Protect Our Patriarch

Peaceful Town.

No matter the storms raging outside, Peaceful Town remained a haven of tranquility, and the lives of its common folk remained unchanged.

For the ordinary people, the struggles between the great clans were a distant affair, of little concern to them. Whether one clan rose to power or another declined was merely gossip for them, lively in the moment but quickly forgotten.

What truly mattered to them was their own daily lives.

Over the years, with the rapid development of industries under the Wang's Clan, more jobs and opportunities arose, and the chance to prosper increased. The wallets of the townspeople grew fatter, and their lives improved significantly.

The most noticeable change was the increase in smiles on the faces of the townspeople.

The common folk are pragmatic; they gravitate towards whoever improves their lives.

Thus, the prestige of the Wang's Clan in Peaceful Town had reached an all-time high, with many townspeople feeling fortunate and proud to live there.

How could the lives of people in other towns compare to theirs?

As for the repercussions of the deaths of Huaye and others from the Huangfu's Clan, those would only become apparent with time.

Of course, for Wang Shouzhe, with Huaye's death, the Huangfu's Clan of Changning was like a lamb waiting for slaughter, easy to deal with.

Wang's Main Residence.

Wang Shouzhe's courtyard remained as simple and elegant as ever, brimming with the essence of life.

In the courtyard, at the stone table of the pavilion where Fang You'an and the junior sister from Green Tassel School had once been entertained, Wang Shouzhe sat opposite a man and a woman, chatting leisurely over tea.

The woman, with a sword whip at her waist and clad in red armor under a black banner, was agile and valiant—it was Wang Luotong.

After years of hard work and experience, her demeanor had become more decisive, and she now possessed the authoritative air of a local leader.

The man sitting beside her was a well-dressed young master from a noble clan, handsome in appearance.

This young man was none other than Lei Bowu, a direct descendant of the Lei's Clan of Changning.

Ever since he was soundly taught a lesson by Luotong at the Changning Xu's Clan's Pill Workshop, he found himself drawn to her, frequently visiting Wang Luotong in Qianma Town.

This persistent pursuit had lasted for years, and even Wang Shouzhe had encountered him several times.

"Bowu, try this Cloud Mist Spirit Tea."

Wang Shouzhe smiled as he poured tea for Lei Bowu, not putting on any airs.

"Th-thank you, Clan Leader Wang Shouzhe." Lei Bowu was visibly nervous, half-rising to receive the tea, clearly in awe of Wang Shouzhe.

"Fourth Brother," Wang Luotong said sweetly, "why be so polite to him? Such a shameless hanger-on should be chased out of the Wang's residence."

With that, she frowned fiercely, giving Lei Bowu a chilling glance.

Lei Bowu's hand trembled, nearly spilling the tea, his face a mask of awkwardness.

"Luotong, Bowu is a guest when he visits; don't be rude," Wang Shouzhe said, his smile fading as he sternly reprimanded Wang Luotong.

"Yes... Fourth Brother."

Wang Luotong looked a bit wronged but reluctantly withdrew her gaze.

Outside, she was a decisive female general, a strong and dominant figure in front of her younger brothers and nephews, but only in front of Wang Shouzhe did she show this obedient and docile side.

Lei Bowu had never seen her like this before.

The usually seductive and domineering "Queen Luotong" softened, and it was enough to intoxicate anyone.

"Luotong, don't mind your fourth brother. Here, try this Red Crystal Cake I made myself."

At that moment, Liu Ruolan, dressed in a light blue gown, gracefully approached with a tray of spirit fruit pastries. She was dignified, gentle, and composed, a stark contrast to her fierce demeanor when she had slain a celestial in Bai Island Defense.

"Sister-in-law," Wang Luotong quickly stood up to greet her, taking the fruit plate to help set the table, "Fourth Brother is right to scold me; I was out of line."

As for Lei Bowu, he too quickly stood up and bowed: "Lei Bowu of the Lei's Clan greets the Clan Leader's wife."

After all, he was of celestial lineage, and when it came to manners, he could certainly present the image of a refined and elegant young noble.

"Your politeness is appreciated, Bowu, but please, sit and talk," Liu Ruolan said, then turned to chat warmly with Luotong, holding her hand.

They enjoyed the spirit tea, fruit, and pastries, engaging in light conversation.

During this time, Liu Ruolan took Wang Luotong's hand and whispered, "Luotong, what do you think about Bowu? It seems he's quite devoted to you. Some time ago, the Lei's Clan even asked my father to mediate a marriage proposal. But your fourth brother wasn't sure of your feelings, so he didn't agree on the spot."

