……

Every time she came to report, her appearance was always unpredictable.

But was this really okay? Just because he had just returned from the academy, it didn’t mean he was fond of the mature charm of the senior sisters.

A fervent look flashed in Wang Mei’s eyes as she said, “To serve the clan leader is an honor, even if it costs me my life.”

While she was passionate, there was also a hint of regret in her heart.

Their clan leader was perfect in every way, except for his indifference to her seduction, which was a bit disappointing.

However, she was patient. She was also practicing hard, striving to reach the Spirit Platform Realm as soon as possible.

Once she reached that stage, her lifespan would increase, and she would have plenty of time to serve the clan leader.

Wang Shouzhe gave up on continuing the conversation with her, focusing instead on the intelligence reports, carefully examining the original documents and some analysis reports.

Over the years, he had not only expanded the intelligence department, but also secretly infiltrated two major suspects – the Tianren Lei Clan and the Tianren Huangfu Clan.

Of course, both were noble families of the Tianren, making infiltration extremely difficult and risky.

Therefore, for now, these infiltrations were limited to the periphery.

In addition, he had been releasing some bait.

These baits were almost ineffective for those clans that were not interested in the Wang’s Clan.

But imagine, if a Tianren family had once plotted against the Wang’s Clan.

Even if they were very covert and had not exposed any flaws until now.

They would inevitably be watching every move of the Wang’s Clan. If the Wang’s Clan showed signs of rising, it would easily trigger their sensitive nerves.

The principle was very simple, the guilty are always afraid.

They feared that one day, if the Wang’s Clan truly rose, they would investigate the past and seek revenge.

However, this enemy was very cautious and deeply hidden. The baits that Wang Shouzhe had previously thrown out were almost ineffective.

Because of this.

Wang Shouzhe gradually increased the strength of the bait, even going so far as to expose the fact that the younger generation of the Wang’s Clan were prodigies in the academy, forcing the other party’s sensitive nerves to be disturbed.

Sure enough, some families finally couldn’t sit still and exposed some flaws.

“Fortune Casino!”

This place, a mix of dragons and snakes, was also a place that harbored dirt. There were some things here that Wang Mei had found some clues about.

And he had a slight connection with this Fortune Casino. After Wang Zongwei entered the city, something happened at the Fortune Casino.

“What should we do next, clan leader?” Wang Mei asked respectfully.

“Keep a close eye on them, but you and your people need to be careful. It won’t be long before it’s time for us to execute our plan.” Wang Shouzhe was never one to let others hold the initiative.

The hidden enemy was like a Sword of Damocles, always hanging over the head of the Wang’s Clan, not knowing when it would fall.

Rather than that, it was better to hold the initiative in his own hands.

……

Meanwhile.

Outside the main house of the Wang’s Clan.

Two horses, one black and one white, galloped from a distance. They were extremely fast and soon arrived at the square outside the main gate.

A man and a woman dismounted.

The two knights were both dressed in the unique beast skin armor of the military, with helmets on their heads and broad-bladed long swords at their waists.

They were both in their twenties. The man was tall and handsome, with a calm demeanor.

The woman was younger, only about eighteen or nineteen years old. Her figure was curvaceous under the armor, and her face was beautiful and heroic.

As soon as they dismounted, a housekeeper led several servants to greet them.

The housekeeper was very respectful: “Sixth Young Master, you’re back.”

“Is my fourth brother at home?” The young man raised his eyebrows and asked.

This young and heroic military man was the sixth of the Wang’s Clan’s Shou generation – Wang Shoulian.

In recent years, his third uncle, Wang Dingzu, had advanced to the Spirit Platform Realm and had been promoted to the commander of the Changning Guard Patrol Camp by the city lord.

And Wang Shoulian had been developing in the patrol camp with his father for the past two years.

“Sixth Young Master,” the housekeeper replied, “The clan leader has been in the courtyard these past two days. Do you want to see him? I’ll go and report.”

Wang Shoulian smiled and said, “No need, I’ll go myself.”

Then he turned to the young woman in the same military uniform and said, “Qingning, come with me to pay respects to Fourth Brother.”

“This…” Zhou Qingning’s handsome face hesitated slightly, “Shoulian, I’m a bit scared. What if your fourth brother thinks we’re inappropriate? Many families don’t want their children to marry women from military families.”

Wang Shoulian smiled and took her hand, gently reassuring her, “My fourth brother is open-minded and should respect our choices.”

“This…” Zhou Qingning hesitated again, “Or, I’ll change into another outfit before I go to see Fourth Brother. Maybe he prefers a more reserved lady.”

