Biological Legion

The Nine-Star Insect King!

Wang Shouzhe's mouth twitched a few times. His fifth sister usually kept herself well hidden, but in private, she was somewhat... scalp-numbing.

"Buzz buzz!"

The fist-sized Nine-Star Insect King opened its carapace and rapidly beat its membranous wings in response to her.

At the same time, Wang Luojing pulled a small emerald bamboo flute from her waist and raised it to her lips. She began to play a unique melody, sharp and high-pitched, rather grating to the ear.

Yet the Nine-Star Insect King was thoroughly familiar with that sound. With a tremor of its wings, it let out an unbroken stream of buzzing. The other small Nine-Star insects in the box spread their wings and took flight one after another, circling the Nine-Star Insect King like an ever-shifting cloud.

Under Wang Luojing's command, the Nine-Star Insect King charged into the wheat fields first, followed by a swarm of tens of thousands of insects rushing after it like a violent gale. Though they were also ladybugs, the ladybugs of this Profound Martial World were clearly far fiercer.

They landed on ears of wheat that were still somewhat shriveled, and whenever they caught an aphid, they immediately feasted to their heart's content. Their combat power was far beyond what Lacewing Insect larvae could match. In barely half a quarter-hour, every Nine-Star insect had killed at least five or six aphids.

With such a biological legion unleashed, it truly swept through everything in its path.

"Luojing, well done, well done." Wang Shouzhe praised her happily. "With skills like yours, our Wang Clan's grain has been saved."

"Fourth Brother, it's still not enough." Wang Luojing shook her head. "There are only a dozen or so days from the wheat's grain-filling stage to maturity. The longer this drags on, the more likely the harvest will suffer."

Her grandfather, Wang Xiaozhi, had specialized in farming his entire life. Having been immersed in it since childhood, she was quite familiar with the subject. Without another word, she took two arm-thick, entirely withered-colored insects from the Lacewing Insect box.

"Fourth Brother, these two Lacewing Insect Kings have produced too many eggs. I'm afraid they have less than a month left to live." Wang Luojing spoke with some heartache and guilt. "I hope that in their final days, they can make one last effort for the clan."

As she spoke, she played the emerald bamboo flute again. This time, the sound was completely different from when she commanded the Nine-Star Insect King, low and deep. The two gray, withered Lacewing Insect Kings abruptly awakened and beat their wings as they flew into the distance.

They were incredibly fast, vanishing without a trace in just a few breaths. As they flew, their mouthparts continued to quiver, emitting low-frequency sounds.

"Fourth Brother, Lacewing Insect Kings can summon companions," Wang Luojing said. "I hope they can bring back more companions. There are fewer and fewer Lacewing Insects in the wild now; only the mountains still have some."

Wang Shouzhe began to ponder this as well. It was most likely the fault of the Pest-Exterminating Powder introduced by the Purple Mansion Academy. The drastic reduction in aphids had also led to a decline in the Lacewing Insect population.

Now that drug-resistant aphids were showing signs of an outbreak while the Lacewing Insect swarms could not keep up, something major would likely happen this time.

An hour later, one of the Lacewing Insect Kings returned, bringing back an army of thousands upon thousands. They danced through the wheat fields, frantically devouring aphids. Even more frighteningly, as they ate, they began laying eggs on the wheat ears and leaves.

By the time dusk began to settle, the other Lacewing Insect King returned, bringing even more of its kind. The densely packed Lacewing Insect army made Wang Shouzhe wonder whether the aphids in those several thousand mu of wheat fields would be enough to feed them all.

Moreover, the vast number of eggs they had laid would hatch in only a few days. The tiny larvae were not to be underestimated either.

Such a spectacular sight gradually caught the tenant farmers' attention, and they reported it to Wang Xiaozhi. When Wang Xiaozhi hurried over and learned that this remarkable deed had been done by his granddaughter Wang Luojing, he was so shocked that he could not utter a word.

In an instant, tears streamed down his aged face as he muttered repeatedly, "This time, our Wang Clan is saved. We're saved."

"Fourth Grandfather, there are also quite a few crops in our other two farms," Wang Shouzhe said. "As for the specifics, I won't get involved. Fourth Grandfather, discuss it with Luojing yourself." Although the Sericulture Farm mainly focused on silkworms and mulberry trees, it also planted quite a bit of wheat.

"This..." The moment Wang Xiaozhi heard that he had to discuss matters with his granddaughter—and his youngest granddaughter at that—his expression immediately fell.

