Afanti quickly reminded the gunner, "Sir, the second young master has saved 300,000 taels of silver. We can't afford to offend him either."
Xie Lanzhi immediately retorted, "So your island's black gold is nothing special after all; you can't even touch platinum."
"It seems I was blind to entrust these things to the island lord!"
"Go and summon your island lord! I want him to explain this to me personally!"
Upon hearing this, both of the firearmsmen turned pale. They were clearly terrified of the matter of inviting the island lord.
Finally, the middleman stepped in to smooth things over: "Manager Lan, how can Platinum compare to you?"
"How about this, we will apologize to you today, and if you want to have a good time, then..."
"We will arrange everything one by one."
Xie Lanzhi immediately pointed at Yang Gao: "Since he's the one who brought the government here, let him put on a show for me tonight."
The middleman was also pleased and asked, "What program?"
Xie Lanzhi looked at Yang Gao with a smile and said, "Aerial darts."
Fearing she might change her mind again, the middleman quickly said, "Okay, we'll tie him up right away."
Yang Gao's face immediately turned ashen.
What?!
Chapter 183 Her Meeting with Xie Ying
Yang Gao never imagined that he, a powerful chieftain of Sishui, would be reduced to being casually tied up and used as a human target. He had over two hundred men in his stronghold and five Ammelo cannons. He would be a formidable figure anywhere.
How can one be inferior to others simply because they have pledged allegiance?
Yang Gao immediately shouted for his men to come and rescue him.
"Brothers! Brothers! Come save me!"
Nasreddin told him sympathetically, "Mr. Yang, your people are all on Wulin Island. They are not qualified to go to Big Brother Island yet."
“Avanti, tell her I’m not from here, she can’t mess with me!” Yang Gao shouted. The middleman, annoyed by his noise, stuffed a cloth into his mouth.
As the arrogant, domineering, unreasonable, self-centered, and tyrannical Black Gold Manager.
Xie Lanzhi made full use of the enjoyment brought by the million taels of silver. Besides, he was the executioner who killed two hundred of her soldiers.
Yang Gao, with a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth, stared wide-eyed and shook his head incessantly. The gunners behind him found a round target and tied him to it. To ensure the Black Gold Manager's satisfaction, the gunners had deliberately reduced the size of the target, and given Yang Gao's tall and muscular build, he ended up taking up about 80% of the target, leaving only a relatively wide area on either side of his neck.
Seeing this, the old man narrowed his eyes, glancing at the ill-intentioned middleman and the gunman who was aiding and abetting evil. He then turned a blind eye to the situation, like Afanti.
Then look at Manager Lan, who looks down on others and tramples on them at will.
He muttered to himself, "They're all man-eating jackals and tigers."
However, the old man himself was no different. The old man watched as the shopkeeper, Lan, covered herself with a black cloth and picked up a... woodcutter's knife.
Darts are easy to hit, whether for stabbing people or targets, and those hit can usually survive unless it's a vital area. But a machete, regardless of its width, is more accurate and causes more damage than a dart.
"Where is he?" Xie Lanzhi asked.
An unidentified yellow liquid flowed directly from Yang Gao's trouser leg.
Middleman: .....
Afanti: .....
Old man: ......
Yang Gao's head drooped down, as if he had fainted.
Xie Lanzhi removed the black cloth, casually flicked the wood-chopping knife, and it hovered directly above Yang Gao's head, just two inches away from splitting his skull open.
The middleman quickly clapped and cheered: "Manager Lan is truly a master dart thrower, hitting the bullseye every time!"
Xie Lanzhi's lips curled up, and she stared at the middleman without saying a word. The middleman immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Could this ancestor be dissatisfied?
Xie Lanzhi didn't say anything. She picked up another awl from the knife tray that Afanti was holding up, and then began to count the heads of the people standing there.
The middleman immediately lowered his head, not daring to look at her. Then came two gunmen. Xie Lanzhi only pointed at one of them with her finger, and the other gunman attacked his partner without hesitation.
It seems these people are all just superficial friends. Xie Lanzhi has a general understanding of the island's rules, not in the minutiae, but in the absolute privilege. Privilege reigns supreme; any rules below are not rules, or more accurately, not rules that bind her. Therefore, for her, Twin Island has no rules at all. But the treatment of others is different.
Xie Lanzhi immediately threw away the awl and ordered the firearmsman to take the weapon from her hands.
The middleman quickly said, "The island lord stipulates that you may use all weapons except firearms in accordance with regulations."
“That makes sense,” Xie Lanzhi said. The middleman was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, having at least stopped this ancestor from using firearms. However, he relaxed too quickly.
Xie Lanzhi pointed at the gunner and said, "Put an apple on someone's head and let me see the power of the Twin Island gunners."
Upon hearing this, even the old man was taken aback. He quickly took a step back, and Afanti deliberately lowered his profile. Just as the middleman was about to speak, Xie Lanzhi called on him.
The two gunners breathed a sigh of relief and tied the middleman to a coconut tree fifty paces away, placing an apple on his head.
This time, the middleman had a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth, and his legs trembled.
Bang! A gunshot rang out. The apple on the middleman's head exploded, and apple juice gushed all over his head.
