Protect Our Patriarch

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"It's a pity that a codex can only be passed down to one person. If only I could choose more..." Lingyun sighed, "I want all four of you precious ones. Why must I make such a painful choice? Can't I just have all four?"

The words of the Spirit Artifact of the codex sounded quite like a scoundrel.

"Don't worry, Sister Lingyun. I can go to the Immortal Dynasty and snatch a codex," Wang Yingxuan said nonchalantly. "With my strength, I refuse to believe I can't win the favor of a codex."

"But then you'd belong to another codex, wouldn't you? Just thinking about it makes my heart ache," Lingyun lamented, unable to have it all, watching helplessly as one peerless prodigy after another went into the embrace of other codices.

"Lici, get ready. We're going to the Immortal Dynasty to find a legacy. We don't care for this Lingyun Codex," Yunyang Daoist, though acknowledging Wang Liyao's prowess, was dissatisfied with the selection mechanism for the Saintess.

Lingyun Holy Land's requirements for heirs were comprehensive, but that didn't mean all codices had such comprehensive demands.

"Leaving already?" Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly. "Senior Yunyang, it's rare for the girl to come back. Let her stay at the Wang Clan's main residence for a while. Her father, Wang Shouxin, was fortunate enough to catch the last train to the Celestial Realm."

"It's just that my sister-in-law from the Xu Clan has a poor foundation. It's already quite a struggle for her to reach the Lingtai Realm with resources, and now her lifespan is running out. Let Lici accompany her for her last few years."

The Xu Clan's longevity was extended thanks to Wang Shouzhe's help, but even so, her days were numbered.

"Yes, yes." Wang Lici nodded repeatedly. "Fourth Uncle is right. I want to go back and spend a few years with my parents and see the kids at home. I heard my brother Zongwei, brother Zongchang, and sister Liwan all have lots of kids now. They've reached the 'Bao' generation, right?"

"'Bao' generation? More than that..." Wang Shouzhe chuckled. "Since Zongwei turned over a new leaf, though not outstanding, he's been living steadily. Now he's considered an elder of the family. Though he's not very capable, he's quite prolific... His descendants take after him in that regard. The only ones of the 'You' and 'Jin' generations are from his line."

Starting with Wang Shouxin, this line has always held the positions of eldest brother and eldest sister in each generation.

The Wang Clan, passed down from Ancestor Zhouxuan, has male generations from Yu, Chen, Qiong, Xiao, Ding, Shou, Zong, Shi, An, Ning, Fu, Bao, You, Yin, Huan, Hong, to Wang Shouzhe's generation, which is the seventh. The 'You' generation is already the fourteenth.

Similarly, the female generations from Zhu, Long, Ling, Zhen, Liu, Luo, Li, Ying, Xuan, Mei, Ji, Gui, Jin, Jun, Pei, Ke, to the current 'Jin' generation, have also been passed down for fourteen generations.

Currently, the snot-nosed Wang Youjing is the eldest of the fourteenth male generation. The eldest sister among the girls is Wang Jinyi. These little rascals love running to Wang Shouzhe's courtyard to listen to stories.

As for Wang Shouzhe's line, they've only reached the 'Ning' generation, and none are too eager to marry and have children... It shows how deeply the eldest line holds onto the position of the eldest in each generation.

"Wow, even the 'You' and 'Jin' generations are here. Doesn't that make me a real Ancestor?" Wang Lici was both amazed and excited. "I remember when I went out with Ancestor Long Yan, I was so nervous and careful, afraid of not serving well. Now it's finally my turn to be an Ancestor. This time back, I must find some juniors to serve me."

Her demeanor was truly like that of a daughter-in-law who has finally become the mother-in-law.

Wang Shouzhe's face darkened with irritation. Ancestor Long Yan needed care because of her health, but you, with your robust physique capable of punching through mountains, still want juniors to serve you?

Aren't the juniors busy? They're all occupied with school and work.

Besides, back then, you just followed along, eating and drinking, responsible for entertaining the Ancestor. The real work of serving the Ancestor was done by Fourth Aunt.

"Lici." Wang Shouzhe said earnestly, "I've heard from Ningxi that you've been wandering outside for too long and are quite out of touch with knowledge. It's a good time to go back to the Clan School and let the juniors help you catch up."

"What, go, go to school?" Wang Lici's face froze. "Fourth Uncle, I'm already at this age, and you want me to go to the Clan School?"

