Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 51 The Overlord Lifts the Cauldron, Suddenly Attacked

The following day, the 21st day of the 12th month of the 39th year of Shaozhi, was the second day after the omen of "Water Marsh Belly Firm".

The snowflakes on the sea continued to fall without any sign of stopping, and everything except the deep sea was dyed silvery white.

Early in the morning, Han Shushu used the salvaged porcelain from the shipwreck to set up a circular altar on the [Han Xingfa].

After bathing and changing, she lit a stick of the Heavenly Auspicious Incense and notified her uncle, Han Zechang, who was far away in Yuegang and was also her guide, to begin submitting a petition on her behalf.

Then, the three sacrificial animals that had been prepared beforehand were placed on the altar: a pig, a fish, and a chicken.

When going to sea, the three kinds of sacrificial animals are used very frequently. The ship's incense makers usually keep a group of them in the hold, and slaughter them on the spot when needed.

Of course, compared to its Western counterparts who kept sheep in ship cabins at the same time, it was more than one version behind, and most likely it would never catch up.

The main reason is that the people of Dazhao had such a strong sense of shame and morality that they were more than one version ahead of others.

At this crucial moment, Wang Cheng certainly wouldn't be absent.

Today I didn't follow the traitors into the sea again, nor did I continue to examine the unexpected spoils of war.

Even though he was eager to go back to Ah Xiao to confirm the information and find a way to break the deadlock, he was still bound by his duty to her and couldn't be short of time.

With his thirty-odd men, fully armed, they boarded the [Zhang Fushun] and stood guard beside the [Han Xingfa].

Although things have been calm lately, we cannot be careless when we are just one step away from failure; we must remain vigilant.

Wang Cheng hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not join the other party's boat.

The crew of the Han Xingfa were all skilled men transferred from Han Ze's longship. Their loyalty was beyond question, and many of them were even servants who had served the Han family for generations.

Wang Cheng is ultimately an outsider, and he's wary of any potential conflicts of interest; if something goes wrong, it will be difficult to explain.

He only glanced once more at Hou Yong, the reserve officer who was busy taking care of Han Shushu.

"During this period, Zhang Wu and Zhang Wen took turns keeping an eye on him. Apart from not being able to figure him out, this monkey trainer did not show any abnormalities."

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

Despite this thought, he still didn't let his guard down completely and silently positioned himself in the most convenient spot to make a move.

At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he saw several large red fish shadows swoop past the hull of the Hanxingfa and disappear in an instant.

"The auspicious hour has arrived, the Patriarch has returned to his place!"

Hou Yong, the monkey trainer who assisted Han Shushu in the ceremony, glanced at the pure gold pocket watch in his hand, loudly proclaimed his promise, and then presented his young mistress with a purple lacquered gold box inlaid with mother-of-pearl and fish and algae patterns.

The box was opened, revealing a talisman passed down through generations of the Han family, and a sudden burst of azure light shone brightly.

Wang Cheng also looked in this direction with curiosity.

When the officials of the Thirty-Six Water Officials are ordained and lined up, they all need to be guided by the same kind of Nine Heavens Dao Qi—the [Heavenly One Water Golden Toad Qi] representing the Water Official Emperor.

In theory, when performing rituals, the closer the relevance of the talisman or talisman used to open the altar is to one's own official rank and position, the better.

However, based on the fundamental principle that money can move mountains and make the devil turn the millstone, talismans and amulets such as gold, silver, copper coins, and jade ruyi are considered a panacea and can be used in any class.

After the Dao energy descends, it will naturally transform into different talismans and bestow them upon the registered beings, in accordance with different celestial times, different official rites and rituals, and the contents of the petition.

The Han family has a long history, so naturally they have the most suitable talisman to ward off evil spirits. A section of white finger bone with a jade-like luster was revealed in the box.

"This is.?!"

Wang Cheng was startled when he saw the information displayed in the "rare commodity" section regarding the finger bone fragment.

[A rare artifact: The remains of a powerful overlord, whose strength could uproot mountains and whose spirit could cover the world!]

A treasure of the state.

There's no need to read any further; its name alone speaks volumes about its value.

No general can surpass Li, and no king can surpass Xiang.

Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is the only unparalleled hero in history to be recorded in the annals of history without being an emperor. His life was full of legends, especially his martial prowess, which was unmatched throughout history.

It is said that after Xiang Yu, the King of Chu, committed suicide at the Wujiang River, Han soldiers fought a chaotic battle for his body, which was eventually divided among five generals, each obtaining a portion.

Wang Yi obtained the head, while Yang Xi, Lü Matong, Lü Sheng, and Yang Wu each obtained either the limbs or the torso.

Emperor Gaozu fulfilled his promise of a reward, dividing the "thousands of gold and ten thousand households" originally promised to one person into five parts, and enfeoffing the five people as marquises.

