Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 142 I admire you, Vice Envoy Jiang, you truly are the King of Ideas of the Great Zhao Dynasty.
Luo Wenlong and Wang Cheng both recognized the voice as that of Jiang Wenyuan, the deputy envoy of the Qingliu faction. They exchanged a glance and saw the wariness in each other's eyes.

The former nodded, signaling Wang Cheng to act according to the situation, and then stepped forward to open the door.

"Lord Luo, Commander Wang, it's wonderful that you're both here."

Jiang Wenyuan, a Confucian scholar of the School of Mind, bowed to the chief envoy without any change in expression. When he looked up, he suddenly saw the two heavy maces in Wang Cheng's hands and let out a soft exclamation:
"This seems to be the divine weapon once used by Chang Yuchun, the Prince of Kaiping—the [Qilin Shangfang Mace]?"
"Did Lord Luo give this to Commander Wang? Commander Wang actually knows mace techniques?"

Weapons are meant to be used, and Wang Cheng had no intention of carrying anyone on his back, saying:
"I understand a little bit."

Thinking to himself that this Confucian scholar of the School of Mind was quite knowledgeable, he himself had only found this treasure in the Luo family's treasury by relying on the ability to hoard rare goods and listen to thunder, yet this man recognized it at a glance.

There are many good maces in the storeroom of the Prince of Jinghai's palace, but they cannot be used by someone with Wang Fugui's identity.

The two bright silver maces that Luo Wenlong took from him were of an ancient and simple design, covered with unicorn patterns that shimmered with a faint blue light, and were clearly not ordinary items.

Jiang Wenyuan clicked his tongue in amazement:
"At the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty, the mace was worn by generals and was also called the 'Shangfang mace,' and was mostly used for supervising battles and enforcing the law."

At that time, the Prince of Kaiping was one of the few experts in the army who wielded maces. It is said that these two "Qilin Shangfang Maces" were forged by the Prince of Kaiping from meteorite iron from outer space, and were consecrated by a great monster with Qilin blood.

Although it was just one of his many treasured maces, it was still priceless. If it weren't for the death of the second generation of the Kaiping Prince's Mansion, outsiders would probably have had a hard time even getting a glimpse of it.

The mace, forged a hundred times to perfection, is a standard weapon among weapons, and only those with upright character and integrity can wield it. This pair of precious maces is the best among them.

Although Lord Luo is generous, Commander Wang should still be careful.

Of course, none of the three people present realized that the first owner of these divine weapons, the King of Kaiping, actually had another important identity.

That was the maternal grandfather of the first Guangze King, an "unexpected person" of the Da Zhao royal family, and also the ancestor of Han Wugui, the current crown prince of Guangze.

Luo Wenlong sensed the provocation in Vice Envoy Jiang's words, frowned, and interjected:
"As the saying goes, a divine weapon is given to a hero. After landing, Commander Wang wanted to go to the East Sea Kingdom to gather intelligence in advance. I cherish his talent and couldn't bear to see him without any treasures to protect him, so I gave him these two maces."

Wang Baihu was a prodigy in his youth, and even wrote the poem "To draw the knife and die quickly is not to betray my youthful spirit." How could he not be a man of integrity and righteousness? What harm could a mere pair of inanimate objects do to him?

These Qilin Shangfang maces might shine brightly in his hands, restoring the invincible glory of the Prince of Kaiping.

Perhaps one day he will be another 'Chang the Ten Thousand' who can sweep across the world with an army of 100,000!

Wang Cheng thought that Chang Shiwan was acceptable, as long as it wasn't Sun Shiwan.

Upon hearing this poem expressing his aspirations, Jiang Wenyuan couldn't help but glance at Wang Cheng again before suppressing his admiration and saying to him:

"So, Commander Wang is going to the East Sea Kingdom to spy on intelligence so soon?"
"Perfect timing! I also have a task for Commander Wang to complete. How about we do it together?"

