Loving someone needs no reason. If reasons can be stated, that’s love with purpose—it doesn’t count as true love. Yun Ye could howl to the whole world declaring his love for his six children—loving them beyond measure. He could also tell his four women in the bedchamber that he loved them. Though nauseating, saying it wouldn’t make Xinyue, Li Anlan, Na Rimu, or Lingdang vomit. However, when Yun Ye just told Han Zhe that he loved the Great Tang, this fellow’s stomach seemed rather uncomfortable. Facing someone as shameless as Yun Ye, he felt his cultivation was still inadequate.

Righteousness was absolutely the best fig leaf. When robbing, taking out this fig leaf allowed one to act without any restrictions.

What did the natives know? They burned spices as firewood and complained this fuel didn’t burn well and smelled too strong. Quickly give the natives a glass bead, move away their firewood pile, and let it fulfill its original purpose.

Using sandalwood as bench material—the method was wrong! Though the bench had already been worn smooth and glossy by the natives’ bottoms, this was precisely sandalwood’s virtue! Give you a glass bead—hold it well and absolutely don’t lose it. This shining treasure in exchange for your whole family’s benches is because we have nothing to sit on. We can’t very well sit on stones, can we? The robes we’re wearing are quite expensive.

The natives were kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to see guests sitting on stones, so they contributed their household benches and bed boards, exchanging them for two glass beads which they respectfully placed in the safest spot in their homes.

Li Tai had recently become very interested in conquering cities and seizing territory. That clever petty king discovered the guests were truly wonderful—within a hundred-some li, he ended up being the only King of Java left. He stood all day on the highest tree wearing a hat woven from feathers, howling to declare himself the sole king of this place.

The first time he saw a bird of paradise, Yun Ye nearly knelt in reverence. If there existed any bird in this world more phoenix-like than the bird of paradise, Yun Ye wouldn’t believe it. He thought what he saw was a phoenix, especially the male bird of paradise—when its four long, brilliant tail feathers spread open in the sunlight, they were as splendid as glowing clouds.

Li Tai clutched Yun Ye’s neck, threatening him not to have designs on the birds of paradise—not even thinking about it! He’d had someone make a very large cage and specifically asked the petty king for two hunters familiar with the birds’ temperament to care for these two pairs. He was already fantasizing about what a sensation it would cause when the birds of paradise flew over Chang’an.

“Ye Zi, this place is too wealthy, too wealthy! Good heavens, rice casually grows two harvests a year. Mountains and wilderness are covered with fruit trees and spices. The forests are full of fallen giant timber everywhere. Can you imagine how many hollow sandalwood trees I’ve seen? Station troops—we must station troops here.”

Li Tai had gone mad. After leaving Java, their ships cleared one island after another. When they saw countless cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg on a volcanic island, Li Tai’s eyes had already reddened with madness.

Li Tai wasn’t the only one going mad. Even an old man like Liu Fang couldn’t maintain composure. Wu She couldn’t even wait for sailors to clear a landing spot—with a few leaps, he reached the island. Casually crushing to death a venomous snake preparing to bite him, he broke off a nutmeg tree branch and jumped back. On the ship, he plucked the nutmeg from the branch, peeled away the outer husk, and a nutmeg seed appeared in his palm.

“Old Liu, this is three copper coins.” Wu She placed this nutmeg seed in Liu Fang’s hand, sighing endlessly. For common people in the Central Plains, earning three copper coins wasn’t easy. Here, however, it seemed within easy reach.

“No wonder Yun Ye always says Chang’an’s wealthy merchants are just a bunch of country bumpkins. Now it seems absolutely true. This old fellow could never figure out why obtaining money was so easy for Yun Ye. As long as he wanted it, he could definitely get it, no matter how much. Previously, I thought this great Yun Family relocation would be a fatal blow to the family. Who could have predicted he’d turn around and find such a Spice Island? Wealth comes too easily. Heaven’s favored child—this phrase probably describes him.”

Yun Ye had no time to pay attention to the two old men whispering. He had to restrain the red-eyed Li Tai. He’d initially thought imperial family members would maintain some dignity regardless, but Li Tai was very disappointing—just like those guards and sailors, he dragged a sack and wanted to rush onto the island to harvest spices.

“Wake up, Qingque! The island has venomous snakes—one bite and you’re dead. You should stay properly on the ship. Let the guards and sailors do the spice harvesting. The Princess still needs to maintain vigilance. Any ships appearing in these waters must be sunk. Only the gunpowder on your ship can accomplish this. We need to keep this secret.”

“Absolutely! Anyone who dares compete with me for spices, I’ll send them to the seabed—doesn’t matter who, even the Jade Emperor won’t do. You watch the spices, I’ll maintain vigilance.”

“Forget it, don’t go. Just let your subordinates and Dongyu go. You stay with me on the Princess. The Chengqian needs to continuously transport spices to the merchant ships at Java. Looks like we won’t make it to the Fulin Kingdom—I estimate you won’t bear to exchange spices for their junk.” The frantic Li Tai was difficult to deal with—this fellow’s mind was probably full of nothing but spices.

