Wei Kaishan

Palembang is not a port; in fact, in Sumatra, any old port is called Palembang.

No one understood why. Ever since the port authorities who named and changed the names of the docks all declined in various unexpected ways, no one thought about changing the names anymore. At most, they would just change the names of the docks.

Have you heard of the Curse of Palembang?

On a small sampan used for ferrying people, a ship's manager asked.

"They're quite famous locally."

Is there really Curse?

"Yes," the other Golden Core cultivator replied confidently.

"Really? According to what they say at Heavenly Gate, you're not just superstitious, are you?"

"Is anything related to the Saha Continent considered superstition?" the man countered.

"Then tell me in detail, what exactly happened?"

"In the old days, a Buddha statue appeared in the Palembang of Sumatra. All ships entering and leaving the port were blessed by this Buddha, and all those who went to sea were considered His disciples. Changing your name is equivalent to disrespecting the Buddha and offending Him. You still go to sea to fish and kill animals. Do you think you can run away from the monk and the temple?"

"What does this have to do with the Saha Continent? Did Buddha come from the Saha Continent?"

"At least that's what the locals say, and that's what the yellow-robed monks believe too. That's why Palembang is called Palembang. However, according to the monks, that Buddha statue is only the old Buddha. Besides it, there are two new Buddha statues that haven't been born yet. Once these two new Buddha statues are born, this place will be renamed 'Srivijaya' as the yellow-robed monks have suggested."

"Hopefully these two new Buddhas haven't reached the Nascent Soul stage, otherwise the Heavenly Gate will open and their warships will suppress them. They've done this kind of thing before in history," the sea merchant joked.

"There was no Heavenly Gate in history."

The two Golden Core cultivators chatted casually as they boarded the sampan and, led by the dock manager, went to find the dock's owner.

The port was not completely deserted; the occasional soft clanging of a traditional Nanyang night watchman's gong could be heard from the old streets in the distance.

At the end of the embankment, a watchtower burned an ever-burning fish oil lamp, its flickering light casting long, slender, and mottled shadows of the guards.

Soon, led by the steward, the two arrived at the dock owner's residence.

The dock owner's residence was located on the inner side of the stone embankment. It was not spacious; it was a stilted wooden hut, slightly better than the shacks of the laborers along the shore, but hardly a mansion.

The wooden stakes were driven deep into the mudflats, about ten feet off the ground, avoiding the salt water that would rise with the tide. The entire house was made of old coconut wood that had been blackened by the sea breeze, and the cracks in the wall panels were inlaid with white frost of sea salt.

Whether it's the residence of a dock tycoon or the residence of a Golden Core cultivator, this is far from adequate.

The three of them went upstairs, the stairs creaking loudly, and soon they met their owner Wei Kaishan.

This is one of the top ten patrons of Zheng Family Garden.

Wei Kaishan, nearing fifty, is the undisputed leader of this area, with a robust and sturdy build.

As a rare body-refining cultivator in the area, his bones and muscles had long been tempered by the Golden Core to be as hard as refined iron.

Among those Golden Core, he is a rare and powerful figure.

After all, if it were just an ordinary Golden Core, Zheng Qingbo wouldn't have used it as a nail, keeping it firmly planted in Palembang.

"Old Wei, do you know that Master Bao is dead?"

The land-based shopkeeper across from them got straight to the point; the two, being resident cultivators, were quite familiar with each other.

"It would be strange if you didn't know about something this big," Wei Kaishan said in a deep voice.

"When Master Bao died, at least six people from Zheng Family Garden were present. Master Bao's body was still warm when all six of them disappeared. What do you have to say about this?"

Another Golden Core cultivator said aggressively.

"Was I there?" Wei Kaishan asked in return.

"You're not from Zheng Family Garden?"

Is Wanshun Sea Hall going to war with Zheng Family Garden?

The other side didn't expect this burly man to be so resolute.

The Golden Core cultivator who had come from afar was not going to tolerate the other party. His body was filled with surging and rising sea tide spiritual power, and his spiritual pressure turned into a huge wave that crushed outwards.

The surrounding night wind froze instantly, and the shallow water on the mudflats was forced into a circle of depression by the spiritual power. Even the flickering lights of the fishing lanterns in the distance suddenly dimmed and almost went out.

This was the full force of Golden Core cultivator's pressure; ordinary cultivators of the same realm would have already been forced to retreat, their Qi and Blood and qi churning under the pressure.

Wei Kaishan's face showed no anger or fierceness, his brows and eyes were almost indifferent, but another heavy aura, like a century-old mudflat or a thousand-year-old harbor, rose from his body.

The two powerful auras of the Golden Core cultivators collided violently.

Hai Xiu's expression suddenly froze, and he took three steps back, each step leaving a three-inch-thick footprint with wisps of smoke rising from it.

"He's a body cultivator, so you either curse him to death or don't try to show off in front of him," another land-based shopkeeper shook his head and then said with interest.

"I heard that when your Boss Zheng, was seriously injured, you were the one who stayed by his side for seven days and seven nights?"

Yes, that's true.

