Protect Our Patriarch

While Wang Luojing and Jinshan were chatting,

Huangfu Chengpeng hurried back to his room to report to Ancestor Huaye after hearing the bad news, "Ancestor, what should we do if the Master Changchun stays in seclusion for a long time?" (The name was wrong in the previous chapter, this person is from the Cheng generation)

At this moment, Ancestor Huaye was sitting cross-legged, his face pale and old, his fiery red hair was somewhat withered, no longer as spirited and domineering as before.

He was constantly activating the "Red Dragon True Jue", his body was surrounded by a thin layer of flame, the powerful fire-element Xuanqi was constantly circulating, to resist the alien sword qi in his internal organs.

However, even so, the fragments of the alien sword qi at the Purple Mansion realm were still eroding his body like maggots on a bone.

Don't underestimate the difference between a cultivator at the Purple Mansion realm and a cultivator at the Heavenly Man realm, it seems to be just one major level difference. However, the difference between these two levels is truly vast.

You should know that the foundation of a cultivator at the Purple Mansion realm is to comprehend the Heavenly Dao and master a part of the Heavenly Dao rules.

The Xuanwu techniques they use have already been called divine powers!

As you can imagine, how difficult it is for Ancestor Huaye to struggle with the fragments of the Purple Mansion sword qi in his body? It's even more difficult than when Ancestor Long Yan was fighting against the Yinsha poison.

After all, the Yinsha poison that the Ancestor was infected with was of the same level, it was just that it was difficult to eradicate after being injected into the internal organs.

Upon hearing this bad news, Ancestor Huaye's eyelids also twitched a few times. Normally, among the masters in the Purple Mansion Academy, Master Changchun is the easiest to talk to.

Moreover, the Huangfu's Clan of Changning is not a rootless cultivator. The first generation Ancestor Huangfu Hongyu was also one of the contributors to the establishment of Changning.

Under normal circumstances, as long as the Huangfu's Clan is willing to pay a sufficient price, Master Changchun should not refuse out of respect for the Ancestor's achievements.

Unfortunately, Ancestor Huaye didn't understand that this was only under normal circumstances.

And the current situation is not normal.

He was silent for a while and said, "We can't delay the injury any longer, otherwise, it will be more difficult for our Huangfu's Clan. And this time, I must take revenge with my own hands."

Whenever he mentioned this matter, a surge of hatred welled up in his chest. His eyes flashed with cold light, "Let's ask our several related families for help, I remember that when Ancestor Hongyu was in his prime, he had some favors with Lady Huandie of Wandie Valley, and they used to correspond with each other in the early years. But after Ancestor Hongyu passed away, their relationship faded. You go and see if you can get through to Lady Huandie and ask her to help."

"Lady Huandie? I'll go and ask for help right away, hoping to meet Lady Huandie." Huangfu Chengpeng's spirits lifted, he had heard of this master's name. It was said that she was the most mysterious master in the Purple Mansion Academy. Unexpectedly, she had a relationship with the Huangfu's Clan.

This was also a very normal thing, any family that has existed for a long time will have some relationships that can be pulled together.

However, it's hard to say how much of these relationships can be used in the end.

"Write a letter to Jin Huan, let him mortgage some unimportant family properties to raise some funds. I hope these masters won't be too greedy." After Ancestor Huaye finished speaking, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate on resisting the alien sword qi.

"Yes, Ancestor." After Huangfu Chengpeng agreed, he bowed and left.

At the same time, he felt a little regret in his heart. He was also born with a medium-grade second-class bloodline and had the opportunity to enter the academy. However, the family needed a Heavenly Man realm successor, so he eventually gave up entering the academy and became the family's Heavenly Man seed.

It's not that this choice is not good.

If the transition of the Heavenly Man is completed normally, being a family ancestor who has the final say is purely a local emperor. Naturally, it is more carefree than being a disciple of the academy.

But now that the family is in trouble, he realized how sad it is not to have a strong network in the academy.

Huangfu Chengpeng couldn't help but secretly think, if he had chosen the academy route back then, wouldn't he be a core disciple brother with outstanding demeanor? If he could get some opportunities with the platform of the academy, he might even have a chance to compete for the status of a direct disciple.