For example, Yang Xi, who snatched the coattails of the Hegemon-King, was granted the title of Marquis of Chiquan. Yang Xi was also the ancestor of the Hongnong Yang clan, which later flourished for a thousand years. Even Yang Jian, the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty, claimed to be a descendant of the Hongnong Yang clan.

This is what you call truly "clinging to someone's coattails"!
Choosing the right powerful patron can bring blessings to one's descendants for generations to come.

Even a small piece of finger bone passed down to this day is a priceless talisman, no less valuable than the Buddha relics enshrined by major Buddhist sects.

It's too far away to see what abilities one possesses.

But Wang Cheng guessed that it was most likely something like increasing strength or having many children and good fortune.

With the long-standing and distinguished Yang family of Hongnong as a precedent, it seems that Han Zechang, the "River Rat," also has five brothers, each presiding over affairs in different parts of the country, wielding considerable power.

Wang Cheng clicked his tongue in amazement, marveling at how lucky the Han family was.

Han Shushu had already received the Overlord's finger bone, placed it neatly on the altar, burned incense, kowtowed, and chanted incantations:

"Heaven's assistance is impartial, and the celestial phenomena are all-pervasive. Without darkness or obscurity, without feeling or knowledge, one can wear the talisman and command divine soldiers at will. I, the Supreme Emperor of the Dao, ascend to the celestial capital, by decree!"

The wisps of smoke disappeared into the void, and the path of incense was erected. A wisp of crimson cloud, deep in the leaden clouds of the sky, guided by Han Shushu's inner light, crashed into her brow.

The girl took a step back to avoid the impact.

In an instant, a wisp of [Heavenly Water Golden Toad Qi] descended, enveloping the spiritual essence of heaven and earth and weaving it into a magical talisman that resembled a dragon and a phoenix dancing.

The seventy-two pentads indicate that the water in the marshes is solidified, the yang energy has not yet reached the surface, and the east wind has not yet arrived. Therefore, the water is solidified and represents the strongest state of water. The spiritual response given to officials is "lifting the tripod"!
Those shipwreck salvagers relied on manpower to salvage the sunken ships, and each of them was incredibly strong. Ultimately, this was due to the miraculous power of this magic talisman.

From then on, Han Shushu's cultivation of extraordinary skills such as moving mountains and filling seas would be twice as effective, and she could even upgrade her warhammer to a larger size.

Wang Cheng thought the ritual was about to end smoothly and there shouldn't be any more accidents, but unexpectedly, the lookout on the mast suddenly shouted:

"Big bow, a ship is coming!"

He quickly raised his brass telescope and looked into the depths of the snowstorm, where he clearly saw the large ship that had intruded.

"The Five Peaks Flag?! Or is it a capital sailing warship?"
The entire Five Peaks Banner had several thousand warships, but the number of these original warships purchased from Westerners was not large.

Which of the twenty-four generals, the captain of the main ship, was this one's subordinate?

Because of the heavy snow and extremely low visibility, by the time they spotted the warship, it was already within the enemy's firing range.

Wang Cheng no longer needed to bother distinguishing whether the other party was friend or foe.

Rumble.
A row of orange-red cannon flames flickered on the side of the sailing warship as the ship's cannons, which had long been pushed out of their gun ports, fired in succession, and the scorching shells pierced through the snow and flew towards them.

Fortunately, the accuracy of these cannons was not much better than that of the sea monsters they had encountered before.

While artillery can indeed reach a range of one kilometer, accuracy can only be guaranteed if the distance is reduced to within thirty zhang, or one hundred meters.

Anything beyond that distance is just random shooting.

The shells splashed up huge sprays of water on the sea surface, but failed to hit the Zhang Fushun, which was responsible for the outer defense.

"Enemy attack——!"

As the alarm bell rang, the crew of the Zhang Fushun, with Wang Cheng in charge, remained relatively calm.

Han Shushu, who was in charge of the 【Han Xingfa】, was still undergoing the final spiritual sublimation, and her fate was changing drastically.

Only when the aura around one's body completely transforms into a crimson red can one truly be considered a seventh-rank official, Haishaozi.

Without a leader to guide them, the others were momentarily flustered.

"Young lady, you must not move now. Everyone stay at your posts, raise the sails, and we will retreat immediately."

Hou Yong, the deputy captain, who was also known as "the monkey trainer," always kept his monkey by Han Shushu's side, protecting her every step of the way.

He had just spoken to quell the panic among the crowd.

Suddenly, the monkey that had been perched on his shoulder jumped to the ground and rushed straight toward Han Shushu, who was undergoing spiritual sublimation.

He took off the golden headband from his head and made a gesture as if to put it on her head.

Hou Yongbo's expression changed drastically:

"Monkey Two, what are you doing? Come back here right now!"

(End of this chapter)