Chapter 987: Conspiracy

Old Yu trembled uncontrollably and tried to run, but Ye Qing grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back. "Our leader is right here on Suoding Island. If you try to silence us, don't blame us for being ruthless."

If these men reported them, Wanqi Feng and his nephew's operation would be halted.

Wanqi Feng waved his hand, signaling for everyone to stop. He stepped outside to check for any onlookers, and only after confirming they hadn't attracted attention did he return and ask, "Who exactly are you?"

Ye Qing quickly pulled out his official badge and flashed it at them. "Beijia, Black Tiger Army."

The Bailong men's expressions shifted. The faint glow on the badge confirmed it was genuine.

These secretive men who had landed on the island were surprisingly Beijia soldiers?

The Bailong people had no fondness for Beijia. Wanqi Song couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing here?"

With a deliberate motion, Ye Qing drew a wanted poster from his clothes and handed it over. "This is our target."

Wanqi Feng and his nephew unrolled the yellow scroll and read, "Zhu Erniang?"

"Have you seen this massive creature?"

Both Wanqi Feng and his nephew shook their heads.

"It's a major criminal wanted by Lingxu City, and we're ordered to apprehend it and bring it to justice! But He Xiao, the lord of Yangshan Archipelago, is actively shielding it and refuses to surrender this spider demon!"

Wanqi Feng thought for a moment and said, "Come to think of it, one of my men, Aji, once visited an island by ship. It's supposedly in a restricted zone of the archipelago, where only a few specialized ships are allowed to approach. Upon landing, they found spiderwebs everywhere!"

Ye Qing immediately pressed further, "What did they witness?"

Wanqi Feng shook his head. "They didn't see any living people on the island, just a few large warehouses on the shore. The captain ordered them to load goods from the warehouses onto the ship and then leave, warning them not to go near the jungle, or they would be responsible for any danger."

"The woods behind the warehouses were covered in many spiderwebs, and there seemed to be spider figures, though they couldn't see them clearly. One worker accidentally knocked over a box, and inside were white silk cloths."

"That wasn't silk, but subterranean spider silk!" Ye Qing said in a serious tone. "Yangshan Archipelago is cooperating with the Subterranean Spider Queen, selling the output of the spider's nest outside. Our Captain Yu wants to cooperate with the Bailong people, each taking what they need!"

"Captain Yu?" Wanqi Feng asked him, "Why isn't someone named Yu coming to meet us himself? This doesn't seem very secure."

"Island Lord He is hosting a banquet tonight, and Captain Yu is unable to be in two places at once."

Yu Zecheng was enjoying a banquet with the island lord, while Wanqi Feng and his nephew were left eating simple rations here.

The disparity in their status was immediately clear.

Wanqi Song reconfirmed, "So, we seize the island, and you only want this spider demon?"

Ye Qing smiled. "Beijia is a land of abundant resources; we have no interest whatsoever in Yangshan Archipelago, nor in you."

His tone carried a hint of disdain, but Wanqi Feng and his nephew weren't offended. "How many people have you brought?"

"Seven or eight, and in another two days, there will be about ten."

Wanqi Song frowned, his words echoing Lu Zhensheng's, "So few?"

"There's only one major demon beast near Island Lord He; we'll be responsible for containing it, and you just deal with the others," Ye Qing relayed Yu Zecheng's words. "According to our reconnaissance, Island Lord He doesn't have many elite subordinates. You just need to eliminate them immediately."

If anyone else tried to instruct Wanqi Song on how to fight, he would have simply slapped them. But when the Beijia men said it, he showed no anger. Instead, he pulled his nephew aside and whispered, "This is exactly what we needed. With the Beijia people joining us, our chances of winning just improved significantly."

Wanqi Feng shook his head. "They have too few people. If they could handle it themselves, they wouldn't need to ask for our help."

"He's subordinates are mostly disorganized rabble. If we control the major demon and eliminate the elites, the rest will be no threat," Wanqi Song said. "The Beijia people have always had a good reputation for trustworthiness. Let's do it!"

Was Beijia's trustworthiness truly good? Wanqi Feng pondered this. There indeed seemed to be many such legends and examples, like how Beijia people always repaid their debts, returned favors, and avenged wrongs, all described vividly.

Furthermore, the Beijia people wouldn't covet Yangshan Archipelago's territory; this was far more believable than with Bailie. Although this team was small, their objective was clear: they were specifically here for the major demon, so they must have the appropriate means.

Although the Bailong people disliked Beijia and had never even interacted with them, the power of the northern demon kingdom was beyond doubt. That Subterranean Spider Queen must be the strongest combatant by Island Lord He's side. Now that the Beijia people were taking over the fight against it, their own certainty of taking down Island Lord He also increased.

Heaven helps those who help themselves. The Bailong clan had been down on their luck for too long; were they finally going to turn their fortunes around?

At this moment, Wanqi Song walked back to Ye Qing and asked, "Are you truly confident you can take down the spider demon?"

"Yes, its weakness is very obvious." Hearing the shift in his tone, Ye Qing knew they were getting somewhere. "Since we came for it, we can take it back."

He said emphatically, "Those Beijia wants to kill must die."

Wanqi Feng and his nephew exchanged glances, understanding the warning in his words.

"Furthermore, in a few days, when the Imperial Nectar arrives, the entire island will be in chaos. He will be too busy to fend for himself, making it an excellent time for us to strike. We originally had no quarrel with He Xiao; he was simply too uncooperative. After this operation, we will only take the spider demon. What happens between you and He Xiao is none of our concern."

This was meant to put Wanqi Feng and his nephew's minds at ease.

