Chapter 42

......

When facing Old Ancestor Longyan, the feeling was completely different from when he saw Old Ancestor Mingsheng. Although Old Ancestor Mingsheng looked somewhat old, he exuded a vigorous and fiery energy of a man in his prime.

On the other hand, Old Ancestor Longyan was not only slender but also seemed to carry a hint of the fading twilight. This was no wonder, as Old Ancestor Longyan's condition had been deteriorating in recent years. She had significantly reduced her consumption of spirit food to save resources for the younger generations in the family.

As a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator, the physical functions were far superior to those of a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator. However, according to the law of conservation of energy, energy sources do not appear out of nowhere. The more powerful the body, the greater the consumption.

Ordinary food had a very low conversion efficiency for Spirit Platform Realm cultivators. Therefore, any Spirit Platform Realm cultivator typically needed to continuously supplement with spirit food to maintain their powerful physical functions, and even to enhance themselves.

However, with the failure of the Sixth Elder, Wang Xiaohan, to advance to the Spirit Platform Realm, the family's resources became increasingly tight. Old Ancestor Longyan gradually reduced her consumption of spirit food. Now, she only consumes 80 pounds of spirit rice, 100 pounds of spirit fish and spirit meat, and 2 second-grade spirit medicines, the Gu Yuan Pills, each year.

The total cost of the spirit food is about 36,000 gold, and the 2 Gu Yuan Pills are just 60,000 gold.

A dignified Spirit Platform Realm cultivator consumes less than 100,000 gold worth of resources each year! This is probably just enough to maintain a state of quiet cultivation...

In fact, she was not the only one doing this.

The other elders in the family also only received the spirit food and resources necessary to maintain their bodies, and their cultivation had stagnated for many years. They gave the opportunities to the younger, more promising generations.

"Shouzhe, are you sad?" Old Ancestor Longyan did not turn around, her voice ethereal and light, without the hoarseness of an ordinary woman of her age.

"I'm just a bit worried about you, Old Ancestor," Wang Shouzhe said honestly.

In fact, Old Ancestor Longyan was only 115 years old, not much older than Old Ancestor Mingsheng of the Lu family, and she was still far from the limit of the Spirit Platform Realm.

Back when Old Ancestor Longyan was 30, she advanced to the Spirit Platform Realm, and by 60, she reached the middle stage of the Spirit Platform Realm. Her physical functions had always been maintained in a youthful and beautiful state.

At that time, she was so spirited and ambitious, with her life goal set on the higher realm of the Celestial Human Realm!

Unfortunately.

The beast disaster in the year 3095 of the Changlong era brutally brought the Wang family from the clouds to the mud, and it also broke Old Ancestor Longyan's wings.

"The rise and fall of tides, the blooming and withering of flowers, are the most common things in the world," Old Ancestor Longyan said calmly, slowly turning around. "I have heard from Huier about your recent experiences. You have done well."

Although her figure was slightly slender, she wore a simple cotton robe and cloth shoes, which gave her an ethereal and otherworldly aura. Her star-like eyes were like a hundred-foot deep cold pond, impossible to see through.

The only thing that made Wang Shouzhe regretful was that Old Ancestor Longyan wore a veil, making it impossible to see her face.

However, the veil was not something she started wearing recently. Since Wang Shouzhe could remember, she had always been dressed this way, and he had never seen her true face.

"Thank you for your praise, Old Ancestor," Wang Shouzhe said, bowing. "I hope you are not upset with me for being presumptuous." After a pause, he added curiously, "Old Ancestor, is there something you need from me?"

He was slightly anxious, fearing that Old Ancestor Longyan might disagree with his plan to implement a competitive ranking system, as the older generation valued unity and friendship among family members. They might suspect that competing for ranking positions could lead to conflicts and even family feuds.

"Shouzhe, you are the clan leader," Old Ancestor Longyan said calmly. "I will not interfere with your decisions."

"Then, Old Ancestor, this time..." Wang Shouzhe was puzzled. Old Ancestor Longyan was not the type to call him for a casual chat and a few compliments.

"I need you to arrange a trip and accompany me to Bai Dao Wei," Old Ancestor Longyan said.

Bai Dao Wei?

Wang Shouzhe was taken aback, taking a moment to recall that it was a garrison city near the East Sea. It was understandable that he had never thought that far, as he had never left Changning Wei in his life.

Moreover, since the great disaster, Old Ancestor Longyan had never left the Changning Wei area.

Suppressing his curiosity, he bowed and said, "I will do as you command, Old Ancestor. Please wait for two days while I make the arrangements." No matter what Old Ancestor Longyan's intentions were, Wang Shouzhe could not refuse her request.

