Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 148 Unexpected Gain, Fate's Mandate (Two chapters, 7000 words, please vote)
Woo woo woo.
A strong wind swirled in the hall, making Shen Yueye's peacock skirt flutter wildly, and the blue magic talisman on her fair forehead became even more intricate.

Not long after, the girl who had successfully advanced to the fifth rank of [Bodhisattva Barbarian] opened her fox-like eyes again.

Whether it was just his imagination or not, when Wang Cheng met those eyes, he felt that his senior sister was even more alluring than before, as if she had turned into a real fox spirit.

Sooner or later, she'll be able to assassinate someone with just a glance, and the target will willingly offer up their neck to be slaughtered.

She opened her small, magnolia-like hand, and a phantom military talisman appeared in her palm.

"It's done!"

At the sixth rank, one gradually awakens all the internal organs, thus achieving "unity of heaven and man" and "burning incense and opening altars."

The fifth-rank official established his own government and expanded the administrative system of the Great Dao's officials and soldiers within his own physical body, creating his own "Five Armies Commandery," and enshrining a fragment of his spirit within the mansion as a "clay-sculpted divine embryo."

In the context of the real imperial court, this meant that high-ranking officials, after receiving special permission from the emperor, could establish their own government offices and recruit staff; this was known as "establishing one's own office."

Officials qualified to establish their own government were usually among the Three Dukes or generals with high ranks, and they would recruit their own people to handle their own affairs independently.

For example, Liu Bei had his own Left General's Office before he became emperor, and the General Who Conquers the Barbarians of Yingzhou had his own staff.

Once a monster reaches this stage, it can leave its body and be reincarnated.

The most significant characteristic of a fifth-rank human is that their internal magical talisman has a dedicated military organization, allowing them to wield military tokens and train their own troops.

Summon the power of the Dao and the spirits to the altar to assist in the creation of your own unique temple army of ghost soldiers!

Wang Cheng's personal guards, as well as the 3,500 elite troops of the East Sea Kingdom, were all crafted by his father. Only by being assigned to him with military tokens could he have command authority.

It can be taken back with just one imperial edict.

However, soldiers personally trained by fifth-rank officials are different. Not only can they not be taken away by others, but they can also summon the power of different ghosts and gods, and be endowed with different special skills according to their official rank and position.

Even the objects are not limited to people; monsters, ghost soldiers, soybeans, paper figures, hay, etc., are all acceptable.

Of course, it is quite difficult to refine, and not every fifth-rank official has the ability to do so. Those with slightly less resources and luck cannot refine it.

The young girl, full of high spirits, had long since lost any embarrassment or annoyance at being teased by her junior brother.

"My cultivation level has caught up with my senior brother; I'm only a little short of him. The position of successor disciple is undoubtedly mine, Shen Yueye! Hahaha!"

Wang Cheng: "Huh? What about me? Didn't we agree that the Crown Prince was often ill?"

Before he could even open his mouth to correct his senior sister's despicable act of betraying her after using her, he was caught off guard.

Shen Yueye turned her head again and gently rubbed his reddened ears, reminding him earnestly:
"Fugui, you must have cultivated the dual incarnations of Yin and Yang by chance, right?"
If it weren't for your two incarnations merging into one, allowing my spiritual response [Yang Transformation] to detect a trace of residual energy, I don't know how long I would have been kept in the dark.

Be careful of your weaknesses; don't let yourself be caught off guard.

Wang Cheng suddenly understood why his senior sister was so certain that Wang Fugui and Wang Cheng were the same person, besides the many flaws he had deliberately left behind.

After being separated for many days, the living person's yang body and the evil spirit's yin body were reunited, and the yin and yang were in harmony. Shen Yueye still noticed the subtle differences between them.

Thinking about it this way, Yan Yunxiao, who also possesses the Spirit Response [Yin Transformation] and is more familiar with him, should also be able to sense it.

When it's necessary to be cautious, you still have to be careful.

