……

"Yurou, don't be upset. Let's talk this over calmly," Qian Xue'an said with a forced smile. "Actually, it's not that I insist on this; I'm just asking."

"Uncle An."

Seeing that she had calmed the situation, Qian Yurou's tone softened as well.

She sat back down and sighed, "It's not that our Wang Clan doesn't appreciate your past kindness, but as the Little Holy Master, Aunt Liyao seems to enjoy endless glory. Yet, how many eyes are secretly watching her? How many people can truly understand the heavy burden on her shoulders?"

"As her family, if we can't help her, that's one thing. But if we drag her down and create obstacles, that's just unreasonable. Uncle An, don't you agree?"

"Yes, yes, Yurou truly lives up to being the direct descendant of our Qian Clan and the eldest granddaughter-in-law of the Wang Clan," Qian Xue'an said awkwardly, flattering her. "Your perspective and vision are indeed beyond what a mere merchant like me can compare."

He paused, then looked seriously at Shen Jinyu. "Jinyu, remember Yurou's words. As her family, we must find ways to support Miss Liyao. The path to divine abilities is long and arduous. Without the belief in certain victory and unwavering perseverance, you won't make it to the end."

"I will heed the teachings of the young mistress of the Wang family," Shen Jinyu replied respectfully, adjusting his attitude.

At this moment, the innate superiority brought by their lineage from an old fifth-grade family had completely vanished. Only now did they truly understand the vast gap between the Shen Clan of the Western Sea and the Changning Wang Clan.

It was like the difference between heaven and earth.

After this, both sides tacitly avoided the topic and instead chatted about trivial family matters.

After several rounds of tea, the meeting ended in a harmonious atmosphere.

Qian Yurou even arranged for them to stay at the Wang Clan's guest house by Zhuhui Lake, assigning younger clan members to look after them, giving Qian Xue'an plenty of face.

A few days later, when it was time to leave, she even gave him a bag of Immortal Spirit Rice and three taels of Dixiudao Tea.

These were things that ordinary families couldn't buy even with money. Even those in the Lingxu Realm would envy them, and those in the True Immortal Realm couldn't enjoy them regularly.

The Shen siblings were naturally full of emotion, but that's a story for another time.

After a round of farewells, the Qian Clan's flying carriage soon took off, heading towards Qian Xue'an's residence in the Southern Six Guards.

Meanwhile, inside the flying carriage.

Looking down at the Wang Clan's main residence, shrouded in a layer of spiritual mist, the Shen siblings recalled the events of the past few days, their expressions complex.

The foundation and grandeur of the Wang Clan were perhaps no less than that of the imperial palace.

"Husband, are you still going to see Master Wang Shouzhe?" Shen Xiangwen, feeling a bit sorry for her brother, couldn't help but ask again.

"See Shouzhe?"

Qian Xue'an's eyes went blank as he recalled his past with Wang Shouzhe.

Thinking back, at first, he merely thought of Master Wang Shouzhe as a talented individual and didn't pay much attention. Who could have imagined that in just two hundred years, the Wang Clan would grow into such a colossal force under his leadership?

In hindsight, choosing to trust Master Wang Shouzhe and helping him during the Wang Clan's most difficult times was probably the best decision of his life.

Over the years, he had come to understand that with Master Wang Shouzhe's capabilities, even if he hadn't helped him back then, he would likely have had backup plans, albeit perhaps with a bit more difficulty.

The reason Master Wang Shouzhe had supported him all these years wasn't because he was indispensable, but because Master Wang Shouzhe valued loyalty and righteousness.

After a long while, Qian Xue'an let out a deep sigh. "Forget it, forget it. If I keep entangling myself, the bond I had with Shouzhe back then might come to an end. Let me hold onto some memories. When my time comes, I still hope Shouzhe can see me off."

"Sister, the Wang Clan has already helped us a lot for brother-in-law's sake," Shen Jinyu said earnestly, holding his sister's hand. "Sister, don't worry. I will strive to earn the qualification for the Divine Realm inheritance. Since I've set my sights on achieving divine abilities, how can I lack the courage to compete with others? Don't worry about me; just focus on living well with brother-in-law."

A great prodigy is, after all, a great prodigy. Those who become great prodigies are one in a million, not something that can be achieved with money alone.

