Chapter 154: The Aristocratic Family's Hidden Depths The Thousand-Year-Old Wang Clan (Patreon)

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As soon as they arrived, Wang Shoujie also stepped forward, cupping his hands in respect: "I am Wang Shoujie, the Clan Leader of the Ping'an Wang Clan, nice to meet Clan Leader Xiao Rui."

According to reason, Wang Xiaorui was an elder of the Xiao generation.

However, at this moment, both parties were meeting as Clan Leaders, so they naturally had to follow the rules between Aristocratic Families. Moreover, the blood relationship between Clan Leader Xiao Rui and him was relatively distant.

Unlike those close relatives, such as uncles and grandfathers.

Both parties naturally exchanged greetings.

Following that, Ancestor Longyan, Ancestor Xuanfu, and several Spirit Platform Stage elders from the other party also exchanged greetings.

Especially Ancestor Longyan, who was a woman of the Long generation, with a higher seniority. Among the Spirit Platform Stage elders present, she was equivalent in seniority to the elder of the Yu generation, Wang Yuchen, from the Longzuo's Wang Family.

Wang Yuchen was already over 150 years old, much older than Ancestor Longyan.

He looked extremely old, and it was likely that he only had about 10 to 20 years of life left.

Spirit Platform Stage cultivators could enjoy a lifespan of 200 years, but not every Spirit Platform Stage cultivator could live that long.

It depended on their age of advancement, whether they had suffered any unseen injuries, and factors such as their bloodline and long-term cultivation.

Most Spirit Platform Stage cultivators would pass away at around 170 to 180 years old. Those who could live to 200 or beyond were considered to be extremely long-lived.

As soon as he saw Ancestor Longyan, he trembled all over, his eyes filled with guilt: "Longyan sister, it's been 60 years since we last met. Ah... I'm sorry, I didn't help you much back then."

He let out a deep sigh, clearly still regretful about the past 60 years.

"Uncle Yuchen," Ancestor Longyan said calmly, "all of this was fate. Back then, the Longzuo's Wang Family had already helped us a lot. You also helped us a lot, Uncle Yuchen, and I'm already grateful."

Ancestor Longyan had often stayed at the Longzuo's Wang Family when she was at the Academy, so she was relatively close to Ancestor Yuchen.

On the other hand, Ancestor Xuanfu, although she was also a close relative of Ancestor Zhouxuan, was still a member of the Liu family and had less of a connection to the Longzuo's Wang Family.

However, she was now a Core Disciple of the Academy, so the Longzuo's Wang Family naturally respected her, and their conversation was filled with warmth and closeness.

After the elders had finished exchanging greetings, the younger generation came forward to pay their respects.

This was how it was between Aristocratic Families.

Just this one round of greetings had taken up half an hour.

At this point, Wang Xiaorui began to call a halt: "Ancestor Longyan, Clan Leader Shoujie, this isn't a place for conversation. Let's please follow me into the city first."

"Thank you, Clan Leader Xiao Rui," Wang Shoujie cupped his hands in respect.

Following that, the Wang Clan members, led by Wang Xiaorui, entered the city from the Longzuo County gate, with over 10 horse-drawn carriages passing through the VIP passage without being inspected.

The martial artists and soldiers guarding the city kept a respectful and courteous attitude throughout.

"Thank you, soldiers," Wang Xiaorui said with a slight bow. Later, an elder came forward and discreetly handed them some compensation.

After the carriages had left.

A young soldier who had just taken office asked, "Sir, which Aristocratic Family was that just now? The procession was quite grand, with many Spirit Platform Stage elders."

The older Spirit Platform Stage general replied, "That was the Longzuo's Wang Family, an old and prestigious Celestial Clan. It's said that they have a history of over 1,000 years in our Longzuo County."

"1,000 years?" The young soldier was shocked. "That's almost as long as half of our Longzuo County's history."

"That's right," the Spirit Platform Stage general said. "Back then, the Longzuo's Wang Family was a renowned Purple Mansion Clan, with a great reputation. Unfortunately, after their founding ancestor passed away at the age of 800, they failed to complete the Purple Mansion succession for several hundred years, and gradually declined."

"In recent decades, the Longzuo's Wang Family almost failed to complete the Heaven-Human succession. Fortunately, 35 years ago, their ancestor Zhoubo succeeded in breaking through, which allowed them to continue as a Celestial Clan."

"Now, Ancestor Zhoubo is only around 200 years old, but at least he can ensure the safety of the Longzuo's Wang Family for another 100 years. As long as they can complete the Heaven-Human succession again, they can continue to thrive. So, be polite when you meet them next time."

