Chapter 988: Mutually Giving Each Other a Chance

Min Tianxi added, "According to the laborers on Hei-ye Island, the children the Bailong people brought to play there looked sickly and pale. They ate more voraciously than adults in the workers' sheds, indicating they must have endured considerable hardship on their journey south."

This was perhaps one reason for the Bailong people's discontent: under the leadership of the Wanqi uncle and nephew, their wives and children suffered from hunger.

He Lingchuan said softly, "Wanqi Song is treating his nephew's soldiers as his own. In most cases, an uncle and nephew are as close as family, so there's nothing inherently wrong with that."

Min Tianxi asked, "Since you know the Bailong people harbor ill intentions, should we kill them or drive them away?"

He Lingchuan shook his head. "The Bailong people possess excellent combat abilities; it would be a waste to let them go."

His current forces were merely "shrimp soldiers and crab generals." While pirates could be disciplined into something formidable with proper training, transforming farmers' sons into elite soldiers would require significant money, effort, and, most crucially, time.

What he lacked most was time.

This force was not like the Panlong City army, or even the Yuheng City army, which had a solid foundation. How could miscellaneous troops become elite soldiers without having seen battle, shed blood, undergone rigorous training, or taken a life?

He was truly tempted by the prospect of acquiring several hundred elite soldiers, and he couldn't bear to drive them away, especially after so much effort.

"So, should we strike first?"

The evening breeze made He Lingchuan's clothes flutter. "They are law-abiding citizens until they rebel. If I arrest them all now, how will they ever submit to me?"

To make such a warlike tribe fully submit and not harbor rebellious thoughts, appeasement and cunning schemes are useless. It requires direct and overwhelming military suppression!

Once they are defeated and humbled, they will become obedient.

Otherwise, they would remain defiant, never truly submit to him, feign compliance while secretly opposing their master.

"They seek a place to settle and grow, while I need an elite force. Let's give each other a chance. If they can seize my island, then they are truly capable. But if they can't," He Lingchuan chuckled, "they've already been defeated by the Ya Kingdom. If they lose to me again this time, it will prove they are not suited to developing independently, and they will have to obediently become my subordinates."

Min Tianxi sensed danger. "My lord, their target is you!"

Using himself as bait? That was too dangerous.

"When we first met on Fishbone Reef, weren't you also targeting me?" He Lingchuan said with a chuckle. "If you could do it, why can't they?"

Danger? Ever since he acquired the Divine Bone Necklace, he had been dancing on a razor's edge practically every other day, knowing nothing of true safety.

Min Tianxi's expression became awkward, and he scratched his neck, a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.

Someone else was about to suffer a brutal defeat, which meant he wasn't the only one who had misjudged.

"Moreover, the Wanqi uncle and nephew might not be the only ones targeting me."

Min Tianxi asked, "Ah? Oh, you mean..."

"The target is set. When do you think they'll make their move?" A float on the water suddenly dipped. A fish had taken the bait. He Lingchuan swiftly lifted his rod, carefully reeling in the line.

"Uh." The answer wasn't hard to guess, and Min Tianxi blurted out, "The Emperor's Flowing Sap?"

When the Emperor's Flowing Sap descends, it throws people's minds into chaos.

Not only could he see that He Lingchuan's forces were a motley collection of troops, but the Wanqi uncle and nephew could as well. Surely, the Bailong people, being a battle-hardened army, were superior to a large group of pirate-farmers?

Choosing that moment to rebel would give them at least two of the three crucial factors: timing, location, and popular support.

"Wherever I am when that happens, that's where they will launch their surprise attack," He Lingchuan said. He reeled in his line, and another large fish was pulled from the water, this one over a foot long, its dorsal fin sharp like a halberd.

"We know their chosen time, target, and location. Can't we handle that?" Once the Bailong people's ambition was exposed, it would be an open game.

"Those who wish will bite the hook; it's their own choice," He Lingchuan said. The large fish he had just caught was golden-yellow and quite formidable. He asked Min Tianxi, "What kind of fish is this?"

"We call it 'Yellow Rod' here; it's delicious whether steamed or braised," Min Tianxi said, now quick to offer flattery. "My lord always catches the best fish."

He Lingchuan smiled faintly, his eyes flicking skyward.

His mirror, tucked away, had just alerted him:

"That white bird is in the sky again, circling twice and watching you."

Over the past two days, the mirror had detected an aerial spy. Wherever He Lingchuan went, the white bird followed.

This also aligned with He Lingchuan's prediction: Yu Zecheng's ability to locate Zhu Erniang's hidden island indicated he possessed aerial reconnaissance capabilities.

The isolated fishing spot he chose tonight was deep in the sea, surrounded by vast expanses of water, with nothing but an empty beach behind him, not even a single tree.

If the white bird wanted to spy on him, it couldn't hide in the distant bushes behind the beach.

Furthermore, it wasn't a nocturnal bird and couldn't observe He Lingchuan from a distance at night. Therefore, it could only periodically ascend and circle twice to confirm he was still fishing on the reef.

He said to Min Tianxi, "Your family will have more than just fish on the dinner table tonight."

Min Tianxi was startled, not understanding his meaning. "Something else?"

He Lingchuan smiled, then abruptly drew his Fusheng Blade and casually hurled it skyward!

He didn't even look up, but the white bird in the sky caught a glimpse of a cold flash below as something shot towards it.

Agile, it flipped to dodge and turned to fly towards Suoding Island.

Discovered, it quickly fled.

But before it had flown more than ten or fifteen meters, the cold light surprisingly pursued it from behind, spinning and severing its wing!

The people on the reef heard a splash, and the bird thrashed in the water.

He Lingchuan pointed to where it had fallen into the water, several meters away. "The captive has arrived."

Min Tianxi immediately dove into the water and swam to retrieve the white bird. His lord's commands were absolute; he would jump into a sea of fire if asked, let alone water.

The bird, however, spat out two streams of frost, nearly piercing his arm.

"Oh, it's a bird demon?" He feigned two moves, then suddenly grabbed the white bird by the neck. The bird's struggles were futile; it couldn't fly or peck him, but it thrashed, creating large splashes.

Min Tianxi climbed back onto the reef, two fresh scratches from the bird's claws marking his face. He presented the white bird to He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan gazed at it. "Whose subordinate are you?"

The white bird chirped angrily twice but remained silent.

He Lingchuan appeared to be talking to himself, but was actually addressing the Eye-Spider tucked into his collar. "I wonder if Erniang recognizes this?"

Zhu Erniang's voice immediately echoed in his mind: "I've seen this white bird in eastern Mou Kingdom, and I've also seen it fly to Yu Zecheng's side on Suoding Island. It's been constantly spying on my underground lair!"

Through the Eye-Spider, she immediately saw the white bird's appearance clearly.

He Lingchuan asked the white bird, "So, you came with Yu Zecheng?"

The white bird suddenly lunged forward, attempting to peck him.

"It truly has the arrogance of a Beijia demon," He Lingchuan remarked to Min Tianxi. "It's yours for an extra meal."

"Excellent!" Min Tianxi drew his knife and swiftly severed the white bird's neck. "It's so plump! We'll have roasted bird tonight. I've heard that demons with cultivation are not only delicious but also highly nourishing."