Xie Lanzhi finally gave up, waving her hand and saying, "Boring."
"Considering your sincere service to me, I am willing to wait two days."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Xie Lanzhi linked arms again and turned back into the small house. The door closed, blocking everyone's view.
With the demon gone, Afanti and the others were overjoyed. The two gunmen, their foreheads damp with cold sweat, slowly made their way away, their backsides tucked between their legs. Yang Gao was carried away from the hut by Afanti.
The old man quickened his pace and returned to the open-air tent.
The crowd dispersed completely at the entrance.
Afterwards, out of consideration for Yang Gao's sacrifice, Afanti offered the old man Xie Ying and his companion a thatched hut and two servants. Life on the island was certainly not as comfortable as on the mainland; food, drink, and other necessities were all limited.
Unless the shopkeepers who come at great expense eat and drink well, ordinary people are even worse off than those on land.
Xie Ying gnawed on a sour cornbread. She felt weak all over, clearly still under the influence of the medication. Several days had passed, and she still hadn't regained her strength. Even her fists felt limp when she tried to punch someone.
The old man brought over a bowl of chicken soup and gave her two red pills: "These are Bai Feng Wan, they'll be good for you."
Xie Ying seized every opportunity to replenish her energy, and without a second thought, she swallowed the red pill.
Seeing this, the old man deliberately asked, "Aren't you afraid of the 'carefree pill' you've taken?"
“I’ve seen Xiaoyao Wan before.” Xie Ying stared at him coldly.
“That’s right. You’re General Xie’s eldest daughter; what haven’t you seen?” The old man put down his cane and sat down on a worn-out stool. From the doorway, one could see a vast expanse of blue sea.
After drinking the chicken soup, Xie Ying felt a little better after experiencing some discomfort from the change in environment over the past few days.
The old man suddenly said, "Eat and drink more these days, so you'll have more energy."
Xie Ying was puzzled by the old man's contradictory behavior, sometimes holding her hostage and threatening her, and other times helping her.
She asked, "Who exactly are you?"
“You’ve asked this question many times,” the old man said. “Has no one told you that when you can’t get an answer to a question, you should shut up and find out for yourself?”
Xie Ying fell silent. She reached into her pocket, clutching the brocade pouch, and suddenly her mind became clear.
It turns out she was just bait.
The old man saw that she was conscious and aware of the danger she was in. He watched as the sea relentlessly churned and crashed against the large rocks, which were weathered and pitted by the passage of time.
"We are like pebbles on the beach, facing the vast and boundless sea, only destined to be swept away."
Xie Ying didn't fit the description; her words, spoken at her age, sounded spirited and youthful in the eyes of the elderly man. She said, "I have no regrets."
"If the waves can take me wherever I want to go, why not?"
“So you’re still young.” The old man suddenly stood up, turned his gaze away from the sea, and said in a heavy tone, “As the chosen one, no matter how far you go, you can’t escape what you can’t escape.”
Xie Ying raised her voice in a mocking tone: "Since we can't escape, why did you take me to hide and run away?"
During her time with the old man, Xie Ying realized one thing: what he said and what he really thought were completely contradictory.
The old man did not argue with her further.
He cautioned, "Don't go near that hut."
Xie Ying didn't think much of it. Yang Gao, on the other hand, immediately sought out the old man to settle scores upon waking.
He was furious: "Manager Qian, you must give me an explanation."
The old man immediately came out of the house and pulled him aside to say in private that Yang Gao was extremely disgraced. And that his disgrace was all instigated by the old man.
Yang Gao shook off his hand and said angrily, "Manager Qian, don't think I have to give in to you in everything."
"Once my elder brother emerges from seclusion, you will be nothing! You will be nothing more than a retainer!"
The old man's eyes darkened, and he quickly pulled Yang Gao away from there. Xie Ying only overheard a snippet.
After that, for some unknown reason, Yang Gao left with a look of complete disobedience.
The old man watched Yang Gao's retreating figure, thinking, "This man can no longer be relied upon. I need to find another patron. But who should I turn to?"
Xie Ying had just come out of the house when his eyes flashed, and he immediately made a decision.
The house inside was fully furnished, but rather boring. Xie Lanzhi had Afan fetch a bow and arrow, and she shot coconuts everywhere she went, drawing the attention of everyone on the island.
After Xie Lanzhi had explored half the island, she discovered that there were hardly any islanders, only well-trained firearms users. Very few people carried cold weapons.
There was also a thatched watchtower with a large cannon painted green. There were five cannons in total, covering half of the island's coastline. The situation on the other peninsula was currently unknown.
As Xie Lanzhi was about to continue her walk around the island, she noticed that Afanti was watching her closely from time to time, and was wary of her every step.
She deliberately tried to go towards the back peninsula.
As expected, Afanti blocked her way: "There are too many snakes, insects and rats behind Manager Lan's place. If you, a young lady, encounter any danger while going there, we cannot bear the responsibility."
"Please consider your own safety."
Without asking any further questions, Xie Lanzhi immediately drew her bow and fired an arrow at Afanti's right ear. Afanti felt something brush against his right ear and even had a lock of his sideburns cut off.
The coconut in her arms fell to the ground.