Chapter 76: The Cultivation Base Breakthrough and the Younger Brother-in-law's Arrival (Patreon)

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Chen Fang Jie had performed two almost identical plays in a row, and he felt overwhelmed, as if he was getting tired of it.

On the other hand, Wang Mei seemed to be enjoying herself, and her spirit was even more lively. It was clear that she loved this kind of life, and this was a personal talent.

Wang Shoujie never expected that this ordinary retainer, Wang Mei, would start to covet his body without any reason.

This matter was settled.

Overall, Wang Shoujie was quite satisfied with the completion of the second phase of the task. Not only did he sell grain at a high price, but he also planted a deadly seed in the hearts of Liu Yongzhou and Zhao Dingtian, serving as a preparation for the third plan.

Next, according to the original plan, the Chen Clan of Donggang used two large merchant ships and removed their markings. The Wang Clan also transported the grain to Fenggu Farm in advance, using a large number of laborers to transport the grain to the merchant ships overnight.

Although it seemed like a waste of manpower and resources to transport the grain back and forth, in such a special period, being more cautious meant being safer.

A martial clan that could be passed down for generations was not about making a quick profit, but about one word: stability.

Achieving stability was not easy, but it ultimately came down to two major directions: the ability to avoid risks and the ability to resist risks.

If the Wang Clan were not currently facing internal and external threats, Wang Shoujie would not have wanted to engage in a fierce battle with the Liu and Zhao Clans so quickly. He would have preferred to operate on a larger scale, laying out a long-term plan to eventually crush his opponents with an overwhelming advantage.

However, given the current situation, he could only think of ways to achieve the best solution.

Time passed day by day.

On this day, Wang Shoujie practiced as usual, and when he went to the training ground at 6 am, his eyes shone with a suppressed brilliance, and his aura became more intense.

"Master, have you broken through?" Wang Gui, the servant, felt the strong aura and exclaimed with joy.

"I've just broken through to the 7th layer of the Qi Refining Realm," Wang Shoujie said calmly, with a hint of joy. Previously, he had reached the peak of the 6th layer, and after some time of consolidation and tempering, he had a sudden realization tonight and directly consumed a Peiyuan Pill, using Spirit Stones to boost his cultivation.

Thanks to his deep accumulation, resources, and luck, he successfully broke through in one go.

From today on, Wang Shoujie was a true powerhouse in the late stage of Qi Refining.

At 18 years old, he had reached the 7th layer of the Qi Refining Realm, which was an excellent achievement in the entire Changning Guard. It was reminiscent of Ancestor Longyan, who had achieved this feat at 18 years old, only half a year earlier than Wang Shoujie.

After breaking through, the quality and quantity of his Mysterious Qi, as well as his physical constitution, had undergone a significant improvement.

In the coming days, he would need to focus on cultivating and familiarizing himself with his new power level. However, to reach the 8th layer of the Qi Refining Realm, the difficulty would not be trivial, and it would not be achievable in a short period.

At the training ground, Wang Shoujie practiced martial arts, swordplay, and archery. He could clearly feel that he was much stronger than before, and although he couldn't say he could defeat two of his previous selves, he felt that he could barely defeat two ordinary Qi Refining Realm 6th-layer practitioners. That was, of course, assuming they were ordinary...

After a session of practice, until the sun was high in the sky, Wang Shoujie's entire body was aching, and he finally returned to take a bath.

Later, in the side hall, he brewed a small pot of Shanyang spiritual herb tea, cleared his mind, and began to handle some miscellaneous tasks.

"Master, these are the intelligence reports about the Liu and Zhao Clans' recent activities," Wang Gui presented some letters and reports.

Wang Shoujie read through the reports, his eyebrows gradually furrowing, and when he saw the last one, he slammed his palm on the table, his eyes filled with cold anger: "The Chailang Clan is indeed the Chailang Clan, wearing a human skin but unable to conceal their greedy and cruel nature."

Although Wang Shoujie had anticipated that the Liu and Zhao Clans would not be gentle once they started their annexation strategy, he did not expect their methods to be so cruel and greedy.

Take the Liu Clan, for example. They had a population of around 2,000 households under their jurisdiction, with a total of 30,000-40,000 mu (approximately 2,000-2,667 acres) of fertile farmland. This insect plague had severely affected the self-farming peasants, and many families who were not good at managing their farms had empty granaries after paying their grain taxes.

However, among these peasants, there were also many middle-class farmers, and even wealthy farmers.

Their family foundation was relatively solid, and they had a habit of stockpiling some grain. Therefore, the self-farming peasants in this region, although still lacking in grain, would borrow from each other and struggle to get by, barely making it through the disaster year.

However, when the Liu Clan intervened, they first arrested a batch of middle-class farmers who had stockpiled grain. The reason was that these farmers dared to lend grain to others privately and even dared to sign contracts, promising to return double the amount after the autumn harvest.

In the end, these middle-class farmers had no choice but to contribute a portion of their land to obtain the Liu Clan's "understanding".

This was still tolerable, but some wealthy families, seeing the villagers' difficulties, took the initiative to provide relief, not even charging interest.

