Chapter 106: The Haunted Ship Blocks the Pass—An Unexpected Arrival of the Conception

As the alarm bells rang, figures flickered throughout the Pu family ancestral mansion. The White Scale Guards vaulted onto the rooftops, their hands brushing the eaves as they leaped, all eyes turning toward the pitch-black sea beyond the harbor.

Wang Cheng moved with the most effortless grace. His hidden "Dragon-Patterned Python Robe," invisible to others, billowed as he harnessed the dual energies of wind and thunder, soaring onto the ridge with a single bound.

Lu Yunchen was already standing there, clutching a wine flask. He cast a glance back at Wang Cheng, feeling a touch of surprise. He realized that this young centurion, while far inferior to him in natural talent and cultivation, actually surpassed him in sheer dashing charisma.

Wang Cheng, unaware of what this "Envied by Ghosts and Gods" was thinking, focused on the sea using the "Eagle Eye" shared by his guardian spirit, A-Ji.

Deep within the vast Cangming Ocean, a gray wall of fog was rolling in, seemingly slow yet surprisingly swift, closing in on Citong Harbor. Shadows seemed to writhe within the mist, accompanied by a suspicious, pungent stench—a mix of rotting fish and decaying corpses.

"A fog?" Wang Cheng immediately recalled a passage from a letter he had recently read: "Dense fog has been appearing frequently in the waters around Luzon Island, accompanied by many bizarre occurrences."

"Could it be such a coincidence? Has a loophole in the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls formation allowed some evil entity that was chasing those five Frankish adventurer ships to slip into the coastal waters of Great Zhao? I’m not sure, let me take a look."

He used his "Star-Gazing" technique to scan his surroundings. The most auspicious star position nearby was right next to Lu Yunchen. Convinced that even though this man was envied by supernatural forces, he wouldn't die so easily, Wang Cheng shifted his position and quietly stood behind him.

"A formidable evil entity is hidden within the fog. Senior Millennial, take your men to guard the Pu ancestral mansion. Everyone else, head to the harbor for support. All yamen runners and garrison soldiers are to follow. Anyone who deserts the line shall be executed!"

The murderous command of Commander Lu Yi rang out, and the White Scale Guards responded with a thunderous roar. The "Xiezhi Dharma Eye" of a fourth-rank military judge could see far more clearly than anyone else; no one doubted his judgment. If he said a powerful enemy was at sea, there was no room for error.

The men set aside the task of raiding the mansion and immediately mounted their horses to rush to the harbor. Lu Yi opened his Dharma Eye to personally inspect everyone, including his own nephew, ensuring no one dared to embezzle the Emperor’s assets. He remained oblivious to the fact that Wang Cheng had already hidden the most valuable nautical charts and navigation logs within the coin-eye of his "Four Seas Treasure." Not even a fourth-rank official, or even the Lord of the Nation himself, would have been able to spot the discrepancy.

"Hiyah!"

As a semi-insider, Wang Cheng was allotted a robust warhorse. With his unique skill "Beast Taming and Divine Transformation," he tamed the horse the moment he mounted it, as if he had raised it himself for years. Man and horse became one, his horsemanship proving second to none among the White Scale Guards.

As Lu Yi led the main force past the civilian officials who were still watching from afar, he brandished his token and conscripted them as well. "Defending the land from evil is everyone's duty. You all come along."

This was the difference between being an insider and an outsider. With an official position, one earned the right to share in the spoils; without it, one was likely to be pressed into service as fodder.

"Lady Yan, please do as you wish." Lu Yi only bowed to Yan Yunxiao, whose body was shrouded in the divine radiance of the Xiezhi Dharma Eye, cold and otherworldly. He did not force this goddess traveling in disguise to intervene.

"Fugui, I’ll go with you."

Yan Yunxiao ignored him, her expression indifferent. She utilized a dragon-transformation technique, turning into a wisp of green smoke that attached itself to the "Pearl Diver" human vessel. The latter reached out and grabbed Wang Cheng’s hand, vaulting onto his horse to ride with him, as naturally as she had when they rode the dragon.

Lu Yunchen’s admiration for Wang Cheng grew even further. The deeply hidden sense of pride in his bones faded significantly, replaced by a feeling of looking up to this young brother he had just met.

*This must be the Dragon Lady, "Lady Yan," targeted by the Pu family and the pirates, right? Brother Fugui truly has remarkable means. Even a genius like me finds many things incomprehensible, especially what girls are thinking—my guesses are never as fast as their changes. In this, I am far inferior to Brother Fugui. He is truly a master I should learn from!*

Lu Yunchen possessed the Three Marvels. As the saying goes, "One gives birth to two, two to three, and three to everything." His obsession was simple: to be an all-around talent who mastered everything! If anyone could best him in any field, he would pester them to be his teacher, only to use his superior talent to quickly surpass them. However, the young Master Lu, who was now worshiping Wang Cheng, didn't realize that Yan Yunxiao simply didn't understand the concept of social barriers between men and women. In her eyes, Wang Cheng was the only other living being of her kind; everyone else was irrelevant. And the "master of romance" he admired was, in essence, an innocent youth who had never known the taste of worldly affairs.

