Chapter 1036: Reciprocity

Chapter 1026: Tit for Tat

Lu Zhensheng was the one who broke the silence: "By the way, what's the situation at Blade Port?"

The two places were less than forty li apart, so news traveled quickly. Lu Qing'an already knew that nearly three thousand trees had fallen at Blade Port, and twelve ships were lost. Although they had been docked, several smaller vessels were still swept ashore and smashed to splinters. There were 610 deaths, over 2,100 injuries, and countless warehouses, goods, and houses destroyed. The simultaneous arrival of Emperor's Nectar and the hurricane would overwhelm any administrator, not just those in Bailie. For the past two days, Blade Port had been busy with post-disaster cleanup, with white cloths commonly seen hanging from doorways throughout the streets. It seemed Blade Port's losses were much greater than Bailie's. Lu Zhensheng nodded, feeling a bit better when comparing their misfortunes.

Blade Port's Maritime Affairs Bureau had only predicted the hurricane, not the arrival of Emperor's Nectar, and was caught completely off guard by the double blow. At this time, Emperor's Nectar seemed less like a blessing and more like a disaster!

Lu Qing'an, understanding his father, asked, "Father, are you asking about Yangshan Archipelago?" This time, the hurricane was also quite powerful, first making a direct landfall on the Yangshan Archipelago before slowly moving inland. Fortunately, the landfall point wasn't Blade Port, but several dozen li to the west. The strong winds and torrential rain continued for two days, as if the sky had sprung a leak, pouring down water relentlessly. Judging from this path, the Yangshan Archipelago, which bore the direct brunt of the typhoon's landfall, should have suffered the heaviest losses. With such divine assistance, Lu Zhensheng hoped that the young man named He would soon face misfortune after this ordeal. Besides, the Bailong people should also rebel amidst the chaos, right? Oh, and those Beijia bounty hunters too.

"He didn't even touch the dozens of ships from the Yasan Chamber of Commerce." It was a waste that they had even sent someone to hastily deliver news to Ding Zuodong. "His luck can't last forever, can it?"

"Current losses are unknown. News from the sea is blocked, and it takes several days to reach the mainland." With his throat burning again, Lu Qing'an poured himself a cup of warm tea to quench his thirst. "However, some merchants who stayed on Suoding Island during the hurricane said it was well-built, with safe harbors for ships and good accommodation, food, and drink for people ashore."

"The young man named He is alright?"

"Probably, otherwise, we would have heard."

Lu Zhensheng also felt a bit strange. Old Yu hadn't returned to report after the hurricane and was nowhere to be found. He had been swamped for the past few days and only remembered such a person now that he was resting. Hmm, could it be...? It shouldn't be, he reassured himself; there were many things to deal with during a hurricane. But he was still deeply disappointed; those Bailong people were truly useless! No wonder they were chased for a thousand miles by Ya Nation.

Before the hurricane, Old Yu had returned with a message that the Wanqi uncle-nephew duo were willing to cooperate and would act soon. At that time, Lu Zhensheng was greatly pleased, as the Wanqi duo's combat strength was well-known, and they had six hundred elite soldiers, making them the perfect "knife" for his scheme of killing with borrowed power. Who would have thought that after both the hurricane and Emperor's Nectar had passed, He Lingchuan seemed to be completely unharmed? Such a good opportunity was wasted.

Lu Qing'an added, "On the day the merchant ships and traders departed, Suoding Island was even selling elixirs refined from Emperor's Nectar."

"Selling what?" Lu Zhensheng couldn't believe his ears. "Say that again?"

"One thousand pills each of two kinds of elixirs refined from Emperor's Nectar," Lu Qing'an said, also finding it incredible. "Several merchants claimed they took them on the spot and found them effective, so they bought more for personal use or resale."

"How much Emperor's Nectar did the Yangshan Archipelago collect to be able to refine and sell elixirs?" Any force capable of this would not be a small one. Lu Zhensheng couldn't sit still and stood up, pacing. "Did the merchants say what exactly happened on the island?"

"They did. Suoding Island remained breezy throughout, with the hurricane constantly held at bay, making it much easier for them to collect Emperor's Nectar." Otherwise, both Emperor's Nectar and the heavy rain would have been swept away by the hurricane, making collection very difficult.

"The hurricane was blocked?" Lu Zhensheng nodded. "A barrier. The man named He also used a wind-resistant barrier." Barriers were nothing new; they used them at their own mansion, and not a single tile was blown off. The problem was the immense area of the Yangshan Archipelago and its scattered residential areas. Did the man named He set up wind-resistant barriers in every single location? That would be an enormous expense!

"When Emperor's Nectar arrived, Suoding Island distributed containers to them and had them stand on the open ground in front of the guesthouses, marked by white lines. A group of guards stood by with large clubs, ready to swing at anyone who crossed the line, knocking them unconscious and locking them indoors, thereby denying them the chance to collect Emperor's Nectar."

"After a dozen or so people were knocked down like this, everyone else became compliant and stood at their doorways, collecting Emperor's Nectar all night."

"Distributing containers, white lines as boundaries? And even having people waiting? This means they were prepared in advance." Lu Zhensheng grew suspicious as he listened. "Do you remember, two days before the hurricane, someone returned from the Yangshan Archipelago and told us..."

"Yes. At that time, He Lingchuan notified everyone that Emperor's Nectar would arrive within a few days and stated that the archipelago had already prepared all the necessary medicinal ingredients for refining elixirs. Those interested in refining medicine could purchase them the day after Emperor's Nectar arrived. It's said that the islanders were skeptical and discussed it amongst themselves."

