Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 71 Moon Harbor in Turmoil: Frozen Bodies Lie on the Road
"There is a problem: the more dull the spirituality of an inanimate object, the deeper the imprint of others, the more difficult it is to enlighten it."

"A seventh-rank official's abilities are still somewhat weak. For now, I can only try to enlighten one or two inanimate objects with strong spirituality. To turn a complete warship into a 'ship demon,' I'll have to wait until I reach the third rank."

Having already succeeded once with the seabird, Wang Cheng couldn't help but feel eager to try it himself.

Turning his head, he looked at the lion-head board, a talisman that had not yet been transferred to the Qingyi ship, at the bow of the Zhang Fushun ship.

This is the most spiritually potent inanimate object on the ship.

Before the wound on his finger had dried, he placed another drop of blood on the lion's horn on its forehead.

"Roar--!"

A lion's roar exploded in everyone's ears, and the entire ship shook violently.

A phantom golden lion, ten feet long with emerald eyes and golden fur, leaped out from the lion head board, carrying a strong scent of incense.

As if surveying its own territory, it circled the deck once, then lowered its head and rubbed against Wang Cheng's calf, just like a docile big cat.

Wang Cheng touched the lion—no, it had a single, golden horn on its head; it should be a Suanni.

Unfortunately, the carpenter gave it the form of a lion, but not the essence of a dragon's son. No matter how imposing its appearance is, it has no effect on its combat power.

Nevertheless, this [Guardian Spirit General] is no less powerful than the strongest tsukumogami born from a pile of ancient artifacts when Wang Cheng was born.

Not to mention, it can also use the abilities of the talisman itself, such as [Majesty] and [Ghost Wind], which greatly enhances its combat flexibility, making it equivalent to having another officer on the ship.

Even if a group of real lions came aboard, they would be easily taken down by it.

"Not bad, not bad. I'll put you on the [Blue Robe] later."

Wang Cheng nodded in satisfaction and then replicated the same technique on his own treasured sword, Chiwen.

Illusory blue scales suddenly appeared on the blade, then a golden-blue vertical pupil opened, looking at Wang Cheng with deep affection.

When held in the hand, it moves as easily as an arm or finger; every glint of sharp light seems to possess a spirit, making it effortless to cut through gold and jade.

Even if it accidentally falls into the hands of the enemy in the future, it will surely be able to give that unlucky guy a good backstab!
Having already enlightened a bald eagle, a lion-like creature, and a dragon-like creature, Wang Cheng felt he still had the power to enlighten a sea monster named "Master."

Ideally, you should be able to mentor the leader of a group of marine creatures; this is the best value for money, as it's a buy-one-get-many-free deal.

"Is this the power of a Shinto official? Turning the rotten into the miraculous, Captain, you're truly a god!"

"Even immortals couldn't be this good!"

The boat people, with their limited knowledge, could not see the mystery behind it, but they were all eager and wished they would be the next ones to be ordained.

In particular, Zhang Wu, who is known as "Forgetful Destiny," was inspired by Wang Cheng's promotion and decided to do everything in his power to achieve Pure Yang Destiny Fire in the shortest possible time.

Having missed the opportunity to be promoted to Baishuilang, he has decided to take up the job of "Salt Man," which is the salt-making work done by the Dazhao salt producers.

The three hardships in the world are: boiling salt, blacksmithing, and grinding tofu. In sea salt producing areas, the main method of making salt is still "boiling salt".

[Salt people] live by the sea all year round, exposed to the fierce sea breeze and the scorching sun in summer.

Once they encounter severe weather such as tsunamis or storms, their production tools will be completely destroyed, leaving them with nothing and forcing them to start all over again.

During the production process, it is necessary to stay in an environment with intense heat, high salt, high humidity, and high corrosiveness for a long time.

The eyes will become dry, severely affecting vision. Some cooks will even go blind in their old age. Cracked and ulcerated hands and feet are also common occupational diseases.
But this most arduous and exhausting official position is a perfect match for Zhang Wu's "forgetful fate".

It possesses the strongest vitality, the strongest environmental tolerance, the strongest endurance, and the ability to endure the most hardship, though it also has endless hardships to endure.

The only consolation is: "I can become stronger by enduring hardship."

【Salt Man】corresponds to the month of April, the month of the sun, and the third pentad of the solar term of the Beginning of Summer, "Wang Gua Sheng". The Wang Gua is red, which means the sun is at its peak.

Without the kind of reckless investment of monkey brains and sea urchins like Wang Cheng, it would be a daunting task for Zhang Wu to cultivate his life fire to pure yang within three months.

He himself, however, was full of fighting spirit and passion:
"Brothers, train with me. Practice the external training method, the 'Eight Cuts of Breaking Waves,' one hundred times. If you can't finish, swim one hundred laps around the Zhang Fushun ship."

