Chapter 124: Welcoming Relatives Fire Treading White Cloud (Patreon)

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Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

It had been ten months since the Liu and Zhao Clans were destroyed and completely withdrew from the stage.

During these ten months, the Wang Clan had experienced many joyful events. The sixth uncle, Wang Xiaohan's, spiritual birthday banquet was held with great fanfare. Later, it was the wedding of his sister, Wang Luoyi, and Chen Fangjie.

In just a few days, it would be his own wedding day.

The Wang Clan was indeed thriving, with one happy event after another.

This was also the season of autumn harvest.

Inside the Fertile Valley Farm Manor.

Among the thousands of acres of fertile farmland, the rice plants, which had entered the middle to late stages of growth, swayed gently in the wind, resembling vast ocean waves. The farmers were busy in the fields, carefully tending to the rice plants, supplementing fertilizer as needed, and identifying the weeds that resembled the rice plants.

The weeds and rice plants looked very similar, and the ancestors had selectively bred the weeds to create the current rice varieties. They grew wildly, competing with the rice plants for nutrients.

If not handled properly, it would affect the rice plants' growth.

The farmers worked very hard, but this year, they all had a hint of joy on their faces.

Because the lord of the manor had introduced a new rice variety from somewhere, which would be planted on half of the farm's land.

At first, the farmers were worried that the new variety might not be suitable for the land, and if it failed, it would affect their share of the harvest.

But the lord was kind and promised that the farmers who planted the new variety would receive a minimum distribution based on the previous year's average yield. If the harvest was bountiful, they would receive extra distribution.

This season's harvest was looking good.

As the rice plants entered the ripening stage, the farmers discovered the new variety's advantages. Not only did the plants grow taller and stronger, but the rice ears were also larger and more numerous.

Many farmers were old hands, and they knew that if things continued like this, they would likely harvest an extra load of rice per acre, and the quality might be even better.

The price of new rice was already slightly higher, and even if they calculated based on the original price, they would earn an extra gold coin for every twenty acres This was a pure profit, excluding taxes, fertilizer, oxen, and labor costs.

On average, each farmer would receive thirty large copper coins If the wheat harvest was also good, they would earn an extra sixty large copper coins in a year.

This made the farmers extremely happy.

This extra income could be saved up and used as a dowry for their children in the future. Or, they could send their children to learn a trade, which would not only reduce their labor but also increase their income, making it easier to marry off their daughters.

Many farmers had already started thinking about the future, and with this extra income, they could quickly save up enough gold to buy sufficient farmland, allowing their children and grandchildren to become self-sufficient farmers.

This thought motivated them even more.

...

At the same time.

In the fields, the spirited fourth uncle, Wang Xiaozhi, excitedly said, "Shoujie, the Wang's Ninth Generation Rice you developed is truly a high-quality variety. If we plant it on all our farm manors, we'll earn a lot this year!"

Now that the Wang Clan was prosperous, even the elderly Wang Xiaozhi, who had previously been frugal, was ordered to supplement his spiritual food and take Minor Nourishing Pills to cultivate his spirit.

As a result, Wang Xiaozhi's complexion was very good, and he looked much younger. Even if he didn't have the hope of reaching the Spirit Platform Stage in this life, he could at least live a healthy and long life.

Wang Shoujie didn't want these elderly family members, who had worked hard for the family all their lives, to end up struggling in their old age.

"Fourth uncle, let's try planting it on a different field next year and see how it goes. If it's successful, we can switch to Wang's Ninth Generation Rice entirely," Wang Shoujie said, satisfied with his own research and development.

He had been able to develop the rice variety due to his mysterious and unpredictable bloodline abilities. When he discovered he could make withered trees bloom, he thought of cultivating Spirit Medicine and Spirit Elixirs.

However, after researching, he found it wasn't that simple.

Making withered trees bloom only worked on ordinary plants.

Moreover, it couldn't be done in a short period, as it would consume the plants' life force, causing them to wither quickly.

As for Spirit Elixirs, they didn't have a significant effect either. If he used his abilities to cultivate a single White Jade Spirit Rice, it would take him over ten days, and the result would be a hollow rice shell.

It was better to focus on improving ordinary rice varieties.

He built a laboratory and began small-scale cultivation of rice varieties.

His bloodline abilities had a significant advantage when it came to ordinary plants.

In a small greenhouse experiment, as long as the nutrients were sufficient, he could make the rice plants mature in just a few days.

So, he decided to use his abilities to cultivate rice varieties.

The initial rice varieties came from the Liu and Zhao Clans' farm manors, which had been on the verge of collapse. The remaining rice plants that could survive were naturally more resistant to pests and diseases.

From this foundation, it was much simpler.

He then cultivated new varieties of rice, one generation at a time, utilizing the scattered agricultural knowledge and breeding techniques from his past life.

It took him half a year to develop fifteen varieties of rice, each with its advantages.

