Chapter 999: Adding Another Debuff

He Lingchuan said modestly, "You flatter me, Senior. This place was put together in a rush, and there are still many shortcomings." It was a pity that the island was packed with people tonight—some busy unloading cargo, some busy with windproofing and reinforcements, some busy moving supplies, and some busy escorting guests to their lodgings... It was impossible to associate the place with the words "quiet" or "leisurely."

Two large patches of turf had been worn away.

Wang Xingyi nodded. "Hmm, you need to plan this place properly."

What kind of discernment did he have? In his eyes, Suoding Island was "in need of planning" everywhere.

How could He Lingchuan not know this? But he was truly too busy, unable to be in two places at once, and his subordinates lacked the relevant expertise.

The expansion of Suoding Island was currently only aimed at functional integrity; as long as it was roughly usable, that was enough. As for whether the zoning was reasonable, the architecture aesthetic, or the service attentive—those were matters for the next step, or the steps after that.

One must eat a meal one bite at a time; these things had to be pushed to the back of the line.

"Why not seek help from Fang Canran? He is an expert in this field."

Fang Canran also smiled. "I still have to wait for a batch of goods to circulate, so I can stay here for seven or eight days."

He Lingchuan was overjoyed. "Good, good, good. My islands are saved."

Fang Canran managed all the industries of the Golden Horn family in Lingxu City and had personally groomed several large gardens until they were as picturesque as poetry. Helping him perfect the planning on Suoding Island would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it? In He Lingchuan's vision, only Suoding Island and two or three other islands adjacent to the shipping lanes were open to the public, offering a one-stop service for docking, leisure, business, dining, and entertainment, with a focus on enhancing the image project.

As for the remaining thirty-odd islands, while the number sounded high, most were actually unsuitable for habitation. Aside from the Fourteenth Island currently under development, there were seven or eight others that could be utilized later, mainly for agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and, most importantly, military purposes.

Outsiders would not be permitted to set foot in those places.

He Lingchuan’s gaze often wandered. Seeing this, Fang Canran said in a low voice, "Have we come at a bad time?"

"What are you talking about!" He Lingchuan laughed and patted his shoulder. "You came at a great time—haha, you came at such a perfect time!"

Only he himself knew that this was a bitter smile.

What kind of auspicious day was tonight, anyway? The Mou Kingdom, the Beijia, the Bailong people, plus He Lingchuan himself—the four parties could gather at a table to play mahjong.

At this moment, a large spider crawled out from the shadows of the trees and strolled along the main street as if no one else were there.

Wang Xingyi was well-traveled and knowledgeable, but this was his first time seeing such a robust giant spider demon. He couldn't help but be startled, taking a few extra looks before saying, "Is this a Cave Spider Queen?"

Although this monster looked ferocious and frightened the surrounding travelers into backing away several steps—with the timid ones already preparing to turn and flee—the merchants along the street on Suoding Island were exceptionally calm. They went about their business and greeted their guests without the slightest alarm.

It was evident that this big fellow was a local regular.

"Exactly," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "It usually lives on Pan Si Island, but occasionally comes to Suoding Island to buy things."

The group indeed saw the large spider walk up to a food stall and order a jar of aged wine, smashing the mud seal directly and slurping it up.

In less than a few dozen breaths, it had finished a jar, more satisfyingly than He Lingchuan used to gulp down glass bottles of soda.

The stall owner was unfazed and brought over another jar.

Someone passing by greeted it, "Second Mother, you’re here again?"

The Spider Queen ignored him.

By the time He Lingchuan, Wang Xingyi, and the others walked away, it was still drinking.

Fang Canran even asked He Lingchuan, "Is this Cave Spider Queen...?"

With many people around, he didn't finish the question: Is it the partner who caused a scene in the Heavenly Palace with you?

But He Lingchuan understood his meaning immediately and nodded. "Yes."

At this moment, Qiu Hu ran over and whispered two sentences to him.

The content was simple: there were about a hundred Bailong people at the pier, twice as many as previously arranged. However, with more and more large ships arriving at the shore, guests needed to be guided and cargo needed to be loaded and unloaded; it was busy everywhere, and no matter how many hands they had, it never seemed enough.

If He Lingchuan hadn't given instructions earlier, no one would have noticed this variable.

On the night of the hurricane, Suoding Island had only one theme:

Chaos.

Immediately after, Zhu Xiuer's voice reached He Lingchuan's ears via telepathy: "The Imperial Nectar is coming soon. I can feel it!"

She was an old demon of many years, and her perception of celestial phenomena exceeded that of ordinary humans. If she said the Imperial Nectar was coming, there was an eighty percent chance she was right.

He Lingchuan looked up and sighed silently.

Of all the coincidences, was the Imperial Nectar really going to descend tonight? Heaven really knew how to cause him trouble.

The Imperial Nectar was indeed a good thing that all living beings craved, but appearing tonight would surely make the situation on Suoding Island even more chaotic.

Hurricane plus Imperial Nectar—a double kill.

Zhu Xiuer asked him, "What do you intend to do?"

"Solve the troubles one by one; they cannot pile up," He Lingchuan said decisively. "Move the operation forward, prepare to act! Don't wait for the hurricane to truly arrive!"

Since the Bailong people and Yu Zecheng had chosen their time to act, the key to He Lingchuan’s counter-strategy lay in disrupting their rhythm! The progress and pace of this battle had to be firmly controlled in his own hands!

"Oh."

At this moment, Dong Rui's voice intruded: "Oh my, you're not going to be the bait anymore? What a pity, what a pity. I still wanted to see how you’d lose your head!"

Zhu Xiuer asked curiously, "How do you know he’d lose his head if he acted as bait?"

"I heard that Wanqi Song likes to behead people in battle and display them on a shelf as trophies afterward."

In these chaotic times, this wasn't exactly an extraordinary hobby.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror in his pocket also joined in the fun: "Oh? You originally intended to let Wanqi Song chop off your head? People who chop off heads a lot have a feel for it; can you fool him?"

Without waiting for its master to answer, it continued on its own: "It seems possible... Let me think, it seems it is possible."

He Lingchuan couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the three of them chattering away. The current situation was becoming increasingly chaotic and subtle; one wrong move would mean total defeat. He was under a lot of pressure.

Sweeping his gaze over the distinguished guests tonight, he suddenly said to Wang Xingyi and Fang Canran, "Pardon the intrusion, but the pier is crowded and noisy tonight. How about I escort the State Preceptor to the Hot Spring Lodge? The small villa there was only completed a few days ago; the environment is quiet, undisturbed by noise, and it comes with its own hot spring pool. You can relieve your fatigue after dinner."

"Oh?" Wang Xingyi's eyes lit up as soon as he heard this. "Good, good, interesting."

Fang Canran smiled. "My Martial Uncle loves hot springs the most; he used to go three or four times a month in the Mou capital."

The bustling activity at the Suoding Island pier was indeed too noisy and grating for guests of this caliber. Aside from wars and celebrations, Wang Xingyi hadn't heard such clamor in a long time.

Without further ado, He Lingchuan led the distinguished guests leisurely through the main street toward Qingyun Road.

Those hundred-odd elites were imposing and outstanding, and with He Lingchuan accompanying them at their side, this group attracted the eyes of onlookers wherever they went, like stars surrounding the moon.

Many old captains and regular customers greeted He Lingchuan one after another.

(End of chapter)