Protect Our Patriarch

"Fourth brother, let me help you sort out the spoils of war." Wang Luoqiu swiftly rushed forward and skillfully began to search, "We've struck it rich this time, this guy is quite wealthy."

She found a stack of gold tickets, more than ten of them, along with some scattered Top Gold and copper coins. There were over 120 Top Gold in total. In her bag, there were also some miscellaneous items commonly carried by wandering cultivators, healing medicines, some strange fragments, pottery jars, and even two "Xiao Peiyuan Pills," along with several secret manuals.

However, most of the secret manuals of wandering cultivators were of little value to aristocratic families. His sword technique and body technique manuals were not worth much, at most they could be used as references.

"Ah, fourth brother, you're too violent." Wang Luoqiu picked up a broken knife with a pained expression, "A good quality steel knife would cost at least a dozen Top Gold. Now it's not worth even two or three Top Gold."

Despite her complaints, the girl still neatly collected all the spoils of war.

At this moment, a middle-aged man's voice came from outside the warehouse door, "Shouzhe, is everything done? We can come in now."

As he spoke, a middle-aged man with a dignified appearance and a fully armed military leader entered with more than ten soldiers wearing armor, holding spears, and carrying long knives around their waists.

"Uncle San, thanks for your help this time." Wang Shouzhe bowed to the middle-aged military leader and said, "Otherwise, these bandits might have escaped from Ping'an Town."

This man was Wang Shouzhe's third uncle, Wang Dingzu, one of the pillars of the sixth generation of the Wang Clan. He specialized in the military and official career path of the family. He had considerable strength and had reached the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm at the age of forty.

"Shouzhe, you're too polite." Wang Dingzu also bowed and smiled, "Besides, it is our duty as the guardians of Ping'an Town to capture these criminals. I will take them away and interrogate them overnight. Maybe we can get some interesting information from them."

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle San." While speaking, Wang Shouzhe took out a bag of dozens of Top Gold and handed it to Wang Dingzu, "Uncle San, your brothers have been working hard recently. Please thank them for me."

"Alright, I'll take it on behalf of those little brats. Being a soldier is not easy for them." Wang Dingzu did not refuse and smiled at the soldiers behind him, "What are you all standing there for? Thank Clan Leader Wang."

"Thank you, Clan Leader Wang." The group of soldiers hurriedly expressed their gratitude one by one and showed their appreciation to Wang Dingzu. Nowadays, it was not easy to find a superior who cared for their subordinates.

The bag of Top Gold looked heavy, and each of the brothers could get a good share.

Wang Shouzhe and Wang Dingzu smiled at each other knowingly.

This was the mutual support relationship between the clan and the military. When the clan members had real power in the government, they would take care of the clan in every way. And the clan would be the strong backing of the military member, supporting him as much as possible within their capabilities.

The power of aristocratic families was strong, but the control of the government was not weak either. At least in every place, the government was the actual governing body, occupying the moral high ground.

Moreover, these soldiers were not simple. They were not servants or retainers of the clan, but genuine Xuanwu cultivators.

Among them were not only descendants of aristocratic families and collateral descendants, but also some wandering cultivators with clear backgrounds, and even more were descendants of generations of military families.

There were two types of descendants of aristocratic families. One type was those who had no future prospects and entered the military system to seek opportunities. The other type was like Wang Dingzu, who were selected by the clan as suitable descendants with potential and were specially sent to develop in that system to expand the clan's influence.

Therefore, after long-term training, these soldiers had an overall combat power that surpassed that of wandering cultivators. Wandering cultivators were also very afraid of soldiers and would not dare to provoke them under normal circumstances.

Under the guidance of Wang Dingzu, the group of soldiers tied up all the scattered cultivators lying on the ground and took them away.

Before leaving, Wang Dingzu's gaze fell on Wang Luoqiu. His stern eyes carried a hint of doting, "Qiu'er, follow fourth brother and behave well. Don't act up."

"I understand, father." Wang Luoqiu obediently replied, blinking her innocent eyes. In front of her father, she could act like a well-behaved young girl.

Then, Wang Dingzu shifted his attention to Wang Shoulian. His expression became even more severe, and he just snorted before leaving with the others.

This made Wang Shoulian shiver, and sweat appeared on his forehead. His father's majesty had long been ingrained in his heart.

"Shoulian, you did well this time." Wang Shouzhe patted his shoulder and said, "Some of the elders in the Wang Clan have high expectations and demands for themselves and the male members of the family. Sometimes, excessive severity and criticism can make them become submissive and lacking in confidence."

"Thank you, fourth brother." Wang Shoulian breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression regained some confidence. "I will work hard to gain father's recognition."

After comforting his younger brother.

"Alright, this small trial is over." Wang Shouzhe put away his smile, and his gaze gradually became sharp. "Let's summarize the gains and losses of this mission."

"First of all, all of you fought bravely, which deserves praise. However, some people didn't follow orders and acted on their own without any sense of teamwork." Wang Shouzhe looked directly at Wang Luoqiu without any hesitation, "I deduct 30 points of family merit from you."

The family merit system had already had a preliminary version and was beginning to be implemented. Of course, it would take years of testing and continuous adjustments to truly perfect it.

"What?" Wang Luoqiu jumped up, "30 points? Wang Shouzhe, are you out of your mind?"