“Qingning, just be yourself.” Wang Shoulian held her hand, his expression serious, “You’re not some lady, but the woman I, Wang Shoulian, am destined to spend my life with. You need to have confidence in me and in Fourth Brother. As long as Fourth Brother agrees, neither my father nor your father will be a problem.”

“Okay, Shoulian, I’ll listen to you.” Zhou Qingning’s face turned slightly red, looking a little happy.

At this moment.

Inside the main house.

A young man walked out quickly, smiling as he greeted them, “Sixth Uncle, why didn’t you let us know you were coming back? I could have arranged for a ferry at Pubu Port.”

This young man was about twenty-two or three years old, also quite handsome. He walked with a tiger’s stride, a sign of his strong cultivation.

Upon seeing him, Wang Shouzhe laughed and gave him a hearty pat, “Young Zongchang, it’s been half a year since we last met, and you’ve actually advanced to the middle stage of the Qi Refining Realm. Congratulations!”

This young man was the second of the eighth generation of the Wang Clan, Wang Zongchang.

He was the second son of Wang Shouzhe’s elder brother and also the younger brother of Wang Lici.

Rubbing his shoulder, Wang Zongchang gave a bitter smile, “Sixth Uncle, you’re only a year older than me, but you’ve already reached the high stage of the Qi Refining Realm. I can’t catch up with you no matter how hard I try.”

Wang Shouzhe and Wang Zongchang, one was twenty-two and the other was twenty-three.

Despite the difference in generation, their ages were similar and they had a good relationship since childhood.

Being able to achieve such cultivation at a young age, they were considered young talents among the children of noble families. Compared to Chen Fangjie from the past, they were not only on par but even slightly superior.

In the midst of their conversation, Wang Zongchang noticed Zhou Qingning and his face turned serious, “Sixth Uncle, is this the Miss Qingning you mentioned in your letter?”

“Correct.” Wang Shouzhe said with a hint of pride, “Zongchang, aren’t you going to greet your Sixth Aunt?”

Wang Zongchang quickly performed a formal bow, “Zongchang greets Sixth Aunt.”

Zhou Qingning’s face turned red and she glared at Wang Shouzhe, “I haven’t agreed to marry you yet.”

“Haha.” Wang Shouzhe laughed, “Anyway, I’ve set my heart on you. In life, I am Zhou Qingning’s man, in death, I am Zhou Qingning’s ghost. You can’t get rid of me even if you want to.”

“You’re such a big bad guy, a complete rogue.” Zhou Qingning blushed and scolded, but there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Seeing this, Wang Zongchang secretly gave his Sixth Uncle a thumbs up. True to his reputation, his Sixth Uncle had a thick skin, almost on par with Fourth Uncle back in the day.

“By the way, Zongchang, you came at the right time. Accompany me to see Fourth Brother.” Wang Shouzhe said.

Upon hearing that they were going to see Fourth Uncle, Wang Zongchang felt a bit nervous, “Sixth Uncle, you know I’ve always been scared of seeing Fourth Uncle.”

“I’m scared too.” Wang Shouzhe grabbed him and said, “If we go together, we can share some of the pressure.”

And so, Wang Shouzhe took Wang Zongchang and Zhou Qingning to the main house, heading towards Wang Shouzhe’s courtyard.

Before he could announce their arrival, a goddess-like senior sister with a heroic demeanor and a hint of a schoolgirl charm walked out from the courtyard.

The senior sister smiled at Wang Shouzhe, “Sixth Young Master, there’s no need to announce your arrival. The clan leader invites you in.”

After saying this, she performed a bow and gracefully left.

“This…” Wang Shouzhe looked confused, “Zongchang, who is this senior sister… Could it be that Fourth Brother went to the Purple Mansion Academy and brought back a senior sister?”

“No.” Wang Zongchang scratched his head, equally puzzled, “When we were all helping with the disaster relief a while ago, I didn’t see this senior sister.”

The two looked at each other, a sense of uncertainty creeping in. Could it be…

This was a sign of trouble.

Just then, a gentle male voice reached their ears, “Shouzhe, Zongchang. What are you dawdling at the door for? You even brought a guest. Don’t forget your manners, come in quickly.”

Wang Shouzhe and Wang Zongchang quickly straightened their faces and bowed towards the courtyard, “Yes, Fourth Brother/Fourth Uncle.”

Then, they respectfully led Zhou Qingning into the courtyard.

As they entered the courtyard, a young man with a calm demeanor, handsome features, and an imposing aura was standing in the middle with his hands behind his back.

