Chapter 99

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After the incident at Xia Yuan [Listening to Lotus Pavilion], several more days passed.

During this time, the Liu and Zhao families seemed to have fallen into a state of silence. No matter what actions the Wang family took, they continued to endure and tolerate. It was as if they had suddenly transformed into two wounded tigers lurking in the shadows, licking their wounds and preparing to strike back at the Wang family at the right moment.

With Wang Shouzhe's methods, it was impossible to miss such a golden opportunity. Wave after wave of propaganda campaigns were launched in Ping'an Town.

The strategy of using water troops and a large amount of tap water for propaganda quickly spread the details of the battle at the entrance of the Wang family's main residence, as well as the different performances of the three major families, throughout the entire town.

Public opinion! Propaganda!

Many civilians began to talk enthusiastically about the history of the Wang family, the story of the old ancestor Zouxuan who had come south to develop Ping'an Town, and the story of how the old ancestor Zouxuan had sacrificed himself heroically to resist a fifth-stage beast, the Golden-Winged Sun Tiger, fifty years ago.

Many of those who had personally experienced the great disaster fifty years ago had already passed away. Even if they were still alive, they were mostly children at the time, or had vague memories and did not understand the actual situation.

Under the massive propaganda campaign of the Wang family, the 20,000 civilians of Ping'an Town gradually came to understand that Ping'an Town was developed by the old ancestor Zouxuan of the Wang family, leading his clan, over nearly a hundred years. The Liu and Zhao families were originally two destitute households who had come to seek refuge and work for the Wang family after failing to make ends meet in the county city.

They also learned the full story of the great disaster fifty years ago. The Liu and Zhao families not only pretended to be dead but also let the fierce beast in, causing many civilians to die, and even leading to the deaths of the old ancestors Zouxuan and Qiongyuan.

The reputation and prestige of the Wang family were rapidly rising, while the infamy of the Liu and Zhao families was spreading. Many people, when mentioning the Liu and Zhao families, could not help but spit in disgust and disdain.

It was no wonder; in any era and any world, human nature is the same. Everyone admires heroes and despises and scorns treacherous people.

Wang Shouzhe was in the side hall of his courtyard.

He was leisurely handling family affairs. After his daily cultivation and replenishing his spirit food, his energy was particularly vigorous.

This could also be considered one of the benefits of cultivation. Daily, consistent cultivation of the Xuan Yuan Technique not only strengthens physical fitness and Xuan Qi but also removes diseases and extends life, keeping the body in peak condition for a long time.

"Master, please have some tea." The servant Wang Gui, as usual, brought some spirit tea.

Today, he used the Yunwu spirit tea. This tea was as smooth as water, and one sip seemed to permeate the five organs and six viscera.

Wang Gui really liked this spirit tea.

Of course, Wang Gui dared not and could not secretly take some spirit tea to drink himself. However, being close to the source, he could enjoy the leftover tea that the master had already steeped several times, which was tasteless but still had some effects and should not be wasted. Even when it could no longer be steeped, it could still be cooked into tea-soaked rice and eaten.

Each type of spirit tea had its own flavor, but Wang Shouzhe also favored the Yunwu spirit tea. When he drank the Yunwu spirit tea, he often thought of his fiancée, the daughter of the Liu family, whom he had never even met.

Unlike the main lineage, which had a lot of room for choosing a marriage, where men and women had some autonomy and could pick and choose among many candidates, the marriage of the direct lineage was more about the future direction of the family, so there was almost no choice.

Therefore, both Wang Shouzhe and the daughter of the Liu family passively accepted each other's existence. However, after a small, silent interaction, Wang Shouzhe developed some good feelings towards her.

He drank the Yunwu spirit tea, feeling quite good, and leisurely updated the family reputation section of the system panel.

【Family Prestige】: 【Local Prestige (90) Renowned in the Area】【County Prestige (29) Somewhat Famous】【Prefecture Prestige (00) Unknown】

The reason the local prestige had not reached the maximum value of 100 was, of course, to adhere to the system's principle that the higher the data, the harder it is to increase. Moreover, the Liu and Zhao families had not yet been destroyed, so the Wang family had not yet reached the level of "covering the sky with one hand."

It was even more difficult to increase the county prestige. To reach the level of "renowned in the area," the family would need to have an ancestor at the Celestial Human Realm. Therefore, this time, an increase of 8 points to 29 points was the maximum.

"Hmm, not bad." Wang Shouzhe looked at the updated reputation template, drank the Yunwu spirit tea, and was quite satisfied with his recent achievements.

As long as he put in more effort to destroy the Liu and Zhao families, the Wang family would truly be "covering the sky with one hand" in Ping'an Town.

