Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 252 A-Xiao: Xiao Chengzi, you're very good at kung fu, help me kill someone.
Wang Cheng felt that the world was probably sick.

While there are gods watching over us, they cannot control the wicked; while there are spirits in the underworld after death, there is no underworld to judge us.

There is no concept of reincarnation, and the karmic debts of evildoers will affect their future.

Just like the "Four Seas Coin" and "Five Sacred Mountains Coin" that were split in two, only the sunny or shady side remains, there is a sense of incompleteness and incompleteness.

—If the way of Heaven is flawed, who will mend it?

At that moment, one sentence echoed in his mind:

"You can't become a superior person by enduring hardship; you can only become one by eating others!"

However, Wang Cheng remained calm and did not show any unusual expression on his face.

He knew that Lu Yunchen, who truly held the emperor's edict and had the authority to act expediently, wouldn't come. Even if he had grasped the crux of Guishan Academy with the "Three Questions of Sang Hongyang," he still couldn't openly take action against the You family's uncle and nephew.

At most, we can just dangle their tiger skin and make them panic, exposing more of their weaknesses.

Moreover, now is not the time to close the net. Only by keeping a close eye on You Zhende can we take the initiative in the future.

Therefore, after obtaining the information he wanted, Wang Cheng also took the opportunity to back down:

"Since Lord You did not collude with the Japanese and did not intend to destroy the treasure ship, he is willing to act as an inside agent for the Japanese."

"According to the rules, now that I have subdued this ship bearing the Five Peaks flag—that is, its bow—may I sail it away?"

You Shuangxiong had no right to comment, and Governor You Zhen was still somewhat resentful that all his efforts had ultimately benefited Wang Fugui.

But the conditions were agreed upon between him and Yu Zhifu, and now, in front of all the officers and generals, it was really difficult to go back on his word.

Moreover, the thought of the impending arrival of the Japanese pirates from Chichidan made him feel reassured, believing that the ship was only temporarily stored with him and that he would have to return it with interest sooner or later.

More importantly, You Zhen was feeling guilty and had a lot of grime on his hands.

With Hu Ruzhen above him and Yu Long and Qi Hu below sharing power, his official position was merely that of a fourth-rank Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. The governorship of Minzhou, which he was temporarily appointed to, was like walking a tightrope, far from the imposing figure that outsiders imagined.

Even when plotting against Wang Fugui and Hu Ruzhen, they didn't dare to personally lead the charge; they only dared to secretly use others to kill them.

Now that they've discovered Wang Cheng is full of thorns, how could they dare to really make a big fuss?
If we alert the enemy and attract Hu Ruzhen's attention, we'll be finished.

The governor of the seven states is now a cornered beast, desperately trying to tear this traitor sent by the Qingliu faction to shreds.

He then pretended to be magnanimous and flicked his sleeves:
"I will not go back on my word. Please do as you see fit, Lord Wang."

Wang Cheng's expression relaxed, and he transformed back into human form from the majestic Azure Dragon:

"It seems this really was a misunderstanding."

He then waved to Wang Xiaoqi.

Having swelled to three times its original size, resembling a mountain, the Five Peaks Banner put away its cannons and shrunk back to its normal size.

Now that she has a powerful backer and has replenished her resources, she has regained some of the domineering nature she had when she was in her father's hands, resembling a primordial beast ready to strike at any moment.

Wherever her eyes looked, the officers and soldiers on the docks who had been soundly beaten by her would instinctively dodge, creating a large gap.

The controversy surrounding the "Five Peaks Flag" and its recognition of the Lord has come to an end.

Even if You Zhende's position as governor was largely nominal and subject to various constraints, he still nominally held the power to control the military and political affairs of a prefecture.

Before leaving with his nephew, he coldly left behind a sentence:
"Lord Wang, I and the late Imperial Censor Wang Bengu have recommended you for the position of Chief Water Officer of Minzhou."

You bear a heavy responsibility: to communicate with water spirits and dragons, to protect rivers and shipping, to subdue water monsters, to stir up winds and clouds, and to bring rain to relieve drought.

Now, this governor hereby orders you to invite the four Generals of the Sea-Suppressing Army and the eight Generals of the Sea-Taming Army to dispatch their naval forces to Minzhou for assistance in defense. This order must not be broken!

He emphasized in a cold tone:
"This is a military order. If there is any delay, military law will be applied. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The surrounding officers all shrank back.

Although most people look down on the arrogant and domineering attitude of the two heroes, and have no liking for You Zhen, who lets his nephew run rampant.

At this moment, he also sighed inwardly that Wang Fugui had acted too rashly. It was certainly satisfying to openly slap him in the face, but he had offended the current governor. Wouldn't he be in trouble with him until he died?

See, the retaliation has come, hasn't it? And it came swiftly and fiercely!
How could a mere fifth-rank water official summon and dismiss those unruly pirates at will?

This time, I'm terrified and I'm definitely going to die!
"and many more!"

You Zhen, who had only taken two steps, heard Wang Fugui's voice, turned around, and gave him a half-smile:
"Oh? What? Lord Wang can't do it?"
You don't need to tell me that. Just do your job properly. Go ahead and talk to military law when the time comes.

Hearing his uncle retort to Wang Fugui's words, You Shuangxiong, who was being carried by two guards, felt a surge of satisfaction.

'Your Qilin Shangfang Mace is hard, and military law is even harder. We'll see how you die then!'

But to my surprise, I saw Wang Cheng nod:
"This humble official truly cannot do it."

