Standing Up for the Ancestor

What Wang Shouzhe called simple was only relatively simple. It was still far easier than coming up with over a hundred thousand Qian Gold all at once.

In truth, even earning an extra ten or twenty thousand Qian Gold in the second year would not be easy. It would require careful planning and plenty of thought. But the ancestor had to be saved. He did not want to see her spend half her life risking everything to protect the clan, only to die a miserable death in the end.

What was more, Ancestor Longyan was an ancestor with formidable combat strength. Once she recovered her power, what right would those two ancestors of the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan have to contend with her?

With that thought in mind.

Wang Shouzhe cupped his hands and said, "Ancestor, please rest assured. Leave this matter to Shouzhe."

He had originally intended to buy a few things in Baidao Guard during this trip, so he had brought a full ten thousand Qian Gold in banknotes. His purse was naturally stuffed to bursting. As for safety, there was no need to worry. With the ancestor accompanying them, they were quite safe.

If they encountered something even the ancestor could not suppress, then so be it.

"Shouzhe..." Ancestor Longyan was filled with doubt. In her eyes, Wang Shouzhe had made a great deal of profit only because the times and fortune had favored him. How could such opportunities come again and again?

"Ancestor, hold off on your plan for now. Wait until a year from now before making a decision. Give me a chance to prove myself, and give yourself a chance to turn the tables." Wang Shouzhe was brimming with confidence. With the perspective and mindset of a transmigrator, making money would naturally not be slow for him.

A year from now, the ancestor would understand it deeply enough.

Faced with Wang Shouzhe's overwhelming confidence, Ancestor Longyan finally nodded slowly and agreed. "But the Turtle Scale Treasure Shield is useless to me. Sell it and use the money to gather some resources for you."

Wang Shouzhe did not object to that decision. It was the ancestor's own Spirit Artifact, and she had the right to dispose of it. Besides, Wang Shouzhe did not believe he would be unable to afford a Spirit Artifact in the future. At most, he would buy her a better one to repay her.

Having persuaded the ancestor, he took his leave for the time being.

Everyone rested for the night.

Early the next morning, Wang Shouzhe invited Chen Fanghua over and asked him to take everyone around Jinsha City first. They could all relax together, while Wang Shouzhe could also take the opportunity to inspect the overall market of Baidao Guard. Even gaining a little more knowledge would be worthwhile.

Chen Fanghua was extremely familiar with Jinsha City and had a good tongue as well. He led them around at a leisurely pace, introducing local customs and scenery from time to time. It broadened Wang Shouzhe's horizons and put him in a good mood. He even bought some dried fish and other little snacks for Wang Lici.

The moment that girl had food, she forgot every trouble in the world. She looked so grateful to Wang Shouzhe that tears nearly welled in her eyes.

"Young Master Wang, this way leads to Rogue Cultivator Street," Chen Fanghua introduced. "Most cities set aside a street for rogue cultivators to set up stalls. It earns a little in stall fees, and it also keeps rogue cultivators from setting up stalls all over the place."

Wang Shouzhe understood. Changning Guard had a similar place, and he had even stumbled across a bargain there—a Honeycomb. But finding a hidden treasure at a rogue cultivator's stall was a low-probability event. More often than not, one was either scammed or paid a high price for something of little value.

Those so-called heavenly treasures and divine manuals were touted until the skies flowered with praise, each one supposedly more incredible than the last. Wang Shouzhe was merely looking around to broaden his knowledge. With his current experience, seriously trying to find a bargain was almost impossible.

However, there were far more rogue cultivators on Jinsha Island than in Changning Guard City, and their overall strength was also much higher. Along the way, Wang Shouzhe had already seen three or four whose auras he could not see through. Their cultivation was clearly a fair bit higher than his. The opportunities around Jinsha Island were probably greater than those around Changning Guard, drawing more powerful rogue cultivators here to try their luck.

Against people stronger than him, Wang Shouzhe found it difficult to see through them unless they deliberately released their auras.

Suddenly!

Ancestor Longyan, who had remained silent all this time, abruptly stopped. Her gaze swept across a rogue cultivator running a stall, her brows knitting slightly. Her body actually trembled faintly, as though she could barely control it.

Wang Shouzhe did not understand why. He took a broad step forward and positioned himself between Ancestor Longyan and the rogue cultivator, blocking the latter's attention. Smiling warmly, he said, "These pearls aren't bad. How much for all of them?"

A big customer!

The rogue cultivator's attention was immediately drawn entirely to Wang Shouzhe. He quickly introduced them, saying, "Young master, these spirit-material pearls all carry spiritual energy. I personally harvested them from sea clams while diving underwater. They're excellent ingredients for the second-tier spiritual pill, the Beauty Pill. There are thirteen of them, large and small. Let's say thirty Qian Gold for the lot."

Seeing Wang Shouzhe's fine clothes and the family retainers accompanying him, the rogue cultivator did not dare slight him.

"Ten Qian Gold." Wang Shouzhe began putting on a show and haggling. The stall owner clenched his teeth and refused to budge on the price. While the two wrangled over it, Wang Shouzhe's heart churned with uncertainty. Given the ancestor's state of mind, for her emotions to fluctuate so violently meant she must have encountered something immense.

Could she have discovered some enormous bargain at this stall?

While helping conceal it, Wang Shouzhe waited for Ancestor Longyan's instruction or action.

Haggling was perfectly normal. To a rogue cultivator, several dozen Qian Gold was already no small sum.

