Chapter 983: Sell It to Me

He Lingchuan tapped his fingers on the table twice: "This 'someone else' is really kind." Ding Zuodong lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Others had set a trap, just waiting for He Lingchuan to take a wrong step.

Who was it that wanted to plot against them, the Yashan Chamber of Commerce, or...? He Lingchuan gave a hum: "Flies buzzing and dogs barking, no wonder Baili is going downhill."

In this second round, the Lu father and son still used a combination punch, wanting to break his capital chain in the shortest possible time.

He Lingchuan's response was actually very simple: as long as the Yangshan Archipelago operated normally and got on the right track, the delusions of the Lu father and son would only be shattered.

The business world is like a battlefield; open guns are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. It was also a good opportunity to use these cumbersome, trivial, and ubiquitous traps and landmines to train his own internal affairs team.

Internal affairs and external military, both need to train troops.

Otherwise, when the territory expands later and the population is larger, it will be even more difficult to govern.

Ding Zuodong, Lei Ni, and others are smart, bright, and enthusiastic, but they have never held high positions and have never participated in high-end business wars. Only through the tempering of practice and the lessons of reality can they have the opportunity to stand out, become the backbone of the team, and become extraordinary in the eyes of others.

Otherwise, they will always be stewards of second-rate families, just small individual households in supply stations.

How many people have talent but no opportunity; what they lack is just an opportunity.

He Lingchuan certainly knew that the internal affairs team needed to expand, because the development of the Yangshan Archipelago would definitely usher in an explosive period, because he would definitely collect Baili in the future, and even...

Therefore, he needed talents in all aspects. For those who couldn't be recruited for the time being, he would select and cultivate them himself.

The conversation in the hall reached its end, and a white egret flew in from the air, landing on He Lingchuan's courtyard wall, quacking loudly:

"There is a visiting card! There is a visiting card!"

This bird was snow-white all over, without a trace of miscellaneous color except for its sharp beak and long legs, and it was extremely elegant when walking by the sea, but it broke its image as soon as it opened its mouth, its voice as hoarse and unpleasant as a crow's.

Lingguang hurried over to collect the letter.

After the baleful energy faded, birds began to settle on the Yangshan Archipelago, among which egrets were the most numerous, standing densely on the trees, as if a winter snow had fallen.

He Lingchuan appointed egrets as messengers between the islands, and the transmission speed was very fast.

The gold-stamped visiting card was very exquisite, with light-colored cloud patterns on the surface.

He opened it and looked at it for two seconds, and his expression became solemn.

Qiu Hu asked: "Lord?"

"Beijia has sent someone." He Lingchuan put down the visiting card, "I've been waiting for them for a long time, they finally came!"

This time, the Beijia guest was formally landing on the island to submit a visiting card, so the first stop was Suoding Island.

He Lingchuan rushed to Suoding Island, the destination was not the supply station, but the Hot Spring Villa in the back.

This hot spring inn was one of the first buildings built on the island, currently small in scale, with ten spring eyes and only twenty-seven or twenty-eight guest rooms.

It would certainly be expanded later, but due to price issues, the occupancy rate of the hot spring inn was not high now.

Beijia's guests, of course, were qualified to stay here.

Warm Fragrance Studio was the largest teahouse in the Hot Spring Villa, with three floors, each floor not small in area, and a single floor could accommodate more than twenty tables.

But there were fewer tea tables on the first floor, because the space under the storytelling stage had been cleared, and a huge backgammon board was placed there.

It covered at least thirteen or fourteen square meters, and the engraved mountain and river patterns were exquisite; adults could stand directly on it.

The backgammon pieces were called "horses," shaped like bowling pins. This super-large chessboard was naturally equipped with super-large pieces, and the height of the black and white horses was level with the waist.

Backgammon was popular in both Beijia and the Mou Kingdom, and it was unknown where this chess technique was passed from; from nobles to commoners, everyone liked to use it to pass the time.

He Lingchuan made many friends in Beijia, and backgammon was indispensable when gathering to play.

Its rules were simple but flexible and changeable; brains and luck were both indispensable.

The Hot Spring Villa would provide guests with various entertainment, and playing chess was certainly one of them.

However, the sea guests staying at the hot spring inn were seeing such a huge and domineering backgammon board for the first time, and everyone who came to see it would click their tongues in wonder.

He Lingchuan came from a world that liked to engage in giant projects, and he specifically found craftsmen to build such an eye-catching scene in the Warm Fragrance Studio, just to leave a deep impression on the passing guests.

But the giant chessboard placed on the ground floor was not just a gimmick; it was truly usable.

Those who wanted to play chess had to step into the chessboard and move the pieces themselves.

This step was called "entering the game."

The chess players had to truly walk in.

And because the chessboard and pieces were so large, guests on the second and third floors could see the game downstairs clearly by leaning on the railing.

This made it convenient for everyone to watch masters play chess.

It was still early, and there were six or seven people in the hall, but He Lingchuan saw at a glance that the temperament of the guest by the window was different.

There were three guests, but only one was sitting and drinking tea, and the other two were standing behind him.

The distinction between superior and inferior was clear.

He Lingchuan stepped over the threshold, and the other party was still sipping tea, not even lifting his head.

Is this the main person? He Lingchuan was not annoyed, sat down by himself, and said with a smile: "A rare guest. Should I call you Mr. Yu, or Captain Yu?"

The name of the person who signed the visiting card he just received was "Yu Zecheng," Captain of the Cloud Banner of the Beijia Black Tiger Army.

