't calm down for a long time.

Min Tianxi was also accustomed to this and displayed ample patience.

This point was completely different from the strict discipline of an army.

Min Tianxi waited until they quieted down before continuing: "He Xiaoliu, Blade, and Old Du, they all saw it with their own eyes and can prove what I said."

The few pirates who had followed on He Lingchuan’s ship nodded like they were pounding rice: "It’s true, the Yin malice on the sea surface and the islands was all sucked away by Young Master He! We saw it clearly, there can be no mistake."

"We sailed all the way to the coast of Dragon Spine Island and even heard the roar of the Yin Serpent King."

"We killed many Yin Serpents on the way! We brought one back and tied it to the stern of the ship."

That Yin Serpent was bobbing in the waves, just happened to be blocked by the hull. Mother Zhu jumped into the water and pushed it onto the beach.

If they hadn't dodged quickly, the pirates would have been knocked over in a pile.

Before the crowd could turn their heads to curse, they first gasped in shock: Such a huge spider demon, and it’s alive!

Such a huge Yin Serpent, and it’s—it’s dead! Over the past few days, the remains of Yin Serpents had been drifting ashore, and everyone was already tired of seeing them. But a Yin Serpent nearly five zhang long was truly a rare sight.

What is the concept of five zhang? That’s a medium-sized whale.

The snake body unfurled, nearly half the length of Fish Bone Reef.

An hour ago, when they were capturing this incredibly strong fellow, it kept thrashing about blindly, and He Lingchuan’s ship nearly capsized; even someone as strong as Mother Zhu missed her grip, and the ship was almost dragged into the sea by it.

At the critical moment, Young Master He drew his Soaring Dragon Spear and jumped into the sea, delivering a spear thrust through the top of its head, piercing directly through the Yin Serpent’s crown.

Now, that round hole still remained in the center of the Yin Serpent’s forehead.

The scene went quiet. He Lingchuan looked at the wide-eyed pirates and knew he had achieved the desired effect.

The shock brought by this giant carcass lying before them was more persuasive than any words.

The pirates of the Second Route were even more aware that just a few days ago, it was these big fellows that came onto the island at night, causing heavy casualties to the First and Third Routes; yet He Lingchuan and his group had captured them on the sea, where the difficulty coefficient was several times higher.

Furthermore, they had killed dozens of giant serpents in one go! This kind of power, this kind of efficiency... The crowd looked again at the mountain-like Mother Zhu, and well, added to this kind of help.

What Dao Master Min said, perhaps, possibly, probably, was true?

The gazes the pirates cast toward He Lingchuan also became flickering and cautious.

Mysterious powerhouses of unknown origin are always frightening. Not to mention that they had only defeated the Second Route and abducted Dao Master Min a few hours ago.

Seeing the shift in his subordinates' attitudes, Min Tianxi took a deep breath and said in a loud voice:

"Young Master He has already purchased the Yangshan Archipelago from the Bailie people and is preparing to manage it properly. At present, there is much to be done, and we are only lacking manpower. Therefore, I have decided—"

The main event arrived: "—to join Young Master He’s command."

To He Lingchuan’s surprise, the pirates’ reaction this time was not as intense as before, but rather they looked at each other in dismay.

"Most of you here have been with me for over a dozen years, sharing weal and woe. Those willing to stay will continue to share in the fortunes; those who want to leave, I won't stop you. We have been brothers, you may go seek your own futures!"

"Stand-on-his-head-for-three-days" stepped out again and said: "The Dao Master is still in the other party's hands, I fear he is not speaking his true heart!"

Someone on the side corrected him: "That’s called 'speaking against one's will'!"

He Lingchuan laughed: "You usually lick blood from the edge of a blade, risking your lives to plunder, and how much money can you make? If you strike too hard, the officials will come looking for trouble. It would be better to work properly for me; it won't be long before you’re eating well and living well."

Someone asked: "What can we do by following you?"

"Many things, but all legitimate business. Didn't your Dao Master say that the archipelago has much to be done? There is plenty of work. He Lingchuan pointed toward the Yangshan Archipelago. "I am the master of the Yangshan Archipelago, legally and reasonably. If you follow me, earning and spending money will be all above board."

He patted Min Tianxi on the shoulder: "You guide them well, I’m heading back to Blade Peak Port first."

Min Tianxi immediately turned and bowed his head, answering "Yes."

He Lingchuan turned and boarded his ship, sailing away from Fish Bone Reef with Qiu Hu and the others, leaving the space for debate to Min Tianxi.

Watching the swarming pirates on Fish Bone Reef grow smaller in the distance, Qiu Hu said: "The Young Master is quite lenient toward these pirates."

"I already gave them a heavy blow earlier, killing dozens of people." Speaking of this, He Lingchuan remembered that Qiu Hu himself had taken out six, a kill rate of nearly one-third. "Now it’s time to give them some sweet dates."

Only by combining kindness with severity can one achieve miraculous results.