The shadow beneath their feet flickered, splitting back into two identical Wang Chengs, who pulled their senior sister to sit down again.

However, there were also things that Shen Yueye didn't understand:
"By the way, why did Liu Jianzhen suddenly come to our door? Where is his backer, Peng Laosheng?"

The target that I had spent months trying to kill was handed over to Wang Cheng, and from the moment he promised to send a gift, the person obediently lay on the chopping block in less than an hour. It was simply unbelievable.

Speaking of this, Wang Cheng was somewhat proud:
"Besides the supernatural abilities of officials, there are two other powerful abilities in the human world: money and power!"
The biography of Master Dao'an in the Collection of Records on the Translation of the Tripitaka states: "Without the support of the ruler, it is difficult to establish Buddhist affairs." This is the allure of power.

I just greeted Mr. Peng, and he brought the person over without asking any questions.

In Peng Laosheng's eyes, this was just a minor character who could be used to extract money, and it didn't matter what he used it for.

Therefore, relying on mountains is unreliable, and relying on people is futile; one must rely on oneself!

Looking down at Liu Jianzhen's soul, which had already been extracted by the [Yin-Yang Hand], he raised an eyebrow:
"But Peng Laosheng was wrong. The identity of this target is obviously not so simple."

"Aren't you right? Liu Jianzhen, the eldest son of Liu Daxia, the descendant of Duke Zhongxuan?"

It can only be described as a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road.

Although Liu Daxia had passed away forty-five years ago, he belonged to the same faction as the Imperial Inspector Wang Bengu, both of whom were staunch supporters of the Qingliu faction of gentry.

Although the two may not have much in common, Liu Daxia is considered the latter's senior, and their family descendants are still allies in terms of interests.

Wang Cheng also became interested and casually bought the information in Liu Jianzhen's mind. His face, which had not been too concerned before, suddenly showed great surprise.

"Senior sister, there's an unexpected bonus. The Liu family really does have Zheng He's treasure map!!"

No wonder they had to hide their identities and go into hiding.

If this news gets out, it will definitely cause a major earthquake in the Daisho and Tokai regions.

Shen Yueye, who was standing nearby, did not expect that what was just an ordinary assassination mission would lead her to catch a big fish unintentionally.

Somewhat uncertainly:

"Are they really that bold? And the emperor just stands by and watch? Everyone says that scholars should cherish written words and don't believe that the things were really burned, but no one can be sure whether Liu Daxia actually kept any."

After all, this was a momentous event that could shatter the nation's destiny, permanently alter the court's policies, and change the fate of countless people along the coast.

Now it seems that this is indeed the case. He prevented the imperial court from opening the seas again, but his own Liu family became one of the top maritime merchants in Tukeng Port. How ironic!

Ironically, he committed such a serious crime without facing any punishment, and was even praised by the literati.

Wang Cheng also shook his head:

"Punishment? This is not the first time."

The imperial physician who killed two emperors is perfectly fine.

Imperial Physician Liu Wentai was originally just a minor official in the Office of Transmission responsible for handling complaints. However, less than half a year after taking office, he was suddenly transferred to the Imperial Hospital as the fourth-rank Imperial Hospital Director, where he was put in charge of the work and even treated the emperor.

He first caused the death of Emperor Xianzong, then Emperor Xiaozong, yet he himself lived peacefully until his death.

They couldn't even be bothered to put on a show; it's even more outrageous than the 4:4 system!

The conspiracy theories circulating in the public are not unfounded; there must be a terrifying force in the Great Zhao Dynasty that opposes the imperial power.

As the dynasty declined, even the ruler of the state was powerless against this group with astonishing potential power.

I even suspect that they might possess some kind of talisman or protective charm capable of killing the emperor.

Wang Cheng also realized that he had another reason to quickly transfer to the position of [Water Balance Commandant].

The Dazhao Kingdom's implementation of the maritime ban was actually due to a large vested interest group wanting to maintain it.

