Teaching a Junior a Lesson

Any Profound Martial Aristocratic Clan had clan members and descendants who diligently contributed to the family, but naturally, there could also be scum among them. Fortunately, the Ping'an Wang Clan's rules were strict, and with the glory of their ancestors and the pressure of the clan's difficult survival, most clan members kept to their duties.

Yet among the eighth-generation Zong Generation, there was one good-for-nothing bastard.

"Fourth Brother, you are the Clan Leader now, so it would be inconvenient for you to get involved." Wang Shouyi said with a cold face. "Wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."

With that, he stormed out.

Before long, Wang Shouyi dragged in a young man in his early twenties. The young man's face was bruised and swollen, and he wailed, "Second Uncle, I was wrong. I truly know I was wrong. Please spare me this once! Don't tell my father!"

"You little beast!" Wang Shouyi was beside himself with rage. With one kick, he sent the young man rolling across the ground several times. "You've fallen this far and still refuse to reflect on yourself? You still have the nerve to beg for mercy and expect me to shield you?"

"Ow, ow, ow!"

After howling twice, the young man was just about to beg again when he suddenly looked up and spotted an extraordinary-looking young man seated before him, staring at him expressionlessly.

The young man's body immediately shuddered as though struck by lightning, and apocalyptic terror filled his eyes. "F-F-Fourth Uncle! Y-you, you, you..." His body swayed, and he nearly fainted. At a time like this, even meeting his father would have been better than meeting Fourth Uncle.

His father would at most beat him viciously and lock him up for a few months. When he got out, he would still be a fine fellow.

But this man...

"How much did you lose?" Wang Shouzhe asked coldly.

"This little beast has only been with me for a little over a month, yet he already owes the gambling house a full twenty Qian Gold. Adding the spending money his mother gave him, along with a Lesser Foundation-Cultivating Pill he secretly sold, he lost a full forty Qian Gold!" Wang Shouyi's fury burned hot. The family's fish market business took twenty or thirty workers bustling about for an entire year just to earn a hard-won two hundred-odd Qian Gold.

Yet this brat had gambled away forty Qian Gold. That money could have bought four Lesser Foundation-Cultivating Pills.

"Fourth Uncle, I was wrong. I really was wrong." The young man collapsed limply to the floor and repeatedly kowtowed to Wang Shouzhe. "Please, Fourth Uncle, give me one more chance."

"Chances? You've already been given far too many." Wang Shouyi roared. "The clan originally sent you to Xinmao Silkworm Farm to work under Eldest Brother and properly learn some skills. But you spent all day hanging around with a pack of riffraff, and even dared to molest respectable women! Then your grandfather and mother pleaded for you, and you were sent to work with Sixth Uncle's fleet. Yet you complained it was too hard and secretly ran off here to me. I was wrong. I never should have taken you in! The glittering world of Changning Guard has blinded your eyes."

After pondering for a moment, Wang Shouzhe slowly said, "Zongwei, you are the eldest of the Zong Generation. You should have set an example for your younger brothers and sisters, yet you turned out so utterly disgraceful. You are Eldest Brother's son, so naturally he should be the one to educate you. But as the direct-line descendant of the Wang Clan and its Clan Leader, I, Wang Shouzhe, also have the right and duty to discipline clan members who refuse to amount to anything."

"F-Fourth Uncle!" Wang Zongwei was frightened into a puddle of mush. "For my father's sake, I... for my great-grandfather's sake..."

"How about this? Since you like gambling, Fourth Uncle will gamble with you once." Wang Shouzhe said expressionlessly as he took out a Qian Gold coin and clenched it in his palm. "Guess which hand holds the Qian Gold. If you guess right, we'll pretend none of this happened today. If you lose, I won't make things too difficult for you. I'll only take one hand. For your great-grandfather's sake, you can peacefully remain in the clan as a useless parasite from now on."

"What?" Wang Zongwei was so frightened that even his tears stopped. "F-Fourth Uncle, I won't gamble. I won't gamble."

"Fourth..." Wang Shouyi's expression changed. He was just about to plead for mercy when Wang Shouzhe stopped him with a wave of his hand. Wang Shouzhe said coldly, "Even if Second Great-Granduncle Wang Xiaohui, your grandfather Wang Dingchuan, and your father Wang Shouxin were all here today, it would be useless."

Wang Shouyi shuddered and instinctively shut his mouth, not daring to plead any further.