"So, your Boss Zheng was really just severely injured by Jiangtou, and wasn't switched or killed?"

"Yes."

"That's really strange. If it was just serious injury, given Boss Zheng's vengeful nature, the Liang Household Garden should be completely wiped out by now. Or is it that someone else actually did it?"

Wei Kaishan's heart skipped a beat, but he fell silent again.

"Alright, Old Wei, we're acquaintances now. Since you weren't there, we don't plan to cause you any trouble. However, the people from Zheng Family Garden might have used your route to leave, so we'll be searching your entire dock. Is that alright?"

"There's a problem. I disagree." Wei Kaishan refused once again.

This time, even his acquaintance's expression changed.

"Old Wei, I've already given you as much face as possible. Our Master Bao died in front of your Zheng Family Garden. What do you want me to say? I've already been more than generous by not bringing anyone to demolish your dock. What more do you want! If your Boss Zheng had died a few months ago, would you have been this calm?"

"Do you know how many Golden Core Sea Hall has on this land right now?!"

Wei Kaishan took a deep breath, like an old bear exhaling cold mist in the dead of winter.

"Do you know how many dockworkers make a living in this Palembang besides your Wanshun Sea Hall? Do you want to sweep them all away one by one? Do you own Sumatra?"

"We have one hundred Golden Core!"

"There are more than a dozen island nations in Nanyang. How many can a single country be divided into? And how many cities and ports can an island nation have, ranging from a dozen to several dozen?"

"Golden Core cultivators aren't as common as cabbages. If three or five Golden Core cultivators die, you'll have to give up trading in a country's ports. Golden Core a dozen or so die, Wanshun Sea Hall will either split up or become a local power guarding only one or two indigenous countries. Of course, you can still be in charge in those two or three Nanyang countries, but if dozens die, I think you should forget about the sea market and just go back to being pirates like before."

"The loss of one of the Nanyang overlords is something the other major water makers would welcome. Their Golden Core are no less than yours, and they will unite to fight you."

Wei Kaishan paused for a moment, then said:

"In fact, I not only know that Master Bao is gone, but I also know that you lost at least five Golden Core during your daytime search. What you should be considering now is how to defend these five ports where you lost Golden Core cultivators."

The familiar face opposite stared blankly at the other person, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Good, good, good. Wei Shitou truly lives up to his Wei Shitou, stubborn and unyielding. Boss Zheng made the right choice in sending you here to expand our territory."

"We'll be back tomorrow. You can try to hold them off then. Feng Haixiao's men and ships are at sea, so he can escape easily. Your men and goods are all at this dock. Let's see what you'll use to stop them then."

The two Golden Core cultivators left in a rage. They weren't driven back by Wei Kaishan's words, but rather they realized that the two of them alone couldn't defeat this Mid Golden Core cultivator. Six people from Zheng Family Garden had already escaped, and if another one escaped, Wanshun Sea Hall would be utterly disgraced.

"Master Wei, I'm afraid the dock won't be able to open tomorrow, and it probably won't be able to open in the future," the dock manager said with a bitter face.

Wei Kaishan's face also showed signs of fatigue.

"Check the surplus from these years and distribute it to the brothers. Let them all go out. Those who really can't go out should go back to their hometowns to hide. Things won't be peaceful in this area these next few days."

Wei Kaishan paused for a moment, then said with difficulty.

"Also, take away the people who came in the middle of the night. I've already given them what they wanted, but I can only stay until dawn."

The dock manager stomped his foot heavily. He was extremely loyal to Master Wei, largely because Master Wei was loyal and righteous. But sometimes, being too loyal and righteous can lead to trouble.

Wei Kaishan, the head of the Martial Hall Master, who is neither loyal nor righteous, is sitting at a stall, drinking herbal tea and watching the passersby on the street with great interest.

The shops on the street were wide open, and the spice shops, ship supply shops, wine shops and warehouses were bustling with people. Men in short shirts went back and forth to talk business, and the sounds of bargaining in Minnan, Cantonese and other languages mingled together.

Ocean-going ship owners, spice merchants, servants of princely states, wandering monks, and coolies carrying goods.

There were wealthy merchants in fine clothes, and also laborers covered in sweat and grime; dogs curled up in the shade under the wooden houses, and monkeys occasionally darted across the coconut trees by the street.

As a large Nanyang nation with a population of tens of millions, even if a hundred or a thousand Golden Core Pills were thrown into it, they wouldn't make much of a ripple.

Yesterday's battle, in particular, proved that without a combined force of dozens of Golden Core cultivators, it would be impossible to defeat the group from Zheng Family Garden.

Divide the hundred Golden Core further, and five or six teams will be formed to search for a needle in a haystack.

The success rate is not high.

Of course, one hundred Golden Core is just an ideal scenario. Even if that fat man really dies, it would be good if more than half of these Golden Core cultivator managers could come back.

Otherwise, without Golden Core to guard the territory, what if the person leaves and the land is lost?

Of course, Wanshun Sea Hall has a large number of people, informants, local allies, and intelligence networks.

Unfortunately, due to the effect of the Heavenly Devil Field, those who weren't Golden Core cultivators couldn't see them at all.