Unexpectedly, Wang Cheng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and directly refused:

"Vice Envoy Jiang, please allow me to report that before I came to Yingzhou to infiltrate, I made a condition to the Imperial Inspector Wang Bengu and the Commander of Zhenhai Guard Xing Baichuan (Chapter 120)."

That is, once you arrive in Yingzhou, your primary duty is to gather intelligence. You will decide your own course of action and will not accept any other assignments.

"All my actions are accountable only to Commander-in-Chief Yu Zhifu, the General in Charge of the Defense Against the Japanese Pirates."

At the time, we made the worst-case scenario plan. With this autonomy, it would be difficult for either the chief envoy or the deputy envoy to trick him, let alone force him to commit suicide.

Both Luo Wenlong, the envoy, and Li Jingjiang, the centurion who had followed after hearing the commotion, nodded to indicate that they knew about the matter.

"Wang Baihu's job is extremely dangerous, so it's understandable that he has some autonomy. As long as we get the intelligence, we won't worry about anything else."

Jiang Wenyuan actually knew about this, and smiled without changing his expression:
"I was abrupt and didn't explain things clearly."

Commander Wang, since you've decided on your own route, could you do me a small favor along the way?
There is a rendezvous point in the East China Sea. I need to deliver something very important to Pinghu Port. It's just a matter of passing by, and there will be no complications.

Once you're delivered to Pinghu, you can continue to move freely. Surely such a simple matter won't cause Commander Wang any trouble?"

Upon hearing the word "rendezvous," Wang Cheng immediately perked up and asked with great interest:

"Lord Jiang, do you mean that there are other intelligence agents who arrived in Donghai Kingdom ahead of time, and they are going to carry out another mission?"

Jiang Wenyuan believed that in this place where none of the delegation members knew anyone, they, as upright gentry with years of experience in colluding with the Japanese, could easily manipulate anyone.

He then revealed a little bit of information:
"Everyone is doing their job for His Majesty, but in fact, the intelligence network targeting the Five Peaks Banner has already been set up."

They were the elite scouts of the Twenty-Four Guards, known for their outstanding military achievements. I don't need to elaborate on how many loyal and heroic martyrs emerged from among these soldiers.

Upon arriving in Yingzhou, I, as the deputy envoy, took charge of the deployment of these intelligence personnel.

However, their strength is weak, and they urgently need the support of a mid-level official of the third rank; otherwise, I wouldn't have troubled Commander Wang.

Wang Cheng was naturally curious about what they were planning to do in the East Sea Kingdom, so he pretended to hesitate for a while before agreeing:
“Very well, I will accept this task.”

Jiang Wenyuan clasped his hands in greeting:
"Wang Baihu is very generous. On behalf of the brothers of the Night Scouts, I thank you in advance."

I know the espionage profession is dangerous, so like Censor Wang Bengu and Commander Xing Baichuan, I owe you my life. We'll celebrate your triumphant return together."

They were polite on the surface, but secretly they were laughing at each other.
'Heh, these young people are so easy to fool.'

Whether you're genuinely passionate or simply curious about our plan and want to gather intelligence, once you reach the rendezvous point, the rest is up to you. Who says there's only one skilled individual who arrived in Yingzhou ahead of time?
First, I'll lure you in, then I'll cast a mind-controlling spell on you, making you go east when I say you're going east, and west when I say you're going west. Just obediently go and kill the Crown Prince!

"In seven days at most, Prince Wang Cheng will be cursed to death by that protective object, and you and the delegation will be buried with him."

Mao Haifeng has promised that, regardless of the outcome of this operation, he will set aside his concerns and personally take action.

Let's strive to bring this farce—supported only by the Emperor and his henchmen, the Yan faction, and the lower-class Tanka merchants—to an end before most of the major pirates arrive in the East China Sea, while everyone else opposes it!

at this time.

The young master also extended his warm regards to the soldiers of the Black Peak Banner at Pinghu Port.

