Chapter 961: Lion, Tiger, Deer, and Boar

Guan Ke chuckled, "Prefect Wu dares to ask for that price, and people are willing to pay it. What concern is that of yours?"

Ding Zuodong shook his head. "Even then, I knew something fishy was going on, but I didn't suspect it was Prefect Wu."

Lei Ni laughed, "You don't offer Prefect Wu gifts, no wonder he makes things difficult for you."

"That's probably Prefect Wu's boat. Anyone wanting to bribe him can simply rent his vessel. It's a public rental, a mutually agreed transaction, so no one can complain. And the boats truly are excellent—they're functional and effective when rented." Guan Ke added, "By the way, these boats are, of course, not registered under Prefect Wu's name."

He Lingchuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. If Dong Rui were present, he would know He Lingchuan was about to hatch a mischievous plan:

"These boats are very expensive, right?"

"Of course. Especially the larger vessels; they are capable of withstanding ocean storms. They come from a shipbuilding family in the east and are built with very sturdy materials, making each one quite expensive to construct." Guan Ke held up two fingers. "Prefect Wu recently auctioned off the smallest cargo ship, which fetched two thousand taels of silver."

Ding Zuodong nodded, "Only his ships can sell for that price, right?"

"Exactly," Guan Ke laughed. "In my opinion, even eight hundred taels would be too much."

This process appears to be a mere formality on the surface. After deducting auction fees, one thousand taels are pocketed.

"Ten large vessels—that's at least twenty to thirty thousand taels, if not more," He Lingchuan remarked admiringly. "And that's not even counting the cost of smaller boats. Prefect Wu certainly has a knack for making money."

These thirty-odd vessels alone are worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, not to mention Prefect Wu's other ventures.

He's not a high-ranking official, but he wields significant power and profits handsomely.

Seeing how wealthy Master Wu was, He Lingchuan felt reassured and asked Guan Ke, "Is there an auction house here as well?"

"No," Guan Ke replied, shaking his head. "There used to be two. One was thriving, but its proprietor died after encountering a Yin Hui at sea. Upon his death, all his enterprises collapsed. The other was poorly managed and went out of business six months ago. Now, if people want to auction anything, they have to go to Bailie territory or even Platinum Island, which is very inconvenient."

"Aren't the authorities doing anything about it?"

"Blade Port seems to be setting one up," Guan Ke scoffed. "They've been preparing for half a year with no progress."

He Lingchuan acknowledged with a hum and told Guan Ke, "Return to the main island with me shortly. I have a few tasks I need you to handle."

Guan Ke was overjoyed and immediately agreed.

Lei Ni, however, reminded him, "My Lord, sea hurricanes are fierce. The past three months without one have merely been good fortune; it doesn't mean they won't occur later."

He Lingchuan recalled encountering a hurricane while sailing the ocean, his ship nearly sinking. "Are hurricanes frequent here?" he asked.

"From summer to autumn, there are typically at least two or three. In previous years, hurricanes would first sweep across the Yangshan Archipelago before continuing north to make landfall. Palm harvesting will need to be expedited."

What He Lingchuan thought of was the ongoing farm project.

The land had been leveled, the wheat planted, and the farm structures erected. If a few hurricanes were to strike now, it would be truly devastating.

Farming truly depended on the whims of nature.

He pondered for a moment before telling Ding Zuodong, "Find me a dozen or so stonemasons."

The Lord had his own methods, and Ding Zuodong didn't question the reasons, simply assenting.

He Lingchuan then gave a few instructions to Qiu Hu, concluding, "You'll be responsible for this."

Qiu Hu nodded, "A small matter."

He Lingchuan concluded his inspection, patted Qiu Hu's shoulder, smiled at Lei Ni, and then departed with the other two.

Qiu Hu watched his retreating figure and sighed.

Lei Ni was slightly surprised. "You sigh too?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Qiu Hu's voice was so low that only Lei Ni could hear him. "I detest parasites. If beating them to death with a stick could solve these problems, I certainly wouldn't hold back."

Lei Ni laughed, "Would simply killing them off not help?"

Qiu Hu pressed his neck, producing a cracking sound. "The Lord says we must maintain our integrity for long-term development. After all, the problems that can be solved with brute force are limited."

After boarding the vessel, He Lingchuan stood alone at the bow, allowing the sea breeze to wash over him.

This was his exclusive spot. Seeing him close his eyes in meditation, the others instinctively retreated, careful not to disturb him.

With the vast sky and open sea around him, He Lingchuan contemplated the future.

The mirror in his arms asked him, "Is it so difficult for you to seize Bailie? Why are you tolerating the Lu father and son's provocations?"

Its master had burned down the Star-Picking Tower in one swift move, a truly exhilarating act at the time. Why, then, was he so hesitant to deal with the Lu father and son now?

"The game hasn't even truly begun," He Lingchuan said without opening his eyes. "When this round truly begins, do you think Bailie will be sitting across the table?"

"No?"

"Even if I overcome the Lu father and son, even if I reclaim Bailie, then what? Do you believe prosperity will simply arrive?" He scoffed. "I tell you, the true challenges lie ahead."

The mirror seemed thoughtful.

"Once I seize Bailie, I will no longer be an unknown entity to Mou, Qing, or even Beijia," He Lingchuan said slowly. "Do you believe Mou will simply stand by and watch me absorb Bailie without comment?"

"Uh, no?"