"What, you don't want to?" Wang Shouzhe looked at her with a half-smile. "Could it be that now you've reached the Purple Mansion Realm, become a peerless prodigy, and turned into the revered Lici Fairy, and your Fourth Uncle can't control you anymore?"

"No, no, no." Wang Lici's expression turned more miserable than crying, forcing a flattering smile. "Fourth Uncle, you're the boss. Whatever you say goes."

"Sister Lici..." Lan Wan'er came up to comfort her. "Don't cry, don't cry. It's just going to school. Grit your teeth, close your eyes, and it'll be over soon."

"Wan'er, you're truly my good sister." Wang Lici felt a warm sensation in her heart. "It's great that you can accompany me to the Clan School."

"What? Sister Lici, you've misunderstood..."

"I haven't misunderstood. Good sisters share blessings and hardships together."

"Woo~ Sister Lici, you're too good to me?"

"Hey, hey, that Jiang something Yuan, Yao something, why are you running? Come back, come back, let's visit our Wang Clan together and go to school... Not going? Hehe~ My Dharma Aspect... Hmm, that's more like it. We've weathered storms together, and I do have feelings for you all."

After finding several companions to share her fate, Wang Lici felt much more at ease. If I, Miss Lici, can't handle Fourth Uncle, I can still suppress you all, can't I?

"Senior Yunyang." At this moment, Wang Shouzhe respectfully bowed to Yunyang Daoist. "Shouzhe thanks you for taking care of Lici all these years. If there's nothing else, you could stay at our Wang Clan for a while to rest, and let us express our gratitude."

"Yunyang, I've been staying at the Wang Clan quite often recently," Tianhe Daoist said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "Especially the Gathering Spirit Array at the Wang Clan's main residence is quite effective, with a hint of immortal spirit energy. Staying there for a long time can prolong life."

"In that case, I'll humbly accept," Yunyang Daoist, never one to be shy, especially when staying as a guest, never felt uncomfortable or constrained.

He sighed, "After so many years of running around, I should indeed take a break. I remember I have a few disciples in the Yunyang line that I haven't taught yet. They've worked hard all these years, sending money to the Immortal Dynasty bank every ten years."

If not for needing them to earn money and send it, Yunyang Daoist might have forgotten those disciples long ago.

"Great, great, great. We can also take on some Wang Clan family tasks together and earn some extra money," Tianhe Daoist laughed heartily. After all, both were the dean and deputy dean of the Purple Mansion Academy of Longzuo Commandery, so they were closer than others.

"Doing Wang Clan family tasks?" Yunyang Daoist frowned. "Isn't that working for the Wang Clan? I'm at least the deputy dean of the Longzuo Academy..."

"Yunyang, you're wrong. It's just about making money, what's so embarrassing about it?" Tianhe Daoist criticized sternly. "Lici is only at the early stage of the Purple Mansion Realm. She still has to walk the path of Divine Ability and the Void. If we don't save up more money, how will the child have enough to spend in the future?"

"Dean, it's not that I don't want to make money, it's just..." Yunyang Daoist said weakly.

"There's no 'just'. We'll take on tasks together, exploring the outer regions, extracting high-grade spirit veins, etc. A conservative estimate is this amount per year..." Tianhe Daoist said mysteriously.

"So much?" Yunyang Daoist's eyes almost popped out. "If we do this for seventy or eighty years, won't we be able to save up for a Divine Spirit Artifact?"

"It's not that exaggerated. Although we can be frugal, there are always expenses, aren't there? And it's not like there are spirit veins to extract every year..." Tianhe Daoist chuckled. "But, doing it for about a hundred years, we can steadily save up for one."

"Great, great, great." Yunyang Daoist was overjoyed. "I'll write to my disciples and have them come to the Wang Clan... While working, I can also teach them. Besides, more hands can earn more. Even mosquito legs are meat."

For a Divine Ability Master, having a Divine Spirit Artifact is a watershed in combat power. Having a high-quality Divine Spirit Artifact can significantly enhance a Divine Ability Master's combat strength.

Unlike those wealthy great prodigies who can only exert part of the power of a Divine Spirit Artifact in the Celestial Realm, at the level of a Divine Ability Master, they can fully unleash the power of a Divine Spirit Artifact.

Of course, someone like Wang Shouzhe, a peerless prodigy, with his bloodline level also reaching the seventh Great Saint Body level, can also fully exert the power of a Divine Spirit Artifact.

