Chapter 129: Big Brother, I Want You Dead!

A short while ago, the Nautilus, unencumbered by any accompanying warships, had reached Pinghu Port a good half-day ahead of the diplomatic mission.

Wang Cheng stood on the deck, casually grabbing a handful of the sea breeze.

His Lightning-Listening mastery and the "Harmony of Heaven and Man" unique to middle-rank officials allowed him to clearly sense the geomantic dragon veins of this land, which were vastly different from those of the Great Zhao.

Especially when peering through the eyes of copper coins at the entire expanse of the Four Isles of Yingzhou, one could faintly discern that the fractured royal Qi had formed various big and small fish, snakes, and pythons.

Through Lightning-Listening, it seemed one could even hear the faint whimpers emanating from the entirety of Yingzhou, wondering how many people had died over the years, and how many times the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons had occurred.

He felt firsthand what it meant to be in a Warring States era of sixty-six warring nations, with bones scattered everywhere and rampant demons and evil spirits.

Wang Cheng sighed, feeling a sense of pity in his heart for the living beings on this land:

"What a pity I don't know the method to refine a Myriad Soul Banner—oh wait, the Human Emperor Banner. Otherwise, I'd definitely seize the opportunity to come here and stock up.

This is simply too wasteful. The Five-Peak Flag has water right at its doorstep yet failed to get the first look at the moon; it completely lacks any sense of thrift and household management. Deserving of punishment!"

Of course, compared to the other three large islands, the Jiuphan Islands, largely occupied by the Five-Peak Flag, were practically a paradise in troubled times.

Not only were there large numbers of Five-Peak Flag's maritime merchants, captains, sailors, and private troops stationed here, but also merchants from various countries in the Nanyang and Western Oceans, as well as local dwarf laborers.

As the Nautilus slowly docked at its exclusive internal berth, Wang Cheng happened to see a plump white man, resembling a small meat mountain, carrying a towering stack of burlap sacks to help unload a cargo ship.

"I've run into a new Shinto official again. This looks like a Sumo Wrestler?

I wonder if Han Shushu, the Sea-Scooper with the strength to lift a tripod, came here to arm-wrestle him, whose strength would actually be greater?"

The sixty-three tributary states—including Wa, Champa, Java, the Western Oceans, Nan'an, and Brunei—which all belonged to the Sinosphere cultural circle, had each acquired their unique official rank and statutory position systems by relying on the tributary state system.

Pu Shouyan, whom Wang Cheng had previously killed with an "Eagle-Style Iaijutsu," was a Samurai.

The official before him, who trembled with every step like a mountain of white flesh, was a Sumo Wrestler who placed an extreme value on physical strength.

Wang Cheng had heard people say that after taking a dump, this profession couldn't even wipe their own backside, nearly losing all self-care ability, which had consequently spawned an auxiliary profession known as the "Buttock Cleaner."

It was enough to make one want to give it a wide berth just thinking about it.

"Strange, compared to the last time I came here, the Five-Peak Flag seems to have recruited a lot of outsiders?"

Wang Cheng's gaze swept across the entire port, and he quickly spotted a suspicious detail.

Back when his old man was still around, the fundamental base of the Five-Peak Flag had always been the Dan people.

Their shared tragic circumstances had tightly bound them into a single rope, and their loyalty to the Water-Harvesting Wang family—who bore the future hopes of the Dan people—was at its highest.

Yet now, including that fat sumo wrestler, many people who did not belong to the Five-Peak Flag's core base had appeared on the docks:

Short Wa people, brown-skinned Nanyang natives, Westerners who clearly weren't doing very well for themselves, and Semu people.

Most of these people still wore clothes embroidered with black mountain peaks, indicating their faction within the Five-Peak Flag.

Looking at this emblem, Wang Cheng was deep in thought, and the Debt-Collecting Ghost simultaneously locked onto the greatest "debtor" in the palace from afar.

Huang Yuanzhou came over to his side to report and ask:

"Young Ship Master, do we need to notify the palace and Commander Mao that we've returned, and have them send people over to welcome us?"

Beneath the General Alliance Leader of Maritime Merchants, the King Subduing the Seas, the organizational structure of the Five-Peak Flag began with the five Grand Commanders of the White Peak, Blue Peak, Black Peak, Crimson Peak, and Yellow Peak Flags.