This person was about thirty years old, with a long face, flying eyebrows, broad shoulders and a strong body, and dark skin. He Lingchuan could see at a glance that this person had been on the battlefield for a long time.

That kind of iron-blooded taste could only be cultivated on the battlefield.

Yu Zecheng then looked up at He Lingchuan, slightly stunned, as if he also felt the military aura from him: "Both are fine. Have you also fought in wars?"

"Yes."

"Where? When?"

Wang Fubao, who was standing behind He Lingchuan, frowned secretly. Questioning the host so brazenly as soon as he came up, how could there be such a guest? It was usurping the host's role.

However, the other party was a Beijia military general. The two words "Beijia," in places outside the Mou Kingdom, were almost a gold-lettered signboard and a capital to walk sideways.

The maid of the Warm Fragrance Studio also brought hot tea over. He Lingchuan took the cup casually, lifted the lid to skim the foam on top, and answered nonchalantly: "Hometown, a few years ago."

His attitude was gentle but not fawning, and there was no fear of facing the Beijia superior country, as if he were just chatting with someone.

Yu Zecheng asked again: "Where is your hometown?"

"Fu Kingdom."

Yu Zecheng seemed a little surprised: "Can Fu Kingdom produce a character like you?"

"People from Fu Kingdom love to do business wherever they go." He Lingchuan said leisurely, "Didn't you also just land from my supply station?"

Yu Zecheng's eyebrows moved, knowing that he had pointed him out; this was the territory of his Island Master He.

"I heard that you just bought the Yangshan Archipelago."

"Yes, this is a blessed land. I didn't want to leave when I passed by, so I just bought it to operate."

Yu Zecheng asked again: "How much did you buy it for?"

"Mr. Yu must have also 'heard' about it."

"The price of eighty thousand taels?" When the Beijia people heard this price at Blade Edge Port, they also felt incredible, once thinking that the rumor was wrong, "Baili must have been very embarrassed at that time."

He Lingchuan sipped his tea: "Who says it isn't?"

At that time, the Lu father and son were in a hurry to raise money and food to support the Mou Kingdom, so He Lingchuan took advantage of it; if it were now, the price would probably not be bought even if it doubled.

"I also think this place is very good." Yu Zecheng said seriously, "How about Island Master He reselling it to me?"

"Oh?" This move was far beyond He Lingchuan's expectations, and the next second he laughed loudly, "Mr. Yu is really good at joking!"

"I rarely joke." Yu Zecheng continued, "For this archipelago, how much would Island Master He be willing to part with? Thirty thousand taels?"

"Most of the islands here are barren, just with good scenery and fresh seafood." He Lingchuan asked with a smile, "What is Mr. Yu buying this archipelago for?"

"The same as you."

He Lingchuan shook his head: "How is that possible? I want to live here for a long time."

No one could fully understand his goal in buying the Yangshan Archipelago. If there was any similarity between Mr. Yu's purpose and his, it was probably that both had impure motives? "Fifty thousand taels?"

"Mr. Yu is humorous." He Lingchuan asked the maid to refill Yu Zecheng's tea, "You came out to fight, do you also carry so much money with you?"

Beijia's Black Tiger Army is an elite army active on the front line of fighting the Mou Kingdom. Mr. Yu's detour to the rear of the Mou Kingdom to act is itself a risk.

"Money is by your side, eliminating disasters and solving problems." Yu Zecheng continued to bid, "One million taels."

He Lingchuan smiled: "If I keep refusing to nod, will Mr. Yu bid up to five million taels?"

A sharp light flashed in Yu Zecheng's eyes: "Five million taels, ten archipelagos like this could be bought, why is Island Master He unwilling to sell?"

He Lingchuan looked at him, eyes meeting: "Five million taels, ten archipelagos like this could be bought, why must Mr. Yu buy Yangshan? As far as I know, there are several archipelagos to the east, the area is not smaller than Yangshan, and the conditions are not worse than Yangshan. Their owners must be very willing to sell at this price."

Yu Zecheng looked at him steadily, his gaze like a blade.

He Lingchuan's expression was calm, not avoiding it.

After a while, Yu Zecheng suddenly changed the subject: "How is the hot spring here?"

"Very good." He Lingchuan suddenly became energetic, and didn't say any polite words like distinguished guests coming from afar, just saying that the seawater hot spring here was exceptionally comfortable, soaking for a long time relieved fatigue, and long-distance travelers praised it endlessly.

"Then I will have to try it later." Yu Zecheng seemed to be fascinated, even with a smile on his face, and the next sentence was, "On these islands of yours, is there a giant spider demon living here?"

Wang Fubao on the side secretly said: It's here.

These Beijia people finally cut into the theme.

But this turn was a bit urgent, easy to make people flash their waists, and couldn't connect the words.

Yu Zecheng had been observing He Lingchuan's expression, not letting go of any subtle changes.

He Lingchuan was obviously stunned, and then asked: "Pig demon?"

After saying that, he stretched out his index and middle fingers on both hands and shook them, simulating four legs.

"Not a pig." Yu Zecheng had to explain, "Spider."

He Lingchuan gave a long "Oh": "Spider demon—"

"—Yes, there is a spider demon, they live on one of the islands."

Giving the answer so crisply, Yu Zecheng was a little surprised. He was originally prepared for He Lingchuan to deny it, and had also thought of countermeasures.

Who knew that the other party didn't cover up, didn't lie, and admitted it so frankly.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 984 =====