"What's so good about the Shanyin Liu Clan?" Chen Clan muttered indignantly. "Every one of them has their nose in the air, and their schemes never end. If you ask me..."
The Shanyin Liu Clan and the Shanyang Gongsun Clan were separated only by Dragon Ridge Mountain. Dragon Ridge Mountain was rich in resources and mineral deposits, so the two clans had frequent friction over the years. Their relationship could hardly be called harmonious.
"Enough! You old woman, how can you carelessly discuss the marriage alliance between the Wang Clan and the Liu Clan?" Gongsun Mo could no longer remain seated. He hurriedly rose and roared, "Gongsun Qiang, help your mother back to rest. Shouzhe and I still have matters to discuss."
Gongsun Qiang hurriedly supported the still-chattering old lady away. Gongsun Hui also said, "Zhe'er, keep your grandfather company and have a proper talk with him. I'll go speak with Mother first."
Gongsun Hui had already achieved her purpose of playing matchmaker today. Given her status, it would be inappropriate for her to take part in the conversation between Gongsun Mo and Wang Shouzhe. She then took Wang Luojing's little hand and left with her.
After everyone had gone, Wang Shouzhe finally cupped his hands and bowed to Gongsun Mo. "Shouzhe greets Grandfather."
"No need for such ceremony, Zhe'er. Come, come, taste the spirit tea your grandfather cultivated himself." Gongsun Mo had long prepared for Wang Shouzhe's arrival and immediately ordered spirit tea and spirit fruits to be served.
Spirit tea and spirit fruits were luxuries even among Profound Martial Aristocratic Clans. They could only be grown in Spirit Fields, and Spirit Fields were vital strategic resources for every clan. Gongsun Mo had only planted a few mu of Spirit Fields with spirit tea and spirit fruits, specifically for entertaining distinguished guests.
As for the Ping'an Wang Clan, its remaining Spirit Fields were all used to grow White Jade Spirit Rice, which was not even enough for the clan members' own consumption. Naturally, they would not use them to grow spirit tea and spirit fruits, whose economic returns were comparatively poor.
"Thank you, Grandfather." With spirit tea and spirit fruits before him, Wang Shouzhe naturally did not stand on ceremony. He sat down and began to enjoy them at once.
Within the tea cup carved from spirit jade, the tea was a rich crimson, its faint fragrance wafting straight to the nose. Merely smelling it made one feel refreshed and at ease. After taking a sip, a slight bitterness filled Wang Shouzhe's mouth, but in the next instant, a cool sensation rushed straight to his head. He immediately felt clear-minded and invigorated, his faint gloomy and troubled thoughts swept away.
"Excellent tea." Wang Shouzhe could not help but praise it. "This spirit tea is rich and fragrant, with a lingering aftertaste. It also helps calm the mind and gather the spirit, washing away distracting thoughts from the heart."
"Haha, I never expected Zhe'er to be a man who understood tea as well." Gongsun Mo felt greatly comforted, as though a pearl had not been cast into darkness. He introduced it proudly, "This tea is called the Shanyang Small Spirit Seed. When I was young, I happened upon wild spirit tea seeds deep in Dragon Ridge Mountain. After decades of painstaking cultivation, it can now steadily produce over a jin each year. Even the two old ancestors in the family are quite fond of it. How about this? I'll set aside one liang for you every year."
When he mentioned setting aside one liang, the corner of Gongsun Mo's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He was clearly pained by the thought. That was only natural. Growing spirit tea was unlike cultivating White Jade Spirit Rice, and even less like the tea plants on Earth, which could be planted densely packed together.
Often, only a few spirit tea plants could be cultivated in one mu of Spirit Field, and they required meticulous daily tending and maintenance. The processes of picking, rolling, fermenting, and so on were also extremely particular.
Therefore, even one liang of spirit tea came at an exceedingly high cost.
"Thank you, Grandfather. Shouzhe will accept without further ceremony." Wang Shouzhe knew that Gongsun Mo intended to support him, so naturally he did not refuse.
In the current Wang Clan, Wang Shouzhe was the only one worthy of Gongsun Mo's investment. It was much like when Gongsun Mo had married his daughter to Wang Dingyue as his second wife. If Wang Shouzhe could one day advance to the Spirit Platform Realm, he would certainly remember this bond of kinship.
More importantly, Gongsun Mo and his wife both dearly loved Gongsun Hui. Wang Shouzhe was Gongsun Hui's legitimate son and could be said to be her future support within the Wang Clan. For the sake of his daughter, Gongsun Mo would naturally find a way to squeeze out some resources to support his bargain-price grandson, Wang Shouzhe.
Of course, all of this rested on Wang Shouzhe having decent potential, as well as the loving bond between mother and son that he shared with Gongsun Hui.
If Wang Shouzhe had been an ungrateful wretch who knew neither heaven nor earth, Gongsun Mo naturally would not bother with him. If the Wang Clan completely declined, they could simply take his daughter and granddaughter back to the Gongsun Clan.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two finally got to the main matter.
After drinking a cup of tea, Gongsun Mo's expression gradually turned solemn. "Zhe'er, after receiving the letter you sent someone to deliver this morning, I originally still had some doubts. Only after personally inspecting the farms and consulting the experienced agricultural hands within the clan did I finally confirm it. As you said, a Honey Insect plague may indeed occur this time, and the loss in yield may well exceed sixty percent compared to last year. Zhe'er, on behalf of the Gongsun Clan, this old man..."