Though they were all Wang Clan members and brothers of the Shou Generation, Wang Shouzhe was from the Wang Clan's direct line and was now the Wang Clan Leader. Since childhood, he had enjoyed Ancestor Longyan's favor. How could they possibly be the same?

To the Wang Clan, even ten bastards like Wang Zongwei bundled together were not worth a single finger of Wang Shouzhe's.

Having cowed Wang Shouyi, Wang Shouzhe continued staring at Wang Zongwei and said with icy indifference, "If you refuse to gamble, Fourth Uncle will take that as an admission of defeat. Hold out your hand."

"No, no, no! I'll gamble, I'll gamble!" Wang Zongwei cried frantically. "I bet the Qian Gold is in Fourth Uncle's right hand."

"Heh." A cold glint flashed through Wang Shouzhe's eyes as he slowly opened his empty right palm. "Zongwei, you lost."

"No, don't! Fourth Uncle, give me one more chance, just one!" Wang Zongwei howled hysterically. "It's in the left hand. The Qian Gold is in Fourth Uncle's left hand."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, I'm sure!"

Wang Shouzhe slowly opened his left palm. It was still empty. His gaze, sharp as blades, fixed on Wang Zongwei. "Zongwei, a man must honor his word. If you gamble, you must accept your loss. Wang Zhong, Wang Yong!"

"Yes, Clan Leader."

The two family retainers answered and stepped forward, hauling up Wang Zongwei, who had gone limp as mud. His face was ashen as he trembled all over, able only to repeat, "Fourth Uncle, spare me. Spare me."

Clang!

Wang Shouzhe drew his sword, its cold gleam flashing.

Wang Shouyi could not bear to watch any longer and turned his head away.

Swish!

Wang Shouzhe slashed with his sword. The sword light flashed past, and the next instant, the blade was already sheathed.

"Ahhh!" Wang Zongwei screamed miserably. "My hand, my hand! It's gone, it's gone..." The stench of urine spread through the air.

The two family retainers, Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, disgustedly threw him down, their faces filled with scorn. Young Master Zongwei and the Clan Leader were both descendants of Ancestor Zhouxuan's bloodline—how could the gap between them be so enormous? This Wang Zongwei was already twenty, even two years older than the Clan Leader.

Slap! Wang Shouyi rushed forward and slapped his howling short. Furious and disgusted, he snapped, "Enough! Stop howling, you shameless dog. Hurry up and thank your Fourth Uncle."

"My hand, my... it's still here, it's still here..." Wang Zongwei cried out wildly in delighted surprise, tears and snot streaming down his face. Then he repeatedly bowed to Wang Shouzhe. "Thank you, Fourth Uncle. Thank you, Fourth Uncle. I will definitely, definitely behave properly and turn over a new leaf."

"Remember this: you owe me one hand, and I reserve the right to collect it at any time. In addition, all your cultivation resources and stipend will be temporarily stripped away and transferred to... hm, transferred to Wang Luotong for use." Wang Shouzhe did not wish to look at him any longer. He turned and left, with the two family retainers hurrying after him.

"Thank you, Fourth Uncle. Thank you, Fourth Uncle." How could Wang Zongwei dare object? He kowtowed repeatedly.

Wang Shouyi shot Wang Zongwei a fierce glare, then hurried after Wang Shouzhe and sighed. "Fourth Brother, I understand that you wanted to teach that little beast Zongwei a lesson, but..."

"But what?" Wang Shouzhe sneered. "Could it be that Second Great-Granduncle or Eldest Brother will come argue his case?"

"I'm not worried about Grandfather or Eldest Brother." Wang Shouyi said helplessly. "You know as well that Eldest Sister-in-law Xu is a direct descendant of the Changning Xu Clan. She was pampered from childhood, and her temperament is rather... well. Stripping Zongwei of his resources is what he deserves, so she cannot find fault with that. But transferring those resources to Luotong for use—Eldest Sister-in-law may use that as an excuse to make trouble."

"Whether Eldest Sister-in-law came from the Xu Clan or the Liu Clan, she is now one of our Wang Clan." Wang Shouzhe said calmly. "I believe that, having come from such a great aristocratic clan, Eldest Sister-in-law must be a sensible and well-mannered person. Sooner or later, she will understand my painstaking intentions."

Wang Shouyi opened his mouth, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He understood that although Eldest Sister-in-law Xu was fierce, she might not truly dare clash head-on with Shouzhe. More than half the weight in his heart was lifted.