Chapter 1001: Weighing the Options

Two red lights flashed across He Lingchuan's body, and a talisman in his embrace shattered with a snap. Neither of the two talismans could withstand Wan Qisong's furious strike!

It's done, it's a success!

Wan Qisong was overjoyed, letting out a long roar: "He Lingchuan is dead! He Lingchuan is dead!" His voice carried for several miles.

He had struck with such force that the head rolled onto the road, leaving a trail of crimson blood. The head lay just half a step from the grass, splattered with some mud, but in the glaring light of the streetlamp, Wan Qisong and Wang Xiang, who was approaching, could still clearly make out his features. It was indeed Island Lord He, with a look of terror and eyes still wide open in death!

Wan Qisong leaped over, picked up the head from the ground, and examined it carefully under the streetlamp's white light. It was unmistakably He Lingchuan. He couldn't help but laugh heartily, then casually tied the head to the side of his belt.

Just then, Qiu Hu, having breached the encirclement, roared "Master!" and his long spear shot forth like lightning. Wan Qisong dodged. Several arrows followed from the Yangshan people, which he blocked left and right. Qiu Hu tossed two Bailong men aside, charged forward on horseback, and brought his saber down directly at Wan Qisong's face. In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged several blows.

During the fight, Wan Qisong suddenly felt a lightness at his waist. Amidst the chaos, he looked down and saw a small, capped monkey dart out from somewhere, snatch the head from his belt, clutch it to its chest, and scurry back into the bushes with pained squeals, vanishing into the dense tree shadows in an instant.

Wan Qisong had seen this monkey before; it seemed to be He Lingchuan's medicinal ape.

The monkey took the head, while other Yangshan people carried away the body. Qiu Hu feigned two slashes, then rode away.

Wan Qisong laughed loudly, "Your master is gone, Qiu Da, why not surrender to me? I'll even make you a commanding general!"

Qiu Hu's face was grim. He merely pulled back his spear, turned his horse, and rode away, shouting, "Back to the Hot Spring Villa, quickly!" With the Island Lord dead, he was now the backbone and highest commander, and the Yangshan Guards immediately followed him.

The Bailong soldiers pursued for a dozen paces before stopping. With their primary target dead, their offensive was no longer as fierce. Wan Qisong, clear-headed, ordered, "Release the signal arrows, we're going to the docks!" His subordinate asked, "Aren't we pursuing them to the Hot Spring Villa?"

"What's the rush?" Wan Qisong replied. "The Hot Spring Villa has high walls, guards, and a hundred elites from Mu State officials. Let's not provoke them for now; we'll stick to the original plan. Come on, let's seize the docks and Lake Ding first." All important structures on Suoding Island were near the docks. The Bailong forces would secure them first, then consolidate their strength before considering the Hot Spring Villa. He had no desire to offend the Mu State Imperial Advisor.

With He Lingchuan dead, conquering the entire island shouldn't be difficult. Who couldn't become the island lord? He Lingchuan's former subordinates had no resolve or need to resist stubbornly.

Wan Qisong, full of complacency, waved his hand, and the Bailong elite advanced along Qingyun Road toward the docks.

Wang Xiang, a Beijia man, remained behind. He calmly cast a spell to report the major developments here to Yu Zecheng. He held a round mirror, its surface misted like a bathroom mirror after a hot shower. Interestingly, the raindrops did not land on the mirror; they were kept away by an invisible barrier. Wang Xiang wrote on the mirror's surface with his finger. The writing there would instantly transform into water stains on Yu Zecheng's tray.

Right at the battle scene, atop the glowing spores that served as streetlights, a tiny eyeball spider squatted, its bulging eyes pointed downward. It could see the words Wang Xiang wrote on the mirror: "Wan Qisong decapitated He Lingchuan, heading to the docks."

Once the writing was complete, the mirror quickly fogged over. Wang Xiang stood in place, holding the mirror, waiting for further instructions. Just a few breaths later, two words appeared on the mirror by themselves: "Confirmed?" This was a query from Yu Zecheng. This mirror communication method was secret and fast, but its effective range was less than fifteen li.

Wang Xiang wrote: "Witnessed personally; Wan Qisong tied the head to his waist, but it was later snatched back by the other party."

After a while, the mirror no longer formed words on its own, suggesting Yu Zecheng had no new instructions. Only then did Wang Xiang put away the round mirror and stride after the Bailong soldiers. But he had only run a dozen paces when two arrows suddenly shot out from the roadside. Wang Xiang quickly dodged, only to see several dark figures appear before him. He was about to retaliate when his lower back suddenly went numb, as if stung by something, and his body became paralyzed. Immediately after, a fist the size of a sand bowl appeared in his vision... This outnumbered fight ended exceptionally quickly.

The attackers dragged him into the dark undergrowth by the roadside, then took the mirror from his embrace and examined it carefully. The blood on the road also mysteriously vanished.

Inside Nuangxiang Pavilion.

The water stains on the tray had long since dissolved, but Yu Zecheng was still staring at it blankly. He Lingchuan was dead? He Lingchuan just like that, dead? He Lingchuan, who had once stirred up trouble with the Prince of Chiyan in Lingxu City and managed to escape safely, was dead tonight at the hands of a brute?

Just now, when the Bailong people had an internal dispute, Yu Zecheng felt that things would go awry. Wan Qifeng had taken away the main force; could Wan Qisong and his hundred-plus men truly threaten He Lingchuan? Pressuring Wan Qisong to act was just a tentative attempt, as he had nothing to lose. However, Wang Xiang then informed him that it was indeed possible. Wang Xiang had been present, witnessing He Lingchuan's decapitation with his own eyes. This was truly an unexpected turn of events. What good news, delivered right to his doorstep! Yu Zecheng pressed his temples and suddenly burst into laughter.