However, he ultimately chose the Wang's Ninth Generation Rice, which had a "mediocre" yield and average pest and disease resistance, as the large-scale experimental variety.

The reason was simple: this variety had a unique genetic mutation that made it impossible to reproduce if the seeds were soaked in low-concentration saltwater.

In other words, only the Wang Clan could cultivate the first generation as the original variety, and the seeds would become useless for reproduction after being soaked in saltwater.

This could effectively prevent the leakage of high-quality varieties.

According to Wang Shoujie, many historical or powerful families would cultivate their own high-quality varieties, which they would only use within their own farm manors. When selling to outsiders, they would process the seeds to make them unusable for reproduction.

Wang Shoujie's Wang's Ninth Generation Rice didn't have this concern.

Wang Xiaozhi said, "Shoujie, I know you're worried about this harvest. But you should hurry back now. Your wedding is just a few days away, and the whole family is busy preparing for it. You can't keep running around the fields."

"I'll just take a look and then head back," Wang Shoujie smiled and bid farewell.

In reality, he also knew that the Wang Clan had been preparing for his wedding for a long time. The wedding clothes and other items had been prepared half a year in advance.

Second Brother Wang Shouyi had also commissioned various merchants to purchase high-end ingredients from Longzuo County and surrounding areas half a year ago.

The rest of the family members had been busy for a while.

Moreover, many daughters who had married out had returned to the Wang Clan Manor with their husbands and children, both to celebrate and to help.

On the way back in the horse-drawn carriage, Wang Shoujie let out a sigh. He was also filled with emotions, realizing that he was about to get married!

What was most surprising to him was that he and his bride had never met before.

Neither of them knew what the other looked like.

Moreover, up until now, the two of them had only exchanged a few words, a brief and distant interaction.

This was even more exaggerated than Wang Shoujie's online romance on Earth.

However, in this world, the marriage between an Aristocratic Family's son and a Legitimate Daughter was extremely normal.

Before Chen Fangjie and his sister Wang Luoyi got married, they had only visited the Wang Clan Manor once, and afterwards, they didn't dare to go to the main residence again. They were afraid of violating the rules and getting beaten to death by Wang Shoujie.

"Hehe, but this kind of arranged marriage is pretty good," Wang Shoujie laughed. "On Earth, getting married after talking about love for many years is too troublesome."

...

Time passed, and several days went by.

It was the tenth month of autumn, a season of harvest and a suitable time for weddings.

For Changning Guard's Shan Yin Town, this was also an extremely important season.

Because in Shan Yin Town, the Liu Clan, which had a dominant position, was celebrating the wedding of their Legitimate Daughter today.

To celebrate this grand occasion, the Liu Clan had announced that all fertile farmland within their territory would be exempt from paying Aristocratic Family taxes for this autumn harvest.

This was a huge gesture!

To know that the Liu Clan's territory had over 70,000 acres of fertile farmland that needed to pay Aristocratic Family taxes, and just the taxes they wouldn't collect would amount to over 700 gold coins.

For most ordinary self-cultivating farmers, this was a huge joy, as they would save tens of silver coins in taxes during the harvest season, enough to let them have a comfortable and abundant year.

This also showed the Liu Clan's overall financial strength, as they wouldn't feel the pinch of losing 700 gold coins, which was truly not something that ordinary Aristocratic Families could compare to.

At the entrance of Shan Yin Town, there was a gate tower, with a stone plaque above it inscribed with the words "Shan Yin".

This was a defense line and checkpoint, where a member of the Liu Clan and a team of Clan Retainers would be stationed year-round to interrogate and register anyone entering Shan Yin Town, especially Rogue Cultivators and traveling merchants.

This was also what set Shan Yin apart from other towns, as it could prevent most wandering criminals from entering and make those who wanted to commit crimes feel intimidated.

As a result, the crime rate within Shan Yin was always the lowest among the towns in Changning Guard, with a safe and orderly life.

At the same time, on the large open space beside the gate, the Liu Clan had set up a canopy and a team of musicians ready to perform.

It was around 9 am.

There were already many Shan Yin townspeople gathered near the gate.

There were farmers, small business owners, craftsmen, and even some martial artists from non-mainstream families, traveling merchants, and Rogue Cultivators. Old and young, men and women, all were present.

They were discussing and gossiping, occasionally glancing outside the gate, as if they were all waiting for something.

"I heard the groom is the young Clan Leader of the Ping'an Wang Clan? I don't know what he looks like, but I hope he's worthy of our Miss Liu."

"Old brother, that's old news The groom is already the Clan Leader of the Wang Clan."

"Clan Leader? That's a big age gap. Our Miss Liu won't be marrying an old man, will she?"

"How could that be? Our Miss Liu is the esteemed Legitimate Daughter of the Liu Clan, with a noble status. I heard the groom is only 19 years old, at the prime of his youth, one year older than Miss Liu."

