Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 61 Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road, Revenge Should Be Taken No Late
On the sixth day of the first month of the fortieth year of Shaozhi, the cold wind blowing from the north still dominated the entire East China Sea.

A cold, dense fog was drifting leisurely from north to south along the coastline of the Dazhao Kingdom.

If a bird were to stray into this place, it would likely be startled, for two sailboats, one in front of the other, are hidden deep within the fog.

These were the Qingyi and Zhang Fushun ships under Wang Cheng's command.

Only after acquiring multiple ships did his title of "Great Ship Captain" finally become truly fitting.

Wang Cheng was also glad that he had expanded the crew to more than 30 people in advance; otherwise, there would have been no way to sail both ships back.

Of course, this also means that the Ziying could not operate on a three-shift system as it did back then. There would only be one shift of crew at most, and the ship had to stop for rest at night.

The group of damselfish that had been captured earlier did not follow Wang Cheng.

Their role is merely logistical; they can stay near that deserted island and focus on raising sea urchins, without needing to come out and risk their lives.

One of them ate too much monkey brain and sea urchin and became the role model for the spirit "Gulu". They felt it was a good deal to be able to exchange seaweed for sea urchin in the future, and they were all extremely enthusiastic.

When Wang Cheng goes again next time, he will probably reap even greater rewards than this time.

As for the interpreter Gao Ren, who was still adrift at sea, he forcibly bought Gao Ren's memories after he woke up with Four Seas Coins, and then used this "Official Killing Attack Body" type, which was particularly good at defeating superiors, to make a casual move.

"Brother Wang, we have returned safely. We cleaned up all the monkey hair on the ship as you instructed, and we did not encounter any further dangers on the way."

My uncle told us to hide temporarily in a private port stronghold in the Pinghu Islands.

He also told Shushu that after we left, Yuegang inexplicably started experiencing small-scale disturbances, and the source of the disturbances has not yet been identified.

It would be best for Shushu to stay hidden outside for a while longer, and practice the Han family's secret techniques before going back to help.

Senior Brother Wang, would you like to join us?

Shushu hasn't had a chance to properly thank you for saving her life yet.

The incense burner in front of Wang Cheng, dedicated to the Heavenly Consort, emitted wisps of smoke that intertwined to form a shy, pretty face three feet above his head.

Han Shushu's cheerful, chattering voice came from inside.

They made contact immediately after escaping their predicament using the Tongtian Ruyi Incense and reported their safety to each other.

Wang Cheng learned that in addition to the [Tail Wing - Shadowless Screen], the Han Xingfa ship also had another newly installed talisman, [Dragon Eye - Dragon Horse Knows the Way].

Although one can only rely on the Star Guide when sailing at sea, as long as one has these dragon eyes, one will surely find the way home, returning the way one came.

Thanks to this treasure, they finally managed to escape.

Everyone on the [Han Xingfa] ship was essentially saved by Wang Cheng, and they were already extremely grateful to him.

Upon learning that he had miraculously escaped unscathed from a pursuit by a sailing warship, they were even more astonished and chorused with praises of "Fourth Master is mighty!"

Han Shushu's trust in Wang Cheng was off the charts; in her conversations, she had already treated him as a senior apprentice, or even a brother.

After all, even among true blood relatives, how many can ultimately withstand the test of life and death and keep their promises even at the cost of their own lives? Let alone just cheap junior brothers and sisters who have only known each other for a short time?
No doubt about it, just two words: reliable!
This was before they even knew that Wang Cheng had captured a sailing warship instead.

If they knew, countless people would probably be tempted to recruit them.

Upon hearing Han Shushu's invitation, Wang Cheng did not readily accept:
"Junior Sister Han, we won't bother you any longer. Zhang Fushun has its own place to go."

So far, apart from telling my master about my achievements when I contacted him to let him know I was safe, I haven't revealed anything to anyone else.

Wang Cheng doesn't want to reveal the "Blue Robe" ship, his trump card, for the time being; he'll keep it hidden for as long as possible.

To reiterate, the level of investigation for missing persons cases and murder cases is completely different.

The warship had been thoroughly cleaned, ensuring that even Sun Xiong, the one of the twenty-four generals who issued the kill order, wouldn't know where his precious ship had gone.

In a crucial moment, it might even be used to trick those bastards.

It just so happens that the "Qingyi" ship needs to replenish its crew, so we plan to make another trip to the Zhang brothers' Tanka ethnic group to recruit more people and make up for the standard crew of nearly two hundred.

While we're at it, let's ask the pearl-diving girl, Ah Xiao, to verify the information about the "Dragon's Blood".

"Alright, Senior Brother Wang, take care. We'll have another drink and chat another day."

Uncle told Shushu to tell you that you should just ask for anything you need, whether it's gold, silver, antiques, or talismans. The Han family will do their best to fulfill your needs as long as it's within their power.