After receiving the order from Old Ancestor Longyan, Wang Shouzhe returned to his courtyard, took out the map of the region, and began to plan the trip.

The first priority for Old Ancestor Longyan's trip was secrecy.

It was currently the most severe period of the insect disaster, and the Liu and Zhao families were in a state of panic, but vigilance could not be relaxed.

Secondly, he had to consider Old Ancestor Longyan's physical condition, ensuring she would not be jolted unnecessarily, and that someone would serve her throughout the journey. He needed to carefully select the person to serve her closely.

In a short while, he had drafted the route and plan for the trip.

"Wang Gui," Wang Shouzhe called the servant, "go and invite my Fourth Aunt Xu and Wang Lici."

Wang Gui was taken aback: "Fourth Aunt Xu? Which Xu?"

"You fool, of course, it's from my Fourth Uncle's family. Can't you remember the dozens of family members and relatives?" Wang Shouzhe frowned, almost kicking him.

"Is the head of the family going to summon Lady Rou?" Wang Gui hurriedly bowed and ran out, "I'll go, I'll go."

It was understandable that Wang Gui was confused, as there were several Xus in the family. Moreover, Fourth Aunt Xu Zhirou was always low-key and, after the death of Fourth Uncle Wang Dingbang five years ago, she rarely went out.

However, Wang Shouzhe had a clear impression of Fourth Aunt Xu Zhirou. She came from the direct lineage of Jinsha Xu, and during the time when his mother passed away, she took care of him.

Even after Lady Gong Sun Hui remarried, Xu Zhirou continued to help take care of him for a while. After all, Lady Gong Sun Hui was still a delicate young lady at the time, and everything was taught to her by Fourth Aunt Xu Zhirou.

In his memory, Xu Zhirou was gentle and meticulous, and very skilled. She was good at cooking and making small toys to entertain him.

When he was young and heartbroken, it was Fourth Aunt who helped him through the toughest times. Unfortunately, after she became pregnant with his fifth sister, Wang Luojing, she returned home to rest.

After that, Wang Shouzhe lived with Lady Gong Sun Hui until he moved to his current courtyard at the age of fourteen.

Choosing Fourth Aunt Xu, Wang Shouzhe valued her gentleness and meticulousness. For Old Ancestor's trip, he needed an experienced and mature woman to take care of her, and Fourth Aunt was the perfect choice.

Putting aside his thoughts, Wang Shouzhe continued to refine the travel plan.

Shortly after, Fourth Aunt Xu Zhirou and Wang Lici were led into his side hall by the servant Wang Gui.

The last time Wang Shouzhe saw Fourth Aunt was during his father's funeral, where she was busy with various tasks as a family member. At that time, he was in a daze and did not speak much with her.

Now, looking closely, he saw that Xu Zhirou was wearing a simple cotton dress with a subtle pattern, with no extra jewelry, simple and clean. The only difference from his memory was that she now had a slightly weathered appearance as a middle-aged woman.

It was no wonder, as she had given birth to three children, and her husband, Fourth Uncle, had passed away five years ago. Taking care of the children had been a great burden for her.

"Xu has seen the head of the family," Xu Zhirou bowed.

Beside her, Wang Lici also hurriedly bowed, "Lici has seen Fourth Uncle."

"Fourth Aunt, you are too polite. Please call me Shouzhe as before," Wang Shouzhe quickly returned the bow, "Come, come, sit down and talk." He then smiled and gestured to Wang Lici, "Big girl, you sit down too."

They thanked him and took their seats.

Wang Gui busily served tea and fruit and then left.

Wang Shouzhe first chatted with Xu Zhirou for a while before turning his attention to Wang Lici, who was munching on a piece of honey candy. He smiled and said, "Big girl, what have you been up to lately?"

Wang Lici quickly swallowed the half-eaten candy and nervously replied, "Fourth Uncle, nothing much, just reading and cultivating every day."

This girl was the daughter of his eldest brother, Wang Shouxin, and was 16 years old. She was the eldest of the eighth generation of the Li family, and everyone of Shouzhe's generation called her "Big girl."

"Good, very good. It sounds like you are working hard," Wang Shouzhe was pleased. At least one of the girls in the family knew the importance of studying hard. He smiled and said, "Let me test your studies. If you do well, there will be a reward."

"What?"

Wang Lici's chubby, pretty face turned pale, and her legs started to tremble. Fourth Uncle was ten times more terrifying than her father, Wang Shouxin, as evidenced by her brother Wang Zongwei's miserable fate.

She was filled with regret, her eyes welling up with tears. If she had known she would be called to be tested by Fourth Uncle today, she should have studied harder in the past few days.

But who could have predicted this?

Her mind was buzzing...

Truly.

Misfortune!

From!

Heaven!

...