"Age and status are okay, but the Ping'an Wang Clan is just a small family in a remote corner of An River, isn't it?"

"That's right, Ping'an Town is only about a hundred years old, and I heard there are still Ferocious Beasts in their territory that haven't been cleared."

"Ah, does our Miss Liu have to suffer in that kind of poor and barren place? With Ferocious Beasts around, isn't it very dangerous?"

In this world, many ordinary people were born and died in one place.

Living a lifetime, having the chance to visit the capital city once was already a great achievement.

Ping'an Town and Shan Yin Town were separated by mountains and rivers, and ordinary people only heard rumors about each other.

However, some traveling Rogue Cultivators and merchants who had seen the world spoke up for Ping'an Town, saying, "Ping'an Town is developing rapidly under the Wang Clan's rule, although it's not as good as Shan Yin for now, but it has great potential for future development. As for the Ferocious Beasts in their territory, they do appear occasionally, but that's unavoidable since it's near the Outlands."

"Wang Clan's Clan Leader Wang Shoujie is a very impressive young man, with a high reputation in Ping'an Town, worthy of your Miss Liu."

As the Rogue Cultivators and traveling merchants spoke up, some Shan Yin townspeople began to have a better impression of Ping'an Town and Wang Shoujie.

However, many people still held biases.

"Occasionally having Ferocious Beasts is still having them. Our Miss Liu will suffer too much if she marries into that kind of place."

"Wang Shoujie? That's a very ordinary name. I don't know what he looks like, but I hope he's handsome and strong, at least half as good as Yuanhui's young Clan Leader."

"Who can compare to Yuanhui's young master? If the groom is half as good, that's already not bad."

Various discussions continued.

Suddenly, a few quick-witted young men rushed back, their faces flushed with excitement, shouting, "He's here He's here The Ping'an Wang Clan's wedding procession has arrived, and the groom is here!"

Instantly, everyone fell silent, stretching their necks to look outside the gate.

Not long after, the wedding procession appeared at the corner of the road.

At the head of the procession was a young man wearing a wedding gown, with a large red flower ball on his chest.

He wore a purple jade crown on his head, a tight-fitting red wedding robe with dragon patterns and phoenix designs, symbolizing the couple's harmony and cooperation in managing the family.

Around his waist was a golden pouch, symbolizing the family's wealth and ability to provide for the bride.

On his right side, he wore a jade sword and a small, exquisite purple gold bow, representing the groom's family's strong martial power and ability to protect their wife and children.

His shoes were embroidered with cloud patterns, indicating the groom's future success and the family's prosperity.

These decorations were all meaningful in this world.

This was the standard attire for a Clan Leader or a family heir, and only direct descendants or eldest sons could wear such a wedding gown.

"Wow, the groom is so tall and handsome, with a face like a crown prince," a scholar praised. "He rides his horse with ease, with a steady and calm demeanor, not bad at all."

"Is that the legendary Golden Fire Double Spirit Silk Robe?" a knowledgeable Rogue Cultivator exclaimed. "It seems to be radiating a faint red glow and golden light from afar."

"What's the Golden Fire Double Spirit Silk Robe? Isn't it just a wedding gown?" someone asked.

"Ha ha, there are many types of spiritual silkworms, such as ice silkworms, fire silkworms, and gold silkworms. But no matter which type, spiritual silk clothing is extremely expensive, and even a small piece of spiritual silk fabric is a treasure."

"And the most suitable material for making a man's wedding gown is the Fire Spirit Silk, with Golden Spirit Silk as a supplement. These two types of spiritual silk have a natural red or golden color, making them the most luxurious and expensive."

"But the wedding gown requires a lot of material, and the production process is complex, so the price is even higher. I think the groom's wedding gown won't be less than 2,000 gold coins!"

"2,000?"

Everyone was shocked.

That was a sky-high price!

And most importantly, a man's wedding gown was only worn once in a lifetime... wearing it once and spending 2,000 gold coins was too extravagant!

"I saw this kind of wedding gown in Longzuo County, worn by a Celestial Clan's young Clan Leader during his wedding," the Rogue Cultivator said proudly.

A groom who could wear such a wedding gown was definitely not from an ordinary family.

Almost everyone's gaze towards the groom was filled with reverence.

"Hey, you're all just looking at the wedding gown, but look at the horse the groom is riding!" another knowledgeable Rogue Cultivator called out.

As he reminded them, everyone noticed that the groom was not riding an ordinary horse.

The horse had a single horn on its head, a fiery red color, with white clouds on its four hooves, strong and majestic, with a spirited and lively aura.

It stepped lightly, as if it were treading on clouds and flying through the air.

"This is... the legendary Thousand Gold Spirit Horse!"

"Fire Treading White Cloud!"

It was indeed.

A thousand gold coins for the gown, ten thousand gold coins for the horse, the young master has come to take the noble lady away

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 125: Joyful Celebration The Phoenixes Sing in Harmony