The Lu family's spies, mingled among the islanders, also heard this and rushed back to report. Upon hearing it, the Lu father and son were greatly shocked. They had first-hand intelligence, as Lu Qinglin obtained it from Mou Nation; Blade Port did not, which explained their heavy losses. From where did He Lingchuan obtain such crucial information? Does this young man have some extra connections? Is there a powerful figure supporting him from behind?

"No wonder the Yangshan Archipelago acquired large quantities of medicinal ingredients some time ago." Lu Qing'an's face was grim. "Damn it, they evaded trouble again this time!"

"This young man has some tricks up his sleeve. His subordinates are just a motley crew, yet they didn't cause trouble or revolt for him on the night of Emperor's Nectar? This is getting increasingly strange." Lu Zhensheng frowned deeply. "Qing'an, we cannot let this young man gain a firm foothold, or we'll face trouble later."

Lu Qing'an nodded, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, recently, Third Uncle and Sixth Uncle have been in close business contact with He Lingchuan, and their relationship is growing warmer."

"Warmer?" Lu Zhensheng knew the temperaments of these two relatives best. Why warmer? It could only be because they were making money! "Are these two mixed up with our opponent?" He was somewhat irritated. "Are they out of their minds?"

Lu Qing'an lightly coughed. "I asked Third Uncle, and he said it's just business dealings, nothing more."

"Understood. I'll have a good talk with them!"

The next morning, Madam An, Lu Zhensheng's principal wife, rose and performed her ablutions, while also summoning the kitchen to prepare green lotus seed, red date, and millet porridge. At this time of year, green lotus seeds were scarce, but the Lu Mansion could naturally still procure them. These freshly peeled tender lotus seeds were known to strengthen the spleen, soothe dryness, benefit the stomach and intestines, and also improve skin elasticity and add radiance to a woman's complexion. However, before the lotus seed porridge arrived, a servant rushed in to report: "On the table in the Run Hall, seven brocade boxes suddenly appeared!"

"What? Brocade boxes?" Madam An was bewildered. "Who put them there?"

Run Hall was the living room of Lu Zhensheng and his wife, and also where they usually had breakfast. Located behind the second gate, it was never open to outsiders. The idea of someone delivering gifts to Run Hall made Madam An's first reaction not joy, but suspicion. The servant merely claimed ignorance, stating that the night watchmen had clearly patrolled both inside and out and locked the room doors the previous night, yet upon opening the doors for cleaning at cockcrow, they found a pile of brocade boxes appearing out of nowhere on the table. This was the octagonal table where Lu Zhensheng and his wife ate. Encountering such a strange occurrence, the servants naturally dared not act rashly and immediately came to consult their mistress.

Madam An hurried to Run Hall and saw indeed seven square brocade boxes arranged on the table. The boxes were wrapped in gold-threaded silk, not only luxurious and magnificent but also emitting a rich fragrance. Oh? They had even been scented before delivery, to show their value. Full of doubts, Madam An looked around a few times before instructing a servant to approach and open the boxes. The origin of the boxes was unknown, and she dared not handle them herself.

A servant opened one of the cloth wraps, then lifted the box lid, and let out a loud "Ah!" scream, stumbling back three steps in fright! "A, a head!" He didn't need to say more; Madam An had already seen what was in the box: A severed head. The deceased was around forty years old, with a distorted face and slightly open eyes, perfectly illustrating the meaning of "lifeless" on this bright, sunny morning. Madam An's scream immediately echoed throughout the entire Lu Mansion!

Half an incense stick later, both the Lu father and son were standing in Run Hall. "Father, who is this?" Lu Qing'an didn't recognize the head, but he knew it must be related to his father, otherwise, these boxes wouldn't have been sent to their mansion.

Lu Zhensheng's face was pale, and he murmured, "Old Yu! This is Old Yu."

"Who?" Lu Qing'an had a bad feeling.

"Old Yu worked for me." At this point, Lu Zhensheng had no choice but to tell the truth. "I sent him to contact the Bailong people." This was the subordinate he had dispatched to contact the Wanqi uncle-nephew duo, and also a spy who had infiltrated the Yangshan Archipelago right from the beginning when Ding Zuodong first started recruiting people! Lu Qing'an pressed a hand to his forehead.

Lu Zhensheng continued, "The Beijia people wanted to deal with He Lingchuan, so I also sent Old Yu to lead them onto the island to make contact..." Among Lu Zhensheng's subordinates, Old Yu was meticulous, best at disguise, and knew how to adapt to circumstances. Moreover, his mission was only to make contact and persuade, not to personally assassinate He Lingchuan. Therefore, even though Old Yu hadn't appeared in the past few days, Lu Zhensheng hadn't thought anything major could have happened to him. Now he had finally appeared, but he was lying in a box sent by He Lingchuan!

"Beijia people?" Lu Qing'an interrupted his father, his voice rising three octaves. "When was this? Why didn't I know!"

"Just a few days ago, on the night of the hurricane."

Cold sweat beaded on Lu Qing'an's forehead, and he said hoarsely, "Open the other boxes, all of them!" Several attendants bravely stepped forward and opened the remaining six brocade boxes. Without exception, they all contained human heads. Six pale, disheveled heads, each with a different expression. The Lu father and son remained speechless for a long time. Lu Qing'an looked at his father. "Are these all your subordinates?"

"Yes, they're the people I sent to the Yangshan Archipelago." Lu Zhensheng's throat felt constricted, and he couldn't help but swallow. "He Lingchuan found them out." He Lingchuan knew everything!