……

Time flew by in a hurry.

Unconsciously, everything was ready.

Above the vast and magnificent East Sea.

A large sail merchant ship left the famous East Sea Guard Port and sailed into the deep sea, braving the waves.

This merchant ship was a new ocean-going vessel recently built by Chen’s Clan and their in-law alliance. Its structure was very sturdy. Many key parts such as the keel, shipboard, and mast were made of thousand-year-old spiritual oak.

As a result, the total cost of the ship had exceeded one hundred thousand Top Gold.

The effect was also obvious. It was like a sturdy fortress on the sea, capable of driving away fifth-order beasts and withstanding medium-sized storms.

This ship was a luxury merchant ship built at the request of Wang Shouzhe. It usually operated in the merchant fleet, but when important members of various families needed it, it could be dispatched as long as they were notified in advance.

In addition, Wang Shouzhe also brought a Water Spirit Turtle. In case of unfavorable situations, they could ride the Water Spirit Turtle to escape or dive underwater to avoid irresistible storms.

As for the salinity of the seawater, it was not a big problem for the third-order Water Spirit Turtle. As long as it adapted slightly, it could balance the osmotic pressure difference between saltwater and freshwater. Although, the Water Spirit Turtle always seemed to dislike seawater, clearly not liking it.

Moreover.

Fang You’an, at Wang Shouzhe’s request, borrowed a fourth-order Red-crowned Crane from the academy. Normally, it was well-fed on the ship, and it might come in handy at critical moments.

However, it was not a good idea to fly around the vast sea with such a spiritual bird. Firstly, there were many hurricanes at sea. If they accidentally encountered one, even the fourth-order Red-crowned Crane had a high probability of losing its direction. Secondly, if they accidentally attracted a fifth-order flying beast, it would be troublesome.

The more unfamiliar the route, the more careful they needed to be.

On the wide deck of the ship.

Wang Shouzhe and others gathered here, blowing the sea breeze, and watching the vast sea together.

“My husband, this is the first time I’ve seen the real sea.” Liu Ruolan looked out into the distance, the boundless sea made her emotions fluctuate, and she couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s just like what the books describe – the sea, you’re so big, you’re all water.”

As a Water Spirit Body, she had a strong affinity for water, and she would become more and more close to water. In her eyes, water seemed to have life.

Uh… Wang Shouzhe was somewhat worried about her choice of words, but on his face, he showed admiration and respect: “My wife’s description, with a simple and straightforward sentence, tells an eternal truth. It especially highlights the two most important words of the sea, ‘big’, and a lot of ‘water’, it’s truly ingenious!”

“Only my husband understands me.”

“No, no, it’s because my wife is too outstanding.”

Long Yan, the Ancestor, twitched the corner of her mouth, almost unable to listen anymore, and habitually used her Xuan Qi to seal her ears.

This couple, no matter when, would always show off their love. Their child was already over ten years old, and they still didn’t change their routine? Wasn’t this bullying her, the Ancestor, who had never been in love?

This…

Beichen, Fang You’an, and Junior Sister Luwei were different.

They all widened their eyes, feeling goosebumps all over. Could they be a little more considerate of others’ feelings?

“Senior Brother You’an.” Luwei shivered, “Is this the state of humans after marriage? It’s too scary, I originally wanted to experiment with marriage…”

Fang You’an almost stumbled, thinking that Junior Sister Luwei’s level of fear wasn’t much less, could marriage also be experimented with?

He immediately instilled the correct view of life in Luwei: “Not every couple is so… ‘loving’. However, we, the direct disciples of the academy, should take the safety of the world as our responsibility, so let’s forget about marriage, life after marriage is too boring.”

Wang Shouzhe glanced at him.

Senior Brother You’an, this is clearly the mentality of a single dog, saying that the grapes are sour when you can’t eat them.

After Wang Shouzhe and his wife Liu Ruolan had been affectionate for a while, he didn’t allow her to blow the sea breeze any longer and let her go back to the room to rest.

Then, he took out a pot of spiritual wine, had someone bring a table, and invited Beichen, Fang You’an, Luwei, and Long Yan to sit down and drink.

Fang You’an took a big gulp of the spiritual wine, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Wang Shouzhe was somewhat gloomy, as if he was harboring some resentment.