"Bailie was originally a dependency of Mou, contributing money and grain in exchange for its precarious peace. Conversely, Mou had a responsibility to protect Bailie." He Lingchuan tilted his head back, feeling the slightly damp sea breeze. Having been here for over a month, he had grown accustomed to the climate. "A great nation like Mou despises instability in its surroundings, especially with Ya and Qing stirring. Bailie's importance to it naturally increases."

"And Beijia," he continued slowly. "Once instability arises around Mou, Beijia will certainly take notice, and that's when they'll spot us. Furthermore, there's a Beijia pursuit force trailing Zhu Erniang; I estimate they'll arrive soon."

"Once we secure Bailie, we will effectively step onto the stage, into the spotlight. When everyone is watching you, you'll no longer have the opportunity to retreat backstage."

Being swept away by the tide of events means losing control of one's own fate.

"While they can't yet see me, I must swiftly bide my time, cultivate my strength, and grow in secret. When I finally join the game, I must be formidable."

"Furthermore, this new force I've assembled needs to expand, to be tempered, and to mature," He Lingchuan sighed. "Whether it's managing the army, training troops, or developing business strategies, nothing can be achieved overnight. A fledgling like Bailie is perfect for practice. Otherwise, if our territory expands further, the situation will become even more complex, and without a mature team of skilled individuals, what will I rely on to govern?"

"Heh, you're certainly not in a hurry."

"What's the rush? Lions and tigers appear lazy all day, yet they are actually conserving energy, only exerting their full effort when hunting," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Deer and boars squawk and clamor constantly, rushing excitedly at the sight of a few blades of grass, oblivious that their only fate in this life is to become someone else's meal."

"Do they believe the grass they consume will transform into their own flesh and blood? They're mistaken; that fat ultimately nourishes tigers and wolves."

He asked the mirror, "Do you wish to be a lion or a tiger, or a deer or a boar?"

"I just don't want to be eaten."

"That's not up to you!" He Lingchuan burst out laughing. "Such is the way of the world: either you prey on others, or you become prey."

"For me, Bailie serves as a protective barrier, shielding me from the gaze of others. I don't wish to dismantle it too soon. I only hope the Lu father and son are sensible enough not to collapse this barrier." He tilted his head slightly, observing the crisp autumn air and listening to the wind and roaring waves. "We must cherish the current calm. Such peaceful days will likely become rare in the future."

The following day, sixty li west of Blade Port, lay West Fjord.

It was a heavily overcast day; the sun hadn't appeared since early morning. Yet, the sea was calm, and sailing was exceptionally smooth.

A sailor on the Baoji stretched into the wind and yawned.

He was tired; they were almost there. After returning to Blade Port, he planned to spend a few hours at the Yellowfish Tavern, then seek out the 'half-door' girl deep in Snail Alley. The money he'd spent on her last time had been well worth it.

Suddenly, the vessel lurched violently. A sailor was thrown forward, hitting the ship's railing and nearly knocking out his front teeth.

The ship came to a halt, and everyone rushed out to see, "What happened?"

Did they hit something? The sailor, still covering his mouth, exclaimed, "There are no reefs here!"

"The hold is leaking!"

It was indeed damaged. The captain immediately sent men below to conduct repairs.

But no sooner had he spoken than a loud splashing sound emanated from below the bow.

Everyone crowded to the bow and peered down, almost scared out of their wits:

"Yin... Yin Hui!"

Seven or eight Yin Hui emerged from the water. The largest was nearly two *zhang* long, its dark, thick body even more massive than a giant python's.

The Baoji had likely been stopped by it.

Everyone looked down, their eyes meeting the creatures' ominous gazes. All the old stories of Yin Hui destroying ships and devouring people suddenly flooded their minds.

"Oh, my goodness! How can there be Yin Hui here?!" Yin Hui had never appeared in West Fjord before.

The captain was still shouting, "Protect the ship, quickly protect the ship!" yet more than half of the people around him had vanished.

He turned his head and saw everyone rushing to the stern, not to grab weapons, but to lower ropes and prepare to escape in the small boats.

The sailor, still covering his mouth, cried out, "There are no Yin Hui behind us in the sea! Hurry, get going!"

The captain was furious. "Grab your weapons, quickly grab them! This ship is transporting public grain!"

"So many Yin Hui, and a massive one too; we can't possibly win!" The sailor spoke with a slight lisp. "If you wish to protect the ship, you stay; we're leaving now!"

This voyage was particularly short, only four or five days in total, and no valuable goods were being transported. They earned only a meager wage, not enough to buy even two *jin* of good wine ashore, so there was no need to fight to the death.

"They're coming aboard, they're coming aboard!" Everyone looked back. The Yin Hui were climbing onto the vessel, directly flinging one of the captain's confidants into the sea.

As soon as they came aboard, the deck immediately became significantly more cramped.

Just these few Yin Hui nearly overwhelmed the ship.

Seeing them rush forward, flicking their tongues, everyone became even more terrified and frantically untied the mooring ropes.

Someone rushed forward, being the first to leap into a small boat.

Everyone looked closer, and to their surprise, it was the captain.

"Hurry, go, go!"

One or two Yin Hui, and people could still manage.

Three or four, and they'd grit their teeth and fight.

But with so many Yin Hui, it was paramount to save their lives.

Two days later, in the early morning.

Prefect Wu arrived at the Maritime Affairs Bureau precisely on time.

For all these years, he was rarely late for work.

He toured the Maritime Affairs Bureau. Everyone under his command was at their post, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Leading by example, his diligence as a superior naturally inspired his subordinates to work diligently.