"I understand, sir. I really admire these Celestial Clans." The young soldier, who was clearly from an ordinary Aristocratic Family, looked up to the Celestial Clans with admiration.

As the city guards continued to discuss in hushed tones.

Wang Shoujie and his group finally entered the city of Longzuo County.

From the outside, Longzuo County looked like a massive entity. But once you were inside, you realized that it was an enormous city. The bluestone pavement road behind the city gate was over 10 meters wide, allowing 20 to 30 horse-drawn carriages to pass through side by side.

Moreover, the rules in Longzuo County were very strict. The main road in the center was only for Celestial Clans or Purple Mansion Clans, and anyone without a relevant permit who walked there would be committing a serious offense.

On both sides of the road, there were markets, wine shops, and various stores and stalls, with residential areas further in.

To be able to live in Longzuo County, even as a commoner, you had to have a decent skill. Otherwise, it would be difficult to make a living in the expensive city of Longzuo County.

As they walked further in, they saw some eighth- and ninth-rank Martial Clan main residences or branch courtyards, which also had a large number of storefronts, operating various businesses and trades.

Wang Shoujie and his group, consisting of several young people, were all looking around with great interest, as if they had entered a new world.

Only Wang Lici was not interested in anything else, but instead was searching everywhere with her eyes wide open, looking for something delicious to eat.

When she saw some specialty food stalls or wine shops, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva secretly.

If not for Wang Shoujie's repeated reminders before entering the city, she would have already jumped in to indulge in a big feast.

"Listen to Fourth Uncle, listen to Fourth Uncle, don't be impatient and ruin the big plan," Wang Lici crazily reminded herself. Fourth Uncle had promised her that after visiting the Longzuo's Wang Family, they would stay in Longzuo County for a few days, and she could eat whatever she wanted, and Fourth Uncle would take care of it.

Everything in Longzuo County City was fresh and new to most people in the Wang Clan.

Wang Shoujie, on the other hand, was riding his Fire Treading White Cloud horse, riding alongside Wang Xiaorui, and constantly listening to Wang Xiaorui's chatter, introducing various local customs and products, which he found very interesting.

However, he was more concerned about business opportunities, such as textile shops and Spirit Seed stores. Almost everything available in Longzuo County could be found in this city.

This was a huge economic center, commercial center, and political center. In remote areas, it was rare to see Spirit Platform Stage cultivators, but in Longzuo County City, you could see one every now and then.

Moreover, the shops were lined up like a forest.

Just the textile shops alone, they had seen four or five along the way. It was possible that some of the silk sold in these shops was made from raw materials produced by the Wang Clan's silkworm farm, processed by Longning Xu Shi.

The horse-drawn carriages were moving at a moderate pace in the middle of the main road.

Even so, it took them almost an hour to arrive at the Longzuo's Wang Family main residence.

The main residence was majestic, with a vast area, and the highest tower was over 100 feet tall, surrounded by other tall buildings.

Either it was the headquarters of a certain merchant association or a Purple Mansion Clan.

Even the Longzuo County government was not far away.

Therefore, this area belonged to the core region of Longzuo County City, and ordinary civilians without special permits could not enter.

"Shoujie Clan Leader, how is our Wang Clan main residence?" Wang Clan Leader Xiao Rui asked with a hint of pride.

"It's indeed a thousand-year-old aristocratic family main residence," Wang Shoujie replied, "That tower is one I've heard of before, our famous Lingyun Tower, right? I've heard that our ancestor Hongtian lived in Lingyun Tower for the last 200 years."

Ancestor Hongtian was the common ancestor of Longzuo's Wang Family and Ping'an Wang Clan.

Wang Shoujie's continuous use of "our" also made Wang Xiaorui feel more intimate, and he sighed, "Ancestor Hongtian's spirit was to soar to the sky, but unfortunately, he didn't take that step in the end. This tower is also a warning to later generations, not to forget the spirit of bravery and progress. It's us, the later generations, who have failed to meet Ancestor Hongtian's expectations. Our clan's fortunes have been declining, and we almost didn't complete the Heaven-Human transition."

After finishing, he laughed and said, "Shoujie Clan Leader, don't take these old stories to heart. Let's go, let's go home."

With that, they entered the Wang Clan Manor under Wang Xiaorui's guidance.

It was indeed a thousand-year-old aristocratic family, with every blade of grass, every tile, every pavilion, and every courtyard emitting a strong sense of history, ancient and thick. The area was extremely vast, with over 100 courtyards, and several thousand servant rooms, according to Wang Xiaorui's introduction.

The Ping'an Wang Clan main residence was built on a large scale, but compared to the Longzuo's Wang Family main residence, it was only about one-third the size.

