Chapter 1101: Landing on the Island

"That's highly unlikely. You might be mistaken, sir," Fang Canran replied with an unruffled expression and a smile.

He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat. Of course, Fu Shanyue had interacted with Fang Canran in Lingxu City. At that time, Fang Canran, as the chief steward of the Golden Horn family, had visited Pianxiang Villa several times. It would be strange if Fu Shanyue didn't remember him.

After completing his momentous task, Fang Canran had fled Lingxu City, changing his appearance and voice ever since.

However, Fu Shanyue didn't rely solely on faces to recognize people; his sense of smell was incredibly keen!

If he were to recognize an "old acquaintance" by scent, things could get complicated.

He Lingchuan introduced the two, but Fang Canran and Fu Shanyue were both indifferent towards each other.

One was a representative from Lingshan, and the other was Begya's envoy to the Yangshan Archipelago. From their respective positions, they could be considered rivals.

He Lingchuan quickly said to Fang Canran, "Brother Songyuan, you've traveled a long way. Please rest for half a day. I'll take this fellow out for a walk."

Fang Canran, as always, maintained his good demeanor: "You two go ahead. Don't worry about me."

So, He Lingchuan took Fu Shanyue and Xiao Taozi to the pier at Suoding Island.

This pier was exclusively for small boats. He Lingchuan asked Fu Shanyue, "Can you pole a boat?"

"A piece of cake, I'm good at everything," Fu Shanyue said, looking around. "I often traveled the rivers and lakes alone by boat in the past."

"Good," He Lingchuan then called two boatmen, each to pole a small boat towards Longji Island.

Once at sea, Fu Shanyue stretched, facing the wind. "The island scenery here is truly captivating; I could look at it forever."

Xiao Taozi also leaned over the side, admiring the perfectly transparent, glassy sea beneath the boat.

The sea was calm today, and the small boat floated on the tranquil water as if suspended in the sky, with nothing above or below.

At a depth of ten feet, one could clearly see crabs and small shrimps fighting in their sandy nests.

Xiao Taozi watched intently. When she saw a crab triumphantly raising its front claws after scaring away a shrimp, she couldn't help but lightly brush the water's surface with her hand.

He Lingchuan was casually chatting with Fu Shanyue when he caught a glimpse of something flashing beneath the boat out of the corner of his eye.

He turned his head and saw a crab in Taozi's hand.

The crab was stunned and took a while to recover. After Taozi poked it a few times, it finally remembered to raise its claws in defense.

"How did you do that?"

Taozi smiled sweetly at him and raised her right hand.

He Lingchuan saw that she was wearing a ruby ring on her middle finger. Its color was deep red like blood, impenetrable even by sunlight.

Then, Taozi reached into the water.

This time, He Lingchuan finally saw clearly: the "gem" on her ring transformed into a very fine red light, scooped up the crab, and put it back into the water.

The speed was incredibly fast, just a blink of an eye for an ordinary person. He Lingchuan's excellent dynamic vision allowed him to see it clearly.

When Taozi withdrew her hand and sat upright, the ruby returned to its setting as if nothing had happened.

He Lingchuan patted her head. "Taozi, you're amazing! You can use magical artifacts at such a young age?"

"That's her vital artifact, refined with a drop of her heart's essence blood. It's called a 'Blood Pellet'," Fu Shanyue said lazily. "It can be as hard as a gem or as soft as silk, and it can fly short distances to harm people. She's not good at combat, but she has quite a talent in this area."

"Blood Pellet?" He Lingchuan found it very interesting. "Isn't that similar to the Sword Pellets of ancient immortals?"

"Somewhat, yes. It still needs further refinement, and its power can be enhanced."

Soon after, the boat reached the outskirts of Longji Island, and Taozi exclaimed, "It's magnificent!"

This was the largest island in the Yangshan Archipelago. From a distance, it looked no different from the mainland, featuring mountains, rivers, valleys, plains, and lakes, with diverse geographical features.

He Lingchuan ordered the small boat to approach the southwestern waters of Longji Island and stop. Then, he pointed to the small island directly ahead and said, "That's Drum Island. You and Taozi can absorb malevolent energy there for cultivation."

The island was about half a hectare in size, with sea caves and green trees, and, most rarely, fresh water. Taozi saw a clump of blooming roses, their enormous blossoms nearly touching the water's surface.

Fu Shanyue cupped his hand over his eyes to shade them and gazed at the island. "Is this the source of the malevolent energy?"

"No."

"Oh?" Fu Shanyue looked at him askance. "Why aren't you taking me there?"

"It has masters there, and they don't particularly like outsiders."

"Is it the Yin Hui?" Fu Shanyue had done his research before coming.

He Lingchuan nodded. "Drum Island was originally part of their territory, but I've already cleared it with the Yin Hui. You two can temporarily use it for cultivation."

Fu Shanyue pressed on, "Where is the source of the malevolent energy?"

"Longji Island, which is the largest island in the Yangshan Archipelago," He Lingchuan repeatedly cautioned. "Don't go there; the Yin Hui have bad tempers."

"Got it," Fu Shanyue said, waving his hand impatiently.

He took a small boat by himself and, with Taozi, followed.

Taozi politely waved to He Lingchuan. Before setting out, the elder and the child had already brought seven or eight days' worth of dry rations.

Fu Shanyue wanted to experience what it felt like to cultivate amidst malevolent energy.

He Lingchuan then ordered the boatmen to return.

"Hey," the Soul-Devouring Mirror asked him, "Is Fu Shanyue really not going to cause trouble?"

He was a troublemaker, just as much as He Lingchuan himself!

"How could that be?" He Lingchuan rubbed his temples. "Words are useless; he'll only learn if he hits a brick wall himself."

Back on Suoding Island, He Lingchuan first went to see Fang Canran, who was somewhat surprised by Fu Shanyue's arrival.

"Why is he here?"

"National Master Shuangye sent him," He Lingchuan sighed. "On one hand, he's here to cultivate in the land of malevolent energy. On the other, he's Begya's permanent envoy to Yangshan. And... National Master Shuangye also wants to keep tabs on me."

Fang Canran also grew tense.

"National Master Shuangye is watching you again?"

"I harbored the spider demon sisters and sent Yu Zecheng back covering his face. It would be strange if National Master Shuangye *wasn't* watching me," He Lingchuan said with a wry smile. "This is the karma I must bear."

He suddenly remembered something. "By the way, will Fu Shanyue recognize you?"

Fu Shanyue's nose was more sensitive than a dog's; this wasn't a joke, but a fact.

If he were to identify Fang Canran's true identity through scent, the game would no longer be fun.

"Most likely not," Fang Canran shook his head. "When I changed my appearance, Lingshan considered this. They embedded a special gland in my body that can alter my body odor. Even someone with a keen sense of smell like Fu Shanyue would only find it familiar."

There was more than one type of demon with a keen sense of smell in the world. If Fang Canran wanted to truly hide in plain sight, merely changing his appearance wouldn't be enough.

"Alright, you're as meticulous as ever," He Lingchuan patted his shoulder and then set up a soundproof barrier. "By the way, where were we?"

At that moment, Fang Canran was about to say something but was interrupted by Fu Shanyue's intrusion.

"A message from National Master Wang."

Emperor Mou had already heard about the Yangshan Archipelago assisting the Bailie people and the Bailong clan in evacuating Storm Bay and defeating General Wulu of the Ya Kingdom. He was very pleased.