Those who passed down their family tradition of scholarship and poetry wanted to use the Thirty-Six Halls of the Water People and the Tanka people—the lowest classes—as a buffer zone to control their vitals, both for their own safety and for terrifying economic gain.

They want the Tanka people and coastal residents to be their dogs for generations to come!
The Tanka people want to rise above their circumstances, but killing one or two powerful figures is powerless. To change this situation, they must declare war on the entire landed gentry interest group.

Wang Cheng was determined to obtain the Zheng He Treasure Map, which recorded all the achievements of China's past explorations of the vast ocean, the South Seas, and the Western Seas, as well as the blueprints for the Tiangong Treasure Ship!

"Count me in! Let's go to the Liu family together and give it a shot."

Shen Yueye was also very interested and boarded the pirate ship on her own initiative without Wang Cheng's invitation.

They naturally settled down in the palace.

She doesn't have masochistic tendencies, she won't force herself to suffer, and she has better conditions so why doesn't she enjoy them?

But even she herself didn't realize that she actually had a deeply hidden thought in her heart.

My junior brother's face is too attractive to women. As his senior sister, and one of the few relatives he has in the world, I must keep a close eye on him and not let him be taken advantage of by those bad women.

That's right, that's it!
She can go back to her hometown a little later; her elderly father should be understanding.

Afterwards, Wang Cheng hosted another banquet, inviting some prominent ship owners, including Mao Haifeng, to join him.

The stated reason was to discuss the increasing number of outsiders and security issues in Pinghu Port.

In reality, it was just a ploy to lure Mao Haifeng away from his Qingxiang Palace.

At the banquet, the leaders of the other two factions, Xu Weixue and Peng Laosheng, attacked Mao Haifeng from both sides, joining forces to suppress his momentum.

The latter, with the help of the [Witchcraft Wooden Man], was confident and unconcerned. He believed that once Wang Cheng was dead, he could easily deal with these troublemakers.

He raised his glass to hide the smile on his lips.
'That fool Wang Cheng is really asking for trouble, he actually went to the main hall, Chaoyang Hall, for a banquet.'

By now, that scapegoat should have already slipped into the palace and buried the wooden dummy in the Pear Blossom Palace, right? Let's see how you die!

Little did they know that their home had already been raided.

Wang Chengyang and Shen Yueye, each dressed in a dragon robe and a fox robe respectively, transformed into guards of Qingxiang Palace and infiltrated Mao Haifeng's residence.

They easily buried the wooden effigy under a stone brick that was always on the way in and out, without disturbing anyone.

After circling around, he summoned a swarm of flying insects and spread them out, preparing to find his sister-in-law, Wang Cuiqiao, and help her reunite with her ex-husband.

Unexpectedly, in a heavily guarded quiet room, they discovered a plaque that read "Xuanwu Gate".

"This is.?!"

It wasn't until I saw the Xuanwu Gate plaque with my own eyes that the "Imperial Heir Set" in the "Rare Goods" section finally revealed its combo potential.

Xiangji Temple: "Whoever loses is a traitor."

Xuanwu Gate: "Whoever wins will be the Crown Prince."

Horizontal scroll: "The Mandate of Heaven Has Been Given To It!"
As people's hearts shift, their fate also changes constantly. The side with weaker hearts will become weaker and weaker, and will become increasingly unlucky.

Once the dust settles and the victorious side reaches its peak of fortune, they will obtain a pseudo-kingship from the Twenty-Four Solar Terms and the will of the people without needing anyone's investiture or recognition.

Create your own unique royal seal!
When his father proclaimed himself the Prince of Jinghai, it was merely to gain the emperor's recognition of his status and to join the tributary system, thus making Donghai Kingdom the sixty-fourth vassal state of the Great Zhao Dynasty.

Although under the current imperial system, even a prince of the royal family does not have much real power, with power highly concentrated in the hands of the "Emperor of the State".

But the fact that the territory is adjacent to the sea means unlimited possibilities. The size of the territory you conquer determines the size of your kingdom!
(End of this chapter)