Chapter 989: Heaven Blesses

He Lingchuan brushed his sleeves and stood up. "I've fished enough. You should go back too."

Killing this white bird was not only to remove Yu Zecheng's spy but also to give him a warning.

Spying on the landlord in the Yangshan Archipelago, tsk, how impolite!

After Min Tianxi left, Mirror asked He Lingchuan, "Didn't you just alert the enemy by killing the white bird like that?"

"That's exactly the effect I want. It's a warning to Yu Zecheng," He Lingchuan stretched. "Killing just one white bird won't scare the Begians away."

This kind of contempt and provocation would force Yu Zecheng to make a decision and act quickly.

If he had let the white bird go, it would have seemed like a sign of weakness, and Yu Zecheng might have tried other conciliatory methods.

It's better not to waste everyone's time.

The next day, Master Yang from Baile went to Blade Port for business and stopped by the Maritime Affairs Office to greet Director Wu, with whom he had a private friendship.

Director Wu had just rushed back and smiled upon seeing him. "You've come at the perfect time; I won't need to send a dispatch to Baile."

"What's wrong?" Master Yang felt that his smile was a little forced.

He didn't know that every time Director Wu saw an official from Baile, he was reminded of his three fine ships, including the Baoji, that had been sunk by the Yin Hui, and it made him feel stifled.

If the Lu family hadn't insisted on getting him to trouble Island Master He, repeatedly assuring him that this greenhorn was "merely" an easy-to-deal-with foreigner with no local influence, how could he have suffered such a huge loss?

Only, heh heh.

His ships were ruined, and he bore all the losses himself. Did Baile ever share even a single copper coin of the burden?

Of course, given Director Wu's composure, all these grievances were buried deep in his heart; even Assistant Zhao couldn't hear a word of them.

"My office just used the Hybridizer to determine that a hurricane will hit no later than thirty hours from now."

The Hybridizer was a special magical artifact used by the Maritime Affairs Office to detect natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

"Oh, a hurricane is coming," Master Yang thought. This isn't good news, so why are you smiling so happily? "How did the hurricane arrive without warning? I saw it raining a few days ago, but today it's bright and sunny."

"You're not from the coast; you wouldn't understand," Director Wu chuckled. "Sometimes, before a hurricane hits, there's already wind and rain for a long time, but sometimes, like today, the sky is perfectly clear! The Hybridizer has never been wrong. We'll know for sure in a dozen or so hours."

Master Yang nodded repeatedly. "This is important. I'll go back to Baile to report and will come to see you for dinner another day."

Baile was very close to Blade Port and could never escape the influence of a hurricane. Once the Maritime Affairs Office detected severe weather, Baile also had to prepare early.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit. "By the way, what about the Yangshan Archipelago?"

He had been in Baile these past few days and was unaware of what had happened at Blade Port.

Director Wu didn't want to mention his significant loss, so he vaguely said, "That fellow surnamed He has some tricks up his sleeve; he's difficult to deal with."

Master Yang was startled. "How so?"

Hearing that, could Director Wu have been cornered?

Director Wu smiled. "You should head back. This hurricane will be incredibly powerful."

Master Yang knew something was amiss, said "Oh," and hastily left the Maritime Affairs Office.

Director Wu stretched, feeling much lighter.

His family's hundred acres of mountain forest and hundred acres of paddy fields had long been harvested, and most of their produce had been sold. But the Yangshan Archipelago was different. As far as he knew, the farming on the islands was far from complete, and a large number of buildings were still under construction.

Once the hurricane hit, it would sweep everything away.

He Lingchuan and these newcomers didn't originally live by the sea and knew nothing of a hurricane's power. Moreover, they were only just beginning to prepare defenses, which would be far too late.

The Yangshan Archipelago was so vast; the area of Dragon Ridge Island alone was comparable to several Blade Ports. With such a large operation, did He Lingchuan think he could fully protect his assets?

Heh heh, he can dream.

Last time, the Begians asked him to deal with He Lingchuan, and he weighed the pros and cons and refused. But that didn't mean he didn't want revenge.

This time, Heaven was on his side! Let the fierce hurricane teach these reckless fools a lesson!

Thinking this, Director Wu felt a surge of satisfaction.

Just then, Assistant Zhao handed him a silver-gray letter, sealed with silver clay.

Director Wu recognized it instantly as a letter from Imperial Consort Yu. His heart tightened slightly, and he dismissed his attendants before opening and reading it.

As expected, although his previous letter to Qingdu hadn't mentioned He Lingchuan's connection with the Yin Hui, Imperial Consort Yu had found out, indicating she had other informants at the port. She was furious about the "Blue Fish" ship being dragged down by the Yin Hui and ordered Director Wu to severely punish the Yangshan Archipelago.

Director Wu was utterly unwilling.

He very much wanted to teach He Lingchuan a lesson, but He Lingchuan had already proven he was no pushover.

Director Wu was not the kind of fool who, knowing an opponent was tough, would still try to provoke them, getting bloodied every time without learning his lesson.

A single minor loss was enough for him to gauge his opponent's strength.

Besides, Begia and Baile seemed more eager. Why not leave this opportunity to them?