While his older brother was working hard, Zhang Wen, who was a Kira no Mikoto and didn't need to suffer, couldn't just stand by and watch, so he could only practice the Yaksha staff with him.

The other crew members were not far behind.

The entire Qingyi fishing gang was mobilized under Zhang Wu's leadership, with some practicing internally and others externally, and others practicing sail handling, cannon handling, and musket formation.

What's especially infuriating is that Zhang Wu was shouting while he was practicing:

"Only those who have not contributed to the Qingyi Gang need to rest. How can we, the pillars of the Tanka people, be idle?"

The future of the Tanka people will be changed in our hands.

“How can you sleep at your age and stage? From now on, it will be a regular practice for me to lead you in extra training every morning at 4 a.m. “If you can’t give it your all, don’t go out and say you’re my brother.”

His gang members, who had grown up with him since childhood, complained bitterly.

Wang Cheng was very pleased to have such a brother as his deputy, not only taking the blame but also shouldering all the criticism himself.

The decision was made immediately: Zhang Wudang Qingyi Fishing Gang would be selected as this year's model leader, and he would be given a big bonus at the end of the year.

"By the way, besides this most basic method of enlightenment, I also need to quickly submit a petition to my father and obtain the complete 'Guide to Sending Goodbye on a Smooth Sailing'."

When the time comes, Zhang Wu can choose whatever he wants to learn.

"It's not enough to just draw a picture of a pancake; you have to actually bake it. Otherwise, all the hard work these honest people have done would be for nothing. That would be a waste of their good karma."

When Wang Cheng was outside receiving his ordination and standing in formation, there were only ten days left until the deadline for the "Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls" ceremony on the second day of the second lunar month.

The turbulent Yuegang Port only experienced a brief period of calm around the Lunar New Year.

Before the people could even rejoice that the great evil spirit, the Nian beast, had not descended upon Xiangzhou Prefecture this year, chaos gradually returned.

"I didn't check the almanac before going out, and I missed the appointed time again today. What bad luck!"

Song Xiaoliu was a hanger-on at Wanfulou, a large restaurant in Yuegang. His job was to carry food boxes and deliver dishes to customers who ordered food.

It's fine when delivering food during the day, but at night, you might accidentally miss the delivery time, and by the time you head back, it's already dark.

Today was no different. Looking at the moon, which was turning slightly yellow, Song Xiaoliu felt uneasy and clutched the peach wood amulet hidden in his sleeve.

"Have I wandered into Green Willow Lane?"

A casual glance revealed that I had entered an alley lined with several large willow trees in an attempt to take a shortcut home.

He clearly remembered that at the end of winter three months ago, when he was delivering food to a family, a group of fishing bullies robbed him of his food.

Fortunately, the family that placed the order didn't pursue the matter and even gave him an extra tael of silver as a consolation fee.

"What bad luck!"

I lowered my head and walked past the doorway that was overgrown with weeds.

I don't know if it was psychological or if I was really cold, but I could feel gusts of cold wind constantly creeping up my neck in the alley.

He tightened his clothes and cursed again, "Damn weather."

Even though the Beginning of Spring has long passed and we are now in the second solar term, Rain Water, a lingering chill from the depths of winter still hangs over Yuegang.

Spring seems to have never arrived; they remain stuck in the Great Cold of last year.

As Song Xiaoliu walked, he suddenly noticed a warm yellow firelight shining behind a willow tree at the end of the alley. Just seeing this light warmed his heart.

I walked over as if possessed and found a group of people warming themselves around a fire.

Inside, there were even two acquaintances who greeted him warmly:

"It's Xiao Liu, what a coincidence."

"Xiao Liu, come and warm yourself by the fire before you leave."

Song Xiaoliu recognized one of them as Old Hu, the neighbor next door who had gotten drunk at Wanfulou before the New Year and accidentally froze to death on the roadside.

The other was an elderly beggar named Old Shi, who had no children. He was found during the coldest time of the year, and had long since frozen into a solid block of ice.

Since they were all acquaintances, he immediately lowered his guard and went over.

They put their carrying poles and food boxes aside, squeezed in with the others, and sat around the campfire.

Bathed in the warm firelight, Song Xiaoliu felt his body getting hotter and hotter, and couldn't help but tug open his clothes.

"This campfire is really warm."

Since I live alone anyway, we've saved on firewood for heating tonight. Tomorrow I'll take the charcoal I've saved this month to my parents in the countryside.

The fire simmered for a whole night.

The next morning, residents of Green Willow Lane discovered a naked, pale, and emaciated corpse lying on the ground as soon as they stepped outside.

Judging from the appearance, it seemed that the deceased had taken off his clothes because he was too hot to bear it while he was alive.

There was indeed a bonfire on the ground that had been extinguished, but upon closer inspection of the remaining ashes, it became clear that what had been burned was not firewood, but a pile of dried human bones!

(End of this chapter)