Chapter 981: Discovering Clues

All was silent in the surroundings, save for the sound of waves lapping against the reefs. Two small crabs climbed ashore and stood in a rock crevice, fighting.

Since the baleful energy had vanished from here, the small creatures visiting Bone Stick Reef had grown in number.

This was merely a microcosm of the recent situation on the northern and eastern islands of the Yangshan Archipelago.

Suddenly, a sharp shriek shattered the silence of the shore. A fox bat scrambled out of a burrow in a panic, flapping its wings to take flight.

The two crabs were so frightened they hid beneath a stone.

But it had barely left the ground by a foot when a spray of white silk shot out from the pitch-black ground crevice, sticking precisely to the fox bat and dragging it down in one go! The fox bat struggled desperately, but its strength was no match for its opponent.

As soon as it hit the ground, a spider lunged out from the crevice and sprayed several more mouthfuls of silk at it.

This creature crawled out of the crevice and stretched its eight legs; it was as tall as a pony. The fox bat was no match for it, and in two shakes, it was rolled into a wriggling cocoon.

The burrow spider glanced left and right, finding nothing unusual, and then dragged its prey back into the darkness bit by bit.

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Having just returned to the Yangshan Archipelago, Dong Rui hugged the newly acquired supplies—the experimental materials He Lingchuan had spent eighty thousand large silver taels to buy back for him—and hurried back to his own island without delay.

He had many new concepts and was impatient to verify them.

He Lingchuan and Min Tianxi continued to sail toward Centipede Island.

He had already selected Centipede Island as his residence. On one hand, the island was not large and was relatively quiet; on the other, it was situated exactly in the center of the fourteen islands, making it close to everywhere.

As for the Island Master's residence, how could Ding Zuodong dare to be careless? Previously, he had wanted to invite the best craftsmen within a hundred miles, but He Lingchuan had only said that building a few wooden houses would suffice. Money, energy, and time should be spent where they were most needed; his personal enjoyment could be pushed back.

Having lived in a wooden house in Panlongcheng for so long, he did not feel any discomfort.

During the few days he was away, Ding Zuodong had ordered people to finish painting his new residence. He Lingchuan walked inside, and there was the scent of fresh wood everywhere.

Ding Zuodong dared not defy the Proprietor's wishes, so he had indeed only ordered the construction of a two-courtyard residence. The building materials were basically taken from Centipede Island; it was spacious, sturdy, and had an island flair.

It could be expanded later.

He Lingchuan shaved his beard and, for the first time, soaked comfortably in a hot bath in his new home, washing away the exhaustion of the past few days.

Then, he fell asleep.

This nap lasted for an hour; by the time he woke up, the water had already gone cold.

He climbed out, dried himself, and changed into a new set of clothes. When he went out, he saw Ding Zuodong and the others waiting in the living room, chatting and laughing.

Ever since the Yangshan Archipelago became He Lingchuan's property, they hadn't been this relaxed in a long time.

He Lingchuan could tell from their expressions that everyone was in a very good mood.

Seeing He Lingchuan walk out, everyone stood up immediately. Ding Zuodong rubbed his hands and said, "Proprietor, the permits for Blade Edge Port have been processed!"

"Oh? Did Commissioner Wu soften up?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

"He softened. All the permits we needed to handle at Blade Edge Port—palm oil, medicinal herbs, aquatic products, spider silk, fruits and vegetables, etc. —have all been processed, and several blanks have been reserved! All the shops have also been approved to open, the facilities inside have passed inspection, and no one will come to cause trouble later."

He Lingchuan said the word "good" three times in a row.

Although this result was within his expectations, hearing it with his own ears made him heave a long sigh of relief.

The Baili Lu family and Commissioner Wu had joined forces to scheme against him and make things difficult for him; if it were any other merchant, they would surely be doomed, right? Fortunately, he held many cards and could still turn the tables.

In this round, the Lu father and son's moves had failed, and He Lingchuan couldn't be bothered to deal with them; let's just call it a draw.

Later, he would get it all back with interest.

"Also, Commissioner Wu's ships are already sailing on the routes we specified." Ding Zuodong didn't want to be exuberant, he wanted to be reserved, but he really couldn't help it—recently, facing the Lu family's underhanded tricks had been too stifling. "The sailors on Commissioner Wu's ships are telling everyone that the Wu family obtained a safe route from us to avoid the Earthly Yin Qi! Just in these few days, the number of ships passing through Suoding Island has increased several times over!"

As long as Commissioner Wu continued to stand by them, and as long as the production, operation, and sales of the Yangshan Archipelago could form a virtuous cycle, He Lingchuan would have established a firm foothold and could proceed with the next step of his plan.

"Has the business at the supply station improved?"

"It has!" Lei Ni smoothed her long braids and answered loudly and crisply. "The number of people coming to the island has suddenly increased, and the food prepared at the supply station isn't enough. Old Zhao, who manages the kitchen, told me that the aphid-sugar cakes that used to sell for a whole day are now sold out in one morning."

"Add more hands and provide attentive service."

"Alright, it's already being handled." Lei Ni was beaming. The income from the Suoding Island supply station was where her money came from.

He Lingchuan turned his head to ask Qiu Hu: "How is the training of the new recruits going?"

Over four thousand people had signed up for the Yangshan Guard, and by the time He Lingchuan returned from Platinum Island, the screening work had already ended. Even though He Lingchuan had repeatedly asked Qiu Hu to lower the standards, only five hundred of the eighteen hundred farmers and workers who signed up were accepted.