The Divine Realm inheritance grounds accumulate an opportunity for inheritance once every five hundred years. Previously, due to the competition between the Holy Son and Holy Daughter, several branches of the Holy Land had used up their inheritance opportunities. Now, there were only two branches suitable for his inheritance, and only two or three people had the chance to compete with him.

Compared to the competition between the Holy Son and Holy Daughter back then, this competition for the Divine Realm inheritance was child's play.

If he didn't even have the courage for this, how could he hope to make a name for himself on the outer region battlefield and carve out a path to divine abilities?

After this, Shen Jinyu was not discouraged; instead, he was more determined to compete.

Amidst the family chatter, the flying carriage gradually moved further away.

……

At the same time.

In the Great Qian sea region.

East Sea.

Under the escort of armored giant ships, Green Immortal Island finally reached the East Sea after a long journey, settling into a "stranded" position at a designated location.

This "stranded" position was specially calculated by the Wang Clan's development team, with a very unique geographical location.

With it, Qingluo Island, Green Immortal Island, Xuandan Island, the Golden Sands Archipelago, and Ice Shard Island would form an island chain, arching around the East Sea of the Great Qian.

Thus, this vast sea area of the East Sea would be completely encompassed within the territory of the Great Qian.

By then, whether fishing or farming, there would be security, creating immense value for the Great Qian.

Of course, that's for the future. For now, transforming the islands is the top priority.

When "stranded," several Lingxu experts had already smoothed out the earth veins of Green Immortal Island and its surrounding sea area, integrating the two. In the coming period, the Wang Clan's engineering team would further fill and reinforce the island's foundation, allowing Green Immortal Island to truly take root here.

This is a long and massive project, but fortunately, the Wang Clan's engineering team already has experience from reinforcing Xuandan Island, requiring only time and effort.

In addition, because the original spiritual veins of Green Immortal Island had long been drained by the exotic demon vine, they needed to find some top-grade spiritual veins for replenishment.

However, with Wang Shouzhe's development of the outer regions and the extraction of a large number of spiritual veins, the easily discoverable spiritual veins nearby had already been mostly collected.

To extract more spiritual veins, they would have to negotiate with Di Xiu to see if they could bypass the Myriad Demon Nation and explore further south.

With Green Immortal Island temporarily taken over by the engineering team.

The Wang Clan's fleet and militia were also disbanded, each entering a state of rest. The big shots scattered, rushing to Stay Immortal Residence to breathe the fresh immortal spirit energy.

And Wang Shouzhe, too, leisurely returned to his courtyard to rest.

He hadn't been away from home for such a long time in a while, and it was quite an adjustment. Especially with his wife Liu Ruolan, since their marriage, they had never been apart for so long.

However, when he returned to his courtyard, the maid informed him that his wife Liu Ruolan had already gone to Stay Immortal Valley.

Wang Shouzhe: "..."

Alright~

It seems his wife couldn't wait to meet up with her card-playing friends and dominate the game.

With a rare moment of leisure, Wang Shouzhe decided not to seek anyone out. He nestled into a spiritual plant lounge chair, sipping spiritual tea and conversing with Wang Zongteng. "Teng'er, how did your studies go yesterday?"

Studies??

Wang Zongteng wrapped around Wang Shouzhe's arm, its tendrils twisting and turning, unsure of what to do. "Yiya yiya!"

"Did you go hang out with Zongkun again?" Wang Shouzhe's expression darkened. "That kid doesn't study properly, always hanging out with the Dragon Whale sisters. I think he might as well change his name to 'Wang Baoyu'! Your mind isn't mature yet, so stay away from him, don't let him lead you astray."

"Yiya yiya~"

Wang Zongteng nodded obediently, snuggling up to Wang Shouzhe.

"Are you hungry again?"

Wang Shouzhe's heart skipped a beat.

This Wang Zongteng was truly a spiritual stone glutton~! Over time, the spiritual stones it had consumed had reached an astonishing amount.

But, you can't let a child go hungry, right?

He had no choice but to take out a pile of low-grade spiritual stones and start feeding.

"Yiya?"

Unexpectedly, Wang Zongteng disdainfully pushed the pile of spiritual stones aside, as if saying, "All low-grade spiritual stones, how can I eat this?"

"Your taste is getting more and more picky~" Wang Shouzhe twitched his mouth, mixing in a medium-grade spiritual stone.

"Yiya!"

Wang Zongteng raised three tendrils.