He didn’t pay attention to his brother and nephew.

Instead, he first smiled at Zhou Qingning, “This must be Miss Qingning. I apologize for not greeting you earlier.”

With Wang Shouzhe’s intelligence network, how could he not know about Zhou Qingning?

If he didn’t even know who his sixth brother’s girlfriend was, how could he compete with the former puppet master behind the scenes?

Zhou Qingning quickly bowed, “Qingning pays her respects to the clan leader.”

Wang Shouzhe and Wang Zongchang also quickly bowed.

After the formalities, Wang Shouzhe hosted them in the side hall.

As the lady of the house, Liu Ruolan personally served her brother, nephew, and Miss Qingning with spiritual tea and some fresh fruits and snacks.

This was the proper etiquette.

The three of them quickly stood up to thank Liu Ruolan.

Normally, Liu Ruolan wouldn’t interrupt their conversation.

But since Zhou Qingning was present today, she stayed to keep her company, chatting about various topics to ease the young girl’s nervousness.

“Sixth Uncle has good taste and is very lucky.” Liu Ruolan praised Zhou Qingning, “Miss Qingning is not only beautiful but also has a heroic demeanor. She’s clearly a girl with a bold personality. It’s hard to find such a good girl even with a lantern.”

Her words made Zhou Qingning blush and she lowered her head in silence.

Wang Shouzhe held her hand and said to Wang Shouzhe, “Fourth Brother, we need your help with this matter. After all, Qingning comes from a military family. My father…”

Military families and local clans were two different systems, usually not intermarrying, which was a barrier between Wang Shouzhe and Zhou Qingning.

Before he could finish his sentence, Wang Shouzhe interrupted him, “You don’t need to say more. As long as you’ve decided to spend your life with Miss Qingning, I’ll speak to Third Uncle for you.”

Wang Shouzhe was overjoyed and held Zhou Qingning’s hand, thanking Wang Shouzhe, “Thank you, Fourth Brother, for helping us.”

His Fourth Brother was a man of his word. Since he had promised, he would definitely do it.

Zhou Qingning also blushed and thanked Wang Shouzhe.

Wang Shouzhe then turned to Liu Ruolan and said, “My dear, Sixth Brother’s marriage is a big deal, especially since the bride-to-be is from a military family. We need to be meticulous with the matchmaker and the rituals, and try to conform to their traditions as much as possible to avoid gossip. As the main wife of the Wang Clan, you should handle this matter.”

“Yes, my lord.” Liu Ruolan nodded, “I will handle Sixth Uncle’s matter properly.”

Wang Shouzhe and Zhou Qingning naturally expressed their gratitude again.

They hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly, and their hearts were filled with joy.

After dealing with this matter.

Wang Shouzhe’s expression turned serious as he brought up the main issue: “Fourth Brother, Father asked me to report back to you. Due to the recent flood, the western half of our Changning Garrison suffered significant damage. Moreover, Dingnan Town and Ze Garrison suffered even more severe losses. Especially Ze Garrison, it has almost turned into a vast lake, with numerous victims.”

“Many surviving refugees have moved eastward, and some have gradually arrived at our Changning Garrison.”

Wang Zongchang’s face changed, “The losses are so severe?”

Previously, when Ping’an Town was fighting against the disaster, everyone worked together to overcome the difficulties. He thought that this flood was not a big deal, but he didn’t expect that the upstream areas had suffered such severe damage.

“If the water level recedes there, I’m afraid it will lead to a plague, right?” Liu Ruolan also frowned with worry.

The plague is extremely terrifying, once it spreads, it will be a catastrophe.

“We must be prepared.” Wang Shouzhe said with a serious expression, “Zongchang, you should go to Donghai Garrison and Bai Island Garrison today to buy as many medical supplies as possible.”

“Yes, Fourth Uncle.”

Wang Zongchang responded solemnly. He had grown up now and had gradually become a pillar of the family, no longer the young boy he used to be.

“In addition, Father heard from the Lord of the City Defense Mansion that a direct disciple from the Zifu Academy has led a team to oversee the disaster relief efforts. The Lord’s intention is that all the heads of the eighth and seventh rank families should go out to welcome the disaster relief team from the Zifu Academy.” Wang Shouzhe added.

“A direct disciple from the Academy?” Wang Shouzhe raised his eyebrows slightly, “Do you know which direct disciple it is?”

“Well…” Wang Shouzhe shook his head helplessly, “The Lord didn’t say, and Father didn’t dare to ask more.”

…