Chapter 1100: Old Scenes in the Painting

Chapter 1089: Old Scenery in the Painting

Soul Mirror wondered, "Why are you laughing so heartily?"

It rarely saw He Lingchuan laugh with such unrestrained joy.

"You don't understand! My chessboard has come alive!" He Lingchuan said, his face beaming. "I'm safe, First Aunt and Second Aunt are safe, and the archipelago is safe too."

Beijia wouldn't just give him money for nothing; the so-called "trade route" was likely just a front.

Fu Shanyue was right: Yangshan Archipelago's geographical location was excellent. If Beijia could extend its reach here, it would have a closer springboard for communicating with Ya State!

The relationship between Yangshan Archipelago and the mainland was delicate. Neither Qing State nor Bailie could control it, making it a natural offshore center.

With Fu Shanyue stationed here, Beijia could establish an intelligence base.

An intelligence base deep within Mu State territory.

However, He Lingchuan wasn't afraid of this. Yangshan Archipelago was his, firmly under his control. If Beijia wanted to move messages or intelligence through here, they would have to follow his lead!

Thinking of this, He Lingchuan also understood whose doing it was:

Grand Tutor Frostleaf.

If he had sent anyone else to Yangshan Archipelago for this task, He Lingchuan would have resisted and been on guard, perhaps even finding a way to send the "envoy" back.

Given how He Lingchuan dealt with Yu Zecheng, this wasn't impossible.

But since Grand Tutor Frostleaf sent Prince Chiyan, He Lingchuan could only offer a welcome, and a warm one at that.

Grand Tutor Frostleaf, that fellow, truly is a cunning strategist.

Understanding this, the long-standing worry in He Lingchuan's heart finally subsided.

After dealing with Yu Zecheng, he had also written a letter to Grand Tutor Frostleaf, with sincere words.

But Grand Tutor Frostleaf had never replied.

In the past few months, Beijia had not taken further action against him, Yangshan Archipelago, or the burrowing spider demon. Even the warrant for Zhu Erniang, who was second on the Heavenly List, had been canceled, indicating that the great empire had no intention of pursuing the matter for now.

The day he learned Zhu Erniang's warrant was canceled, he specifically opened several jars of old wine to celebrate.

The archipelago and he were finally safe for the time being.

However, he still didn't know Grand Tutor Frostleaf's personal stance.

Strictly speaking, He Lingchuan dared to attack Yu Zecheng's contingent and dared to cook Beijia's demons and serve them to Yu Zecheng. Aside from being deep in Mu State territory, the main reason was his connection to Grand Tutor Frostleaf!

If Beijia wanted to investigate him and uncover his background, it would likely involve Grand Tutor Frostleaf, stirring up the old case of the elixir of immortality once again.

For his own sake, Grand Tutor Frostleaf would most likely choose to let the matter rest.

In this matter, He Lingchuan had exploited Grand Tutor Frostleaf. No matter how sincere his letter was, it wouldn't change this fact.

So, would Grand Tutor Frostleaf retaliate in private? He Lingchuan had always been worried.

If not openly, couldn't he do it secretly?

He had told Lu Qiuwei that Yu Zecheng couldn't represent Beijia, and Yu Zecheng's power wasn't equivalent to Beijia's power.

But Grand Tutor Frostleaf could!

Grand Tutor Frostleaf was the head of Beijia's Four Grand Tutors, commanding immense power and countless capable individuals.

Yu Zecheng wasn't even fit to carry his shoes.

The thought of Grand Tutor Frostleaf possibly retaliating sent a chill down He Lingchuan's spine. No matter how many people were now on Yangshan Archipelago, it couldn't give him an ounce of security.

He knew Grand Tutor Frostleaf's methods; the man was not only powerful but also incredibly patient.

To overthrow his archenemy, Grand Tutor Azure Sun, Grand Tutor Frostleaf could keep Xi Yunhe hidden for over a decade, just waiting for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow.

If even Grand Tutor Azure Sun couldn't escape his schemes, what made He Lingchuan think he could be an exception?

Now, Grand Tutor Frostleaf had finally responded:

He had sent Fu Shanyue.

Regardless of how many instructions Lingxu City had given Fu Shanyue, his very arrival sent a clear signal to He Lingchuan:

Grand Tutor Frostleaf was not angry and had no intention of holding a grudge against him.

Understanding this, how could He Lingchuan not be pleased?

Grand Tutor Frostleaf's leniency was truly unexpected. But a ruler's mind is like the ocean; he likely had other calculations, which He Lingchuan couldn't fathom.

All he could say was that the results he obtained from Beijia in the battle of Hurricane Night were better than anticipated.

With the biggest hidden worry gone after the Yu Zecheng incident, he could now act without restraint.

Returning to his residence, he opened the painting box and was stunned.

The painting, two square feet in size, didn't depict the usual mountains and rivers but rather woodlands, swamps, and wild deer. The artistry was exceptional; with just a few strokes, the wild essence of the forest and marsh was palpable.

However, He Lingchuan found the content of the scroll somewhat unsettling yet familiar.

Soul Mirror exclaimed, "Look at the signature, look at the seal!"

Hearing this, He Lingchuan unrolled the painting to the end. There was no signature. Instead, a maple tree was depicted exactly where a signature would be, with a single, lifelike fallen leaf.

The seal didn't have any characters either, just a patch of blood red.

"Maple leaf, maple leaf..." He Lingchuan murmured, "Could it be Grand Tutor Frostleaf?"

Soul Mirror was puzzled, "Isn't this the painting given to you by Songyang Manor?"