This little guy's intelligence was getting higher, even learning to bargain with him~

Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but laugh, giving it another medium-grade spiritual stone.

Only then did it wrap its tendrils around the pile of spiritual stones, devouring them like a storm.

Before long, the energy within the spiritual stones was completely consumed, leaving a pile of white residue.

Seeing its eating habits, Wang Shouzhe felt immense pressure.

This little guy ate too much. At this rate, when its level increased and its appetite grew, would he really have to let it forage for itself like Zongkun?

While Wang Shouzhe was feeling a bit overwhelmed, a pretty woman in a white coat walked into the courtyard.

This woman had shoulder-length short hair and wore a monocle, looking very capable. She was his second daughter, Wang Liyue.

Wang Liyue adjusted her glasses and got straight to the point. "Father, I heard you brought back some spiritual tree sap?"

Wang Zongteng, a bit shy, quickly hid behind Wang Shouzhe, cautiously extending a tendril to sense Wang Liyue's presence.

"Your news is quite up-to-date." Wang Shouzhe gestured for her to sit down and have some tea. "No rush to talk about that. First, tell me if there's any boy you've taken a liking to recently."

From a young age, his daughters were cherished and raised with great care. They were all outstanding.

But being too outstanding had its drawbacks.

His two sons already had large families, but his three precious daughters were still single, and he had yet to have a grandchild!

Especially his second daughter, Wang Liyue, who excelled academically from a young age and, influenced by Wang Shouzhe's emphasis on research, resolutely pursued a career in research after graduation.

As her achievements in research grew, her reputation soared, but fewer people pursued her, and she became increasingly indifferent to matters of the heart.

No one could match her level, and most young men looked at her with admiration and awe, not romantic interest.

This left Wang Shouzhe quite troubled.

"Father, do you want a grandchild?" Wang Liyue pondered and said, "It's not impossible. I talked with Aunt Lu Wei, and she mentioned a technique for external…"

"Stop!" Wang Shouzhe's heart skipped a beat, quickly interrupting her. "I forbid you from researching that technique with her!"

"Father, I think it's a promising research direction worth exploring," Wang Liyue argued seriously. "If successful, it could reduce unnecessary consumption, save time, and prevent women from experiencing negative emotions due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, also saving…"

"I'm your father, and I'm asking you to change the topic." Wang Shouzhe's face turned dark. "I just want a grandchild, not for you to conduct research."

"Then, Father, you can find someone for me," Wang Liyue said, adjusting her glasses, her expression calm. "Marriage is too time-consuming, but having a child is feasible. For your wish, I can dedicate two or three years to achieving this goal."

Wang Shouzhe: "…"

He resisted the urge to scold her, taking several deep breaths to calm down, and explained gently, "It's not just about having a grandchild. I want you to be happy."

"Father, your logic is flawed. Happiness isn't necessarily tied to marriage or having children. Also, what do you want? For me to have a child, get married, or be happy? Your mixed signals make it hard for me to decide."

"My point is simple. I hope you find a man you like and marry him. Family background doesn't matter, as long as you truly like him." Wang Shouzhe felt a headache coming on, finding it increasingly difficult to communicate with this girl.

Liyue was so adorable as a child, but as she grew, she developed in a peculiar direction.

Letting her discuss technology with Lu Wei wasn't meant for her to adopt Lu Wei's strange ideas.

"That's difficult." Wang Liyue thought seriously for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't have specific criteria for a partner, and I'm flexible with the lower limits. But the problem is, your requirement is that I like him!"

"But I really can't find a man I like. Think about it, if his intelligence doesn't match Ningxi and Fugui, how can I communicate with him? Every time I talk to him, I have to carefully consider how to express myself clearly and simply so he understands. It's too taxing."

Wang Shouzhe's forehead throbbed with veins.

Did you think so hard to express yourself clearly and simply? Do you find it taxing? Do you think only Wang Ningxi and Wang Fugui in the entire clan can communicate with you normally?

"Cough, cough~ Father, how about I visit the Immortal Dynasty?" Wang Liyue, sensing she might have hurt her father's pride, awkwardly suggested, "The Immortal Dynasty is vast, with many top families. Maybe I can find some potential targets."

"Forget it, let it be." Wang Shouzhe waved weakly. "I'll urge your third sister instead."

The Immortal Dynasty, what good characters could it produce?

