Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 6 Repairing the hut and lighting the lamp

"Brother Fugui, can you do it?"

At this point, they had no choice but to try anything, so Zhang Wen stepped aside, not believing that Wang Xiu could pull off a miracle.

Humans must rely on the path of incense to communicate with God.

If an official on the opposite side casts a spell to disrupt the incense path, it's equivalent to cutting off the signal between the fishing boat and the ship god. Unless the deity takes the initiative to manifest, it's useless for mortals to worship.

As the incense maker on the ship, Zhang Wen knew all too well that while the gods in this world were real and true, they were not omnipotent.

Only by making offerings of incense and accumulating good karma year-round can one hope to receive the full protection of the gods in times of crisis, let alone directly intervene in the human world and suppress the officials on the other side.

It wasn't that Zhang Wen looked down on Wang Xiucai; in this situation, it would have been more appropriate for a fully ordained temple priest, shaman, altar attendant, or spirit medium to come and perform the ritual of inviting the gods.

Wang Cheng's behavior of suddenly seeking divine intervention after living on land for so long seems far too superstitious, even to superstitious people.

Wang Cheng ignored what others thought, lit three incense sticks, bowed three times, and inserted them into the incense burner.

I silently prayed as I looked at the statue of the Heavenly Princess, which had been blackened by incense smoke.

In the southeastern coastal areas, the two most prevalent sea god beliefs are that of the "Tianfei" and the "Wangye," with the latter having hundreds of deities and the former having only one, demonstrating the influence of this deity.

Although the ship gods enshrined on each ship vary widely, at least half of them are Tianfei and her subordinate gods.

Fortunately, it didn't matter which belief or custom Wang Cheng followed, as he was protected by Cangming and favored by Shuiban.

Having connections makes things easier.

Amidst the utterly shocked gazes of the boatmen, as Wang Xiucai "devoutly" bowed down, the statue actually trembled, and a loud bang echoed in the air, as if something invisible had shattered.

The three wisps of green smoke straightened again and instantly disappeared into the three-foot-high void above their heads.

The water-collecting talisman pasted on the bow of the boat finally received divine blessing and became effective.

call--!
The sea breeze around them was distorted and changed direction by an invisible force, and the speed of the [Zhang Fushun] suddenly increased significantly, quickly putting distance between itself and the pirate ship opposite.

The group of boatmen behind Wang Cheng were both excited and horrified:

"What we obtained was just an ordinary water-drawing talisman, which at most can ward off one or two evil spirits and protect the fishing boats so that they can sail smoothly with the wind."

The effect this time was just too good!

A group of illiterate people who hadn't read many books couldn't think of a suitable adjective after thinking for a long time, and their gazes toward Wang Cheng gradually became more ardent.

"If the water-collecting talisman is fine, then it can only be thanks to the scholar!"

"Does this mean that even the gods treat scholars with special favor?"

No one bothers to investigate too deeply. In this world of supernatural phenomena, everything that is inexplicable can be attributed to gods and monsters.

Far more bizarre things happen every day across China.

Wang Cheng's calm and decisive command just now did not surprise anyone.

In most people's minds, scholars are reincarnations of the God of Literature. They know everything under the sun without ever leaving home, and it's quite reasonable that they are more like seasoned veterans at sea than scholars.

When they went up to offer compliments, even their form of address changed:

"You truly deserve to be called a scholar. It's thanks to you that our Zhang Fushun ship was able to escape danger."

"When we get back to Yuegang, we'll definitely treat you to a nice drink."

Wang Cheng, however, did not become arrogant; instead, he raised his hand and gave the Zhang brothers a push.
"It's not over yet. Those sea monsters haven't given up. Quickly, get all the bows and arrows off the ship."

Then, a series of "plop, plop" sounds rang out as the sea monsters on the pirate ship behind them jumped into the sea.

Like a school of fish, they left white streaks on the surface of the sea, and their swimming speed over short distances was even faster than that of the Zhang Fushun, which was blessed by the Heavenly Princess.

Although the ghost soldiers of the temple army are not officials, they also possess some extraordinary abilities that surpass those of ordinary people under the special training of military tactics and strange arts. Haizhu Ghost and Wufeng Banner are no exception.

"Leave the helmsman behind, and the rest of you can fire arrows at will. If we can hold them off for a moment, we can get away."

Wang Cheng gave a shout, gripped the bamboo bow, nocked an arrow, and drew the soft bow to its full extent.

call out!
A streak of dark light, accompanied by a fierce whistle, hurtled straight toward the leader of the Haizhu Ghost Face Sect.

Wang Cheng didn't even look at the result; he immediately fired the second and third arrows.
His breathing rate perfectly corresponded to the rise and fall of his body, a faint heat rose within him, and his physical strength was astonishing. Shooting a barrage of arrows was as easy as eating and drinking.

Regardless of which path the officials of the three classes—Heaven, Earth, and Water—take, the first step is always to "repair their dwelling and light their heart's lamp," cultivating their physical dwelling until it is full of vital energy, harmonizing the inner and outer aspects to light the heart's lamp.

The various methods are largely similar. External training methods work from the outside in, while internal training methods work from the inside out. Ultimately, one must ignite the inner lamp and achieve pure Yang energy to be qualified for ordination and to receive spiritual efficacy from the techniques.