And the total number of guard members finally determined was over fifteen hundred; the elimination rate was not low.

This was also within He Lingchuan's expectations. Being able to farm did not mean one could enlist.

"The pirates' foundation is a bit better, and the people from the Bailong tribe are also very good; several female soldiers use swords and blades better than the men; most of the farmers' children have no foundation and must be taught from scratch." Qiu Hu reported, "I have organized my fellow disciples as instructors, each teaching over a hundred people."

"We started by uniformly teaching basic mental cultivation methods and martial arts. The new recruits all find it fresh, and their enthusiasm has been high these past two days."

Like the Panlong Army and the Yuheng Army, He Lingchuan also let the Yangshan Guard learn basic mental cultivation methods, but the range of choices was narrowed from five methods to three: two obtained from Panlongcheng, and one was the Rongshan mental cultivation method.

He had compiled the relevant teaching materials on his return trip from Platinum Island and distributed them after returning to his own territory.

He had sailed back and forth for five days, and he had written for five days.

This matter was more difficult than imagined; the difficulty lay in making it easy to understand, because most of the new recruits who were recruited couldn't even write their own names.

There would have to be someone to explain it later.

The Rongshan disciples had been practicing for a long time and would not change their own basic mental cultivation methods, but they could understand the teaching materials at a glance and could also teach the new recruits.

This was also an important gimmick for the Yangshan Archipelago to recruit new people from the outside. No matter how basic the mental cultivation method was, civilians couldn't learn it unless they joined the army or a sect.

In chaotic times, who wouldn't want to have martial power to rely on? This was also a guarantee of safety for themselves and their families.

Lei Ni smiled: "Then aren't you the Chief Instructor?"

Qiu Hu scratched his head; that was true.

"Training must be strict, rewards and punishments must be clear, diet must be excellent, and wages must be paid on time." He Lingchuan only gave him five requirements. "In addition, don't let them form cliques."

"The base numbers of pirates and Bailong people are both large, so it's not easy to break them up and mix them." Qiu Hu said in a deep voice, "I will pay attention."

"The recruitment and training of the Guard will be the top priority of the Yangshan Archipelago from now on, and others must also cooperate with you." He Lingchuan said sternly, "Hurry up and train a good team for me! After these few days are over, I will go to the army to check the progress."

"Yes!"

Qiu Hu knew very well that He Lingchuan's emphasis on the Guard was even greater than on his own business.

Without martial power to escort it, wealth was a curse.

What's more, he vaguely felt that He Lingchuan's goal was far more than this, far more than the Yangshan Archipelago.

To practice martial arts and strengthen the army, time was pressing.

Lei Ni hesitated to speak.

He Lingchuan looked at her: "What is it?"

"Maybe I'm meddling, but..." Lei Ni glanced at Qiu Hu, "...?"

Qiu Hu nodded: "Yes."

These Bailong people were tribal warriors themselves, having been on the battlefield and killed people. Although several were still injured, they could easily defeat ordinary people.

Battlefield screening had always been the most ruthless.

"But only a dozen of their family members live on the island, at least only a dozen reported to me. I only saw a few Bailong children playing in the camp, and they didn't appear again later."

Lei Ni managed the farm labor on the island. According to the order, new personnel usually had to report to her for the convenience of future management. "Many of the laborers we recruited are alone, but more are bringing their families, after all, it's inconvenient to enter and leave the island. Men do heavy labor, and women, children, and the elderly squeeze fruit, clean, cook, and wash clothes. This way, the whole family earns money together, and not a single copper coin is missed."

Everyone fell silent; what Lei Ni said was the truth. The family was the basic unit of productivity.

Lei Ni continued: "Even for the original pirates, the Island Master required them to move their families to the island. Many moved to the island as a whole village. Could it be that these hundreds of Bailong people didn't bring their relatives south?"

Bringing family members to live on the island, whether they were pirates or farmers, would make them more attached to the archipelago, have a greater sense of belonging, and be more willing to work for it. This was also He Lingchuan's goal.

Conversely, what kind of people would specifically not bring their families when coming to the island to work, and still have hundreds of strong men sign up together?

There were a thousand and one chores on the island, and He Lingchuan's subordinates each had their own responsibilities.

Qiu Hu managed military affairs, and Lei Ni managed labor. When everyone swept the snow in front of their own doors, there were many gaps in between, and many loopholes were easily ignored by others.

Once Lei Ni brought this up, everyone felt something was wrong.

Min Tianxi even said: "The Ya people are irritable and fond of martial arts, perhaps they don't harbor good intentions."

He Lingchuan gave a hum: "It doesn't matter, it's all because we needed people urgently. How were these six hundred Bailong people recruited?"

The initial recruitment of the Yangshan Archipelago happened to coincide with the palm harvest season, focusing on the more the better; as long as a person could work, it was fine, and there was no qualification to be picky, so he didn't blame everyone.

Qiu Hu immediately said: "For many years, the Bailong tribe was supported by the Mou Kingdom, so after the Ya Kingdom was founded, they began to liquidate them and have been suppressing their tribe. The Bailong chieftain raised an army to rebel, but the news leaked and was suppressed by the Ya Kingdom in advance. The chieftain died, and the Bailong tribe was driven out of the Ya Kingdom."

The affairs of the neighbors were easily spread to the Qing Kingdom and Baili; Blade Edge Port was crowded with commercial goods and was itself a transit station for news in the vicinity.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 982 =====