Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 241 The Curse Breaks Down, the Marriage Agreement is Formed

It is still the Great Wall of Curses located above the East China Sea, at the junction of the sky and the sea.

The two second-rank ghost gods, whose bodies radiate boundless divine light and reach the heavens and the earth, are still on duty tonight to kill any intruding immortal scum and protect the East Sea frontier.

The difference is that the low, small temple behind them has long been upgraded to one of the sixty-four watchtowers and main halls that stretch from north to south.

The magnificent and imposing single-eaved hip roof, only one level lower than the double-eaved hip roof of the emperor's palace, symbolizes the owner's lofty status.

The eaves are adorned with eagle-shaped ornaments that hold a cold, crescent moon in their beaks, while the blue glazed tiles, reserved exclusively for the princes, gleam with a chilling, lapis lazuli-like light that exudes majesty and authority.

The glaze solidified into layers of wave patterns, faintly emitting the sound of the blue sea and countless praises, adding a touch of the divine to its appearance when it first took shape.

"With Prince Jing here, good days are coming!"

"Gods and Buddhas in the heavens, princes on earth!"

"Devotion!"

The founding emperor of the Donghai Kingdom, Prince Jing, sat calmly on a golden folding chair.

He wore a crimson dragon robe with dragon patterns, representing a vassal king or ruler, and a crown with nine tassels and green jade beads. He held a phantom "Treasure of the King of Jinghai," which constantly absorbed the incense offerings and prayers offered to him by the East Sea Kingdom and the coast of the ocean.

Judging from his appearance, compared to other ghosts and gods who take years to manifest after death, he will be able to return to the human world in at most another year.

As the founding emperor of a nation, holding the royal seal, his power was incomparable to that of ordinary ghosts and gods.

Of course, although ghosts and gods are dead but not immortal, they are ultimately dead. The "Female Qingtian Law" must be followed at all times, and can only govern the Yin, not the Yang.

Killing evil spirits is acceptable, but harming living people is not.

With a flick of his finger, the old Dragon King Yan Gong unleashed a bolt of lightning a hundred feet long, blasting several immortal scum, resembling both tree roots and tapeworms, into dust as they tried to sneak into the gaps of the Great Wall of Curses.

Looking down at the city wall beneath his feet, which was flickering in and out of light and showed obvious signs of breaches in some places, he frowned deeply.

"In recent years, the supply of [Emperor Shi of Han's Divine Qi] in Da Zhao has been insufficient, and the lower-ranking dragons of the vassal states are merely a drop in the ocean, resulting in more and more loopholes in the Mountain and Sea Curses."

We, the gods and spirits, need to personally check for omissions and fill in the gaps, and manpower is becoming increasingly scarce.

I remember the last time this happened was at the end of the Yunmeng Empire, which lasted only a few years before collapsing.

I had calculated using apocryphal texts that our dynasty would have a chance to prolong its life by sixty years and achieve a period of revival.

It seems that the Han family's rule ultimately did not have the complete lifespan of the sixteen emperors of the Zhu family, and the dynasty lasted for a much shorter time than expected.

The collapse of the curse, which occurs roughly every three hundred years and happens once per dynasty, is about to begin ahead of schedule.

Prince Jing, standing beside him, also wore a solemn expression.
"If the Mountain and Sea Curse hadn't weakened so much since the founding of the nation, the last time the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls Bureau extracted dragon energy, such a big mistake wouldn't have happened."

Not only did they release numerous scum immortals and the five breech-loading sailing ships, but they also indirectly released a [Rejuvenating Immortal]. At least several thousand people have died at the hands of this scum immortal.

He attacked the city of Minzhou and was slashed by Yu Zhifu, after which he disappeared without a trace. We sent out so many temple soldiers and ghost soldiers, but we couldn't find him anywhere.

The East China Sea, the coastal areas, and even the interior of China are becoming increasingly chaotic.

Yan Gong glanced at him, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes, and then said with deep concern:
"The Rejuvenating Immortal is not a threat. As long as we can find his whereabouts, we Water Rank Ghosts and Gods can go all out without violating the 'Female Qingtian Law'."

