Bai Lu fiddled in our familiar kitchen for a long time. When she came out, the whole kitchen was filled with fragrance. A bowl of fish ball noodles was ready. Of course, there were only three bowls. Su Yuexi and Lingshang don't eat meat, so the three bowls of hot noodles were one for each of Yunwen, Bai Lu and me. It would have been perfect if it hadn't been served with some pickles.

There were fish balls and wild pepper slices in it. The soup was made with meat bones and some herbs. It tasted very fresh and the noodles were refreshing. There were also a lot of wild vegetables, wild mushrooms, fungus and other things in it. There was also a rich variety of vegetarian dishes. In short, one bowl of the dish basically satisfied my appetite.

With one bite of fish ball, one sip of soup and one mouthful of noodles, I felt like all the cells in my body were redeemed. It was a kind of energy that activated my whole body. Especially for me, who was already a little brain-tired, it was a perfect dish to save me. And in taking one bite after another, I felt fully relaxed and happy.

Of course Lingshang and Su Yuexi also need to eat, but what they eat is different from us. They would not touch grains if possible, and mostly eat things that are bred by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, such as fruits, nectar, etc., and they have reached a certain level in fasting skills, so just a few bites or a sip of scented tea are enough to satisfy the body's needs.

In fact, there is a saying that we eat food to convert energy, but those who practice fasting no longer need to convert energy through food. They can satisfy this requirement directly by absorbing the energy of heaven and earth. Therefore, these two practitioners are ultimately different from us ordinary people.

During this time, I ate two bowls, and one bowl was enough for Yunwen and Bailu. After cleaning up, everyone sat around the dining table and took a break. Song Bailu said, "In fact, Mr. Lan mentioned something similar to me before. They plan to adopt a strategy of making friends with distant forces and attacking nearby forces on the entire island, cultivate their sphere of influence, and plan to build a maritime empire with the Black Mountain Cave as the center. They said that they have now recovered several hidden forces on the East Island, and there are also corresponding forces on the South Island and the North Island. I asked him how he would respond to the Longzhou we established, and Mr. Lan said at that time that the captain would reserve a position for Zhou Bo."

"Reserve a spot?" I asked.

"It means submitting to him, just like the relationship between you and Bai Lu. You are his vassal and manage East Island for him, and he is the overlord of the entire island. You call him king and he calls you his subject. That's the logic." Yunwen said.

"Ms. Song, how did you respond to Mr. Lan at that time?" Su Yuexi asked.

"I said... I'll discuss it with the one at my place. Of course, I'm not just trying to be perfunctory, but I think there may be a possibility of cooperation. In fact, based on my understanding of the Black Mountain Cave area, the captain is not a particularly bad person. He just hopes to have a foothold. Even if we were the same in the beginning, we have also developed step by step to this day. And the West Island is a special place. It has always needed strong foreign aid to gain a foothold. So there is no problem with his strategic expansion. The problem is whether we can coexist." Bai Lu said.

"So, what you mean is that if he is good, he can prepare to expand and then annex us. From now on, we will all listen to a group of pirates and obey their orders, right? You are too left-wing. I even suspect that you may have betrayed us a long time ago and had some relationship with that captain." Yunwen said.

"I agree. This statement is too irresponsible. Since he wants to gain a place to survive, he can just establish his own country on Xidao and live his own life. Why must he use the method of spreading plague to rob others of the fruits of their hard work? This is obviously not in line with morality. And what you said, Bailu, is basically to please others and forget about ourselves. Just because others want to establish a country, should we allow them to be enslaved and give up the fruits of their hard work?" Lingshang couldn't help but ask.

Bai Lu's words did make me suspicious. She knew that we were being held at knifepoint and threatened, but she still said things that would boost others' morale and destroy her own prestige. It really made me feel betrayed.

"I am just stating my point of view. The enemy is stronger than we expected. Just say he spread the plague once and targeted only a few of us, but it has already put us in such a mess. If he really wants to use some means and start spreading it across the board, then not only the Kunks, but even the foxes, sheep, ratmen, and mermaids in Dragon City, who will be able to escape? I just think that instead of confronting them head-on and causing great suffering to all, it is better to find a way to turn hostility into friendship. That's all." Song Bailu said.

Su Yuexi shook her head and said, "His goal is to enslave all living beings and control everything on the island. I know Cheng Feng. He bullies the weak and fears the strong. If we really want to be his vassal state, then we will be no different from his slaves. Even if we surrender, he will continue to spread the plague. He didn't do it now because he is hesitating or has his own considerations, but it is definitely not out of goodwill."

Seeing that the other three girls were all against her, Song Bailu slammed the table, frowned, and said, "So what do you want? Are you going to die? You can't even get out of the castle now, how can you deal with the captain? How can you deal with the Netherworld Gang? Don't you think before you speak? Ask Zhou Bo what he wants to do now, he will definitely not be as stupid and naive as you."

After saying that, she looked at me, and all the girls also looked at me at this moment, wanting to know my attitude.

"The Netherworld Gang? It's a cool name, but, Bai Lu, I have to say something to you. Is a name enough to scare you like this? They are bullying us and actively invading us, do you understand? You tell me, if we make peace with them now, and then give them all our things for free according to their requirements, they didn't do anything to build the city-state, collect resources, operate the market, and manage personnel, they did nothing for nothing, and we still have to actively send things to them and beg them? You are the one whose brain has been squeezed by the door." I said bluntly.

"Even you..." Song Bailu stood up suddenly.

I also stood up and said, "You'd better not get involved in the discussion recently. Go back to your room and rest. I also warn you, if you are a pawn or a spy in the hands of Cheng Feng, I will never let you off easily."

Her face turned pale, she snorted, threw the chair down and went upstairs.

After she went up, I said, "She was probably bribed, but I was there that day, so the situation was different. It's a bit complicated to explain, but to put it simply, she should be a double agent. Yunwen, you have been together during this period, please help me observe her carefully and see if you can get any information from her."

"Don't worry, I will help you. She is irritated by you now, and she will definitely take some actions in the near future to connect with the new force behind her to ensure her own safety." Yunwen said.

"Alas, I hope Sister Bailu is not such a despicable person. We are overthinking it." Ling Shang said.

"Speaking of this, Brother Zhou Bo, since you are unwilling to make any compromise on coexistence, then the only way out is confrontation. But since you want to confront, have you thought of any solution?" Su Yuexi asked.

I exhaled, paced a few steps, stood with my hands behind my back, and said, "Based on our judgment of the current situation, we should start to fight back instead of just passively taking the beating, so I plan to lay out a strategy and prepare to start imposing sanctions on him. I roughly expected that rats can naturally carry viruses, so I first made friends with the rat people. In addition to stealing my magic stone, it is also to gather the plague and let them be infected first. Then, when needed, the rat people will run all over the island to achieve the goal. This is the first step. We have to deal with the rat people first and eliminate this crisis."

"That makes sense." Ling Shang said.

"Also, Yunwen, send a flying ant and throw a conch shell near the Black Mountain Cave. I will leave a message for him, asking him to come to the castle and take the bodies of his men. I will also tell him that I have already found the weakness of this monster, this guy who bullies the weak and fears the strong. Now is the time for us, the host, to punish this uninvited guest." I said fiercely.