The Clan's Cohesion

But such things were systematic undertakings, never something that could be completed overnight. No matter how anxious he was, he could not rush it. Wang Shouzhe simply boarded the slightly larger riverboat, stepped atop the towering sacks of rice, and followed Fenggu Farm's waterway back toward the Wang Clan Main Residence.

The boats on the inland river were all very small. This largest one was only about six zhang long, and carrying four or five hundred dan of grain already brought it to its limit. Its carrying capacity was far inferior to that of river ships. Moreover, it was not powered by sails, relying solely on boatmen rowing and poling it forward.

Fortunately, the inland river's current was calm. With oars and poles working together, the boat could at least move along. Still, the winding twenty-li waterway took more than an hour to traverse. By Earth's standards, its speed was barely over two kilometers per hour.

The flotilla passed through the river's Trumpet Mouth and entered Zhuwei Lake.

Upon the not particularly broad Zhuwei Lake, the cluster of buildings belonging to the Wang Clan Main Residence could already be seen beneath the steep mountain walls. Yet Wang Shouzhe was in no hurry to return. Instead, he remained aboard, studying Zhuwei Lake's terrain.

It was faintly oval in shape, roughly six or seven li long and more than four or five li wide, with a total water area exceeding ten thousand mu. The lake's surface was clean and splendid, while mudflats and reed marshes surrounded it on all sides, lending the scenery a primitive beauty.

Perhaps the "natives" would find it desolate, but to Wang Shouzhe, who was accustomed to great cities and human traces everywhere, this primitive landscape felt especially pleasant. Even his state of mind improved considerably.

If such a vast stretch of water could be used to raise Spirit Fish, it would be excellent indeed, Wang Shouzhe pondered silently.

However, Zhuwei Lake had a major drawback: its water was too shallow, generally less than one zhang deep, with far too much silt accumulated along the bottom. Forget raising Spirit Fish—even farming ordinary large fish would be difficult with such a low water level.

Moreover, in this fantasy world, large-scale fish farming was not mainstream. At most, people caught some small fish and tossed them into ponds, allowing them to grow freely.

There were two reasons for this. First, there were plenty of fish in the wild. Even with crude fishing methods, anyone who went out to fish could still bring back a decent catch. Second, the same limits on harvesting technology remained. Investing manpower and funds into farming fish in the middle of a broad lake was one thing, but catching them afterward was equally difficult. It was better to fish wild catches from the resource-rich An River.

Take Sixth Uncle Wang Dinghai, for instance. It took twenty weavers two months just to barely weave one small Trawl Net... The difficulty of setting up large-scale enclosure nets in a great lake was easy enough to imagine.

The greatest difficulties in fish farming lay in technologies such as water-quality management, density management, disease control, and scientific feeding. A moment of carelessness could cause farmed fish to die in droves, wiping out everything.

Yet the world was vast, and Profound Martial Aristocratic Clans were too numerous to count. Naturally, some clans had already achieved results in the fish-farming industry. The Yingxiu Lu Clan, for example, had mastered some fish-farming techniques and developed them into an industry.

It was simply that Profound Martial Aristocratic Clans had always treated production techniques as a broom too precious to show guests, guarding them with utmost secrecy. In some core industries, not even the clan's women were allowed to participate, for fear they would carry the techniques away after marrying out.

Even with Wang Shouzhe's relationship with the Lu Clan, obtaining their fish-farming techniques was impossible.

The isolation and blockade of each clan's technology had likewise caused the overall production technology of the entire Profound Martial World to lag behind. Earth's patent strategies might have drawn countless criticisms, but they had truly sparked a technological storm, causing all manner of scientific inventions to bloom in riotous splendor within a short time.

That said, Wang Shouzhe felt it was better that the Profound Martial World did not have a hundred flowers blooming all at once. His greatest advantage now was his "broad experience," his forward-looking vision that surpassed this world's.

He only vaguely knew the general outlines of many technologies, but he knew such things existed and roughly knew their direction. For instance, the famous MSG, Monosodium Glutamate, that marvelous product which had changed humanity's sense of taste.

If Wang Shouzhe were asked to develop it himself, he would not manage it even in ten or eight years.

But if he found a group of clever people to study that field specifically and conduct similar research, then with a relatively clear direction, they might produce it in twenty or thirty years if they were lucky.

Even if their luck was terrible, as long as the relevant techniques accumulated without pause, they should be able to make it within a hundred years, right?

There were also spinning and weaving devices, such as the renowned must-have tool of transmigrators—the Spinning Jenny. Even if Wang Shouzhe were beaten to death, he could not draw up its blueprints. But he likewise knew such a thing existed and vaguely understood some of its principles. If he found a group of craftsmen and let them tinker away slowly, they would sooner or later create something close enough.

If that thing were produced, its destructive power would definitely surpass that of Wang Luojing, a Spirit Insect Master.

