Chapter Sixty-Four: Nine Dragons Spitting Pearls, Layers of Subcontracting

“Lady Yan’s reincarnation? And we’re supposed to catch her? Hiss—!”

The other three gasped at the news, hearing it for the first time.

The speaker, Master Qian Fifth, carried a stench so deeply ingrained it seemed to seep from his very bones. That foul breath of the cycle of grains drifted in and out of his nose like snot, leaving an uncanny and revolting impression.

Yet no one thought he was joking.

Master Qian Fifth, known as the “Nightsoil Lord,” was no ordinary figure. The title sounded like a manure collector—and indeed, he was exactly that. But among all moon harbor’s nightsoil men, he had risen to dominate the entire trade, the fabled “Dung King.”

Do not underestimate the moniker “Dung King.” He monopolized the nightsoil business for tens of thousands of households in Moon Harbor, turning their waste into fertilizer and selling it to neighboring counties, living a life of enviable prosperity.

With manpower and wealth at his disposal, he commanded far more prestige than the local fishing guilds—a figure the other three could only look up to. Only because his vast enterprise left him vulnerable in Moon Harbor did he wear a mask, like the others, to avoid public scrutiny.

Given his status and reputation in the underworld, Master Qian Fifth had no need to lie.

The three felt their legs trembling; dealing with a handful of temple stewards was one thing, but facing Lady Yan’s reincarnation was quite another.

Fear mingled with frustration.

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier? Using Xie He as bait to capture Lady Yan’s reincarnation—are we even qualified?”

“The mist just now wiped out the Xie merchant’s gunship so easily—was that Lady Yan herself?”

“Now we’re stuck on your pirate ship, how do we get out? Master Qian, you’ve really thrown us to the wolves!”

Master Qian merely pressed his hands down, unconcerned, urging them to calm themselves:

“What are you afraid of?

Xie He knows little, doesn’t know who we are, and like everyone else, has been bound by a state-level sealing charm—‘Keep It Secret’—so sensitive information can’t be spoken even if he tries.

Besides, none of us depend on the sea for our livelihood. Even if we offend the Sea Goddess’s sect, can they possibly come after us? On this land, it’s the nobles who rule.”

Everyone knew the Sea Goddess’s sect had eighteen subordinate deities:

The Five Water Immortals of Maozhu, the Three Water Gods of Mulan Dam, Inspector Lin, General Fubo Ma Yuan and Lu Bode, Jiaying and Jiayu, Steward Yan Gong...

Her temple army of ghost soldiers, the “Gaoli Ghosts,” were even stronger than the “Five Peaks Candidates” and “Sea Islet Ghosts.”

Though powerful, under the “Twenty-Four Seasonal Rites,” ghosts and gods faced far stricter laws than the living.

The “Lady Azure Sky Statutes,” which governed divine, human, and ghostly conduct, decreed:

“Divine officials under the true gods must not allow their subordinates to enter and harm good people.

If violated, nine years hard labor; if knowingly uncorrected, the death penalty; deliberate defiance brings severe punishment.”

Punishments ranged from flogging, imprisonment, exile, needle execution, beheading, dismemberment (or annihilation), to molten iron or copper forced down the throat.

The Sea Goddess herself, born among the boat people, vowed lifelong chastity and detachment from the mundane, devoting herself to rescuing shipwrecked souls at sea.

Thus, her descent from the Northern Dipper, her miracles in the mortal world, her command over the vast ocean, her divine powers—all this.

Unless her vow was broken, her followers could not set foot on land.

A gentleman may be deceived by his virtue!

Master Qian Fifth’s reassurance steadied them, and he revealed his true intent:

“To locate Lady Yan’s true form, our employer prepared two plans.

One, send Xie He out as a target, capture and interrogate Lady Yan’s temple stewards, seeking the true form of the Flood Dragon, while also hoping to draw out Lady Yan’s reincarnation.

After reincarnation, she must cultivate anew—her power is weak, and the four of us can handle it.

But now, with outsiders intervening, our exposure means any hope of capturing her reincarnation is slim.

All responsibility falls on Xie He!”

The intrusion of the Green-Robed ship misled them; they failed to realize two groups had acted, and kept spinning wild theories.

“Second, the noble behind our employer wields a strange art, able to sense the Flood Dragon’s aura in others.

He’s confirmed the Flood Dragon’s shell lies somewhere in the Jiulong River basin.

