Chapter 84: Old Ancestor is Aggressive! (Patreon)

All Novels | Protect Our Patriarch: Chapter List 

~9~8~7~6~5~4~3~2~1~

"Fourth Brother, I'll help you collect the spoils of war." Wang Luoqiu swiftly moved forward, her actions becoming more skilled as she searched, "We've struck it rich, this guy has a lot of money."

She pulled out a stack of gold notes, over ten in total, plus some scattered large copper coins, totaling over 120 gold coins. In the bag, there were also some miscellaneous items commonly found on wandering cultivators, such as healing potions, some rare and unusual fragments, a vase, and even two Minor Nourishing Pills, as well as a few secret manuals.

However, the secret manuals of wandering cultivators were mostly worthless to the Wang Clan, with few being of high quality. This Sword Technique Manual and Body Technique Manual were of little value, only serving as references.

"Ah, Fourth Brother, you're too violent." Wang Luoqiu sighed as she picked up a broken sword, "A high-quality steel sword like this is worth at least ten gold coins. Now it's only worth 2-3 gold coins."

Despite her complaints, the little girl still quickly gathered all the spoils of war.

At this time, a middle-aged man's voice came from outside the warehouse door: "Guardian, is everything done? We're coming in."

As he spoke, a middle-aged man with a stern and majestic aura, fully armed and leading over ten fully armored soldiers, each holding a long spear and wearing a long sword at their waist, walked in.

"Third Uncle, we owe you one this time." Wang Shoujie bowed to the middle-aged leader, "Otherwise, we might have let those bandits escape from Ping'an Town."

This man was Wang Dingzu, a key figure in the Wang Clan's sixth generation and Wang Shoujie's third uncle. He was a family member who had taken the official path, with considerable strength, having reached the Qi Refining Realm's eighth layer at just over 40 years old.

"No need to be polite, Guardian." Wang Dingzu also bowed, smiling, "Besides, capturing these criminals is our duty as the Ping'an Town guards. I'll take them away and interrogate them tonight, and we might be able to extract some useful information from them."

"Thank you, Third Uncle." Wang Shoujie spoke as he pulled out a bag containing several dozen gold coins and handed it to Wang Dingzu, "Third Uncle, please thank your brothers for me. They've been working hard lately."

"Alright, I'll accept it on their behalf. They're not easy to command, after all." Wang Dingzu didn't decline, smiling as he turned to the soldiers behind him, "What are you all staring at? Don't you want to thank the Patriarch?"

"Thank you, Patriarch." The soldiers hastily expressed their gratitude, also showing appreciation towards Wang Dingzu. In these times, it was not easy to find a superior who cared for their subordinates.

The bag of gold coins looked heavy, and each of the brothers would be able to divide a significant amount.

Wang Shoujie and Wang Dingzu exchanged a knowing smile.

This was the mutual support relationship between the family and the official martial artists. When family members held power in the government, they would take care of the family's interests. In return, the family would be the strong backing for the official, supporting them to the best of their abilities.

The power of the family was strong, but the government's control was not weak. At the very least, the government was the actual governing body in every region, holding the moral high ground.

Moreover, these soldiers were not simple, they were not the family's servants, but individual martial artists who had undergone rigorous training.

Among them were not only family members, but also some with clear backgrounds and even more who came from families with a long history of producing officials.

The family members were divided into two types: those who had no prospects and entered the official system to seek a way out, and those like Wang Dingzu, who were chosen by the family for their potential and sent to develop in that system to expand the family's influence.

Therefore, after long-term training, the overall combat strength of these soldiers was higher than that of wandering cultivators. Wandering cultivators also feared the soldiers, normally not daring to provoke them.

Under Wang Dingzu's instructions, the soldiers bound the scattered cultivators on the ground, taking them all away.

Before leaving, Wang Dingzu's gaze fell on Wang Luoqiu, his stern eyes slightly softening: "Louqiu, when you go out with Fourth Brother, make sure to listen to him and don't be reckless."

"I know, Father." Wang Luoqiu obediently responded, batting her innocent eyes. This girl could put on a perfect act of being a obedient daughter in front of her father.

Later, Wang Dingzu turned his attention to Wang Shoulian, his face even more severe, only coldly snorting before leading the soldiers away.

This made Wang Shoulian shiver, sweat breaking out on his forehead. His father's authority had long been rooted in his heart.

"It's okay." Wang Shoujie patted his shoulder, "You did well this time."

Some of the Wang Clan's elders might be too demanding and have high expectations for their sons, which could sometimes make them become overly cautious and lacking in confidence.

"Thank you, Fourth Brother." Wang Shoulian let out a sigh of relief, his expression recovering somewhat, "I'll definitely work hard and try to gain Father's recognition."

After comforting his brother, Wang Shoujie continued, "Alright, this small trial is now over. Let's summarize the gains and losses of this mission."

"Firstly, all of you fought bravely, which is commendable. However, some of you didn't follow orders and fought recklessly, lacking teamwork and coordination." Wang Shoujie didn't hesitate to criticize, his gaze falling on Wang Luoqiu, "I'll deduct 30 points from your family merits."

The family's merit system has already had a preliminary version and has started to be implemented. Of course, it needs to go through long-term testing and continuous adjustments before it can be truly perfected.