Four days ago, the Wang family was incredibly wealthy, and Wang Cheng had never lacked guidance from renowned teachers or resources for cultivation since childhood, so his foundation was naturally extremely solid.

He cultivates internally using the [Dragon Breathing Technique], strengthening his internal organs and external muscles, and is only one step away from igniting his inner lamp. Perhaps he stood like an ant when he delivered the royal ship, but in reality, his strength is absolutely no less than that of those fierce soldiers who have fought for many years.

Let alone inferior bamboo bows, even the standard black lacquered two-piece bows issued to the Da Zhao navy could be used with ease.

clang!
Even Haizhu Gui, who was swimming at the very front, had to draw his long, narrow katana to deflect Wang Cheng's rapid-fire arrows, and his speed had to slow down.

When the other boatmen, under Wang Cheng's command, lined up along the ship's side and unleashed a rain of arrows, most of the sea monsters had no choice but to dive underwater to take cover.

If you dodge even slightly, you'll never have another chance to pursue.

"Humph, dying struggle!"

Only at the very back of the group, a leader wearing a blue demon mask snorted coldly and leaped onto the sea, running at high speed with the waves barely covering his feet.

His swordsmanship was clearly superb; he deflected all the incoming arrows in mid-air, and even cleaved them in two.

"Master!"

A golden light flashed in Wang Cheng's eyes; [Rare Goods for Hoarding] had seen through his trump card.

[He spent five years of his lifespan to obtain a ghostly power from an evil spirit—the turtle-headed body.]

Able to cross the sea and traverse the waves like an old turtle, skillfully using the power of the water, a one-pound turtle has three pounds of strength. In places with water, a sea monster weighing one hundred pounds can have three hundred pounds of strength!

Taboo: Pure Yang substances.

The other information flashed by, but when Wang Cheng saw the taboo, he was startled. He immediately put down the bamboo bow and retreated, secretly grabbing something from in front of the Heavenly Consort Shrine.

Just as the enemy broke through the helmsman's barrage of arrows with lightning speed and was about to ride the crest of the wave onto the Zhang Fushun ship.

The brothers Zhang Wu and Zhang Wen brandished two harpoons, thrusting them at him from the left and right, their movements powerful and imposing.

The two brothers practiced the most widely circulated external martial art among water gatherers, the "Eight Cuts of Breaking Waves," and their skill in it was quite considerable.

But then, a flash of cold light appeared in the hand of the Sea Demon, and his sharp samurai sword easily severed the two wooden harpoons.

Just as he was about to jump onto the deck and start his killing spree, another dark object was suddenly thrown at him, and he instinctively swung his knife to slash at it.

Snapped!
With a crisp sound, the incense burner exploded, and the accumulated ash from countless years of burning incense was instantly sprayed all over his face.

The incense ash getting into your eyes isn't the key issue; the key issue is that the incense ash offered before the gods is a pure yang substance, even more effective than a child's urine, and it can precisely break the ghostly connection on the Haizhu ghost!
"not good!"

The crest of the wave beneath Haizhu Gui's feet instantly lost its buoyancy, and the surging power within his body vanished. With a scream, he was about to fall back into the sea.

He can recover quickly as long as he can wash off the incense ash with seawater.

Although this pure yang energy only lasted for a few breaths, it still gave Wang Cheng an opportunity to kill him with a single blow.

"Give it to me!"

The bamboo bow, already fully drawn, shot an arrow that easily pierced the neck of the sea monster at a distance of less than ten feet.

Only then did the opponent raise his katana. Having lost his [turtle-headed body], he had no time to react and fell into the sea with a "plop," splashing up a spray of scarlet water.

The pursuers finally stopped, and the distance between them grew further and further.

Wang Cheng then put down the bamboo bow and exhaled a deep breath:
"This Haizhu Ghost is incredibly powerful, but its weaknesses are even greater."

If one could ignite the lamp of the heart and cultivate one's life fire to pure yang, then perhaps even just the three fires on one's body would be enough to break through their ghostly powers.

After unleashing his strongest arrow of his life with complete focus, the vibrant heat within his body seemed to be nearing its limit, and a flash of electricity flickered between the opening and closing of his eyes.

Wang Cheng was overjoyed, knowing that this was a prelude to lighting the lamp of his heart.

As long as you continue to practice step by step, taking this crucial step will be a natural outcome.

His gains didn't stop there.

On the corpse of the Sea Island Ghost Leader that had fallen into the water, a stream of light that only Wang Cheng could see suddenly rose up and then fell into the coin hole of the [Four Seas Treasure] in his body.

Wang Cheng was somewhat stunned when he saw what Qian had in his eyes and the information he had received.

Zhang Wu, oblivious to his unusual behavior, excitedly stepped forward and said:

"Scholar, you are truly a reincarnation of the God of Literature. Not only are you knowledgeable, but you have also mastered the Six Arts of a Gentleman so well."

We've shaken off those crazed sea monsters. We'll take you back to Moon Harbor now, where you can sell your catch from this trip.

Upon hearing this, Wang Cheng snapped out of his reverie, but unexpectedly shook his head slowly.
"No, for the next three days we'll find a place where the government can't find us and hide properly, without entering any coastal prefectures or counties."

(End of this chapter)