Chapter 69

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He burst forth with an impressive aura, far more intense than the one he had seen from Mr. Qian earlier.

It was evident that Wang Xiaohan had a solid foundation.

However, due to past failures and a deeply dejected will, he had resigned himself to guarding the twenty acres of spirit fields until his death.

"Ha ha~" Wang Shouzhe ignored his aura and rage, remaining calm and composed. "Liu Shenghao of the Liu family and Zhao Daoyuan of the Zhao family. These two names, Grandfather, should not be unfamiliar to you, right?"

Wang Xiaohan, shocked, gradually reined in his aura, returning to the appearance of an old farmer. With a grave expression, he said, "Both of them are on the path of the spirit platform. There are rumors that within five years, they will attempt to break through to the spirit platform realm, posing the greatest threat to our family."

"However, you don't need to worry too much, Shouzhe. Once you marry the daughter of the Liu family and have a child, the Liu family, with three spirit platform elders, will certainly find a way to protect us. You just need to endure until you reach the spirit platform, and we will be firmly established."

The three spirit platform elders of the Liu family are closely related to the Wang family, especially Liu Xuanfu, who has been developing in the Purple Mansion Academy for many years. Her strength is likely unfathomable.

Moreover, she is a cousin to Longyan, the old ancestor.

Ha ha, so that's what it is. No wonder he's content to be a slacker.

Wang Shouzhe analyzed that after failing to break through, Grandfather Wang Xiaohan had a typical ostrich mentality of self-blame, unwilling to take on any responsibility. This kind of person is also common in modern society, such as those who lose confidence after a business failure and never recover.

The best way to deal with such people is to cut off all their hopes and sever the last straw that comforts them psychologically.

A playful smile appeared on Wang Shouzhe's lips as he played with a simple teacup. "Unfortunately, I have reliable information. The Zhao and Liu families have secretly prepared the [Heavenly Spirit Pill]. Liu Shenghao and Zhao Daoyuan are both in the final stages of preparation, ready to make a breakthrough to the spirit platform realm at any moment. If either family succeeds, we will have no place to stand."

"If I were the head of the Liu or Zhao family, once we had two spirit platform elders, I would certainly keep it a secret and look for an opportunity to secretly strike, killing Wang Shouzhe during the mourning period." Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "I only have a marriage contract with the Liu family's daughter. Even if they feel humiliated and angry, they are unlikely to help me seek revenge."

He was well aware that both the Liu and Zhao families viewed him as a thorn in their side. They hadn't acted yet because the timing wasn't right or they couldn't afford the backlash from Longyan, the old ancestor.

If a family had two spirit platform elders working together, why would they fear the mad retaliation of the half-dead Longyan, the old ancestor?

Of course, they would prefer to wait for Longyan, the old ancestor, to die on his own, which would be less risky.

But how long can their patience last? No one knows.

Once a family has a second elder, their morale will soar, and their ambitions will inevitably stir.

"How is this possible? How is this possible! How could they be so fast?" Wang Xiaohan's face was full of shock and despair. To him, Wang Shouzhe was the last hope of the family.

If he died, the Wang family would truly be finished.

"As long as resources are invested, accelerating cultivation progress is normal." Wang Shouzhe said calmly, sipping his tea. "If I were the head of the Liu or Zhao family, I would make the same choice. Using a smokescreen to confuse the opponent and secretly exerting all efforts is a standard tactic."

"Too ruthless, too ruthless." Wang Xiaohan's body trembled, but his eyes gradually became determined. He suddenly stood up, "The only way now is to sell the family's heirloom and exchange it for a [Heavenly Spirit Pill]. I, your sixth grandfather, will risk my life to break through to the spirit platform again, hoping that the old ancestor Zouxuan will protect our family. This time, I will either succeed or die trying!"

His posture was straight and firm, the gloom and despondency vanished, and he was no longer afraid of success or failure. This 65-year-old man finally stood up again, shouldering all the burdens just like before.

Heirloom?

Wang Shouzhe asked with a hint of doubt, "Could it be that you mean to sell the [Zouxuan Sword]? It is the only relic of the old ancestor Zouxuan, now enshrined in the ancestral hall. If it is sold, regardless of success or failure, the soul of the family will be lost."

"Of course not. The Zouxuan Sword is a symbol of our foundation and cannot be sold." At this moment, Wang Xiaohan exuded a sharpness that had been suppressed for nearly twenty years of regret and restraint.

