……

 

Several days later.

 

Liu's Clan main house.

 

Recently, for the Liu's Clan, it was like a hellish nightmare, with one bad thing after another happening.

 

Now, within the Liu's Clan, everyone was in a state of panic.

 

All major industries were shrinking, whether it was the middle-level managers or the lower-level workers and farmers, everyone's morale was extremely low, and even the daily basic work was not completed well.

 

No wonder, rumors were spreading outside that the Wang's Clan was rising, and the voices calling for the downfall of the Liu and Zhao Clans were getting louder and louder.

 

However, the Liu and Zhao Clans seemed to be under a spell, with no actions or counterattacks, as if they had already accepted this situation.

 

Only the real core members of the Liu and Zhao Clans knew their true plans.

 

A secluded courtyard slowly opened.

 

Out walked a middle-aged man dressed in simple clothes. He was robust, walked with the stride of a dragon and the pace of a tiger, extremely mighty, his eyes were bright and emitted a strong sharpness.

 

He was Liu Shenghao, the successor of the Spirit Platform Realm that the Liu's Clan had been carefully cultivating for decades.

 

The clan leader, Liu Shengye, who had been waiting here, was overjoyed and stepped forward to greet him, "Brother, have you come out of seclusion because you are confident of breaking through? If you are not polished enough, why not wait a little longer, our Liu's Clan can afford to wait."

 

"Shengye, you have worked hard." Liu Shenghao's eyes were full of strong confidence, "After decades of honing, I am very confident that I can advance to the Spirit Platform Realm. Bring me the Heavenly Spirit Pill and the auxiliary spirit pills. Today is the day I, Liu Shenghao, will achieve the Spirit Platform Realm."

 

"Good, good." Clan leader Liu Shengye was somewhat tearfully excited. The recent days for the Liu's Clan had been too hard. Not only the common people in their territory, but they all rushed to work on the Wang's Clan's Zhuwei Lake project.

 

Even some well-known wealthy families did not hesitate to sell their ancestral properties and ran to the Wang's Clan to buy something called Zhuwei Mansion's pre-sale houses and pre-sale fields, even if they suffered some losses, they did not care.

 

Under the powerful propaganda war, everyone regarded the Liu and Zhao Clans as dangerous beasts, fearing to avoid them.

 

As for this, the Liu and Zhao Clans had no power to fight back.

 

"As long as you become a Spirit Platform Realm." Liu Shengye said excitedly with a cold smile, "We, the few Spirit Platform Realm powerhouses, will seize the opportunity to quietly kill that hateful Wang Shouzhe. All unfavorable situations will be completely reversed."

 

In the eyes of the Liu and Zhao Clans, Wang Shouzhe had replaced Long Yan as the number one enemy.

 

As long as they eliminate Wang Shouzhe, the so-called rise of the Wang's Clan will be a castle in the air without any foundation, and it will inevitably collapse.

 

All those who have betrayed the Liu and Zhao Clans will eventually be held accountable.

 

Liu Shengye led Liu Shenghao to the courtyard of the clan leader. He smiled and said, "The Heavenly Spirit Pill is hidden in the secret room of my bedroom. Except for the Ancestor, Yonghao and other close relatives, no one knows its whereabouts. I will get it for you now~"

 

He entered the bedroom, touched the mechanism, and a wall slowly opened. He walked into the secret room, took out a brocade box from the dark cabinet, and then handed it to Liu Shenghao, "Brother, the hope of the family, everything is up to you."

 

"Don't worry, Shengye." Liu Shenghao was slightly excited, took the long-awaited brocade box, opened it and saw that there were indeed several jade bottles inside.

 

He opened one of the jade bottles, just wanted to smell the scent of the Heavenly Spirit Pill, suddenly, his face changed dramatically, "What, what is this?" He poured it out and found it was a flour ball.

 

"Thump!"

 

Liu Shenghao had a bad feeling, hurriedly opened the auxiliary spirit pill bottle, sure enough, they were all replaced with flour balls. He roared, "Shengye, what's going on?"

 

Liu Shengye had never been so flustered in his life.

 

He was sweating profusely, trembling all over, "Impossible, impossible! There are very few people who know about this secret room, could it be, Yonghao? Someone, bring Yonghao here."

 

In a short while.

 

Liu Yonghao was kneeling in the courtyard, having been beaten to a pulp, vomiting blood, and crying out in misery, "Father, I didn't take it, really didn't take it."

 

"Right, right, I remember. Fifth brother Yongzhou invited me to drink, no, to drink, I drank too much that day, I don't know what I said. Could it be……"

 

"Yongzhou?" Liu Shengye looked blank, "What does Yongzhou want with the Heavenly Spirit Pill? No, I haven't seen Yongzhou for some days."

 

"Brother Yongzhou said he was going to break through to the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm recently, and he was going to fight for the rise of the family, so he went into seclusion."

 

After such a series of deductions.