"Grandfather, there's no need for such formalities." Wang Shouzhe interrupted him. "Even if I had not issued a warning, with the rate at which the Honey Insects have erupted over these past two days, every clan would certainly have noticed sooner today or later tomorrow."
At first, aphid infestations showed no obvious signs. Every year, crops would more or less suffer reduced yields from aphids, so when a few aphids first appeared, farmers were accustomed to it. But once they erupted, aphid eggs buried in the soil would crawl out in an extremely short time, catching everyone utterly off guard.
"That is mistaken." Gongsun Mo shook his head. "Our Shanyang Gongsun Clan possesses sixteen thousand mu of fertile land. At fifteen Big Copper per mu for this season's winter wheat harvest, that amounts to two hundred and forty thousand Big Copper, or two thousand four hundred Qian Gold. This is only the initial stage of the Honey Insect outbreak. Even reducing the losses by twenty percent would recover four to five hundred Qian Gold in damages. What's more, following your arrangement, I sent clan members and family retainers into the mountains early to capture Lacewing Insects and Nine-Star Insects."
Lacewing Insects and Nine-Star Insects, even their insect kings, were ultimately only ordinary creatures. They did not even qualify as first-grade spirit insects, so hardly anyone paid them any attention under normal circumstances. Still, there were at least some to be found in the deep mountains around Shanyang.
As the two spoke, a family retainer came to report that the first batch of captured Lacewing Insects and Nine-Star Insects had already been delivered back.
"In that case, we must not delay. Please have Grandfather send trusted family retainers to accompany us." Wang Shouzhe rose to his feet. "Disaster relief is like fighting a fire. Not a moment can be wasted."
Very soon, a maid went to bring back Gongsun Hui and Wang Luojing. They mounted horses and headed together for the largest farm estate of the Gongsun Clan, a massive estate with a full seven thousand mu of fertile land.
This showed just how much deeper the foundations of the Shanyang Gongsun Clan were than those of the Ping'an Wang Clan.
The tenant farmers throughout the estate were already working frantically. They used the traditional ash-water mixture, adding a double dose of Pest-Exterminating Powder to kill the insects. The results were actually rather good. If they had enough Pest-Exterminating Powder, they seemed capable of containing this insect plague's outbreak.
Unfortunately, the Gongsun Clan had stockpiled only a small amount of Pest-Exterminating Powder. It was a cup of water against a cartload of firewood, far from enough to control the overall situation.
"Fourth Brother~" Wang Luojing had spent more than an hour taming three Lacewing Insect Kings and one Nine-Star Insect King. She looked utterly exhausted. "There was too little time, so I could only tame these insect kings simply. I can barely direct their movements. Have the family retainers release all the wild Lacewing Insects and Nine-Star Insects."
"Luojing, you've worked hard." Wang Shouzhe tenderly stroked her head and took out the spirit fruit he had conveniently picked up earlier. "Restore your spirits first. Disaster relief cannot be delayed in the end."
"Don't worry, Fourth Brother." Wang Luojing nodded obediently. After eating the spirit fruit, much of her strength returned. "As long as the insect kings are controlled, those Lacewing Insects and Nine-Star Insects will not run around. But making them gather the smaller insects on their own and then fly back is impossible."
Afterward, Wang Luojing followed the gourd's outline in drawing a ladle, barely directing the insect kings and insects into those thousands of mu of wheat fields. By the time all the commotion was over, night had already fallen.
At this time, Gongsun Mo personally arrived at the scene. He had also brought cooks and a considerable amount of Spirit Food, and dinner was prepared on the spot. A room was cleared out in the farm estate, with the Clan Leader, the Young Clan Leader, a clansman named Gongsun Zhong, and his wife Wang Liuyu accompanying them.
Wang Liuyu was a member of the Wang Clan. She should have been forty years old by now, but because she took good care of herself, she appeared to be only a little over thirty. From her clothing and adornments, it was clear that she lived quite well.
"Shouzhe greets Third Aunt and Third Uncle." Wang Shouzhe was the first to cup his hands in salute.
"Um, um, Shouzhe, you are too courteous." Gongsun Zhong was rather burly and dark-skinned. It was said that he oversaw work in the Gongsun Clan's mines. His position among the direct-line clansmen was not low, but his nature was simple and taciturn, and he was not good at social interaction.
Wang Liuyu also hurriedly returned the salute, appearing highly respectful toward Wang Shouzhe. Although she was a generation older than him, Wang Shouzhe belonged to the legitimate line and was the Wang Clan Leader.
Wang Luojing, however, immediately threw herself into Wang Liuyu's arms and called sweetly, "Auntie."
Compared to their blood relationship, Wang Liuyu was the second daughter of Fourth Grand-Uncle Wang Xiaozhi. She was Wang Luojing's proper paternal aunt, so their relationship was naturally close.
This novel differs from other fantasy novels. Its writing style and perspective are rather niche, and the early stages mainly establish the tone and world. Without a cheat ability, it also lacks the capacity for continuous satisfying climaxes early on. So brothers and sisters who enjoy it, please cast more votes to support it.
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