Her voice was low, but the others present were no ordinary people and could hear her clearly.

Lei Bowu immediately became nervous, his head bowed as he stole glances at Wang Luotong.

"Sister-in-law, Fourth Brother promised me that I wouldn't have to marry if I didn't want to," Wang Luotong said, biting her lip. "Since I was young, I've been annoyed by the saying that girls must eventually marry. I've sworn to prove that a girl can also make her own way in the world."

"Sigh..."

Wang Shouzhe inwardly sighed, fully aware of Luotong's thoughts.

This was, after all, the fault of Great-Grandfather Wang Xiaozhi, who held a strong bias towards sons over daughters, often reminding them that girls must eventually marry.

He had even secretly asked Wang Luotong for a pill for Wang Shounuo.Although Luotong always claimed she willingly gave the elixir to her brother, Wang Shouzhe understood that with her personality, it was natural for her to give it out of compassion for her brother Shounuo. However, being pressured with statements like "a woman's worth lies in marriage" must have left a humiliating shadow on her psyche.

This made Luotong somewhat stubborn, determined to become stronger to prove herself, to the extent that she was nearly thirty and still had no intention of marrying.

"I did indeed tell Luotong that if she doesn't want to marry, she doesn't have to," Wang Shouzhe nodded and said, "Since Luotong is unwilling, I will reject the Lei Clan's marriage proposal when I return."

Upon hearing this,

Lei Bowu became anxious, quickly stood up, and said: "Patriarch Wang Shouzhe, it's alright if Luotong doesn't want to marry. I can marry into your family instead~!"

Wang Shouzhe's expression froze, and he said sternly: "Nonsense! You are a direct descendant of the Celestial Clan, and though not the eldest son, you still hold some status. I know your father, Lei Yangyu, he would never agree to you marrying into another clan."

"Patriarch Wang Shouzhe, in this life, I am born for Luotong and will be her ghost in death," Lei Bowu said with a stubborn face, "If my father refuses to allow me to marry into your family, I will request to split from the family and establish a separate Lei branch. That way, I can decide for myself to marry into your family. In any case, I am determined to be with Luotong."

"You scoundrel," Wang Luotong said through gritted teeth with anger, "When did I agree to your pursuit? Don't force me to beat you up again."

"Luotong, you can beat me. No matter how you lash out at me, my love for you will not change."

Such shameless behavior infuriated Wang Luotong to the point of fuming. If it weren't for the presence of her brother and sister-in-law, she might have immediately pulled out a whip to "satisfy" his needs.

Wang Shouzhe and his wife exchanged glances.

Indeed, a family doesn't enter another family's door without reason, as the saying goes, what pot, what lid.

However, given Luotong's temperament, most sons of noble families probably couldn't handle her, and this Lei Bowu really seemed quite suitable for her.

At present, the biggest issue was still Lei Bowu's identity.

Being a direct descendant of a noble family was no laughing matter. Even if Luotong, as a direct descendant, were to marry into the Lei Clan, it's unlikely they would agree, let alone Lei Bowu wanting to marry into the Wang Clan with his status as a direct descendant. No noble family would agree to that.

This was indeed a big problem~

Wang Shouzhe weighed the matter in his mind and decided to put it aside for now, waiting for an opportunity to meet with Lei Yangyu and subtly gauge his opinion.

Hopefully, he wouldn't be thrown out~

After the idle chat, they all had lunch together.

After lunch, Wang Luotong couldn't wait to send Lei Bowu away, saying she had important matters to discuss with her fourth brother, and that Lei Bowu, being an outsider, should not be involved.

Lei Bowu didn't dare to resist or retort, and could only leave reluctantly, looking back every three steps, pitifully driven away.

Once he was gone, Wang Luotong then spoke seriously to Wang Shouzhe: "Fourth brother, I heard from Granduncle Six that our clan has obtained some treasures that can improve bloodline aptitude?"

As she spoke, her eyes were filled with hope.

Wang Luotong had always been very diligent, and her cultivation had advanced rapidly, but due to her limited bloodline aptitude, her brilliance was overshadowed by Wang Luojing and Wang Luoqiu.

Over the years, she had diligently completed various clan tasks, continuously accumulating contributions to exchange for spirit awakening pills, marrow stones, blood tempering pills, and various cultivation resources.

Among them, the spirit awakening pill was the most basic that could improve bloodline aptitude, but its effectiveness was very low, mostly aimed at those without cultivation aptitude, below the inferior grade.

