11: Chapter 11 Breaking Through the Fog and Landing on the Island, Taking Stock of Assets

The mist was thick.

After the spirit boat entered the coastal waters of Blue Moon Island, visibility plummeted, and the Spirit-Light Search Array at the bow could only illuminate a range of ten zhang ahead.

Low, deep roars of beasts occasionally drifted from the depths of the mist, dull and distant, like some massive creature tossing in its sleep.

Three thousand Mortal serfs were crammed into the cabins, not daring to breathe a sound.

Lu Changyuan stood on the deck, his expression unchanged.

The moment the spirit boat approached the shore, the mist seemed to be gently pushed aside by some force, revealing a stretch of rugged, rocky coastline.

The coastline was long and jagged with reefs, the rocks a deep, dark grey-green, their surfaces covered in thick seaweed and vines.

Behind the coast lay a dense, primitive jungle; the trees were tall, their branches and leaves blocking out the sky, slicing the sunlight into fragmented spots of light that scattered across the moss-covered ground.

Deep within the jungle, something occasionally moved through the treetops, making a rustling sound.

"Dock."

At Lu Changyuan's command, the spirit boat slowly came to a halt. The gangplank was lowered, and the Dao soldiers were the first to disembark, quickly establishing a perimeter on the shore with long halberds leveled, their gazes scanning the surrounding jungle with vigilance.

Afterward, driven by the stewards, the Mortal serfs carried the supplies and disembarked in an orderly fashion, gathering in an open space on the shore.

Lu Changyuan was the last to step onto the land of Blue Moon Island.

After landing, the mist actually began to thin.

The pale blue mist that perpetually shrouded the island's periphery seemed to be held aloft by some geographical barrier rising from the highlands within, appearing thickest only within a hundred zhang of the island's edge.

Although the island's hinterland was still colder than the open sea, visibility had cleared by seventy or eighty percent.

The moment his feet touched the rock, he felt the aura emanating from this land—the Spiritual Qi was thin, almost negligible, and more barren than any abandoned spiritual land he had ever seen in Yunzhou.

The rock beneath his feet was hard and cold, as if holding some deep-seated chill that seeped from the crevices and soaked into the soles of his shoes.

However, the moment he stepped onto this land, the heavenly secret jade slip within his Sea of Consciousness vibrated slightly, emitting a trace of subtle warmth.

Lu Changyuan stood on the shore, looked down at the rock beneath his feet, then raised his head to scan his surroundings, his expression calm.

"Lu Hu."

"Present."

"Assemble and take stock."

On a relatively flat rocky plateau by the shore, Lu Changyuan sat composed on a large stone, listening to the reports from Lu Hu and the old steward.

This was something he had planned before setting out—the first task after landing on the island was to thoroughly understand the cards he held in his hand.

Lu Hu reported on the military situation first.

"Fifty Dao soldiers, primarily at the Late Stage of Qi Refining, including twelve at Perfection and thirty-eight at the Late Stage," he reported, his voice steady and itemized. "The weapons are sufficient, with each person equipped with one Low Grade Magical Artifact and three First-Rank Talisman. There are also two hundred spare Talisman stored in the armory. The defensive Formation on the spirit boat is intact and can be used as a temporary stronghold."

"Leng Feng," Lu Changyuan turned to him, "your status."

Leng Feng stood to the side, his tone brief: "My Sword Bone has fully undergone Awakening, my cultivation is at the Perfection of Qi Refining, and I am ready to attempt Foundation Establishment at any time."

Lu Changyuan nodded, signaling for Lu Hu to continue.

"Regarding supplies," Lu Hu opened the ledger in his hand, "more than half of the startup capital remains. One set of the Third-Rank Island Protection Formation Plate, with complete Formation Flag. One boundary suppression stele. One incomplete core flag of an ancient Spirit Gathering Array, with specific use to be confirmed. Three foundation establishment pill remain untouched. Additionally, there are various healing Medicinal Pill, Water-avoiding Talisman, hemostatic powder, thick leather armor for Mortals, as well as ship rations and spiritual seeds, enough to sustain the island for the first half year."

The old steward then reported on the population.

"Three thousand Mortal serfs," his voice was dry and thin, yet clear and organized. "Most have extremely weak Spiritual Root, and the rest are mostly skilled craftsmen and pure laborers capable of hard work. There are about 1,200 young and strong laborers, with the rest being women, children, and the elderly. Among them are over three hundred various artisans, including carpenters, blacksmiths, and farmers, who can be immediately deployed for infrastructure construction."

After listening, Lu Changyuan had mentally re-sorted his cards. Everything was sufficient for now, except for the lack of Spiritual Qi.

"Good," Lu Changyuan said, his tone calm and clear. "Pass down the order: the Mortals are to establish a temporary camp on the spot. Centering on the spirit boat, extend fifty zhang outward, dig trenches, and erect wooden palisades. Basic defensive works must be completed before dark today."

The old steward acknowledged and noted it down.

"Divide the Dao soldiers into three groups," he continued. "One group to guard the perimeter of the camp, one group to act with me, and one group to rest and prepare for battle. Use a rotation system, changing every four hours."

Lu Hu cupped his hands: "Yes."

"Also," Lu Changyuan added finally, "no one is to venture more than one hundred zhang into the jungle without my order."

He swept his gaze over the surrounding jungle, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable weight: "We don't yet know what is on this island. Until we find out, no one is allowed to act recklessly."

