CHAPTER 87: CHAPTER 86: EXPRESSING GRATITUDE FOR THE WANG FAMILY’S GENEROSITY_2

There must be some kind of connection among them, a connection that belongs only to the three of them.

Cheat sheets? Dried fish? It’s unlikely to be those.

Wang Shouzhe fell into deep thought, with too few clues at present, it’s difficult to deduce anything. Once this matter passe, he’ll gather the three girls for questioning, to see if he can find any common points.

If he can find a connection, maybe Wang Shouzhe can benefit from it as well.

...

Meanwhile.

A large contingent of people was marching grandly toward the Wang Family’s Main Residence.

There were elite clansmen and household generals with overwhelming presences. But most notably, were the two carriages.

The two carriages were luxuriously built, with dragon and phoenix carvings on the compartments exuding magnificence. Even the horses pulling them were each four high-quality black steeds without a single mark of impurity.

Steeds are expensive, and raising them incurs further costs; not only do they need to eat well, but they also require specialized servants to manage them.

Most importantly, steeds are more suitable for riding than for pulling carriages. Wang Shouzhe, in fact, owned a black steed specifically for riding.

Indeed, these two carriages were the vehicles of the ancestors of the Liu and Zhao Clans. Unlike Ancestor Longyan, who stays hidden from the world, Liu and Zhao’s ancestors appear once a year in a parade to bolster family prestige.

For ordinary people, the Liu and Zhao Clans’ actions might seem overwhelmingly impressive, full of status.

However, in the eyes of slightly older noble families with richer cultural backgrounds, this is undoubtedly seen as the compensatory behavior of former upstarts. Outwardly, they might not say anything, but secretly they would surely be contemptuous.

It makes sense, given that the origins of these two ancestors weren’t impressive. It’s rumored one was a side branch from a large family in the Commandery of Longzuo, while the other was a loose cultivator for quite some time, succeeding in reaching the Spirit Platform Realm by luck or other opportunities.

Yet, even after painstakingly reaching the Spirit Platform Realm, there’s no living space for them in the core area of noble family-packed Longzhou County.

They were unwilling to still depend on noble families or certain forces for survival after such difficult advancements to the Spirit Platform Realm.

Back then, they followed Ancestor Zhou Xuan south, expanding human living space, intending to become a follower family, hoping to establish a family to help their descendants escape humble beginnings.

This is not incorrect, as many loose cultivators or those of lower origins with Spirit Platform accomplishments have similar thoughts and plans.

Their mistake was in betrayal. Especially after Ancestor Zhou Xuan granted them the promised territory, they still chose to betray!

In the distance, some curious commoners followed at a distance. People are naturally curious and enjoy excitement, wanting to see what’s happening today.

The Liu and Zhao Clans didn’t drive away the onlookers but instead sent spies to secretly fan the flames. This attracted more people to follow the excitement, including some traveling merchants, loose cultivators, scholars, and various other miscellaneous figures.

Clearly, they intended for the "commoners" of Ping’an Town to know who truly owns Ping’an Town. The public support generated by the Wang Family’s disaster relief efforts is no match against absolute power. They also sought to spread the reputation of "suppressing the Wang Family" through others’ voices.

Patriarch Liu of the Liu Family, Liu Shengye.

Patriarch Zhao of the Zhao Family, Zhao Jinxian.

Each rode a tall horse, arriving spiritedly at the Wang Family’s Main Residence gate, surrounded by household forces and clansmen.

When Ancestor Zhou Xuan chose the location for the main residence, he must have chosen the best spot. With the scenic Zhuwei Lake to the left and the Liping Mountain peaks embracing the right, the residence sits on elevated land, boasting excellent feng shui and momentum, and is also a position easy to defend and hard to attack.

To enter the main residence, there’s only one road besides taking the water route to the rear garden. Along this road, some arrow towers and defensive facilities were built and checkpoints can be set up at any time to construct lines of defense.

However, currently, the Wang Family made no resistance against the Liu and Zhao Clans, allowing them to reach the Wang Family’s main gate unimpeded.