His confidant, who had just poured more wine into the pot, also saw the secret message in the water stains and couldn't help but whisper, "My lord, could He Lingchuan be faking his death?"

"If He Lingchuan were faking his death to lure us into action," Yu Zecheng replied, "the best method would be to pretend to be severely wounded and retreat, not to be beheaded. That would be less difficult and safer." If Wang Xiang's message had been that He Lingchuan was ambushed, severely wounded, or unconscious, Yu Zecheng would not have considered acting at all. That would have been a blatant feigned death. Could such a transparent trick deceive him, Yu Zecheng?

"It's difficult to fake death after being decapitated," Yu Zecheng said, leaning back. "As I recall these past few days, I do remember Wan Qisong. He was once a fierce general in Ya State, known as the 'Decapitation Fiend,' having personally cut off at least two hundred heads." He looked at his confidant. "Do you know why they loved cutting off heads?"

"To calculate military merits?" His confidant had also heard of the Ya State tribes' method for calculating military achievements.

"More than that," Yu Zecheng chuckled. "There are supernatural secret arts in the world said to revive the dead, but they cannot be performed without the head. Furthermore, if an opponent uses a secret art like a substitute puppet, then their head wouldn't fall off with a single slash. So, whether an enemy is truly dead or alive can be determined by a single decapitation."

If a substitute puppet takes effect, the master avoids death, and of course, their head wouldn't fall off. Conversely, if He Lingchuan's head was indeed severed, then he didn't use a substitute puppet.

"Even if we take a step back, no matter how careless Wan Qisong might be, he wouldn't be mistaken about the sensation of killing. And he even tied the head to his waist, which shows he had confirmed it."

In summary, He Lingchuan was most likely dead.

Of course, he hadn't forgotten the mirage demon by Zhu Erniang's side. This type of monster wasn't skilled in combat but could create all sorts of strange illusions. Their current elemental energy wasn't abundant enough to easily see through its tricks. However, those who plan and execute major undertakings usually find it difficult to account for extremely low-probability incidents. Besides, a general as ruthless as Wan Qisong, even if he couldn't see through the mirage demon's illusions, would surely know whether he had actually decapitated someone, wouldn't he?

Yu Zecheng pressed his brow. He wished he had been at the scene of the decapitation; one look would have told him what to do next.

His confidant stepped forward and whispered, "My lord, what's next?" With Island Lord He dead, Suoding Island was in chaos—wasn't this a perfect opportunity to deal with the Cavern Spider Queen?

Yu Zecheng's face was expressionless. "Hold your ground."

"Huh? Still holding our ground?" the confidant stammered. "...Yes."

"Pay attention to news from the docks and Ye Qing. Where has the Spider Queen gone?"

"It was just heading towards He Lingchuan along Qingyun Road, seemingly to rescue him. But it turned back halfway and went southeast."

"Wan Qisong's loud shouts were too arrogant; they carried all the way to Nuangxiang Pavilion. The Spider Queen might have heard them too." Yu Zecheng frowned. "What's in the southeast of the island?" He immediately brought up the sand table and zoomed in.

The southeastern end of Suoding Island was mostly undeveloped, covered by dense forests. Did Zhu Erniang intend to hide in the dense woods, waiting for the hurricane to pass before escaping by sea?

The confidant suddenly pointed to the sand table. "There seems to be a boathouse on the southeastern shore, where fishing boats usually dock, keeping separate from Suoding Island's commercial ships that crowd the northern docks." Commercial and fishing vessels were moored separately on Suoding Island.

It was likely that boatmen were staying with the fishing boats on shore. Was Zhu Erniang planning to escape by boat? She must have known that once He Lingchuan died, Yu Zecheng would certainly deal with her. So now she preferred to flee to sea rather than remain on the island. Furthermore, an ancient immortal like her, with extraordinary abilities, might not die even entering the sea during a hurricane. Conversely, given that she dared to come ashore on Suoding Island tonight, did she have a way to ensure she wouldn't be trapped?

"Where are our people?"

The confidant closed the doors and windows, pointing to a small dot on the sand table. "They just headed to White Monkey Gorge. This location is very close to both the docks and Qingyun Road. If the Cavern Spider Queen retreats south, they can hurry to intercept her. But the Spider Queen is very fast, and time-wise..."

Time was tight; once the Spider Queen slipped away to the coast, they would lose track of her. Their pollen bee compass, which they had been using, had already malfunctioned. It was unclear whether the marked small spiders were drenched in rain or if the Spider Queen had made them all jump into the sea for a bath, but in any case, the bee larvae's mucus had been washed away. If the Spider Queen made an emergency move, it would take considerable effort to track her down again. So, what exactly had the Beijia people been bustling about on the Yangshan Archipelago all these days?

Yu Zecheng faced a choice. From the moment Wan Qisong decapitated He Lingchuan, the situation had abruptly changed, developing in the best possible direction—so good that it was hard for him to believe. Now, should he make a move against Zhu Erniang?

As he hesitated, unable to decide, his confidant finished viewing another water mirror and came to report: "The docks are in disarray, and Wan Qisong will reach them soon. Also, Ye Qing is asking for instructions: should they act?"

Yu Zecheng turned to look at the sand table. In no more than another quarter of an hour, his team would miss the optimal interception time.