Alas! Unfortunately, with his current status, he can only go around begging people in a low voice.

......

At the same time.

Also in the outer courtyard of the Purple Mansion Academy.

Wang Yong, the "old family general" of the Wang's Clan of Ping'an, was directing some young family generals and servants to unload the things from the carriage.

As an old family general who followed the family master around, although he was already in his forties and his cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Stage early seventh level, his status in the family was very high. He was specially taken care of by the family master Wang Shouzhe, and his treatment was top-notch, even better than some of the direct descendants of the family.

However, despite his good treatment, he was still very frugal with resources, just to leave more for his children. He married a girl from the Wang's Clan's side branch, and had a son and a daughter. His son had no cultivation talent and had been working in the silkworm farm from an early age. Now he was a big manager and his life was not bad.

What he cared most about was his daughter, Wang Feng.

When he was following the family master Wang Shouzhe around, his daughter was only six years old and her talent had not been tested. Later, it was found out that Wang Feng's talent was lower-grade third-class.

Such talent, if placed on the direct descendants of an eight or nine-grade family, would undoubtedly be an unqualified talent. But for a family general of a low-grade noble family, this bloodline is considered a blessing from the ancestors, many direct descendants of low-grade noble families are not as good as her.

Apart from the Wang's Clan's systematic and vigorous cultivation, Wang Yong was also determined to support Wang Feng. Therefore, most of his sustenance and merit points were spent on Wang Feng.

Wang Feng was diligent. She was almost seventeen now and had been an official member of the Wang's Clan for almost a year. Her cultivation had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining Realm!

At such an age, with such cultivation.

She had already suppressed many direct descendants of the eighth and ninth rank families in Changning Guard. Several direct descendants of the ninth rank families were no better than her, even inferior.

Even the clan leader, Wang Shouzhe, had summoned her several times to praise her and personally guided her a few times. He promised her to practice the Wang's Clan's Basalt Yuan Secret Method and body method, but she was not allowed to spread it.

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This made Wang Feng's status among the younger generation of the clan quite respectable, and even the young people of the direct line were polite to her.

The current Wang Feng was very ambitious, always eager to take on tasks within the clan. Now, she had even followed the Fourth Miss to Qianma Town to strive for a better future.

Having such a proud daughter, Wang Yong was extremely proud, even walking with a swagger. He was not afraid of hardship and took on some of the hard work of the clan.

For example, he was eager to take on tasks like long-distance travel to the academy to deliver resources to the young masters and misses studying there.

"Uncle Yong."

A young man with a huge figure, like a walking stone puppet, rushed into the yard. As soon as he saw Wang Yong, he greeted him politely.

"Young Master Sheng." Wang Yong didn't dare to be arrogant and hurriedly returned the greeting. Looking at the young man, he was slightly surprised, "Eh, Young Master Sheng's cultivation has improved a lot. I can barely see through it. And this figure is really..."

This sturdy but somewhat immature young man was naturally the third of the Zong generation, Wang Zongsheng. Although he was not old, he was very outstanding.

However, he was now bigger than when he came to the academy. The standard Basalt uniform of the male disciples of the Xuanbing Hall should be elegant and aloof, but when worn on him, it was bulging, truly becoming a "uniform"!

"Hehe!"

Wang Zongsheng scratched his head with a naive smile, "Brother Youan said that I was not suitable for practicing Xuanbing Secret Method, so he reported to the master, and then found me a body refining method. Now, the more I practice, the bigger I get. But Brother Youan said not to worry, this 'Nine Turns Body Refining Method' will indeed be like this at the beginning of practice. Later, the body will become thinner and thinner. Then it will become bigger and bigger, and then thinner and thinner! After nine cycles, the battle body can be completed, reaching the point of being invulnerable to fire and water."

Such a miraculous body refining method, Wang Yong had never heard of in his life. He couldn't help but marvel in his heart. It was indeed the Purple Mansion Academy, which could casually give such a powerful method.

"But this method is very troublesome to practice." Wang Zongsheng said with a helpless face, "The requirements for resources are very high, not only abundant spiritual food is needed, but also various kinds of heavenly treasures for body refining. The more you practice, the more resources you consume. I'm just an inner disciple, and my monthly support is far from enough. Now if I do tasks, my strength is not enough, and there are no suitable tasks."

