…
"Nephew, you must not do this." Wang Dinghai urgently dissuaded, "Liu Yongzhou, the head of the Liu Clan, is already forty years old and has a lot of experience."
"Zhe'er, you are too impulsive." Gongsun Hui was also a little flustered, "The Clan Leader is a noble identity and is the important pillar of the clan…"
If they fought against Liu Yongzhou, they would be happy to see it happen, as the strength gap between the two sides was quite large. But challenging Liu Shengye directly would be too risky and unpredictable.
On the side, Liu Shengye couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat. Fortunately, the Wang Clan still had sensible people. It was necessary to persuade the young Clan Leader of the Wang Clan. What kind of situation was this?
How could the two army commanders come to a life and death battle as soon as they met? Wasn't this a mess?
Moreover, Liu Shengye had been living a comfortable life for many years and had not fought with anyone for a long time. A life and death battle was no joke.
"Auntie, Sixth Uncle." Wang Shouzhe directly interrupted them, "The Clan Leader is just a member of the clan. Every member of the clan has the right and obligation to sacrifice for the survival of the clan. Besides, Old Ancestor Long Yan…"
As he spoke, Wang Shouzhe's emotions became somewhat excited and indignant, as if he was about to burst out in repression. The last three words were even more hesitant and suddenly swallowed back.
"Shouzhe!" Wang Dinghai suddenly panicked and asked in a low voice, "Old Ancestor Long Yan, is she okay?"
"Don't worry, she's fine." Wang Shouzhe's face was a little pale, "It's just that I feel sorry for Old Ancestor who has sacrificed too much for the clan all her life. It's time for us juniors to shed some blood for the clan."
However, his words seemed to be covering up something.
After speaking, Wang Shouzhe turned around and stared at Liu Shengye, "Liu Clan Leader, since our two families have a deep conflict, why not take this opportunity to settle it once and for all. Let's sign a life and death battle agreement. The loser withdraws from the An River fishing ground, and the clan cannot pursue it." There was a hint of determination in his tone.
"Good, Clan Leader Wang is indeed a young hero with blood."
"Since our two families have a conflict, why not let Wang fight Wang and settle it."
The onlookers were naturally not afraid of trouble and were eager to see the rare spectacle of two clan leaders fighting each other. They immediately cheered and raised the matter.
"Damn it! Why does this kid look like a starving wolf? Look at his evasive words. Could it be…the rumors are true…if that's the case, the situation has changed." Liu Shengye shuddered, frowned slightly, and after a little thought, changed the subject and showed a friendly expression, "Nephew, speaking of which, your father and I have been old friends for many years. It's not too much to call you 'nephew', right? Our Ping'an Three Clans have been based in Ping'an Town for many years, and we should support and take care of each other as fellow villagers. Such a small conflict, why has it come to this?""So, according to the Liu family's leader, they are prepared to compensate for my Sixth Uncle's medical expenses?" Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes and smirked.
Compensate for medical expenses?
Liu Shengye's face darkened, but he was skilled at hiding his emotions and concealing his intentions. He smiled even more amiably, "Conflicts and disputes among fellow villagers are inevitable, but since this is Yongzhou's fault, we naturally have to admit it. Here are thirty Top Gold, as an apology to Brother Dinghai."
After speaking, Liu Shengye took out three Top Gold notes, each worth ten Top Gold, and stuffed them into Wang Shouzhe's hand with a smile, "It is said that my talented nephew is a dragon and phoenix among men, with potential no less than that of the old ancestor Long Yan. He will surely be the pillar of our Ping'an Town in the future."
Thirty Top Gold?
Wang Shouzhe, who had merged with his memories, knew that this was already a huge sum of money. He immediately accepted it with a smile, "Master Liu is the important pillar of my Dinghai in Ping'an. I have just taken over as the clan leader, and I will rely on Master Liu's care in the future."
Definitely, definitely!
After laughing twice, Liu Shengye left the Deepwater Wharf area with his family and Liu Yongzhou.
The onlookers were disappointed that there was no real fight, and they dispersed with regret as if they had missed a great show.
"It's still my nephew who has the means." Wang Dinghai seemed to have let out a sigh of relief and was pleased, "He turned the situation around with just a few words and made Liu Shengye that old fox willingly apologize."
But Gongsun Hui had no joy on her face and instead looked worried.
"Sixth Uncle, Madam, since we're here, why don't we go to Sixth Uncle's boat and take a look?" Wang Shouzhe smiled, "I've never been on a boat with Sixth Uncle since I was a child."
