Chapter 49

......

Wang Shuzhe's words about it being simple were only relatively simple, much easier than coming up with tens of thousands of gold coins at once.

In fact, even if he had to earn an extra one or two thousand gold coins the following year, it would not be an easy task. He needed to plan and think carefully. However, the old ancestor must be saved; he did not want to see the old ancestor, who had protected the family for half a lifetime, die a miserable death.

Moreover, Longyan Old Ancestor was a very powerful old ancestor. Once she recovered her strength, how could the Liu and Zhao families' two old ancestors have the qualifications to compete with her?

Thinking of this,

Wang Shuzhe clasped his hands and said, "Old Ancestor, please rest assured. I will handle this matter."

This time, he had planned to buy something in the Hundred Islands Guard, so he brought enough gold tickets worth ten thousand gold coins, making his waist pouch bulge. There was no need to worry about safety, as it would be safe with the old ancestor accompanying him.

If a situation arose that even the old ancestor could not control, then so be it.

"Shuzhe..." Longyan Old Ancestor was full of doubts. In her view, Wang Shuzhe's ability to make a large profit was due to the situation and luck. Such opportunities could not be had every time.

"Old Ancestor, please hold off on your plans for now. Let me make a decision after a year. Give me a chance to prove myself, and give yourself a chance to turn things around." Wang Shuzhe was very confident. With his穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "穿越者" as in "穿越者" or "穿越者") perspective and thinking, making money would not be slow.

As long as a year passed, the old ancestor would deeply understand.

Faced with Wang Shuzhe's strong confidence, Longyan Old Ancestor finally nodded slowly, agreeing to it: "However, the Turtle Scale Treasure Shield is of no use to me. I will sell it to help you gather resources."

Wang Shuzhe did not stop her from making this decision. It was the old ancestor's own spiritual artifact, and she had the right to dispose of it. Besides, Wang Shuzhe did not think that he would not be able to afford a spiritual artifact in the future, and he could even buy a better one to return to the old ancestor.

Since he had convinced the old ancestor, he temporarily took his leave.

Everyone rested for a night.

The next morning, Wang Shuzhe invited Chen Fanghua to come over and asked him to take everyone for a tour of Jinsha City. They could all relax, and Wang Shuzhe could also take the opportunity to examine the overall market of the Hundred Islands Guard. Even if it just increased his knowledge, it would be beneficial.

Chen Fanghua was very familiar with Jinsha City and had good eloquence. He led everyone on a leisurely stroll, occasionally introducing the local customs and scenery, which broadened Wang Shuzhe's horizons and put him in a good mood. He even bought some sun-dried fish and other small snacks for Wang Lici to eat.

That girl, once she had something to eat, forgot all her worries and looked extremely grateful to Wang Shuzhe.

"Master Wang, this is the street for independent cultivators," Chen Fanghua introduced. "Most cities have a street dedicated to independent cultivators setting up stalls. This way, they can earn some stall fees and prevent independent cultivators from setting up stalls randomly."

Wang Shuzhe understood. Similar places existed in Changning Guard, where he had once accidentally found a good deal on a beehive. However, finding a good deal at independent cultivator stalls was a low-probability event. Most of the time, it was a scam or buying something of little value at a high price.

The so-called heavenly materials and secret techniques were all hyped up, each one more impressive than the last. Wang Shuzhe just looked around casually, broadening his horizons. With his current knowledge, it was almost impossible to find a good deal.

However, the independent cultivators in Jinsha Island were more numerous than in Changning City, and their strength was generally higher. On the way, Wang Shuzhe had already seen three or four whose auras he could not discern, indicating that their cultivation was higher than his. The opportunities in the area around Jinsha Island were more numerous, attracting more powerful independent cultivators to try their luck.

For those whose strength surpassed his, unless they released their aura, Wang Shuzhe found it difficult to discern their level.

Suddenly!

Longyan Old Ancestor, who had been silent all along, suddenly stopped, her gaze sweeping over an independent cultivator setting up a stall. Her brows furrowed, and her body trembled slightly, as if she could not control it.

Wang Shuzhe did not understand why, so he stepped in front of Longyan Old Ancestor and the independent cultivator, blocking the cultivator's attention. He smiled and said, "These pearls are nice. How much for all of them?"

A big customer!

The independent cultivator's attention was immediately drawn to Wang Shuzhe. He immediately introduced, "Young Master, these pearls with spiritual energy are all taken from sea clams I personally harvested from the sea. They are excellent materials for the second-stage elixir, the 'Beauty Pill.' There are thirteen pearls of various sizes here. Let's say 30 gold coins for all of them."

Seeing Wang Shuzhe's outstanding attire and the presence of family guards, the independent cultivator did not dare to be negligent.

"10 gold coins." Wang Shuzhe began to haggle, putting on a show. The stall owner held firm on the price, and the two began to argue over the price. Meanwhile, Wang Shuzhe was inwardly puzzled. Given the old ancestor's state of mind, her emotional change was significant, indicating that she must have encountered something major.

Could it be that she discovered a great deal at this stall?

While covering for her, Wang Shuzhe waited for Longyan Old Ancestor's instructions or actions.

Longyan Old Ancestor, being no ordinary person, quickly calmed down. Her lips moved slightly under the veil, conveying her message to Wang Shuzhe.

