Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 285 Wall-gazing and Silent Illumination: Preparing to Become the Emperor (4000)

Wang Cheng was already the de facto second-in-command of Zhenhai Guard, and with a solid official rank and military achievements, his succession to Lu Yunchen as the third-rank guard commander proceeded without any trouble.

Although the angel was mainly responsible for conveying the decree to Lu Yunchen, Commander Wang was just an afterthought.

But he was in a good mood today and didn't care about such things. He skillfully slipped two bank notes from Yutongshun Bank into the eunuch's sleeve, totaling two hundred taels of silver.

One bill is for him, and one bill is for Lu Yunchen.

The eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree was furious to see that Lu Yunchen, the person in question, was showing no respect whatsoever because of his close relationship with the emperor. He was filled with resentment but had no way to express his bitterness.

Upon seeing these two hard currencies, he finally beamed with joy, and his auspicious words became much more sincere:

"Congratulations, Lord Lu, on your journey to the capital, may your future be bright and promising."

"Congratulations, Commander Wang, on your meteoric rise to power while stationed in the prefecture. I have an imperial mission to fulfill and cannot linger any longer. Please make yourselves at home, but just remember, you must not delay His Majesty's duties."

He didn't stay for the banquet, but instead led his men back to Beijing overnight.

Now that Wang Cheng has become the chief official of Zhenhai Guard, as the host, he is naturally responsible for entertaining the guests who come to offer their congratulations.

Among the visitors were two distinguished guests, one of whom was Hu Boqi, the third son of Hu Ruzhen, the governor of seven prefectures.

This high-ranking official had three sons. His eldest son, Hu Guiqi, and second son, Hu Songqi, both received official positions in the capital thanks to their father's merits.

The youngest, Hu Boqi, did not take up an official post and served by Hu Ruzhen's side.

The conspiracy of Guishan Publishing House to betray him could not be publicized, but sending his only son to offer congratulations was enough to show his attitude.

After all, Hu Ruzhen's successful passage through this ordeal was extremely dangerous, and at least a third of the credit should go to "Wang Fugui".

Not only did he discover the conspiracy from You Zhende first, but he also killed the terrifying shikigami Kuang Shewei, who was "one man forming an army", in Meizhou City with his fifth-rank status!

Some say that his outstanding performance must be due to his connection with Madam Yan.

Hu Ruzhen, however, did not care about these minor points.

"Regardless of the process, the fact that he was able to get close to the Dragon Girl is a testament to his abilities!"
Is it that your tongue doesn't belong to you, or your body doesn't belong to you? Why didn't you manage to get one? You should look for the reasons within yourselves.”

If someone is good at fighting, has the skills and connections, then they naturally have the value of winning a united front campaign!
Naturally, they would be looked up to by the big shots and would be qualified to share the spoils.

Moreover, Wang Cheng essentially saved Hu Ruzhen's political life, and even his life, as well as the future of Hu's three sons.

If it weren't against propriety, it wouldn't be unreasonable for the sons to call Wang Cheng their second parents.

Now that she has landed safely, Hu Ruzhen's position has been firmly established thanks to the two great elixirs she offered and the Guishan Academy's intervention to draw attention away from the conflict.

Even if there are any changes in the Yan Party, as long as Emperor Shaozhi is still alive, the storm will not affect him.

It can be said that Hu Ruzhen is now one of the people who most hopes that the emperor can concoct an elixir of immortality.

Otherwise, no matter who becomes emperor in the future, this "treacherous minister" who blocked the new emperor's path to the throne will be the first to be purged.

This Hu Boqi looks like a good-for-nothing playboy who's good for neither literature nor martial arts; I heard he's also known as "Young Master Hu."

But in this situation, he still keeps a clear head, and you could even say he's very adept at social maneuvering.

He repeatedly toasted Wang Cheng:
"Brother Wang, please feel free to drink. I'll finish this bowl. I'm so happy today, I must drink to my heart's content."

Xing Baichuan had been holding a position without doing anything for many years, until the arrival of Commanders Lu and Wang, which finally brought clarity to Zhenhai Guard and ushered in a new era.

"For repelling the Japanese pirates who ravaged the southeast, we ordinary people all have to raise a glass to you."

Wang Cheng emptied his glass of wine. Although the wisp of "true qi" within him was still just a seed and not of much use, it increased his already good alcohol tolerance even further.
"Brother Hu, you are too kind. This battle was entirely due to the Governor-General's skillful command and the soldiers' bravery. I dare not take credit for it."

I think we should first raise a toast to His Excellency the Governor.

The generals thought to themselves, "Commander Wang really knows how to handle people; you'd never guess he's not even twenty." They all said:

"Yes, yes! To Your Excellency the Governor!"

Another distinguished guest sitting next to Wang Cheng was Yu Zigao, the son of Yu Zhifu, the commander-in-chief in charge of defending against Japanese pirates.

His style was completely different from the former. He stood like a spear, sat like a bell, and had a square face. He was clearly a typical officer who had been tempered by blood and fire.

