Recaps

Wang Shouzhe used new fishing methods, Wang Luojing’s insect knowledge, and careful trade to strengthen the Wang Clan and protect its harvest. The arc left him at the Gongsun Clan’s farm, where Wang Luojing began fighting the Honey Insect plague in their fields.

• Wang Shouzhe took over as Clan Leader, learned how badly the Wang Clan had declined, and confronted the Liu Clan after Liu Yongzhou provoked Wang Dinghai at Deepwater Pier.
• Wang Shouzhe devised new fishing tools, and Wang Dinghai tested a Moving Zither that dramatically increased the crew’s catch.
• Wang Shouzhe visited Fenggu Farm and helped Wang Luojing use Lacewing Insects and a Nine-Star Insect King to control the Honey Insect infestation.
• Wang Shouzhe warned allied clans about the plague and arranged to buy five thousand bags of Pest-Exterminating Powder from Manager Qian.
• Wang Shouzhe toured Changning Guard City, bought a rare spirit-bee hive for Wang Luojing, and disciplined Wang Zongwei by stripping him of his cultivation resources and stipend.
• Wang Shouzhe visited the Gongsun Clan with Gongsun Hui, where Gongsun Qiang apologized for insulting Wang Dingyue and Gongsun Mo thanked Wang Shouzhe for warning him about the crop threat.
• Wang Shouzhe and Wang Luojing reached the Gongsun Clan’s largest farm, where Wang Luojing directed beneficial insects into the wheat fields.

Wang Shouzhe prepared the Wang Clan for the insect plague, secured grain, and began reforms while accompanying Ancestor Longyan to Baidao Guard. There, Longyan revealed her plan to avenge her poisoning, and after they killed two men connected to it, she chose to cultivate Yin Sha power to hasten her recovery.

• Wang Shouzhe rejected Gongsun Qiang’s proposal to match Wang Luojing with Xiao Yan, then took Wang Luojing to Yingxiu, where she helped the Lu Clan suppress the insect plague.
• Wang Shouzhe gained Ancestor Mingsheng’s support and the Bee Taming Notes for Wang Luojing, then allied secretly with Qian Xue'an to develop Pest-Exterminating Powder and secure grain for the Wang Clan.
• Wang Shouzhe and Qian Xue'an arranged the repurchase of the powder for ten thousand Qian Gold and sixty thousand dan of grain, which Wang Shouzhe transported to the Wang Clan’s holdings.
• Wang Shouzhe proposed a merit-based system for distributing resources, gave Wang Zongwei one last chance to improve, and asked Gongsun Hui to manage the Clan Merit records.
• Ancestor Longyan asked Wang Shouzhe to accompany her to Baidao Guard, where she revealed that she planned to kill the Spirit Platform ancestors of the Zhao and Liu Clans before her remaining strength failed.
• Wang Shouzhe learned that Longyan’s recovery would require years of costly treatment, and promised to find a way to fund it while she delayed deciding what to do with her Turtle Scale Treasure Shield.
• Wang Shouzhe helped Ancestor Longyan kill a pearl seller and his accomplice, whom she connected to the Yin Sha poison that had tortured her for fifty years.
• Wang Shouzhe and Ancestor Longyan found a book on cultivating and concealing Yin Sha power, and Longyan chose to use it despite its risks to hasten her recovery and save the family’s resources.

Wang Shouzhe strengthened the Wang Clan, uncovered its hidden resources, and prepared a scheme to exploit the Liu and Zhao Clans’ need for grain. The arc ended with the Liu Clan accepting a costly loan from Chen Fangjie in disguise, while Wang Shouzhe awaited the next guests.

• Wang Shouzhe sold the Turtle Scale Treasure Shield through Deacon Zhong and bought supplies, while Wang Lici’s gambling stones yielded valuable Spirit Stones.
• Wang Shouzhe returned to the Wang Clan, learned that the locust disaster was devastating farmers, and resolved to stop the Liu and Zhao Clans from seizing their land.
• Wang Shouzhe defeated his younger relatives in their wager and made them commit to a year of study and training.
• Wang Shouzhe learned that Liu Shenghao was preparing to advance to the Spirit Platform Realm and sent Wang Mei a secret order as his plan against the Liu and Zhao Clans progressed.
• Wang Shouzhe visited Xingsheng Farm, persuaded Wang Xiaohan to attempt the Spirit Platform Realm again, and discovered the clan’s hidden Spirit Fields and Nine-Leaf Spirit Ginseng.
• Wang Shouzhe sent Wang Lici to train at Xingsheng Farm and assigned Wang Jingyuan and kiln workers to develop Cement.
• Wang Shouzhe and Chen Fangjie set a trap for the Liu and Zhao Clans by posing as a Tantai grain seller and his retainer, with Zhong Luoxian acting as their contact.
• Chen Fangjie offered Liu Shengye and Liu Yongzhou a grain loan with steep conditions, then eased the terms by requiring an estate to be placed temporarily in Zhong Luoxian’s name, and Wang Shouzhe told him to prepare for more guests.

Wang Shouzhe rallied the people of Ping'an Town, defeated the Liu and Zhao Clans’ public challenge, and forced them to pay for their crimes while expanding the Wang Clan’s influence. As the clans settled into a fragile calm, he seized the Liu Clan’s Heaven Spirit Pills and turned to Wang Xiaohan’s breakthrough and Wang Lici’s latest antics.

• Wang Shouzhe welcomed Liu Yuanrui and Liu Ruolei, explained the Wang Clan’s relief and Zhuwei Lake reclamation projects, and put the gathered commoners to work.
• Wang Shouzhe led his younger siblings against rogue cultivators, defeated Scarface Lao Wu, and delivered the culprits to Wang Dingzu.
• When the Liu and Zhao Clans marched on the Wang Clan, Wang Shouzhe challenged them publicly, and Wang Luoqiu and Wang Luojing defeated Liu Yonghao and Zhao Dingteng.
• Wang Longyan returned and battled Liu Zhide while Gongsun Mang held off Zhao Bojun, and Wang Shouzhe used evidence of murders to compel Lei Yangqiu to authorize arrests.
• After the accused killed themselves, Wang Shouzhe condemned Lei Yangqiu’s handling of the case and secured compensation from the Liu and Zhao Clans.
• Wang Shouzhe invited struggling farmers to settle on Wang Clan land and announced a plan to exchange their fields and homes for reclaimed Future Fields, while Liu Ruolei chose to stay near him.
• Wang Shouzhe and Zhong Luoxian exposed Liu Yongzhou’s crimes and killed him when he tried to flee, and Wang Mei recovered the Heaven Spirit Pills.
• Wang Shouzhe left Wang Xiaohan to attempt his breakthrough under Wang Longyan’s protection, then found Wang Lici feasting with Huahua at Xingsheng Farm.