Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 248 Wang Xiaoqi, your dad is calling you home for dinner!

For the past two months, a large crowd has been surrounding the "Five Peaks Flag".

Among them were many officials of the middle third rank, dressed in official robes and armor, each accompanied by a personal guard sufficient to help them sail away from their large warships.

Yu Zhifu, the commander-in-chief of the anti-Japanese forces, and You Zhende, the governor of Minzhou, made an agreement:

"Give the officers and generals of the Twenty-Four Guards a chance, let them all try to subdue this ship that was once the flagship of the Prince of Jinghai."

All commanders of guards who have reached the rank of fifth grade or above, as well as officers and soldiers under the General's Office and officials of the Outer Prefecture Office, are eligible to try.

You Zhende's nephew, You Shuangxiong, spent half a year trying to achieve this, and each of them only had a maximum of ten days.

If no one can steer this ship by the end of June, You Zhende will have to send the Wufeng Flagship to the Longjiang Shipyard in Southern Zhili for complete dismantling.

Everyone present was either dejected or indignant, clearly no one could get what they wanted.

"This large ship has developed intelligence, but it is stubborn."

"The moment we boarded the ship, it immediately started attacking. The ship spirit never appeared, nor did it communicate with anyone. It's clearly not cooperating. How can we subdue it?"

It's no wonder they were angry. They said each person had ten days, but after the Five Peaks flag was provoked, anyone who boarded the ship to try to subdue it was often thrown off before an incense stick could burn.

These officials of the middle third rank seem numerous, but in reality, each of them has tried two or three times, and none of them have succeeded even once.

Suddenly someone said:
"In my opinion, the only way to subdue such intelligent monsters is to use overwhelming power and force to suppress them, far surpassing the power of their former master!"

Everyone looked at this man as if he were an idiot, wondering how he could have cultivated to the fifth rank and stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone else.

Who was the former master of the Five Peaks banner? He was the strongest water collector, a second-rank "White Water Gentleman". If he could really be subdued by force, why wouldn't those third-rank living ghosts and gods do it themselves?
Isn't it because even they can only kill them, not subdue them?
In the end, the only option was to cast a wide net, hoping that the officers and generals of the Twenty-Four Guards would do everything they could to please them and gain their approval.

If you're lucky and find someone you like, you might not even need to lift a finger; the large ship will obediently go home with that person. If you don't like someone, even the gods and ghosts won't help.

With the deadline fast approaching at the end of June, everyone couldn't help but sigh.

"It was both his strength and his weakness that made him who he was."

The Five Peaks banner was refined for many years by a second-rank scholar named Bai Shuilang using spiritual enlightenment and the secret orthodox method of "shaking the dragons together".

The forging and control methods are exactly the same as those of the Heavenly Treasure Ship Mirage Cloud Dragon Ship.

Even without the other supporting hardware in Zheng He's treasure map, such as the Thunderfire Cardinal, Luban Pillar, Five Thunder God Cannon, and refining techniques, it would have long since turned into a ship demon.

Moreover, due to its lineage with the dragon, the [Demon Power] that the ship demon awakens after becoming a demon is: size as desired.

The already enormous Five Peaks Flagship can be shrunk by more than a hundred times, or expanded by at least three times while maintaining the ship's strength. Standing on it is like being in a land of giants.

No powerful firearms are needed; simply ramming into it would be enough to smash the largest warship in the world into pieces.

Even the most powerful and inhabiting ghosts and gods of the highest rank do not possess the means to control the dragons and cannot be subdued by force. They are not deeply attached to this warship, but for ordinary officers and generals, it is a naval weapon and a shortcut to promotion.

This is of even greater significance to Wang Cheng.

Although the ship's hull is quite outdated, far behind the Age of Exploration dominated by sailing warships.

However, its ship spirit is now identical to that of the [Heavenly Treasure Ship - Mirage Cloud Dragon Ship].

As long as He can be equipped with the corresponding hardware, just like a hermit crab changing its shell, it will save Wang Cheng from years or even decades of hard work and refinement, and allow him to obtain a complete Heavenly Treasure Ship in the shortest possible time!