“Why does Senior Brother You’an look at me like this? With Senior Brother You’an’s handsome appearance, there must be no shortage of junior sisters pursuing you.” Wang Shouzhe said seriously, “But so far, Senior Brother You’an, who is over 150 years old, is still single, there is only one explanation.”

“What explanation?” Junior Sister Luwei suddenly became interested, her eyes sparkling with the light of gossip, “Junior Brother Shouzhe, you say it, say it quickly.”

At this moment, not to mention Luwei, even Ancestor Long Yan sat up straight, tilting her ear, seemingly interested.

And Ancestor Beichen, was pretending to drink his wine, his ears perked up as well.

“Brother You’an must have a woman he likes, and she must be an exceptional woman.” Wang Shouzhe analyzed seriously, “She might even be so outstanding that Brother You’an feels he can’t match up to her.”

“Impossible?” Ancestor Beichen was somewhat skeptical, “I heard that little brother You’an is from a fifth-rank Purple Mansion Clan in Lingbei Commandery. Because he possesses the Xuanbing Heavenly Chosen bloodline and couldn’t find a suitable inheritance in Lingbei Commandery, he joined the Purple Mansion Academy in Longzuo Commandery. Such a prodigy, which woman could make him feel inadequate?”

Ever since Ancestor Beichen secluded himself and made a breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm, his entire demeanor seemed to have elevated significantly. The slight white hair at his temples had disappeared, the wrinkles on his face had lessened, and he appeared more confident and youthful.

It was no wonder, if he hadn’t advanced to the Heavenly Human Realm, he wouldn’t have many years left to live. But now, having become a Heavenly Human, his maximum lifespan had reached four hundred years.

Even if his physical condition made it difficult to live to full age, living to three hundred and fifty or sixty years old should not be difficult.

Moreover, with his successful promotion to the Heavenly Human Realm, the Xu Clan of Changning also fulfilled the dream of their ancestors, successfully stepping into the rank of a seventh-rank clan.

Under such circumstances, how could Ancestor Beichen’s state of mind not change?

“Brother Shouzhe, Brother Beichen, you both should stop guessing.” Fang You’an looked somewhat embarrassed, “I just think that dating and such is a waste of cultivation time.”

Such a weak explanation, naturally, no one believed.

“Which direct disciple sister in our Purple Mansion Academy would make Brother You’an feel inadequate?” Luwei’s gossiping heart was ignited, and she began to calculate on her fingers.

The direct disciples of the academy were few, and the direct disciple sisters from each vein and peak could be counted on one’s fingers.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a sister.” Wang Shouzhe sipped his spiritual wine and casually commented.

“Not a sister, could it be a junior sister?” Luwei widened her eyes and said, “From each vein and peak, a junior sister who is more outstanding than Brother You’an, the only one who fits the criteria is me!”

Wang Shouzhe almost spat out a mouthful of wine, her statement about being more outstanding than Brother You’an was quite smooth.

“No, no, although Brother You’an looks good and his strength is mediocre, he is too boring.” Luwei shook her head like a rattle, “I prefer someone like Shouzhe. If I were to experiment with marriage, I would definitely consider Brother Shouzhe first.”

Wang Shouzhe’s mouth twitched, his face darkened.

Luwei, thank you very much for your favor~

Not to mention that he already has a “faithful and loving” wife, even if he didn’t, he would not consider Luwei for a lifetime.

However, Ancestor Long Yan thought of a possibility and couldn’t help exclaiming: “Could it be that the person Brother You’an likes is…”

Then, she looked at Fang You’an with a complicated expression.

Ancestor, you react quite quickly, Wang Shouzhe gave her a thumbs up with a smile.

“Brother Shouzhe, Sister Long Yan.” Fang You’an’s face turned pale, and he was somewhat angrily said, “Stop guessing, I only have respect for my master… uh…”

“Master?” Luwei covered her mouth, her big eyes blinking at Fang You’an, “So the one you like is… no wonder, you always stay…”

“Luwei!” Fang You’an’s face turned white, and his mouth twitched uncontrollably, “Shut up.”

“Brother You’an, it’s actually not a big deal.” Wang Shouzhe patted his shoulder, “It’s just that your pressure is a bit high. You need to hurry up and cultivate, strive to reach the Purple Mansion Realm as soon as possible to have a chance.”