Behind them, their personal guards carried baskets of silver as rewards. Once they took these "life-saving coins," they all became slaves to money.

On the surface, he is still Mao Haifeng's direct subordinate, but in reality, he has already taken on the form of a young master.

Among the imperial guards, there was a handsome young monk with rosy lips and white teeth who was pleasing to the eye. He worked exceptionally hard, and every time he received a string of coins, he would say an auspicious phrase:

"Having received the young master's reward, my inner lamp shines ever bright, illuminating away all ignorance."

"Having received the young master's reward, I am now pure, untainted, and at ease."

"Having received the young master's reward, I am protected by all Buddhas and undisturbed by calamities."

This young monk looks only fourteen or fifteen years old, but he is actually the commander of the personal guard that Prince Jinghai had been training for Wang Cheng many years in advance!
They lived and ate together for a long time when they were young, and were considered Wang Cheng's childhood friends.

Why did I become a monk?
In Yingzhou, Buddhism was the most powerful force in Shintoism, with Shintoism only ranking second. They possessed vast amounts of land, monks, and soldiers, and were even able to rival the daimyo of various regions.

The nobles of Yingzhou also had a tradition of finding "monk substitutes" to take their place in becoming monks. The young monk was not only the commander of Wang Cheng's personal guard, but also his monk substitute, and even became the novice monk of the nearby Zhaojue Temple.

The position of 【Shami Tail】 requires a good appearance; ideally, it should be filled by a young monk with rosy lips and white teeth.

Even in large temples, incense offerings are required, and female worshippers are the biggest contributors to these offerings. Novice monks are specifically tasked with entertaining these generous female guests, relying entirely on their attractive faces to solicit donations.

I received news of Wang Cheng's return today, and rushed back in a hurry, my hair still covered in the bright red lipstick of several female guests.

When it comes to auspicious sayings, they naturally have a whole repertoire.

After visiting the water village, Wang Cheng led the way out, when suddenly his eyes flashed, and he remarked with emotion:
"I admire you, Vice Envoy Jiang. You are truly the king of ideas in the Great Zhao Dynasty. With you in charge, how could Qingliu not prosper?"

"You actually dare to compete with me in Yingzhou to see who has more people?"

He turned to look at the commander of his personal guards beside him.

“Bald monk, here’s a meeting place. Take your men there.”

The young monk glanced at him and clasped his hands together:

"Amitabha Buddha, please call me Master."

This little monk's real name was Lü Lu. He wasn't actually human; he was a donkey spirit. Calling him a bald donkey was entirely accurate.

My ancestral home is Dong'e County in Shandong Province. It was brought here from Da Zhao by my Uncle Zhang, who was also from Dengzhou Prefecture in Shandong Province.

Once a demon cultivates to the fifth rank of "Clay Sculpted Divine Embryo," it can release a fragment of its spirit and be reincarnated as a human. Now, Lu Lu's donkey body has long since died in battle, and he is now a complete human.

However, when he was a monk, his master, wanting to save trouble, still used his original name, Jielu, as his Dharma name. He was very dissatisfied with this and often argued with Wang Cheng.

"Okay, you bald monk."

Call me Master.

"Good Master of Abstinence."

"Then let's call him Bald Donkey."

"Okay, you bald monk."

After their daily bickering, Wang Cheng chuckled:

"Do I not know you? Your lifelong obsession is to no longer be a donkey or a horse, but to become a master revered by all."

But could you please not use the "donkey skin begging method" on my brothers? No, I mean the "human skin begging method"? Do you think I can just open my mouth like that?

You'd better get down to business and get to work; your good deeds will pay off sooner or later! Remember, make sure you get me some work to do.

The young monk had a dignified appearance, with his hands clasped together in prayer:

“Amitabha Buddha, you know this humble monk. This humble monk never kills any living beings, and I guarantee that they will live.”

(End of this chapter)