Protect Our Chief-Chapter 568 - 42: Time of Peace & Artifact Spirit

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Yuwen Nianjing had been watching the fun on the side. Seeing Qiaan Xuefu’s comical expression, she couldn’t hold back her laughter: "Patriarch Shouzhe is handsome and his demeanor and temperament are excellent. No wonder Senior Sister Gu has him in her heart. Senior Brother, I think you probably have no chance. You’d better give up early~"

The last time Master Dan Ding was recruiting disciples, although Yuwen Nianjing’s performance was quite good in all aspects, she was ultimately eliminated.

Fortunately, the Yuwen Family’s reputation was decent, and after some time, Master Dan Ding still secretly accepted her as a registered disciple. As for that Dongfang Yuxi, he was entirely out of luck and didn’t even get a spot as a registered disciple.

Qiaan Xuefu was already quite upset, and hearing her say this felt like being stabbed through the heart. He looked gloomily at Yuwen Nianjing: "Nianjing~~~ if nothing works out, how about we pool together and just get by together?"

Yuwen Nianjing rolled her eyes at him: "If you looked half as good as Shouye, I might consider it."

Qiaan Xuefu rolled his eyes.

If his looks were even half as good as Shouye’s, who would look for her?

Right then, he grabbed Wang Shouye: "Come, come, come, give your senior brother some tips on how to look better, what do you say?"

Having said this, he dragged Wang Shouye to the inner courtyard without allowing any refusal.

After reaching the inner courtyard, Qiaan Xuefu also dragged him into a side hall.

Wang Shouye was utterly baffled, but unexpectedly, there was already someone seated in the side hall.

It was a youth exuding noble elegance.

He wore a white jade crown with cloud patterns on his head, a dark gold spirit silk cloud brocade robe, and a spirit jade pendant at his waist, exuding a refined and graceful demeanor, truly embodying the appearance of a noble young man.

However, his physique and face were slightly round, giving him a bit of a resemblance to Qiaan Xuefu.

Upon seeing Wang Shouye and Qiaan Xuefu enter, the slightly chubby youth immediately stood up.

"Junior Brother Shouye, let me introduce you," Qiaan Xuefu, in contrast to his usual playful manner, started speaking seriously for once, "This is my Fourteenth Brother, Qiaan Xuehan. Fourteenth Brother, this is Wang Shouye of the Changning Wang Family, whom I’ve mentioned to you."

"I’ve often heard my brother mention Brother Shouye. Meeting you today proves you truly are a dragon among men, deep and unyielding, sure to soar at the top of Jiuxiao in the future." Qiaan Xuehan smiled and clasped his hands in polite greeting towards Shouye, his manners very proper.

"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. Shouye greets Fourteenth Young Master."

The Changning Wang Family was also known for strict education. Even though Wang Shouye was engrossed in alchemy, he was a person of decorum and returned the greeting deeply.

"Shouye, the Fourteenth Brother is the legitimate eldest son of our Qiaan Family’s direct lineage." Qiaan Xuefu quietly reminded Wang Shouye, then added, "His visit today is done in secrecy, and must be kept confidential externally. You two talk, I’ll take my leave first."

With that, he turned and left, going outside to stand watch.

Wang Shouye immediately felt a chill in his heart, sensing that this matter was not simple.

The identity of the legitimate eldest son of a Purple Mansion Family is significant, yet he had secretly come to find him, what could this be about?

Before Wang Shouye could react, Qiaan Xuehan, being the legitimate son, suddenly rushed forward, tearfully pleading, "Shouye, help me..."

Wang Shouye was instantly bewildered.

...

Changning Wang Family, Ping’an Town.

In recent days, due to the confrontation with the Qiaan Family and the extensive rollout of the aerial cold chain transportation, the Wang Family was ushered into a new phase of development.

