Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 19 Craftsman Silver: What official position can you build if you don't have money?
Wang Cheng confirmed the treasure's identity, but instead of opening it, he openly and honestly handed it directly to the Zhang brothers:

"These are your father's belongings, keep them."

Seeing that he still intended to abide by the Green Robe Alliance, Zhang Wu and Zhang Wen simultaneously waved their hands repeatedly.

How can this be done?

Captain, we brothers are nothing more than two henchmen today, having done nothing of merit yet receiving your great kindness. If we were to divide the spoils further, we would truly be acting out of line.

The alliance we made earlier is good, but we must adapt to changing circumstances. In the future, you may take any business that we brothers do not need to help with!
Otherwise, how are we any different from a shameless scoundrel like Xue Da?

"The treasures of the world belong to those with virtue."

This treasure was first retrieved by my father, then snatched away by Xue Da, but ultimately ended up in the hands of the captain of the ship, which naturally proves that you are the virtuous one.

"Please, under no circumstances, mention the matter of the belongings again."

The two brothers were deeply moved by Wang Cheng's promise, and knelt down to push the box back.

After a moment's hesitation, Wang Cheng accepted the treasure.

But then he suddenly changed the subject and said to the two of them:

"I think Zhang Wu's [Eight Blades of Breaking Waves] should be nearing completion, right?"

Zhang Wu didn't know why he asked this, but he answered honestly:
"I have a pretty good talent. I've been practicing swordsmanship with the elders of my clan since I was a child, and I'm not far from mastering it."

If we can catch one or two more 100,000-ton seafood delicacies, I'm confident we can break the record by early next year.

Compared to his older brother who is single-mindedly focused on training, Zhang Wen, who is younger, is far behind and needs another year or two to hone his skills.

Wang Cheng knew what was going on, so he said to the two of them:

"I'll make the decision that if we capture another 100,000 seafood treasures, we won't sell them first, but will prioritize supplying them to Zhang Wu so that he can light up his heart lamp as soon as possible and help me if he has the ability."

As for Zhang Wen, give me a copper coin.

The latter immediately did as instructed, and hurriedly took out a copper coin and handed it over.

Wang Cheng accepted the "payment" and silently thought to himself:

"Sold. Mastery of the [Yaksha Staff Technique]!"
Once a deal is made, it cannot be reneged on.

After killing Xue Da this time, I made a risk-free deal. The item I randomly "bought" from him was the [Yaksha Staff Technique], which I had mastered to its highest level!
For Wang Cheng, this external training method was no longer of much use.

Using it for oneself would only be icing on the cake; it would be better to act as a middleman and sell it to the core team to quickly enhance their strength.

When chaos erupts at sea and heroes draw their swords, a powerful naval force can be assembled in the shortest possible time!

"Thanks to the gifts of nature, I do not produce any special skills or extraordinary abilities; I am merely a porter of nature."

Zhang Wen didn't know what was happening, but he felt a heat between his eyebrows, and countless techniques and instincts for using the staff quickly filled his brain.

Looking at my hands, a strong urge rose within me.

He picked up the shovel from the ground with his toes and grabbed it in his hand.

With his body moving with the shovel, a set of Yaksha staff techniques he had never learned before was executed as smoothly as flowing water: sweeping, deflecting, clouding, parrying, lifting, stabbing, chopping, picking, and pointing.

After using it, I felt my whole body brimming with energy, and I could vaguely sense a connection between my inner and outer self, as if my inner light had been ignited.

He stood there stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

Wang Cheng didn't bother to explain further; this external training method was enough to be worth a share of a Three Thousand Abyss Treasure.

He waved to the two brothers:

"You guys go back first, I'll handle the aftermath."

Zhang Wu now revered his own ship's bower as a god, bowed deeply to him, and then, pulling his younger brother who still seemed to be floating on clouds, quickly disappeared into the night.

Wang Cheng watched them walk away and made sure no one was following them before returning to the courtyard and opening the mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer box.

Sure enough, a treasure was hidden inside.

It was a small silver ingot, about ten taels in size, with a boat-shaped ingot on the front and a round talisman on the bottom, radiating a bright, reddish-blue light.

Clearly, the radiance seen during the initial aura reading originated from it.

【The Craftsman's Silver of the Three Thousand Abyss Treasures.】

Upon seeing just one name, Wang Cheng's heart skipped a beat:
"It's such a treasure? No wonder Xue Da didn't sell it even after four years of stealing it."

"We've struck it rich! This is true wealth!"

The Three Thousand Treasures that drifted out from the depths of the vast ocean could be any kind of inanimate object: antique jade artifacts, talismans, secret scrolls and Taoist books, rare minerals, swords and weapons. The common characteristic is that they are all very valuable. 【Craftsman's Silver】, however, belongs to the category of talismans.

Similar to the origins of evil spirits, dramatic changes in people's hearts and significant historical events can guide the will of all beings to form talismans composed of dragon and phoenix patterns, cloud-like characters and jade characters on certain old objects. These are talismanic objects used to ward off evil.