He Lingchuan added: "Besides, the organizational structure of bandits is different from a regular army. Armies have clear hierarchies, order of rank, and emphasize discipline and obedience; bandits are very loose. Although they have leaders and the leaders have a bunch of cronies, they emphasize fairness internally. The so-called 'eating meat from a big bowl and dividing gold with a big scale,' the focus is on the word 'divide.' If the leader’s distribution is unfair, the hearts of the people below will scatter, and they will run off; they won't continue to work for you."

"This kind of organizational structure cannot withstand pressure. Min Tianxi knows this very well, so he cannot coerce his subordinates to defect to my command; he can only persuade them." He Lingchuan laughed. "I am lenient toward them because we are truly in urgent need of manpower right now."

Water bandits are familiar with the Yangshan sea area, are physically strong, have good ship-handling skills, and are familiar with the villages on the shore; they are exactly what He Lingchuan needs right now.

The biggest variable is nothing more than the issue of loyalty.

It doesn't matter; people's expectations can be manipulated.

Qiu Hu and the others pondered carefully and nodded secretly. Wang Fubao scratched his head: "The Young Master sees things so thoroughly."

He Lingchuan gave a slight smirk: "I’m afraid few people can keep up with my understanding of bandits."

When he entered Panlong City at night, he was also racking his brains to solve the problem of water bandits in Longchuan.

Wang Fubao asked again: "Suppose we subdue the Second Route, there are still the First and Third Routes."

His own Young Master had already been upgraded to an Island Master; it was impossible for him to let pirates roam the archipelago at will to loot. But suppressing bandits had always been a troublesome matter, and even the former Bailie had never been able to eradicate the bandit problem.

"At that time, it won't be up to them."

These words were quite fierce. Wang Fubao asked curiously: "Will you have to coerce them again then?"

"Whether to act or not depends on the grand trend." Qiu Hu patted the back of his head. "You'll know when the time comes."

At this moment, the Soul-Consuming Mirror also asked in He Lingchuan’s embrace: "Aren't you afraid that Min Tianxi is just humoring you? Once he returns to his own lair, he might just cast aside his oath completely."

The master and the one surnamed Min had never been bound by an oath chain.

"Maybe." He Lingchuan changed direction to catch the breeze. "There are no absolutes in the world."

"But if he is a smart man, he should evaluate the consequences of being my enemy." He said indifferently, "My procedures for purchasing the islands are complete, legal, and reasonable. I can also collect Yin malice, which means I occupy the absolute initiative in the Yangshan Archipelago. They are just a mob; if they dare to break their word and dare to rob my guests, I will certainly not be polite to him."

Meeting Min Tianxi today, not only did the other party want to give him a show of force, he also wanted to show his muscles to the other party; neither side had good intentions.

Otherwise, why would the powerful fighter Mother Zhu have come along? Only by letting the pirates know that he is someone who cannot be provoked and cannot be avoided, is it possible for them to submit to him.

The stick and the carrot have always been the best way to win people's hearts.

"If you can't beat them, join them; that is the basic quality of a pirate." Otherwise, where would Min Tianxi have gotten so many people? "They will figure it out."

￥￥￥￥￥

As soon as it got dark, the wind picked up.

He Lingchuan had been running around busily these past few days. After finishing the account books that Wen Daolun had someone send over, he realized he hadn't visited Lu Xun for two days.

He had just walked outside the post house in Yuheng City when Lu Xun happened to be returning from outside and called out to him at the entrance:

"Captain He!"

"Where is Mr. Lu going?" Seeing Lu Xun strolling leisurely, he seemed to be in a very good mood.

"I'm leaving in a few days, so I need to buy some souvenirs for my clansmen." Lu Xun casually pulled a jade pendant from his sleeve and showed it to him. "By the way, take a look at this jade!"

They stood under the fluorescent spores outside the post house; the light was bright, and the jade pendant in his hand flashed with a lustrous glow.

"Beautiful, like lychee jelly."

As soon as the words left his mouth, He Lingchuan was stunned. Why did the shape and color of this jade pendant look so familiar? "In three more months, my grandson will be one year old." Lu Xun laughed. "I want to give him this piece of fine Tongshan jade."

"Are there really such good jades for sale in Yuheng City?" Jade is the easiest thing to fake; he didn't want his ancestor to be cheated.

Lu Xun was startled and laughed out loud: "This was a gift from Commander Zhong before he left; I didn't buy it in the city!"

"..." You said it like that just now, isn't it easy for people to misunderstand?

Lu Xun held the jade pendant up to the light: "I'll have someone engrave a character on it later."

He Lingchuan blurted out: "Lu?"

He remembered; wasn't this the heirloom left behind by the original body's mother, Lu Youyun? It was just that now it was only a blank jade pendant, without that conspicuous red "Lu" character.

Lu Xun said: "I want to engrave my grandson's name."

"Better to pass the jade down as a family heirloom."

Lu Xun was moved by the idea; he hesitated for a moment and then nodded: "Good, good, I'll take your auspicious words, Captain He."

Thanks to book friend "Quiet Life" for the generous donation; we have a new Grand Ally.

Thanks to Sunset Wing for the enthusiastic appreciation.

Thanks to You Zhuo and Rui Da Meng Meng for the appreciation.

(End of chapter)