"Does Your Excellency not know that Governor-General Carlo of France is dead, and that there are only three Generals left to govern the seas?" The smugness in the heart of the You family uncle and nephew was instantly choked up.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Carlo got his position as the General of Zhenhai through Yan's connections.

But local issues have always been intertwined.

Yan's faction supported the Franks only because they received large bribes, but the upright gentry also cooperated with the Franks, and in a deeper way.

The Guishan Bookstore even had many secret believers of the Holy Cross Church, who had in-depth exchanges with the missionaries in astronomy, geography, mathematics, science and technology and other fields.

You Zhende naturally received news of Carlo's death immediately, and also learned that he had died in the war to unify the nine islands.

While the phrase "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass" can be used to write history as a victory, its scope is limited to the events that occurred during this particular battle. It cannot trace back indefinitely and directly change the history of the past and present.

That's beyond the capabilities of a national treasure.

Therefore, Carlo went to the Otomo family to assist in the battle a month in advance. How could such a large target as the Tokai Kingdom be kept secret?
"Then please invite the three Great Generals Who Guard the Seas and the eight Generals Who Leap the Seas!"

After finishing his sentence, You Zhen turned and left.

The crowd gathered at the dock gradually dispersed, and many officers gave Wang Cheng a look that said "good luck" and dared not make any further contact.

Wang Cheng didn't care.

He retrieved the Vasco da Gama Compass, which he had seized from Carlo, and anchored one of the three coordinate slots in Funing State for easy movement later.

The other two coordinates are located in Rongcheng, the prefectural capital, and Yuegang, the main base.

Then he and his men teleported directly back to Moon Harbor.

In order to deal with the imminent crisis of the Chichidan pirates and the Frankish people.

The most reliable way to improve our strength now is to quickly build all the hardware for the Mirage Cloud Dragon ship.

In particular, we must strive to create the [Thunderfire Cardinal] and its matching power control component, the [Luban Pillar].

"Evil spirits are the negative pole, and immortal scum is the positive pole. The only immortal scum that can be confirmed right now is the Rejuvenating Immortal."

However, his original body is of extremely high status, and he also has the support of six days of ancient energy, so even the [Debt Collector] is powerless to pinpoint his location.

I wonder if my attempt to shift blame, pinning the Zheng He treasure map and the deaths of Wang and Xing on the Rejuvenating Immortal, has made any progress for the Guishan Bookstore, or if they'll end up fighting him to the death?

He returned to his own courtyard in Fenglinzhai, heavy with worries, only to find the aloof, beautiful, and otherworldly Sister Axiao waiting for him.

But a slight evasion flickered in her eyes, and she gently bit her cherry-red lips as she uttered a request that shocked Wang Cheng for a long time:
"Xiao Chengzi, you're very skilled in kung fu. Help me kill someone!"

It was the first day of the seventh lunar month, and it was still dark.

Tianbao Mountain stands on the northwestern outskirts of Xiangzhou City, with its three peaks towering and majestic. Over a hundred miles around, twelve peaks stretch southward.

Passing through Wushi and Youche, and then Wanggaoshan and Zizhishan, the county seat was formed, making it the main mountain of Xiangzhou Prefecture.

The origin of the name "Tianbao" has a charming story, as recorded in the "Xiangzhou Prefecture Annals":
Long ago, there was a treasure in Tianbao Mountain, which would often emit light on rainy nights.

During the Song Dynasty, one night, people saw a bright and shining pearl fly out from the mountains, streak across the night sky like a shooting star, and fall into the Jiulong River.

Therefore, this mountain was named Tianbao.

Mountains represent Yang, and water represents Yin. The Yang pearl of this place brings endless blessings to Xiangzhou City, while the Yin pearl flows into the sea along the Jiulong River. The earth veins that are formed by the union of Yin and Yang are located in Yuegang, which is backed by mountains and faces the sea.

As the place where the blessed dragon dwells, Tianbao Mountain is naturally a place of exceptional beauty and spiritual energy.

The newly famous Songzi Temple is located on the scenic mountainside.

It was originally just an abandoned Buddhist temple, but it was later transformed into a temple for granting children by believers.

After establishing his kingdom, the Han emperor of the Great Zhao dynasty once suppressed other Buddhist temples and secretly promoted the White Lotus sect.

It is truly astonishing that the rebel forces, who have been tirelessly rebelling throughout the millennia, were actually able to brazenly steal the imperial artifact and enjoy a reign of power for two hundred years.

Of course, after the Han family, the leader of the sect, ascended the throne, their interests determined their actions, and they imposed many restrictions on the White Lotus Sect from which they originated, strictly controlling the number of members and the scale of the sect, and also introducing Taoist lineages to counterbalance it.

Therefore, abandoned temples are everywhere in the mountains.

Many dilapidated temples are inhabited by mountain spirits, female ghosts, and evil spirits. This temple that has taken over a Buddhist temple and is believed to grant children is not the first, nor will it be the last.

Rumble.
Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and dark clouds loomed over the city.

Accompanied by a light drizzle, two enormous dragons, one blue and one white, each over ten zhang long, meandered through the clouds and landed at the foot of the mountain, transforming back into human form.

"This area belongs to the Xiangjiang River section, a tributary of the Jiulong River, and is my divine domain. During the rainy season, the mountain is crisscrossed by rivers and streams, enough to temporarily form a battle formation."

"Xiao Chengzi, we'll lie in ambush here in Tianbao Mountain. This operation must succeed; failure is not an option!"

(End of this chapter)