The most famous examples include the "Red Cloud Sword" used by Emperor Gaozu to slay the snake, the "chessboard" used by Emperor Jing, the chess master of the Han Dynasty, the "one-eyed stone man" unearthed from the Zhuo River in this dynasty, and the "treasure basin" of Shen Wansan, the God of Wealth.

Originally, the "craftsman's silver" was a ransom paid by craftsmen throughout history to the government to avoid corvée labor, bearing witness to the blood and tears of the lower-class craftsmen.

Later, some of the silver from the artisan workshops, driven by the strong will of various artisans, gradually gave birth to talismans, which became talismanic objects with magical abilities.

"When people burn paper offerings to their ancestors, in addition to their wishes, they must also stamp the paper offerings with a silver seal made by a craftsman for it to be effective."

Otherwise, no matter how many thousands or tens of thousands of taels you write on the face value, it won't count.

It was then used by the silversmiths and court officials in the water-servancy bureaucracy to become the seals necessary for manufacturing incense and religious coins.

After collecting a certain amount of incense offerings and prayers, only after being stamped with the silver seal of the craftsman can a single incense offering coin circulate among the officials of the divine path.

In other words, these artisan silver pieces are equivalent to a 'money printing machine' in the Shinto cultivation system!
What kind of official positions can you build if you don't have the money?
Craftsman Silver: Hey, I'm not short of money!

Wang Cheng was overjoyed as he stroked the piece of silver crafted by skilled artisans.

"The number of these treasures in existence is extremely small. Apart from the treasure vaults of those powerful forces, it is probably only possible to find a few in mother-of-pearl boxes that have floated out from the depths of the vast ocean."

With this treasure's help, and with ample incense offerings and prayers, becoming the head manager of the Heavenly Bank is no problem at all.

It is said that the path of spiritual practice consists of four elements: wealth, companion, Dharma, and environment. Wealth is ranked first. It may not be omnipotent and cannot solve all problems, but it is all-powerful and can solve 99% of the problems.

With the power of money, you can overwhelm others with sheer force of cash; you're invincible!

"Moreover, after being worshipped by officials for a long time, this level of talisman and talisman is qualified to suppress the destiny of a lineage and is more than enough to confer ordination and rank newcomers."

Thanks to Xue Da's greed for wealth and bad luck, this person has a "golden thread wedding dress" destiny. This kind of destiny is like a blind box treasure chest; you'll be pleasantly surprised no matter which one you open.

"Giving up a swallowtail-tailed yellowtail amberjack in exchange for a piece of 'craftsman's silver' and nearly four thousand taels of silver is truly a huge profit."

After a careful inspection, nothing else could be found in the jar.

Wang Cheng opened his mouth and inhaled, and the 3800 taels of gold and silver, the house deeds, and the mother-of-pearl box scattered on the ground were all sucked into the coin hole of the Sihai Tongbao coin and fell into that intangible pavilion and tower.

Now, by the light of his inner lamp, he could barely make out the three characters written on the white jade archway in front of the building: "Dharma Treasury".

As the name suggests, it is a treasure trove for storing Buddhist treasures.

"My nickname is Fugui. I have obtained the [Sihai Tongbao] and [Jiangban Silver]. If I plan things out properly in the future, I am afraid I will never lack money again."

Now all that's needed is time to grow.

After refilling the excavated ground and restoring it to its original state, all that remained was the most difficult part: the corpses scattered all over the ground.

What would be hellish for others is just a piece of cake for Wang Cheng.

"Just sell them all."

The "Sihai Tongbao" coin was capable of being appraised and traded; the trading partner could be another person or the Sihai Tongbao coin itself.

Kneeling in front of a corpse, place your hand on its head and silently recite:
"Sell".

call--!
Suddenly, a golden wind swept through the courtyard, moving back and forth among the corpses, accompanied by a faint yet dense gnawing sound. The corpses, along with their clothes and bloodstains, gradually disappeared without a trace.

It was as if it had returned to its origin, reverting to the primordial energy of heaven and earth, leaving no trace behind.

Of course, to outsiders, this is more like a sacrifice to the superior being!
He quickly cleared the courtyard, leaving not even a single cup, plate, or food box from the evening's feast, completely cutting off all clues. He nodded in satisfaction.

"As friends who frequently commit murder know, the investigation efforts for missing persons cases and family annihilation cases are completely different."

The Water Transport Bureau was merely a puppet regime; Yuegang remained in the hands of the armed maritime merchants of the "Mutual Trade Faction," who lacked the capacity for a large-scale search.

Furthermore, the bureaucratic airs are tainted, and the officials' abilities are ineffective; no one can trace my actions back to them.

Wang Cheng walked out the door and then politely closed it again, demonstrating impeccable manners in every action.

Not long after I went out, I suddenly stopped.

He moved his right foot aside, revealing a piece of broken silver embedded in the ground. Unsurprisingly, he picked it up, stuffed it into his pocket, and continued on his way.

This is the "payment" obtained after selling more than twenty corpses to Sihai Tongbao.

Although it cannot conjure anything out of thin air, it can increase its owner's wealth, making it easy to find money when going out and to make a fortune in business.

Twenty corpses could be worth about ten taels of silver.

(End of this chapter)