Yu Long had a son late in life, but he did not spoil him excessively.

Under his father's guidance, Yu Zigao diligently studied military strategy and swordsmanship, and at a young age, he took up the official position of Tiger General.

He is now the Vice Commander of the Funing Guard, a fifth-rank official just like Wang Cheng.

Judging from this trend, there may really be hope that the son will follow in his father's footsteps in the future.

Wang Cheng would not neglect him, and took advantage of his semi-teacher-student relationship with Yu Zhifu to address him more intimately:

"Brother Yu, cheers! Don't stand on ceremony here, make yourself at home."

"If you want to eat 100,000 seafood delicacies, come anytime. I haven't neglected my cooking skills."

Yu Zigao was a generous man, and he drank the wine offered by Wang Cheng, but he couldn't help but sigh:
"Junior Brother Wang's address of 'Senior Brother' really made me feel ashamed."

At the age of twenty-three, I had already reached the fifth rank of Tiger General. I used to boast that I was exceptionally talented, but compared to my junior brother's cultivation speed of advancing to the fifth rank before he was even twenty, it was nothing.

Besides, I think you've opened at least three orifices, haven't you? That's incredible, truly incredible!

"My father once taught the monks of Shaolin Temple, one of the six ancestral temples of Zen Buddhism, the techniques of staff fighting and sword fighting, thus establishing a connection with them."

Therefore, my brother received a method of enlightenment and seeing one's true nature from a high-ranking monk of Shaolin Temple: the "Wall-Gazing Silent Illumination Zen".

By focusing on calming external influences and maintaining inner peace, one can enter the path of enlightenment.

This method is not about meditating in seclusion, but about making the mind stand upright, still, and silent like a wall, not following external circumstances or delusions, so as to see one's true nature.

It is said that among the disciples of Bodhidharma, there was one who used this method to break through the fifth rank and enter the fourth rank in just one day!

Unfortunately, I am dull-witted. I have practiced asceticism for a long time, abstaining from women and meat, strictly adhering to the precepts, and sitting alone in front of the wall.

In the end, he only managed to break through two apertures in one go, far inferior to his junior brother.

"Senior brother, you flatter me."

Wang Cheng spoke modestly, but in his heart he was comparing it to the secular methods passed down by the Wang family of the Five Dynasties:

"Train your heart in the mortal world." "Find a wife." "Find a bunch of beautiful wives, then take a group of brothers to high-class brothels to listen to music, ordering seven at a time, to prove to the brothers that I, the boss, am the best!"

Suddenly, I understood.

"Senior brother, you probably haven't grasped the true essence of the Shaolin lineage at all."

How can you control your six desires and open your six senses if you don't enter the mortal world?

Perhaps one day you will realize: "Left hand with a girl, right hand with a scripture, neither betraying the Buddha nor the beloved," and "Shaolin Temple, it turns out, is a place that hides sensuality and filth."

Perhaps he could have an epiphany one day and directly enter the realm of the fourth rank and the fifth temple of divine treasures. However, it was too unorthodox, and he couldn't afford to offend those great monks, so he opened his mouth but didn't say it.

Since things have come to this, let's have a drink.

"Let's have another drink."

Besides the two distinguished guests and the officers and generals from the garrison, many other well-informed sons of officials also attended the banquet.

All of this was done in order to establish a good relationship with Wang Cheng, the newly appointed "hereditary commander of Zhenhai Guard," and they all adopted extremely humble postures.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this hereditary commander position will most likely remain in the Wang family from now on, unlike the semi-temporary post of the General Commander of the Japanese Pirates, which could be transferred at any time.

Even if the Great Zhao Dynasty has not yet lifted the sea ban.

He also owned Yuegang, the world trade center, and Zhenhaiwei, one of the four major military strongholds, and controlled a "semi-official maritime group" that was both wealthy and well-equipped.

It has become an unavoidable region in the southeast, a local power among local powers!

The Tanka people, who have long suffered from wind and rain along the coast, will truly gain a strong foothold on land and unite into an unprecedented whole in the shortest possible time.

With a mere shout, he could easily gather 100,000 experienced sailors, and even include all thirty-six officers of the naval service.

If it weren't for the fierce power struggles at the top, he would never have been able to reach this position given his age and background.

Of course, what outsiders don't know yet is...

If Wang Fugui's Zhenhai Guard were to join forces with Wang Cheng's Donghai Kingdom, and if anything were to happen in the Great Zhao Dynasty, he might not be ineligible to read the script of the future King Guoxing, the Prince of Yanping.

"I'd also like to toast the Commander."

"please!"

In short, now that Commander Wang has risen to prominence, he is surrounded by good people. His promotion banquet was a great success, and no one gave him a chance to embarrass himself in public.

After the banquet, everyone went together to see off Lu Yunchen, who was known as the "Ghost God Jealousy," back to the capital.

Many capable officials and generals of the Great Zhao Dynasty believed that only fighting the Tartars in the north could be considered going to the battlefield, while fighting the Japanese pirates in the southeast could only be considered a pacification war.