 

The Liu's Clan found out that Liu Yongzhou was actually missing, and his so-called seclusion was purely a blindfold.

By this time, the Liu Clan had already realized that something was wrong with Liu Yongzhou. His problem was likely related to Zhong Luoxian from the Zhong Clan.

 

The members of the Liu Clan rushed to the "Summer Garden", only to find the doors tightly closed and the place deserted. Zhong Luoxian was nowhere to be found.

 

Inside the main house of the Liu Clan.

 

A group of elders, and even the Ancestor Liu Zhide, were all gathered together.

 

"Could it be that Yongzhou was bewitched by Zhong Luoxian, stole the Heavenly Spirit Pill, and betrayed our clan to join the Zhong Clan?"

 

"Alas, it's hard to guard against a thief within the family. Yongzhou, you fool!"

 

"Even if the Zhong Clan is a celestial family, they shouldn't stoop so low, right? We should go to the capital of Changning Guard City and ask them to hand over the traitor Liu Yongzhou."

 

"The Zhong Clan is powerful and is a celestial family of the Hundred Islands Guard. They won't care about us."

 

Just as everyone was trying to salvage the situation.

 

A family general hurried back to report: "I was ordered to investigate in the Hundred Islands Guard, and I have come back to report. After much effort, I finally found out that there is no one named Luoxian among the legitimate daughters or direct descendants of the Zhong Clan. Clan Leader, we must be careful, this might be a scam."

 

He had a hard time investigating this information in the Hundred Islands Guard, as many families protect their descendants well. The family general was still unaware of the crisis at home.

 

"What!?"

 

Liu Shengye's face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

 

If Zhong Luoxian was indeed a daughter of the Zhong Clan, there was still a glimmer of hope to retrieve the Heavenly Spirit Pill.

 

But now…

 

The elders of the Liu Clan were all filled with sorrow and fear.

 

What should they do next? What should they do?

 

Under such a huge blow.

 

Even the Ancestor Liu Zhide swayed a little, seemingly unable to stand steady.

 

…

 

Just as the Liu Clan was in a state of sorrow.

 

In Changning Guard, the towering city walls stood tall and imposing.

 

A plain-looking carriage, after paying a small entrance tax, slowly entered Changning Guard.

 

There were several people sitting in the carriage.

 

One of them, a girl with a somewhat baby-faced look, couldn't suppress her curiosity. She secretly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked outside.

 

This young girl was naturally Wang Lici, the eighth-generation young lady of the Wang Clan.

 

Young girls are naturally curious and lively. She had only a few opportunities to enter the city since she was a child.

 

Wang Shouzhe naturally wouldn't blame Wang Lici for this. He continued to close his eyes and meditate, looking like an old monk in meditation.

 

Sitting opposite Wang Shouzhe was Long Yan, dressed in plain white. She also had her eyes closed, in a semi-meditative state.

 

But her consciousness was always outside the carriage, alert for any unfavorable situations. Shouzhe was too crucial to the future of the Wang Clan, and they couldn't afford any mistakes.

 

"Ancestor, relax a bit. You're too tired from being alert all the time," Wang Shouzhe said calmly. "The Liu and Zhao Clans may hate me to the bone, but the chances of them attacking me in public are too low."

 

Despite his words, Wang Shouzhe had been staying indoors as much as possible recently. Even when he had to go out, he would shamelessly ask Ancestor Long Yan to accompany him for protection.

 

Yes, he was afraid of death.

 

He was not afraid of others, but he was afraid that the ancestors of the Liu and Zhao Clans, being old, might suddenly lose their minds and do something insane that would harm both themselves and others.

 

As the saying goes, prepare for the worst. Wang Shouzhe preferred to think of his enemies from the worst perspective.

 

In the past, it was the Liu and Zhao Clans who were afraid that the Wang Clan would do something desperate, like mutual destruction. But now, the situation had completely reversed. Wang Shouzhe was worried that the other party might lose their sanity.

 

"Hmm~" After entering the city, Ancestor Long Yan could relax a bit.

 

Even if the ancestors of the Liu and Zhao Clans were crazy, they wouldn't dare to attack other clan leaders in the city.

 

Moreover, their trip out this time, whether it was the route or other aspects, was very secretive.

 

And they had all disguised themselves a bit, with the family general Wang Mei doing the makeup. With her skillful hands, their appearances hadn't changed much, but unless someone knew them well, they wouldn't recognize them at first glance.

 

Especially Ancestor Long Yan, her white hair had been dyed black by Wang Mei, and it cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall. Coupled with her plain white clothes and veil, she looked like a fairy who was untouched by the mundane world.

 

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle," Wang Lici said with a pout, a look of longing on her face. "There's a place selling roast duck over there. Why don't we buy a few to fill our stomachs?"

 

They had been traveling by water and then by land, and it had been quite a while. Naturally, she was hungry.