"Shoujie Clan Leader, I've prepared over 10 sets of courtyards for everyone. Since you're all Wang Clan juniors, don't be polite. After a long journey, you must be tired. Let's rest for a while, and then we'll gather at the Yinglong Pavilion in the evening to welcome you. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to meet Ancestor Zhoubo," Wang Xiaorui had already arranged everything, and said with a smile, "Do you have any other opinions, Shoujie Clan Leader?"

"Clan Leader Xiao Rui's arrangements are already very thoughtful. We'll just follow your arrangements," Wang Shoujie replied. When you're a guest in someone's home, you naturally follow their arrangements. Wang Shoujie wouldn't dare to overstep his bounds.

After settling in, washing up, and resting, they washed away the fatigue of the journey.

In the evening, people from the Wang Clan came to invite Wang Shoujie and his group to Yinglong Pavilion.

Yinglong Pavilion was the Wang Family's reception hall for esteemed guests.

This time, they were treated to a lavish feast with numerous delicacies, too many to count. Many dishes were unfamiliar even to Wang Shoujie, and some he had never even heard of.

The Spirit Tea was also served generously.

It was clear that someone's reputation as a foodie had already reached the ears of the Wang Family in Longzuo.

They even prepared a whole Spirit-Horn Bison, making a whole-bison banquet, with half of it given to Wang Lici.

Wang Lici was extremely satisfied with the meal, exclaiming that it was "too delicious to bear."

Even with mental preparation, seeing Wang Lici finish half a Spirit-Horn Bison and then eat a whole bucket of Purple Jade Crystal Rice was still shocking.

This girl's appetite was truly impressive.

Raising her was not easy for the Ping'an Wang Clan.

However, the Wang Clan also presented a gift list, which included some high-quality spiritual grains and meats, including three-tier spiritual meats. The gift list was not light, totaling over 10,000 gold.

Wang Xiaorui was hesitant to accept it, but eventually did so with great difficulty.

Later, several core elders, including Wang Xiaorui and Wang Shoujie, began to chat and drink tea.

As the leader of the Celestial Clan, Wang Xiaorui was a man of great experience and tact. He casually mentioned some strange stories about Longzuo County, making everyone feel as if they were there.

After three cups of tea...

Wang Xiaorui's expression turned slightly serious, and he bowed slightly to Wang Shoujie, saying, "Clan Leader Shoujie, I represent the Wang Family of Longzuo to express our gratitude for your care and protection of my grandson. He has established contact with the Donggang's Chen Clan and Young Master Dantai, and received a warm welcome, bringing great benefits to our family."

"Clan Leader Xiao Rui is too polite," Wang Shoujie laughed and returned the courtesy, "We are all one family, and such small matters are not worth mentioning."

Those so-called "foreign goods" were actually produced by Wang Shoujie in collaboration with several other families, so who wouldn't sell to them?

Since the Wang Family of Longzuo had this need, they could naturally prioritize supply. However, he wouldn't reveal the secret that he was the mastermind behind the scenes.

"Clan Leader Shoujie's small favors are of great benefit to the Wang Family of Longzuo," Wang Xiaorui said with emotion, "In Longzuo County, competition is fierce, and it's not easy to do anything."

"We are all one family. To be honest, we rely on our ancestors' legacy, leaving behind some plots of land and a few farm manors to barely maintain our current situation. Now that we have foreign trade, we can greatly alleviate our financial difficulties. Clan Leader Shoujie, there's another matter..." Wang Xiaorui said, with a hint of difficulty.

"Is Clan Leader referring to the Wang No. 9 Rice Seeds?" Wang Shoujie smiled and said, "I've already made preparations, and Qian's Trading House will deliver them soon. Clan Leader just needs to receive them. This batch of seeds is approximately 10,000 dan, enough for 50,000 mu of fertile farmland. I don't know if it's enough."

Wang Xiaorui's spirits lifted, and he immediately said, "It's enough. We only have 30,000 mu of fertile farmland. Clan Leader Shoujie, I heard that each dan of Wang No. 9 Rice Seeds costs around 18 Large Copper. Including transportation costs, it's about 2,000 gold. Please accept it, don't refuse."

Wang Shoujie politely declined twice before accepting.

Gifts are gifts, business is business.

Since Wang Xiaorui was also a clear-headed person who knew how to draw boundaries, Wang Shoujie wasn't afraid to cooperate with him again.

As he looked around, he said seriously, "Clan Leader Xiao Rui, since we are all one family, I'll speak bluntly. Why doesn't the Wang Family of Longzuo make good use of their golden goose?"

Wang Xiaorui's eyes lit up, saying, "Clan Leader Shoujie, you have a keen eye for opportunity. Please teach me!"

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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