Chapter 131: Aristocratic Family (Patreon)

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Great Qian Dynasty, 3153rd year of spring, February 17th.

It has been nearly eight years since Wang Shoujie crossed over to this world.

This is a season of warm spring, with flowers blooming and all things reviving.

Dingpu Dock.

A large ferryboat slowly docked at the deep-water harbor.

As soon as the boarding bridge was laid out, people began to disembark in an orderly manner, holding a card in their hands. They passed through the gate one by one.

The card was only the size of a child's palm, but it was exquisitely crafted, resembling gold but not gold, resembling jade but not jade, and it displayed a faint purple color in the sunlight.

Inside the card, there seemed to be a paper insert with information such as the holder's place of origin, name, age, and simple physical characteristics.

As long as the holder had the card, the fully armed guards at the gate would only give it a cursory glance before smiling and nodding them through: "Welcome home."

The passengers would also respond with gratitude: "Thank you for your protection."

However, those without the card would need to go through a different gate. That gate was more crowded, and the guards' faces were stern as they scrutinized each passenger, requiring them to provide an official Da Qian road permit. Without the permit, they would be immediately sent back.

Even with the permit, they would be questioned by a special investigator about their background, purpose, and how long they planned to stay in Ping'an Town. The interrogation was extremely strict, and if they were deemed suspicious, they would be immediately sent back.

After passing the interrogation, they would be issued a thick paper card, warning them not to stay in Ping'an Town for more than a month, and charging them a processing fee of one large copper coin.

They could refuse, but it would be a waste of time and money to take a ferry back.

On the ferry, a group of peddlers dressed in fine clothes formed a small merchant caravan. Because they had horse-drawn carriages, they were arranged to disembark last.

At this time, a young peddler in his early twenties, who was clearly on his first trip to Ping'an Town, looked at the scene and asked, "Eldest Brother, what's that faint purple card?"

The group of peddlers was carrying goods such as fine salt, coarse salt, coarse iron, and coarse copper, which were all best-sellers in Ping'an Town. Especially the fine salt and coarse iron, which would be quickly purchased by blacksmiths and general stores at high prices.

In return, they would buy goods such as snowflake sugar, coarse cotton cloth, brocade, and ordinary ceramics from Ping'an Town, which were all high-priced items. This trip was indeed a lucrative one.

"Ah, the purple card," a middle-aged peddler with a envious expression said, "that's the identity card for Ping'an Town's local residents. Nowadays, Ping'an Town is not like it used to be. Outsiders who want to move to Ping'an Town need to purchase at least 20 acres of land and a house to be eligible for the identity card. With the card, they can come and go as they please."

"Wow, I've heard that the land prices in Ping'an Town are very high now," the young peddler said enviously. "Isn't it difficult for even the lowly tenant farmers to get an identity card?"

The middle-aged peddler quickly stopped him, but it was too late.

The nearby rough-looking men dressed in fine cotton clothes glared at them: "What's wrong with us tenant farmers? Are we not worthy of an identity card?"

The middle-aged peddler quickly apologized: "Sorry, sorry, the young man doesn't know any better. He doesn't know that Ping'an Wang Clan's tenant farmers have a high status now."

Their high status came from their high income and the Wang Clan's appreciation for them.

Currently, the average annual income of Ping'an Wang Clan's tenant farmers had already exceeded that of Ping'an Town's self-cultivating farmers by 30%. The only explanation for this was that the Wang Clan's Farm Manor's revenue had become extremely high, and the tenant farmers were benefiting from it.

It's worth noting that Ping'an Town's self-cultivating farmers, who cultivated the Wang Clan's No. 9 Elite Seed, could enjoy the Spirit Insect Master's preferential pest control prices, which were already higher than those of other towns.

Thus, it was clear that the income of Ping'an Wang Clan's tenant farmers was extremely high, exceeding many people's imagination.

The group of tenant farmers, who had been chatting, suddenly stopped and looked at the young peddler: "Did you hear that Old Zhang's daughter married a self-cultivating farmer? I remember she used to work at the silkworm farm. It's unbelievable that she would marry down like that."

"His family has 50 acres of fertile farmland, and the boy is an apprentice blacksmith. That's still a decent match."

"Old Liu, I heard you bought a storefront in Zhuwei Garden's second phase? That's a huge investment, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's true. My three kids have a talent for sewing, and they'll be masters in two years. Opening a tailor shop will be a good way to support themselves. We can't just farm the land generation after generation, can we?"