However, Director Wu also knew Imperial Consort Yu's temperament. If he told her directly that He Lingchuan was hard to deal with and the Yin Hui in the sea were troublesome, she would only scold him again and then order him to find a solution immediately, right away, and quickly.

"How hard can it be to kill someone?" He could almost hear Imperial Consort Yu's tone when she said that.

He had been promoted by Imperial Consort Yu, so it was not wise to defy her too much. At this point, he could only pick up his pen and write that a hurricane was approaching, the Yangshan Archipelago would suffer immense losses, and Baile, which had sold the islands, was already regretting it. Under Director Wu's instigation, Baile was currently devising a plan to deal with He Lingchuan.

Our side simply needed to wait and see, and then perhaps we could recover our losses with interest, as the Yin Hui indeed posed a threat to Blade Port, and so on.

He sealed the letter with red clay and handed it to Assistant Zhao to send back.

The latter acknowledged and then cautiously asked, "My Lord, what about our next move concerning the Yangshan Archipelago...?"

"Hold your forces; let Baile make the first move," Director Wu said deeply. "Do not obstruct normal trade between Blade Port and the Yangshan Archipelago."

"Huh?" Assistant Zhao was surprised. Was that what Imperial Consort Yu's letter implied? "Understood."

Having served Director Wu for many years, he could somewhat understand his thoughts.

He Lingchuan's Yin Hui were not to be underestimated, and Blade Port relied on the sea for its livelihood. If they were to use the Yin Hui for revenge and heavily attack the shipping lanes, Blade Port's traffic would likely plummet.

There was no need for Blade Port to engage in a destructive fight with He Lingchuan.

Director Wu had another thought, which he kept to himself:

Losing a tribute ship was, after all, a minor matter for Imperial Consort Yu. She was a busy person with countless affairs and would only scold on a whim. If Director Wu simply dragged things out, she would likely forget about it, and the matter would pass.

All wisdom lay in the art of "delay."

Whether in public or private affairs, this was the secret to resolving major issues into minor ones and minor issues into nothing.

The Maritime Affairs Office was responsible for protecting the port and mitigating disasters. As he wrote to Imperial Consort Yu, the hurricane prediction was also rapidly distributed.

Coastal areas experiencing hurricanes were not new; there was already a complete system for defense. The Maritime Affairs Office posted announcements in public places like the docks, markets, and outside government offices, and also sent out dedicated personnel to parade through streets and alleys, beating gongs and shouting warnings to merchants and residents.

The entire port immediately became busy. Ships hastened to unload cargo and then entered dry docks for shelter from the wind. Residences, shops, government offices, and various public facilities began to reinforce their structures, with the most common method being nailing wooden planks over doors and windows. Fortunately, it was already late autumn, and the trees beside houses had shed all their leaves; otherwise, they would have to be sawed down.

Buildings in lower-lying areas needed to have their doors blocked with sandbags to prevent rainwater from pouring in.

The safety of granaries was paramount for hurricane defense and disaster reduction, requiring special windbreak and water-repelling formations to be set up.

In Begia, especially in Lingxu City, when preparing for wind disasters or heavy rain, these formations were often deployed everywhere as if they cost nothing to operate.

However, in Blade Port, only the most crucial supplies and buildings received such treatment.

Due to financial constraints.

In fact, experienced merchants and cargo owners purchased talismans and formation tools annually to prepare for unforeseen weather.

Shops in Blade Port selling these items saw their business boom immediately after the Maritime Affairs Office announced the impending hurricane.

Commoners were also busy. With the hurricane approaching, everyone had to return home to make preparations, gathering supplies like firewood, fresh water, and food, and some also reinforced their doors and windows.

The news of the approaching hurricane quickly reached the Yangshan Archipelago.

He Lingchuan immediately called a short meeting with his staff to organize the various tasks for hurricane defense.

Although Blade Port predicted the hurricane would make landfall within thirty hours, hurricanes were quite unpredictable in their movement—sometimes taking wide turns, sometimes traveling in straight lines. It might even make landfall in as little as thirteen or fifteen hours.

He Lingchuan's territory was considerable, and all wind defense measures on the island needed to be checked and reinforced. Time was very tight.

Ding Zuodong, Guan Ke, Lei Ni, and others departed with their orders. He Lingchuan then said to Qiu Hu and Rong Shanren, "The show is about to begin."

Wang Fubao foolishly asked, "What show?"

*Whack!* Lu Qiuwei cuffed him on the back of the head. "It's time for a fight!"

"Oh?" Wang Fubao rubbed his head. "Alright, alright, alright."

Such opportune weather seemed to be urging his adversaries to act. He Lingchuan secretly sighed. The hurricane was joining in at just this moment; Heaven really loved to play tricks, as if he didn't have enough troubles already.

Dong Rui slowly walked over and whispered, "I have bad news. Yu Zecheng has connected with the Bailong people."

He Lingchuan's heart sank. "You found out?"

"Yup," Dong Rui smiled. "Didn't you want to keep an eye on Yu Zecheng? His subordinate, the one with the two small mustaches, took a boat back to Blade Port this morning. I was on the same boat as him."

Yu Zecheng certainly brought more than two people, with other helpers hidden in the shadows. But this group would definitely need to maintain communication. Moreover, the distance between the Yangshan Archipelago and the mainland was simply too great, exceeding the range of ordinary instant communication abilities.