But in the face of the family's survival, this sharpness, which he thought had been dulled, resurfaced, making Wang Shouzhe feel a faint sense of unease. Truly, he was the sixth old grandfather, who had once attempted to break through to the spirit platform realm.

"Our peaceful Wang family was ultimately built by the old ancestor Zouxuan, step by step." Wang Xiaohan, with his hands behind his back, spoke with confidence. "Although we are now in decline, our foundation is still far deeper than the Liu and Zhao families, who are traitors of servant origin."

Wang Xiaohan, who had experienced the rebellion, naturally hated the Liu and Zhao families, even though they were only vassal families and not servants.

So, our family still has a hidden foundation?

This made Wang Shouzhe even more determined. His father, Wang Dingyue, must have only used the story of seeking opportunities in the outer domain as a cover. Even his son and his mother were likely kept in the dark.

"Shouzhe, don't blame me. I originally planned to show you this when you came to [Prosperous Farm]." Wang Xiaohan said apologetically, "But you've been too busy lately, and there hasn't been an opportunity."

Wang Shouzhe didn't take it to heart. As a junior member of the family, he couldn't expect to know everything. Moreover, the more hidden family secrets and foundations, the better. He wished there were ten or eight more hidden cards.

This way, the pressure on him as the clan leader would be greatly reduced, and he could comfortably be a slacker without it being a bad thing.

Wang Xiaohan led him past the twenty acres of spirit fields, through the clear spirit spring, and opened a secret door disguised as a rock by the mountain stream.

Inside, the walls were like sharp blades, and only a narrow path led to the end.

Following Wang Xiaohan through the narrow path, the view suddenly opened up. It was a hidden place like a blessed land, with large patches of sunlight shining through the cave entrance onto the hidden inner cave.

The internal environment was not very large, only about 1,000 square meters, or about two acres. However, the family had built a spirit-gathering array here, and within the array were two acres of spirit fields emitting a misty aura.

These two acres of spirit fields, from the density of the gathered spirit energy, were far superior to the twenty acres outside. Moreover, they were not planted with traditional white jade spirit rice.

But with precious spirit herbs!!!

"These two acres of spirit fields are actually medium-grade spirit fields?" Even Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

"That's right." Wang Xiaohan's face showed a hint of pride. "When the old ancestor Zouxuan opened [Prosperous Farm], he discovered this hidden and independent mountain stream space, which was the starting point of a small spirit vein. It also formed a small spirit node. He and several clan members personally expanded and excavated this area, spending a great deal of money to build the land and arrays, divert the spirit spring, and finally created two acres of spirit fields. After long-term nurturing by the spirit-gathering array and careful management, they gradually became two acres of medium-grade spirit fields."

Spirit herbs mostly grow in places with spirit veins and spirit nodes, nourished by the spirit energy over a long period, gradually forming the essence of plants. The more abundant the spirit energy, the higher the probability of spirit herbs growing.

In short, Wang Shouzhe had never encountered spirit herbs in the wild.

"Shouzhe, look. This area is planted with ten-year-old purple-leaf polygonum, planted ten years ago. This area is twenty years old, thirty years old, and fifty years old." Grandfather Wang Xiaohan pointed to the one-acre spirit field, which was divided into five sections of increasing size, each planted with purple-leaf polygonum of different ages.

The older the purple-leaf polygonum, the larger the area it occupied.

Wang Shouzhe knew that purple-leaf polygonum was a common and relatively easy-to-cultivate root spirit herb. Once it reached fifty years old, it could be used in medicine and alchemy.

The main ingredient of the famous and popular [Minor Essence Pill] is fifty-year-old purple-leaf polygonum.

A fifty-year-old purple-leaf polygonum weighs about one pound and can be used to refine five to ten Minor Essence Pills with other auxiliary materials. Less than five pills indicate an immature alchemist, while more than ten pills often indicate a master alchemist.

However, refining Minor Essence Pills is not very profitable, so few master alchemists bother to refine them.

Therefore, if fifty-year-old purple-leaf polygonum is sold, its value is typically fifty gold coins. Alchemists generally break even with six pills, and the seventh pill onwards is profit.

"By rotating the crops in this one-acre field, every ten years, our family will have a batch of fifty-year-old purple-leaf polygonum mature." Wang Xiaohan said proudly, "On average, we can harvest eighty mature purple-leaf polygonum every ten years."

Eighty?

Wang Shouzhe was secretly amazed. That's about 4,000 gold coins, a significant income.

And this is just the output of one acre of medium-grade spirit field.

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