Chapter 982: Discovering the Clues

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

Ever since the baleful energy vanished from this place, the number of small creatures visiting Bone Stick Reef had increased.

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

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

The two crabs were so frightened they scurried under a rock.

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.

The moment it hit the ground, a spider lunged out from the crevice and sprayed a few more mouthfuls of spider silk at it.

This thing 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 at all, and in a few moments, it was rolled into a wriggling cocoon.

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

￥￥￥￥￥

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

He had many new ideas 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 small and relatively quiet, and on the other, it was located exactly in the center of the fourteen islands, making it close to everywhere.

How could Ding Zuodong dare to be careless with the island master's residence? Previously, he wanted to hire the best craftsmen within a hundred miles, but He Lingchuan only said that building a few wooden houses would suffice. Money, energy, and time should be spent where they mattered most; his personal enjoyment could be pushed back.

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

Taking advantage of the few days he was away, Ding Zuodong had ordered people to paint his new residence. He Lingchuan walked inside, and the scent of fresh wood was everywhere.

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

It could be expanded later on.

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

Then, he fell asleep.

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

He climbed out, dried himself off, changed into a new set of clothes, and went out to see 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 issued!"

"Oh? Did Commissioner Wu soften his stance?"

The group burst into laughter.

"He softened. All the permits we needed to operate in Blade Edge Port—for palm oil, medicinal herbs, aquatic products, spider silk, fruits and vegetables, and so on—have all been issued, and several blanks were even reserved! All our shops are also authorized to open; the facilities inside have passed inspection, and no one will come to cause trouble again."

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 Lu family of Bailie and Commissioner Wu had teamed up to scheme against him and make things difficult for him; if it were any other merchant, they would surely have been doomed, right? Fortunately, he held many cards and was able to 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 overly exuberant and wanted to remain reserved, but he truly couldn't help it—facing the Lu family's underhanded tactics recently had been too stifling. "The sailors on Commissioner Wu's ships are telling everyone that the Wu family obtained safe routes from us to avoid the Yin-Hui! Just in these past few days, the number of ships passing through Suoding Island has multiplied several times over!"

As long as Commissioner Wu continued to support him, 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 his next plan.

"Has 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 a single morning."

"Send more staff and provide better service."

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

He Lingchuan turned 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 process had already concluded. Even though He Lingchuan had repeatedly asked Qiu Hu to lower the standards, only five hundred of the eighteen hundred farmers and laborers who applied were accepted.

The final confirmed number of guard members was over fifteen hundred, a not insignificant elimination rate.

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

"The pirates have a better foundation, and the people from the Bailong tribe are also very good; several female soldiers handle their blades and swords 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, with each teaching over a hundred recruits."

"We started by 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 had the Yangshan Guard learn basic mental cultivation methods, though the selection was narrowed from five methods to three: two obtained from Panlongcheng and one being the Rongshan mental method.

He had written the relevant teaching materials during his return trip from Platinum Island and distributed them after arriving on his own turf.

He spent five days writing them during the five-day voyage.

This task was harder than imagined, difficult because it had to be written in a simple and easy-to-understand way, as most of the newly recruited soldiers couldn't even write their own names.

There would still need to be specialized personnel to explain it later.

The Rongshan disciples had been practicing for a long time and would not change their own basic mental methods, but they could understand the 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, commoners couldn't learn it unless they joined the army or a Daoist sect.

In troubled 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 and said: "Then doesn't that make you the head instructor?"

Qiu Hu scratched his head; that was true.

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

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

"The recruitment and training of the guard will be the top priority of the Yangshan Archipelago from now on, and others must cooperate with you," He Lingchuan said sternly. "Hurry up and train me a good team! Once I'm done with these few days, 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 that on his own business.

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

Moreover, he vaguely sensed that He Lingchuan's goal went far beyond this, far beyond the Yangshan Archipelago.

To practice martial arts and strengthen the troops, time was of the essence.

Lei Ni hesitated, wanting to say something.

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

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

Qiu Hu nodded: "Yes."

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

Battlefield screening had always been the most ruthless.

"But only about a dozen of their family members live on the island, at least only a dozen have reported to me. I only saw a few Bailong children playing in the camp, and they haven't appeared since."

Lei Ni managed the farm laborers on the island. According to the procedure, new personnel usually had to report to her for easier management later. "Many of the laborers we recruit are on their own, but more bring their families, as it's inconvenient to enter and leave the islands. The men do the heavy labor, while the women, children, and elderly press fruit, clean, cook, and wash clothes. This way, the whole family earns money, and not even half a copper is missed."

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

Lei Ni continued: "Even the original pirates were required by the island master to move their families to the island. Many moved whole villages onto the island. Could it be that these hundreds of Bailong people didn't bring any relatives south?"

Having families live on the island, whether they were pirates or laborers, would make them more attached and have a greater sense of belonging to the archipelago, and they would 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 why would hundreds of able-bodied 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 only swept the snow from their own doorsteps, there were many gaps to be exploited and many loopholes easily overlooked.

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

Min Tianxi even said: "The Ya people are irritable and martial; perhaps they harbor no good intentions."

He Lingchuan gave a hum: "No 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, that was enough. There were no qualifications to be picky, so he didn't blame the others.

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 settle scores and suppressed their tribe. The Bailong chieftain raised an army to revolt, but the news leaked, and they were suppressed by the Ya Kingdom in advance. The chieftain died, and the Bailong tribe was driven out of the Ya Kingdom."

The affairs of a neighbor were easily spread to the Qing Kingdom and Bailie; Blade Edge Port was a gathering place for merchants and a transit point for news in the vicinity.

(End of chapter)