She is a mature woman who knows her limits.

After all, no matter how annoying Lei Bowu is, he is the second legitimate son of a Celestial Human Family. It’s fine to injure him in a normal duel, but if he gets crippled, it would mean trouble for the Ping’an Wang Family.

These days, the main enemy of the Ping’an Wang Family is the Celestial Person Huangfu Family, so they cannot afford to add the Lei Family to their enemies.

Unexpectedly.

Lei Bowu turned out to be quite stiff-necked, despite screaming in pain, he refused to surrender, just howling, "Beat me to death! If you have the guts, beat me to death! This young master will not surrender, just... ouch, ouch!"

"Smack, smack, smack!"

Whip shadows like a fast wind, whip ends like torrential rain, quickly let the young master of the Lei Family taste what it’s like to be "beaten to death."

He curled up in pain on the ground, soon losing the strength to talk tough, only knowing to howl in agony.

"Surrender! We surrender on behalf of the young master!"

Lei Bowu’s several lackey attendants immediately got anxious and hurriedly shouted.

"Sister, stop beating him! I also surrender on behalf of my brother." Lei Yanyun was extremely anxious, rushed forward and grabbed Wang Luotong, "Sister, please spare my brother just this once."

Despite having a fierce conflict with Lei Bowu earlier, he is ultimately her brother. How could she really stand by and watch as he gets beaten to death?

"You call me sister?"

Wang Luotong squinted slightly at her, her expression half mocking, half smiling.

Lei Yanyun’s face turned red suddenly, said weakly, "Just now, I mistakenly assumed you were... I was wrong, please forgive me, sister."

"Giggle~" Wang Luotong laughed and pinched her delicate face, "Alright then, since my sister-in-law pleads, I, as the sister, shall naturally agree to spare him."

With that, she flicked her fair wrist, and the long whip curled like a spirit snake in her hand, draped it back at her waist.

Seeing Lei Bowu on the ground still howling nonstop, she coldly laughed, "Surely a silver-like lead gunpoint; looks impressive but useless. Remember this, the one who beat you is Wang Luotong. If you’re not convinced, come at me whenever! If you bully my brother, big or small, this lady will come to block your Lei Family’s gate, see if your Lei Family can afford the embarrassment."

Between noble families, there are all kinds of rules. Between peers, if the age is about the same, if you lose in a duel, though disgraceful, you have to accept it.

If Wang Luotong really goes to block the gate and challenges Lei Bowu every day, and Lei Bowu dares not respond, the Lei Family’s reputation would truly be tarnished.

However, at this moment Lei Bowu had no strength to reply to her?

He was curled up on the ground gasping for air, could only stare fixedly at Wang Luotong but couldn’t manage to say a complete sentence.

Wang Luotong looked away disdainfully, then giggled at Wang Shouye: "Alright, your fourth sister has important matters to attend to, won’t disturb your ’alchemy’."

Then she winked at Lei Yanyun, teasingly said: "Sister-in-law, I’d advise you to quickly return home, act cute to your father, and don’t miss the good opportunity."

After speaking, she pointed her toes, like a willow catkin floating on the water, swiftly drifted away with the wind.

Such was the case of coming like the wind and going like the wind, indeed a dashing arrival and departure.

Wang Shouye didn’t even get a chance to bid farewell, could only bow his hand towards her back.

Among the spectators, the middle-aged alchemist A and B were shaking their heads repeatedly. How people’s hearts have changed~ This Wang Shouye’s sister is truly vigorous and peppery~

However, as they felt fearful, they couldn’t help following her departure with their eyes.

"Young master, young master, are you okay?"

At this time, Lei Bowu’s several lackey attendants finally reacted, hurriedly swarmed over to support Lei Bowu.

"Ouch~ Be gentle, be gentle! You bunch of trash, be gentle with this young master!" Lei Bowu cried out in pain repeatedly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Young master, what shall we do? Should we gather some brothers and go to Ping’an Wang Family for revenge?"

"Revenge your head! Do you have any brains at all?!" Lei Bowu almost choked with rage from this group, "They won the duel fair and square. If I gather people to gang up on her after the event, does the Celestial Human Family’s face matter at all?"