However, precisely because of this, the Wang Family, already short on manpower, found itself even more understaffed, needing people everywhere, yet lacking them everywhere. Even those young ones who had just graduated from the Clan Academy had to take up responsibilities and start contributing to the family’s development.

Nonetheless, regardless of the outside chaos, the internal affairs of the Wang Family were not significantly disrupted. Especially the younger generation of the Wang Family, continuing their studies and lives in an orderly fashion.

Behind the main hall of the Wang Family’s main residence, there’s a newly built complex of buildings in recent years.

This complex primarily houses facilities such as the Task Hall, Scripture Pavilion, Multi-Treasure Vault, and others. Typically, the disciples of the Wang Family come here to take on tasks, calculate contribution points, and exchange or receive elixirs and other cultivation materials.

At the entrance of the Task Hall, ’Zong’ generation’s Fourth Young Master, Wang Zongyao, led the eleven-year-old household generals seedling, Wang Ping, inside.

In the center of the hall, there’s a power supply array arranged, with a crystal ball the size of a head floating in the center of the array.

As Wang Zongyao approached, the crystal ball emitted a gentle glow, and a voice that was coy and sweet sounded: "Ding-dong! Welcome, Fourth Young Master Zongyao, and young household generals Wang Ping."

"Ding-dong! By the patriarch’s order, the cultivation sequence of young household generals Wang Ping is to be adjusted from key cultivation sequence to special key cultivation sequence, with treatment equivalent to the family’s direct lineage members."

As she spoke.

With the glow transforming, a second-dimensional beautiful girl appeared beside the crystal ball.

Her appearance was somewhat akin to the girls from Earth’s fantasy works, with a pair of cute cat ears, long slender legs, and an extremely exaggerated body proportion in all respects.

Whenever Wang Zongyao saw the image of the Artifact Spirit, his eyelids would twitch uncontrollably, not daring to look more.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but criticize inwardly. Just what was Fourth Uncle thinking to come up with such an eccentric and unique aesthetic?

Regarding this matter, Fourth Uncle’s courtyard was in chaos. Fourth Aunt always felt that Fourth Uncle was hiding some unspeakable secrets in the past.

"Artifact Spirit, I’m here to collect the supplies for the last two months and apply to receive all the resources for the next year in advance." Wang Zongyao said with his head lowered, "The reason is that I need to be in seclusion in Qinglian Fire Valley for a long time due to cultivating the ’Heaven Refining Technique’ and studying the Art of Artifact Refining."

"Dingdong~ Fourth Young Master Zongyao’s application is logical, application approved." The sweet voice of the Artifact Spirit rang out, "I hope Fourth Young Master Zongyao will strive to become an Artifact Refining Master soon, and be the pillar of our Wang Family."

The voice was nice, but the constant "dingdong" gave Wang Zongyao quite a headache. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He quickly let Wang Ping also collect resources, then hurriedly took the resources listed and bolted away. If he stayed any longer, he’d be dreaming of "dingdong" in his sleep.

However, before he could leave the Task Hall’s gate with Wang Ping, he encountered Wang Shouye coming towards him.

Immediately overjoyed, he stepped forward and respectfully saluted, "Seventh Uncle, why have you returned?"

"Zongyao." Wang Shouye smiled and patted his shoulder, "I heard about your affairs. You and Wang Ping study hard together. In the future, our family’s success in the Art of Artifact Refining depends on you two."

Currently, the Wang Family is just starting in auxiliary professions like Alchemy and Artifact Refining; it’s not considered proficient.

But if a family wants to become a truly top-notch aristocratic family, even if it’s not necessary to master everything, it should dabble in various fields. Like those Fifth-Grade Purple Mansion Families, they have their own Pill Workshops and Artifact Refining Workshops. Only this way will they not easily be choked by other forces.

"Seventh Uncle, I still need to learn from you." Wang Zongyao said with admiration in his eyes, "You’ve already made many contributions to the family in the field of Alchemy."

