Chapter 992: From Yuzhecheng's Pressure

"It's still early; the Bailong people probably haven't all arrived yet. Go and verify the number of Bailong people at the dock."

Qiu Hu nodded and left.

He Lingchuan then asked Leini, "What about our stone carvings?"

"They've long been properly installed, and the mystic crystals have been placed inside." There was still plenty of preparation time.

"Has anyone noticed?"

"Recently, all the islands have been undertaking major construction projects, so everyone is used to it." Construction materials were everywhere, and the constant clanging sounds were commonplace. Who would want to take an extra look at a perpetually dusty construction site?

"We found the relatives of the Bailong people."

He Lingchuan's gaze sharpened. "How did you find them?"

This good news came at the perfect time.

"I figured their families would be hard to settle; at least food would be scarce, and the Bailong people would have to transport supplies there every few days. This provided a traceable lead. So I sent two peddlers to Black Page Island to sell household goods. After a long wait, a Bailong man with a small braid at the back of his head finally bought a rattle drum and two beaded hairpins. The peddlers seized the opportunity to crush some clinging bee pupae and apply them to the items."

Men usually don't wear beaded hairpins, so these were likely bought for his wife or daughters.

"Yesterday morning, the clinging bee compass finally led us to the Bailong people's onshore stronghold. It turns out to be Baisha County, near Blade Port. They're hidden in an abandoned seaside village, mostly women and children. The desolate village is surrounded by mountains and has a water source, but its farmlands have long been abandoned. That location is actually across the sea from the Yangshan Archipelago. Traveling north by boat from Suoding Island, avoiding the undercurrents, the straight-line distance is only about an hour."

He Lingchuan felt a slight sense of relief and uttered "Good" twice.

Living in an abandoned village could only be a temporary measure; they would have to find a permanent foothold later. Based solely on this, he could deduce that Wanqiu Song had malicious intentions.

However, by finding the Bailong people's relatives, he had targeted their weakness, guaranteeing a fallback in this battle.

He Lingchuan patted Min Tianxi on the shoulder. "Well done, you'll be credited for this!"

He then turned to Lu Qiubei and asked, "Where is Yu Zecheng?"

"Still in his guest room, hasn't moved," Lu Qiubei replied. "He knows very well we're watching him. Twice he came down for a meal and even smiled at me."

"We both know what's going on," He Lingchuan said. "Keep an eye on him."

"Yes, sir." Lu Qiubei turned to leave.

But He Lingchuan noticed his expression and suddenly asked, "Are you feeling a bit uneasy?"

Lu Qiubei immediately turned back and said, "I am willing to go through fire and water for my lord."

"Alright, no need for declarations of loyalty right now," He Lingchuan said, suppressing a smile. "Honestly, are you feeling unsure?"

Lu Qiubei hesitated, then, seeing that those nearby hadn't gathered around, he said, "I just didn't expect to be in direct conflict with the Beijia people so soon."

As a disciple of Rongshan, he already had no fondness for Beijia. However, he hadn't anticipated that his lord, having only just arrived overseas and established a foothold for less than two months, would confront Beijia guests head-on.

Most people would avoid such a conflict.

"The conflict between Yu Zecheng and me began the moment I refused to hand over Zhu Erniang. Tonight is merely an escalation and continuation of that conflict. Ha, this day was always coming." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder and said seriously, "We are far from being in armed conflict with Beijia. Tell the brothers not to worry. This relationship is safe and controllable, and I will manage the scope myself."

He Lingchuan had never failed to deliver on a promise, so Lu Qiubei immediately nodded. "I understand, sir."

"Beijia is Beijia, and Yu Zecheng is Yu Zecheng. He cannot represent Beijia. Remember, Beijia's power does not equate to Yu Zecheng's personal power. Offending Yu Zecheng does not necessarily mean offending Beijia, understand?"

Lu Qiubei did not respond immediately. He thought hard for a moment, then nodded with a clear understanding. "I understand!"

"Go on, get to work."

He Lingchuan watched him leave, knowing it was natural for his subordinates to have doubts about such a confrontation, especially given the enemy's extraordinary background.

Who wouldn't feel pressure or doubt when directly confronting Beijia?

However, this also reminded him that from now on, governing the army must start with governing their hearts, and mobilization was necessary before any action.

People's hearts needed to be united, and consensus needed to be built.

Why did Yu Zecheng remain on the island after being rejected by Zhu Erniang and He Lingchuan? Naturally, he was looking for an opportunity to scheme against or retaliate against them.

The very presence of these Beijia people was a form of pressure, affecting even intelligent and insightful Rongshan disciples like Lu Qiubei.

Yu Zecheng intended for He Lingchuan to feel constantly on edge, knowing that Beijia was thinking about him every day, every hour.

If He Lingchuan couldn't withstand the pressure and reacted, even forcibly driving Yu Zecheng away, let alone killing him, would offend Beijia.

The Yangshan Archipelago was indeed not within Beijia's sphere of influence, and Beijia could not dispatch troops to suppress it. However, military force was not the only way Beijia could influence the Yangshan Archipelago. Even a powerful nation like Mu, despite being at war with Beijia, never ceased civilian interactions. The sons of Mu's high officials and dignitaries still considered it an honor to study in Lingxu City, not to mention the frequent trade between the two countries. No merchant wanted to avoid doing business with Beijia, and no merchant was willing to offend them.

Even if Beijia simply issued a few subtle prohibitions against the Yangshan Archipelago, or subtly requested that Qing or Ya nations give Yangshan a hard time — just this slight intervention could greatly affect the future operations of the Yangshan Archipelago.

Yu Zecheng hoped that He Lingchuan would crumble under the pressure and simply yield. If so, his mission would be accomplished cheaply and efficiently—this was the usual script for Beijia's foreign envoys.

At first glance, the Yangshan Archipelago would seem to suffer no obvious losses. However, from then on, He Lingchuan would have to carefully consider any demands made by Beijia, otherwise they would keep sending people to watch him and target him.

Who would blame him for backing down in this round of competition? Beijia's encroachment on smaller nations and regions had always been about capitalizing on any weakness.

In fact, Yu Zecheng used the same tactic against Zhu Erniang: exerting pressure, harassment, and mobilizing surrounding forces.

Zhu Erniang had moved several times, forced into a nomadic existence. Had the Yangshan Archipelago not taken her in, she would soon have reached a dead end.

Beijia, known as the Northern Demon Nation, indeed had more methods than humans for dealing with various great demons; they didn't even need to directly dispatch mighty cultivators.

The power of such a vast empire, when pitted against an individual or a small place like the Yangshan Archipelago, was truly monumental.

It had unlimited time, energy, and patience. Even if you drove away one of its subordinates, or a hundred, it could simply send the hundred and first, continuing relentlessly.

Even an ancient demon immortal like Zhu Erniang, despite her immense power, was tormented to exhaustion without even being able to touch the enemy's fringes.

What's more, was it truly the case that no mighty cultivators were involved from their side?

Once the time was right, and Yu Zecheng found He Lingchuan's weakness, this covert war would escalate into an overt one.