"In that case, Young Master Sheng still needs to write a letter to the clan leader himself." Wang Yong also said with a serious face, "How to make a decision depends on the clan leader's arrangement."

He came this time to deliver resource subsidies to the young masters and misses in the academy. But obviously, Young Master Zongsheng's demand has exceeded the budget, and he dare not promise Young Master Zongsheng without authorization.

"I have written my letter, and I need to trouble Uncle Yong to give it to Fourth Uncle. I really caused trouble for the clan." Wang Zongsheng was quite helpless and took out a letter, "I didn't expect this method to consume so much resources, otherwise I would rather practice some ordinary body refining methods."

Wang Yong solemnly accepted it and said, "This time, in addition to delivering resource subsidies to several young masters and misses, there are also some goods related to beauty and mirrors. Young Master Sheng, you sell these things in the academy, which is also a way to expand the clan's wealth. There will be some extra subsidies, which can make up for your loss in resources. But the accounts must be clear, you know the clan leader's temper."

Wang Zongsheng's eyes lit up, and then he was a little helpless: "The things sell well, and the accounts will definitely be clear. The only trouble is that those senior sisters always pester me for discounts, and I can't make a decision. Those senior sisters are really troublesome, they always come to bother me and hinder my practice."

Wang Yong was speechless for a while. He knew why the clan leader let Zongsheng do this. Naturally, he wanted to create more opportunities for him. Unfortunately, Zongsheng was still too young to understand the benefits.

"Zongsheng, if you find them troublesome, just beat them up." A voice with a domineering emphasis sounded, and a woman in a goose yellow Basalt uniform walked in. She said with her hands behind her back, "That's what I did. Beat a few more, and those senior brothers won't dare to bother."

As soon as he saw the visitor, Wang Zongsheng hurriedly saluted, "Zongsheng has seen Sixth Aunt." Then he sighed, "I'm not as domineering as Aunt, many senior sisters are very powerful."

The implication was that he didn't want to fight, but he couldn't.

The woman who came was naturally the sixth of the Luo generation of the Wang's Clan, Wang Luoqiu.

Wang Yong hurriedly saluted again, "I've seen the Sixth Miss."

"Hello, Brother Yong." Wang Luoqiu was quite polite to the veteran Wang Yong. After all, they had struggled together with the Wang's Clan from the most difficult times.

"Miss Six, Young Master Sheng should try to get closer to the senior students at the academy," Wang Yong advised earnestly, "Each of the senior students at the academy is extraordinarily talented. If he could marry one, it would be a great contribution to the Wang's Clan. Besides, Young Master Sheng still needs to sell beauty products. It wouldn't be good to offend all the senior students."

His words made sense. Wang Luoqiu turned to Wang Zongsheng and instructed, "Zongsheng, I'm afraid you'll have to bear this burden. Try to find a talented senior student, have a few children, and then send them back to the clan."

"Ah, this..." Wang Zongsheng looked troubled. Women were too complicated, not as fun as body refining. But he dared not disobey his sixth aunt's words, or he would be unjustly beaten.

"Zongsheng, don't listen to her nonsense." Another woman's voice rang out. Wang Luoqing, who had finished her work, floated in silently, "When it comes to relationships, it's important to have mutual affection. Anyway, you're still young, there's no need to rush."

"Wang Luoqing, why are you everywhere?" Wang Luoqiu was annoyed, crossing her arms, "I'm just saying, Zongsheng should start dating earlier, so he can contribute to the clan sooner. Zongsheng, listen to me."

"I'm saying there's no need to rush." Wang Luoqing retorted mercilessly, "He's still young, with a bright future ahead of him. Zongsheng, your fifth aunt won't harm you."

"This..." Wang Zongsheng was helpless, caught between his sixth and fifth aunts.

He couldn't afford to offend either of them. It was too difficult! He looked helplessly at Wang Yong, Uncle Yong, save me...

Wang Yong turned his head away. He couldn't afford to offend these two aunts either.

Only the clan leader or his wife could suppress them.

Unfortunately, Miss Lici was not present this time. It was said that she and her master had gone on a "cloud tour".

...

