Chapter Twenty-Five: The Craft of Annihilation Is Still Lacking

Wang Cheng witnessed the brutal scene and immediately reached a conclusion:

“Huang Yuanzhou is probably not a traitor.

In theory, this Twenty-fourth Commander who has always guarded Yue Harbor wouldn’t even have much opportunity to betray the Wang family. His suspicion was never high to begin with. The most crucial evidence is that his personal troops have already begun to suffer casualties.

It’s said that Xu Chu cried only twice in his life—once when Lord Cao passed away, and the second time when his three thousand soldiers died in battle. That wasn’t just his loyal troops, but the very men of the Xu clan! The ship captains at sea are no different; their loyal troops grow up together from childhood, the most faithful kin and townsfolk, an irreplaceable resource—each lost is gone forever.

When unaware that I was present, there’s absolutely no need to stage a drama at the cost of one’s own loyal soldiers.”

He turned to the group of boatmen beside him, giving orders:

“The eight major ship captains of Yue Harbor are acting personally. With no one above to keep order, things could spiral out of control. If we get caught up in this, it’ll be trouble. Let’s keep our distance.”

He led the group of boatmen away from the chaotic battlefield.

But unexpectedly, a cutthroat near the back suddenly drew a firearm loaded with iron shot, aiming it at the entire group of boatmen who dared to openly defy the authorities.

If he fired, everyone would be riddled like a sieve.

Wang Cheng’s back prickled with cold sweat.

“No honor. They must have planned this in advance; provoking Old Huang alone wasn’t enough—they also intend to deliberately kill the most loyal boatmen of the Wufeng Banner, inflaming the situation completely. Surely those aristocratic clans aren’t planning to strike at Yue Harbor today?”

He wasn’t without options.

But having just suppressed the urge for fragrant food these last few days, he hesitated to risk worsening the side effects by activating his sinister shadow form, [Prince Regent of Heaven’s Mandate], to scare the attached spirits off their adversaries.

Clang—!

Just then, a clear bell rang out from the summit of Baoshan Signal Tower nearby, accompanied by the thick scent of incense that flooded all of Yue Harbor.

The two raging torrents locked in combat seemed suddenly doused with cold water; the blazing fire in their hearts melted away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Even their weapons felt unbearably heavy, difficult to lift.

An aged voice followed:

“Before the Temple of the Heavenly Consort, do not indulge in reckless behavior. Cough, cough...”

The cutthroat leader Wei Zhong, eyes glowing oily green like a wolf’s, stared up at the tower’s summit. This unexpected turn was clearly not in his plans.

“Who are you?”

On the opposite side, the shipmaster Huang Yuanzhou was far more decisive. Hearing the familiar voice, he immediately recalled his troops, knelt down again, and called toward the sea:

“Godmother, please rest.

I’ll deliver your sacrifices, offerings, and incense money tomorrow.”

A shrill cry echoed from the sea, and the thick mist retreated swiftly. The loyal troops regained their composure, gathering around Huang Yuanzhou, wounded comrades in tow.

Huang Yuanzhou finally got up, brought his men to bow toward the Baoshan Signal Tower, and respectfully called out:

“Elder Shen.”

Wang Cheng sighed in relief. Before the official ritual, it was best not to use his trump card if he could avoid it.

Looking up, he finally noticed that atop the cliff-built signal tower, besides the beacon platform and rain shelter, there was a small temple with a signboard reading "Temple of the Heavenly Consort."

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In front of the temple stood an old man and a youth.

The young man’s eyes were lively and cunning, clearly not an ordinary sort.

The elder, though gaunt and with hair streaked white, was tall and upright, his eyes so bright they seemed to pierce through every heart and lurking ghost.

Even the previously arrogant cutthroat leader Wei Zhong instinctively lowered his gaze, not daring to meet those eyes.

The officials, merchants, and ship captains on the dock all cupped their hands and saluted:

“Elder Shen.”

“Hall Master!”

Evidently, the elder commanded great respect in Yue Harbor; all circles paid him their due.

Wang Cheng bowed his head as well, but not out of fear of the elder’s piercing gaze—rather, to conceal his astonishment at the information he sensed:

[Rare Commodity: Elder Shen (Shen Yuting, forty-two years old)
Water Bureau Official: Director / ***
Currently the guardian and Hall Master of the Shanhai Society stationed at Yue Harbor, holding mastery of all thirty-six Water Bureau hall traditions...]

Wang Cheng’s eyes lit up:

“The information I can read is less than any other official I’ve seen at the docks these days. It’s about the same as that [Pearl Diver] Axiao from before. Either the gap in power is vast, or he has treasures shielding his profile.

I’d occasionally heard of the ‘Shanhai Society’ from my father. Many members, like our Wang family, are descendants of the old treasure ship fleet. They’re said to worship the Heavenly Consort for generations, holding a lofty status among sea merchants and pirates—even the Imperial Navy owes them a century-long debt of incense.

