Protect Our Clan Leader

Especially among those well-versed in preserving health, some old ancestors at the Spirit Platform Realm can live to nearly two hundred years old, often witnessing the birth of their eighth, or even ninth, generation bloodline descendants.

If they can further achieve the Heavenly Human Realm, their lifespan could reach up to four hundred years. The whole family would prosper accordingly, a scenario that can even be described as enjoying collective prosperity.

Therefore, elated, Old Ancestor Mingsheng took out a classic, ancient beast-skin book and handed it to Wang Shouzhe: “This is the ‘Insect Master Notation.¹ Consider it my gift to celebrate a new Insect Master in the Wang family. It’s the notes of an independent cultivator at the Spirit Platform Realm, who excelled in controlling Spirit Bees hundreds of years ago. It records some techniques and key points for rearing various types of Spirit Bees. Nevertheless, this is only a reproduced copy, inevitably there may be places where it falls short. It should be used as a reference only.”

Wang Shouzhe was startled, then overjoyed: “Thankyou, Old Ancestor, for your timely assistance.”

Although Luo Jing now has the talent to be an Insect Master, the single copy of the “Insect Scripture” present in the family is clearly inadequate.

Without a doubt, this ‘Insect Master Notation,’ focused solely on Spirit Bees, benefits Luo Jing greatly, who is in possession of a Purple Crystal Spirit Bee nest.

“Having obtained such benefits, it’s time to leave; do not annoy this old man anymore,” Old Ancestor Mingsheng impatiently dismissed the visitors.

“I take my leave then, I respectfully take my leave,” Wang Shouzhe had reaped many benefits from this trip and quickly pocketed the ‘Insect Master Notation’. He then respectfully left the pavilion, Yue Ming of Yingxiu.

Old Ancestor Mingsheng watched Wang Shouzhe’s retreating figure from afar, feeling somewhat ecstatic, yet a touch dejected. His ecstasy stemmed from the fact that this descendant sharing his bloodline displayed an extraordinary caliber with great potential. His dejection, however, was born from the fact that none of the young males from the two generations of the Lu family could compare to Shouzhe.

Fortunately, there was still Xiaoxiao.

Fondly stroking the head of the sleeping Lu Xiaoxiao, Old Ancestor Mingsheng commented: “This child, having awakened the Departing Fire Body of our Lu ancestor, is already remarkable, despite its thin presence. Indeed, it appears the Heavens are blessing our Yingxiu Lu Family.”

The legacy of each Profound Martial Prominent Family is never as simple as it appears. And every founder who opened up a territory to establish a prominent family belongs to a generation of incredible talent.

Having reaped numerous benefits and bidding farewell to Old Ancestor Mingsheng, Wang Shouzhe was guided by a maid to his guest room—the Honorable Guest Residence. This was a space designated by the Lu Family for accommodating distinguished guests, an entire courtyard situated beside the lake was set aside for him, and adjacent to it were several additional rooms prepared for the attendants of the honorable guests.

The members of Wang family who came along, as well as Wang Luo Jing, were all off assisting with the disaster relief. Taking advantage of the rare peace and quiet, Wang Shouzhe ordered the Lu maids to prepare a bath for him. After a relaxing soak where he washed away days’ worth of fatigue, he instructed others not to disturb him and went into cultivation mode. Be it the Gongsun Clan of Shanyang or the Lu Clan of Yingxiu, they all served the best Spirit Food to the party of Wang Shouzhe on their way, and he had been eating non-stop without having enough time to properly digest the qi and blood.

Besides, he had just learned a great deal about cultivation from Old Ancestor Mingsheng today, which provided him with many enlightening insights. Once he entered meditative concentration, he quickly fell into a state of cultivation.

This session of cultivation continued until dawn the next day. His meridians and acupuncture points were all in a state of fatigue, and his vigorous qi and blood had been consumed a lot, but his eyes were filled with vibrancy. It was clear that he had made significant progress, taking another firm step closer to the seventh stage of the Qi Refinement Realm.

This filled Wang Shouzhe with delight. After combining some modern Earth thinking and the guidance of Old Ancestor Mingsheng, his understanding of the path of Qi Refinement had become much clearer.

When he stepped out of his room, Wang Zhong had been waiting outside, bowing and saying: “Family Head, my uncle’s visit awaited. He heard you were in reclusion for cultivation and did not dare to disturb you. He is waiting for you in the living room.”

Wang Shouzhe asked Wang Zhong to lead the way to the living room and casually asked, “How did the disaster relief go yesterday?”

“It all went well. After receiving our letter, the Lu family prepared many things in advance,” Wang Zhong said in admiration, “Miss Luo Jing was truly outstanding. In a short period, she managed to contain several Nine-star Bug Kings and suppress the signs of a bug disaster outbreak.”

When Wang Zhong mentioned Luo Jing’s name, his tone was clearly filled with heartfelt respect. Evidently, Luo Jing’s performance impressed and won the admiration of the attendants of the family.