Very soon, Wang Shouzhe settled on a plan. Rising with displeasure on his face, he said, "Forget it. This young master will look elsewhere." Then, no matter how the stall owner tried to keep him, Wang Shouzhe led everyone out of Rogue Cultivator Street.

"Brother Chen." Wang Shouzhe cupped his hands. "My grandniece and Fourth Aunt are a little tired. I'll trouble you to take them to the restaurant ahead for something good to eat. Wang Zhong, Wang Yong, go protect Miss Lici and Madam Zhirou."

"Yes." The two family retainers accepted the order in unison.

Chen Fanghua was a clever man. The moment he heard this, he knew Wang Shouzhe was sending them away. Had he discovered some bargain he did not want Chen Fanghua to see? Chen Fanghua immediately returned the salute and said, "Young Master Wang, rest assured. I will take good care of the young lady and madam."

Xu Zhirou's eyes flickered faintly, but she said nothing in the end. Wang Lici, on the other hand, heard that they were going to eat something delicious. As drool nearly flowed from her mouth, her favor toward Wang Shouzhe surged at once. Sob, sob... Lici misunderstood Fourth Uncle. Fourth Uncle really does dote on me...

After the others left, only Wang Shouzhe and Ancestor Longyan remained. Once they moved to a secluded place, Wang Shouzhe's expression became exceedingly grave. In a low voice, he asked, "Ancestor, are you certain?"

"There is no mistake." Ancestor Longyan's voice was cold, carrying an inexpressible hatred. "I have been tortured by this baleful poison day and night for fifty years. Not even the faintest thread of Yin Sha aura could escape me."

Wang Shouzhe stiffened, and certainty settled in his heart. He immediately lowered his voice and said, "Ancestor, that force from the Far West Lands has had its tentacles faintly appear in our Changning Guard one after another. I fear this matter is not so simple. Perhaps there is something even greater behind it... If we wish to take revenge, I fear..."

The Wang Clan was far too weak now. Whatever the other side was plotting, once they became entangled in it, they would inevitably be smashed to pieces.

Ancestor Longyan loved the clan deeply, so she naturally calmed down as well. Her eyes revealed profound helplessness. Their overall strength was too weak; they did not even have the ability to avenge themselves.

"Ancestor, please endure a little longer. By the time your injuries are healed, our Wang Clan will be much stronger as well." Wang Shouzhe spoke with utmost solemnity. "We will take this vengeance slowly! But for now, it is still possible to help the ancestor vent a little of that anger."

Ancestor Longyan had originally been rather disappointed, but at those words, her eyes lit up. She asked softly, "Shouzhe, what are you planning to do?"

By evening, the sky was nearly dark. The vendors on Rogue Cultivator Street began packing up their stalls one after another. The rogue cultivator selling sea pearls was also preparing to roll up his stall and leave. It was normal for goods to go unsold for days.

At that moment, a rough-looking, bearded man in his thirties or forties appeared before the stall. With an imposing air, he swept a hand over the goods. "I'll take all these pearls."

While paying, he "accidentally" revealed a small stack of banknotes. The notes were an enticing golden yellow, and each was clearly a large denomination worth one hundred Qian Gold. At a glance, there were no fewer than a thousand Qian Gold there.

The rogue cultivator was stunned, and greed flooded his eyes. To a profound martial aristocratic clan with an established foundation, over a thousand Qian Gold was already an enormous sum, let alone to a rogue cultivator.

What followed unfolded naturally. The rogue cultivator set his sights on the rough man and enthusiastically invited him to eat and drink. After a few cups of wine, he sounded out the rough man's general "background." It turned out that he had "made a little fortune" elsewhere and had only just fled to Baidao Guard to lie low.

After several rounds of wine cups and goblets, the two became so familiar that they seemed like sworn brothers. Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the rough man said his hands were itching and asked whether there was somewhere to "have a little fun." The rogue cultivator pounded his chest and guaranteed that he knew a good place. After settling the bill, he led the rough man through streets and alleys.

In the end, in a corner of an extremely secluded dark alley, the "rogue cultivator" bared his savage fangs. At the peak of the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm, he had even specifically brought along an accomplice at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm just to deal with a mere fourth-level Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

With that, success was naturally assured.

Unfortunately, while the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole waited behind.

As they grinned greedily and viciously, moving against the reeking-drunk "rough man," a hazy sword light like mist appeared without a sound. In a sneak attack, it instantly beheaded both men.

How could those two have expected a Spirit Platform Realm expert to ambush them with a Spirit Artifact? They did not even have time to react before they died. The sight left the rough man drenched in cold sweat, his legs trembling slightly.

"Ancestor, are you all right?" Wang Shouzhe hurried over from some distance away and supported Ancestor Longyan, whose aura was slightly disordered. He asked with concern. His cultivation was half a notch lower than that rogue cultivator's, so he had not dared get too close for fear of being discovered.

Yet he was secretly shocked as well. When a Spirit Platform ancestor used a sneak attack against Qi Refining Realm cultivators, then barring accidents, Qi Refining Realm cultivators truly had no chance of survival.

"It is nothing. I am fine." In the space of one or two breaths, Ancestor Longyan temporarily suppressed the backlash of the baleful poison within her body. Her eyes glimmered faintly red, clearly showing that she had finally vented some of her anger.

"Wang Zhong, quickly collect the spoils." Wang Shouzhe ordered Wang Zhong. Together, they gathered the spoils as swiftly as possible. Then he and the ancestor, along with the three of them, quickly vanished into the dark alley.

In an extremely short time, only two corpses remained in that dark alley.