Of all the people, besides Wang Cheng, You Shuangxiong was the most obsessed. These days, he had been guarding the dock, keeping a close eye on every official or general who tried to subdue the Five Peaks Banner.

His own failures are heartbreaking, but the success of others can drive people crazy.

Not to mention that he also carries the mission entrusted to him by his uncle, You Zhende:

"My uncle allowed a group of qualified fifth-rank and fourth-rank officials from the Twenty-Four Guards to try one by one, just to deplete the power of that ship demon."

Just like training a hawk, once the opponent's strength is exhausted, the likelihood of submission will greatly increase.

Taking advantage of its weakened state, and relying on my more than six months of experience in subduing it, I will take it down in one fell swoop. This large ship, which once belonged to the Cai Shui Wang family, will ultimately fall into the hands of the Qingliu.

But fate had other plans. The attempt, which they had just made with all their might, failed again. You Shuangxiong finally lost his temper and, in a fit of rage, roared out the order to fire the artillery.

We'll cripple it first before subduing it.

The T-class coastal defense guns began loading ammunition on command, rapidly adjusting their firing angles and aiming at the Five Peaks flag, which was firmly fixed in place by magical chains.

You Shuangxiong was an officer under the General's Office, a high-ranking official, and had the governor as his backer. Even if others wanted to stop him, they were unwilling to offend such a lawless second-generation rich kid.

However, they don't care that someone else is in charge!
Just as the gunner was holding the matchlock rod, preparing to ignite the powder pit...

"Zhang Wu!"

"Order!"

A stream of intensely corrosive, scorching air suddenly rushed onto the cannon, melting the bronze powder pool and the gunpowder within it into dust.

Stab it--!
They then transformed into several wriggling, semi-transparent monsters, which clung to the cannon, startling all the gunners into retreating repeatedly.

This was the extraordinary technique, the "Bone-Melting and Gold-Dissolving Method," bestowed upon Zhang Wu by Wang Cheng.

From the very beginning of cultivation, one can cultivate a breath of Nine Yang Turbid Qi in one's chest. Once exhaled, it will transform into a high-temperature corrosive mist that easily melts away bones, metal, and wood.

He can also freely shape them into various demons and monsters, with extremely strong group killing power; he has mastered this skill in recent days.

"C-type cannons, E-type cannons, open fire!"

With bloodshot eyes, You Shuangxiong ordered the other gun positions to fire while his face was contorted with rage as he searched the crowd for anyone who dared to defy him.
But all that could be heard from behind the silent wall of people was a kind and honest voice saying:

"The weather is dry, so be careful with fire. By the Heavenly Market, your disciple makes a vow that open flames will be prohibited on the dock for half an hour."

puff!puff!
As soon as he finished speaking, all the open flames on the two gun positions, Bing and Wu, were extinguished instantly.

The crowd parted to the sides with a whoosh, revealing Wang Cheng and his entourage in a grand procession.

The sea breeze made the hem of the Qilin robe flutter wildly, and the powerful aura of a fifth-rank divine official was undisguisedly displayed, causing everyone to change color in fear.

"Hiss! Is that the Ghostly King Fugui from Zhenhai Guard?!"

Is he even twenty years old this year? He's already advanced to the fifth rank? This kid is simply terrifying!

"So this Ghost God is also trying to subdue the Five Peaks? Well, maybe it really is possible."

I heard that even the second-generation Prince Jinghai praised Wang Fugui for resembling Prince Jing, saying that if Prince Jing were to be reborn, he would definitely take him as his successor.

He also said that he had done a great favor for the Wang family, and if they weren't both officials in the same court, they would have loved to become sworn brothers with him.

With this connection, they might actually find common ground with the Five Peaks banner.

However, it wasn't Wang Cheng who made the wish using the [Heavenly Market Equalization Method], but Zhang Wu, who was standing beside him.

This method allows one to make a wish out of thin air by using the power of words, consuming the accumulated karma of years or even decades of hard work, thus exchanging suffering for sweetness.

The more karmic debts one accumulates, the stronger one's ability to make wishes.

My relationship with [Salt Man] is a match made in heaven; one hardship brings double the reward.