If the Immortal Dynasty had talents on par with Wang Ningxi and Wang Fugui, would they have let them cause such upheaval?

"True, considering your various 'happiness' criteria, logically speaking, only the third sister has a chance." Wang Liyue nodded, agreeing with Wang Shouzhe's opinion, then added, "I heard from Zongkun that you had the Dragon Whale Clan bring back some spiritual plants from the Demon Zhao Kingdom, similar to the rubber you mentioned before. I'm interested in this unique material. Can I have some to study?"

Indeed, upon learning that the Demon Zhao Kingdom had a spiritual plant resembling a rubber tree, Wang Shouzhe asked the Dragon Whale Clan to retrieve it for him.

At his current status, he rarely needed to act personally to acquire something.

Otherwise, if he had to personally travel to the Demon Zhao Kingdom for a mere rubber tree, what was the point of developing and expanding the family's influence?

"It's in my Earth Bracelet. I'll give it to you later." Wang Shouzhe said, introducing Wang Zongteng, who was peeking from behind him, to his daughter. "You haven't met Zongteng, have you? This is your new brother, Wang Zongteng. Zongteng, say hello to your second sister."

In any family, there are distinctions between the main family and branches.

For Wang Shouzhe's children, they have their own rankings within the clan and their own within the household. Generally, outside, they follow the clan's ranking, but within the household, it's more casual.

"Hello, Fourth Brother." Wang Liyue, accustomed to gaining new siblings over the years, smiled and waved at Wang Zongteng. "I came in a hurry today, so I didn't bring any gifts. I see you like spiritual stones, so I'll give you some."

Saying this, she took out a dozen high-grade spiritual stones.

This gesture moved Wang Zongteng to tears.

It immediately wrapped its tendrils around the spiritual stones, extending a few more to touch Wang Liyue, expressing joy and gratitude.

"Zongkun mentioned you, saying you're impressive, capable of absorbing and converting various energies. This trait is rare." Wang Liyue said, taking out a pair of scissors and casually snipping a small tendril that touched her.

After cutting, she looked at Wang Zongteng and asked, "Fourth Brother, you don't mind if Second Sister takes a small piece of your tendril, do you?"

Holding the high-grade spiritual stones, Wang Zongteng: "…"

It froze, as if petrified, questioning its existence.

Wang Shouzhe facepalmed, exasperated. "Liyue, can you stop using your siblings' body parts for experiments? Zongkun has complained to me many times. He has a psychological shadow when he sees you."

Clearly, Zongkun had been targeted by Liyue and sold out Zongteng to escape.

"Father, don't worry. I'll be careful." Wang Liyue, delighted, stored the small piece of active tendril, her heart racing with excitement, her mind already in the lab. "If we're talking about psychological shadows, the third sister is even more excessive."

Indeed, as the head of the Wang Clan's educational institution, how could Wang Lijue let her underachieving brother Zongkun off the hook? Naturally, Zongkun was also intimidated by his third sister, Wang Lijue.

As the father and daughter were having a rare chat.

A family guard reported that "Prince An" had come to "visit" the Wang Clan again and had already settled into "Hidden Dragon Cottage," requesting the family head to have a meeting.

"That Wu Mingyuan, after borrowing a huge loan from our Wang Clan, now turns around and comes to us. He must have ulterior motives." Wang Shouzhe sighed.

He had just gotten home. Couldn't they let him have some peace?

"I heard the third sister mention this." Wang Liyue recalled. "Recently, the court is reforming local governance structures, establishing a new administrative level above the guards, called 'counties,' directly under the commandery governor's jurisdiction. Therefore, the court urgently needs talents to reorganize the leadership team and implement the reform plan. For this matter, Prince An has mentioned several times wanting the third sister to recommend some outstanding talents from the high-level clan school graduates to work in government departments."

"However, the third sister has consistently refused, citing your absence as the reason. Prince An's visit is likely still about this matter."

"Heh~" Wang Shouzhe chuckled coldly. "If he wants talent, can't he cultivate his own? Our Wang Clan is short on talent ourselves, and Ningxi had to go to the Immortal Dynasty to recruit. Yet, he wants to take advantage of us, trying to exploit our resources."

"Fine, I'll go meet Prince An and send him off. It's not proper for him to keep coming to the Wang Clan instead of staying in Guilong City."

With that, Wang Shouzhe handed the rubber spiritual tree to Wang Liyue and headed straight to Hidden Dragon Cottage.