Wang Luotong's initial aptitude was not low, being just above the inferior grade B, close to the inferior grade A.

With the help of the spirit awakening pill and a drop of marrow stone, she broke through to the inferior grade A. She then took a fourth-grade spirit pill and a blood tempering pill. The blood tempering pill was not cheap, and its effect was much stronger than the spirit awakening pill, raising her bloodline aptitude to the middle level of inferior grade A.

However, the pills that improved bloodline aptitude were very expensive, and the effect would be halved when taken a second time, and continue to decrease with a third use.

Therefore, Wang Luotong's original plan was to accumulate several years of contribution points, then borrow from her fourth brother to get several blood tempering pills to take together, hoping to have a chance to break into the middle grade bloodline aptitude and awaken the first layer of her bloodline.

Only then could her future path go a little further.

However, the news from Ancestor Xiehan made her restless, and she hurried back to discuss with her fourth brother.

Wang Shouzhe smiled and said: "You are always so impatient, but rest assured, you won't miss out on the benefits."

This time, he chose to take all the bridal blood gu back, naturally, he had his own considerations.

For the Changning Xu Clan and the Hundred Islands Zhong Clan, the bridal blood gu was of little value.

But for him, the bridal blood gu was a real treasure.

This was because Wang Shouzhe's bloodline talent was extremely unique, effectively helping cultivators parasitized by the bridal blood gu to safely undergo bloodline transformation, thus avoiding the risk of demonic possession.

However, his bloodline ability was a hidden attribute, only his junior sister Luowei could vaguely sense something different, even Fang You'an, who was also a direct disciple of the academy, was not aware of it.

Until now, You'an probably still thought that Zongchang and Ancestor Long Yan had survived through strong willpower and excellent physical bloodline.

This allowed Wang Shouzhe to take advantage of a lower price to obtain those spoils of war.

Now that this batch of bridal blood gu had entered the Wang Clan's possession, it should naturally be put to good use.

Upon hearing this, Wang Luotong's face immediately showed a hint of joy: "I knew fourth brother would always think of me.""Don't get too excited just yet, listen to me first," Wang Shouzhe said seriously, not as relaxed as she was, "The Bridal Blood Gu is extremely domineering and powerful. Even with my protection, there is a certain risk involved in using it. If you fall into demonic possession, I'm afraid no one will be able to save you."

Wang Luotong nodded in understanding: "Since Fourth Brother dares to let the clan members use it, the chances must not be small. Even if there are some risks, I'm willing to take the gamble. Even if I fail, it's still better than living a mediocre life."

Seeing her determination, Wang Shouzhe also nodded secretly.

The stronger the conviction and willpower, the higher the possibility of successfully resisting the Bridal Blood Gu. Coupled with his bloodline talent for protection, Luotong's chances of success were quite high.

At least, Wang Luotong's willpower was much stronger than Wang Zongchang's back in the day.

Moreover, as she said, if there really wasn't some assurance, why would Wang Shouzhe let his clan members take the risk?

Thus, a portion of the Bridal Blood Gu was reserved for Wang Luotong.

Just a few days later, with Wang Shouzhe's assistance, Wang Luotong successfully broke through her bloodline to the middle-grade class A, leaping an entire major level.

She also successfully awakened her first bloodline, the Lihuo Bloodline.

Because precautions were taken in advance, and Wang Shouzhe was watching over her from beginning to end, Wang Luotong's process of resisting the Bridal Blood Gu was much simpler than Zongchang's time.

This was truly a cause for celebration~

Moreover, Luotong was lucky. After advancing her bloodline and refining it for two more years, she would be eligible to challenge the trial ruins of the Shenwu Dynasty. Perhaps she would even have the chance to obtain the Primary Bloodline Enhancement Liquid and thus step into the ranks of the geniuses.

However, the last time Wang Shouzhe heard from the Spirit Artifact of the trial ruins, it had been a long time since any equipment was replenished. How many "Heavenly Spirit Pills," how much Primary Talent Enhancement Liquid, and how many superior spirit weapons were left inside was uncertain.

Hopefully, there would be more stock inside, allowing more clan members the opportunity to step into the ranks of the geniuses.

As for the rest of the Bridal Blood Gu, Wang Shouzhe also had plans.

First was the Ancestor Xiaohan. As a diligent elder of the family, Wang Shouzhe also hoped he would have the chance to advance to the Heavenly Man realm. However, the Bridal Blood Gu was too domineering, and since Ancestor Xiaohan was only at the weakest Lingtai realm with a single bloodline, using the Bridal Blood Gu recklessly, even with Wang Shouzhe's protection, would still pose a significant risk.

