Chapter 951: 堵心

That place is plagued by malevolent spirits, pirates, and nether serpents; even immortals would be helpless there.

“Over the past fortnight, seven or eight hundred young adults have left their homes in seven or eight towns in southern Bailie, including Yuxian and Panzhen, heading south. Panzhen alone saw over four hundred people depart, some even moving with their entire families, seemingly with no intention of returning. After an investigation, the authorities discovered that people from Blade’s Edge Port were heavily recruiting laborers there to work in the Yangshan Archipelago, offering excellent wages.”

“The Yangshan Archipelago?” Lu Qing’an chuckled. “That He fellow still hasn’t given up, has he? Does he still intend to make a big push?”

By now, Young Master He must have realized the Yangshan Archipelago is uninhabitable, yet does he still want to fuss about it and try to salvage the situation?

According to the lessons passed down by the Lu family ancestors, the harder one struggles in that cursed place, the faster one goes bankrupt.

“It’s already late autumn. What could he possibly achieve?”

“Your subordinate heard rumors a few days ago that the pirates of the Yangshan Archipelago have pledged allegiance to the new Island Master He. This news has been circulating in Qu City with many specific details; some claim it’s a case of ‘dog-eat-dog,’ but…”

Lu Qing’an interrupted him: “Wait a moment, the pirates have submitted? Which pirate factions surrendered?”

He was a little surprised, but upon reflection, the pirate problem in the Yangshan Archipelago had a long history, and the Lu family used to deal with them every few years.

Cleaning them up once would bring peace for several years, but then the pirate problem would resurface.

“I heard that both the First and Second Factions surrendered, and quite readily. The Yue He faction was defeated by Island Master He, who attacked them with the newly recruited pirate factions of Min Tianxi and Huang Zhao, taking them down in less than half a day.”

No wonder the people of Bailie believe that this He fellow is the new pirate leader, playing a ‘dog-eat-dog’ game. In any case, the Yangshan Archipelago has already been sold and is temporarily no longer Bailie’s concern, nor is Blade’s Edge Port, which faces it, their own territory. After his surprise, Lu Qing’an simply found it amusing:

“Who would have thought? This Young Master He isn’t good at business, but he’s surprisingly good at fighting.”

The Qu City Magistrate hesitated, as if about to speak but then holding back.

Lu Qing’an noticed his hesitation and waved his hand, saying, “Go on, what other oddities are there?”

The Qu City Magistrate became serious: “It’s now harvest season, and if too many laborers go south, the grain collection from official lands might be affected.”

Lu Qing’an’s smile instantly faded: “Issue an order: farmers and laborers are not permitted to leave the local area without authorization, and violators will receive forty strokes of the cane. Southern border post stations must strictly check manifests.”

The Qu City Magistrate accepted the order but knew in his heart that it would be difficult to enforce. Southern Bailie is only a mere forty *li* from Blade’s Edge Port. Although Blade’s Edge Port has been ‘borrowed’ by Qingguo, it is still a free port. Residents of southern Bailie often visit relatives and friends there, and merchants travel back and forth to transport goods, making their bilateral ties very close.

It was hard to say how much real effect this ban would have.

“Your subordinate’s people, sent to Blade’s Edge Port to gather information, have just returned. They have basically confirmed that Island Master He indeed subdued the pirates. A few maritime rogues were drinking in a tavern in Blade’s Edge Port, boasting extravagantly about the battle for Centipede Island.” The Qu City Magistrate hesitated, thinking about how to phrase his next words. “Furthermore, there are one or two other matters that are also causing quite a stir in Blade’s Edge Port. Even if your subordinate doesn’t mention them, they will reach your ears in a few days.”

Lu Qing’an frowned slightly, a bad feeling rising within him: “Is it related to us?”

“Yes, it is,” the Qu City Magistrate said in a low voice. “It’s rumored that Island Master He dispersed the malevolent energy of the Yangshan Archipelago and defeated the nether hydras of Dragon’s Spine Island.”

“Impossible!” Lu Qing’an cut him off, denying it. “Absolutely impossible!”

“This was also revealed by the pirates. Some of them followed Island Master He deep into the archipelago and killed many giant hydras, claiming that the nether hydra corpses that kept washing ashore at Blade’s Edge Port recently were all the result of Island Master He declaring war on the nether hydra clan!”

“What result?” Lu Qing’an scoffed. “How many people does that He fellow have under him? And he dares to claim such a monumental achievement as his own? Absurd.”

Are this lot of pirates really so stupid, believing a casual bluff from a stranger? Lu Qing’an felt some regret. If he had known it was this simple, couldn’t his Lu family have subdued them themselves?

The Yangshan Archipelago is not entirely without value; the few islands not shrouded by malevolent energy could still yield some produce.

Previously, the Lu family didn’t manage the Yangshan Archipelago for two reasons. Firstly, pirates proliferated like weeds; after one round of suppression, another would emerge, making the cost of managing the islands higher than the returns. Secondly, after Blade’s Edge Port was ‘borrowed’ by Qingguo, there was a barrier between Bailie and the Yangshan Archipelago. To travel by boat properly, one had to pass through Blade’s Edge Port first, otherwise, one would have to take a long detour, making travel inconvenient.

The Qu City Magistrate shook his head: “The pirates who participated in the battle for Centipede Island claim that when Yue He attempted to escape by boat, Island Master He blew a whistle to summon nether hydras, which delivered the final blow.”

Lu Qing’an burst into laughter: “Are you saying nether hydras can cooperate with that He fellow? Those monsters can communicate with humans? That’s preposterous! They are only interested in human flesh.”

