Chapter 938: Congratulations, My Lord

Chapter 928: Congratulations, Lord!

He sighed softly. "Grandma Zhu, we are only a dozen people, yet we have to rule such a vast territory and have just subdued so many pirates! How many of them, do you think, are born with rebellious tendencies?"

"Oh, not many, right?" Grandma Zhu disliked complicated human minds. "Didn't both of their leaders surrender to you?"

He Lingchuan said meaningfully, "Everyone has a rebellious streak, given the right circumstances." Wasn't this Golden Scroll of Heavenly Rectitude also his own protective charm?

Grandma Zhu disagreed. "It's exhausting to constantly be scheming like this!"

"Why 'constantly'?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Give me some time, and I can turn them into loyal followers."

Grandma Zhu was curious. "Oh, how will you do that?"

"It's simple," He Lingchuan said slowly. "It all comes down to 'self-interest'." Then, he said no more.

Grandma Zhu scoffed at him. Knowing he liked to keep people in suspense, she simply stopped asking.

The journey back was uneventful. Moreover, the fact that the Shadow Vipers had respectfully escorted Young Master He out already spoke volumes: they could now act with impunity across the Yangshan Archipelago!

Min Tianxi and Huang Zhao had been waiting by the sea for over three hours. Seeing the menacing, malevolent Shadow Vipers lurking around them, and watching the sky grow darker, everyone felt extremely uneasy. What if Young Master He died? Would the dozens of them left on the reef become extra food for the Shadow Vipers?

Finally, the figures they had been eagerly awaiting emerged from the dense forest! They were completely unharmed, safe and sound, and even looked radiant.

Min Tianxi suddenly pointed into the distance, overjoyed. "They're back!" Young Master He's return was good news, excellent news.

Once He Lingchuan and Grandma Zhu boarded the ship, it slowly began to move. The Shadow Vipers continued to swim alongside the vessel without interfering. Only then did He Lingchuan announce to everyone: "I have reached an agreement with the King of the Shadow Vipers. The southwestern tip of Dragon Spine Island, as well as Drum Sound Island and Dragon Flood Island, will be designated as a haven for the Shadow Viper tribe. These will also be human forbidden zones, so you must not approach them! In three days, we will take control of the entire Yangshan Archipelago, excluding these three locations. From now on, the Shadow Vipers will be our good neighbors and will no longer capture or eat people!"

Upon hearing the last sentence, the pirates on both ships exchanged incredulous glances. Young Master He had absorbed the Yin Sha energy and killed so many Shadow Vipers. It was one thing for the other party not to settle scores with him, but they even agreed to divide the territory and become his neighbors?

No one could guess how he had achieved this, which only deepened their admiration for him. To accomplish what others could not—that was the mark of a truly great person.

The pirates couldn't help but cheer loudly. Seeing that the matter was finally settled, Huang Zhao and the other pirates congratulated him in unison, their voices thundering, "Congratulations, Young Master He!"

Min Tianxi collected himself, cupped his fists, and said, "Congratulations, Lord!"

He Lingchuan took out the Golden Scroll of Rectitude from his chest, unfurled it before Min Tianxi and the others, and said, "Look!"

Qiu Hu and the others came over as soon as the ship started moving. They had also looked closely earlier and now responded thunderously, "We saw it clearly!"

Huang Zhao also leaned in, reading intently. However, the handwriting on it was extremely messy, embodying the essence of freehand brushwork, with each character appearing to dance wildly off the scroll. Simply put, from a distance, it looked like gibberish, and since most pirates had limited education, they found it extremely difficult to decipher. One couldn't admit to their subordinates and companions that they couldn't quite understand it, could they? That would be losing face and dignity.

He Lingchuan only displayed the scroll for a few moments before retracting it and asking, "Did you understand? Is it clearly written?"

"Not a single word is wrong!"

Yet, even so, his image in everyone's minds instantly became grander and more mysterious. This move was truly brilliant. Resolving the Shadow Viper threat was real; intimidating people was symbolic. Taking control of the entire Yangshan Island was the overt goal; clearing obstacles for his next steps was the covert one.

He revealed the scroll with a bit of cunning. To prevent anyone from truly understanding it quickly, he pressed his finger over the important clause: the part about the Shadow Viper army serving him. He had other calculations in mind, so it was best that this particular clause wasn't clearly legible in gold on red paper. This combination of the tangible and the intangible, the overt and the covert, was crucial for his future development.

With the pirates as eyewitnesses, the residents of Blade Harbor and even Baelen would soon be convinced: Island Master He was the bane of Yin Sha and the Shadow Vipers, and the development of the Yangshan Archipelago was imminent.

The handwriting on the golden scroll was completely different from before. Min Tianxi first noticed that the signatories of the agreement had changed to He Lingchuan and Long Hao.

What was the King of the Shadow Vipers thinking? Was he threatened by Young Master He and forced to submit? The Shadow Vipers flicked their tongues, and the hatred and malice in their eyes quickly vanished. In this regard, they were as simple-minded as Grandma Zhu Er's cave spider offspring.

The Shadow Viper that had guided him let out a few hisses, and Shadow Vipers from the dense forest and the sea emerged and gathered, their eyes all fixed on He Lingchuan. Anyone else would have gotten goosebumps being stared at by so many monsters. But He Lingchuan acted as if nothing was amiss, for he held the precious scroll and understood the meaning of the guiding Shadow Viper: this was the new master of the archipelago and the leader's collaborator; from now on, no one was to offend him!

He Lingchuan looked at their gazes, knowing that the goal of his risky endeavor had finally been achieved. Those who had previously doubted, speculated about, scorned, or even harbored ill will toward him had now surely ceased their efforts.

With his hands still stained with the blood of the Shadow Vipers, yet able to travel alone to and from the Viper's Lair and compel their king to sign an agreement—perhaps only Young Master He, standing before them, could achieve such a feat? He had retaken the islands occupied by the Shadow Vipers without shedding blood, and the Vipers dared not retaliate; instead, they treated him as an honored guest. This Young Master He had truly renegotiated an agreement with the Shadow Viper King!

By reckoning, it should be sunset now. With every word he spoke, the eyes of the crowd widened further.

"No, the Yangshan Archipelago has not been fully recovered yet."

The mirror in his arms asked him, "Oh, so the problems with the Yin Sha and Shadow Vipers are solved. Are you resting easy as island master now?"

"..." It startled him! Was this thing a clairaudient, able to eavesdrop from so far away?

Thick clouds swirled, and the wind began to pick up at sea. He Lingchuan took a shallow breath, facing the cool sea breeze. "There's still one small problem: Yue Heping." There was still one pirate force that had not submitted.

"When will this happen?" Huang Zhao grumbled for the tenth time. "What if..."

Qiu Hu, on the opposite ship, turned his head and shot a stern glance. "There will be no 'what if'."

"Another negotiation?" The mirror brightened at the thought of excitement. "What bloodless solution do you have this time?"

"Well..." He Lingchuan smiled. The warm glow of the ship's lantern on his face made it seem like he wore a mask. "I'm tired of the old tricks; I want something new."