Chapter 612: Human Harmony
Gu Kaiyuan had brought this matter up before, and Bai Suihe already shared his concerns. If they had made preparations beforehand to relocate the people gradually, it would have been feasible. But with such a massive crowd, how could they find enough space to accommodate everyone all at once?
“I asked Jiannan for some manpower a while ago, and we’ve already managed to churn out some cement,” Gu Kaiyuan said. “I plan to build a few houses over there based on the blueprints you drew. These concrete houses are weather-tested; even if a typhoon hits, the people will have a safe shelter.”
“Since you’ve made up your mind, arrange for them to head over as soon as possible. Remember to pack extra provisions. We’ve scouted that island before—there’s a sizable patch of fertile land in the center. See if they can grow some crops or raise poultry to supplement their food supply.”
Bai Suihe had no objections to his decision. After all, keeping several hundred people holed up here wasn’t a sustainable long-term solution.
“I’m planning to send them over tonight during high tide,” Gu Kaiyuan said, holding Gu Xingyang and completely ignoring her squirming attempts to tag along. “I’ll be quick. It’ll only take two or three days tops.”
Having suffered terrible seasickness on their last trip, Bai Suihe had no desire to set foot on a ship’s deck anytime soon. “Stay safe out there. I’ll head over to the warehouse right now.”
It was far too late to make a run to the county town to purchase grain. Fortunately, they were the only two with keys to the main warehouse. No one else knew exactly what was stored inside, which gave them the perfect cover to operate.
Gu Kaiyuan looked at her apologetically. “I’ll figure out a way to replenish your grain supply later. From now on, I’ll also try my best to—”
“—earn me more Silver to fill the storehouse,” Bai Suihe finished nonchalantly. Although she didn’t actively manage her mystical spatial dimension, the crops in those fields harvested themselves automatically whenever they ripened. Food was the one thing she would never run out of.
Gu Kaiyuan chuckled. “I’ll make sure to catch a hefty haul of seafood on this trip and leave it all for you to handle.”
Bai Suihe blinked. As expected, Gu Kaiyuan knew her best. Trading easily acquired grain for fresh seafood was an absolute steal for her. While her spatial dimension could auto-harvest crops endlessly, it certainly couldn’t produce oceanic delicacies.
The couple had discussed it before, wondering about the true origins of this mystical space. They had no idea if they would ever get the chance to live yet another life, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Thus, whenever they had free time, they poured their efforts into upgrading and perfecting the dimension.
The couple headed to the warehouse and made their arrangements, leaving out more than half of the grain reserves. These provisions would be transported to the ship overnight.
“How are those people in the back mountain doing?” Gu Kaiyuan asked.
“Still breathing, and surprisingly cooperative.” Bai Suihe looked rather satisfied when mentioning those Medicine Men. Since the captives were willing to play along and actively report their symptoms after ingesting the drugs, it had saved her a considerable amount of trouble.
“Don’t let your guard down around them,” Gu Kaiyuan cautioned, well aware of their insidious nature. “Those men are treacherous to the bone. I doubt they’re truly as tame as they pretend to be.”
“I’m well aware.” Bai Suihe wasn’t about to be outsmarted. Even if those test subjects managed to escape their confinement, she was confident they wouldn’t make it out of the village. Besides, she had secretly administered a little something extra into their systems.
In fact, a part of her eagerly anticipated an escape attempt. Otherwise, how would she ever get to test the true efficacy of her newest concoction?
“Do you think I should stage an opportunity? Give them a little glimmer of hope?”
Gu Kaiyuan shot her a glance. Bai Suihe and their daughter had previously told him about these Wokou invaders. In another world, these men were less than human, having slaughtered countless innocent lives to the point that even his normally kindhearted wife and daughter wished to see their entire race wiped from the face of the earth.
Coupled with the atrocities they had committed against the citizens of the Rong Dynasty, if he were a local fisherman, he too would want to skin them alive and rip their bones out.
Bai Suihe felt absolutely zero guilt using them as human guinea pigs for her myriad of experiments. In fact, it served as an excellent outlet for her pent-up frustrations, so he was more than happy to let her have her fun.
“As long as you’re happy, but don’t exhaust yourself.” Concocting so many drugs to test on these men required Bai Suihe and her helpers to rack their brains during the manufacturing process, not to mention the taxing physical effort of formulating the corresponding antidotes.
“Don’t worry, Nanny Pang and I know our limits,” Bai Suihe replied. “But since we’re currently desperate for manpower, I actually had a thought…”
After hearing her out, Gu Kaiyuan couldn’t help but gulp. “Suihe, isn’t that a bit too…”
“A bit too cruel and contrary to the laws of nature?” Bai Suihe gazed at the distant sky, a fiery glint dancing in her eyes. “I’m merely preventing them from committing future massacres. If anything, I’m accumulating good karma on their behalf.”
She turned back and stared at him intensely. “Do you think I’m being too ruthless?”
Gu Kaiyuan gently shook his head. “I just don’t want you to be blinded by pointless hatred. Like you said, those atrocities were committed against your ancestors in another timeline. Times have changed—”
“But it is the dying wish of countless generations!” she interrupted, her voice firm. “If our hands hadn’t been tied by the political constraints of that timeline, their cursed island would have been sunk to the bottom of the ocean long ago!
“Now that I’ve been granted this miraculous second chance, I intend to fulfill that long-cherished wish for everyone. It’s my way of repaying the homeland that raised me.”
Staring him down with utter seriousness, Bai Suihe pressed on, “Even though the histories of our two dimensions are slightly different, based on the sheer depravity of their kind, can you guarantee they won’t commit the exact same heinous crimes in the future?”
Gu Kaiyuan fell silent. Forget the future—there were already telltale signs of such atrocities happening right now. “Then we’ll do it your way,” he finally conceded.
Bai Suihe broke into a smile. Gu Kaiyuan might have his flaws, but he treated her exceptionally well. Even knowing that her plan defied the natural order, he still stood by her side.
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need for ‘thank yous’ between a husband and wife. Besides, even if I refused to help you, do you really think that precious daughter of yours would let it go in the future?”
He sighed helplessly to himself. What could he do? He was hopelessly devoted to this chaotic mother-daughter duo.
However, they would have to execute this plan in absolute secrecy. He couldn’t let their family line bear the infamy of such a ruthless purge, especially since the Wokou of this timeline hadn’t *yet* reached that extreme level of barbarism.
Gu Xingyang was resting in a room just a short distance away. Having overheard their entire exchange, she couldn’t help but chime in, “Daddy, you’re badmouthing me behind my back again!”
Gu Kaiyuan walked inside to find Gu Xingyang already sitting upright. The child was growing at an astonishing rate; he had no doubt she’d be walking in no time.
“I wasn’t badmouthing you behind your back,” he teased. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have heard it.”
Gu Xingyang huffed. “Anyway, Daddy, you should hold off on dealing with them. Leave those scumbags to me.”
Back when she was just an Ah Piao, wandering as a spirit, her favorite hangout spot had been the movie theaters. She had watched her fair share of historical documentaries. Even though she wasn’t technically born and raised in that specific era, the harrowing footage had resonated deeply with her.
More importantly, she had encountered the lingering spirits of war veterans who had refused to pass on. From their very own mouths, she had learned of horrors far crueler than any textbook could depict. If only for the sake of their future descendants and to ensure history never repeated itself, she was determined to eradicate those invaders herself. Compared to the unspeakable atrocities those monsters had committed, Gu Xingyang actually thought her mother’s experimental methods were incredibly gentle and merciful.