Unexpectedly.

As soon as he stepped into Hidden Dragon Cottage, he heard Wang Shizhao's anxious voice.

"Your Highness, please don't do this! Everything can be discussed! My grandfather is back from his trip and will surely find a solution for you."

Immediately after, came Prince An's aggrieved voice.

"Shizhao, you don't need to persuade me! It's my own incompetence, my failure to meet everyone's expectations. I don't want to be the future Great Emperor of the Great Qian anymore. Let whoever wants it, take it."

Wang Shouzhe, surprised, followed the voice and saw Prince An sitting disheveled in the flower bed, surrounded by empty wine bottles, holding one and gulping it down.

At this moment, his face was full of grief and pain, tears streaming uncontrollably.

Wang Shouzhe paused, then approached with a smile, patting Prince An's shoulder. "What has upset Your Highness? Shall we play a game of chess to cheer you up?"

"Shouzhe, you're just in time." Prince An grabbed Wang Shouzhe, crying and complaining, "Being the ruler of a nation is truly meaningless, exhausting without any reward. Why don't we switch places, and I'll let you have the emperor's position~~"

"Your Highness, why say such things?" Wang Shouzhe helped him sit down, comforting him. "Don't be agitated. Let's talk it over. What difficulties have you encountered? Let's solve the problems together, no need to cry."

"Sigh~ Some things I can't even say." Prince An wiped his tears, sighing deeply. "Shizhao, you tell your grandfather the truth, don't hold back."

"Uh…" Wang Shizhao awkwardly glanced at Wang Shouzhe. "Grandfather, here's the situation. Haven't you always wanted to reform local government, establish counties, and gradually achieve universal Qi refining? Shizhao and His Highness have been working hard for this, but we've encountered numerous obstacles."

"Money aside, the main issue is the severe shortage of talented local government officials. Occasionally, there are some outstanding ones, but they're inconsistent. We thought of recruiting some elites from our high-level clan school, but the third aunt firmly refused."

Prince An interrupted, "Shizhao, don't just say the nice parts."

"Uh…" Wang Shizhao chuckled awkwardly, clearing his throat before continuing. "His Highness means that, Grandfather, your life is too leisurely. Various plans and development directions are endless, like the Universal Qi Refining Plan, nationwide waterway navigation, county-level government institutions, Holy Land academy reform, tax reform, government integrity plan, and the outstanding civilian support fund…"

"Exactly!"

Before Wang Shizhao could finish, Prince An, full of grievance, wiped his tears. "You, Wang Shouzhe, stay at home, coming up with one idea after another. We, on the other hand, have to exhaust ourselves to implement these plans. Now, the country lacks money and people."

"But in the end, I just wanted to recruit a few elite talents from your clan school, and I was rejected by the younger generation! I, a dignified prince, a dignified prince… I'm done, let whoever wants to do it, do it!"

"Shouzhe, have you forgotten our oath back then? We promised to build the nation together… sob sob sob~"

The more Prince An spoke, the more aggrieved he became, eventually becoming incoherent, clearly genuinely upset.

"Alright, alright~ stop crying. I'll sternly criticize Lijue later."

Wang Shouzhe listened, feeling he might have indeed gone too far, and these years, Prince An had worked hard to build the nation.

He sighed, patting his shoulder to comfort him. "Alright. I'll agree to the talent recruitment. We'll just have to cultivate more in the future."

"Shouzhe, you said it!" Prince An immediately perked up, grabbing Wang Shouzhe's arm excitedly. "Shizhao is a witness; your grandfather agreed!"

Wang Shouzhe, amused, pushed him away. "Your Highness, you've changed. You're addicted to exploiting my resources, aren't you? You're becoming more and more like Emperor Longchang, shameless."

He even put on a show.

"Face? What's that? Shizhao, tell His Highness, does His Highness have a face?" Prince An, with a "shameless" demeanor, said, "Wang Shouzhe, believe it or not, if you were in my position for ten years, no, just five years, you'd become like me."

"In the end, if the nation isn't built well, what use is face to His Highness?!"

Back then, he also thought the emperor's ancestor's shamelessness was disgraceful and even despised it. However, after sitting in that position and experiencing its difficulties, he realized that compared to truly important matters, face was the least important.

What's wrong with being like the emperor's ancestor? He should learn from him and master his essence!

……