While the young clan members were enjoying their lives in the academy, Wang's Clan's Ping'an Town was also undergoing rapid changes.

The flood season brought disaster to countless civilians. However, Wang's Clan opened their granaries and took in many refugees. With the concerted efforts of Wang's Clan, the refugees were put to work on projects such as reinforcing the river embankments, dredging the river, and developing terraced fields.

This strategy avoided the problem of simply providing relief food and breeding a group of lazy people. Instead, it gave them work, allowing them to establish a foothold in Ping'an Town through their own labor.

Gradually, the refugees began to adapt to the rhythm of Ping'an Town.

Now it was nearing winter.

The temporary refugee shelters were in poor condition, with many families having to squeeze together. The wind blowing in from all directions made this winter particularly harsh.

Many people, after overcoming their initial difficulties, couldn't help but miss their old homes. Even though those homes were rundown, they were the foundation of their families' survival.

Zhuge Wenyao's family was just an ordinary family in the refugee camp.

However, Zhuge Wenyao, who was approaching middle age, was not in good health and couldn't do heavy work. He could only do some simple labor with many weak refugee women and elderly, earning a lower wage.

But this "lower" wage was only relatively lower.

In fact, in Ping'an Town under Wang's Clan, as long as you were willing to work, even the lowest wage could earn you three large coppers a month, plus an additional fifty coppers for food subsidies.

If one was frugal, they could save about two large coppers a month.

Fortunately, Zhuge Wenyao had a son and a daughter. His son, in his twenties, was not yet married, while his daughter was only fifteen.

His son, Zhuge Tiezhu, was strong and robust since childhood, living up to his name Tiezhu (Iron Pillar). As soon as he arrived at the refugee camp, he joined the hardest team working on the river embankment, earning eight large coppers a month and two large coppers for food subsidies. If he was frugal, he could save up a Top Gold in a year!

Recently, Zhuge Tiezhu had applied to join the Wang's Clan patrol team and had been accepted after passing the assessment. As long as he trained every day, he could earn ten large coppers a day, and there were generous subsidies of various kinds every year. It was normal to earn two Top Golds.

His daughter, Zhuge Cuihua, was a clever and handy girl. She had joined the weaving team in the silkworm farm through her own efforts and became a weaving apprentice. Even as an apprentice, she could earn five large coppers a month.

All four members of the family had jobs. Although their incomes varied, it provided them with a stable foundation.

However, today.

Their family had taken the day off to stay in the refugee camp because it was a significant day. They were eagerly waiting for a major decision.

There were many families like the Zhuge's.

In many refugee camps, many families were looking forward to it.

At this time, a capable young man in his twenties, accompanied by a few followers, walked into the refugee camp. Soon, many people rushed up, "Manager Ouyang, what's the situation?"

"Our family also applied, have we been approved?"

"My two sons are both working on the river embankment, according to the announcement plan, our family should be prioritized."

Many refugees began to argue.

"Everyone, be quiet." Ouyang Junyan said sternly, "Whoever dares to disrupt the order, those who are eligible will be disqualified, those who are not eligible will be postponed for three years."

At his words, everyone shut up obediently, their eyes showing respect as they waited for Manager Ouyang's announcement.

"I, Ouyang Junyan, was once a refugee. Thanks to the sixth Miss Wang's support and cultivation, and the opportunity to study at the Wang's Clan school, I have come this far. Although I can't follow the sixth Miss to the palace to serve her, I can assist the eighth Miss in handling family affairs." Ouyang Junyan declared solemnly, "Each of you, as long as you work diligently and remain loyal to the Wang's Clan, will have the opportunity to stand out."

His words stirred envy and anticipation in the eyes of many young refugees. Ouyang, the steward, was first favored by the sixth Miss and now relied upon by the eighth Miss, specifically in charge of a refugee camp, which showed he had some abilities and luck.

"Now I announce, among us in the thirteenth refugee camp, those who have obtained the first phase of housing loan qualifications are the Shentu Hanlin family, the Wenren Xinbo family, the Dugu Yongkang family, the Murong Yuyang family, the Shangguan Haotian family, the Wuma Xiujie family, the Zhuge Wenyao family..." As Ouyang Junyan read out the names of the small families on the list.