Wang Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, his posture calm and imposing, yet his sharp edge was fully revealed. He coldly looked at You Shuangxiong, who was blocking the Five Peaks banner:
"What? The people haven't all arrived yet, and the time hasn't come, but the governor is already impatiently ordering you to dismantle this ship?"
Coincidentally, the Japanese pirates from Chishidan invaded Daisho at this very time.

At a time when our Twenty-Four Guards desperately need to improve our strength, a ship bearing the "Five Peaks Banner" could reduce countless casualties among our brothers and save countless lives.

And yet you insist on crippling your own abilities just for the sake of a petty argument?
Was it really because you couldn't help yourself that you fought back? Or are you all colluding with the Japanese?!

The moment those two words were uttered, a huge uproar erupted in the room.

All the officers and generals of the Twenty-Four Guards felt that Wang Fugui's words made a lot of sense. He could hold back before, but he couldn't now? Something's fishy!

"We're colluding with the Japanese? Wang Fugui, don't make false accusations!"

You Shuangxiong almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Did the Qingliu gentry actually collude with the Japanese pirates?
Of course they understand!

Many of the collateral descendants of the You family were actually "Japanese pirates," but could this be said openly?
I was about to say that Wang Fugui was also in league with the Japanese pirates, but then I realized that he was a fifth-rank official in charge of pirates, and it was only natural for him to be "in league" with them. Saying it would only make me a laughingstock.

You Shuangxiong was so angry he wanted to kill someone.

However, with two living ghosts and gods still in Fuzhou under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had no choice but to make way and let Wang Cheng climb the Five Peaks Flag alone.

This warship is a standard Fujian-style ship, nearly 100 meters long, with five tall masts and five huge hard sails of different colors: red, blue, black, yellow and white, corresponding to the Five Peaks Flag.

From a distance, it still looks majestic, but upon closer inspection, it is clearly somewhat dilapidated.

Although it is alive, it does not possess the same regenerative ability as five franc-sized galleons, which can infinitely repair their hulls using the immortal elixir implanted within their bodies.

The broken ropes can't grow back together on their own; they can only be tied into ugly knots and made do with what they have.

The holes in the sails were patched up with thread scraps and rags.

The deck hadn't been cleaned in ages, and after drifting at sea for so long, some mold had grown in the dark corners.

The entire boat had not undergone any systematic maintenance for a long time, and only a pair of not-so-dexterous hands were doing their best to repair and patch it up.

He looked absolutely pitiful.

When Wang Cheng came here last time, he didn't dare to get close and take a closer look in front of Yu Zhifu and Governor You Zhende.

Seeing his precious child in such a pitiful state, he was instantly enraged.

Just like the tragic fate of the Tanka people, the gentlemen of the Qingliu faction never truly regarded this large ship as their own treasure, but merely as a tool and consumable.

“In the eyes of us [Bai Shuilang], inanimate objects and living objects are different; the latter have their own parents.”

But the former were transformed by us into monsters, and we are their reborn parents.

The effort Old Wang put into Wufeng Banner was no less than the effort he put into me, his own son.

He had long been a member of the Wang family, and even had a human name: Wang Xiaoqi.

Wang Cheng boarded the warship he knew so well, the one he had watched grow step by step, and gently stroked the rudder, softly calling out in his heart:

"Wang Xiaoqi, your dad is calling you home for dinner!"

puff!
No sooner had he finished speaking than a petite figure suddenly crashed into his heart.

A phantom girl with a red dress, long black and white hair, golden eyes, and a jade pendant around her neck, representing all five colors of the Five Peaks Flag, suddenly jumped out.

Upon seeing Wang Cheng, she immediately scrunched up her small, pitiful face and threw herself into his arms, looking utterly wronged.
"Brother, why did it take you so long to pick me up? Xiaoqi wants to go home, waaaaah!"

Like a child who has finally found his home, he hugged the neck of the clay-sculpted divine fetus inside him and wailed loudly.

Sensing His unyielding grievances and deep attachment, Wang Cheng's body suddenly stiffened, her heart aching terribly.

"I'm so damn damned!"

(End of this chapter)