……

Seeing Wang Lici’s expression that was asking for a beating, Wang Shouzhe’s mouth twitched twice. He took a deep breath to calm his emotions before waving his hand and saying, “Alright, you didn’t do anything wrong. Sit down and let’s talk.”

Wang Lici quickly found a stool to sit on, only resting her bottom lightly on it. She put on a well-behaved appearance, as if listening attentively to Fourth Uncle’s teachings.

“It’s obvious that Ancestor likes you,” Wang Shouzhe said. “During the time on the boat, spend more time talking to her and make her happy.”

So that’s what it was about? It wasn’t a scolding after all.

Wang Lici relaxed from her tense state and nodded repeatedly. She moved her bottom to the back of the stool, sitting up straighter. She habitually took out a piece of candied fruit to calm her nerves, then began to eat it happily.

Wang Shouzhe couldn’t help but feel annoyed at her carefree appearance.

Therefore, he calmly took out two books from his pocket and threw them to her. “These are ‘Selected Poems from the Dynasties of Longzhou’ and ‘The Writings of a Hermit in Cuju Mountain’. Fourth Uncle just bought them in Donggang. They are said to have a lot of literary significance.”

After pausing for a moment, he continued, “This morning, when I heard you reciting ‘Observing the Sky at Night on the Day of Ascending Tianlan’, your voice was full of emotions and the rhythm was perfect. It seems that you are good at literature. So, take the shortest time possible to read these two books thoroughly and recite them to Ancestor to cheer her up. Ancestor likes children who study hard and read books the most. She will definitely be very happy.”

“What?”

Wang Lici widened her eyes, stopped chewing on the candied fruit in her mouth, and her baby-fat face was full of surprise and shock. Fourth Uncle…are you a devil?

“Well, with your expression of joy and surprise, Fourth Uncle is quite pleased,” Wang Shouzhe said with a gentle smile. “Do you like it?”

Tears rolled down Wang Lici’s cheeks, but she could only hold back her grievances and force out a smile of “joy”. She choked and said, “Thank you so much, Fourth Uncle. I really like it…”

“Lici, your tears of joy show that Fourth Uncle’s good intentions were not in vain,” Wang Shouzhe patted her head apologetically. “It’s all Fourth Uncle’s fault. We were in a hurry on this trip, so we only managed to buy two books. When we arrive at Bai Island Guard, I will buy you more. Maybe our family will have a literary genius in the future.”

Wang Lici’s heart sank, feeling that the color of life had drifted away from her. Her eyes were full of darkness.

Fortunately, there were still candied fruits.

The sweet taste in her mouth seemed to be the only bright color in her otherwise gray and bleak life, the source of hope.

“By the way,” Wang Shouzhe frowned again. “Candied fruits are okay as a snack occasionally, but eating too much is bad for your teeth and can make you gain weight. Look how round your face has become. Take them all out, and Fourth Uncle will keep them for you.”

Boom!

His words hit Wang Lici like a bolt of lightning. Tears rushed out uncontrollably as she fumbled and pulled out five bags of candied fruit.

“That’s all?” she asked.

Then she took out another bag.

“Hehe~”

Then another bag.

After pulling out five bags in total, Wang Lici held the two books and burst into tears. “That’s all, I really don’t have any more. Fourth Uncle, it’s getting late, I…I’m going to read now…”

Then she ran away like she was escaping from a battlefield.

After she left, Wang Shouzhe chuckled and brewed a pot of tea to drink, feeling content. Little girl, Fourth Uncle can’t even control you?”Taming my niece was just a small episode.

After taking a short break, Wang Shouzhe took out the booklet given to him by his future brother-in-law, Chen Fangjie, and slowly flipped through it. Although the Wang Clan had heard of the Baodao Wei, there was little information recorded within the clan, and the information was outdated.

The Chen Clan of Donggang had more contact with the Baodao Wei and had more detailed information. This booklet recorded some of the Baodao Wei’s forces, clans, situation, and characteristics of objects that should not be provoked.

The more Wang Shouzhe read the booklet, the more amazed he became. The Baodao Wei’s forces were indeed much more complex than the Changning Wei, starting with the dozens of large and small clans.

Some of these clans had relatively weak strength and occupied only one island. Some were powerful and spanned several or even dozens of islands.

The main island was called Jinsha Island. It was said that a thousand years ago, this island was rich in gold sand, which led to bloody disputes among some Xuanwu clans. The Daqian government sent experts to suppress them and the situation stabilized after the establishment of the Baodao Wei. After several hundred years, the gold sand had been mined out, and some of the remaining Xuanwu clans divided the Baodao and gradually developed the current situation.