This undoubtedly touched the Liu Clan's fundamental interests, and they secretly recruited some thugs from the scattered repairmen, who went to the homes of those doing charity work every day, demanding "relief" and causing those wealthy families to retreat in fear.

There was even a wealthy family with a relatively hard backbone that continued to secretly provide relief to others. As a result, a group of scattered repairmen snuck into their home at night, and all the old and young people in the family, over a dozen, were killed.

The Liu Clan's goal was simple: to make those families who had exhausted their grain reserves mortgage their land in exchange for their old grain. According to intelligence, although not many self-farming peasants had done so yet, as time went on, the "famine" caused by human factors would only worsen, and eventually, some people would be unable to hold out, and their land would be exchanged for the Liu Clan's grain at exorbitant prices.

Under this insect plague, to avoid a large number of refugees causing various consequences, it was usual to blockade each region, making it difficult for civilians to move around. This also brought convenience to the Liu Clan's plan.

The Liu Clan wanted "not much", just to annex about one-tenth of the land within their jurisdiction. With cruel and ruthless means, they would surely achieve this within two months.

Of course, as a noble family, the Liu Clan would not openly violate the Daqian Law on the surface.

They would use the "Dantai Heyu" method to trade with the Liu Clan, called a gold mortgage loan, ensuring that no criminal evidence would be left in writing.

This was the so-called "policy above, countermeasures below". Especially for the noble families in the countryside, they were like local emperors to the common people. If they didn't care about their reputation, they could do as they pleased.

At this moment, Wang Shoujie had some regrets, regretting that he had "sold" the old grain to the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan.

However, this thought only flashed by, and even if he hadn't taken action, the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan would still have obtained grain from other places, executing the same plan. Instead, it would be equivalent to supporting their fox and dog friends, and the situation would spin out of control.

"The people's resentment has risen, notify Wang Zhong to set up a net and start the ambush plan. At the same time, find out the whereabouts of that group of scattered repairmen who destroyed the family." Wang Shoujie's face was gloomy as he wrote a secret order to be sent out.

Although delaying would allow the people's resentment to accumulate further, waiting until the peak of the people's resentment to take action would be more beneficial to the Wang Clan's future plans. However, it was equally likely to cause more tragedies for ordinary families.

After handling this matter, Wang Shoujie drank several cups of Yangshan Small Spirit Herb to calm down.

"Master, don't forget that the Liu Clan's second young master will come to visit today." Wang Gui reminded him cautiously.

The Liu Clan's second young master?

Only after this reminder did Wang Shoujie remember that he had received a letter from the Liu Clan a few days ago, saying that Liu Yuanrui, the second son of the Liu Clan Patriarch, would arrive at Dingpu Ferry Terminal at noon today to visit the Wang Clan.

Wang Shoujie and Liu Ruolan, the Liu Clan's golden daughter, were already engaged. According to etiquette, the Wang Clan should send someone of corresponding status to welcome him. This reception task was usually entrusted to the Patriarch's eldest son.

However, Wang Shoujie was not yet married, and Liu Yuanrui was his future brother-in-law, so he could only go personally to welcome him.

He prepared a horse-drawn carriage, brought some fruit, and called two retainers.

The group headed towards Dingpu Ferry Terminal, passing by the outer road of Zhuwei Lake.

At this time, the lakeside of Zhuwei Lake had changed, with over a hundred young and strong tenant farmers from the Wang Clan clearing the reeds around the lake, leveling the land, and building large sheds.

The person in charge of this work was Wang Shuonuo, the third elder of the Wang Clan. The tall and sturdy young man, who was originally organizing the young and strong to unload some wood and stone, waved at Wang Shoujie's carriage from a distance and continued working.

The sheds being built were for the next step of the plan, and since the third elder was busy, Wang Shoujie didn't go to disturb him.

The carriage continued on its way, eventually arriving at Dingpu Ferry Terminal.

The Wang Clan also had some shops and ferry businesses here, but most were entrusted to the Wang Clan's side branches, and were mainly labor-intensive with little profit.

Wang Shoujie went straight to the deep-water dock, waiting for less than an hour before seeing a ferry arrive, and Liu Yuanrui and his entourage disembarked first.

From a distance, Wang Shoujie smiled and welcomed him: "Young Master Liu has arrived, and I, Wang Shoujie, apologize for not welcoming you earlier."

Liu Yuanrui was still under 16 years old, and although his face was somewhat childish, he looked quite dashing in his ornate attire.

He also smiled and quickly came forward, shaking hands and returning the courtesy: "I, Liu Yuanrui, have seen Brother Wang Shoujie. I came uninvited, and I hope Brother Wang Shoujie will forgive me." He had a refined demeanor, and his temperament was like a spring breeze, making people feel comfortable.

Martial Clan children, especially those of the direct lineage, received elite education from a young age, and their behavior and etiquette were extremely strict. Those who caused trouble everywhere, with a fierce and arrogant attitude, were not unheard of, but they were extremely rare. At least in public, they would definitely present themselves with refinement and courtesy.

Just as the two were exchanging pleasantries, a sweet and charming girl's voice came from behind Liu Yuanrui: "Brother-in-law, you're even more handsome than I imagined."

Brother-in-law?

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 77: Did the sister-in-law also come?