"Moreover, the Ping’an Wang Family is the Eighth-Grade Chief, do you truly think they grow up chanting scriptures and eating only vegetarian?"

"Ouch~ Ouch~ It’s killing this young master, damn pepper juice! Quick, quickly take me back. Damn it, in my life, this is the first time seeing such a woman, she’s got grit!"

"Young master, don’t talk nonsense..."

"Mind your own damn business! Ouch ouch~ How satisfying! Woman, I won’t let you off!"

Seeing Lei Bowu and his entourage shouting and leaving, Wang Shouye was quite speechless.

This Lei Bowu must truly have mental issues? After being beaten like this, he still wants to provoke the fourth sister, surely a sign of trouble?

Then, he even more speechlessly watched the two approaching girls.

"Shouye, the Lei Family is too despicable, they are bullying with their influence," Huangfu Qianqian said charmingly, "Moreover, Lei Yanyun is definitely going to marry into the Celestial Human Zhang Family. But I’m different, if you’re willing, I can elope with you."

"Huangfu Qianqian, my brother is my brother, it has nothing to do with me!" Lei Yanyun said angrily, "I can plead with my father and beg the Ancestor. If they don’t agree, I can also elope with Shouye."

"Now that the foreign enemies are gone," the two girls started arguing, pins against needles.

Hearing them talk about eloping over and over, Wang Shouye felt an unbearable headache.

Fourth brother worked so hard to train him as an alchemist, not for eloping with them.

Girls, truly too troublesome~

Still, alchemy is enjoyable!

...

Geographically, Ping’an Town and Changning Guard face each other across the river. The river that separates them is called Anjiang.

Anjiang’s width is vast, yet the water flows swiftly. Along the one hundred or so miles of river section through Ping’an Town, the narrowest part is the "Broken Dragon Gorge," only a hundred feet wide, but the most perilous part is the "Falling Eagle Gorge."

A branch of Liping Mountain separates Ping’an Town from the Outer Domain like a screen, yet stretches diagonally across Anjiang. Under Anjiang’s perennial onslaught, it formed the renowned Falling Eagle Gorge.

The mountain ridge opposite Falling Eagle Gorge slices the land into two as if with a blade, the south holds the Shanyang Gongsun Family, while the north is the Shanyin Liu Family.

They face each other across mountains, resembling the two poles of yin and yang.

On the Ping’an Town side of Falling Eagle Gorge, however, the cliffs are steep like a blade, with numerous stone blade seams, extremely perilous, seemingly only accessible by eagles.

And on the right bank of Falling Eagle Gorge lies a large chaotic stone beach. Legend says it is the remains of a cliff once destroyed by Anjiang’s waters.

Once, this chaotic stone beach marked the boundary between the fishing grounds of Ping’an Wang Family and Ping’an Zhao Family. But with the decline of Ping’an Zhao Family, the entire one hundred plus miles of Anjiang river section had long been wholly owned by the Wang Family.

Thus, this boundary marker no longer has any meaning.

However, the chaotic stone beach that was once nearly useless showed some anomaly. Beside the cliff edge along with Falling Eagle Gorge, there used to be a small bay shaped like a cashew.

This bay, nestled against the cliff, sheltered from wind and waves, allows fishing boats temporary rest. However, this small haven has shallow water, and beneath it are chaotic stones where medium to large vessels cannot enter.

It’s uncertain when.

The entrance of the bay seemed unchanged, but inside, there had been a huge transformation.

The chaotic stones underneath had been cleared bit by bit, and some stubborn rugged riverbeds had been excavated and organized. If an outsider comes, they’d likely be shocked.

How could this still be the shallow water haven? It had clearly turned into a small deep-water port!

And now.

A small fishing boat swiftly entered the bay, docked at the harbor.

From that fishing boat, emerged none other than the recently famous Patriarch of the Ping’an Wang Family, Wang Shouzhe!

Outsiders likely never dreamed that currently popular overseas commodities like "foreign cement," "foreign glass," and other products originate from this hidden small deep-water port.

This, is the core location that Wang Shouzhe has managed for many years.

It’s also the true "foundation" of the Wang Family.

...