“Cough cough! I said I don’t have…” Fang You’an coughed repeatedly, hurriedly changing the subject, “By the way, why did you bring us along when you visited the East Sea King of the Dantai family in Donghaiwei? Isn’t this…”

“Taking advantage of the situation, right?” Wang Shouzhe said as if it was a matter of course, “Our Wang’s Clan alliance has always had cooperation with the East Sea King’s family. But after all, they are an old Heavenly Human Clan, and the mentality of the people in power can’t change for a while. I did this for the good of the East Sea King’s family, to avoid unnecessary disputes in the future.”

“Now, it’s much better. The East Sea King even personally sent us onto the ship, and his smile has become much more amiable.”

“Next, which family are we going to support for you?” Fang You’an rolled his eyes unhappily, using their two direct disciples of the academy to bluff around, this kid still has the nerve to justify himself?

Previously, he had also visited Ancestor Beichen of the Xu Clan in Changning, using their status as direct disciples of the academy to coax Ancestor Beichen into joining their team.No wonder, the master always found Wang Shouzhe displeasing to the eye. If it weren’t for the sake of Long Yan, she wouldn’t even bother with him.

“Next, we will go to the Zhong Clan of the Hundred Islands Guard. I have already sent people to make contact.” Wang Shouzhe said seriously while drinking spiritual wine, “As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can’t suppress the local snake. When we leave the academy to handle affairs, we still need to rely on the power of local forces.”

Knowing your enemy is the key to victory. Since this copy can’t be avoided, Wang Shouzhe, in order to ensure absolute safety, naturally needs to utilize all the relationships he can.

He had previously written a letter to Ancestor Zhubo, but unfortunately, the Wang’s Clan in Longzuo has been developing rapidly in recent years. They have had some conflicts of interest with a celestial family, and there have been several physical frictions between the two sides.

To ensure absolute safety, Ancestor Zhubo must temporarily stay in the old house in Longzuo to maintain the situation.

Although the King of the East Sea was polite, he declined on the pretext of having something to do without explaining what the task was.

Indeed, even if the relationship with other people’s celestial ancestors is good, it’s not as handy as one’s own celestial ancestor. Now, everything is ready for the Wang’s Clan, except for a celestial ancestor of their own.

The most hopeful, of course, is Ancestor Long Yan.

She had been stuck in the mid-stage of the Spirit Platform realm for more than fifty years due to her injuries. After her injuries healed, she practiced both Xuanbing and Yinsha, accumulating slowly and making rapid progress in recent years.

If she could get a suitable Yinsha technique and practice it together with the Xuanbing True Secret, the speed could be even faster. This is one of the reasons why Wang Shouzhe is so active in dealing with the mastermind behind the Yinsha Sect.

The mastermind might have a Yinsha attribute technique.

His requirements are not high, as long as it reaches the middle grade.

…

Hundred Islands Guard.

Geographically speaking, the Hundred Islands Guard is actually located at the southernmost part of the entire Daqian map. Further south, it’s the outer sea.

The outer sea, like the outer region, refers to the sea area that has not yet been developed by humans. The outer sea is deep, the waves are big, the climate is harsh with frequent hurricanes and tsunamis, and there are powerful sea beasts lurking around, which can be said to be full of crises, even more dangerous than the outer region.

Even if you are fully prepared in advance, exploring the outer sea is very risky, even if there is a celestial cultivator sitting in town, you can’t say it’s absolutely safe.

On the contrary, in the inner sea, because the water is shallow, the waves are small, and powerful sea beasts rarely appear. Plus, with the protection of the Zhong Clan of the Hundred Islands Guard and other noble families, it is gradually becoming more and more prosperous.

If someone were to take a census of the population of the Hundred Islands Guard, they would find that the population of the Hundred Islands Guard has almost doubled compared to five hundred years ago, and even the number of fishing boats coming and going on the sea has increased a lot.

On the sea, from time to time, there would be huge sea ships loaded with goods slowly sailing by, stirring up flying waves on the sea, indicating the prosperity of the Hundred Islands Guard’s commerce.

In a certain location near the southwest of the Hundred Islands Guard, there is a small private island.