Naturally, there were those who rejoiced and those who worried.

Finally, after he finished reading all the names, he said, "There are only a thousand places in the first phase of the Ping'an resettlement houses, and only fifty households from our thirteenth refugee camp can be selected. However, no one should be disheartened. Miss Luolan said that after the New Year, there will be five phases of resettlement houses under construction, and everyone will have a place to live within two years at most."

"But there is only one prerequisite, and that is the need to work, even if it is the simplest job." Ouyang Junyan said with great authority, "As long as you are in the thirteenth refugee camp under my control, if any family fails me, I will cancel their housing loan qualification."

With that, Ouyang Junyan left the refugee camp under the escort of his followers, watched by a large number of refugees.

......

Meanwhile.

In the first phase of the Ping'an resettlement houses.

Wang Luomiao and Wang Luolan, the two Misses of the Wang's Clan, were inspecting the newly built resettlement houses with the head of the family, Wang Shouzhe.

The entire resettlement housing project was overseen by Wang Luomiao.

The Wang's Clan has a good tradition of giving opportunities to those who are willing to work hard and progress.

Standing in front of a large number of resettlement houses, Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but feel a wave of emotions. This kind of resettlement community reminded him of Earth.

The use of concrete and cement in ordinary buildings was a long-standing idea of his.

Ping'an Town is very large, about four hundred square kilometers. But because there are many hills, the total amount of usable land is actually not much.

To accommodate more people, it is necessary to build resettlement housing communities, which can save a lot of land and leave more space for the future development of Ping'an Town.

This kind of resettlement house adopts a five-door, three-story structure. One door can accommodate six households, and one building can accommodate thirty households. This resettlement community, with just over thirty buildings, can accommodate thousands of households.

This would be unimaginable in the previous village model.

"Brother!" Wang Luomiao, who was already an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, had matured and become more capable after some training, "This resettlement community is all based on your ideas and designs, such as the water tower, the advanced water system, the uniform cement floors and walls in the houses, the independent balconies for each household. All the roads in the resettlement community are made of cement."

"Our construction cost, excluding the land, has reached more than 500 Top Gold per building, with a total cost of 16,000 Top Gold!" Wang Luomiao said, "This is still at the low price of cement, and our selling price to the refugees is only 20 Top Gold per household on an installment plan, with only one Top Gold to be paid each year, which is equivalent to selling at cost."

Wang Luomiao was somewhat unhappy, as the community she had worked so hard to develop and build was basically not making any money.

"Luomiao, you've been working hard lately. You have to oversee the entire resettlement work for the refugees and supervise the construction of the resettlement community." Wang Shouzhe smiled and rubbed her head, "But remember, people are money. Our future development plans for Ping'an require a large population, so you need to have a long-term vision. Besides, life is not easy for the refugees, and our Wang's Clan has other sources of wealth, so we don't need to exploit them."

"I understand, brother." Although Wang Luomiao was somewhat reluctant, she still obediently nodded her head. After a pause, she said, "The biggest problem now is the funding issue. Even if we get cement at a near-cost price, if we start construction on ten resettlement communities next year, that's an expenditure of over a hundred thousand Top Gold! Mother said that our family's finances are already tight."

"Tight?" Wang Shouzhe was slightly taken aback, "Didn't I just have the black market sell the 'Fire Spear' and get 280,000 Top Gold?"

"What good is that?" Wang Luomiao said, "You previously purchased the Purple Mansion Sword Symbol, storage ring, and marrow-cleansing pills, etc., spending a total of 650,000 Top Gold! More than half of that was borrowed. The Fire Spear was just enough to pay off the debt."

"This year's flood brought in so many refugees. Although we put them to work, most of those jobs don't generate immediate profits." Wang Luomiao spoke confidently, "The cost of food, drink, and wages for so many people, as well as other miscellaneous expenses, add up to a significant amount over a year."

"In addition, the purchase of fixed assets in the previous Ma Town... Brother, you can't be so extravagant with money anymore. Although our family's income is not low, our expenses are higher, and there's already a lot of deficit." Wang Luomiao, who had grown up with Gongsun Hui, was very sensitive to financial matters."This..." Wang Shouzhe was somewhat embarrassed, "I haven't managed the finances for some time. I'll check with the madam later. Then, I'll think of ways to earn more money."