“I already have spices, what else do I need to exchange? Just spices! Bring them back to Chang’an and I can have as much money as I want. This lord can even bathe in spices.”

Han Zhe’s legs were trembling. Apparently he was strenuously controlling himself, not letting himself display greed. A divine person’s dignity ultimately still needed maintaining. However, Xi Tong, Xiao Tie, Gou Zi, and Liu Jinbao fully exploited their advantage of low status—laughing madly, they found very large hemp sacks and jumped ashore. Xi Tong even instructed his son to specifically pick the most expensive nutmeg, saying his family liked adding nutmeg when cooking meat.

Dan Ying didn’t take spices seriously because his household had never lacked these things over the years. Whenever they ran out, Daya would request some from her brother and sister-in-law, and merchant caravans would leave plenty when passing through.

He climbed the tallest coconut tree, cut down many green coconuts, and stood in the coconut tree surveying the entire small island. Suddenly, Dan Ying rapidly slid down from the coconut tree, borrowed deerskin gloves from Yun Ye, and came to an unremarkable nearby tree. Using his small knife to cut around the bark, he collected the milky white sap with his water canteen, his gaze burning—more excited than seeing gold.

Li Tai walked over wanting to touch it, but was pushed far away by Dan Ying. Baffled, Li Tai looked toward Yun Ye strangely, wanting an answer from him.

“Your Highness, this tree’s sap seals the throat upon contact with blood, which is why Dan Ying won’t let you approach.” Liu Fang walked over carrying his teapot and pointed at that tree, addressing Li Tai.

“Seals the throat upon blood contact? You’re joking. Even nux vomica and arsenic aren’t this poisonous.”

Dan Ying caught a lizard with one hand and walked over. Before Li Tai’s eyes, he cut a small gash on the lizard’s body and tossed it on the ground. That lizard staggered less than one zhang before collapsing on the ground, continuously convulsing—clearly dying.

Dan Ying brandished the knife in his hand, saying, “Just used this knife to cut the bark.” Having said this, he guarded that tree, watching the white sap continuously drip into the water canteen.

“This stuff is good—essential medicine for killing and silencing witnesses. Give me some later. I’m a prince—there are always times when I need to kill and silence people. You’re just a minor marquis—you don’t need it.”

Yun Ye looked at Li Tai strangely and asked cautiously, “Who are you planning to eliminate? You’ve lived until now with just one enemy, whom you already stung half to death with hornets. Who else are you planning to eliminate? Counting now, I’m the one who knows the most of your secrets. You’re not planning to eliminate me, are you?”

“Kill you? Not worth the effort. When you’re drunk, just add some arsenic and tell you it’s sugar water—you’ll drink it yourself. No need for such high-grade stuff.” Li Tai said disdainfully.

While everyone else was getting rich, Yun Ye, Li Tai, Liu Fang, and Wu She sat in a small boat drifting by the seaside. Clear seawater rolled across the beach, various bizarrely shaped fish shuttled through the water. The small boat floated on the water surface like it was suspended in mid-air. Wu She took a sip of tea and said with feeling, “This old fellow truly wishes to sleep eternally here. This is the land of immortals. Blue sky, clear water, wealthy, magnificent, utterly uninhabited. If one built a small house and caught fish daily for sustenance, it wouldn’t fail to be supreme earthly joy.”

“Brother Liu, what are your thoughts? For your grandson’s safety, you plan to never interact again until death. Two old immortals, both alike as lonely wandering ghosts—how about ending your days in this earthly paradise?”

Liu Fang lowered his head without speaking, gazing blankly at the colorful swimming fish in the water, not knowing how to answer.

“This counts as heaven? Han Zhe’s home has a white stone palace, reportedly carved from a single enormous boulder—magnificent and beautiful. Just eating white stones can sustain life—wouldn’t that be even more suitable for you two to retire?”

“Absurd nonsense! Eating white stones? Ask Han Zhe himself if he believes it. How can a lifeless palace compare with heaven-made, earth-fashioned earthly magnificent scenery? This old fellow likes such a vibrant world. With vitality, people are alive; without vitality, all things wither. This old fellow has been desolate for over sixty years—never again wants to confine himself in a palace. No matter how magnificent a palace, I don’t like it.”

“Suit yourself. Do whatever you want. Having suffered a lifetime, enjoying blessings now wouldn’t be excessive however you do it. This place is decent when calm, but once storms arise, you won’t see it that way. Change locations—this place is too far from the human world. Your graves are at Yushan; transporting you back would be too difficult.”

Wu She stood up, looking around reluctantly, opened his mouth and howled wildly like a dragon’s cry. The sound traveled far into the distance. Yun Ye also shouted loudly, but unfortunately his voice was suppressed by Wu She’s, barely audible.

It wouldn’t stop—Wu She had been howling for nearly the time of a cup of tea and still hadn’t ceased. Dan Ying, who was harvesting poison, heard it and also began howling when Wu She’s strength flagged. When his howling ended, Xi Tong also shouted loudly. Finally, everyone—human or not—began shouting loudly. For the first time, human voices echoed across this ancient fertile land.