But for me, the real value in Elder Shen lies in his identity as [Hall Master], wielding the inheritance of all thirty-six Water Bureau halls...”

At this thought, Wang Cheng’s heart thudded rapidly, his mouth dry from nerves.

A premonition stirred—the next chapter of his apprenticeship might be about to unfold with this Elder Shen.

Although this [Hall Master] shares the surname with the Wealth God Shen Wansan, he appeared to be a half-buried old man, but was in truth only forty-two years old.

He was probably a man with stories, likely entangled in unseen troubles.

Those are matters for another time; for Wang Cheng now, a steady starting point is most important!

Crucially, the title [Hall Master] itself attests to his personal integrity—unlike the peculiar officials seen previously, whose reputations defy description.

“Once matters here are settled, I’ll try to approach Elder Shen.

If I can glimpse his obsession, completing this ‘transaction’ shouldn’t be too hard.”

With Elder Shen, the Hall Master, now presiding, the representatives of various factions in Yue Harbor no longer hid in the shadows, crowding onto the dock.

But their positions were surprising.

Many stood beside the cutthroats, able to contend equally with the Wufeng Banner, guardians of Yue Harbor.

Some openly ignored the cutthroats’ ruthless conduct in the melee, launching a barrage of veiled sarcasm at Huang Yuanzhou:

“Lord Huang, it’s no longer the era of your King of the Eastern Sea ruling here.

You openly defy the authorities to protect an evil criminal—that’s a slap in the face to the court. If the imperial army attacks Yue Harbor, can you bear the consequences?

It’s your Wufeng Banner provoking the court, not us. You wouldn’t be trying to drag us all down, making us follow your banner into starvation, or even take bullets and cannon fire, would you?

How malicious your intentions are!”

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A single stone stirred a thousand ripples—a deep hum spread swiftly across the dock.

It must be said, these words struck home, expressing the anxieties of many sea merchants.

Human nature is thus: when the Wufeng Banner braved the court’s pressure, letting the allies enjoy prosperity, many believed their fortune was due to their own ability.

Now that the Wufeng Banner is in trouble, those same people immediately distance themselves, terrified of being implicated.

Since ancient times, it’s always hard to be the good man—and the good man deserves to have a gun pressed to his head!

Huang Yuanzhou swept a cold gaze across the crowd, spotting the sea merchant who had provoked the discord:

“Hmph, after days of patience, the fox’s tail finally shows.

Xie He, Xie Steward!

Do you dare claim these cutthroats, and the Water Bureau’s officials from days ago, appearing in Yue Harbor, have nothing to do with you aristocratic clans of the southeast?

While the old shipmaster was around, you all secretly colluded with the authorities, eager to monopolize smuggling profits. Now you pretend to be high and mighty?”

Wang Cheng, observing coolly, used [Universal Treasure of the Four Seas] to identify the man’s origins.

Xie Steward was indeed of notable background.

The Xie family’s old patriarch was none other than the former prime minister under Emperor Shaozhi, Xie Wenzheng—a veteran of four reigns!

In the Great Zhao Dynasty, official rank itself signified power and vast influence.

The Xie family was doubtless a leading aristocratic clan in the southeast; calling them ‘all-powerful’ would be no exaggeration.

And their ties to the Wang family ran deep.

Because the leaders of the trade faction, [King of the Seas] Wang Zheng, and the raiding faction, [Imperial Admiral of the Seas] Xu Hai, were once the Xie family’s... white-glove and black-glove agents!

Not just them—actually, most sea merchants and pirates, before their rise, were supported by aristocratic clans.

Ordinary folk were simply unfit to join the maritime trade.

Ships, manpower, goods, intelligence, fencing channels—these were all unattainable for the commoner.

All were handled by the clans; those who wished to defy fate, Water Bureau officials and ordinary folk, contributed their lives for mutual benefit.

Back then, the Xie family used Wang and Xu to pressure the authorities, mobilizing aristocrats and commoners to raise provisions against the ‘pirates,’ then split the profits three to seven with the clans.

At the same time, they leveraged the Imperial Navy’s threat to Wang and Xu, suppressing goods prices—profiting from both sides.

However, later, the Xie family in charge of selling goods defaulted, withheld payment for Wang and Xu’s smuggled cargo, and threatened to turn them in, arresting their kin ashore. The three sides finally split in acrimony.

Recalling the tale, Wang Cheng regarded the unranked Xie He, whose aura was only white—with no official status:

“Owing money to desperadoes is clearly a bad idea.

The Xie family nearly got wiped out by the two rapidly rising factions, losing most of their fortune and swiftly declining to a handful of survivors.

They’ve long since become marginal figures.

Though our Wang family belongs to the trade faction, in this matter, I can only say... well done!

The only flaw is that they failed to eliminate the root, leaving behind such a troublesome pest.

Xu Hai and Father still lacked a certain finesse in their craft.”

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