Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 11 Initial Team, Prince Jing's Seventh Day Memorial

The boatman repeated the same sentence more than ten times.

If an unsuspecting "guest" saw this, they might actually think they had stumbled into a den of thieves with extremely skilled operations, a large group of people who all seemed very experienced.

In the end, even Zhang Wu himself couldn't help but start to doubt himself.

It must be said that the imperial court's discrimination against boat people who had no fixed abode was not entirely without reason.

The sheer mobility of farmers, far exceeding that of ordinary farmers, makes it difficult to track down criminals after they commit crimes, which is enough to put officials at all levels on high alert.

What they think is completely unimportant.

After a flurry of activity, Wang Cheng took out the salted plums he had prepared beforehand and gave one to each of them, thus stopping their parroting.

Although the group of people had never tasted the 100,000 kinds of seafood before, at this moment, how could they not guess the identity of this fish?
After Wang Cheng told them the name and effects of the fish, the group stammered even more:
"This...this really is 100,000 seafood treasures!"
"Not only did the scholar catch a parrot-beaked blue robe that was almost worth more than gold, but he also shared it with us lowly people?"

"Yes, we Tanka people live a precarious life, never knowing when we'll die in the storms of the vast ocean. It's such a waste to give us such good food."

"What a waste!"

Many people say it's wasteful, but their eyes secretly well up with tears.

The other party was a respected scholar, while they were just a group of Tanka people who suffered discrimination and had to go barefoot when they came ashore.

If it weren't for the scholar Wang Fugui, they would probably have died at the hands of Haizhu Gui long ago.

Now the scholar gave them a parrot-beaked blue fish, which wasn't fish bone soup with the meat removed, but fish porridge with half of the meat still inside.

Who else but their parents has ever treated them so well?
The Zhang brothers, who had been practicing the "Eight Blades of Breaking Waves" since childhood, felt the effects most acutely.

Their external martial arts, which had long stagnated due to insufficient resources for cultivation, began to loosen their bottlenecks and start to progress again, giving them a glimmer of hope to ignite the light within their hearts.

In the eyes of the Zhang brothers, the scholar was a ray of light in the darkness, pulling them out of the mire where the Zhang family had been sinking deeper and deeper into depravity.

For them, this fish was a gift that felt like a second life!
Everyone instinctively stood up, silently looking at Wang Cheng, a burning emotion surging in their chests—this debt of gratitude could never be repaid!

Wang Cheng also stood up at the opportune moment and clasped his hands in greeting:

"Brothers, I was planning to make a name for myself on my way back from the capital, and it is fate that I met you all along the way."

We fought off the Haizhu ghost together, and we've been through thick and thin together, so I won't stand on ceremony with my brothers.

I happen to have a great deal going on and I'm short-handed. I'd like to ask you brothers to come out and help me out. I wonder if any of you would be willing to take on this role?

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Wu, the captain of the boat, immediately patted his chest and said:
"We're just worthless lives, what's this talk of being forced to submit or not? The fact that you, sir, even dared to speak of us shows you respect."

"Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything."

Zhang Wen also cupped his hands towards Wang Cheng, his face full of seriousness:
“Even beggars look down on us Tanka people and boat dwellers. This scholar is not only very capable, but also kind to everyone.”

"We would be more than happy to serve you, sir."

The others, who were illiterate and not very talkative, simply bowed deeply in unison and chanted in unison:

"I can't ask for it!"

"Haha, with the help of my brothers, I'm thriving."

Wang Cheng quickly stepped forward to help them up, and after arranging their seats, he took the head seat himself before speaking again:
"The welcoming gift prepared for all the brothers is not just a mere parrot-beaked blue robe."

Now that the storm has mostly passed, I've lit the lamp of my heart and am preparing to seek out a renowned teacher to receive ordination and be accepted into the ranks of disciples.

We'll head back to Yuegang at daybreak tomorrow, and we'll look for an opportunity to pull off a heist along the way.

