Chapter 906: There Are Advantages and Disadvantages

Chapter 897: Advantages and Disadvantages

The Yin-Hui wrapped two of its arms around him, while its other two tried to grab his arms. He Lingchuan instinctively drew Fushang, first severing the two claws it presumptuously extended, then immediately followed with a horizontal slash that broke both of its prominent fangs!

The Yin-Hui's attack struck with lightning speed.

He Lingchuan's defensive counterattack was completed in a flash.

From beginning to end, from the Yin-Hui emerging from the water to ambush him to He Lingchuan breaking its fangs, the entire process took less than three seconds!

Without its large fangs capable of injecting venom, the Yin-Hui's attack power was reduced by at least seventy percent. He Lingchuan also took the opportunity to stab it in the heart, but the creature's vitality was so tenacious that it remained lively and full of fight even after its heart was pierced.

“My lord!” Tao Ran reached out to him, and a monkey emerged from the water first, scrambling onto the boat and shaking itself vigorously.

Lingguang was terrified. It had originally been perched on He Lingchuan's shoulder and was knocked into the sea along with him just now.

He Lingchuan also leaped onto the boat, wiping water from his face. “Set sail, let's get further away!”

Tao Ran immediately began rowing, heading north.

To the north lay the outer islands of the Yangshan Archipelago, which had supply stations and pirate dens.

But He Lingchuan shook his head. “I don't think the northern islands are safe either. Let's make the effort and head straight back to Blade Harbor!”

“Yes, my lord!” Tao Ran immediately steered the boat to change course.

Lingguang jumped back to He Lingchuan's side. “Are you hurt?”

“I'm fine,” He Lingchuan said, holding up a broken fang. “I picked it up when I got on the boat.”

Lingguang meticulously checked him from head to toe, fearful of missing even a small wound. “These creatures are born of baleful yin energy. If their claws or fangs wound you, even a rice-grain sized scratch needs immediate treatment!”

But He Lingchuan truly had no wounds. The Yin-Hui's grip was powerful and its claws sharp, but he was wearing a set of spider-silk inner armor beneath his outer garment, which the Yin-Hui couldn't tear.

Yes, this was the gift Master Nian Zanli had given He Lingchuan in Lingxu City, originating from Songyang Prefecture.

Only then did Lingguang breathe a sigh of relief, taking the fang from He Lingchuan's hand.

Some pale yellow liquid still remained inside the fang, and the Medicine Ape carefully collected it.

The Yin-Hui's corpse bobbed on the sea surface behind them. He Lingchuan looked out at it and said, “We should have brought a live one for Dong Rui.”

Qiu Hu replied, “These things likely wouldn't survive off the yin-baleful land; they'd probably die before reaching shore.”

He Lingchuan nodded. “If there had been a second Yin-Hui underwater just now, it would have been difficult for me to avoid injury.”

He pondered. “By draining the baleful yin energy from Dragonspine Island and the surrounding waters, I inadvertently destroyed the Yin-Hui's living environment. Now the Yin-Hui on that island are in distress.”

“The next earth vein eruption seems to be tonight,” Qiu Hu said, calculating with his fingers. The earth veins ejected baleful yin energy every seven days, very regularly, and it just happened to be tonight. “If they can hold out until then, these creatures might survive.”

But what if they can't?

How many Yin-Hui would perish before the terrestrial baleful eruption?

The prerequisite for understanding this problem was: how many Yin-Hui were there truly in the waters around Dragonspine Island?

He Lingchuan sat in the boat, watching island after island pass by, lost in thought.

His hope of securing the Yangshan Archipelago lay in the terrestrial baleful yin veins. If spiritual energy had erupted from underground instead, this place would have become a coveted paradise, a blessed land, and he wouldn't have had a chance at it – it probably wouldn't even concern the Lu family or Bailei.

As night fell, dark clouds gathered.

As soon as he entered the Coiling Dragon World, He Lingchuan knew he wouldn't need to seek the Nightmare for answers:

His right arm was still in a sling against his chest, and the splint hadn't been removed.

