Chapter 1075: Trouble Delivered to the Door

He Lingchuan remained silent.

He had set the courage test, a common practice in both the Grand Gale Army and the Yuheng Army. This was the final and most challenging stage of recruit selection, where it was normal for only two out of ten candidates to pass.

In a narrow pass, the brave prevail. What good is a soldier without courage, without bravery, without a spirit of adventure, on the battlefield? They should honestly go back to farming.

"Cowards!" Lu Feiyan scoffed. "Why do you think you joined the army? Do you expect to live a life of luxury without taking risks or putting your lives on the line?" She looked down at the bottom of the cliff. "This is just a test of courage, not a death trap. Only one person has died in two months; that's far lower than the casualty rate on the battlefield."

The person who had called out to quit, unaware of her identity, retorted sarcastically, "If you're so brave, why don't *you* jump?"

Lu Feiyan eyed him. "If I jump, will you follow?"

The man was speechless.

"What about you? And you?" Lu Feiyan was being provocative, insisting on asking each person individually.

Three or four people remained silent, but two recruits, their faces flushed with defiance, declared, "If you dare to jump, we'll follow."

Lu Feiyan looked at He Lingchuan. Seeing her calm and fearless gaze, he smiled and said, "I'd be honored, Miss Lu, if you'd demonstrate for these young men. Personally, I'll gift you a prime shop on the main street."

Lu Feiyan snapped her fingers. "Alright, it's a deal." She tossed her greatcloak to Wanqifeng, telling him to hold it, and then walked to the edge of the cliff. In that instant, she suddenly understood why He Lingchuan had told her to bring extra clothes a few days ago. *Bah*, she had been tricked.

Facing the crowd, she spread her arms wide and smiled, "I'll be waiting for you down below." With that, she leaned backward and fell straight down. Of all the people who had jumped off the cliff for the test, she was the only one to do a backward dive. Before hitting the water, she didn't forget to wave and flash a brilliant smile at everyone.

Everyone leaned over the cliff edge and saw her plummet straight down, head-first, entering the water with a quiet 'plop'. The resulting splash was minimal. It was a very clean, yet surprisingly quiet, high dive. Everyone, including He Lingchuan, couldn't help but applaud. The drop was eight *zhang*, nearly thirty meters. Yet, her entry was so perfect that if you only listened without looking, you might have thought a small stone had merely dropped into the water.

After a few moments, Wanqifeng nodded and announced, "The water didn't turn red; she's alright." No sooner had he spoken than Lu Feiyan emerged from the water, climbed onto a nearby rock, and waved to those on the cliff, signaling that she was unharmed.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror murmured, "That girl is quite mad."

He Lingchuan smiled. "Excellent, very excellent."

While the eight-zhang cliff appeared intimidating, three rocks had actually been moved from nine feet below the surface by the Yin Hui, and the pool had been deepened. This provided a nearly three-zhang deep water cushion for high dives. As for the jagged rocks that seemed to be directly below, they were merely an optical illusion due to parallax. Unless a Category 10 gale blew, a person falling off the cliff would never hit them. While some had fallen unconscious during the test, no one had ever died from the fall. Wanqifeng's comment about "someone dying two months ago" was merely a scare tactic for the fresh recruits. If someone had died, would they refuse to jump? Would it be because it wasn't safe? Was the battlefield safe? If people died on the battlefield, would soldiers simply refuse to charge?

Seeing the young woman jump without hesitation, the two recruits who had just bet against her reacted differently: one gritted his teeth, let out a shout, and plunged forward. He Lingchuan watched, then nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent, he passed."

The other recruit's face cycled between green and white. Suddenly, he turned and ran. Wanqifeng caught up in two strides, grabbing the back of his collar. "A true man keeps his word!" Before the man could react, he felt his body lighten, and he was flung off the cliff as if flying through clouds!

"Ah—!" His scream cut off, followed by a splash.

"Not even as brave as a woman," Wanqifeng said, clapping his hands. "Next!"

With Lu Feiyan having set the example, the burly men waiting in line found their courage. Five or six of them jumped one after another.

Lu Feiyan, agile and swift, quickly returned to the top of the cliff. Wanqifeng noticed she had already changed into dry clothes, though the tips of her hair were still dripping. Leini immediately offered a white towel. Lu Feiyan untied her long braid and, while drying her hair, asked He Lingchuan, "I've set an example for your recruits; you won't go back on your promise about the shop, will you?"

"Don't worry, it's secured," He Lingchuan chuckled. "The property deed will be delivered shortly."

Satisfied, Lu Feiyan took a golden hair tie and loosely gathered her voluminous long hair at the back of her head. The young woman now exuded a soft elegance, and the soldiers nearby frequently cast admiring glances her way. She took her greatcloak from Wanqifeng's hand, thanked him cheerily, and then asked He Lingchuan, "I see your ranks are quite diverse—you have refugees, Bailong tribesmen, and even island pirates. Aren't you worried about being unable to manage such a mixed group?"

"What is there to fear?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "My only worry is not having enough people."

Lu Feiyan asked, with a hint of casual curiosity, "Oh? Why do you need so many people?"

"There's strength in numbers," He Lingchuan replied, his tone equally ambiguous. "Otherwise, too many people would covet Yangshan. I tell them this place isn't as good as it seems, but they stubbornly refuse to believe it."

"What's not good about this place?" Lu Feiyan sighed. "I've only been here half a day and I already want to stay permanently. I have no desire to return to the smoke-filled front lines."