As for the profit sharing...

Hearing that the main event was about to begin, everyone instinctively held their breath.

Even if a group of Tanka people bow down and worship wholeheartedly, people still need to eat, and no matter what kind of business they do, no one is indifferent to their own interests.

Most people at this time think that if they could have enough to eat all year round, that would be a dream come true.

But Wang Cheng said casually:
"Back then, the Daoist Qi of the Nine Heavens descended and established alliances with people at Crane Cry Mountain and Deer Hall Mountain, creating the Three Officials Alliance and passing down the Daoist tradition of the Three Classes of Officials."

Today, let us follow the example of our ancestors and establish a "Blue Robe Alliance".

"Let's split the profits according to the ratio for this parrot-beaked blue-clown. If we get the big batch, I'll only take 50%, and the rest will be distributed among all the brothers—everyone gets a share."

hiss--!
A group of people couldn't help but gasp.

"We can take half the profits?"

His heart pounded uncontrollably, his blood flow accelerated, his face turned red, and even the medicinal effects of the fish meat in his stomach were enhanced by three points.

"Scholar Gong is truly benevolent and righteous!"

"He values ​​righteousness over profit; he is truly a hero!"

People seemed to see a trace of the Prince of Jinghai in him, and many of them even had a bit of wishful thinking, "If only the scholar were one of us Tanka people."

Wang Cheng was very satisfied with their response.

"The eldest brother eats the meat while you drink the soup?"
No, no, no, work with me! When the big brother eats meat, you can eat meat with me too!
I will never keep either honor or profit to myself!

At this moment, Zhang Wu came over, rubbed his hands together, and tentatively asked with a shameless grin:

"Scholar, what kind of business is so profitable? You're not really going to take us to sell knife-cut noodles on the Jiulong River, are you? Actually, I just thought about it, and this kind of business with no capital is quite feasible."

The others nodded vigorously in unison:
"That works!"

This time, it wasn't just parroting; it came from the bottom of their hearts. They were determined to help Wang Cheng with this business, even if it meant risking their lives.

Every sentence, though never explicitly mentioning "loyalty," is filled with the spirit of loyalty!
The initial core of the Qingyi fishing gang was thus formed.

No one slept that night.

It's not because I'm too excited and want to emulate the ancients by touching feet and exchanging feelings, but because today is the seventh day after the death of Prince Jing!

Three days after his death, he was sent away on a royal ship, and then hid for another three days. Today, from midnight to 9 pm, is the "night of the returning soul" on the seventh day after his death, a time when the soul of the deceased returns home to visit.

All the Tanka people on the boats gathered quietly in the dark at the boat temple and several nearby fishing boats, and many of them took the initiative to wear mourning clothes for Prince Jing, with white cloth wrapped around their heads.

In the center of every Tanka people's boat, there is a boat temple, and the deities worshipped are different for each group.

Here are two wooden, painted female deities enshrined: the one in front is the Heavenly Princess, and the one on the side is Lady Yan, worshipped by this branch of the Tanka people.

Legend has it that many years ago, the Heavenly Princess subdued a group of sea dragons and took them as her guardian deities.

Led by Duke Yan, all those under his jurisdiction were surnamed Yan, and this Lady Yan was one of them.

Now there is another shrine in the temple, inscribed with the title of Prince Jing.

Obviously, time was too short, and the statue of the deity had not yet been completed. Only a spirit tablet could be used to represent Prince Jing in receiving incense offerings.

Wang Cheng, who came to pay respects with the family, was supposed to be the chief officiant today as the filial son.

But the occasion was inappropriate, and it wasn't the time to make a grand display. So he simply stood outside and accompanied the many Tanka people in the sacrificial ceremony.

The pearl diver, A-Xiao, who was in charge of presiding over the ceremony at the front, no longer wore the sharkskin water jacket, but changed into a plain white dress and silver embroidered shoes.