Under the towering courtyard walls of the main residence lies a plaza paved with bluestone.

Liu Shengye stopped his horse and looked up slightly at the Wang Family’s gate. The words "Ping’an Wang Family" were inscribed above, unable to suppress a sneer: "Brother Jinxian, what virtue or ability does the Wang Family have, to occupy this prime feng shui real estate?"

Zhao Jinxian halted by his side, his tall and robust stature indicating a greater martial prowess than Liu Shengye, and he replied calmly: "As the saying goes, the feng shui wheel constantly turns. If the Wang Family had kept to their corner quietly, out of respect for our ancestors’ relationships, we might have shown them some consideration. But now, daring to jump out and oppose us, heh, that’s truly courting death. Brother Shengye, how do you plan to proceed today, I’ll follow your lead."

"How to proceed? Haha. We’ll naturally adhere to the etiquette of making a formal visit, so no rumors spread about us being upstarts with no manners." Liu Shengye squinted, waved his hand, and said, "Someone, call the door, present the visiting card."

The younger generation of the Liu Family, Liu Yongzhou, immediately dismounted from a Yellow Steed and walked forward with strides like a dragon and tiger, pulling out the visiting card and declaring loudly.

"Ancestor Zhide of the Ping’an Liu Family, along with Patriarch Liu Shengye and their clansmen, have come to express gratitude for the Wang Family’s grace."

The outstanding representative of the Zhao Family’s young generation, Zhao Dingtian, was equally undaunted, stepping forward to declare:

"Elder Bo Jun of the Ping’an Zhao Family, together with Patriarch Zhao Jinxian and their clansmen, have come to thank the Wang Family for their generosity."

The two young elites, their profound qi thick and voices full of momentum, echoed for a long time without dissipating.

Though they claimed to thank the Wang Family’s grace, their intent to hold them accountable was visible to all.

...

At the rear of the Liu and Zhao Clans’ contingent, more and more onlookers gathered. Among them were wealthy commoners, middle-class farmers, merchants, loose cultivators, and so forth.

When such domineering knocks sounded.

The onlookers erupted into commotion, among them, some who psychologically sided with the Liu and Zhao Clans cheered, their faces flushed with excitement.

Meanwhile, many who directly or indirectly received the Wang Family’s benevolence appeared worried.

Especially as the Wang Family recently launched a major project to dredge and fill, providing disaster relief through work-based assistance that saved many common families, a reputation for benevolence widely spread among the commoners of the Ping’an Town area, making many commoners mentally favor the Wang Family, and they worried on their behalf.

The total population of Ping’an Town is merely twenty thousand.

When significant events occur, word swiftly spreads throughout Ping’an Town. The commoners living and thriving here knew well that the Wang Family was increasingly in decline, with fears that their ancestral pillars might not hold.

However, most of the crowd remained merely spectators without allegiance, having been provocatively drawn to the spectacle. They harbored no goodwill toward either family.

As the Liu and Zhao Clans’ knocks reverberated provocatively, coupled with some malevolent agitators hidden among the crowd, some spectators began to shout.

"Ping’an Wang Family, stop being cowards."

"Ping’an Wang Family, do you have the guts to own up?" "Wang Shouzhe, do you dare come out?" "Wang Longyan, won’t you come out to greet Zhide and Elder Bo Jun?"

Many who supported the Wang Family glared angrily at them.

But of what use was it?

Suddenly!

The gate of the Wang Family opened.

With two household generals in attendance, a tall, handsome young man in a sturdy outfit stepped out, his expression calm and unreadable. Walking with each step as steady as a rock.

He looked around imperiously from his elevated position, frowning slightly.

"The main residence of the Wang Family is a place of significance; who is causing such a disturbance here?"

He did not shout it.

His words seemed to be spoken in an ordinary tone but spread outward like an invisible wave.

Even those standing dozens of feet away felt its force reverberate, leaving them momentarily speechless and the scene fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Immediately!

All the clamor and noise ceased abruptly, the scene was still and quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

...

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