 

Moreover, she had prepared for today's trip to the city. As for what she had prepared… well, everyone knows, haha~

 

"Lici, a journey of a hundred steps is half over at ninety. Could it be that you want to fall at the last hurdle?" Wang Shouzhe said with a smile. "Baiwei Residence is one of the top three restaurants in Changning Guard.""Gulp." Wang Lici swallowed hard, reaffirmed her faith, and slammed down the curtain. Then she snuggled up to Wang Shouzhe and began to act coquettishly, "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, how about we eat first before we do anything else?"

 

At this moment.

 

The voice of the driver, Wang Yong, came in: "Young Master, not far ahead is our Wang's Clan fish stall, do you want to take a look?"

 

Wang Lici's eyes were blazing, and she even had the thought of killing.

 

Was he deliberately opposing Miss Lici?

 

Fortunately, Wang Shouzhe was also afraid that she would get sick from hunger, so he immediately ordered Wang Yong to go directly to "Baiwei Residence".

 

"Fourth Uncle is the best." Wang Lici instantly perked up.

 

Baiwei Residence.

 

The carriage stopped in the backyard.

 

Guided by the attendant, Wang Shouzhe and the other two discreetly entered a luxurious private room.

 

"My goodness, Fourth Uncle is indeed generous." Wang Lici's smile was sweeter than honey, knowing that the minimum consumption for a private room at Baiwei Residence was not low.

 

Unexpectedly.

 

In the luxurious private room, a middle-aged fat man had been waiting.

 

After signaling the attendant to leave, he greeted Wang Shouzhe with a beaming smile: "Brother Shouzhe, long time no see. I heard that your Wang's Clan has been doing well recently. Eh, why are you dressed like this? I almost didn't recognize you."

 

"Brother Qian." Wang Shouzhe returned the greeting with a smile, "It's all thanks to your care that our Wang's Clan has come this far. It's just that I've made too many enemies recently, so I have to prioritize safety when I go out."

 

This middle-aged fat man was naturally Qian Xue'an, Wang Shouzhe's ally. No, to be precise, he was now the deputy manager.

 

"Brother Shouzhe, congratulations on your promotion to manager, in charge of a region."

 

Wang Shouzhe came here naturally at the invitation of Qian Xue'an. Although there were some twists and turns in his affairs, he eventually achieved his goal.

 

Not only did he successfully advance to the Lingtai Realm with the support of his family, but he also got the opportunity to take charge of Changning Guard. However, Wang Shouzhe couldn't sense any aura of a Lingtai Realm powerhouse from him.

 

"Deputy manager, deputy manager, I have to get through this hurdle before I can truly be promoted to manager." Qian Xue'an, looking like a friendly businessman, laughed more and more happily, "We are brothers in life and death, there's no need for empty words. And these two family members are……"

 

"This is my great-niece, Wang Lici." Wang Shouzhe introduced with a smile, "She came with me to the city to broaden her horizons."

 

"So it's your great-niece. Brother Shouzhe's niece is naturally my niece." Qian Xue'an took out twenty Top Gold banknotes, "Great-niece, take this to buy some food."

 

"Don't……" Wang Shouzhe tried to stop him, "Brother Qian just advanced to the Lingtai Realm and has been busy planning for the manager's position, I suppose your funds are not very abundant."

 

"Shouzhe knows me well, but I can still afford this little red envelope." Qian Xue'an said with a smile, "Besides, this is a fat job."

 

He really treated Wang Shouzhe as a brother in life and death, and didn't avoid anything when he spoke.

 

"Then Lici will thank Uncle Qian." Wang Shouzhe said with a smile. Even if they were iron allies, there were still many days to come.

 

Then, Qian Xue'an took out another twenty Top Gold and said to Ancestor Long Yan with a smile, "This must be Sister Luo Yi, right? You're wearing a veil because it's close to your wedding day, right? Miss Luo Yi is indeed a phoenix among people, extraordinary in temperament. This is just a small token of my respect."

 

Wang Shouzhe broke out in a cold sweat.

 

He knew that Ancestor Long Yan was always very tough and hated flattery the most. It wouldn't be good if she got angry and drew her sword.

 

Just as he was about to speak, Ancestor Long Yan stretched out her slender hand, took the twenty Top Gold banknotes, and said indifferently, "Thank you."

 

What was going on?

 

Wang Shouzhe was a little confused. The Ancestor was actually pretending to be a junior and taking someone else's red envelope?

 

Then, Qian Xue'an took Wang Shouzhe's arm and sat down, "Brother Shouzhe, I owe you a lot for today. We must have a good drink today."

 

"Brother Qian, I brought my family with me, so let me treat you." Wang Shouzhe became a little uneasy when he thought of Wang Lici.

 

"Little brother, what are you talking about? Your family is naturally my family."

 

"No, no, my niece can eat quite a bit……"

 

"Haha~ Little brother, are you afraid that she will eat me out of house and home?" Qian Xue'an laughed heartily, and said to Wang Lici in a grand manner, "Great-niece Lici, order whatever you want, eat as much as you want, there's no limit today!"

 

……