Only after them came the twenty-four generals, thirty-six fierce officers, the core temple army ghost soldiers numbering three thousand five hundred peaks, several thousand warship units, and hundreds of thousands of followers and islanders.

However, the commander positions had long remained mostly vacant without being fully appointed.

Only Mao Haifeng, the foster son [Black Qilin] who had followed Wang Cheng through life and death since childhood, served as the commander of the Black Peak Flag.

Another veteran [Dharmapala Spirit General], Grandpa Dragon-Tail, served as the commander of the Blue Peak Flag. He was not human and generally did not get involved in routine matters.

The other three flags had remained vacant, managed entirely by Wang Cheng's father.

Now that the Grand Ship Master and Young Ship Master were absent, it naturally fell to Mao Haifeng to take charge of the overall situation.

Wang Cheng waved a hand:

"No need for special notification. Just wait in a crowded place; someone already knows we're back."

Now, he had not yet laid eyes on the traitor among the high-ranking members. Before he could confirm it using [Miraculous Goods Deserve Hoarding], everyone was a suspect.

It was better to make a high-profile appearance in front of everyone and put the news of his return right out in the open.

Taking advantage of the crowd, they would keep each other in check, using [Miraculous Goods Deserve Hoarding] and [Debt-Collecting Ghost] to clearly see through the bottom line of every single person.

Traveling in disguise as a commoner was something a wise man would not do.

Wang Cheng was right. The first veteran to perceive his return had already charged out from the mountains, but it was not human.

It was a little creature with the head of a white-haired old man, but a body like a flea or louse with two legs and four arms, leaping swiftly among the buildings in the city and bounding aboard the Nautilus.

It shouted from afar:

"Young Master! Young Master! This old servant has missed you to death!"

This was clearly a demon.

The most fundamental spiritual response of the Baishui fishermen was [Enlightenment]. With his old man Wang Cheng being the most powerful water harvester of the current era, he naturally lacked no shortage of powerful [Dharmapala Spirit Generals] to assist him.

Most of them were formidable figures who had made a resounding name for themselves in Yingzhou and the East China Sea.

Even if the Dharma lord who enlightened them were killed, these demons would not die along with them; it was just that the previously established Dharma covenants would all go dormant and become void.

Whether they obeyed commands now depended entirely on past affection, and wanting to subjugate them anew would most likely require the old master to come in person.

As for the one before him?

[Miraculous Good: Grandpa Dragon-Tail (Race: Dragon Louse).

Originally a dragon louse parasitic on the tail of the Jiaolong Yan Gong, sucking blood. Later successively followed Zou Pusheng, the Grand Preceptor of the Chen Han regime known as the 'Louse Mother Immortal,' and Liu Bowen who 'Unified the Realm.'

As his masters were persecuted one by one, he eventually drifted to Yingzhou, became a Dharmapala Spirit General of the King Subduing the Seas, served as the grand steward of the Five-Peak Flag, and as the Blue Peak Flag commander commanding all Dharmapala Spirit Generals...

Aside from living long, having vast knowledge, and extensive connections, this demon has extremely low combat prowess and is completely not worth mentioning, relying entirely on cautious survival to live until now.

Obsession: To be able to take another gulp of dragon blood before dying of old age in this lifetime.

Note: Having an old man in the family is like having a treasure; a louse is passed down for three generations, the person leaves but the louse remains. A miraculous good deserving hoarding, of considerable value!]

Although this was a combat strength of five, he was the first [Dharmapala Spirit General] enlightened by the old man, and the primary house vassal who had thrown his lot in with the Five-Peak Flag earliest.

He had always been fiercely loyal, having little to do with whether a Dharma covenant existed.

Compared to those of his kind within the Five-Peak Flag, the one Wang Cheng could trust the most right now happened to be these demons.

Dragon-Tail the louse spirit hopped onto Wang Cheng's shoulder in two or three bounds and asked with great excitement:

"Young Master, why have you returned?

Didn't the Master say he had arranged for you to live off your prestige, listen to music in the pleasure houses, and incidentally acquire a few wives and concubines to spread branches and leaves for the Water-Harvesting Wang family in Great Zhao?