She was tall and graceful, and compared to yesterday, she had lost some of her wildness and gained a touch of aloofness.

"May you bless my family and bring blessings to the Tanka people."

If the spirit has consciousness, I humbly request that you accept this offering!

She led her people to complete the ritual meticulously.

call--!
The wisps of smoke carried the wishes of hundreds of Tanka people as they ascended to heaven.

If you looked down at the earth from high above, the southeastern coast of Dazhao, the East China Sea Islands, Yingzhou, and some Southeast Asian countries were all shrouded in smoke at the same time.

Each wisp of incense represents the profound influence of Wang Zeng, the Prince of Jinghai, on the sea.

Even though it wasn't the time of day when Yin and Yang alternated, the phantom of the Five Peaks Temple within the Mountain and Sea Curse still appeared, lingering in the blue smoke for a very long time.

This "prince" was recently deified after his death, so he may not be able to manifest his divine power for the time being.

However, given the current level of incense offerings and prayers, even if his path to officialdom is blocked midway, he will eventually grow into one of the most powerful ghosts and gods in the world as a "prince".

If he could intervene in the mortal world again, like the Heavenly Princess, then the day would come when father and son would be reunited.

The premise is that he can successfully escape from the Mountain and Sea Curse.

After the sacrificial ceremony was completed, Wang Cheng did not linger any longer. He led the newly established Qingyi Fishing Gang and sailed away from this temporary settlement in the ship "Zhang Fushun".

"Destination: Moon Harbor! Set sail and anchor!"

He didn't see that the crowd of worshippers in the boat temple in the center of the boat behind him had all dispersed.

After arranging the sacrificial offerings, A-Xiao, the pearl diver, knelt on the prayer mat before the statue of the deity and sighed deeply as she looked at the spirit tablet of Prince Jing.

"Sigh, how did things get to this point? What should we do next?"

She raised her slender hand and placed three more incense sticks in the incense burner in front of the ancestral tablet.

Before long, it burned into a bizarre shape with one long and two short sticks, and all three sticks of incense ash bent to the right.

It was none other than the "Death-Taking Incense" from the Three Thousand Incense Shop:
"The wailing incense of death is heard, cries of anguish are heard, the Black and White Impermanence come and go swiftly. The King of Hell in the underworld hastens life, the soul cannot be held back in half a month. No one is seen dying of old age or being harmed, but suffering and misfortune afflict one's own heart!"

Staring at this ominous sign, A-Xiao's eyes glazed over, her mouth slightly agape:

"This matter is not over yet with Prince Jinghai!"

Besides the heavy casualties and the loss of tens of thousands of catties of South Sea pearls during that massive South Sea harvesting launched by the three major state governments, what else happened?
Why was everything calm before that, but in the six or seven years that followed, pirates, merchants, and ship captains in the East China Sea who possessed the aura of dragons and the appearance of transforming into dragons died one after another and were all sent to the king's ship?

The four Xu brothers, the "Shuangyu Ship Kings," the "Tiger Dragon" Jin Zhi Lao, the "Sea Yaksha" Li Guang Tou, and the "Heavenly General Pinghai" Xu Hai—now even the strongest water collector, King Jinghai, cannot escape their fate.

The Zhao Dynasty, risking the devastation of the southeast, first offered amnesty and then ambushed and killed its inhabitants.

I've been here every day watching the Mountain and Sea Curse, and I've witnessed the fate of each and every one of them.

One person is a coincidence, but are a dozen or so people in a row still a coincidence?
Of the two main branches of the sea god belief, the [Prince] lineage has already suffered heavy losses, and the Heavenly Princess lineage will likely not be able to escape unscathed either. Those with the aura of a dragon will not be able to escape sooner or later.

Look at this incense burning like a death knell; I'm probably next to die!

As wisps of smoke rose, Ah Xiao's heterochromatic blue eye suddenly transformed into a majestic, sharp vertical pupil.

(End of this chapter)