The main force galloped until they reached the harbor. Citong Harbor had once been a deep-water port with complete infrastructure. By now, dozens of artillery batteries along the harbor edge were firing in unison at a vague shadow deep within the fog.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

These coastal defense cannons were Red-Barbarian guns, equivalent to 18-pounders. While the caliber sounded substantial, the shells were only slightly larger than oranges, with an effective range of barely a kilometer. Even with officials burning talismans and sprinkling holy water to bless the shells with anti-evil power, the effect on the eerie mist remained minimal. The continuous, massive flashes of fire merely tore through the gray fog, illuminating something that was becoming increasingly gargantuan.

"It’s... it’s that! How could it be that?" Wang Cheng’s eyes widened.

His vision was exceptional, and he immediately recognized it as a very old-looking Frankish galleon that had clearly weathered long years of wind and rain. It was stout and thick, its length only slightly more than twice its maximum width. It couldn't sail against the wind and relied on square sails; it was a typical full-rigged configuration with no fore-and-aft sails. Any experienced old sea dog could tell at a glance that this was a carrack, a ship designed specifically for cargo transport with poor windward performance.

Of course, with the expansion of East-West trade, the appearance of any Western ship on the Great Zhao coast was not strange. What was strange was that Wang Cheng recognized it! Or more accurately, he had heard its name. Unlike Great Zhao ships, Western galleons had a stern structure that often featured exquisite carved windows on the tall poop deck to provide comfortable living quarters for captains, officers, and distinguished guests. They also habitually carved the ship's name directly onto the stern bridge.

And on the stern of this ship, the name was clearly written: *Concepción*!

During the Battle of Yue Harbor, he had killed countless enemies. Among the gentry and merchant classes, he had long since collected all the common languages of the East Sea. Japanese, Yunmeng, Dutch, Britannic, East and West Frankish, and even Nanyang dialects were no barriers to him. He was a master of eight languages, enough to shock the "all-around talent" Lu Yunchen for an entire year. There was no way he could mistake the name on the hull.

"Didn't Pu Shouying’s eldest son say that this wrecked galleon had already been captured by others near Luzon Island? They even leaked the contents of the nautical log. Why has it appeared on the coast of Great Zhao now? And where are the other four ships of the global fleet?"

As Wang Cheng watched, he suddenly realized a blind spot he had previously overlooked. "If I had discovered something of such great value, would I let it become known to everyone?"

There were only two possibilities: First, the wrecked, unmanned ship had "a mind of its own" and was intentionally spreading rumors, tricking everyone who found it. Second, those who obtained the information felt it was dangerous and passed the news on, hoping others would test the waters for them. A third possibility was almost non-existent.

Moreover, this unexpectedly appearing ocean-going vessel was clearly not as simple as the young Master Pu’s letter had suggested. Within the coin-eye of the "Four Seas Treasure," a thick, golden light shimmered. The collective wishes of all living beings swirled above it, forming a magnificent vision of flowers, fruits, birds, and beasts, resembling a fairyland paradise.

"The global circumnavigation fleet set out from the Kingdom of East Francia and headed west, completing a route no one had ever traversed before. This proved that the oceans of the world are connected and provided the final link in the evidence that the world is a sphere. The route from the Great Zhao coast back to Francia has been traveled by countless people; they didn't need to prove that. Therefore, the most important task of those five ships was already complete—they carried the monumental achievement of the 'first human circumnavigation'! As people sing their praises, they have inevitably begun to transform into powerful, auspicious artifacts. Regardless of whether they brought back anything extraordinary from the depths of the Cangming Ocean, these five ships are themselves precious treasures. They are the dream vessels of every captain."

Wang Cheng immediately activated the "Four Seas Treasure" to read the rarity of the ship:

*Rarity: Artifact Vessel - Concepción (As a supply ship, not the flagship of the fleet, it is a treasure of a single province, while the flagship is a treasure of the nation.)*

*Having completed an epoch-making feat, it has gained abilities suited to its function. The hold contains a self-contained world where vegetables, grains, and livestock can be raised, ensuring no fear of starvation or scurvy during long ocean voyages. If all five ships are gathered to reconstruct the global fleet, one can pinpoint every node of the journey, lead a massive ocean-going fleet back there, and easily establish a colonial empire! Can be used once per day.*

*Note: Due to an unknown factor, the ship has been 'enlightened' and has gained the characteristics of a living creature.*

His heart hammered when he saw the special ability. "This ability is wasted on a nation of pirates; it should be used by the people best at farming and production in the world to be truly put to good use. If all five could be gathered, it would be possible to bring the Spice Islands—spanning 12,000 miles east to west, 7,000 miles north to south, and consisting of over 20,000 islands—into one's grasp! These aren't just five ships; they are strategic national treasures."

Only when Wang Cheng saw that the vessel was a "living creature" did he gradually calm down. His "Beast Taming and Divine Transformation" was far stronger than the "Enlightenment" of ordinary sea-folk. He believed that one would need at least the cultivation of a third-rank "Living Ghost-God" to enlighten an entire ship and turn it into a ship-demon. Yet, this ship, which had become an auspicious artifact, had come to life on its own?

Had it turned into an unmanned, autonomous ghost ship?

"Could that 'unknown factor' be the supreme treasure the adventurers brought back from the depths of the Cangming Ocean? If there is anything overseas that fits this description and is a household name in the Great Zhao dynasty, it seems only..."

Wang Cheng’s breath suddenly quickened.