Protect Our Clan Leader

Lei Yangqiu bore the responsibility of guarding and pacifying the region, and Zhou Xuanguan was his jurisdiction, the most important line of defense.

“Madam Gongsun.” As soon as Lei Yangqiu saw Gongsun Hui, he went forward to salute with his hands folded, smiling genially as he greeted Luoyi, Luomei, and Ruolei, among others.

Gongsun Hui quickly had all the juniors return the salute.

Everyone was on the city wall waiting for the caravan to approach. After a good while, the caravan reached the city gates. By then the wind and snow had intensified, and everyone could only see a rough outline; the huge caravan had many horse-drawn litters with their tops removed, seemingly loaded with game—judging simply by their silhouettes and auras, most appeared to be fierce beasts.

It seemed to signal the hunter’s triumphant return.

There was naturally a group of knights in the caravan, but in the blizzard conditions, everyone had scarves covering their necks and most of their faces.

“Okay.” Liu Yonghao silently pocketed bribery from a merchant representative and said modestly, “I will take you to see my father, but no guarantees whether it will succeed or not.”

“Haha, as long as Young Clan Leader Liu can lead the way, it will be fine.” The merchant representative laughed.

The other merchant representatives and peddlers also gathered around, each trying to hook up with Liu Yonghao. Judging from the spoils partially revealed by the caravan, the Liu Clan was set to make a fortune this time.

“The Ping’an Wang Family’s autumn and winter hunting team has returned, please, gate officer, lower the drawbridge and open the gates,” a knight in the caravan said out loud as he stepped forward.

“The Wang family?”

The crowd’s buzzing and excitement seemed to freeze instantly.

Following Liu Yonghao’s previous assertions, everyone thought this was a caravan of the Liu and Zhao Clans, so how did the Ping’an Wang Family suddenly come into the picture?

The gate officer was also confused and demanded, “Aren’t you the Liu Clan’s caravan? How did it become the Wang family’s?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” The knight outside the city removed the scarf from his face, revealing the stern countenance of a middle-aged man. “I am Wang Dingzu of the Ping’an Wang Family. Quickly lower the drawbridge and open the gates.”

Wang Dingzu!

He was none other than the Deputy Garrison Commander of Ping’an Town, naturally holding a prominent position. Many of the city’s defenders and gate officers recognized him.

“Sure enough, it’s Deputy Garrison Commander Wang.”

“Quickly open the gates, open the gates.”

With the sound of the winches, the city gate slowly opened, and the drawbridge was also slowly lowered, bridging the protective moat.

“It’s Uncle Three, definitely Uncle Three,” Wang Luoyi exclaimed as she grabbed Liu Ruolei’s hand, excitedly saying, “Ruolei, they were mistaken, this is our Wang family’s caravan.”

Liu Ruolei’s pretty face blushed slightly, and she secretly “pffft” under her breath, “This Miss is not one of the Wang family,” but her expression could not hide her excitement and joy, “Where is Brother Shouzhe then? Everyone is so wrapped up, you can’t even see clearly who is who.”

“There—there’s my brother, the one on the black horse,” Wang Luomei climbed onto her mother, pointing at a knight and saying, “I recognize that horse, it’s called Black Wind, such an unpleasant name.”

“Liu Yonghao, didn’t you say this was the Liu Clan’s caravan?”

“Yes, you were so certain, and we all believed you.”

“Impossible… impossible!” Liu Yonghao’s expression turned rigid, his eyes vacant and disbelieving, “How could it be the Wang family? Those horse- drawn carriages, many of them are ours from the Liu Clan. Could it be they returned together?”

His words quieted the surrounding crowd, as it was not outside the realm of possibility.

As the city gate opened, the gate officer shouted, “Deputy Garrison Commander Wang, is your Wang family in a joint caravan with the Liu and Zhao Clans?”

“How could that be possible,” Wang Dingzu said loudly. “We’ve always had a strained relationship with the Liu and Zhao Clans, so of course, we each go our own way.”

As these words came out.

“An uproar ensued on the city wall.”

Particularly among those peddlers and merchant representatives, they immediately surrounded Liu Yonghao, “This is clearly the Wang family’s caravan, yet you insisted it was the Liu Clan’s. What are your motives? Isn’t this a scam to get our money?”