Currently, the family's finances were nominally managed by Liu Ruolan as the head wife. However, she was not interested in financial matters and preferred to spend more time with the children.

Therefore, the actual management of the Wang's Clan finances was still in the hands of Madam Gongsun Hui.

Madam Gongsun Hui was a woman who could withstand pressure. Despite the increasing expenses of the clan, she never complained to Wang Shouzhe.

Only Wang Luomiao knew the financial pressure of the Wang's Clan. She had planned to make some money by selling the resettlement houses, but Wang Shouzhe had rejected the idea.

Facing the pressure from Wang Luomiao, Wang Shouzhe left hurriedly after visiting the resettlement houses.

He couldn't help but sigh. The bigger the business, the greater the expenditure. It was no wonder that the heavenly families had high annual incomes, but they could hardly save any money.

It seemed that in addition to accelerating the construction of cement, glass, and paper factories, they had to put more effort into Qianma Town.

They had spent hundreds of thousands to acquire that place, it couldn't just sit there without generating any benefits.

...

Several months later.

The harsh winter had passed.

In the warm spring, everything had revived.

The Wang's Clan's advance team had taken advantage of the Huangfu's Clan's predicament and had initially established a foothold in Qianma Town. They had won over the hearts of the people and started to develop the area.

Many people were watching Qianma Town.

Everyone knew that the Wang's Clan had paid a huge price to acquire this place in order to choke off the Huangfu's Clan's throat.

However, to everyone's surprise, the first thing the Wang's Clan did in Qianma Town was to harvest and remove all the alfalfa - a perennial forage grass.

Alfalfa is a perennial forage grass that can be harvested several times a year if not completely eradicated. It is a high-quality forage grass that is cheap and good.

Harvesting all at once could indeed bring in a short-term profit, especially when the Huangfu's Clan was short of forage, causing the market price to rise, and they could take advantage of this to make a profit.

But that was ultimately a short-sighted move. Replanting alfalfa would require a lot of manpower and resources.

Could it be that the Wang's Clan was planning to grow food crops in Qianma Town?

But everyone knew that although Qianma Town covered a large area, most of it was sandy soil, and the yield of food crops would be very low.

Only by planting drought-resistant forage grass and converting it into meat through cattle and sheep could they maximize their profits.

The original Huangfu's Clan in Qianma Town was not stupid. If they could grow food crops, why would they grow forage grass?

Unexpectedly, to everyone's astonishment, the Wang's Clan replanted alfalfa.

This inexplicable operation was laughed at by the Huangfu's Clan and some other families who were not on good terms with them. Had Wang Shouzhe's head been caught in a door?

But when the next spring came, they couldn't laugh anymore.

The alfalfa planted by the Wang's Clan grew very fast, quickly turning the mountains and plains green. The new alfalfa had thick roots that could extend deep into the sandy soil to absorb water. The forage grass that grew was tender and juicy, and was very popular with cattle, sheep, and other livestock.

What did this mean?

This meant that the Wang's Clan was preparing to hit the Huangfu's Clan hard. It was a comprehensive provocation and suppression.

Don't underestimate a small alfalfa.

In the livestock and meat industry, the conversion rate is one of the most important factors. How much grass and grain can produce how much meat? This is the fundamental competition for survival in the meat industry.

A faster-growing, more palatable forage grass can significantly reduce the cost of the same amount of meat. In simple terms, the Wang's Clan could raise a cow at a lower cost. As long as they sold it at the same price, the profit would be higher.

But obviously, the Wang's Clan wouldn't do that.

This was not the time to strive for higher profits, but to kill the opponent. The Huangfu's Clan, already short of forage, had to supplement it from other places at a high price, which had already significantly increased the cost of the meat in their ranch. They were barely maintaining operations.

As long as the Wang's Clan increased their efforts to raise more pigs and beef cattle, they could significantly lower the price of meat. By then, for every additional livestock the Huangfu's Clan raised, they would lose more Top Gold.

And the livestock industry was the main pillar of the Huangfu's Clan.

The Wang's Clan was preparing to suppress, no, completely crush the foundation of the Huangfu's Clan.

...