The Legendary Fiancée

It was a sturdily built man dressed in coarse hempen clothes, hard at work. As he dropped a crate of salted fish he had been carrying on his shoulder with a loud "clatter," he beamed and hurried over to greet them.

Wang Shouzhe steadied himself, recognizing the man as Wang Shouyi, the second eldest of the "Shou" generation. He immediately cupped his hands in a salute and smiled, "Second Brother, why are you dressed like this? Surely you don't need to do the manual labor yourself?"

Wang Shouyi let out a helpless, honest chuckle. "I don't know what kind of madness has taken hold of Sixth Uncle; he sent over the entire stock of salted fish from the Dingpu warehouse and ordered me to sell it off as quickly as possible. The shop hands couldn't keep up, so here I am, unloading the cargo."

As he spoke, he gestured toward several cargo carriages lined up behind him, which were nearly blocking the entire road.

Uh... heh.

Wang Shouzhe knew the reason well. Thanks to his suggestions and ideas, the fishing fleet's haul this year was absolutely explosive. If the existing stock of salted fish wasn't cleared out immediately, the previous inventory would be left to rot in their hands once the massive new catch hit the market.

"Wang Zhong, Wang Yong, go and help with the unloading." Wang Shouzhe waved his hand.

"Yes, Family Head." The two family retainers immediately dropped their burdens and went to assist. One was at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm, the other at the fifth; their strength and constitution were many times that of an ordinary person.

With Wang Shouyi—also at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm—joining in, the three Profound Warriors made quick work of the unloading, their speed increasing rapidly.

Of course, Wang Shouzhe was already at the high stage of the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm; he would have been even faster. But for a dignified family head to be seen hauling salted fish? That would surely damage the family's prestige.

Within less than two quarters of an hour, the cargo from the carriages had been moved into the warehouse, and the road was clear once more.

After cleaning up, Wang Shouyi had intended to host Wang Shouzhe in the backyard, but was refused. Instead, they found a spot inside the fish stall to drink tea and chat.

"Fourth Brother, our fish stall primarily sells salted fish, smoked dried fish, fresh fish, and live fish," Wang Shouyi said as he poured the tea himself. "Most of the dried goods, like the salted fish, are purchased in bulk by itinerant merchants and sold to the northwest."

"As for the fresh fish, it's sold to the vendors within the Changning Guard city; they come to our stall to collect their goods every morning at dawn. Secondly, we supply fresh and live fish to several restaurants in the city. We are responsible for the delivery of this portion, though the price is slightly higher."

"Then there are the various noble and wealthy merchant families who also have a significant daily demand for fresh and live fish. That is why the time from dawn until morning is always the busiest for our stall."

In a few short sentences, Wang Shouzhe understood the operational model of the Wang Clan Fish Stall. It was primarily focused on maximizing the sale price of the fishing fleet's output. In total, it only brought in a net profit of about two hundred Qian Gold per year for the family.

It was precisely because the net profit was not high that the family had placed Wang Shouyi, a member of the seventh generation, in charge.

Wang Shouyi's aptitude was not particularly impressive, being merely of the lowest Grade D. Consequently, the family resources he had enjoyed since childhood could not compare to those of Wang Dingyue or Wang Shouzhe, leaving him at only the early stage of the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm at the age of thirty-three.

Fortunately, Wang Shouyi was steady and hardworking. He had no complaints about the family's resource allocation; instead, he conscientiously took charge of one of the family's industries, contributing to the clan's well-being.

"Second Brother, you have worked hard all these years." Wang Shouzhe cupped his hands solemnly.

"Fourth Brother, what are you saying?" Wang Shouyi hurriedly stood up to return the salute. "As a direct bloodline member of the Wang Clan, managing family property is my duty. Why speak of hardship? As long as you, Fourth Brother, can reach the Spirit Platform Realm one day, our Wang clansmen will surely live a good life."

Spirit Platform Realm! Spirit Platform Realm!

Wang Shouzhe sighed inwardly. Every clansman now pinned their hopes on him. It was this very hope that drove them to work without complaint.

"Rest assured, Second Brother, our Wang Clan will only continue to grow stronger," Wang Shouzhe said with a confident smile. "By the way, I heard that nephew Zongsheng has decent aptitude, a low-grade Bing rank?"

At the mention of Zongsheng, a joyful expression appeared on Wang Shouyi's honest face. He scratched his head and said, "That lad is alright, better than his father. It seems my bloodline isn't too bad after all."

