Chapter 84

......

"Fourth Brother, I'll help you collect the spoils." Wang Luqiu pounced forward with swift movements, skillfully searching through the fallen foe. "We're rich, we're rich! This guy is quite wealthy."

She pulled out a stack of gold notes, more than ten in total, along with some loose gold coins, making the total over 120 gold coins. In his satchel, there were also some common items that itinerant cultivators often carried, healing medicines, some peculiar fragments, earthenware jars, and even two [Small Cultivation Essence Pills], along with a few secret manuals.

However, the secret manuals of itinerant cultivators were mostly common goods to noble families, rarely containing high-quality content. The sword technique and movement technique manuals he had were of little value, at most serving as references.

"Fourth Brother, you're too violent," Wang Luqiu said with a pained expression as she picked up the broken sword. "A fine steel broadsword, worth at least a dozen gold coins. Now it's only worth two or three."

Despite her complaints, the young girl quickly gathered all the spoils.

At this moment, a middle-aged man's voice came from outside the warehouse: "Shouzhe, is everything done? We're coming in."

As he spoke, a middle-aged man with a stern and imposing presence, fully armed, led over a dozen soldiers, each clad in armor, holding long spears and long swords at their waists, into the room.

"Third Uncle, this time I really appreciate your help," Wang Shouzhe bowed to the middle-aged general. "Otherwise, these bandits might have escaped from Ping'an Town."

This man was one of the mainstays of the sixth generation of the Wang family, Wang Shouzhe's third uncle, Wang Dingzu. He was a member of the family who specialized in the military and government path, with considerable strength, reaching the eighth level of the Qi Condensation stage at just over forty years old.

"Shouzhe, you're too polite," Wang Dingzu also bowed and smiled. "Moreover, capturing criminals is the duty of the Ping'an Town Guard. I'll take these people away and interrogate them overnight. We might get some interesting information from them."

"Thank you, Third Uncle." As Wang Shouzhe spoke, he took out a bag containing dozens of gold coins and handed it to Wang Dingzu. "Third Uncle, your men have been working hard lately. Please thank them on my behalf."

"Alright, I'll take it on behalf of those little rascals. Being a soldier isn't easy," Wang Dingzu said without hesitation, turning to the soldiers behind him. "What are you all standing there for? Thank Clan Leader Wang."

"Thank you, Clan Leader Wang." The soldiers hurriedly expressed their gratitude, showing appreciation for Wang Dingzu as well. It was rare to have a superior who cared for his subordinates.

The bag of gold coins looked heavy, and each of the men would get a good share.

Wang Shouzhe and Wang Dingzu exchanged knowing smiles.

This was the mutual support relationship between the family and the military members. When family members held power in the government, they would look after the family. In return, the family would be a strong backing, supporting them within their capabilities.

The power of noble families was strong, but the control of the government was not weak. At least in every place, the government was the actual management institution, holding the moral high ground.

Moreover, these soldiers were not the family's servants or retainers but genuine Xuanwu cultivators.

Among them were noble family members, collateral descendants, some itinerant cultivators with clear backgrounds, and even more from generations of military families.

Noble family members were divided into two types: those with no prospects who entered the military system to seek a path, and those like Wang Dingzu, chosen by the family for their potential, to develop in that system and extend the family's influence.

Therefore, after long training, these soldiers had overall combat strength that surpassed itinerant cultivators. Itinerant cultivators also feared the soldiers and would not dare to provoke them under normal circumstances.

At Wang Dingzu's signal, the soldiers, like wolves, bound the itinerant cultivators lying on the ground and took them away.

Before leaving, Wang Dingzu's gaze fell on Wang Luqiu, his stern eyes slightly softening. "Qiu'er, when you come out with Fourth Brother, you must listen obediently and not act on a whim."

"I know, Father." Wang Luqiu replied obediently, blinking her innocent eyes. The girl put on a well-behaved act in front of her father.

Then, Wang Dingzu turned his attention to Wang Shoulian, his expression even more severe. He only gave a cold snort and left without saying more.

This made Wang Shoulian shiver, sweat breaking out on his forehead. The authority of his father was deeply ingrained in his heart.

"Shoulian." Wang Shouzhe patted his shoulder. "It's fine, you did well this time."

Some of the elders in the Wang family, perhaps due to the pressure, had very high expectations for their male descendants. Sometimes, too much strictness and criticism made them overly cautious and lacking in confidence.

"Thank you, Fourth Brother." Wang Shoulian breathed a sigh of relief, his expression brightening. "I will work hard to gain Father's recognition."

After comforting his brother,

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

"First, you all fought bravely, which is commendable. However, some of you did not follow orders and acted on your own, lacking teamwork." Wang Shouzhe's gaze fell on Wang Luqiu. "Deduct 30 points of family merit from you."

The family's merit system was in its initial stages and was being tested. Of course, it would need long-term testing and adjustments to be truly perfected.

