Chapter 948: Change Tactics

He Lingchuan also had a set of these in his possession, which he had recovered from the body of He Jing, the envoy of Duyun. Since acquiring them, he had never used them, keeping them only as a collector's item.

Alas, he couldn't afford to use them. This set of array talismans was powered purely by profound crystals, making their use prohibitively expensive.

Without the restrictions of array formations that prohibited escape techniques, the Beiga people could indeed use the Small Mountain Moving Array to travel freely.

"Later, the surrounding monsters, big and small, as well as cultivators and hunters from the wilderness, frequently attacked my territory, and my offspring often mysteriously disappeared," said Madam Zhu Er, exasperated. "There are also old monsters living around Butterfly Valley, and they said someone offered a profound crystal bounty: capturing fifteen or more of my offspring would earn a reward; one Spider Guard would suffice."

Madam Zhu Da asked, puzzled, "Didn't you find their hiding place?"

"They were extremely careful with their movements, likely hidden by array formations, or perhaps they simply hid in houses created by the Mustard Seed technique," Madam Zhu Er replied. "Among the enemies, there were bird demons who could just fly away into the sky with a Mustard Seed house, making it impossible for me to track them."

No matter how capable a burrowing spider was, it didn't have wings. How could something that ran on the ground be as fast as something that flew in the sky?

The Mustard Seed technique was a rare divine skill. He Lingchuan only knew that Songyang Prefecture could produce it, and indeed, some people in Beiga also collected Mustard Seed houses. When Fu Shanyue previously besieged a residence to capture Cen Boqing, Cen Boqing had hidden inside the "Ficus Caverna" Mustard Seed space, getting someone to take him out of the residence, and almost successfully escaped.

"So, your relationship with your neighbors deteriorated again, didn't it?"

Madam Zhu Er hummed in agreement. With the surrounding monsters capturing her offspring for profound crystals, how could neighborly relations remain friendly?

Furthermore, as an outsider, what reason did the local monsters have to help her?

Madam Zhu Da was indignant: "When you encountered difficulties, why didn't you tell me earlier? I would have helped you kill them all!"

Her younger sister was simply too slow. If both sisters had confronted them together, the opponents couldn't possibly have handled two giant spider demons.

"What good would telling you do?" Madam Zhu Er said wistfully. "At that time, you had just left Baisha Port in Yuan Country and were drifting at sea."

Madam Zhu Da did a mental calculation and realized she was right. At that time, she had indeed been on a long sea voyage, drinking with He Lingchuan and Dong Rui every day.

But she knew her sister well, and a thought struck her: "What were you planning to do then? Move again?"

Madam Zhu Er remained silent.

After months of skirmishes with those Beiga rascals, she had indeed grown impatient and conceived the idea of moving again. Just then, He Lingchuan's invitation arrived.

Madam Zhu Da let out a long "Oh," asking, "So you already wanted to come here?"

Madam Zhu Er stared at Madam Zhu Da with all twelve of her eyes. How could a sister's claws bend outwards like that? Didn't she just want to maintain a bit of composure? Would the treatment be the same for someone who was invited versus someone who eagerly came on their own?

What kind of bewildering potion had that He fellow given her sister? After only a few months apart, how had she become so silly!

He Lingchuan, of course, understood Madam Zhu Er's little thoughts. He coughed, interrupting the sisters' staring contest.

"After dealing with them for so long, do you know their leader's name?"

"I only heard his subordinates call him 'Lord Yu,' but I don't know which 'Yu' character it is," Madam Zhu Er mused. "However, the first time this leader spoke to me—through my offspring—he introduced himself as a subordinate of Grand Master Frost Leaf of Beiga Country."

"Grand Master Frost Leaf?" He Lingchuan's heart tensed.

He had only met Grand Master Frost Leaf once in Lingxu City, yet he was intricately linked to this Grand Master! The disappearance of the Lingxu courier, the elixir of immortality case, and the Cen Boqing case were all centered around the struggles between Grand Master Frost Leaf and Grand Master Qingyang.

This bloodless, covert war ultimately ended in Grand Master Frost Leaf's victory.

Based on He Lingchuan's impression of Grand Master Frost Leaf, any involvement with this person meant matters would certainly not be simple!

"Whether this group's discovery of you was accidental or not, the news of your presence in eastern Mu Country should already have reached Lingxu City, and further instructions would have been issued," He Lingchuan mused. "Beiga has many talented individuals; I don't know who this 'Lord Yu' is, but his strategy is cunning. Previously, when they were few in number, they would never confront you directly, but they wanted to make you unwelcome everywhere in Mu Country, forcing you to move again and again if you couldn't stay."

"If you hadn't come to Yangshan Archipelago, they would have continued to chase you like a pack of wolves, waiting for you to expose weaknesses, waiting for you to show exhaustion and make defensive mistakes. By that time, they would also have received reinforcements from Beiga, and only then would they deliver a fatal blow."

Within Mu Country, Beiga couldn't summon a large army, but they could call upon powerful individuals.

"Madam Zhu Er, you are cautious by nature, unlike Madam Zhu Da, who is so... straightforward," he said, "and fearless. When encountering such persistent enemies that you can't capture, moving away is the only option."

Each time Madam Zhu Er moved, it drained her significantly. Large quantities of mycelial mats, food, and supplies could not be taken with her. During the relocation, her offspring had no food, and Madam Zhu Er had to regurgitate nutrients to feed them.

The enemies had precisely identified her weakness, continuously harassing her, severing the burrowing spider's nest's connection with its surroundings, and forcing her into desperate situations repeatedly.

Previously, General Hong dealt with Madam Zhu Er through brute force.

Beiga, however, had adopted a different approach.

This was a very clever tactic. It had to be said that Beiga, as a demon nation, had effective methods for dealing with these ancient great demons.

"Hmm, wait," He Lingchuan murmured, stroking his chin. This method bore the distinct style of Grand Master Frost Leaf.

So, would this turn into a game of chess between him and Frost Leaf?

With a "thud," Madam Zhu Da's claw tip vigorously gouged a hole in the reef, sending sparks flying.

Madam Zhu Er, however, was not as agitated as her sister. Instead, she turned to give a few instructions to the small spiders, telling them to block the last corner of the enclosure and then set their nets.

"You told me that once I settled in Yangshan Archipelago, I would be safe from now on, which is why I moved here," she said, looking back at He Lingchuan. "Now, do you still dare to say that?"

He Lingchuan shed his usual casual demeanor, sat up straight, and said earnestly, "I will make good on my word!"

The spider demon sisters exchanged glances.

Facing pursuit from a powerful contemporary nation, could he still boast such a claim? If anyone else had said it, they wouldn't have believed a single word!

But He Lingchuan was different.

This young man's past was the best guarantee.

Madam Zhu Da couldn't help but ask, "What are you going to do?"

"When soldiers come, generals will block; when water comes, earth will stem it," He Lingchuan said with a slight smile. "Madam Zhu Er, don't let 'Lord Yu' disturb your mind and throw you into disarray as before. Don't worry too much about these Beiga pursuers. Dig your holes, produce your goods—just proceed step by step."

What? Just like that?

Madam Zhu Er was greatly disappointed upon hearing this and was about to ask a counter-question, but then she noticed that her elder sister next to her remained silent.

Normally, wouldn't her sister be the first to jump up when hearing something so preposterous?

How was she able to remain so calm this time?