"Sure, sure, then Sixth Uncle will take you to have some fun." Wang Dinghai was happy, "I'll show you my fishing skills later."
Before boarding the boat, Wang Shouzhe called a few family members over and whispered instructions to them. They understood and saluted before dispersing to carry out their tasks.
Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui followed Wang Dinghai towards the Deepwater berth.
Meanwhile…
Outside the Dingpu Ferry, the young and impetuous Liu Yongzhou looked embarrassed, "Master, we agreed to take a bite out of the Wang clan, but in the end, we ended up apologizing?"
"Yongzhou, you are still too young." Liu Shengye was calm and composed, with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, "As the saying goes, there is a time for everything. In the current situation, we should not take the initiative to provoke the Wang clan, but instead be careful to avoid conflicts with them."
"Master…" Liu Yongzhou was still angry and puzzled."From my deduction, that old hag Long Yan is already on her last legs." Liu Shengye squinted his eyes, his brain working furiously as he said, "The Wang Clan is like a dying sick tiger right now, and it's the most dangerous time. If we push too hard, we might provoke a crazy backlash from them. Although the Liu Clan isn't afraid, we don't want to give Zhao Clan an undeserved advantage."
Wang Long Yan!
This name was like a poisonous thorn stuck in Liu Clan's throat. As long as she was alive, Liu Clan couldn't completely break ties with Wang Clan.
"Is this true, Clan Leader?" Liu Yongzhou was excited.
"Before, Wang Long Yan was in seclusion and didn't even show up when the Wang Clan underwent a major change in leadership. I already had three to four guesses," Liu Shengye chuckled coldly. "When I saw that Wang Shouzhe, the new Clan Leader, was so impatient and wanted to risk everything to fight me to the death, it confirmed my suspicions by seven or eight points. Hmph, how could I let him have his way? It might take two to three years, or even four to five years, but we'll wait until Wang Long Yan dies…"
"Clan Leader? That long?" Liu Yongzhou was a little dazed.
"What do you know? The rise and fall of a clan isn't something that can be accomplished overnight. The Liu Clan has waited for so many years, can't we wait a few more?" Liu Shengye waved his sleeve and, with the help of his men, got on his carriage. "Besides, before Wang Long Yan dies, we still have a lot of preparation work to do. Yongzhou, remember, you can't conflict with the Wang Clan without my orders, or you'll face clan law!"
"Yes, Clan Leader." Liu Yongzhou was holding back his anger, but he had no choice but to see the Clan Leader Liu Shengye off.
…
Wang Shouzhe left several Clan Guards at the dock to carry out a mission and boarded the medium-sized fishing boat "Dinghai" with Madam Gongsun Hui. The medium-sized fishing boat was about eight or nine zhang long and two zhang wide, all made of wooden structures.
From the high mast and the lowered sails, it was a sailing vessel.
Wang Dinghai ordered his crew to set sail and eagerly wanted to introduce Wang Shouzhe to the various facilities on board. But Madam Gongsun Hui's face was serious as she said, "Zhe'er, Sixth Uncle, let's talk at the stern."
The two followed her to the stern, and as the boat swayed, they gradually sailed out of the deepwater port.
"Ah, Zhe'er, you were a bit too much today." Madam Gongsun Hui sighed and said, "Ancestor Long Yan sacrificed her whole life for the clan, and the hardships and difficulties she experienced were countless. How can you speak recklessly and imply things about her in public? And…you even sent Clan Guards to spread rumors! Your behavior today will definitely reach the ears of the elders, and they will definitely reprimand you."
"This…," Wang Dinghai was also a little panicked. "What should we do, Fifth Sister-in-law? Won't the elders impeach Shouzhe? Ancestor Long Yan is not only the clan's important pillar, but also an existence like a towering mountain. I naturally have great respect for her.""Sixth Uncle, calm down, calm down." Wang Shouzhe smiled lightly, "The elders of the clan will understand after I reason with them. Madam, let me ask you, how much longer can Ancestor Long Yan hold on?"
"Zhe'er, how can you be so disrespectful to Ancestor Long Yan? We cannot speak recklessly…"
"Madam, as the Clan Leader, I must consider the overall interests of the clan." Wang Shouzhe interrupted Gongsun Hui directly, "If I cannot even ask or know how much longer Ancestor can hold on, how can I calculate the future development of our clan? If that's the case, I'm afraid I cannot bear the position of Clan Leader and should step down early."
…