"Farming is not bad, but to become a Wang Clan tenant farmer, you need to be vetted, tested, and work on the outer farm for a few years first..."

"That's true, but having a tailor shop adds a skill, and the income is not bad either. The storefront is a good investment."

These tenant farmers talked about income and investment as if they were rich farmers.

The young peddler was shocked. Were these really tenant farmers? They seemed as confident and arrogant as rich farmers from other towns.

"Is the storefront in Zhuwei Mansion very expensive?" the young peddler asked weakly.

"It's around 100 gold coins," Old Liu said. "We spent our family's savings and borrowed a lot of money from outside."

"That's so expensive!" the young peddler exclaimed. "You could buy 30 acres of land in another town for that price. The Wang Clan is ripping people off with their commercial properties!"

"You don't understand, so don't speak nonsense," Old Liu scolded. "Zhuwei Mansion is a place where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold. The land prices and housing prices increase every year, and many wealthy people from Changning come to buy houses and land as vacation homes. Not to mention the wind and water, but just the three-level Guardian Spirit Beast guarding the lake is enough to make the storefront worth the money."

Three-level Guardian Spirit Beast?

The young peddler was shocked and couldn't help but ask more questions. The more he talked, the more he realized that Ping'an Town was even more powerful and wealthy than he had imagined.

"Do you see that young man in brocade clothes?" Old Liu pointed to a young man on the dock who was inspecting the area, and the soldiers were saluting him as he passed by.

"Is that... a direct descendant of the Wang Clan?"

"Indeed, it's a Wang Clan young master, but from a side branch."

"Wow, even the side branches are so powerful. This Ping'an Wang Clan is not simple at all."

"You're right, we Ping'an Wang Clan are an eight-rank aristocratic family. Our Clan Leader's wife is from the eight-rank Shan Yin's Liu Clan, and our combined strength is formidable."

The young peddler was immediately intimidated. An eight-rank aristocratic family would have at least three Spirit Platform Stage cultivators, and with the two families combined, they would have at least six. Their strength was indeed formidable.

The passengers on the ferry, including rogue cultivators and peddlers, were all going through the gate in an orderly manner, with the necessary checks and procedures.

Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred.

A martial artist rushed towards a ferryboat that was about to depart, and the soldiers who tried to stop him were no match for him, being knocked down one by one.

"Wow, that's a high-level expert, probably at the Qi Refinement Stage Seven."

The crowd began to discuss and speculate, shocked by the martial artist's abilities. He seemed to be a rogue cultivator, and it was extremely rare for them to reach such a level. Moreover, he seemed very capable of fighting.

Suddenly!

"You dare to hurt people in my Ping'an Town and then try to run?"

A young man with an even faster speed rushed towards the martial artist, his movements like a leaf blown by the wind, extremely agile and elegant.

The soldiers tried to block him, but he was too fast.

In just a few breaths, the young man had caught up with the middle-aged Rogue Cultivator, his sword aura shining like a rainbow, opening and closing with a thick, white light.

This handsome and elegant young man was using the Wang Clan's secret martial arts technique, the mid-grade body technique "Willow Fluff Body Technique" and the mid-grade sword technique "Wang Clan Xuanyuan Sword".

As he executed his moves, it was clear that he had already reached a certain level of proficiency.

"Wang Shouyong!" the middle-aged Rogue Cultivator shouted angrily, "Am I not just eating my meal when you injured me? You've been chasing me for dozens of miles, do you think I'm made of clay?"

He pulled out a steel knife, its style fierce and overbearing, clearly not someone to be trifled with.

This person was not weak in terms of martial arts or cultivation among the Rogue Cultivators.

The two of them clashed, their battle intense and evenly matched.

Some soldiers with lower strength didn't dare to intervene, and even the guards didn't dare to help.

"That's the fifth young master of the Wang Clan, Wang Shouyong!" many people recognized the young man's identity and cheered, "Fifth young master, go for it, take down that Rogue Cultivator!"

"My goodness." A young merchant was shocked, "This fifth young master looks like he's only in his early twenties, but his Qi Refinement Stage is already at Seven, his martial arts technique is so solid, he might reach the peak of the Qi Refinement Realm in his forties, what a talented person!"

"That's natural, our Wang Clan's young masters and mistresses are all top-notch."

With the crowd's encouragement, Wang Shouyong became more courageous, gradually gaining the upper hand.

