Chapter 986: Meeting

He told himself not to get angry.

If these bounty hunters could really take out the spider demon, the Bailong people would have a stronger hand against He Lingchuan.

After Ye Qing and the others left, Lu Zhensheng finally let out a long breath and said to his subordinate officials:

"Don't tell Qing'an about this. He's already troubled enough dealing with the war on the eastern front."

"Understood."

Two days later, Black Page Island.

Wanqie Song disembarked and walked toward the camp, hearing a commotion ahead, along with the clanging of gongs.

The bulletin board outside the warehouse was surrounded by a dense crowd, as if someone was making an announcement, and everyone was craning their necks to listen.

Wanqie Song couldn't be bothered to join the crowd and went straight back to his room.

Soon after, his nephew arrived, bringing him a packed dinner.

It was "packed" because tonight's communal meal from the cafeteria was oily rice stewed with bamboo shoot tips and dried fish, wrapped in *ruozhu* leaves.

It was very much like a *zongzi*; tearing open the *ruozhu* leaves on a chilly evening, the unique aroma of the oily rice, warm and inviting, wafted towards him.

Inside, there was even a large piece of braised pork, seventy percent lean and thirty percent fat.

People engaged in heavy labor needed rich, fatty meat and mixed-grain rice to build strength.

However, Wanqie Song took it and casually placed it on the table, not in the mood to touch it. "What's going on at the warehouse?" he asked.

"There's an announcement from the higher-ups. It seems *Dilu Jiang* might appear in the next few days. For those who want to use the spiritual liquid to refine medicine, the camp physician has already prepared the ingredients; you just need to buy them by portion."

Wanqie Song was taken aback. "They know *Dilu Jiang* is coming?"

"Given this grand display, the Yangshan Islands must be very confident, otherwise they'd make fools of themselves in a few days."

"In a few days?" Wanqie Song's eyes brightened slightly. He first cast a sound-insulating barrier before saying, "What a great opportunity. Once *Dilu Jiang* descends, the islands' defenses are bound to be lax and disorganized."

"The islands are so vast, and transport is inconvenient. Do you know where Island Master He will be when the *Dilu Jiang* arrives?" Wanqie Feng forced a bitter smile. "We haven't even found out which island he usually lives on."

"Suding Island, of course," Wanqie Song said without hesitation. "Old Yu said he's most concerned about that precious shipping route. He'll likely go to Suding Island on the night of the *Dilu Jiang* to protect it and prevent major chaos."

In fact, Wanqie Feng had also thought the same thing.

"These past two days, we've been asking some former pirates from the Yangshan Islands about a few things," Wanqie Feng said, clearing his throat. "Originally, only the outer few islands in the archipelago were navigable; deeper in, malevolent energy ran rampant. It was Island Master He who found a way to absorb all the Yin-Sha energy gushing out from the ley lines, which allowed for the current development of the fourteen islands."

"Oh?" Wanqie Song responded. "They saw it with their own eyes?"

"Yes, they saw it. They said that as soon as the malevolent energy approached Island Master He, he absorbed it, not a single speck touching anyone else."

Wanqie Song scoffed. "Do you know they're talking nonsense? Yin-Sha is the bane of living beings; the living avoid it at all costs. Does Island Master He really have the power to absorb all the Yin-Sha from the entire archipelago?"

"That's beyond human capability!" He spat. "What does that mean? It means Island Master He has a treasure on him, a wondrous treasure! If we seize it, we can also absorb the malevolent energy. With that treasure, the malevolent energy of this entire sea region will be our natural barrier. If anyone dares to seize it from us, we can unleash the malevolent energy and drive them away!"

What his uncle said actually made a lot of sense. Wanqie Feng forced a bitter smile. "The second thing is that pirates under Min Tianxi swore solemnly that when they were hunting down Yue Pinghe, the leader of the Sannao pirates, Island Master He summoned a Yin Hui to assist him."

"How did it assist?"

"Yue Pinghe had already sailed out to sea and seemed impossible to catch. Island Master He blew a flute, and the Yin Hui came at the sound, overturning both of the Sannao pirates' ships, then dragging them back to the dock," Wanqie Feng said. "Abo found two pirates to drink with, and both said they were standing on the beach and saw it with their own eyes; there's no mistake."

Wanqie Song frowned. "Are you saying we're giving up?"

"Uncle, Island Master He must have some hidden skills. How about we pick another location? There are many other sea areas to the east..."

Wanqie Song slammed the table with a bang. "Within a hundred-li radius, this is the most suitable place! I've also made inquiries these past few days: He only has a dozen capable fighters around him, and supposedly one big monster. The rest are just weaklings, 'shrimp soldiers and crab generals.' As for any 'monster army,' there's no sign of one! No matter how formidable his few subordinates are, we'll launch a surprise attack, six hundred against a dozen or so; we'll overwhelm them just by sheer numbers! The *Dilu Jiang* arriving in a few days makes it an even better opportunity!"

He gave a cold, sneering laugh. "If you don't want to fight, go back to shore yourself!"

Wanqie Feng held back his anger. "This place is surrounded by water. If our operation fails or is exposed, even escaping will be difficult. Does the Lu family have any assistance or backup ready?"

"Shouldn't we plan our retreat before launching an attack?"

Wanqie Song's eyes flickered. "I'll contact the Lu family and have them prepare a maritime extraction."

Seeing Wanqie Feng's displeased expression, he patted his nephew's shoulder. "As long as we act fast enough, Island Master He won't even have time to summon the Yin Hui. Besides, that creature is only powerful in water; its abilities will be greatly diminished on land. Now, tell me, what is there to fear about Island Master He?"

Wanqie Feng was speechless.

From the intelligence they had gathered, the Yangshan Islands' strength was indeed limited: too few elite soldiers and fierce generals, and too many disorganized rabble.

Accustomed to fighting on battlefields, they knew well that disorganized rabble could only fight when things were going their way and could not cope with a surprise attack at all.

If they launched an attack on the night of the *Dilu Jiang*, eliminating a few elites, the remaining rabble would be nothing to worry about.

This tactic seemed correct, but his intuition repeatedly warned him that it was still too risky.

He also had no evidence to dissuade his uncle.

Just then, a subordinate reported:

"Old Yu is here, and he's brought two more people this time."

Old Yu was the liaison sent by Lu Zhensheng.

Two more people? The Wanqie uncle and nephew exchanged a glance. "Let them in," Wanqie Song said.

Old Yu was thin and dark-skinned, clearly a Suding Island resident who made a living from fishing and farming. The other two, however, had sharp, bright eyes and a steady stance.

As men with military backgrounds, the Wanqie uncle and nephew immediately recognized them as battle-hardened veterans.

The Bailong men, with hands on their weapons, cast fierce glances.

Old Yu quickly chuckled awkwardly. "What's all this? We're all friends, friends! Let's not spoil the good relations!"

"Friends with whom?" Wanqie Song looked at him askance. "Where did these two come from? What did you tell them?"

"These are friends introduced by our lord, here to work with you."

Wanqie Song grabbed him by the collar, gritting out through clenched teeth, "They know everything?"

That Lu fellow was utterly unreliable, blabbing about their plan to seize the island and randomly pushing people on them?

"We know," Ye Qing stepped forward and said in a deep voice. "Our goals are aligned; we can cooperate fully."

Wanqie Song said flatly, "No interest."

He gave a signal, and the Bailong men swarmed forward, ready to chop the three into mincemeat.