The injury sustained from his fierce battle with Fushanlie had recovered somewhat but still lingered.

This indicated that injuries he sustained in the Coiling Dragon World no longer healed completely just by entering and exiting, as they once did.

He needed time to heal and had to endure pain, just like in reality.

Seeing the splint, a wave of apprehension washed over him:

Earlier, in the turbulent waters, he had dared to use himself as bait to lure Fushanlie into attacking, relying on the 'death-exemption gold medal' of the Coiling Dragon World.

When had this 'gold medal' stopped working?

If he had miscalculated and been killed by Fushanlie at that moment, what would have been the consequences in reality?

The thought was terrifying.

But He Lingchuan dared not dwell on it, nor did he have time to:

After his in-depth conversation with Zhong Shengguang, Zhong quickly returned to Coiling Dragon City. Wen Daolun then came to bid farewell to He Lingchuan, stating that Commander Zhong planned to transfer him back to Coiling Dragon City right after the three upcoming Imperial Dewfall events concluded.

He Lingchuan immediately understood what was happening:

Zhong Shengguang was requesting that Jade Pivot City's future development prioritize military and political affairs, with internal administration as secondary. In other words, He Lingchuan would become the de facto leader, with Wen Daolun assisting him.

It was clear that the previous conversation had indeed moved Zhong Shengguang. Furthermore, for the past decade, Coiling Dragon City itself had focused on military and political affairs, building its foundation on strong martial might to resist external invasions. Zhong Shengguang was not opposed to Jade Pivot City taking this path.

But Wen Daolun couldn't accept it.

As Coiling Dragon City's Deputy Commander, how could he take orders from a callow youth whose status, experience, and age were far inferior to his own?

Just two or three years ago, this young man had merely been a junior patrol guard in Coiling Dragon City.

Moreover, this wasn't just a short-term collaboration. No matter how modest and peaceable Wen Daolun was, he couldn't ignore the hierarchy and seniority within officialdom.

Since He Lingchuan was to be firmly established as the leader here, Wen Daolun could only leave. This was the only resolution to the conflict.

But He Lingchuan feigned surprise. “Mr. Wen, please don't leave! Jade Pivot City can't do without you!”

Wen Daolun couldn't help but smile. “The person Jade Pivot City truly cannot do without is you. Coiling Dragon City has accumulated many matters over the past half year, and Commander Zhong has asked me to return and handle them.”

He Lingchuan brazenly tried to persuade him further, but Wen Daolun waved his hand. “I don't resent you. You've done excellent work in eliminating bandits, and Commander Zhong agrees with you, which shows you truly have exceptional abilities. Jade Pivot City is indeed a dangerous place; I hope you will be able to defend it well in the future.”

With that, he asked for two cups of clear tea. “Let's use tea instead of wine to clear away any past ill will. In the future, when you return to Coiling Dragon City, feel free to visit me for chess and drinks.”

Since he had decided to leave, he became generous. No longer in that position, he harbored no resentment.

Seeing his ability to let go, He Lingchuan admired him, raised his cup, and drained it, feeling very pleased.

In the true timeline, Wen Daolun would soon die in Jade Pivot City.

Neither Tuxian's local history nor the old Water Lizard had clarified the cause of his death, but He Lingchuan could guess it was either from the ravages of war or assassination.

Now that Wen Daolun was resigning as Jade Pivot City's Administrator and returning to Coiling Dragon, he would avoid his future demise.

Both of his sons had already sacrificed their lives for Coiling Dragon City, and He Lingchuan genuinely didn't want him to fall to an enemy's blade as well.

Making Wen Daolun leave was indeed the best strategy, as it would preserve one more talented individual for Coiling Dragon City.

At that time, Coiling Dragon City would send another person to Jade Pivot City to serve as Administrator and assist with internal affairs. However, the new arrival would not have as high a status as Wen Daolun, allowing them to cooperate well with He Lingchuan's pace.

No sooner had Wen Daolun departed than Hu Min rushed in to report:

“The Imperial Dewfall is here!”

