Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 34 White-faced but black-hearted, disciple like master

"Fine, fine, just a breath ago I was your most beloved little disciple, and now you don't? So this is the kind of master you are."

Bang!
Zheng Qian, who had fallen from grace from a sweetheart to a scoundrel, had no time to lament the replacement of the old with the new before Shen Yuting kicked her into the attic.

One or two tsukumogami are fine, four or five are not a big problem either.

But even with thirty-six spirits attacking at once, he, a seventh-rank official, was no match for them. He could only try to extinguish the incense as quickly as possible and end the baby's first birthday celebration.

Zheng Qian had just adjusted to the dim light in the attic when he saw that Wang Cheng, who was surrounded by a group of tsukumogami, was not flustered. Instead, he took out a tubular bronze bull that was not much bigger than a whistle from his pocket.

Zheng Qian paused for a moment when he saw the somewhat familiar look:
"This seems to be a blowpipe used in conjunction with the 'Rooster Crows at Dawn' incense for returning souls?"

He remembered that his master seemed to have a similar bronze ox, but it had been used for so long that it was smooth and shiny, almost like it had developed a patina.

The junior brother, however, is still a new one.

He was absolutely right.

After Wang Cheng tricked Xue Da and his gang last time, he tasted the sweetness of the "resurrection incense" at dawn.

Of course, it's impossible for him to turn over a new leaf and become a respectable gentleman; on the contrary, he continues to promote and glorify this practice.

This tubular bronze ox is the tool used in the "Incense Manual" of the Water Collection lineage to perform the "blowing" technique.

In the dead of night or during a lull in the fighting, the enemy will cough towards the girl's private quarters, and the girl will blow a breath while the enemy shouts three times: "Fall! Fall! Fall!" The enemy will then fall to the ground and not get up.

In the past few days, in addition to preparing a large quantity of various sleeping potions, he also prepared some powerful demon-slaying pills specifically for evil spirits and malevolent entities.
"Three ounces of tiger skull, one ounce of realgar (finely ground), one ounce of podophyllum (beard removed), one ounce of aconite (skin removed), one ounce of soapberry (skin and seeds removed), one ounce of dandelion, one ounce of veratrum (root removed)."

Grind all the ingredients into powder, mix with refined honey to form pills the size of apricot kernels, and use them to treat fever, seasonal diseases, corpses, and evil spirits.

Burn one pill and place it in the four corners of the room to treat fever and seasonal illnesses; burn one pill and place it by the bedside to treat diseases in cattle and horses; burn one pill and place it in the nose to cure madness, evil spirits, delirium, and confusion.

The bronze bull contained powdered Daishin-maru without the Hema-maru.

Before the group of tsukumogami could completely surround him, Wang Cheng raised the bronze ox and blew on it forcefully.

Having practiced the [Dragon Breathing Technique] for over a decade, his lung capacity was astonishing; a large cloud of crimson smoke transformed into countless red streaks that suddenly shot out.

Zila——!
The two swordsmen closest to him, the oarsman [Bai Shuilang] and the copper coin sword [Chao Fenglang], looked as if they had been splashed with sulfuric acid, screaming and staggering backward.

Wang Cheng seized the opportunity to rush forward and sever both heads with a single stroke.

The other spirits retreated in shock. They had been capturing Zhou for so many years, and they had never seen such a treacherous person who had no sense of martial ethics.

Wang Cheng, however, was perfectly justified:
"Naive! What's the difference between a person and an animal if they can't use tools? How can someone who's always looking before and after the problem become the new sun for water collectors?"

He grabbed the fallen oar knife and copper coin sword and rushed out the door, just as he brushed past his third senior brother who had been kicked in.

Zheng Qian:
I have something I don't quite understand, but I'm not sure if I should say it.

Wang Cheng fully trusted his senior brother, leaping out of the door to hand the two items for Shen Yuting's first birthday celebration, and said in a serious tone:

“Master, your disciple has lived up to your expectations and retrieved the two items for the baby’s first birthday celebration using your own abilities.”

The old man ignored his third son, who was dodging a group of tsukumogami and squealing as he tried to extinguish the incense sticks; his eyes were now only on his fourth son.

I completely agree with his statement about "relying on one's own abilities":
"Not bad, you have three-tenths of the style I had back then."

Your three senior brothers and sisters are good at other things, but they are still far behind in this path of being white-faced but black-hearted and having no taboos.

"My teachings have a worthy successor!"

They looked Wang Cheng up and down, tall, handsome and spirited, especially at the bronze ox he was still clutching in his hand.

He also took out a golden bronze bull from his pocket. The two bulls were slightly different in size and shape, but their construction was exactly the same.

At first, Wang Cheng was unsure of his master's temperament and didn't know if his master was praising him, but when he saw the bronze ox, he immediately felt reassured.

He confirmed that his master was not pedantic.

In his previous life, he was a student for over ten years, never failing a course, never being punished by standing, and never being beaten. He was publicly praised as a role model every year.

He did all the roles of dormitory head, academic representative, class monitor, and department head.

I do have some insights into this way of "making a living".