"Heh, Second Brother, that's thanks to Second Sister-in-law's bloodline," Wang Shouzhe teased with a smile. "I happen to know that when Second Sister-in-law was still unmarried at the Jinsha Xu Clan, she was a famous beauty. Many families went to propose marriage. Who would have thought you would manage to break through the encirclement and win her heart?"

"You still remember that, Fourth Brother? You were just a child back then, weren't you? Heh, your Second Sister-in-law didn't like those flashy young masters; she took a liking to your Second Brother's honesty and reliability." Recalling the event, Wang Shouyi was filled with pride. "Marrying your Second Sister-in-law is the greatest victory of my life. By the way, you're eighteen this year, aren't you? When do you plan to bring the daughter of the Liu family home?"

The daughter of the Liu family?

Wang Shouzhe paused. If Wang Shouyi hadn't brought it up, he would have forgotten that he was betrothed to the eldest legitimate daughter of the Liu Clan.

Logically speaking, it was difficult for the declining Wang Clan to be worthy of the direct line of the Liu Clan. Their relationship was maintained only through the occasional intermarriage between direct lines. The last time a direct member of the Wang Clan married a direct member of the Liu Clan was over a hundred and sixty years ago.

At that time, a daughter of the Liu Clan married Wang Yuyou, the second son of Ancestor Zhouxuan, while Wang Zhuwei, the second daughter of Ancestor Zhouxuan, married into the direct line of the Liu Clan.

It is worth mentioning that Great Aunt Zhuwei gave birth to two sons and a daughter in the Liu Clan. Of the two living Spirit Platform Realm ancestors of the Liu Clan, one was the son of Great Aunt Zhuwei, and the other was her grandson.

It was precisely because of this that the Shanyin Liu Clan always maintained a sense of kinship with the Wang Clan.

However, the most formidable person in the Liu Clan was not those two Spirit Platform Realm ancestors, but Liu Xuanfu, the daughter of Great Aunt Zhuwei.

Thinking back, Liu Xuanfu of the Liu Clan and Wang Longyan of the Wang Clan were not only cousins but also rare, gifted young women. Both were admitted to the Purple Mansion Academy, which shocked the entire Changning Guard region at the time.

They were known as the Changning Twin Beauties, and their fame exceeded that of the average Spirit Platform ancestor of other families. Furthermore, they both developed well at the Purple Mansion Academy, and their future prospects were vast.

It was a pity.

After the Wang Clan suffered a great disaster, Ancestor Longyan had to abandon her status as an elite student of the academy and return to the family, eventually ending up severely injured with her lifespan greatly reduced. To this day, she had not left Changning.

Liu Xuanfu, on the other hand, continued to develop at the Purple Mansion Academy, and her current situation was not entirely clear. However, seeing the Shanyin Liu Clan growing stronger and stronger, one could infer that Liu Xuanfu must have been doing very well at the academy.

Therefore, the betrothal between Wang Shouzhe and the daughter of the Liu Clan was a marriage proposal personally initiated by Ancestor Longyan, intended as a final safeguard for the family.

Perhaps Ancestor Longyan had paid a price unknown to others, or perhaps the Liu Clan still cherished the old ties; regardless, the engagement was set.

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, what are you thinking about?" Wang Shouyi said with a grin. "Don't tell me you're thinking about your bride-to-be—the eldest Miss, Liu Ruolan?"

"Heh~ Second Brother, let's focus more on how to strengthen the family," Wang Shouzhe said, changing the subject. "If Sixth Uncle's fishing fleet doubles its annual output, can your fish stall handle it?"

"What, double?" Wang Shouyi's face lit up, and he whispered, "Fourth Brother, is the family willing to expand the fishing fleet? This is a great thing for the family! If that's the case, I guarantee I won't hold us back."

"And what about triple?" Wang Shouzhe asked with a smile.

"Hiss~" Wang Shouyi gasped. "Fourth Brother, don't tease your Second Brother."

Just as Wang Shouzhe was about to explain, a sinister laugh suddenly drifted in from outside: "Second Master of the Wang family, is Wang Shouyi there? I am Ding Youde, the second manager of the Fortune Gambling House. Your nephew owes our gambling house money—when do you plan to pay it back?"

Fortune Gambling House? Gambling debt? Nephew?

As Wang Shouyi's face turned pale, the smile on Wang Shouzhe's face froze, and his eyes turned sharp.