“The pirates swore that nether hydras obey Island Master He.” The Qu City Magistrate gave a wry smile. “Your subordinate also thinks it was just a coincidence; nether hydras eat people regardless of place or occasion. But I went out of my way to ask someone close to Min Tianxi, and the reply I received was that Island Master He and a great demon landed on Dragon’s Spine Island, visited the Lord of the Nether Hydras, and then reached an agreement with the nether hydra clan.”

“When he returned from Baiyuan, Min Tianxi, Huang Zhao, and others all personally saw the contents of the agreement.”

“What contents?” Lu Qing’an no longer found the joke about a rich young master foolishly buying an island amusing.

“A part of Dragon’s Spine Island has been allocated for the nether hydras to inhabit, and the nether hydras cannot disturb He Lingchuan’s normal industries.”

“It couldn’t be a fake agreement, could it?” Lu Qing’an found it inconceivable. “Did the person you asked personally see the terms?”

“Uh, he saw it, but couldn’t understand it. It’s said that it was written in the language of ancient immortals.”

Lu Qing’an burst out laughing: “These pirates can barely read; do they really recognize the language of ancient immortals? And they dare to speak with such certainty!”

To a pirate, what’s the difference between the language of ancient immortals and mere scribbles? They can’t read either, anyway.

That He fellow, with a piece of paper covered in scribbles, easily bluffed these uneducated commoners.

“It’s said that someone among the pirates recognized it; the Second Faction leader Min Tianxi recognized the language of ancient immortals,” the Qu City Magistrate said. “If he said it was correct, his subordinates naturally believed him.”

“What a farce!” Lu Qing’an declared. “If what you said earlier is true, and the nether hydra clan was truly massacred by him, could the King of the Nether Hydras still reach an agreement with him?”

He pointed out the suspicious part: “Even if this agreement is real, there are no terms for nether hydras to assist in battle.”

“But the pirates are firmly convinced and now regard Island Master He as a divine being,” the Qu City Magistrate continued. “Fishermen and boatmen from Blade’s Edge Port also say that now, even when they go out to sea on a cloudy day, no more gray mist floats in the depths of the archipelago, and travel by boat is very safe.”

Lu Qing’an muttered to himself: “Malevolent spirits, pirates, nether hydras—has he really dealt with them all?”

Reason told him it was absolutely impossible.

But Lu Qing’an suddenly recalled that after He Lingchuan paid the final installment for the island purchase, Steward Yang had reported that this Young Master He had paid no heed to the pirates mentioned by Leini and ignored the nether hydra corpses floating on the sea. He was probably already aware.

At that time, he also thought Steward Yang’s deduction made sense, but since the island had already been sold and the money received, he bothered no more with thinking about it.

Now, on closer thought, did that He fellow have a plan all along?

He must have been confident in solving the Yangshan Archipelago’s problems; that’s why he came to Bailie to drive down the price, buying such a vast archipelago at an astonishingly low price!

If the malevolent energy were completely removed from the Yangshan Archipelago from now on, how could the fertility of the land and the abundance of resources on those forty-odd islands not be coveted!

Lu Qing’an felt a knot in his heart.

Although the Yangshan Archipelago has subterranean malevolent veins, it differs from other places of absolute malevolent energy. Those places are barren, devoid of plants and animals, and utterly worthless; the Yangshan Archipelago, however, is exposed to sunlight. As long as the food crops growing on the islands can get sunlight, they won’t be tainted by malevolent energy, and neither humans nor livestock will fall ill after eating them.

He composed himself before saying to the Qu City Magistrate, “Don’t tell my father about this.”

The Qu City Magistrate looked troubled: “Ah, this…”

Lu Zhensheng was, after all, the head of the Lu family.

As soon as Lu Qing’an spoke, he realized it was inappropriate. He slapped his forehead and said, “Ah, how foolish of me. Tell my father after lunch.”

Only then did the Qu City Magistrate assent and withdraw.

Nearing noon, the father and son had lunch together.

Lu Zhensheng chatted with his eldest son about territorial affairs for a while before picking up a thin, soft pancake. He rolled up some fragrant roasted meat slices, spread a layer of pear sauce, and ate with his eyes narrowed in pleasure:

“Qing’an,” he said, “have you heard what’s been happening recently in the Yangshan Archipelago?”

Lu Qing’an cursed inwardly, thinking how the old man’s shrewdness was only for internal matters; if only he could be so quick-witted externally.

But he had to pretend to be clueless: “What is it?”

“That He Lingchuan who bought the archipelago seems to have stirred up quite a bit,” Lu Zhensheng continued. “Didn’t Magistrate Liu mention it to you?”

“I’ve heard some unsubstantiated rumors, but I didn’t take them seriously,” Lu Qing’an scoffed. “Dispersing malevolent energy and eliminating nether hydras? If a rich young master had such abilities, where in the world couldn’t he go? Why would he bother coming to develop the Yangshan Archipelago?”

“Didn’t you send people to investigate his background?”

“Yes, I sent them, but how could they return so quickly?” Lu Qing’an picked up a golden-fried soft-shell crab and bit into it with a crunch.

So crispy!

This molting crab was so soft he didn’t even need to peel it; he could just bite right into the rich roe. “Fuguo is next to Beijia; even with travel by boat and hurried journeys, a round trip would take at least half a year, not to mention the time spent gathering information there.”

“Besides, if he really had the ability to disperse malevolent energy, why would he only reclaim a dozen or so islands?” Lu Qing’an said nonchalantly. “I think he’s trying to create some hype and make a name for himself, so that he can easily sell the crops produced on the islands later.”

“Hype, you say?” Lu Zhensheng admitted that this guess made a lot of sense. What wouldn’t merchants do to promote themselves and build momentum? “So how did he subdue the pirates? Over the past month, those pirates haven’t committed any more crimes.”