Chapter 951: The Spider Queen's New Home

Furthermore, the archipelago would be rich in produce in the future; expanding connections and broadening trade routes were responsibilities that He Lingchuan, as the island master, could not shirk.

But whenever he returned to the Yangshan Archipelago, Zhu Xiuer would always appear nearby.

Once or twice might have been fine, but by the third or fourth time, He Lingchuan found it strange; Zhu Xiuer had never liked humans, especially not places with many people.

Why didn't she stay on her own Pan Si Island?

"Big Sister." As Zhu Xiuer wandered around him yet again, her eight legs strolling back and forth, He Lingchuan felt he could almost see the tangle of thoughts on her forehead. "If there's something on your mind, just say it."

"Hmm..." Zhu Xiuer hesitated. "It's nothing."

He Lingchuan knew this was a statement to be taken in reverse; with a personality as straightforward as Zhu Xiuer's, she rarely hemmed and hawed.

"Did Second Sister give you a hard time?"

The relationship between this pair of sisters had always been a bit peculiar. Zhu Xiuer had explosive martial prowess, while Zhu Erniang had many schemes; when it came to dealing with people and handling affairs, Zhu Xiuer was simply no match for her.

"Not exactly. But after she moved into her new home on Pan Si Island, she finally mentioned one thing to me—" Zhu Xiuer had rarely been this coy for so long, but she finally had to let it out! "She had already moved once in the eastern part of Mou Kingdom."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan asked casually, "Was she dissatisfied with the first location?"

Zhu Erniang had thousands of offspring; moving once was no easy feat. How long had she been in Mou Kingdom? Only half a year longer than He Lingchuan, so why move again? "That place was quite good, but she couldn't stay because Beijia found her!" Zhu Xiuer was angry about this point; her sister had been devious and dishonest, not clarifying the risks before moving! Now that her sister had moved to the Yangshan Archipelago, would she bring disaster to their doorstep?

"..."

"..."

One man and one spider, big eyes staring at small eyes, looked at each other in silence.

Zhu Xiuer had expected He Lingchuan to be shocked and jump up on the spot after dropping such heavy news, but to her surprise, he blinked and actually asked her in return: "Is that it?"

"Aren't you worried?" Shouldn't a normal person be terrified upon hearing that a Nightmare had come knocking? Seeing He Lingchuan's calm expression, was this the reaction he should have? "I thought it was some major event." He said lightly, "What is meant to come will come eventually."

Zhu Xiuer used her twelve eyes to size him up, and only after confirming he was truly not agitated did she heave a sigh of relief: "If I had known you would have this reaction, I should have told you sooner."

It turned out she had been agonizing over it for so long all by herself.

"What else did Second Sister say?"

"Oh, she wants you to come to the island to discuss something."

He Lingchuan was caught between laughter and tears: "How many days ago was this invitation?"

"Two days ago, right after she revealed the truth to me." Zhu Xiuer said huffily, "I haven't wanted to talk to her for the past few days!"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry." He Lingchuan really wanted to pat her to show comfort, but seeing her long legs covered in bristles, he dismissed the thought. "Let's go, come back to Pan Si Island with me to see Second Sister."

The new tenant had been moved in for a few days; as the landlord, he should go and show some concern.

Looking from a distance, or rather from the surface, Pan Si Island looked no different than before; the shore was still rugged with reefs, and the island was still lush and green. Only occasionally could one see spiderwebs hanging from tree branches or in rock crevices.

Ever since He Lingchuan unleashed the Punishment Dragon Pillar, these islands were no longer shrouded in yin-evil, and living creatures began to visit. In just a few days, birds were already singing melodiously in the woods, and the variety of insects clinging to leaves had increased, unlike before when there were only small black bugs living in the yin-evil.

There were no paths on Pan Si Island; everywhere was covered in round or sharp stones. He Lingchuan took the easy way out, climbing onto Zhu Xiuer's forehead and letting her carry him to find the burrowing spider nest.

These eight legs were indeed steadier than two legs; he didn't feel a single bump even with his eyes closed.

Soon, they arrived at the burrowing spider nest.

In fact, He Lingchuan had long since heard the rustling sounds coming from the surrounding woods; he was no stranger to that movement, as it was the sound of the burrowing spiders' long legs scraping against the fallen leaves on the ground.

Zhu Erniang had sent little spiders to welcome them.

Climbing down past the steep rock face, He Lingchuan felt the air become increasingly humid. This place was not devoid of sunlight year-round; from early morning until noon, sunlight would strike the open, imposing rock wall that stood like a screen, so the medicinal herbs in the rock crevices grew well.

Below the rock face, a dark stream flowed silently.

This was the environment burrowing spiders liked best.

The spiders crawled through an inconspicuous crack, and only then did He Lingchuan discover that the space became more spacious the further in they went; he didn't know if it was originally like this or if it was the result of the spider colony deliberately expanding it.

Burrowing spiders were masters of environmental modification and knew very well how to dig holes safely without causing a collapse.

There was still sunlight here.

He Lingchuan discovered that the ground was covered with a thick layer of black soil, soft and damp, without a single weed. Several small spiders were wandering around nearby, and upon discovering birds landing, they immediately drove them away.

Zhu Xiuer told him that seeds had just been scattered here to grow the base grass for the fungal mat.

The so-called base grass consisted of three types of plants carefully selected by Zhu Erniang, rich in the nutrients required for the rapid growth of the fungal mat. Without the base grass to provide a foundation and supplements, the fungal mat might not grow well.

"So particular? I thought the fungal mat could grow directly in the stone hollows." The fungal mat was the bottom link in Zhu Erniang's unique agricultural chain; it was both a pasture for aphids and a petri dish for various delicious fungi and fluorescent spores.

"It needs base fertilizer. When the time comes, the base grass and pine needles must be chopped up and fed to the fungal mat."

Then, they entered the cave, cutting off the sunlight.

Every ten feet, there was a glowing fluorescent spore above, making the originally dark underground nest clearly visible.

Spiderwebs were draped everywhere.

He Lingchuan had seen plenty of this in the Demon Nest Swamp and didn't find it strange at all.

The place this pair of sisters had chosen for themselves was an erosion cave; large caves nested within small ones, and after walking through one, there was another, and it even connected to a sea-erosion cave toward the shore. According to Zhu Xiuer, the expansion project here had only just begun; they intended to expand and widen it until the entire underground nest was interconnected, allowing even the two giant spiders to come and go as they pleased.

Calling it a residence, He Lingchuan scratched his head; this was just an underground fortress/maze! In terms of sturdiness, it didn't seem much different from the old Demon Nest Swamp. An ordinary person would be dizzy and disoriented after just a few turns. He didn't know how these burrowing spiders found their way around.

"So where is Second Sister?"

"In the bay."

Zhu Xiuer took the island master through another nine twists and eighteen turns, leaving even him confused, before he discovered that the light ahead was bright; it turned out they had crawled out of a sea-erosion cave, and one more step would land them in the crystal-clear, glass-like seawater—

The cooling breeze hitting their faces carried the salty scent of the sea; they had arrived directly at the bay.

(End of chapter)