In matters of principle, one must be compliant with one's mentor; however, in minor matters, one must have one's own opinions. Even flattery must be skillful, and one should occasionally use small amounts of power to secure benefits for one's brothers and sisters. One must be adept at navigating social situations and avoid internal strife, otherwise, one risks being branded a "traitor" by one's brothers.
There's a lot more to being a student than meets the eye!
The most important thing is to understand your teacher's temperament and then imitate him; this is called the disciple learning from his teacher!

In Wang Cheng's view, achieving the last point is the most difficult, but also the most effective.

Based on his experience from his previous life, if conditions allowed, he would at least set up a "Rooster Crows at Dawn: Soul-Returning Incense Fellowship Research Association" for his master, to let him know what a real treacherous minister is!

They reacted very quickly at that moment.

He grasped Shen Yuting's hand tightly, overcome with emotion:
"My mentor understands me!"

"Fourth brother, you understand me too!"

"Teacher!"

"Fourth!"

Having finally found a like-minded disciple, Shen Yuting felt that his most treasured skills would not be lost forever.

When Zheng Qian, looking somewhat disheveled, finished packing up the items for the baby's first birthday celebration and came out, he saw an old man and a young boy holding each other's arms like a father and son who had been separated for many years, showing mutual affection.

He talked about everything from "One Hundred Ways to Use Incense" to "Delayed Effect of Compound Incense," and from "Improving the Flavor of Sleeping Pills" to "Two or Three Guesses about Colorless and Odorless Ingredients." He spoke about everything in great detail.

The background features a distant, crimson sunset and splashing waves, creating a subtle and inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

This was not an uncommon phenomenon in the Great Zhao Dynasty. Blood descendants were the inheritors of bloodline, while legal descendants were the inheritors of the orthodox tradition.

In the literati, the status of their favorite students was in no way inferior to that of their own children.

This is especially true for officials in the Shinto order. Many niche official positions have requirements regarding one's destiny, zodiac sign, and birth chart, making it difficult for succession from father to son. Finding a satisfactory successor is harder than climbing to heaven.

After a heart-to-heart talk, the master and apprentice suddenly became much closer.

Shen Yuting, not forgetting his business, gripped his oar knife and copper coin sword and said to Wang Cheng:

"Fourth brother, we Eight Outer Gates are not officials appointed by the imperial court. We don't have anyone above us. Although we can theoretically reach the first rank, it is difficult to be promoted step by step."

The successful experiences of predecessors cannot be replicated; there must be various coincidences involved, and only one or two out of thousands of people can reach the top three ranks.

The water collector who came closest to the first rank in history was Prince Jinghai, who was a second-rank official called "Bai Shui Lang" during his lifetime. Even after becoming a king and establishing his own system, he almost reached the pinnacle of his profession, but still could not attain the first-rank official position.

However, if quality is insufficient, quantity can make up for it. The more positions one holds, the closer one is to the Dao. It is not entirely unreasonable that throughout history, there have been people who have tried to take on multiple roles to find a new path.

Most people can't manage to hold multiple jobs, but I think you might be able to.

The most difficult hurdle is that one's destiny cannot bear the weight of the lineage. Since you can bear it, as long as you study and practice more, cultivating two or three lineages at once is absolutely no problem.

Wang Cheng was taken aback by these words.

The Wang family, who specialize in water collection, have always focused on only one area of ​​expertise. The older Wangs and the very older Wangs have never had experience with multiple areas of expertise, so they are somewhat unsure of themselves.

He couldn't help but ask cautiously:
"Master, will this work?"

To be honest, ever since he realized that the "trading" of the "Sihai Tongbao" coins might be deeply connected with the selling of official positions by the Chaofeng Lang, he wanted to investigate further.

He was really reluctant to give up his family's sacred treasure, and when he heard his master say that he could do it part-time, he was really tempted.

Zheng Qian, standing nearby, was carefree and quickly forgot about his fall from favor, saying with a proud expression:
"My master was born with the 'Tai Chi Noble Personality' and was exceptionally talented. He also held the positions of 'Chaofeng Lang' and 'Qianxing Guan'."

Not only is his 'Six Lines Money Divination' unparalleled, making him the best in Yuegang, but he is also determined to pave a grand road for water collectors and open up new official positions.

"My senior brother, second senior sister, and I haven't really grasped the essence yet, so this crucial responsibility of carrying on the legacy might very well fall on your shoulders."

Previously, when I was at Baoshan Fenghou, because of the distance and the lack of close relationship, I only saw the surface of the situation.

Unexpectedly, this master was a hidden master who had already experimented on himself.

Shen Yuting raised his hand to stop Zheng Qian from bragging to him, but just by looking at those raised eyebrows, one could tell that he was actually quite pleased with himself.

"The pentad for Bai Shuilang should be the first pentad of Rain Water [Otter Sacrifice Fish], while the pentad for Chao Fenglang should be the second pentad of Spring Equinox [Thunder Sounds]. There is a month difference between them."

We still have time, why don't we give it a try first?

Wang Cheng, recalling his father's experience of only reaching the second rank, hesitated for a moment before decisively nodding:
"Okay, let's give it a try!"

(End of this chapter)