"Insulting the Clan Leader, deduct 5 points." Wang Shouzhe took out a small notebook and began to record.

"..."

Wang Luoqiu was on the verge of tears. The family had gradually implemented the hierarchy system and the merit system, and she fully supported it. According to the current rules, merits were not cheap, and each point was equivalent to a Top Gold. Deducting 35 points at once, her heart was breaking.

Fortunately, she had just defeated a humanoid monster and could make up for some of the losses. This wave wouldn't be a total loss.

"Everyone, organize the spoils of war and hand them over to the family warehouse for centralized management." Wang Shouzhe said, "In family team missions, the spoils of war need to be handled uniformly and converted into merits for everyone after being placed in the family warehouse. Wang Luoqiu attempted to privately take the equipment, deduct 10 points. Wang Luoqing, Wang Shouyong, and Wang Shoulian blindly followed, deduct 5 points each."

"What?" Wang Luoqiu's anger surged up, and tears of grievance almost fell. "Wang, no, fourth brother, I found the equipment myself, why can't I take it?"

"Team battles have their own rules." Wang Shouzhe began to teach her, "Do you think you defeated that group of cultivators alone? Of course not... The early reconnaissance and investigation by the family, the blockade led by your father, these are intangible merits. Besides, if I hadn't been guarding, and if there hadn't been other teammates to share the opponents, do you think you could have defeated a group of cultivators alone?"

"What fourth brother said makes sense, sob, I was wrong." Wang Luoqing, on the other hand, was obedient.

"Fourth brother, I was also wrong. Can you please not punish me?" Wang Luoqiu was on the verge of tears, feeling like her little purse was rapidly deflating.

"Not punishing you is not an option." Wang Shouzhe said seriously, "But after the punishment is over, let's talk about rewards. This mission earned 100 merits, and the confiscated spoils of war can be converted into 315 merits. In total, it's 415 merits. As the main force of the team and the contribution to the entire team, I will take 50%, which is 205 points. The remaining 215 points will be divided as follows: Luoqiu gets 65 points, Luoqing gets 60 points, Shouyong and Shoulian each get 50 points..."

Wang Shouzhe explained the rules of team battles and the merits earned by each person, making it clear to everyone.

While they were each happy or worried about their own gains and losses.

Liu Clan's main residence.

An attic in a secluded and quiet place.

Liu Shengye, the head of the Liu Clan, bowed respectfully and said with a serious expression, "Ancestor, this is how things happened. The Wang Clan went too far this time. They used low prices to offer their services and almost cost us our lives. If we don't take any action, not only will our clan suffer heavy losses, but our prestige will also plummet."

After he finished speaking.

An old man with white beard, tall and sturdy figure, and a sharp spirit pondered for a moment and asked with some caution, "What about Wang Longyan?"

This old man, who looked dignified and seemed like a hidden immortal, was Liu Clan's ancestor, Liu Zhidi - Zhidi Ancestor.

"Reporting to the Ancestor, Wang Longyan has been hiding in their lair all this time. But based on various signs, she is probably nearing the end of her life." Liu Shengye respectfully replied.

"If her life is nearing its end, how dare the Wang Clan provoke our Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan at this time?" Zhidi Ancestor said calmly, "Could it be that their young clan leader has gone mad?"

Suddenly, Liu Shengye's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, and he exclaimed, "Could it be that the Ancestor means that Wang Longyan's injuries have already healed?" If that were the case, it would be troublesome for the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan.

Zhidi Ancestor pondered for a moment and shook his head, "I am well aware of her injuries, and it is impossible for her to recover. But why..."

"Why is that..." Liu Shengye was also confused, "Could it be that the Wang Clan deliberately lured the Ancestor out to create an opportunity for Wang Longyan to die together with you? Unfortunately, the Wang Clan has been recluse for the past fifty years and has not recruited any family members or servants. Wang Longyan has also been hiding all this time. We have no way to send spies to find out the true extent of her injuries."

"Does she want to make a final struggle before her death?" Zhidi Ancestor sneered with a hint of playfulness in his eyes, "Wang Longyan is impulsive and disregards the consequences. She can do such things. Unfortunately, does she think I am the same Liu Zhidi as fifty years ago?"

"Does that mean, Ancestor, you have already..." Liu Shengye's face was filled with joy.

"I have only made some progress in my cultivation, barely reaching the third level of the Spiritual Platform Realm. What's there to be surprised about?" Zhidi Ancestor said calmly, "However, if I add the defensive spiritual weapon, the Purple Gold Bowl, even in her prime, I can still deal with her. Not to mention now, when she only has half her life left."

All along, Zhidi Ancestor's biggest concern was Wang Longyan's counterattack before her death, trying to take him down with her. How could he not have any defensive measures against this?

"So, Ancestor, does that mean..."

"I didn't want to take risks. I wanted to wait for Wang Longyan to die on her own. Unfortunately, they now want to destroy the foundation of our Liu Clan. That is seeking death." Zhidi Ancestor's eyes flashed with cold light, and he said calmly, "I will write a letter to Brother Jun, our long-time friend and brother. It's time for us to join forces again. No matter what Wang Clan's intentions are, we will suppress them."

"Ancestor, you're so domineering!" Liu Shengye was extremely excited.

...