“Impossible, impossible.” Liu Yonghao rushed to the battlements and yelled, “Those horse-drawn carriages there are clearly our Liu Clan’s, look, there are our markings on the litters. Wang Dingzu, why would the Liu Clan’s carriages be in your troop?”

That certainly caught many people’s attention, the markings of the Liu Clan were quite distinct.

For a moment, there was a flurry of conversation among the people.

“Hmph! What’s so strange about that,” Wang Dingzu said loudly. “We hunted a lot on this trip, and it so happened that we found a batch of unclaimed carriages in the camp, so we took them to use. Such things are quite common in the borderlands.”

Indeed, this is so.

Wild territories are perilous, and anything can happen there.

Some hunting teams that set out to hunt fierce beasts end up being hunted by them instead. It’s completely normal for other teams to acquire the leftover supplies, and countless such incidents have occurred.

“You’re talking nonsense, you clearly robbed our Liu Clan’s carts and stole our prey,” Liu Yonghao roared furiously.

Just as Wang Dingzu was about to speak.

Wang Shouzhe rode forward on his horse and said calmly, “Uncle Three, there’s no point arguing with a child. Let’s enter the gates.”

Wang Dingzu laughed heartily, “Shouzhe is absolutely right.” Then, with a wave of his hand, he commanded, “The Clan Leader has ordered, enter the gates.”

“Enter the gates!”

Following that command.

The vast caravan started moving again, the leading carriage crossing the drawbridge first, then passing through the city gate, the causeway, and into Zun City. The carts behind followed one by one through the gates.

At this moment.

Everyone was convinced that this was not a convoy of the Liu or Zhao clans at all – there wasn’t a single person from either clan present.

The peddlers and representatives from various businesses grew angry, they circled Liu Yonghao, demanding back the bribes they had given him.

Then, they rushed over to where Wang Luoyi and Gongsun Hui were.

“Madam Gongsun, do you remember me? Little Six from Li’s Shop.”

“Miss Luo Yi, this rouge produced in Tian Nan Prefecture is perfect for complementing your noble aura and peerless beauty.”

“Miss Luomiao, here’s a humble trinket for you, and I’d be grateful if you could introduce me to your brother.”

Only eight years of age, Luomiao’s eyes were wide with astonishment. There were such tactics? So, I, Miss Luomiao, have become an important figure as well?

Then, gleefully accepting all sorts of bribes without refusal, she smiled so broadly that her little mouth wouldn’t close, revealing several newly missing milk teeth sockets.

“Miaomiao, you must not accept gifts from others,” Gongsun Hui said sternly, “It could put your brother in a difficult position. Return them all.”

“Minin’-” Poor Wang Luomiao, who hadn’t even had a chance to warm up to her gifts, reluctantly gave each back.

Although Gongsun Hui was usually good-tempered, she was uncompromising when it came to family discipline. At her young age, Wang Luomiao had already experienced more than her fair share of chastisement.

“Look, look, from that carriage, there’s a tiger head peeking out, with a white forehead and a golden body,” someone from the crowd heading towards Zun City called out, “Isn’t that a grown Level Three fierce beast – the White-browed Golden Tiger?”

“First a Python swallow, now a White-browed Golden Tiger, my goodness, has the Wang family hunted two Level Three fierce beasts?”

“Look at what’s in those carts, the infamous Top Level Two Iron-backed Wild Pigs.”

“What of Level Two when there are so many Level Three beasts?”

“No, no, look… there are many of them!”

On closer inspection, indeed there were. Three or four carriages were filled with Iron-backed Wild Pigs of various sizes. The largest one was particularly imposing, easily weighing over a thousand pounds.

Besides that, another twenty or so piglets of the Iron-backed Wild Pigs, their legs tied up, were stuffed into the carts, grunting.

The crowd gasped in shock!

The Wang family had caught so many Iron-backed Wild Piglets – were they planning to breed them?

“There’s a big black turtle at the back of the convoy…” “That’s a Level Three Water Elemental Turtle, and it’s still alive! It’s carrying several fierce beasts as prey on its back.”

The return of the Wang family’s caravan was like setting off a grand feast.

The onlookers marveled, shocked, and in disbelief.

Meanwhile, the members of the Liu Clan were pushed to the side, ignored by all.

Liu Yonghao sat on the ground, completely plundered and blankly muttering to himself – Impossible, this can’t be happening!