......

At the same time.

In the Liu family's main residence, in a courtyard where clan members lived.

The young and talented Liu Yongzhou was drinking heavily with a very grim expression. Too many things had happened recently: the rise of the Wang family and the death of his father.

Everything had changed too quickly.

But what surprised him the most was Liu Shengye's attitude towards him. When he made a slight probe, the family head Liu Shengye became somewhat impatient and dismissive.

Then, he remembered what Luoxian had said. Following her advice, he got Liu Yonghao drunk and learned a shocking piece of news from him.

It turned out that after Liu Shenghao, the person who would take the Lingtai path had already been designated as the legitimate son, Liu Yonghao. And he, Liu Yongzhou, was merely a pawn used casually by Liu Shengye in his plans.

"Damn it!" Liu Yongzhou punched the stone table, shattering it, his eyes bloodshot and fierce. His father had even sacrificed his life for the family. And he, Liu Yongzhou, had also accomplished many great deeds.

The legitimate son, Liu Yonghao! What abilities did that boy have? He was publicly defeated by an eleven-year-old girl in just a few moves. How could such an incompetent person be qualified to take the Lingtai path?

Luoxian was right; this family was dirty and despicable.

Thankfully, there was still Luoxian.

Liu Yongzhou's eyes filled with intense hope, which then turned to determination. He muttered angrily, "Liu Shengye, all of this is what the Liu family owes us father and son. I am just taking what I deserve."

......

Deep into the night.

The night sky enveloped the earth.

In a world without light pollution, the stars were brilliant, and the moonlight was enchanting.

All was silent, except for a horse galloping on the rural road, its hooves beating the ground urgently, as if announcing the rider's anxious heart.

Faster!

Even faster.

Rider Liu Yongzhou could hardly wait to see her. His heart was filled with a burning passion, and he was full of fiery hope for the future.

After the marriage, he would definitely cultivate hard to quickly reach the Lingtai realm, so as not to disgrace Luoxian.

He spurred his horse and arrived at Xia Yuan.

Liu Yongzhou dismounted, did not announce his arrival, and climbed over the wall, heading straight for Listening to Lotus Pavilion.

"Luoxian, I'm here..." Liu Yongzhou's voice trailed off, his pupils constricting and his face changing. The scene that met his eyes was...

In the pavilion of Listening to Lotus Pavilion.

Two men in fine attire were leisurely enjoying the moonlight and drinking tea. His beloved goddess, Zhong Luoxian, was obediently serving them, pouring tea as if she were a maid.

Most terrifyingly, there was a large bloodstain on the pavilion floor, and a delicate brocade box was placed on the stone table where they were drinking tea.

"Wang Shouzhe, Dantai Heyu." Liu Yongzhou's face turned pale as he roared, "What are you doing here? Let go of Miss Luoxian."

Wang Shouzhe put down his teacup and lightly tapped the brocade box: "Yongzhou, you're a bit late. Look, the lotus flowers in the pond have all withered. And your brother Zhao Dingtian has already gone before you."

"You..."

Liu Yongzhou felt a chill run through his body, anger and shock mingling, "Wang Shouzhe, what do you want to do?"

"What do I want to do? I'll ask you first, what have you done?" Wang Shouzhe laughed and pulled out a stack of papers from his pocket, which seemed to be filled with writing. He casually pulled out one, "In the autumn of the 3140th year of the Changlong era, a traveling merchant was overcharged for his goods, which violated the interests of the Liu family. Liu Shengye sent you and your father to brutally kill him at the Dingpu Ferry, two miles away, and took his goods, worth about 300 Qian gold."

Liu Yongzhou trembled and shouted, "Wang Shouzhe, don't spout lies. Luoxian, Luoxian, don't believe him."

Wang Shouzhe ignored him and continued to pull out another paper: "In the summer of the 3142nd year of the Changlong era, the fishing team you were in charge of discovered a lone merchant ship. You used your excellent water escape technique to first drill a hole in the bottom of the ship, creating a shipwreck and pretending to rescue them. When you found valuable silk on the ship, you brutally killed all thirteen people on board and took the goods. Most heinous of all, two young female merchants were taken away, and their whereabouts are still unknown."

Liu Yongzhou swayed, this matter was so secret, known only to a few confidants. How did Wang Shouzhe know?

Wang Shouzhe continued to pull out and read the papers, all of which detailed Liu Yongzhou's past misdeeds, his face growing colder. Finally, he stopped reading and slammed the list of crimes on the table, saying coldly, "Liu Yongzhou, I'll give you a chance to defend yourself."

