Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 31 Master: The Water Class is Dangerous, You Must Strive.
"So it was all for the 'selling of official positions' by the Shanhai Society. No wonder even a fishing tyrant like Xue Da could restrain his desires and painstakingly save up several thousand taels of silver."

At this moment, Wang Cheng suddenly realized what Xue Da had prepared that jar of 3800 taels of gold and silver for.

"Xue Da came from the lowest level of the Tanka people. He had no opportunity to study from a young age and was afraid of death so he dared not go to sea. He knew nothing except how to become a fishing tyrant and plunder."

That's why he painstakingly saved up money, preparing to take the shortcut to Zhongnan Mountain.

However, he probably did not foresee that as more and more silver was imported from the West in overseas trade, silver depreciated in recent years, and its exchange rate with gold continued to decline.

He gritted his teeth and saved up for nearly twenty years before he finally had enough gold to buy an official position, allowing him to skip arduous cultivation and ignore seasonal changes.

If it weren't for his "greed for wealth and bad luck" affecting my destiny, which led me to wear his wedding dress, he would probably be the one standing here today.

However, Wang Cheng also had doubts:
"Mr. Shen, I have a question I would like to ask you."

It's fine if the tuition fee is less than eight ingots of gold, as the relationship between the apprentices and the Mountain and Sea Society is merely a transaction. However, those who pay eight ingots and sixteen ingots of gold are true disciples of the sect.

Does our Shan Hai Hui only consider money when accepting true disciples, and disregard their character?
What if those who come to seek apprenticeship are traitorous Tanka people like those in the Waterways Bureau who aid and abet evil? Aren't you afraid that the Mountain and Sea Society will also degenerate into a powerful fishing gang that bullies the weak?

His concerns were not unfounded.

The best soldiers in the army are from good families, not death row inmates and murderers who have already seen blood; even in the underworld, loyalty is paramount, and those who plot against their brothers will be punished with three cuts and six holes.

Disciples betray their masters at the drop of a hat, masters use their disciples to practice magic, and fellow disciples deceive and kill each other, abandoning even the most basic moral constraints.
This will inevitably lead to an unlimited increase in management costs, and the organization will be destroyed in an instant, let alone grow and expand.

"Traitor? Character? Ha!"

Upon hearing Wang Cheng mention the Tanka traitors who disappeared on the same night as the "Du Shui Lang," Boss Shen gave him a meaningful look, a glint of gold in his eyes:
"My eyes are still open and my ears are still sharp; I can tell who is talented and who is a menace."

So far, I haven't been fooled.

"Fugui, I think your character is quite good, very good, cough cough cough."

Wang Cheng suddenly felt as if he had been seen through, and a chill ran down his spine. He couldn't help but wonder if the other person also had a "Four Seas Coin" hidden in their eyes.

But they quickly realized that in history, "hoarding rare goods" was a specialty of court officials and merchants.

Despite possessing the Four Seas Coin, he is still not an official, and his ability to judge people and their appearance may not be as good as this old magistrate's.

The reason why the Shan Hai Society opened its doors so readily was probably because the leader, the "Chao Feng Lang," had enough confidence in his family's unique skills.

They might even be planning to have those people send the money first, then arrange a death quota for these "disciples"—killing multiple birds with one stone, it's practically perfect.

Having gained both wealth and eliminated corrupt elements, coupled with the survivor bias of righteous disciples, outsiders remained completely unaware of this secret, and continued to follow suit.

Hearing that Old Shen seemed to be implying something, Wang Cheng couldn't help but wonder if the old man had seen something in him.

But he was confident in his own "Four Seas Coins" and wasn't nervous at all. Instead, he shamelessly flattered them, saying:

"Can a good character be given away for free? I'd like to choose a scale gold."

Shen Yuting stroked his beard and smiled kindly at Wang Cheng. Just when he thought he had a chance, he heard the old man coldly utter two words:
"cannot!"

Ignoring Wang Cheng's crestfallen expression, Shen Yuting looked him up and down before continuing:
"One pound of gold is 30 catties, which can also be exchanged for 3840 taels of silver at the current market price of 1 to 8. We can't skimp on the big part, but I can make the decision to round it down for you."

"Then pay 3817 taels, 3 mace, and 35 copper coins."

When Wang Cheng heard this number, his body stiffened abruptly, and he spoke dryly:

"Xiaoxiao has it."

With a bitter face, he took out several bank drafts from his body: one Yutongshun, two Weitaihou, and four Tianchengheng. They were all from major banks with the character "Yu" in their names, belonging to the four ranks of Yuan, Heng, Li, and Zhen.

There were also some loose silver coins and copper coins laid out on the table.

It was obvious that they had emptied their pockets, and in the end, the exact amount that Old Shen had given them was exactly the same!
Looking at the tuition fee that had been handed in, Shen Yuting smiled slightly, and the golden light in her eyes shone even brighter.

'Well, you really are the one who killed that group of Tanka traitors!'