In a couple of days, Shushu will give you a copy of the family storeroom ledgers. Don't be shy about speaking politely to Shushu's uncles and aunts then.

After Han Shushu made the generous promise, she regretfully extinguished the precious [Heavenly Auspicious Incense].

Wang Cheng felt sorry for the five Han brothers, lamenting the fate of their poor, vulnerable child, and pondered the information the other party had revealed.

"It's been almost a month since I left Yuegang. Even with my master's intervention, those gentry factions are unlikely to back down. Is Yuegang causing trouble? What underhanded tricks are they planning this time?"
If the only goal is to drive out Wufengqi and take over Yuegang, this treasure trove, is it really necessary to use such a double-edged sword?

"Killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own is the least of your worries. How strange!"

However, with too little information, Wang Cheng couldn't yet guess the other party's scheme.

However, he believed that with his tip-off and the revelation of Pu Shouying's identity as the mole, the situation in Yuegang should be able to hold out for a short period of time.

I've decided to proceed step by step and focus on doing my own job well.

"First, I'll go find the only survivor I know from the Great Pearl Harvest, the pearl harvester A-Xiao, and see if I can get any clues from her."

To determine whether the deaths of so many maritime heroes over the years are related to the "Dragon's Blood".

Then they focused all their efforts on preparing for the investiture ceremony.

It is particularly worth mentioning that he kept his promise halfway there, disguised himself and secretly went to Citong Port to bury Borjigin Daichin's ashes there.

Although Quanzhou Port is no longer part of the Yunmeng Empire, the Borjigin Golden Family retreated to the grasslands two hundred years ago and will never again...
wrong!

Wang Cheng suddenly realized something and discovered that this matter might not be so absolute.

"I wonder if in this world, the Borjigin family of the Golden Family will become another equally famous and illustrious surname: the Borjigit family."

Will he re-enter the land of China under a different identity in the future?

While Wang Cheng was silently deducing the future development trends of this world.

The lookout huddled on the mainmast suddenly shouted towards the deck:
"Hey, head of the ship, there's a merchant ship sailing in the opposite direction ahead of us. Its flag is that of the Xie Family Merchant Guild."

Xie He was on the ship. I saw that bastard during the standoff at Yuegang that day. I'd recognize him even if he were ashes!

Wang Cheng immediately perked up and quickly raised his brass telescope to look over.

Sure enough, he saw Xie He, the gentry representative whom he had already declared "to have a way to die."

"What a small world! I was planning to cause you trouble after the ordination ceremony, but you've come to me of your own accord."

No wonder the fortune I gained from selling nearly two hundred Japanese people hasn't arrived yet.

So that's where it was supposed to be.

"If I didn't manage to seize a sailing warship, I wouldn't dare to act. But if I did seize one, wouldn't I be too afraid to act? Wouldn't that be a waste of my time?"

At this moment, if Wang Cheng hesitated even slightly, it would be disrespectful to the sailing warship beneath his feet.

Therefore, he decisively issued the first combat order for the Qingyi sailing warship.

Only six characters:
"Fire! Kill or live!"

On the merchant ship, Xie He, dressed in a luxurious white fox fur coat, ran up to the deck to get some fresh air.

As an ordinary mortal who wasn't even an official, he had no idea that the fog opposite him was unusual.

"It's so cold. This winter, even the capital of Minzhou has started to snow heavily. It's unheard of."

In this awful weather, Pu Shouying still wants me to use the merchants as cover to capture the temple keepers of "Madam Yan" scattered throughout the various boat temples, and interrogate them to find out the true identity of that dragon.

Are you really treating me, the young master of the Xie family, like a lackey or a servant?

You wouldn't dare do something so sinister, and you expect me to? Pah!

He took a sip of the red and green wine served by his personal servant to warm himself up, but in his heart he kept complaining about the task Pu Shouying had assigned him.

He experienced the most glorious peak of the Xie family when he was young, and at that time, it was considered polite of him to even look at Pu Shouying.

Now, the tiger has fallen into the plains and has to obey a Semu merchant like a dog, charging into battle when told to, drawing fire when told to, with the day of restoring his family business seemingly far off.

And all of this was caused by the Wang family who were collecting water!
Xie and Tiantian were filled with hatred, gritting their teeth.
"We don't know where that bastard has run off to. We've searched the entire Moon Harbor in secret, but we haven't found any trace of him."

And that brat Wang Fugui, who ruined my plans—there's not a single good guy with the surname Wang!

Pu Shouying said before the new year that he had already sent the mole's men to take action. Did they actually kill Wang Fugui?

They always brag so loudly, but now there's not even a whisper of news. They're really useless.

boom! boom! boom!
The booming sound of artillery fire was like thunder exploding in his ears. When Xie He looked up, he was horrified to see five or six scorching cast iron shells flying towards him from the cloud of mist that had just passed by.

A shell just happened to grazed across the open deck, crushing his handsome, charming servant boy into a bloody mist.

(End of this chapter)