Chapter 888: Old Ancestor

Leaving the tavern, he took a deep breath of the slightly salty sea air, gazing at the myriad stars scattered across the sky.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror in his arms asked, "Have you found the Lu family's weakness?"

"I suppose so," He Lingchuan sighed. "The Lu family's weakness is actually the weakness of most people."

"What is it?"

"Poverty," He Lingchuan shook his head. "What their family lacks most is money, and so do I."

The mirror thought for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

He Lingchuan ignored it.

It laughed until it found itself tiresome, then cleared its throat. "Aren't you going to ask why I'm laughing?"

"Why are you laughing?"

"You didn't want to stay in Yuan Nation because its affairs of state were rotten and beyond recovery. Yet you traveled thousands of miles to Baille, whose situation isn't necessarily much better than Yuan Nation's! Plus, you're a newcomer there, unfamiliar with the people and the land. Isn't the disadvantage even more obvious?"

"Who says?" He Lingchuan strolled along the pier. "In Yuan Nation, I have He Chunhua and Nairuo Tian keeping tabs on me. Is that the case here? He Chunhua has painstakingly built his foundation in Yuan Nation for so many years; it's far deeper than mine. How much effort would it take for me to surpass him?"

Only by bidding farewell to the past can a new beginning emerge.

"More importantly, while Yuan Nation's territory is intact, it's plagued by internal strife; Baille, on the other hand, suffers from external threats." Baille is surrounded by four or five nations. Qing Nation seized Blade Port, and Ya Nation forced Baille to cede land and pay reparations. It seems Baille is destined to be beaten and bullied. He Lingchuan, being new, wasn't sure how this situation had come about, but he believed, "Frankly, external threats are always easier to resolve than internal ones."

Externally, there's room for maneuver and alliances; internally, one must wield a knife against oneself, scrape one's own bones, heal one's own wounds, and sometimes even choke oneself.

Which is more painful? It goes without saying.

Therefore, in He Lingchuan's view, Baille's troubles were actually far smaller than Yuan Nation's.

He felt, on the contrary, that he had come to the right place.

"Under the watchful eyes of the gods, where can true peace exist in the human world?" But if this were a peaceful and prosperous era, where everything was harmonious, where would he have room to show his capabilities?

As the morning sun emerged from the sea, casting myriad rays of light, He Lingchuan happened to reach the shore.

Seagulls cried, and the fine sand was like snow.

It was exceptionally tranquil here. Footprints left on the beach were wiped away by the incoming tide.

How many travelers had passed through this harbor, coming and going in haste? The traces they left were like footprints on the sand, vanishing in an instant.

Only the morning sun would still rise from here two hundred years later.

He Lingchuan felt a pang of emotion when someone behind him said, "Commander, we've found them! They're resting at the port's inn!"

It was Hu Min.

He Lingchuan turned and told the guards behind him, "Let's go, time to pick them up."

He was in Baisha Bay, Xiji's largest free port in the south.

In the real world, it was in Baisha Bay that he had rendezvoused with Madam Zhu, Dong Rui, and others. From there, they had set sail, enduring two months of rough seas before finally reaching the distant Blade Port.

However, Baisha Bay in the Coiling Dragon world was not much different from how it would be over 170 years later: the sand was just as fine, large ships docked at the port, and humans, like worker bees, slowly spent their lives in busy labor.

This scene felt familiar.

However, the inn where He Lingchuan had stayed before boarding the ship was currently just a humble dwelling. The layout of Baisha Bay's port was also slightly different from what it would be 170 years later.

Hu Min led him forward, and they soon arrived at the Yongfang Inn.

He Lingchuan had to look at the inn's design several times before he could confirm that it would still exist 170 years later!

By then, it would have been expanded, with two additional annexes, and would no longer be called "Yongfang."

This feeling of temporal dislocation at a glance was truly subtle, often leaving him momentarily disoriented, unsure of the current year.

Before he could even enter the inn, several people had already emerged from inside. The leader, in his early forties, was tall with a refined, handsome face, and a demeanor unlike the other farmers and merchants in Baisha Port.

Seeing He Lingchuan and his group, his eyes lit up. He stepped forward, cupped his fist, and asked, "May I inquire, are you the Great Wind Army?"

The Great Wind Army's armor was distinct and highly recognizable.

"Mr. Lu Xun?"

"That's right!"

He Lingchuan immediately returned the salute. "He Lingchuan, Commander of Yuheng City, here on the instructions of Lord Zhong to welcome Mr. Lu!"

"The Commander of Yuheng City is so young? Indeed, heroes emerge from youth." Lu Xun gestured to the side. "Would you like to come in for tea?"

This man was very enthusiastic. He Lingchuan asked him, "Mr. Lu, did you rest well last night?"

"Ah, our ship arrived the day before yesterday, and we already toured the harbor yesterday," Lu Xun sighed with emotion. "The sand in this bay is as fine and white as snow, and the scenery is much more beautiful than our Blade Port."

He Lingchuan had also taken this ship journey, though in the opposite direction. A sea voyage of at least two months meant that the initial novelty quickly turned into boredom and monotony, to the extent that as soon as a ship docked, passengers would scramble to disembark.

The fatigue of such a long journey could only be slightly alleviated by a deep, satisfying sleep.

He Lingchuan smiled faintly. "Mr. Lu, if you're well-rested, shall we depart? Commander Zhong will also be arriving in Yuheng City soon."

Lu Xun had no objections. He instructed his subordinates to prepare their luggage, and they set off with the Yuheng Army.