For scions of wealthy and powerful families, joining the military here is like getting a gilded diploma.

However, when it comes to Lu Yunchen, no one else can feel jealous.

How many people in the world can defeat, and even nearly kill, a fourth-rank warrior while only holding the rank of fifth?

At only twenty years old, he possessed the power of a fourth-rank warrior. There was only one like him in the entire Great Zhao Dynasty. The gap between them and him was simply too great. They could only look up to him and were not worthy of being jealous.

Moreover, he will probably soon become a true fourth-rank official.

"Go back, Fugui."

Don't forget to deliver the letter to Shushu's uncle after we leave; she's afraid her legs will be broken if she goes to say goodbye on her own.

On the pier, besides the White Scale Guards that Lu Yunchen had brought with him, there was also a pretty girl wearing a veil on her head. Who else could it be but the Vajra Loli Han Shushu?
Clearly, after the great battle, Lu Yunchen's previously evasive attitude towards relationships underwent a complete 180-degree turn.

The only publicly stated reason was that a bloody battle made him realize the impermanence of life.

Previously, when Amakusa Shiro's shikigami basket snake tail was suddenly attacked, if Wang Cheng hadn't summoned heavenly lightning to "perish together" with it, Meizhou City would have already fallen and its inhabitants perished.

He himself, along with thousands of brothers from Zhenhaiwei, tens of thousands of people in the prefectural city, and Han Shushu who went to war with him, would be slaughtered by the Kuangshewei and the Japanese pirates, or even experience something more terrible.

So he matured quickly, valued relationships more, and wanted to hold onto people who were worth cherishing.

But only Wang Cheng himself knew the real reason.

Actually, it was after the war that Han Shushu brought spiked wine and snacks late at night, and under the pretext of asking Lu Yunchen for help with math problems, she entered his room and then forcibly raped him.

Bring along the [Overlord's Remains], and you'll truly be forced into a relationship!
Many people use the excuse of being drunk to justify promiscuity, but the real reason for promiscuity isn't the alcohol, but rather their inherently promiscuous nature.

In any case, Wang Cheng had never seen anyone in officialdom dare to beat up their superior after getting drunk.

So it can be considered that they were mutually attracted and went with the flow.

However, it must be said that even the gods and spirits are jealous of talent; such talent is something that even the gods and spirits would envy.

After a night of revelry, this kid actually opened five orifices in one go!!
It almost broke the record for a high monk opening six orifices in a single day.

Perhaps another ritual to punish evil and promote good will allow him to instantly break through to the fourth rank.

Afterwards, unable to stand Lu Yunchen's indecisiveness, Han Shushu, who had taken the initiative to make the relationship irreversible, resolutely decided to elope with him!

After they leave, have Wang Cheng tell Uncle Han Zechang, the "River Rat".

By then, even if they oppose it, it will be too late.

Han Shushu naturally overheard Lu Yunchen's whispered conversation with Wang Cheng. She secretly reached out and pinched his waist, making him wince in pain but not daring to resist.

"Tsk tsk, the air is filled with the sour smell of love, and now only Dog Qianhu still retains the fresh scent of a single dog."

Wang Cheng thought for a moment and realized that before Dog Qianhu was cut by the Knife Craftsman, he had actually eaten and used everything. His life was already complete, and he had enjoyed much more fun than they did.

The scent of this single dog isn't pure at all.

"I can't say any more. His Majesty's affairs cannot be delayed. I'll be leaving now. If you need anything, use the incense to send a message."

Lu Yunchen was already a qualified fleet commander, and this time when he returned to Beijing, he also brought out the living warship [Concepson].

Before boarding the ship, he secretly slipped Wang Cheng a Qiankun bag and winked at him.

Inside are three more Wumiao Shenzang flowers that have grown recently.

This was also the last perk for First Mate Wang Cheng.

The Heart Flower needs to eat hearts and livers to grow, and it is only thanks to the continuous supply of raw materials from the Japanese pirates that the Heart Flower's needs can be met, and it can continuously produce mature Five Temples Divine Treasure Flowers.

The corpses of the Japanese pirates from Chishidan further fattened it up, and no one could detect their secret theft.

Once they reach the state capital in the north, a living ghost of the third rank will join the fleet to escort them. After that, even the two brothers will not have another chance to take action; every flower used is one less to be taken.

The two hugged and patted each other on the shoulder, everything understood without words.

Hu Boqi, who remained on the shore, watched the sailing warship sail away with envy.

But then he heard Wang Cheng return to his side and say:

"Whether or not the Five Temples Divine Treasure Flower can help people achieve immortality, it is just a trivial matter for us divine officials."

Hu Boqi believed that this ghostly figure wouldn't speak without reason, and his eyes lit up upon hearing this:
"What then is the Great Dao? Please, Brother Wang, teach me!"

Wang Cheng smiled mysteriously:
"Haha, Brother Hu, do you think that the art of saving millions of people, gathering millions of people, and accumulating the divine energy of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of Han can be considered the Great Way?"

(End of this chapter)