"Who is Li Qingge? She probably connected with Autumn Palace after the New Year's Tribute incident." The Li Qingge he knew wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. "Grand Tutor Frostleaf found it inconvenient to give it directly, so he used Songyang Manor's name."

Why would Grand Tutor Frostleaf send him a painting?

He Lingchuan scrutinized it carefully, and the more he looked, the more sinister the small figure crouching in the grass seemed.

It appeared to be a five or six-year-old boy, with a large head and small body. He was turned, staring at a fawn drinking water. Despite his young age, he lacked the innocence and spontaneity of a normal child, instead giving He Lingchuan a sense of profound malevolence and danger.

What was even stranger was that He Lingchuan found the figure's posture and appearance somewhat familiar.

The place in the painting...

He suddenly blurted out, "Demon's Lair Swamp?"

No wonder it looked familiar; this place indeed resembled Zhu Erniang's former residence. There were swamps everywhere, wild deer herds everywhere, maple trees everywhere, familiar buildings everywhere, and even a corner of the Demon's Lair peeking out from behind a thicket.

Only the trees by the pit were young, quite different from what he remembered seeing.

"Is Grand Tutor Frostleaf trying to tell me that he has already discerned my origins?"

Zhu Erniang originally lived in Demon's Lair Swamp, so anyone who made an agreement with her to retrieve the immortal chrysalis from Lingxu City must have also been to Demon's Lair Swamp.

This thought truly sent a chill down his spine.

Was Grand Tutor Frostleaf reminding him not to assume he could act recklessly just because he had escaped a disaster?

Soul Mirror asked him, "Then what about this little demon in the painting?"

What was the meaning of painting a small figure?

He Lingchuan shook his head, indicating he didn't understand.

Was it a reference to the mantis stalking the cicada?

So, in Grand Tutor Frostleaf's eyes, who was the fawn, and who was the little figure?

"Regardless, I've finally gotten rid of this major worry," He Lingchuan said, rubbing his hands, unable to contain his excitement. "In at most another month, our team will be fully reorganized and trained. Then, we can begin the next phase of our plan!"

Including the newly joined Bailong warriors, the Yangshan Guard now approached six thousand members. This number was already quite significant among smaller nations. If Bailie and Qing State next door knew he commanded such a force, they wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Moreover, the fighting capability of this army was increasing daily; it was like two different armies compared to when it was first established nine months ago. And now, ready-made powerful warriors like the Bailong people had joined.

Lord He's forces had grown strong, and he had grown tired of the busy yet peaceful island life.

It was time to stir up some trouble.

"So, what's the next plan?" Soul Mirror probed, "Bailie?"

"Exactly!" Wasn't the fundamental reason he worked so hard to develop Yangshan to sit in the south and look north? Now, it was time to bring Bailie under his control. "Yangshan's operations are on the right track; although population, trade, and agriculture are steadily advancing, it's difficult to achieve another explosive growth like in the initial period."

Yangshan Archipelago was steadily improving, making others envious, but He Lingchuan felt this pace of strength growth was too slow.

Especially the population.

Ever since Yangshan Archipelago began aggressively expanding and recruiting people, surrounding countries and powers had issued migration restrictions to prevent their local populations from moving to Yangshan.

To date, Yangshan Archipelago only had about 130,000 people, with over 40,000 of them being Bailong tribesmen.

He Lingchuan's biggest headache was where to get a lot more people.

Once Bailie was taken, this problem would naturally be solved, and his strength would experience another surge of explosive growth.

Bailie, this plump piece of meat, he had coveted for a long time, constantly calculating how to devour it.

Soul Mirror exclaimed, "Finally going to make a move? Aren't you a bit too hasty?"

How long had this master been managing Yangshan? Less than two years.

"Yes!" He Lingchuan didn't deny it.

His relationship with Lingshan and Mu State was still in a state of being neither too close nor too distant, commonly known as having acquaintances but not true allies. Acting now wasn't the best timing.

But the problem was, was there ever a "best time"?

The stronger Yangshan Archipelago became, the more it would be an eyesore to others. Even if He Lingchuan wanted to bide his time and conceal his strength, with such a powerful neighbor, which surrounding country wouldn't be deeply wary?

Moreover, he had another calculation in mind:

The frequent occurrences of Imperial Nectar over the past two millennia signified that great chaos was about to begin.

His dealings with the Naraku Heaven avatar and Lingshan, along with occasional news from Shinan, always gave him a sense of crisis and urgency, making his desire for power even more pressing.

Before the great chaos descended, would he have enough time to prepare and accumulate sufficient strength?

Time waited for no man.

Early the next morning, Fu Shanyue impatiently urged He Lingchuan to take him to the Yin-Sha land.

"Oh, what's the rush?" He Lingchuan was at Ding Lake, discussing goods with Fang Canran, who had just transported a batch of supplies from Platinum Island, including the demon beast souls that Qiu Hu had been longing for.

For the ancient demon soul within him, this was a great tonic.

"Quickly, take me and Taozi to broaden our horizons!" Just as humans yearned for grotto-heavens and blessed lands, so did the Ba yearn for Yin-Sha lands.

The fierce tiger Jiaoyu also followed, yawning and stretching out in a long sprawl on the ground.

It didn't like malevolent energy; it was just there for the fun of it.

He Lingchuan rubbed its large head; the feel was as good as ever.

At this moment, Fu Shanyue sniffed a few times and looked at Fang Canran with suspicion: "Hmm, your scent smells somewhat familiar. Where have we met?"