So, since last year’s sending-off of the King’s Boat, our faction’s lords have pushed for a wave of evil unrest throughout the basin.

According to the noble’s divination, we probe every yin-yang node along the Jiulong’s banks.

To any yin entity, the Flood Dragon’s shell is irresistible—like moths to flame, they’ll rush to it if close.

Since the first plan failed, we should focus on the second.”

The other three, all clever enough to attain official rank, brightened:

“So, Master Qian, you mean the noble cares only for results.

As long as we identify the node where Lady Yan hides, and pinpoint the Flood Dragon’s shell, no one cares if our mission failed.

Do you already have clues?”

All eyes eagerly turned to Qian Fifth, whose disciples and informants were everywhere.

He sniffed his “cycle of grains” again, his face inscrutable:

“Of course.

Why do you think our employer insisted on so many actions to seize control of Moon Harbor?

On the surface, for the economic gains of this world trading hub.

But in truth, the second day of the second month—the Dragon Rises—is when the divine ritual ‘Nine Dragons Spit the Pearl’ activates.

Even if the missing Prince Wang Cheng never appears, Moon Harbor has another backup to ensure the ritual’s Flood Dragon aura.

They may even drain the fleeing prince with the power of the formation.

Whoever finds Lady Yan’s true form will be the noble’s greatest hero!”

The group grew excited.

Unable to leave the pirate ship, they resolved to lure every evil entity in the Jiulong basin into Moon Harbor, seize the top merit, trade their status for official rank.

Ambition burned in Master Qian Fifth’s eyes:

“Blood sacrifices cross the river; the true gods do not intervene.

I’ve long prepared a fine show for those who govern heaven and earth—the Five Peaks Banner and the Mountain-Sea Society, who forbid even kidnapping and forced labor.

I ask you all to lend me your strength.”

The three bowed in unison:

“It goes without saying—once in Moon Harbor, we await your command.”

None realized that this mission, targeting Lady Yan, had already passed through five hands—noble, Pu Shouying, Xie He, Qian Fifth, down to themselves.

Their words were bold, claiming no fear of the Sea Goddess’s revenge.

But battle reports may lie, the front line never does!

Some eyes already flickered with unease.

...

On the Green-Robed ship, Wang Cheng brought A Xiao, the Zhang brothers, and two prisoners to the captain’s cabin, settling them into their respective seats.

At last, he could ask his question:

“Sister A Xiao, did you come all this way just to catch Xie He? Do you have a grudge?”

The pearl diver’s cold face paused only briefly before she revealed all that had transpired during their absence:

“...Recently, temple stewards have vanished mysteriously. My investigation led to Xie He, so I planned to seize him while he was out and interrogate him for information.

I wanted to know what they were up to.

Had you not descended like divine soldiers, I might have suffered greatly under the attack of five officials.

And you?”

Wang Cheng and the Zhang brothers exchanged a glance; they’d only planned to recruit crew from their clan, and had no intention of hiding the truth from A Xiao, their trusted ally.

They decided to share some intelligence.

Hearing their outwardly calm but truly astonishing exploits, A Xiao looked at Wang Cheng with newfound respect.

Never mind his repeated claims of “collective strength” and “brotherly support”—she knew better than anyone the true capabilities of Zhang Wu and Zhang Wen.

Though seemingly backed by a fishing boat and thirty boat people, this scholar had single-handedly captured a sailing warship.

She could not help but admire Wang Cheng’s courage, skill, and luck.

After exchanging summaries of their recent experiences, all eyes turned to the prone Xie He.

A Xiao beckoned and tore the talisman from his forehead.

Xie He woke groggy, and on seeing the “Wang Fugui” he’d just been muttering about, his face paled as if seeing a ghost:

“You? Why aren’t you dead? Didn’t the Five Peaks Banner say all warships were sent out...wait!”

He blurted out the words, then realized he was on a sailing warship.

Through the captain’s cabin windows, he saw the towering sails, the golden bronze cannons, and a Five Peaks Banner still hanging.

“This is...how did you...”

He began to grasp the truth, but disbelief left him incoherent.

Thud!

Wang Cheng had no patience for the defeated dog’s whining; he kicked him to the floor, stepped on his back, and said coldly:

“I ask, you answer.

Tell me, why are you collecting Flood Dragon aura from sea bandits?

What did the Great Southern Pearl Harvest bring up from the three pearl pools in the South Sea?

Who is the noble behind all this?”