"The development of the family is not a task of a day or two; as long as you learn well, there will always be a time for you to contribute to the family in the future." Wang Shouye comforted and encouraged, "I’ll handle some tasks first, and then I’ll speak with Fourth Brother. Come find me and Fourth Brother in the evening, and we’ll have a meal together."

"Yes, Seventh Uncle."

Honestly, Wang Zongyao was somewhat afraid of seeing Wang Shouzhe, the psychological pressure was too immense. But he didn’t dare refuse Seventh Uncle’s words, so he could only agree.

After they parted.

Wang Shouye first handled some affairs, then went to Wang Shouzhe’s courtyard to meet him.

Wang Shouzhe’s courtyard was the same as always, full of life.

At a stone table, the two brothers sat across from each other drinking tea.

A few small children were running wild in the courtyard, only to be caught and brought back by Liua Ruolan, who scolded them to study or enlightened them according to their needs.

The sun was just right, and the greenery was lush.

The children’s laughter mingled with Liua Ruolan’s mix of soft and stern scolding was like a melodious symphony, filled with a soothing and delightful flavor.

"Fourth Brother, when you first became the Patriarch, I remember I was only ten." Wang Shouye, now in his thirties, felt deeply moved as he sipped Spirit Tea, "In the blink of an eye, the Wang Family has changed tremendously. Liyao is already in the Academy, and Liyue and Zongrui are here too."

"These kids are like leeks, one batch after another." Wang Shouzhe shook his head helplessly, "When can my courtyard be a bit more peaceful?"

Even though he said this, his heart was filled with warmth.

The reason he strived so hard to develop the Wang Family was so the family’s children could have better growth space. Not having to vie for a mere Minor Primordial Cultivation Pill.

After a brief chat.

Wang Shouye formally broached the main matter: "Fourth Brother, my reason for returning this time mainly rests on Qiaan Xuehan. The thing is..."

After a lengthy conversation.

Wang Shouzhe held his Spirit Tea, falling into deep thought.

A moment later, he furrowed his brow and said: "The Qiaan Family is a merchant family, it’s common for them to value profit over face. The matter between us and the Qiaan Family is merely a conflict of interest, not a life-and-death feud."

"So what does Fourth Brother mean?" Wang Shouye asked, "Are we to reconcile with the Qiaan Family?"

"There’s no feud to speak of, so what is there to reconcile?" Wang Shouzhe chuckled indifferently, "Moreover, the Qiaan is a Fifth-Grade Family. What qualifications does our Wang Family have to be full-scale enemies with them? Just this current chunk of benefits is enough for us to digest for a long while."

"However, I underestimated Qiaan Xuehan. Previously, intelligence suggested that as a direct descendant of the Qiaan, he was extremely mediocre and unaccomplished."

Wang Shouye nodded and said, "From his words, it appears he’s very cautious. It also reveals that his stepmother, Cao Lina, is the mastermind behind this feud with us."

"The truth of this needs further verification. At least, we can see Qiaan Xuehan is not simple; we must keep an eye on him." Wang Shouzhe nodded, "I’ll write a letter tonight. Tomorrow when you return to the Commandery, take it with you."

"Yes, Fourth Brother." Wang Shouye knew the significance of what Qiaan Xuehan said, which is why he promptly returned under the guise of visiting family using the Flying Chariot.

Since Fourth Brother had already decided, there was no need for him to be nervous anymore.

His task as Wang Shouye is to focus on refining pills. His Fourth Brother is far better at steering the family than he is.

Just then.

Liua Ruolan had already settled the children, personally cooked a few dishes demonstrating her demeanor as the eldest sister-in-law, and said, "Seventh Uncle, you hardly come back; have a few drinks with your Fourth Brother later and have a good chat, brothers that you are."

Wang Shouye’s face turned pale, "Oh no~, Fourth Auntie’s move was too fast, and the reinforcements he invited hadn’t even arrived yet."

...