"Luoxian, don't believe him, this is all slander, he's slandering me." Liu Yongzhou screamed hysterically, "They are enemies of the Wang family, trying to drive a wedge between us. Luoxian, Luoxian, say something."

"Unfortunately." Wang Shouzhe slowly stood up, walking towards Liu Yongzhou, his seemingly calm eyes filled with intense killing intent, "Most of these pieces of evidence were investigated and confirmed with the help of Luoxian."

"What?" Liu Yongzhou took several steps back, shocked and disbelieving.

"Master, this is what I should do." 'Zhong Luoxian' said in a flattering tone, "It is my honor to serve the master."

"Spit! Zhong Luoxian, you lied to me." Liu Yongzhou's face turned red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He was a shrewd person, and at this moment, he could not help but realize he had been deceived.

Driven by instinct, he retreated wildly, determined to escape the scene.

"Clang!"

A sword hum sounded, and Wang Shouzhe's figure darted forward, moving gracefully and swiftly in the air, like a soaring eagle.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

In the critical moment, Liu Yongzhou's potential burst forth, drawing the water spear from his waist and blocking several times. However, he could not withstand the continuous and increasingly powerful attacks of the Xuan Yuan Sword.

"Boom!"

He was thrown back, spraying blood, and fell into a pond of withered lotus leaves.

Before he could hit the water, the white sword light flashed twice. In his last moment, Liu Yongzhou only felt his head flying off, while his body was caught by Wang Shouzhe and thrown onto the shore.

"Splash!"

His head landed in the pond of withered lotus leaves.

All of this happened extremely quickly.

Wang Mei followed quickly, searching the body without the master's intervention. She then placed the spoils and a brocade box on the stone table.

"Swallow!" Chen Fangjie, although he had seen Wang Shouzhe kill someone for the second time, was still frightened by his clean and swift actions.

This future brother-in-law, whether in terms of cunning or strength, was quite terrifying.

Chen Fangjie felt that even if he gave it his all, he might not be a match for him. His future as a brother-in-law would be filled with fear, and he would not dare to make any mistakes.

"Master, I have checked. The Heavenly Spirit Pill, as well as two auxiliary spirit pills, the Body Protection Pill and the Spirit Blood Pill, are all here." Wang Mei was extremely excited, having planned for so long and worked so hard, all for this moment.

"Wang Mei, well done." Wang Shouzhe also breathed a sigh of relief, suppressing his overwhelming joy.

After so much planning, the two Heavenly Spirit Pills and the auxiliary materials were all in hand. This bountiful harvest would allow the Wang family to enter a fast track of rapid development.

Chen Fangjie's eyes were wide open, and he swallowed hard. These were Heavenly Spirit Pills, and the Donggang Chen family would have to save for many years to get one.

But this future brother-in-law had managed to get two at once.

"Want it?" Wang Shouzhe first put away a brocade box and then looked at Chen Fangjie with a smile.

"Yes, yes, yes, although our Chen family doesn't have the money right now. But I can write an IOU and use it as collateral." Chen Fangjie nodded, "As long as the price is a bit cheaper."

"Ha ha~" Wang Shouzhe then put away another brocade box, "This time, it's not your share."

Instantly, Chen Fangjie's mind was about to explode. No wonder Shouzhe didn't let him participate in the final act; he was afraid he couldn't handle it!

Regret! He shouldn't have come. As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.

Chen Fangjie could only say sourly, "Shouzhe, your plan looks good, but it's too risky. As your elder brother, I'll tell you, especially at the last moment, your layout is not appropriate. What if they were discovered? What if an ancestor-level figure came? I could have asked our family's ancestor to help. Just give me 30% of the spoils!"

"Shouzhe is still too young. Next time, remember, don't fear the one in ten thousand, but fear the one in a million. You are just too stingy. You should..."

Before he could finish, Wang Shouzhe bowed and said seriously, "Lingyan Ancestor, the matter is done, we can leave."

Lingyan, Lingyan Ancestor?

Chen Fangjie laughed, "Shouzhe, are you joking?"

Suddenly, he shivered, his face changing.

A graceful figure silently descended in the night, her cold eyes behind the veil staring at Chen Fangjie, "Is your Chen family's ancestor stronger than me?"

"Son Fangjie, pays respects to Lingyan Ancestor. Suddenly seeing the ancestor, my heart is filled with immense excitement and joy, like seeing the morning star in the long night. Son Fangjie wishes the ancestor peace, utmost peace."

Then, Chen Fangjie cleverly knelt down, his expression full of admiration, his eyes filled with excitement and reverence, and he bowed deeply.

Could he not be reverent? Offending this person would mean losing his future daughter-in-law.

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