It seems that Luo Jing indeed possesses the talent to be an accomplished Insect Master, and she has been making progress over a short period.

Lost in thought, Wang Shouzhe stepped into the guest living room of the private quarters and said to Lu Zhengjie, “I apologize for my late arrival. I hope my uncle-in-law can forgive me.”

“No worries, no worries.” Lu Zhengjie rose with a jovial smile, “Shouzhe, our Lu Family owes you a lot this time. You stepped in and curbed the insect plague right at its onset.”

A drastic drop in grain production would not only mean an economic loss, but it could also trigger a string of ripple effects.

Daqian was founded on the basis of the Profound Martial Prominent Family, a family with various privileges locally, yet also bearing the responsibility of maintaining peace for its people. The power and entitlements of the Profound Martial Prominent Family clearly surpassed those of ancient earthly gentry, as did its obligations and responsibilities.

“My uncle-in-law flatters me. The Wang Family and Lu Family are connected by blood. Assisting each other is only natural,” Wang Shouzhe humbly responded with a smile.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lu Zhengjie said, “We’ve also had a breakthrough in the case of the murdered wealthy merchant. The Independent Cultivator was not as tough as we initially thought. After only four hours of interrogation, he confessed everything. We’ve recovered all the hidden ill- gotten gains, and he will be executed publicly soon to serve as a warning to others.”

“The unattached life led by an independent cultivator can be a hidden danger,” Wang Shouzhe noted with a frown. “If we cannot control the ingress of these independent cultivators, eventual recurrence of such cases is inevitable.”

“That’s a bit difficult; most independent cultivators wander around taking on the identity of peddlers. The Daqian Law has no provision against independent cultivators wandering around.” After Lu Zhengjie wrinkled his brows, he changed the subject, “By the way, we were able to quickly solve this case because of you, Shouzhe. The Garrison Office decided to award you fifty Qian Gold as a bounty. Although not a significant amount, it’s already the maximum reward we could muster.”

“Thank you, my uncle-in-law, for facilitating this from within.” Wang Shouzhe was quite satisfied with this conclusion. Fifty Qian Gold was not a trivial sum. Some independent cultivators were ready to risk their lives for this quantity of gold.

After receiving the bounty, Wang Shouzhe asked for leave.

He left two household heads to aid Wang Luo Jing, entrusting his uncle-in-law to jointly protect her in the plague extermination. The insect plagues of the Lu Family and the Gongsun Clan have only been initially curbed. The tameability of the wild insect kings was still too low; there was a need for repeated strengthening. For the next more than ten days, she would need to shuttle back and forth between the Lu Family, Gongsun Clan, and the Wang family.

Wang Shouzhe had a lot of affairs to handle himself; it was impossible for him to be involved throughout the whole process. He could only entrust Luo Jing’s safety to the Lu Family and Gongsun Clan.

After bidding farewell, he gave the “Beekeeping Manual” to Wang Luo Jing.

Mounted on his black steed, leading two household heads at his side, Wang Shouzhe made his way back to Changning Wei. With the absence of cumbersome carriages and traveling lightly on horseback, the group arrived at Changning Wei after only a few hours.

Just as he settled down in the annex behind the Ping’an Wang Family’s fish stall, preparing to rest and visit Qian Zhushi from the Qian Family’s business the next morning, to his surprise, Qian Zhushi of the Qian Family’s business had already arrived at the Wang Family’s annex.

Evidently, he had his eyes and ears placed at the city gate.

Once they met in the living room, before tea and fruit could be served, the plump Qian Zhushi began to grumble, “Brother Wang, you really left me in a lurch this time.”

“Brother Qian, what are you talking about?” Wang Shouzhe personally poured tea for Qian Zhushi and spoke calmly, “I kindly helped clear the inventory of insect repellent powder for your Qian family’s business. Am I not supposed to do that?”

Qian Zhushi drank his tea in one gulp, not caring if it was hot, and replied angrily, “Brother Wang, we’re at this point, let’s not beat around the bush. You clearly used our Qian family business to gain considerable wealth without spending a dime. Bravo, you played your cards well.”

“Brother, you flatter me. Profiting from information asymmetries is the way of the merchant.” Wang Shouzhe laughed, “If Brother Qian was in my position, I’m sure you would have done even better.”

“Information asymmetry, information asymmetry.” Qian Zhushi murmured twice before sighing helplessly, “Brother, I admit you have a point. But you’re about to make a fortune without putting in a penny, and that has indeed put me in a tricky spot. If I cannot successfully resolve this matter, it may not end well. Brother, please show mercy.”

“Brother Qian, there’s no need to worry. Didn’t I tell you before that I was going to render you a great service?” Wang Shouzhe spoke in a relaxed manner, “This service will not only allow you to offset your past mistakes but could also greatly increase your standing.”

“What?” Qian Zhushi looked at him in disbelief.