"The spider demon will most likely stay on Panshi Island, which will mean less resistance for us in taking down He Xiao." He smiled. "Even if it comes, we'll handle it. You don't need to worry."

Knowing his uncle's mind was made up, Wanqi Feng could only turn and ask Old Yu, "Are the rendezvous boats ready?"

"They're ready," Old Yu nodded repeatedly. "More than twenty in total, each capable of carrying fifty people at full capacity. On the day of the operation, they will pick you up from the abandoned pier on the west end of Heiye Island. Regardless of success, we will await your news on Suoding Island's southwest beach."

"What about the equipment we requested?" Most Bailong people had joined the guard team and were authorized to carry swords. However, some clan members' weapons were damaged when they fled Yaguo and hadn't been replaced. Since Bailie was wealthy, they would naturally take care of it for them.

"Two hundred sets of sabers and axes, three hundred light hand shields, thirty sets of grappling hooks and sleeve arrows, along with healing potions, explosives, and fire talismans, are all ready," Old Yu said, looking at Ye Qing. "These gentlemen from Beijia will bring them to Suoding Island and deliver them to the southwest beach."

Only because Ye Qing and his companions had large-capacity storage rings could they carry so many weapons.

Everyone then agreed on the action signals and rendezvous methods, after which Old Yu and Ye Qing departed.

With too many people and too many eyes, they couldn't stay for too long.

"Then let's prepare accordingly!" Wanqi Song said, very pleased. "Come, let's eat first. In a few days, I'll be drinking the best wine on Suoding Island."

On the trunk of a palm tree behind the house, in the shadow of the moonlight, a small spider clung, its dark, large eyes fixed on Wanqi Feng and his nephew's window.

Even if ordinary laborers passed by, looking in from outside, they would only see a few blurry figures, as if through frosted glass. This was because the Bailong people had drawn anti-scrying formations inside the house, but these methods were no match for Erniang.

The tide was rising that night, and the new moon hung like a hook in the sky.

Min Tianxi went to Centipede Island to report to his leader, but no one was in the residence. He searched for a while before finally finding He Lingchuan in the bay behind the new residence.

A solitary reef extended from the shore into the sea, and He Lingchuan sat alone on its tip, fishing, as if in the middle of the ocean.

Surrounded by vast, clear blue waters, he felt boundless solitude, accompanied only by the sky's wind and the ocean's waves.

Min Tianxi tiptoed closer, only to see He Lingchuan suddenly pull his rod up, reeling in a red fish over half a foot long from the sparkling sea.

"The basket."

Min Tianxi quickly squatted down, pulled up the fish basket dangling in the sea, opened the lid, and allowed He Lingchuan to unhook the unlucky red maiden fish and drop it inside.

He looked down. There were already four or five fish of various sizes in the basket, splashing and lively out of the water.

"My lord has had quite a good catch," he observed.

"I've been fishing since sunset, and this is all I've got," He Lingchuan said, leisurely reeling in his rod and baiting it. "Just now, a fisherman out at sea told me they caught an unusually large number of fish tonight. It seems the weather might change in two or three days."

He was enjoying a brief respite from his busy life, coming to the seaside to clear his mind and incidentally experience the simple joy of fishing.

"Looking at the sunset, tomorrow will still be good weather," Min Tianxi said. He, too, was someone who had made a living at sea for years.

He Lingchuan handed him the fish basket. "It's for you."

Min Tianxi was pleasantly surprised. "Thank you, my lord! I'll go back and tell my wife to braise one and prepare one for sashimi!"

The fish itself wasn't important; who couldn't afford fish? It was the lord's gesture that mattered.

"Which one is best for sashimi?"

Min Tianxi immediately fished out a fish. "This is a Red Amberjack, best for sashimi! Every family here has its own special dipping sauce, and paired with lemongrass and shredded scallions, it's absolutely wonderful."

"Sounds good," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Next time, I'll come to your home to eat."

Min Tianxi nodded repeatedly. "Excellent! I'll be sure to prepare a feast that will satisfy my lord!"

"Sit," He Lingchuan said. With a splash, he cast his rod again. "What news did you gather?"

Since his lord was fishing, Min Tianxi lowered his voice.

"The people around Wanqi Song were very alert and difficult to approach. However, while drinking with a few other Bailong men, we still managed to gather some information."

Min Tianxi's guards were originally pirates, so they easily blended in with others. Besides, with over six hundred men under their command, Wanqi Song couldn't possibly silence them all; someone always loosened their tongue after too much to drink. "To summarize," Min Tianxi continued, "Wanqi Song had a falling out with the clan leader's son, Wanqi Tong, after a major dispute, which led him to leave with his nephew, Wanqi Feng."

"How old is the nephew?"

"Twenty-four. His parents died when he was ten, and Wanqi Song took him in and raised him. However, he grew up with Wanqi Tong in the clan from a young age, treating each other like brothers," Min Tianxi continued. "Wanqi Song's own forces suffered heavy losses when intercepting Yaguo's pursuers. Of the six hundred people who came to the island, most were personally led by Wanqi Feng."

He Lingchuan's eyes glinted. "How is the relationship between this uncle and nephew?"

"Wanqi Feng greatly respects his uncle, but the Bailong people have quite a few complaints about Wanqi Song." Min Tianxi gently lowered the fish basket back into the water. "Their team originally had over a thousand people. When fighting Yaguo's pursuers, Wanqi Feng intended to avoid their main force, but Wanqi Song insisted on his own opinion, resulting in the loss of three hundred men. The escape journey was fraught with difficulties, and Wanqi Feng tried his best to arrange for their food and supplies, while Wanqi Song was only concerned with getting drunk."