"Fourth Grandfather, if you think Luojing is superfluous, I can take her back so she doesn't get in your way," Wang Shouzhe said with a smile.

"Not superfluous, not in the way." Wang Xiaozhi hurriedly shook his head. His old face twisted for a moment before he seemed to force out a placating smile at Wang Luojing. "Luojing, we still need to find a way to save the other two farms. Whatever you need done, just let Grandfather do it."

Wang Shouzhe smiled. Although old Wang Xiaozhi was stubborn and favored boys over girls, there was absolutely no question about his loyalty and sense of belonging toward the clan. So long as his way of thinking could be turned around, he was still a pillar of the clan.

Seeing Wang Xiaozhi change his attitude, Wang Shouzhe pulled him aside again, his expression grave. "Fourth Grandfather, it seems this insect disaster isn't limited to our Wang Clan alone. I wouldn't dare speak for all of Longzuo, but around Changning Guard, overall yields will likely drop by at least forty or fifty percent."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Wang Xiaozhi froze, then gave a foolish grin. "Other families will have reduced harvests, while our family will have a bumper crop..."

"In this world, good things and bad things are often not absolute." Wang Shouzhe said coldly, "Sometimes, something that looks very good will become a bad thing."

Wang Xiaozhi shuddered, then immediately understood. "You mean, Shouzhe, that the other clans will envy us?"

"It would be fine if it were merely envy." Wang Shouzhe's expression was exceedingly solemn. "As the saying goes, people do not fear scarcity, but inequality. If everyone suffers disaster together, naturally there is nothing to say. But if our Wang Clan alone has a bumper harvest, forget the hostile clans—even those clans on good terms with us may develop resentment. One careless move, and our Ping'an Wang Clan may become the target of all arrows."

"Then what should we do? Our Wang Clan is already swaying in wind and rain; if we..." Wang Xiaozhi immediately grew anxious. After all, he was merely a clan elder who had farmed for many years and knew far too little about such matters.

"Fourth Grandfather, don't panic. Sometimes, bad things can turn into good things." Wang Shouzhe smiled confidently. "It depends on how we handle this and guide the situation in a direction favorable to us. Let's make some calculations. First are the Changning Xu Clan, Shanyang Gongsun Clan, and Shanyin Liu Clan. These three clans have long intermarried with our Ping'an Wang Clan, and our relationship is naturally close. We must find a way to assist them."

Of those three clans, Wang Shouzhe had the best impression of the Shanyang Gongsun Clan. This was not merely because his current legal mother came from the Gongsun Clan, but because the Gongsun Clan's customs were comparatively open-hearted and forthright. Even toward the presently rather downfallen Ping'an Wang Clan, they showed no disdain.

Of course, this also had much to do with the earlier marriages between their direct lines. The grandmother of Gongsun Mo, the current Gongsun Clan head, was Wang Lingdie, a member of the Wang Clan's fourth-generation direct line.

The Changning Xu Clan itself was an exceedingly prosperous Profound Martial Family Clan, no less formidable than the Ping'an Wang Clan at its peak. Back then, the direct lines of both sides intermarried, and their relationship was close.

Unfortunately, later...

Wang Xiaozhi nodded with a complicated and pained expression. "That's right. These three families have deep blood ties through marriage with our Wang Clan. It's just a pity about little sister Zhenmei..."

Wang Shouzhe knew what he meant. After the Wang Clan underwent its drastic upheaval, in order to strengthen its relationship with the Changning Xu Clan, under Ancestor Longyan's arrangements, Great-Aunt Wang Zhenmei, a fifth-generation direct-line daughter of the Wang Clan, married the Xu Clan's eldest direct-line son.

Wang Zhenmei did not fail in her mission. A few years later, she became pregnant with a direct-line child, and the relationship between the two clans reached its closest point. Unfortunately, Great-Aunt Wang Zhenmei inexplicably died in childbirth, resulting in the tragic outcome of two deaths in one body.

At the time, the Wang Clan was overwhelmed with grief. The brothers of the Xiao Generation all went to the Changning Xu Clan and caused a tremendous uproar. Even Ancestor Longyan was alarmed and personally arrived to examine the body. Only after finding nothing suspicious or strange did they let the matter rest.

From then on, the close relationship between the Wang Clan and the Xu Clan developed a crack. Their intermarriages were limited to collateral direct branches and no longer involved their main direct lines.

Likewise, the relationship between the Shanyin Liu Clan and the Wang Clan was somewhat tangled and complicated, too difficult to explain in a few words.

But complicated as it was, the blood ties between them could not be erased. At critical moments, they still had to lend each other a hand.