The Wang Clan Xuanyuan Technique was a mid-grade cultivation method, and the more one cultivated, the thicker and stronger the Mysterious Qi became, with an astonishing endurance.

The Rogue Cultivator saw that he couldn't resist anymore.

Suddenly, he pulled out a handful of red sand from his pocket and threw it out, shouting, "Look at my poisonous sand!"

Wang Shouyong was shocked, quickly retreating and using his sword to deflect the sand. Unfortunately, it was just ordinary red sand, not poisonous at all.

The Rogue Cultivator took advantage of the opportunity to escape again, rushing towards the ferry that was already five or six hundred feet away.

"Oh no!" Wang Shouyong thought to himself, it was too late to chase him, and if he fought on the ferry, he might harm innocent people.

"Hahaha!" The Rogue Cultivator laughed wildly, "See if you dare to chase me onto the ferry, once I escape, I'll never come back to Ping'an Town..."

But his words were cut off, and his fleeing momentum stopped.

His face turned pale, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

A ten-year-old girl, dressed in a yellow martial arts uniform, stood between him and the ferry.

She had her hands behind her back, and simply stood there, stopping the Rogue Cultivator's movements.

Her expression was calm and peaceful, without even glancing at the Rogue Cultivator, and her invisible pressure made the Rogue Cultivator's legs tremble.

"Wang, Wang... Wang Luoqiu!" The Rogue Cultivator's eyes were filled with terror and despair.

"It's the sixth young mistress, it's the sixth young mistress!"

The crowd erupted in excitement, "That Rogue Cultivator is so unlucky, he's encountered the sixth young mistress, who has already broken through to the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm!"

"That's old news, the sixth young mistress was already at the eighth level of the Qi Refinement Realm last year!"

"My goodness, the sixth young mistress was only eighteen years old last year, her cultivation speed is too terrifying!"

"The sixth young mistress not only has a fast cultivation speed but also has a fierce martial arts technique, rumored to have the ability to fight above her level."

The Rogue Cultivator's heart sank to the bottom.

He had been in Ping'an Town for over a year, and the sixth young mistress of the Wang Clan's reputation was already well-known.

But he refused to give up, and immediately swung his steel knife, shouting, "Wang Luoqiu, if you don't want to die, get out of my way!" He didn't believe that this young girl's combat ability was that strong.

He was a strong warrior who had killed Ferocious Beasts in the Outlands, his martial arts technique was naturally fierce!

"Ah, foolish guy."

Wang Luoqiu shook her head and sighed, taking a step forward with an air of nonchalance.

That one step was like shrinking the distance, and in an instant, she was already close to him, lightly punching him in the chest.

"Boom!"

The Rogue Cultivator was like a Ferocious Beast that had been struck, flying backward and falling to the ground with a thud, his chest caved in, and he couldn't get up, spitting out blood and twitching all over.

The surrounding crowd gasped in shock, and the atmosphere was silent. They knew the sixth young mistress Wang Luoqiu was powerful, but they didn't expect her to be this powerful.

One punch!

Just one punch had completely defeated the powerful Rogue Cultivator.

At this time, the young man Wang Shouyong ran over, saying awkwardly, "Thank you, Luoqiu sister, for your help, if that thief had escaped onto the ferry, it would have been a big trouble."

"Wang Shouyong, you're still fooled by such a small trick?" Wang Luoqiu raised an eyebrow, "You've disappointed Fourth Brother's expectations, go apologize to him yourself."

"Yes, I'll catch the thief and then go apologize to Fourth Brother." Wang Shouyong looked embarrassed and honest.

"Hmph." Wang Luoqiu snorted and left, not looking back.

Wang Shouyong knew Luoqiu's temper and didn't dare to linger, immediately taking the thief back to the Guarding Mansion prison.

Then he hurried back to the Wang Clan Manor, rushing to his Fourth Brother's courtyard.

As he arrived at the courtyard, he felt a bit afraid and ashamed, his footsteps faltering.

But before he could hesitate, a warm and stern voice came from inside the courtyard, "Old Five, are you going to stand outside my courtyard forever? Come in."

Wang Shouyong trembled, quickly straightening his back, and respectfully bowed, "Yes, Fourth Brother."

He then walked in, feeling grateful and ashamed, truly unable to fathom Fourth Brother's cultivation and strength.

He felt that the more he pursued, the more he felt that Fourth Brother was unfathomable.

He was standing outside the courtyard, and yet he was already detected.

...

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter -> Chapter 132: The Hidden Boss Wife