Therefore, the best way to enhance Ancestor Xiaohan's bloodline was to first use the Marrow Cleansing Pill to forcibly improve it, and then use the Bridal Blood Gu to break through the shackles and awaken the second bloodline.

As long as the Lingtai realm achieved a double bloodline, coupled with abundant cultivation resources in the future, Ancestor Xiaohan would still have a chance to make a push for the Heavenly Man realm. Even if it meant spending more resources, Wang Shouzhe would not be stingy, after all, Ancestor Xiaohan had suffered a lot for the clan in his lifetime.

Moreover, the other elders of the Xiaozhi generation no longer had the opportunity. Wang Shouzhe also wanted to keep one of them alive for as long as possible, to witness the future of the peaceful Wang Clan.

In addition, Shouyong, Shoulian, Shouye, these brothers who grew up together, as well as his sister Luomiao and sister Luoyi, all deserved a portion.

In this way, all seven Bridal Blood Gus had their recipients.

As for the two Bridal Blood Gu Kings, Wang Shouzhe was also pondering whether to give one to his daughter and one to his son, or one to himself and one to his daughter. But after much thought, Zong'an's bloodline was only middle-grade class C, and using the Bridal Blood Gu on him would be a waste; he would likely have difficulty bearing the Bridal Blood Gu King.

He could completely follow the route of taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill and then using the Primary Bloodline Enhancement Liquid for bloodline advancement.

On the other hand, Wang Shouzhe himself was already at the Lingtai realm with a triple bloodline, and the effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill or the Primary Bloodline Enhancement Liquid were negligible.

The only things that might be effective were probably the Bridal Blood Gu King, or the Bridal Blood Gu Emperor, or possibly the existence of a middle-grade or high-grade Bloodline Enhancement Liquid.

Originally, for someone at the level of a triple bloodline in the Lingtai realm, Wang Shouzhe was already quite satisfied.

After all, such a bloodline level would also be among the ranks of geniuses in the academy, on par with Fang You'an and Yin Yuzhe.

However, seeing his wife Liu Ruolan and Ancestor Long Yan at the Lingtai realm with a fourfold spirit body bloodline, and even his junior sister Luowei at the same level, Wang Shouzhe felt somewhat unwilling.

After all, he was a transmigrator, the mainstay of the Wang Clan's revival. He should have some ambition and plans for his future, right?

Therefore, Wang Shouzhe also wanted to reach a fourfold spirit body before making a push for the Heavenly Man realm, and then, with the bloodline transformation during the advancement, achieve a fivefold bloodline in one fell swoop.

Of course, just the Bridal Blood Gu King alone was far from enough, but with the advantage of time and the development of the Wang Clan growing larger, future resources would also become more abundant.

Step by step, there was still a chance to achieve a fourfold bloodline in the Lingtai realm.

For the other Bridal Blood Gu King, Wang Shouzhe planned to lend a helping hand to his daughter Wang Liyao. After all, Liyao was born with a superior class B Yuan Water Bloodline, only a step behind his wife Liu Ruolan.

If she could reach a triple bloodline in the Qi Refining realm, she would be able to directly achieve a fourfold Yuan Water Spirit Body upon advancing to the Lingtai realm, saving a lot of trouble in the future.

"Alas! In the end, there are still not enough Bridal Blood Gus." Wang Shouzhe had only made some calculations before he had allocated all the Bridal Blood Gus, but after all the counting, there were still many missing.

If there were a few dozen more, that would be perfect.

Unfortunately, the chance of getting more instances like the Blood Nest base was too low. Better to focus on farming, save up more resources, and later try to seek a connection with the Dan Ding Superior.

But this elder was the top alchemist in Longzuo Commandery, and seeking his connection would require some careful thought.

Just as Wang Shouzhe's thoughts were drifting.

A family guard came to report that Gu Hanyu had come to visit, seeking an audience with the family head."Gu Hanyu?" Wang Shouzhe was slightly taken aback. Wasn't she the one who had risen to fame in recent years as one of the 'Twin Marvels of Alchemy and Medicine'?

Faced with a rising figure in Changning Wei, Wang Shouzhe had also sent people to make contact out of courtesy, but there was no deep relationship between them. She and Wang Shouzhe had never met face to face to this day.

What was she here for? Wang Shouzhe was not negligent, and immediately said, "If that's the case, this family head will go and meet the 'Twin Marvels of Alchemy and Medicine'."