"What?" Wang Luqiu jumped up. "30 points? Wang Shouzhe, your forehead..."

"Insulting the clan leader, deduct 5 points." Wang Shouzhe took out a small notebook and started recording.

"..."

Wang Luqiu was almost in tears. She fully supported the family's merit system, but each point was worth a gold coin. Losing 35 points at once was heart-wrenching.

Fortunately, she had just defeated a human-shaped monster, so she could make up for some of the loss. This time, she didn't suffer a net loss.

"Everyone, organize the spoils, manage them centrally, and hand them over to the family treasury," Wang Shouzhe said. "For any family team mission, the spoils need to be handled uniformly. After being placed in the family treasury, the merit points will be distributed. Wang Luqiu attempted to keep the equipment privately, deduct 10 points. Wang Luojing, Wang Shouyong, and Wang Shoulian followed blindly, deduct 5 points each."

"What?" Wang Luqiu's anger flared, tears welling up in her eyes. "Wang, no, Fourth Brother. The equipment I dropped, why can't I take it?"

"Teamwork has its rules," Wang Shouzhe lectured her. "Do you think you defeated that itinerant cultivator alone? Of course not... The investigation and reconnaissance by the family guards, the blockade by Father's troops, these are all invisible merits. Moreover, without my presence and the support of other teammates, do you think you could have defeated a group of itinerant cultivators alone?"

"Fourth Brother is right, sob, I was wrong," Wang Luojing said obediently.

"Fourth Brother, I was wrong too, can you not punish me?" Wang Luqiu was almost in tears, feeling her small purse rapidly emptying.

"Of course, not punishing you is not an option," Wang Shouzhe said sternly. "However, after the punishment, let's talk about the rewards. This mission's merit points are 100, and the spoils, when handed over to the family treasury, are worth 315 merit points, totaling 415 points. As the main force and major contributor to the team, I will take 205 points. The remaining 215 points will be distributed as follows: 65 points to Luqiu, 60 points to Luojing, and 50 points each to Shouyong and Shoulian..."

Wang Shouzhe explained the rules of teamwork and the merit points earned by each, making everything clear and transparent.

While they were each rejoicing or worrying,

Liu Family's main residence.

In a secluded and quiet pavilion.

Liu Shengye, the head of the Liu family, bowed deeply with a serious expression. "Ancestor, this is what happened. The Wang family has gone too far this time. They are using low prices to provide disaster relief work, which is a direct attack on us. If we do nothing, the family will suffer heavy losses and lose prestige."

After he finished speaking,

An elderly man with a white beard, tall and robust, and full of vigor, pondered for a moment, his eyes showing a hint of wariness. "How is Wang Longyan?"

This dignified old man, who looked like a hermit sage, was the Liu family's ancestor, Liu Zhide.

"Ancestor, Wang Longyan has been hiding in her lair. Based on previous signs, she is likely to have a short lifespan," Liu Shengye said respectfully.

"If her lifespan is short, why would the Wang family dare to provoke us and the Zhao family now?" Liu Zhide asked calmly. "Is their young clan leader out of his mind?"

Liu Shengye's forehead broke out in sweat as he exclaimed, "Could it be that Ancestor thinks Wang Longyan's injuries have healed?" If that were true, the Liu and Zhao families would be in trouble.

Liu Zhide thought for a moment and slowly shook his head. "I know her injuries very well. Healing them is almost impossible."

"Then why...?" Liu Shengye was also puzzled. "Could it be that the Wang family is deliberately luring Ancestor out to give Wang Longyan a chance to take her down with them? Unfortunately, the Wang family has not recruited guards or retainers for the past fifty years and has been severely reclusive. Wang Longyan has also been hiding. We can't send spies to investigate her true condition."

"Trying to make a last-ditch effort before dying?" Liu Zhide sneered. "Wang Longyan is impulsive and doesn't consider the consequences. She might do it. But does she think I, Liu Zhide, am still the Liu Zhide from fifty years ago?"

"Ancestor, have you...?" Liu Shengye looked excited.

"Only my cultivation has slightly advanced, barely reaching the third level of the Spirit Platform stage. What's so surprising about that?" Liu Zhide said calmly. "However, with the defensive spirit artifact, the Purple Gold Bowl, I can even hold my own against her in her prime, let alone now when she is half-dead."

Liu Zhide had always been most concerned about Wang Longyan's last-ditch effort to take him down with her. He had taken precautions for this.

"Then Ancestor's meaning is..."

"I didn't want to take risks and wait for Wang Longyan to die on her own. Unfortunately, they are now trying to destroy the foundation of our Liu family, which is suicidal. I will write a letter to Brother Bojun. It's time for old friends to work together again." Liu Zhide's eyes flashed with cold light. "Regardless of the Wang family's intentions, we will suppress them."

"Ancestor is awesome!" Liu Shengye was extremely excited.

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