They clashed during the day, and by night they had killed everyone, disposing of the bodies so thoroughly that even I couldn't find a single flaw.

The methods were indeed ruthless, but the ending was not thorough enough.

The embezzled money was indeed laundered through money changers, and even deposited separately in several different money changers. Unfortunately, it was only laundered once, enough to fool those stupid officials, but it couldn't stop my discerning eyes.

Compared to when I was doing business in Wuke (a type of cough syrup), I'm a step less cautious in my buying and selling.

By working backwards, Shen Yuting understood why the Water Conservancy Bureau's "official aura" hadn't backfired on him. This kid was not only vindictive but also meticulous in his planning, unconventional, and decisive in using the "Resurrection Incense" at dawn to achieve victory. He also knew how to leverage external forces, using the people's hearts to break down the official aura. He was definitely a top-tier talent needed by the Water Conservancy Bureau!
If I hadn't stumbled upon his crime scene that very night by sheer chance, no one would have discovered what he had done.

The more Shen Yuting thought about it, the more he felt that this young man suited his taste.

With a flick of his sleeve, the money on the table vanished without a trace, leaving only the gold ingots given to him by Huang Yuanzhou, which he then returned to him, shaking his head in regret:

"Fu Gui, I never expected you could actually produce a pound of gold."

I was originally planning to just take all your wealth as a token gesture and become your personal disciple, but alas, Fugui, your luck isn't so good; you're too rich.

Ignoring Wang Cheng's stunned expression, he continued leisurely:
"To be formally included in my lineage register, you must do so during the ordination ceremony. Today, please serve tea first."

Since he had chosen the gold-level tuition, there was no reason not to choose Shen Yuting, the "Director of the Hall of Imperial Sacrifices." Wang Cheng didn't dare to protest and knelt down cleanly to become his disciple.

A large mule or horse is valuable, but a big ego is worthless. It is only right to take a master as a disciple, and there is no psychological barrier to it.

Then he got up and met with his senior brother Zheng Qian.

"Senior Brother Zheng."

Zheng Qian returned the gift to him:

"Haha, Junior Brother Wang! I'm finally not the youngest in the sect anymore."

Shen Yuting took a sip of the tea that Wang Cheng offered and said earnestly:
"Fugui, before you, I only had three true disciples. The others were just easy targets."

You also have my eldest brother Zhang Quan and my second sister Shen Yueye, who is also my only daughter. They are currently away on official business. I will introduce them to you another day.

Zheng Qian is the third son, and he stayed by my side to help me. You are the fourth son in my lineage.

However, starting late is nothing to worry about. Our water-gathering lineage is the most dangerous, so you must strive harder!

The water-class officials were already at the bottom of the three classes, and there had been constant infighting for many years. It was no exaggeration to say that they were beset by internal and external troubles.

Shen Yuting, the "Director of the Imperial Household" who shoulders heavy responsibilities, is always worried, and thus has higher expectations for his disciples.

"The fourth child?"

Wang Cheng chewed on this ranking, which sounded quite impressive, and felt rather satisfied.

Ultimately, only one disciple can inherit the position of "Director of the Hall of the Year," and he should indeed encourage him.

Judging from the appearance of his third senior brother Zheng Qian, the atmosphere within the sect seemed to be quite good, so he bowed deeply.
"Yes, Master. Your disciple will certainly not let you down!"

When I straighten up, my shoulders feel heavy and a little sore.

If I'm not mistaken, it's because he had just put down the burden of the Five Peaks Banner East Sea Kingdom and was about to take over the leadership of the Thirty-Six Halls of the Water Class again.

This shoulder pain can only be attributed to the fact that the Crown Prince's "occupational hazard" has flared up again.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Shen Yuting got up and told the workers to continue working. He then led his two disciples to the backyard of Fenglinzhai. After passing through the rockery and stone bridge, a three-story pavilion stood amidst the vegetation.

"Fourth brother, you have already lit the lamp of your heart. Before you were ordained and listed in the ranks, it was a process of painstaking refinement, gradually improving your inner light until your life fire was pure Yang."

Besides internal training, external training, and dietary supplements, the remaining time should not be wasted.

Like Dou Yan, one should familiarize oneself with the relevant profession and accumulate experience in advance, so as not to have to cram at the last minute and run into problems when receiving ordination.

As your teacher, I possess the complete lineage of all thirty-six classes.

I have some free time today, so I'll take this opportunity to analyze your destiny and see which of our Water Rank Officials' classes is most compatible with it.

Shen Yuting had clearly gotten into character quickly and began to teach his apprentices diligently as their master.

He went straight to the point and asked Wang Cheng the first question:
"Fourth brother, everyone in the Great Zhao Dynasty wants to be granted a title and be listed in the ranks. Even if you can't pass the imperial examination and become an official of the court, you still want to be a third-rank official."

In the study of destiny, no matter what else is sought, even if it involves some crooked methods, one must still ensure that one's children have a "birth chart with the seal" (八字带印).

Do you know where our system of divine officials came from?

(End of this chapter)