The key is still the divine energy of the First Emperor of the Han Dynasty!

This Dao Qi is not something that arises out of thin air or is ethereal; rather, it has a real and tangible form.

The corvée labor, taxes, grain, cloth, and talent that the common people provided to the imperial court all constituted part of the supreme Dao Qi of the world.

During famines, the imperial court used grain to provide disaster relief; during floods, it mobilized manpower to repair dams. All of these actions were due to the divine energy of the king permeating the entire nation, harmonizing yin and yang.

Therefore, population, productivity, and the level of material development are all key factors determining the upper limit of the "divine energy" of the First Emperor of Han.

Then, like reciting an article, you would memorize a long passage of written theory:

"The resources that a dynasty can allocate have not increased for many years, which has resulted in no qualitative breakthrough in the Mountain and Sea Curse Restriction for many years. Not to mention counterattacking the Cangming Ocean, it is difficult to even protect itself at the end of the dynasty."

The only solution is to go out and make a big pie!
This strategy perfectly answers Sang Hongyang's three questions.

As long as the overall pie keeps getting bigger, all other redistribution issues cease to be problems; only when the growth stops will all the contradictions erupt.

Otherwise, with more and more treacherous elements undermining the dynasty, the Mountain and Sea Curse will collapse sooner or later. How can the country be governed well when surrounded by them?

Wang Zeng glanced sideways at the older man:
"Ahem, this sounds like the original quote my son made in 'On Sea Power,' and you can recite it from memory, Brother Yan. That's truly impressive."

Is there something you want to say to me, sir?

The old Dragon King coughed lightly and said casually:
"I do have something very important to discuss with you."

Look, you happen to have a son, and I happen to have a daughter.

These two are the only remaining first-generation heirs of our Water God faith lineage.

"A man should marry when he comes of age, and a woman should marry when she comes of age. How about our two families make it a union, strengthening family ties? What do you think?"

"what?"

Prince Jing thought he had misheard and rubbed his ears hard, feeling that the other person's words sounded nine parts familiar. After the old man flatly rejected his marriage proposal last time, the marriage was already hopeless.

He never expected that, in such a short time, the old man would come back to haunt him with everything he had said. The boomerang came so fast, it was like a dream.

Just recalling the reasons they had previously given for rejecting me, I subconsciously asked myself:
"Isn't it said that my son is prone to taking risks, and that he dares to play tricks and schemes because he is of low rank and little power? This is a path to death. Will your precious daughter be forced to live a life of widowhood if she marries him?"

Yan Gong's expression became slightly unnatural, and he forced himself to save face:

"That's right, I did say that only by defeating the weak with strength, suppressing others with power, using the middle three ranks to cut down the lower three ranks, using the upper three ranks to crush the middle three ranks, and using the senior realm to kill the ant realm, this kind of 'killing enemies beyond one's level' is the righteous path and the way of the strong."

But didn't your son rise from the seventh rank to the fifth rank in less than a year, and even create a unique new official rank system?

He always manages to overcome stronger opponents and escape danger. By this time next year or the year after, he might already be a senior expert capable of "slaying enemies far beyond his level."

Wang Zeng was delighted to hear this, and continued to ask:

“My son often offers incense to his elders. You say you’re too old to bear his ‘filial piety,’ and your three sons can’t bear it either?”

Yan Gong pursed his lips and said somewhat reluctantly:
"You know what, I haven't been sleeping well lately. I keep waking up and then I can't fall back asleep. It would be nice if he occasionally burned some rooster-crowing incense to bring back the soul."

As for those three brats? Hmph! Their legs haven't been quite nimble lately. They were just getting better a while ago, but they couldn't keep up again yesterday. Whether they can handle it or not, they'll have to accept it.

In short, these are all minor matters; my main concern is for the good of my two children.

Logically speaking, it should be a good thing that Yan Gong suddenly became so understanding. Wang Zeng felt a sense of triumph, like the saying "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river," and "Don't underestimate the poor in middle age." He was finally able to hold his head high and speak with pride.