Could it be that you actually fancy petite and lovely Wa women?

You should have said so earlier and sent word in advance; this old servant would have found a few old brothers to snatch a few daughters of Daimyos for you. Only that level can barely match your status.

Back then, quite a few brothers ate the parting meal and fled to the Four Isles of Yingzhou to become demon kings, making it very convenient to take action.

Right, this old servant does not recommend the princesses of the Wa sovereign.

Although their family are descendants of Xu Fu, they popularize close-kin marriage—younger sisters marrying older brothers, uncles marrying nieces—and the children born are one by one exceedingly ugly!

They look less than brilliant."

"Uh, that's really not necessary."

Hearing the words of this old louse spirit, Wang Cheng felt as though his old man's admonitions were echoing in his ears once more:

"You needn't care about ancestral family property with your mere 'two liang eight qian' bone weight..."

"Once you've tossed about this property, continue to pull in your head and live as a person..."

"They all know your talent is slightly inferior and will take care of you, so you needn't have psychological pressure..."

"Hurry up and marry and have children; the day your father holds a grandson is the day you unlock the next batch of property...

Your father will also keep an eye out for suitable wife and concubine candidates among the descendants of other peers for you..."

Speechless in his heart, this was all slander!

From the southeast coast to Yingzhou, just how far had these words of yours spread?

It truly ruined people's lives.

Before they could chat much longer, the upper echelons of the Five-Peak Flag had already gathered from all directions.

"Young Ship Master! It really is you!"

"Lord Heir, we've been longing for you, and we've finally brought you back."

"The old ship master's spirit in heaven... our brothers were just waiting for you to preside over the overall situation..."

On the surface, it all seemed completely flawless, everyone appearing deeply sincere.

Wang Cheng swept his gaze around the crowd, and when he saw one of the leading figures, the [Debt-Collecting Ghost] gave a sudden leap.

"Scum! Found you!"

Yet his face remained calm and unperturbed, as if an orphaned and helpless child had found his backbone. He actively leaped off the Nautilus and, in full view of everyone, fiercely embraced a burly figure.

With reddened, emotional eyes, he said:

"Big Brother, I missed you to death!

Father is gone, and from now on I only have you as my family."

The latter also wrapped his arms tightly around him in return, comforting him with heroic generosity:

"Little Brother Cheng, don't you worry. With Big Brother here, no one can ever harm a single hair on your head again."

This display of brotherly affection moved the onlookers to tears, and they sighed:

"When brothers are of one mind, their sharpness can cut through metal. The old ship master's spirit in heaven can finally rest in ease."

What they did not know was this:

Mao Haifeng, who had rushed over in a hurry, felt a profound sense of relief in his heart and chuckled inwardly:

"I was overthinking after all. Those close to him all know this kid's bone weight is only 'two liang eight qian,' a purely foolish boy.

Even if the ancestral property were given to him, he couldn't hold onto it.

His father's greatest expectation all these years was nothing more than for him to quickly take a wife and spread branches and leaves.

Now it seems he is indeed still that same naive, worldly-unwise fool.

Although I don't know how he evaded the lock of his birth characters, since you've already taken the initiative to show your face, as long as I find a random opportunity, I can quietly get rid of you.

Looking at it this way, it's truly wonderful that you've returned; my ritual has hope once again."

Thinking of this, the smile on his face became even more sincere.

He likewise did not know that the requirement of [Miraculous Goods Deserve Hoarding] was that the closer the distance and the more intimate the relationship, the better the effect.

There was no need for painstaking testing, nor for matching wits; this sworn elder brother of his, who was a "beloved close friend and relative," had no possibility of disguising himself in front of the "fool."

Wang Cheng was also sneering in his heart:

"When a person takes an exam out of a total score of 750, he can't even score 200. When everyone thinks he's a fool, he quietly pulls out a... cheat!

Liu Feng and Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew Zhu Wenzheng as sworn brothers might have had grievances, but you, this ungrateful wretch, genuinely deserve to die!"

At the same time, taking advantage of the moment when this greatest traitor and enemy of the Water-Harvesting Wang family let down his guard, the [Debt-Collecting Ghost] casually brushed against him and recovered the first "debt."