Everyone answered in unison.

The construction of the camp proceeded in an orderly manner.

Under the direction of the stewards, the Mortals scattered with their tools and began digging trenches and felling timber.

The blacksmiths set up furnaces on the spot, clanging away as they forged simple iron tools.

Several experienced old farmers squatted on the ground, grabbed a handful of soil, and sniffed it, then shook their heads. The soil was barren with high salinity and alkalinity, making it impossible for ordinary crops to grow, but the salt-alkali resistant spiritual rice seeds given by Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming might come in handy.

Lu Changyuan walked around the camp, then walked to a high ground with a wide view, stood still, and looked toward the island's hinterland.

The jungle stretched on, boundless. From deep within the hinterland, a faint chill drifted intermittently with the sea breeze.

Lu Changyuan felt that chill, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Leng Feng."

"Present." Leng Feng walked up and stood beside him.

"Take three scout Dao soldiers and venture deep into the hinterland to explore," Lu Changyuan said, his tone calm. "Focus on clarifying two things: first, the types, numbers, and distribution range of the Yao Beast on the island; second, the source of the extreme cold aura in the hinterland."

He paused, "Do not engage in prolonged combat; if you encounter a Second-Rank Yao Beast or higher, retreat immediately."

Leng Feng nodded without a word and turned to select the scout Dao soldiers.

Lu Changyuan watched his retreating back, then turned and walked back to the camp.

Night fell quickly.

The night on Blue Moon Island was even gloomier than the day. The mist became thicker in the night, shrouding the entire camp in a vast expanse of white fog; the light of the torches diffused in the mist, only able to illuminate a range of a few zhang around them.

The sounds in the jungle also changed.

The bird and beast cries that occasionally drifted by during the day turned into low roars and rustling footsteps after nightfall, sometimes near and sometimes far, as if something was prowling in the darkness, eyeing this camp that had suddenly appeared on the edge of their territory.

The Mortals sat huddled around the campfires, not daring to make a sound. The Dao soldiers stood on the periphery of the camp, their gazes vigilant.

Lu Changyuan sat on a stone in the center of the camp, closing his eyes to rest.

He was waiting for Leng Feng to return.

After waiting for nearly two hours, a Dao soldier on the perimeter gave a low whistle, and then Leng Feng's figure emerged from the darkness, followed by the three scout Dao soldiers, one of whom had a shallow scratch on his right arm that had already been simply bandaged.

Leng Feng walked up to Lu Changyuan and knelt on one knee, covered in Evil Qi, his robes bearing several tears from branches, but his expression was calm and his eyes clear.

"My Lord," he spoke, his voice low, "the island's hinterland is not a dead zone; a large Yao Beast tribe has been discovered."

Lu Changyuan opened his eyes, his expression calm: "Speak."

"Green-Scaled Water Ape," Leng Feng said directly. "On a high ground in the center of the hinterland, there is a large-scale Water Ape tribe, with a conservative estimate of over five hundred. First-Rank Water Ape make up the majority, but I personally saw at least three Second-Rank Water Ape, and one of them was significantly larger than the others, which should be the tribe leader, with a cultivation around the Early Stage of the Second Rank."

He paused and continued: "The high ground where the Water Ape tribe is entrenched is located exactly in the center of the island, and the Spiritual Qi concentration around it is significantly higher than in other areas; it should be the most important Spiritual Qi node on the island."

Lu Changyuan's eyes flickered slightly.

A Spiritual Qi node—this was exactly the location for the Formation eye he needed.

"What about the extreme cold aura?"

"It comes from directly beneath the high ground," Leng Feng said. "The closer you get to that high ground, the heavier the chill. I tried approaching it once; at a distance of about thirty zhang from the high ground, the chill was already strong enough to affect the circulation of Spiritual Qi. I did not continue to investigate further inside."

Lu Changyuan was silent for a moment.

"Also," Leng Feng added finally, his tone sinking slightly, "when I was retreating, I discovered that the scouts on the periphery of the Water Ape tribe had already sensed our presence and are gathering toward the direction of our camp."

Lu Changyuan did not move, just looked at Leng Feng calmly, waiting for him to finish.

"The number," Leng Feng raised his head to meet Lu Changyuan's gaze, "is about one hundred and fifty. They are expected to arrive at the camp's perimeter before dawn."

Silence.

A moment later, Lu Changyuan stood up, brushed the dust from his robes, and said in a calm tone, as if speaking of a trivial matter: "Understood. You have worked hard; go and rest."

He turned to Lu Hu: "Strengthen the perimeter guard. Everyone is to prepare for battle tonight, but do not take the initiative to attack."

Lu Hu cupped his hands: "Yes, but Young Lord, if the Water Ape attack tonight—"

"If they come, we fight," Lu Changyuan calmly interrupted him. "But tonight's goal is to defend, not to attack. Let them probe, and we will get a clear understanding of their combat tactics; we will make plans tomorrow."

Lu Hu acknowledged the order and turned to make arrangements.

The camp quickly became busy. The Dao soldiers strengthened the perimeter defense, and the Mortals were organized to pile up simple earthen walls on the inner side of the trenches, holding iron tools and waiting with trepidation.

Lu Changyuan sat back down on the stone and closed his eyes.

The night wind blew from deep within the jungle, carrying a faint, lingering stench.

In the distance, in the darkness, dense, ghostly green eyes were slowly lighting up.