Tonight, the Imperial Dewfall surged with great intensity!

Over a hundred newly deployed puppet beasts moved through the streets and alleys, herding people back to their homes upon sight.

The city's night market, usually bustling at this hour, was now deserted, with only a few stray dogs wandering about, unable to find anyone to feed them. Occasionally, guards patrolled in pairs, hands on their waist-swords, faces serious, not daring to laugh or joke around.

Every house was brightly lit, but their doors were tightly shut.

It was well known that the only thing besides war that could put an entire city on high alert and make the city guard act as if facing a great enemy was an impending massive spiritual energy eruption—

The Imperial Dewfall.

Complete silence fell, broken only by the night watchman's gong echoing through the streets:

“Second watch!”

As if a switch had been flipped, the sky suddenly began to drizzle. The world instantly erupted into a clamor:

“The Imperial Dewfall is here!”

The pale blue droplets were thicker than ordinary raindrops, initially as fine as ox hair, then quickly becoming dense as needles.

Every household placed basins, ceramic jars, and other containers under their eaves, and covered their courtyards with large leaves or oiled cloths to collect the Imperial Dewfall.

As for children, poultry, and livestock, they had long since been tied up with ropes or cloth strips to ensure they wouldn't act wildly or cause trouble.

After all, the Imperial Dewfall was most potent at stirring instincts and testing one's true nature.

He Lingchuan personally presided over the Jade Pivot City Guard Headquarters. The city's patrol guards and Jade Pivot Army had already deployed across the entire city and various towns and counties to strictly prevent disturbances. Quarrels leading to murder among neighbors over the Imperial Dewfall, even couples turning against each other and fathers and sons becoming enemies, occurred every time the Imperial Dewfall surged, never absent.

Even Coiling Dragon City, under long-term high-pressure control, couldn't avoid it, let alone Jade Pivot City, which had only been incorporated into the administration last year?

As the spiritual rain first arrived, He Lingchuan happened to be walking under a banana tree at the City Guard Headquarters, where the unique refreshing scent of the Imperial Dewfall was everywhere.

He Lingchuan's heart stirred as he smelled it, secretly thinking it a pity.

He had tried before; no matter how enticing the Imperial Dewfall in the Coiling Dragon World was, it had no effect on him.

Immediately after, fine droplets of rain began to fall on his hands and face.

He Lingchuan instantly stopped.

“Wait!”

This time, the spiritual rain was different. Every drop invigorated him, his pores instantly opened wide, and he yearned to absorb every single drop into his body.

This sensation was exactly the same as when he received the Imperial Dewfall in reality!

He Lingchuan reached out, caught a few drops of the spiritual rain, and drank them, savoring the taste.

Yes, this feeling of spiritual energy pouring straight into his organs and rushing up to his crown was unique to the Imperial Dewfall!

He could actually feel it here.

So, this meant he could also enjoy the benefits of the Imperial Dewfall eruption in the Coiling Dragon World? He Lingchuan was overjoyed.

Three eruptions! Including tonight, there would be a total of three Imperial Dewfall eruptions in the coming days.

He could now bathe in the spiritual rain alongside the people of Jade Pivot City.

He Lingchuan couldn't help but let out a long cry towards the sky.

This made sense! He had poured his heart and soul into Jade Pivot City and Coiling Dragon City; this was the reward he deserved!

He recalled that before he left for duty today, Sun Fuling had smiled and told him, “Don't worry about your shift; I'll collect the Imperial Dewfall for you.”

Yet, he had casually told her not to bother; now he was being proven wrong.

Since the rain began, strange sounds had constantly echoed through the city.

He Lingchuan tilted his head back, letting the spiritual rain fall on his face, and even unwrapped his bandage, allowing the Imperial Dewfall to drip directly into his wound.

The cool, soothing sensation was more effective than any spiritual medicine. And his wound soon began to itch—a sign of healing.

While feeling pleased, he also pondered why the Imperial Dewfall in the Coiling Dragon World had begun to affect him.