Yao Yao had led troops in battle before, so she likely understood easily if I had explained it to her. However, I had only described half of the first battle when Yao Yao earnestly said, "Draw a map and illustrate it for us."
After I found paper and a pen, Yao Yao gathered everyone, seemingly intending to attend my lesson.
With Bing Bing as my assistant, I hung the paper on the wall and demonstrated the beginning and end of the "Battle of Three Cities."
Everyone listened intently. When the last battle concluded, applause erupted.
"I never realized you were so capable," Daji spoke first. "If King Zhou had made you his strategist back then, he wouldn't have been overthrown by Western Zhou."
Yao Yao gave a thumbs-up. "Impressive, impressive. It seems you truly have a talent for this, a pity you were born in the wrong era."
"It's not entirely the wrong era," Chu Qi remarked. "Aren't your demon race facing a great war? With him as commander, perhaps you could achieve unexpected results, different from your apparent strength on paper."
Xu Ran also shook his head and clapped. "Cheng Feng is indeed a formidable fighter. If he had served Zeng Gong in my era, the Taiping Rebellion might have been quelled a few years earlier."
Among the influential figures, only Diana remained silent. I asked her if she had any suggestions.
Diana looked at me blankly. "I don't understand these things."
"You've experienced almost the entire history of human civilization, how could you not understand?" Yao Yao laughed.
"But I spent most of my time in the sea. There are no decent wars in the sea," Diana replied.
"Oh, that's right," Yao Yao said. "Speaking of the sea, I just remembered. Shen Xingyue called me this afternoon saying a group of dolphin demons had arrived in Jingcheng, looking for Bai Ze to report. She asked if we would accept them, and I agreed on your behalf."
"What do you mean 'on my behalf'? If you agreed, that's fine," I chuckled. It should be the group of dolphins we encountered at sea when we first arrived in Lvyuan. I don't know where they came from, but unable to find us, they went directly to the Yanxia official channels.
Yao Yao checked her watch. "Xingyue said they want to arrive at Black Stone Beach, five kilometers away, at 9:30 PM. She suggested we go to meet them."
It was seven o'clock now, still early.
Shen Xingyue obviously knew the location of our base, but she might have been unable to determine if the dolphins were friend or foe, so she didn't have them report directly to Jinjiling. Instead, she chose a neutral location.
It wasn't advisable for too many people to go, so after some thought, I only took Yao Yao, Diana, and Chu Qi.
Yao Yao would be there to distinguish whether they were Shanhai demons or Bai Ze demons. Diana, as the North Sea Whale God, was a sea demon herself, so it was natural to bring her, mainly for deterrence.
Chu Qi would be responsible for piloting the yacht.
With our team assembled, we set off immediately, as there were other matters to attend to.
I brought all those antiques with me because I had found out there was a large antique trading market near Black Stone Beach. It was very close to the headquarters of Cangjing Group, and I guessed that Cangjing Group had frequented this market before.
The four of us descended to the hidden harbor and quickly reached Black Stone Beach in the yacht. This was actually the bustling urban center of Lvyuan.
The city had just finished its evening meal. As the economy gradually recovered, people were out strolling, creating a lively atmosphere.
To get to the market from the port, we had to pass through a seafood street, filled with all sorts of fresh seafood being prepared on the spot, exuding enticing aromas. We ate and wandered, taking a full hour to walk from one end of the street to the other. I ate seven or eight oysters alone, and there would be much to release tonight.
By the time we reached the antique street, it was already 8:10 PM. I thought it would be best to hurry, so I directly inquired about the largest antique shop on the street, called Weiming Xuan. It seemed that many antique shops liked to use "Xuan" in their names. Xuan was actually a type of corridor with windows, or a small room, which in ancient times was often used as a name for studies or as a brand name for teahouses and restaurants. In modern times, as no one used it anymore, it became a term exclusive to the antique and curio industry.
Indeed, many people used it as a name, perhaps taking the meaning from "Xuanyuan." In reality, these two characters do not have particularly auspicious meanings. Naming someone "Zi Xuan" would mean "son's room" or "son's windows," which is awkward.
Upon entering Weiming Xuan, I first sensed the aura. This was not a shady establishment. Whether it was the shop assistants on the first floor or the people on the second floor who were likely the owners, they were all ordinary humans.