Leini chimed in from the side, "That's right, nobody wants war."

He Lingchuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "Someone must always protect our home and defend our country."

"Precisely," Lu Feiyan agreed with a nod. "You're more perceptive than my mother; she constantly harps on about how women shouldn't be on the battlefield."

Just then, a white egret descended from the sky, landing beside He Lingchuan and dropping a small note from its beak. He Lingchuan unfolded it, glanced at the contents, then handed the note to Wanqifeng. "Something's come up. Test suspended; we're going out."

"Understood!" Wanqifeng's eyes widened in comprehension. He waved a hand at his subordinates. "Fall out!"

He Lingchuan, looking apologetic, told Lu Feiyan, "Something urgent has come up, so this afternoon's guard drill is canceled. I'm very sorry to have wasted your trip."

"How can it be a wasted trip when I've gained a prime shop?" Lu Feiyan asked curiously. "What kind of trouble have you run into? Is it something you can tell me about?"

"The Qinglong tribe to the east took a shipment of our grain but reneged on the final payment. Furthermore, the steward from the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce who went to collect it was severely humiliated."

"The Qinglong tribe?" Lu Feiyan pondered. "Aren't they a tribe from the Kingdom of Ya?"

"Indeed," He Lingchuan confirmed, leading the group down the mountain. "That's not how business is conducted. We'll need to have a serious talk with the Qinglong tribe."

"Talk sense into them, you..." Lu Feiyan started, then her eyes widened in understanding, and she let out a long, drawn-out "Oh."

The message had just arrived from Guan Ke via white egret. The Yangshan Archipelago had recently sold a large shipment of grain to the Qinglong tribe of the Kingdom of Ya, but the tribe had defaulted on payment, and the funds could not be recovered. A bumper harvest of winter wheat had recently occurred, and the Yangshan Archipelago had set aside a sufficient portion for its own use, leaving the surplus for sale. This year had seen abundant rainfall and bright sunshine, with a prevalence of good weather. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the autumn harvest in three or four months was expected to be even more substantial.

Ding Zuodong and Guan Ke had already secured buyers, so as soon as the grain was harvested, it was loaded onto ships for export. Long lines of cargo ships awaiting departure had become a common sight along the coast of the Yangshan Archipelago. Undoubtedly, the primary buyers of this grain were the various merchant guilds of the Mu Kingdom. However, He Lingchuan had also instructed his subordinates to sell a portion to the Kingdom of Ya to the east. The Qinglong tribe had placed the largest order, but after the Yangshan Archipelago delivered the grain, they claimed the wheat grains were shriveled and of poor quality, refusing to pay the remaining balance. He Lingchuan, however, knew very well that all the grain sold by the archipelago had passed quality control inspections while in storage. Given this, the steward sent by the Yangshan Archipelago attempted to reclaim the grain, but the Qinglong tribe refused, claiming they had already disposed of it. So the Qinglong tribe had only paid a deposit and expected to keep all the grain? What was that if not outright robbery?

When the Yangshan Archipelago's steward returned to demand payment a second time, the Qinglong tribe seized him. They shaved his head clean, painted it with vivid red paint as an insult, and stripped him of everything, leaving him with only his trousers for modesty, before driving him back to his ship amidst widespread laughter. Upon the steward's return to the Yangshan Archipelago, Guan Ke immediately reported the incident to He Lingchuan.

"The Qinglong tribe's reputation for trustworthiness is poor; even other tribes in the neighboring Kingdom of Ya prefer not to trade with them," Wanqifeng remarked as they walked. "They haven't done business with us before, have they?"

"They bought grain from the Yangshan Archipelago twice before, and both times they paid in full. It was this third order, a significantly larger one, that they defaulted on." This suggested premeditation.

"My tribesmen say that rainfall has been sparse in the southern Kingdom of Ya this year, leading to an average harvest. I fear many will go hungry."

"Didn't the Kingdom of Ya use spirit energy for climate control?" One of the functions of spirit energy was to ensure favorable weather conditions. The Kingdom of Ya had been powerful in recent years, so their spirit energy reserves should have been abundant.

"They must have, otherwise this year would have been a severe drought, wouldn't it?" An "average harvest" was far better than "no harvest at all," thanks to the regulation of spirit energy. The ways of nature are constant. Even with immense spirit energy, arid land cannot be instantly transformed into fertile fields. Otherwise, why would Panlong City so fiercely defend the Red Plateau?

"The harvest in southern Ya isn't good?" He Lingchuan mused. "That's not good news for neighboring countries." The Kingdom of Ya's territory was considerable, though it consisted mainly of barren grasslands. Its southern region, however, was the most crucial grain-producing area, serving as the nation's primary granary. If that nation faced a food shortage, given its temperament, well...

Wanqifeng assumed the island master had fallen into a trap due to his unfamiliarity with the Qinglong tribe, unaware that this was precisely the opportunity He Lingchuan had been waiting for. One trains soldiers for a thousand days to use them for a single moment. After nine months of recruiting and training soldiers, it was time to test their mettle.

Lu Feiyan immediately said, "Mind if I join you?"

He Lingchuan feigned surprise. "Miss Lu, this journey might involve conflict, and it's quite a distance—two days by boat."

"I missed the drill, wouldn't it be even better to see real combat?" Lu Feiyan smiled. "My brother has already left for the front lines, so they don't need me there for now. I have plenty of free time."

"When blades and spears fly, they have no eyes..."

"I can protect myself." With a flash of light in her hand, Lu Feiyan drew a long sword and executed a swift twirl.