"What?" Wang Luoqiu suddenly jumped up, "30 points? Wang Shoujie, you're kidding me..."

"Insulting the Patriarch, deduct 5 points." Wang Shoujie took out a small notebook and started recording.

"..."

Wang Luoqiu was about to cry. The family had already started to implement the sequence of merits, and she was all for it. According to the current rules, merits were not easy to come by, and each point was equivalent to one gold coin. This time, she was deducted 35 points, and her heart was about to break.

Luckily, she had just killed a humanoid monster and was able to recover some of the losses. This wave wasn't a loss.

"Everyone, sort out the spoils and hand them over to the family treasury," Wang Shoujie said. "For any family team tasks, the spoils need to be unified and handed over to the family treasury, and then the merits will be calculated and distributed to everyone. Wang Luoqiu tried to embezzle equipment, deduct 10 points. Wang Luojing, Wang Shouyong, and Wang Shoulian followed blindly, deduct 5 points each."

"What?" Wang Luoqiu's anger surged, and she was about to cry, "Fourth Brother, I... I didn't do anything wrong. I got the equipment myself, why can't I take it?"

"There are rules for team battles," Wang Shoujie began to lecture her. "Do you think you single-handedly defeated the scattered cultivators? Of course not... The early reconnaissance by the retainers, your father's army blocking the way, these are all intangible merits. Moreover, if it weren't for me holding the fort, and the other team members sharing the burden, do you think you could have defeated a group of scattered cultivators by yourself?"

"Fourth Brother is right, waaah, I was wrong," Wang Luojing said obediently.

"Fourth Brother, I was wrong too, can't you just let it go?" Wang Luoqiu was about to cry, feeling her small purse shrinking rapidly.

"No way, the punishment must be carried out," Wang Shoujie said seriously. "However, after the punishment, let's talk about the rewards. This time, the task merits are 100 points, and the spoils handed over to the treasury are worth 315 points, making a total of 415 points. As the team leader, I'll take 50% of the merits, which is 205 points. The remaining 215 points will be distributed among you, with Wang Luoqiu getting 65 points, Wang Luojing getting 60 points, and Wang Shouyong and Wang Shoulian getting 50 points each..."

Wang Shoujie explained the rules of team battles and the merits each of them earned, making it clear and transparent.

Just as they were each rejoicing and worrying...

At the Liu Clan's main residence.

In a secluded and quiet attic.

Liu Clan's family head, Liu Shengye, was speaking seriously: "Ancestor, the situation is like this. The Wang Clan has gone too far this time, using low prices to buy out our goods, which is basically a death sentence for us. If we don't take any action, our family will not only suffer heavy losses but also lose face."

After he finished speaking, an old man with a white beard, tall and sturdy, with a spirited expression, pondered for a moment before saying with a hint of concern: "How is Wang Longyan doing?"

This old man, who looked dignified and wise, was Liu Clan's ancestor, Liu Zhide - the venerable elder.

"Reporting to the ancestor, Wang Longyan has been hiding in her lair. However, based on previous signs, it's likely that her lifespan is not long," Liu Shengye said respectfully.

"Since her lifespan is not long, how dare the Wang Clan provoke us and the Zhao Clan at this time?" the venerable elder asked calmly. "Unless... their young family head has gone mad?"

Liu Shengye's forehead was sweating, and he exclaimed: "Could it be that the ancestor means Wang Longyan's injuries have healed?" If that were the case, the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan would be in trouble.

The venerable elder thought for a moment before shaking his head: "Her injuries are clear to me, and it's difficult to cure them."

"Then why...?" Liu Shengye was also puzzled. "Unless the Wang Clan is deliberately luring the ancestor into action, creating an opportunity for Wang Longyan to go out with a bang?" Unfortunately, the Wang Clan had not recruited any retainers or servants in the past 50 years, and Wang Longyan had been hiding, making it impossible for them to arrange a spy to investigate Wang Longyan's true condition.

"Trying to make a last-ditch effort before dying?" The venerable elder smiled coldly. "Wang Longyan is impulsive and reckless, and it's possible for her to do so. Unfortunately, she still thinks I'm the Liu Zhide of 50 years ago?"

"Ancestor, have you...?" Liu Shengye's face was full of surprise.

"I've only made some progress in my cultivation, barely entering the third layer of the Spirit Realm. What's there to be surprised about?" The venerable elder said calmly. "However, with the addition of the Purple Gold Bowl spirit tool, I can handle her even at her peak, let alone when she's left with half her life?"

The venerable elder had always been worried about Wang Longyan's last-ditch effort before dying, trying to take him down with her. Regarding this, he couldn't have no countermeasures.

"Then what does the ancestor mean...?"

"I didn't want to take risks, but I wanted to wait for Wang Longyan to self-destruct. Unfortunately, they're trying to destroy our foundation, which is suicidal. I'll write a letter to Bo Jun, my old brother, and it's time for us to join forces again." The venerable elder's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said calmly, "No matter what the Wang Clan's intentions are, we'll suppress them."

"Ancestor is awesome!" Liu Shengye was excited.

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

~1~2~3~4~5~6~7~8~9~

Next Chapter ->Chapter 85: The Patriarch's Bloodline