The message she conveyed made even Wang Shuzhe, with his穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "穿越者" as in "穿越者" or "穿越者") perspective, slightly stunned. However, he controlled his emotions and continued to haggle over the price while thinking about how to proceed.

Haggling was a normal thing, and for an independent cultivator, several dozen gold coins was a significant amount.

Soon, Wang Shuzhe had a plan. He stood up, looking displeased, and said, "Forget it, I'll look elsewhere." Despite the stall owner's attempts to retain him, Wang Shuzhe led everyone out of the independent cultivator street.

"Brother Chen," Wang Shuzhe clasped his hands and said, "My niece and Aunt Four are a bit tired. Please take them to the front inn for some good food. Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, you go protect Miss Lici and Lady Zirou."

"Yes." The two family guards accepted the order.

Chen Fanghua, being a shrewd person, immediately understood that they were being sent away. Perhaps something had been discovered that he was not supposed to see. He replied, "Young Master Wang, rest assured. I will take good care of Miss and Lady."

Xu Zirou's eyes flickered, but she did not speak. On the contrary, Wang Lici, upon hearing that they were going to eat, drooled and immediately felt a great deal of goodwill towards Wang Shuzhe, thinking, "Uncle Four must still care for me..."

After the others left, only Wang Shuzhe and Longyan Old Ancestor remained. They moved to a secluded spot, and Wang Shuzhe's expression became extremely serious. He said in a low voice, "Old Ancestor, are you sure about this?"

"No mistake." Longyan Old Ancestor's voice was cold and filled with indescribable hatred. "I have been tormented by this evil poison for fifty years. Not a single wisp of yin evil aura can escape my notice."

Wang Shuzhe was startled and had already made up his mind. He said in a low voice, "Old Ancestor, the forces from the far west have been subtly appearing in our Changning Guard. This matter is not as simple as it seems. There might be a larger force behind it... If we want to seek revenge, it might be..."

The Wang family was now too weak. Regardless of the other party's intentions, getting involved would inevitably lead to a disastrous outcome.

Longyan Old Ancestor, who had deep feelings for the family, also calmed down. Her eyes revealed deep helplessness. Their overall strength was too weak, and they lacked the ability to seek revenge.

"Please bear with it for a while, Old Ancestor. When your injuries heal, our Wang family's strength will also be much greater." Wang Shuzhe said solemnly, "We will seek revenge slowly! However, giving Old Ancestor a chance to vent some anger is feasible now."

Longyan Old Ancestor, who had been somewhat disappointed, brightened up at these words and said in a low voice, "Shuzhe, what do you plan to do?"

...

By evening, it was almost dark. The independent cultivator street's vendors began to pack up their stalls. The independent cultivator selling sea pearls was also preparing to leave, as it was normal for things to go unsold for a few days.

At this moment, a rugged man in his thirties or forties, with a scruffy beard, appeared in front of the stall. He swept his hand grandly and said, "I'll take all these pearls."

While paying, he "accidentally" revealed a small stack of gold tickets. The gold tickets were golden and extremely tempting, each one worth 100 gold coins, and at a glance, they were worth no less than a thousand gold coins.

The independent cultivator was stunned and his eyes filled with greed. For a family with a foundation like the Xuanwu family, a thousand gold coins was a huge sum, let alone for an independent cultivator.

The subsequent events unfolded naturally. The independent cultivator, eyeing the rugged man, enthusiastically invited him to eat and drink. After a few drinks, he learned the rugged man's "background"—he had "made some money" elsewhere and had fled to the Hundred Islands Guard to seek refuge.

After a few rounds of toasts, the two seemed to have become sworn brothers. After a satisfying meal, the rugged man suggested that he was feeling itchy and asked if there was a place to "play." The independent cultivator confidently guaranteed a good place and led the rugged man through the streets and alleys.

In the end, they ended up in a very secluded dark alley. The "independent cultivator" revealed his sinister intentions. A peak Qi Condensation Seventh Layer cultivator, to deal with a mere Qi Condensation Fourth Layer, even brought a Qi Condensation Sixth Layer companion.

This was a surefire plan.

Unfortunately, the mantis stalking the cicada was unaware of the oriole behind.

As they greedily and viciously attacked the drunken "rugged man," a hazy, smoke-like sword light appeared silently, instantly cutting down both of them in a sneak attack.

The two men, who had no idea a Spirit Platform realm cultivator would use a spiritual artifact to attack, did not even have time to react before they met their end. The rugged man, seeing this, was drenched in cold sweat, his legs trembling.

"Old Ancestor, are you alright?" Wang Shuzhe rushed over from a distance, supporting the old ancestor, whose aura was slightly disordered, and asked with concern. His cultivation was slightly weaker than the independent cultivator's, so he did not dare to get too close for fear of being discovered.

However, he was secretly amazed. A Spirit Platform realm cultivator using a sneak attack on a Qi Condensation realm cultivator, if there were no accidents, the Qi Condensation realm cultivator would certainly die.

"I'm fine, no problem." In a couple of breaths, Longyan Old Ancestor temporarily suppressed the backlash of the evil poison in her body. Her eyes were slightly red, indicating that she had vented some anger.

"Wang Zhong, quickly gather the spoils." Wang Shuzhe ordered Wang Zhong to quickly gather the spoils, and then the three of them quickly disappeared into the dark alley.

In a very short time, only two corpses remained in the dark alley.

...