But after a moment of ecstasy, he sensed that the old dragon had ulterior motives, and probed:
"Brother Yan, you're not joking, are you?"

Your Yunxiao is the emperor's daughter, she has no trouble getting married. As long as the word gets out, countless talented young men will be lining up at your door.

Even if my Cheng'er performs brilliantly, has outstanding achievements, is both scholarly and martial, has exceptional talent, is the best among the younger generation, and is so enviable that even ghosts and gods would be jealous of him, blah blah blah, he is a unique golden son-in-law that is hard to find in heaven and earth.

But your attitude changed way too quickly!

Like his daughter Yunxiao, Yan Gong wasn't good at small talk. After thinking for a moment, he nodded vigorously and said directly:

"I do have something else to tell you."

Although the Mountain and Sea Curse imprisoned our Water Rank spirits, it also truly protected the people of China from being slaughtered by the evil spirits of the East Sea.

However, whenever a dynasty is nearing its end and its central authority collapses, the Mountain and Sea Curses and Restrictions also fall into a trough, leading to the invasion of numerous evil spirits. It is common for seven or eight out of ten people in the Divine Land to die or be injured.

Now that the curse is showing signs of collapsing prematurely, we must take precautions.

Previously, there was really no other way but to fill the gaps with the fates of all my fellow practitioners. In the thirty-six halls of the Water Class, the weak would not die a good death, and the strong would not live a good life.

But the situation is different now.

The old Dragon King stared intently at Prince Jing:
"There are also believers of the Empress in the Western Continent. They say that our son's book, 'On Sea Power,' has caused a great uproar in the Western countries."

Many people believe it will become the cornerstone of global geopolitics and naval strategy, with influence spanning centuries, encompassing military, political, economic, and cultural fields, and even reshaping the world order.

If word of mouth is allowed to spread for three to five years, the original manuscript of "The Influence of Sea Power" will surely be elevated to the level of a national treasure, or even a more prestigious and auspicious object.

Just like gunpowder, the compass, and papermaking—these are all invaluable treasures.

It can connect all the water bodies in the world, carry the Qi of the Golden Toad that gives birth to water from heaven, and receive the incense and wishes of people all over the world.

In other words, it has the potential to mobilize the power of the entire world, regardless of race, religion, or nationality, to support our Great Wall of Curses!

Stepping on the city wall that had stood for two thousand years, the head steward of the Heavenly Consort's lineage spoke sincerely:
"The two sea god beliefs, whether it is my Heavenly Princess lineage or your Prince lineage, are nothing more than a brick embedded in the city wall, wasting away day by day with evil spirits and immortal scum, suffering endless torment."

All spirits and deities yearn for freedom.

But an egg broken from the outside is food; an egg broken from the inside is new life.

Until we understand the secrets of the deep ocean and find a way to resolve the crisis and regain our freedom, we must still guard this gate for the sake of all people.

According to "The Influence of Sea Power on the World," we should first guide our followers to make a big profit, thereby raising the upper limit of the divine energy of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

When the Mountain and Sea Curse is about to give way, let our son send the original manuscript of "The Influence of Sea Power" to the Great Wall of Curses for worship. Perhaps the outcome of this great calamity will be different.

With A-Xiao and Wang Cheng getting married, our Tianfei and Wangye families will become one family. Naturally, there will be no question of who benefits or who suffers. Isn't that a win-win situation?

At this point, Lord Yan bowed deeply with his hands clasped in respect.
"My dear brother, I beg you."

When Prince Jing heard the old Dragon King's high praise for his son, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face. He had originally wanted to put on an act, but seeing the old Dragon King's attitude, he felt a little embarrassed.

Old Yan was once a notorious villain, but after being subdued by the Heavenly Consort and becoming the Grand Steward of the Water Palace Immortal Class, his professional ethics became impeccable.

So she raised her hand and slapped him three times, thus establishing their marriage agreement and completing the "parents' command" step in the feudal arranged marriage.

After agreeing, I suddenly realized what I had done.

"Wait a minute, what does our son mean?"

(End of this chapter)