Not far away, the Divine Realm cultivators of Lingyun Holy Land glanced over. They had heard that Tianhe Daoist often worked for the Wang Clan, and though they didn't say it openly, they somewhat looked down on it.

After all, he was a dignified dean of the academy, a Divine Realm big shot, working for a local family, what kind of propriety was that?

But they hadn't expected that working for the Wang Clan could be so lucrative... For a moment, the big shots from various peaks and branches, who were short on money, felt a bit itchy.

Seeing their "spendthrift" betting style, where the next bet was ten thousand immortal crystals, and some very poor big shots even had to borrow, it was clear that the big shots didn't have much cash on hand.

Especially since they were all trying hard to boost their disciples' bloodline qualifications, leaving many elders quite poor.

"Esteemed seniors." Wang Shouzhe gracefully bowed. "If you have free time, you're welcome to visit our Wang Clan. We will do our utmost to entertain you."

"Sure, sure." Mingcheng Zhenren was the first to speak. "When I have some free time, I will definitely stay at the Wang Clan for a while." He was originally poor, and after pooling resources and supporting Luo Qiu, he was even poorer, desperately needing to replenish his funds.

Moreover, a Divine Spirit Artifact was quite attractive to him. Although he had a Divine Spirit Artifact allocated by the Holy Land, the ownership was ultimately the Holy Land's, and he couldn't sell it at will.

Besides, having an extra Divine Spirit Artifact would mean extra combat power and could be considered an asset that could be sold at any time, so why not?

"Master, didn't you say you were going to the Immortal Dynasty to find clues about the codex for Luo Qiu?" Xuan Yao Ascetic reminded.

"That's right... I'll make a trip to the Immortal Dynasty first." Mingcheng Zhenren frowned. "But Luo Qiu will need a lot of money in the future. Whether our Glazed King Hall can rise and compete with the Holy Master's line depends entirely on her."

"Xuan Yao, as Luo Qiu's master, you have an unshirkable responsibility. You should learn more from Yunyang. Here's the plan: this is a rare opportunity, organize some senior brothers and disciples to grab some shares first, and I'll join you when I return."

Xuan Yao Ascetic's facial muscles twitched. His master's desire to work seemed strong. But it was understandable; everyone was poor recently, and a Divine Spirit Artifact that could be saved up in a hundred years was indeed very tempting.

Seeing Mingcheng Zhenren take action, Heavenly Fire Master quickly joined in. "Shouzhe, I'm also free lately and can stay at the Wang Clan for a while."

"Welcome, Senior Heavenly Fire." Wang Shouzhe smiled, welcoming all. The Wang Clan now needed a lot of spirit veins to be extracted and integrated to expand the number of spiritual farmlands, and this task was most suitable for Divine Realm cultivators.

"Master..." Zhen Shicong was moved to tears. "You are so good to me, you let..."

"Stay aside." Heavenly Fire Master glared at him. "I've decided to train a new account."

"Master, I was wrong..."

As Heavenly Fire Master took action, some of the poorer Divine Realm big shots also became more active, even those like Master Zixiao, who had some grudges with the Wang Clan, were eager to try.

Such scenes made Jiang Zhencang quite angry, thinking to himself, Shouzhe, this Holy Land hasn't even been named Wang yet, and you're already so eager to poach people?

Just as he was about to speak to calm the situation, Emperor Longchang's face turned a bit sour. "With so many competitors all of a sudden, making money won't be easy."

A mere Tianhe Daoist, he, Longchang, naturally didn't care about. But if a group of Divine Realm cultivators teamed up, they could compete with him for business.

He, Longchang, was thriving in the Wang Clan now, relying on what? Of course, it was because he was the only one capable of handling top-grade spirit veins.

But now, with this internal competition, wouldn't his position be precarious?

"Longchang, are you also working for the Wang Clan?" Jiang Zhencang was shocked. "You're the Lingxu Emperor?"

"Ling what Xu, Great what Emperor." Emperor Longchang, with his thick skin, said nonchalantly, "I'm a semi-retired emperor with nothing better to do. This is called making the most of my remaining heat, and moving more is good for health."

"Old Jiang, you've worked hard all your life. I advise you to pass the Lingyun Codex to Liyao early. Come with me to the Wang Clan for retirement. Let me tell you, life at the Wang Clan is much more interesting than in the palace."

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