This island is called “Zhongshan Island”. Although it is not large, its geographical location is very unique. It is not only easy to defend and difficult to attack, but also located near an important route. It is currently the most important private island owned by the Zhong Clan.

Here is where the main house of the Zhong Clan is located, and also where the celestial ancestor of the Zhong Clan cultivates.

For this reason, there are patrol boats from the Zhong Clan patrolling around Zhongshan Island every day. Therefore, this can be considered one of the safest sea areas in the entire Hundred Islands Guard. Many fishermen are willing to settle in the nearby sea area, where life, going out to sea to fish, are much safer.

Liu An is one of the fishermen living in this sea area.

One day, he and his elder brother, along with several other cousins, were out at sea fishing in the nearby waters. They saw the patrol boat of the Zhong Clan unusually appearing on the sea in front of them around noon.

“What’s going on?” Liu An’s elder brother was a little uneasy, “Did something happen?”

As they were speaking, the distance between the fishing boat and the patrol boat had closed to a relatively close distance.

Seeing a familiar figure standing on the side of the boat, Liu An quickly picked up the flag at the bow of the boat and shook it vigorously. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to the patrol boat in the distance, “Cousin Han, what happened at sea?”

The figure on the other side was his maternal cousin, Han Ying, one of the Zhong Clan’s family generals, who usually worked on the patrol boat.

“It’s Little An.” Han Ying also noticed the fishing boat here. Seeing that it was his own relative, he smiled at him from a distance and explained, “A fourth-order sea beast has strayed into the nearby sea area. We are conducting a large-scale search. It’s not safe here now, you guys stop fishing and go back quickly~”

Upon hearing this, Liu An and his brothers immediately became nervous.

Their fishing boat was bought jointly by several families. Although it was quite sturdy and could withstand the wind and waves of the near sea, it was not enough to deal with powerful sea beasts.If they were unlucky enough to encounter a sea beast, or if a sea beast happened to crash into their net, the net being destroyed would be the least of their worries. If they weren’t careful, they could lose their lives.

“Let’s go, let’s go~ We’re not fishing today. We’ll wait until this fourth-order sea beast is caught.”

Big Brother Liu An has always been timid. He immediately thanked Han Ying and prepared to take his brothers back. They could fish anytime, and a day or two wouldn’t make a difference. The safety of his brothers was the most important thing.

Just as the fishing boat was slowly turning, suddenly, a large sail merchant ship appeared on the distant sea.

The merchant ship was huge, with towering masts. The large white sails were inflated by the wind. From a distance, it looked like a giant deep-sea monster.

It cut through the sea surface, speeding past their fishing boat. Huge waves surged behind the merchant ship, with white foam splashing.

As the distance closed, the oppressive feeling brought by the huge ship became stronger and stronger. The deck of their fishing boat was not even up to the waist of the other ship. It was like a toy used for playing house, the contrast was particularly stark.

Liu An thought he had seen quite a few merchant ships, but he was still stunned, feeling a sense of awe: “Whose ship is this? Isn’t it too big?”

“See the flag on the bow of the ship?” Liu An’s big brother was knowledgeable, “That’s the emblem of the Wang’s Clan. This should be a large merchant ship of the Wang’s Clan. Such a ship needs to be custom-made, ordinary families can’t afford it.”

Hearing his brother’s words, Liu An’s eyes lit up: “Is it that Wang’s Clan? The one that’s almost pushing the Huangfu’s Clan out of Changning Wei?”

Changning Wei and the Hundred Islands Wei were not close, and small matters rarely reached here. But the price war between the Wang’s Clan and the Huangfu’s Clan had been going on for three years. Even the price of meat in the Hundred Islands Wei had dropped a lot because of this, and they, as ordinary fishermen, had heard quite a bit about it.

Therefore, he immediately understood.

“Yes, it’s that Wang’s Clan.”

Big Brother Liu An nodded, sighing with emotion in his heart.

It was said that the people under the rule of the Wang’s Clan were all living good lives. He wondered if it was true?

Unfortunately, their family had been fishing for generations. Without this sea, he wouldn’t know how to do anything else. Otherwise, he really wanted to see it for himself.

As they were talking, the giant merchant ship had already sped past them on the sea in front of them. Looking at the direction it was heading, it was Zhongshan Island.

……