The sea breeze blew through the dense forest, quickly filtering out its salty and humid scent.

Heading north from the safe Baisha Bay, one would soon enter the Longchuan Trade Route. It would take considerable time to travel from the southernmost seaport to Yuheng City in the far north.

Lu Xun kept looking around, as if exceptionally curious about this new region.

He Lingchuan, on the other hand, was intensely curious about Lu Xun himself.

Earlier, Zhong Shengguang had issued an order from Coiling Dragon City, instructing him to prepare for the arrival of the Baille Lu Clan by ferry!

When He Lingchuan saw this order, his eyes widened in surprise.

A'luo, who was behind him, also looked serious upon seeing his expression. "What? Is there new progress in the war on the wasteland?"

What could He Lingchuan say?

This so-called "Baille Lu Clan"—weren't they the ancestors of Lu Zhensheng and others?

So, as early as over a hundred years ago, the Baille Lu Clan and Coiling Dragon City had already intersected?

Historical records did not mention it—

Of course, it was impossible for them to be recorded.

Lu Xun was the Lu clan leader at that time, and He Lingchuan's original body was the son of Lu Xiaoyun, a direct descendant. Therefore—

By that reckoning, the man before him should be the ancestor of He Lingchuan's original body!

People and events intersected over a span of more than a hundred years.

He had come across the ocean this time, reportedly for "friendly exchanges."

However, Zhong Shengguang had set off for Yuheng City, preparing to meet him in person.

This was a rather high-level meeting, and He Lingchuan always felt there was another reason behind it.

He probed, "Mr. Lu, was your sea journey smooth?"

"It was alright, except we encountered a hurricane near White Dolphin Island, and the ship almost capsized," Lu Xun sighed. "We barely made it."

They shared a common experience. He Lingchuan, too, had encountered a hurricane during his eastward voyage to Blade Port.

Every encounter, every twist of fate—was it predestined?

He looked at Lu Xun, brimming with questions, but for a moment, he didn't know where to begin.

Instead, Lu Xun smiled at him and said, "Commander He, I find you quite familiar. Where are you from?"

The moment he saw He Lingchuan, he found the spirited young commander very amiable, and a sense of familiarity naturally arose within him.

He himself didn't know why.

As the lord of Baille, he had met countless people; how many of them could make him feel like he'd known them forever upon first meeting?

He Lingchuan also felt a touch of emotion.

He also felt a fondness for Lu Xun; could this be a resonance between bloodlines? Yet, he could only reply, "Weicheng."

Weicheng was in the Coiling Dragon Desert, so naturally, it had no connection to the people of Baille.

Lu Xun simply said, "Oh," not showing any disappointment.

It was just a casual question; it would have been strange if they actually had a connection.

"Baille and Baisha Bay have had dealings for a long time, but in previous years, there might not even be two ships annually arriving at our Blade Port from Baisha Bay; now, in May alone, there have been two fleets," Lu Xun laughed. "Your Coiling Dragon City's fluorescent spores and aphid sugar are very popular in Baille and are snatched up the moment they arrive. Any upscale restaurant must light up spores as perpetual lamps at night."

The fluorescent spores, specially supplied from Madam Zhu Er's old lair, were bright and stable light sources, far more practical and affordable than night pearls, and they wouldn't be blown out by strong winds.

These things were commonplace in Coiling Dragon City and Yuheng City; even children could have one to play with. But in a distant foreign land, their value increased by more than tenfold.

Profit was the driving force that compelled traveling merchants to undertake perilous ocean voyages, even at the risk of their lives.

"With the trade route from Coiling Dragon City to Baisha Bay now open, specialties from outside are continuously flowing in, and the city residents have never been so happy," He Lingchuan probed. "Mr. Lu, as the clan leader, do you not feel it's adventurous to personally cross the ocean?"

"I have long heard the great names of Coiling Dragon City and Commander Zhong, and I have been paying attention," Lu Xun said, stroking his jaw whiskers. "Seeing is believing, and I felt it necessary to come and see for myself."

See? What did he want to see?

"You've been away for several months; what about Baille's affairs?"

"I've left them to be handled by my two younger brothers," Lu Xun said. "We people of Baille are very united, unlike other nations with their strict hierarchies and clear distinctions of rank."

He Lingchuan looked thoughtful. The eight characters "strict hierarchies and clear distinctions of rank" also applied to Coiling Dragon City.

Coiling Dragon City was too strict, while Baille was too lenient, a stark contrast.

"Ancient immortal sects also had such loose organizations, until human nations emerged later," Lu Xun said, looking at the distant scenery. "Human nations were originally established to defend against demons, but even after the demons weakened, human nations continued to govern their people with harsh laws and severe punishments. It's truly regrettable."

He Lingchuan smiled.

Baille was surrounded by human nations that more or less threatened its existence. Although no wars had been waged in the past few centuries, they had carved away much of Baille's territory, so it would be strange for Lu Xun to have any goodwill towards them.

However, in He Lingchuan's view, given the significant weakening of individual power, the organizational structure of human nations was clearly more efficient and conducive to large-scale cooperation, and thus would naturally be preserved.

But his guest had traveled a long way, and there was no point in debating this.

Lu Xun appeared gentle and refined, with a touch of nostalgia, seeming more like a mage or a scholar than a lord.

After his journey to Yuan Nation, He Lingchuan's understanding of national and worldly affairs deepened. He now felt that a person like this becoming the clan leader might reflect Baille's relatively relaxed environment at the time, not facing significant pressure.