Of course, these were merely ideas. Before the clan possessed enough strength to hold its ground, releasing such things would be nothing but courting death. To say nothing else, the Changning Xu Clan, whose main business was textiles, would turn against the Wang Clan in minutes, because the Spinning Jenny would absolutely strike at the Xu Clan's very foundation of survival.

Enough idle chatter for now.

The flotilla carrying Wang Shouzhe gradually picked up speed across Zhuwei Lake. In less than half an hour, it arrived at the rear-yard dock of the Wang Clan Main Residence.

Though this dock and waterway were not often used, most of the grain, crops, and other supplies transported from the farms back to the clan came by this route. Traveling by water was slower, but it carried far more cargo and reduced the number of horse-drawn carts that needed to be kept. Raising horses cost far more than raising people.

At the normally deserted rear-yard dock of the Wang Clan Main Residence, people now crowded together in a sea of heads. At the forefront stood two women. One was Wang Shouzhe's First Aunt, Gongsun Hui, while a young woman, Wang Luotong, stood not far behind her.

Behind them stood four clan retainers, three of them female. It was worth mentioning that among the Wang Clan's current nine retainers, three were women.

When the boat was still seven or eight zhang from the dock, Wang Shouzhe pushed off lightly with his foot. His body rose into the air and swept toward the dock like a great bird. In merely two breaths, he landed firmly upon it.

This was Wang Shouzhe's current leaping ability. It completely crushed any long-jump or high-jump champion on Earth, but it was still nothing like those high-martial fantasy beings who soared through the skies at every turn and shattered mountains with a single punch.

"First Aunt, why have you returned? Shouldn't you be spending more time with Grandfather and the others at your maiden home?" Wang Shouzhe asked, cupping his hands to Gongsun Hui.

"Earlier, you wrote to have my brother Gongsun Qiang handle some matters for you. I asked Wang Zhong about it and learned that the main residence also needed someone to assist you," Gongsun Hui said. "Though I do not know the specifics, I thought it best to return to the clan as soon as possible to help. Your earlier letter mentioned clearing out the rear-yard storerooms. At present, only part of them has been emptied."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, First Aunt. Part of it is enough for now." Wang Shouzhe repeatedly cupped his hands, warmth and gratitude stirring in his heart. First Aunt Gongsun Hui truly considered matters wholeheartedly from the Wang Clan's standpoint and did her utmost to assist him in managing the clan.

"Fourth Brother." Wang Luotong saluted Wang Shouzhe. A slight tide stirred in her eyes. Earlier, Fourth Brother had entrusted several tasks to her in his letter.

What did that represent? It meant Fourth Brother valued her. She, too, wished to be like her younger sister Wang Luojing, doing her part for the clan and for Fourth Brother.

"Luotong, you've worked hard. Hm? You've broken through to the Qi Refining Realm, Third Layer?" Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly. Under the Qi Observation Technique, Wang Luotong's aura was far stronger than before, and she showed faint signs of being unable to restrain her leaking aura. "Congratulations."

"It is all thanks to Fourth Brother." Wang Luotong's cheeks flushed slightly as she said happily, "If you had not ordered the clan treasury to send me a Lesser Foundation-Cultivating Pill, I could not have broken through so quickly."

"That is also because you worked hard. You had already tempered yourself at the peak of the Second Layer of the Qi Refining Realm for some time." Wang Shouzhe praised her. "Keep striving in the future and set an example for your younger brothers and sisters, as well as the younger generation."

After learning of her situation, he naturally would not simply watch her slowly temper herself at the peak of the Second Layer of the Qi Refining Realm. Before leaving, he had therefore transferred a Lesser Foundation-Cultivating Pill from the clan treasury to Wang Luotong.

She had indeed lived up to expectations and broken through in one go. At the very least, she was far better than that little brat Wang Zongwei, who was already twenty yet still dawdling at the late stage of the Second Layer of the Qi Refining Realm.

"Mm-hm, Fourth Brother, Luotong will definitely work hard." Wang Luotong beamed and nodded repeatedly. To her, receiving Fourth Brother's approval was an exceptionally happy thing.

As they spoke, the grain ships gradually docked at the pier.

First Aunt Gongsun Hui directed the clan retainers, servants, and slaves to carry the grain into the cleared rooms. Even Wang Luotong joined in, becoming one of the main forces hauling grain alongside several female retainers.

She was already at the Qi Refining Realm, Third Layer. Whether in stamina or strength, she far surpassed ordinary servants and slaves. She could shoulder four or five sacks of rice at once and still stride as swiftly as if flying. First Aunt Gongsun Hui had wanted to stop her, but Wang Shouzhe signaled for her to let it be. Since Luotong wanted to contribute to the clan in this manner, he would allow her to do so.

Moreover, even the Wang Clan's Fourth Miss of the Luo Generation was helping haul grain, her fragrant sweat glistening as she worked. The retainers and servants became even more diligent, not daring to slack off in the slightest, their morale soaring through the roof.

A clan's cohesion and centripetal force were built bit by bit, drop by drop.