Due to the complex and remote geographical environment of the Baodao Wei, and the loss of gold sand, the government’s control over this area was gradually weakening. Therefore, there were often some wanted fugitives, expelled clan members, or some pirates and bandits who wanted to whitewash themselves, coming to the Baodao Wei to make trouble.

Fortunately, the Chen Clan of Donggang had been operating on the main island of Jinsha in the Baodao Wei for many years, with a wide network of contacts and a solid foundation. With the Chen Clan’s care, ordinary people would not dare to provoke them.

As long as they didn’t cause trouble, there shouldn’t be any major safety issues. Otherwise, Chen Fangjie would definitely not let Wang Shouzhe go to the Baodao Wei. If something big happened, how could Chen Fangjie face it?

However, despite the chaos in the Baodao Wei, some unique industries had emerged that were not found elsewhere.

For example, the black market!

The Jinsha black market was one of the two celestial clans in the Baodao Wei and had a history of two hundred years. In the black market, all identities could be disguised and hidden. As long as you had money, you could buy what you wanted in the most secretive way, or sell your own things, even some prohibited items or stolen goods!

The black market didn’t care who you were, or where your money and goods came from. They only maintained order, reputation, and took a cut.

Order and reputation were the fundamental reasons why a black market could survive.

Because people who went to the black market were often very sensitive to the exposure of their identities. Any movement would make them hesitate. Therefore, the Jinsha black market, which had stood for two hundred years and continued to grow in scale, must attach great importance to reputation and order.

As soon as he saw the news about the black market, Wang Shouzhe had a vague guess in his heart. Long Yan Ancestor should have come for the black market, and with Wang Shouzhe’s intelligence, he could probably guess the purpose of her visit.

Immediately, his brow furrowed. This was something he didn’t want to see. After getting off the boat, he needed to talk to Long Yan Ancestor. Some things simply didn’t need to be done.

However, she was an Ancestor after all. Once she made up her mind to do something, she had probably been thinking about it for a long time. How could he persuade her?

Wang Shouzhe’s face became more and more serious as he tapped his fingers on the table, thinking quickly.

Time passed slowly. “More than 20 hours passed in a flash, and the huge sea ship docked in the deepwater port of Jinsha Island in the Hundred Islands Guard.

Wang Shouzhe and his group walked out of the Junyao ship and smelled the strong sea breeze. It was said that this Junyao merchant ship was quite stable and safe in the sea, and arrived at the Hundred Islands Guard without any danger.

At this time, Chen Fanghua, a member of the Chen clan, greeted them and respectfully bowed, “Young Master Wang, according to the instructions of the Young Clan Leader before leaving, I am here to arrange accommodation and guides for you and your party.”

Wang Shouzhe smiled inwardly, guessing that his future brother-in-law was afraid that he would wander around the island and be in danger, so he specially arranged for clan members to arrange his accommodation and itinerary.

“In that case, I will trouble Brother Chen.” Wang Shouzhe was not familiar with Jinsha Island, so it was best to have someone arrange it. Moreover, he had to accept the kindness of his future brother-in-law, Chen Fangjie.

Chen Fanghua knew that “Young Master Wang” had female companions, so he specially arranged a carriage for them. Long Yan, the Ancestor, the fourth aunt, and the big girl all got on the carriage. Wang Shouzhe and his two family generals, Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, were temporarily assigned three horses.

Then, Chen Fanghua led a family general and led Wang Shouzhe and his group towards the inner city of Jinsha Island.

As they walked, Chen Fanghua chatted with Wang Shouzhe about some local customs of Jinsha Island. For example, Jinsha Island was the largest island in the Hundred Islands Guard, but because there were many rocks and other impurities in the soil, there were very few good fields that could be cultivated.

“So, half of the cargo on our ship is food crops and various meat and poultry, as well as some daily necessities. These ordinary items actually have good profits in the Hundred Islands Guard.” Chen Fanghua did not avoid these well-known business knowledge, and it was obvious that he wanted to get closer to Wang Shouzhe.

“Doesn’t the Daqian law prohibit the speculation of food?” Wang Shouzhe asked curiously.

“Young Master Wang, the Daqian law has limited binding force in the Hundred Islands Guard,” Chen Fanghua smiled and said, “Moreover, we are not speculating in food, but exchanging goods. Although the Hundred Islands Guard has a small food production, it is rich in various sea treasures and oyster ash. If transported to the inland, there can still be some profit.”

Wang Shouzhe also knew that in this era, shipping was undoubtedly a highly profitable industry, but at the same time, it was also very difficult and risky. Building a sea merchant ship was not only expensive, but also required a deep professional knowledge.

In addition, the training of navigators and professional sailors was also very difficult. Even a slight mistake, if a ship was lost, it would be a loss of money.

Therefore, it was almost impossible for ordinary families to enter the sea merchant field. It was also no wonder that the Chen clan in Donggang became stronger and stronger in just a hundred years.