Protect Our Clan Leader

…

Nine-star Bug King!

Wang Shouzhe’s mouth twitched a few times, his fifth sister was usually inconspicuous, but in private, she was somewhat… hair-raising.

“Buzz buzz!”

The fist-sized Nine-star Bug King’s carapace opened, and its membranous wings vibrated rapidly in response to her.

At the same time, Wang Luo Jing took out a jade bamboo flute from her waist, put it to her lips, and began to play. It was a unique rhythm, sharp and high-pitched, grating on the ears.

But the Nine-star Bug King was very familiar with the sound, and with a tremor of its wings, it emitted a constant buzz. The rest of the smaller Nine-star Insects in the box took flight, surrounding the Nine-star Bug King like a shifting cloud.

Following Wang Luo Jing’s command, the Nine-star Bug King led the charge towards the wheat field, followed by the insect swarm of thousands that rushed forward like a fierce wind. Despite being ladybugs, those in the Profound Martial world were apparently much more ferocious.

They landed on the somewhat shriveled wheat spikes and feasted on the aphids they caught. Their combat power was incomparable to that of the Grasshopper Insect larvae. In just half a quarter of an hour, each Nine-star Insect had taken down at least five or six aphids.

With such a biological legion deployed, they were truly invincible.

“Luo Jing, well done, well done,” Wang Shouzhe can’t help but offer his hearty praise, “With skills like yours, our Wang family’s grains can be saved.”

“Fourth brother, it’s not enough,” Wang Luo Jing shook her head and said, “From the grain-filling stage to maturity, the wheat has only a dozen days left. The more we delay, the more yield loss we risk.”

Her grandfather, Wang Xiaozhi, had dedicated his life to farming, and she had been deeply influenced by him since she was young. Without saying another word, she took out two large bugs, as thick as arms and withered in color, from the Grasshopper Insect box.

“Fourth brother, these two King of the grass-bugs have laid too many eggs and might not live more than a month,” Wang Luo Jing said with a mix of distress and guilt, “I hope in their final days, they can make one last effort for the family.”

As she spoke, she played the Jade Bamboo Flute again. This time the sound was completely different from when she directed the Nine-star Bug King, very low-pitched. The two withered and faded King of the grass-bugs suddenly awakened and flew off into the distance.

Their speed was incredibly fast, and they disappeared without a trace in a few breaths. As they flew, their mouthparts kept trembling, emitting a low-frequency sound.

“Fourth brother, the King of the grass-bugs has the ability to summon companions,” Wang Luo Jing remarked, “I hope they can call back more companions. Now there are fewer and fewer Grasshopper Insects in the wild, only some left in the mountains.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhe also reflected on the matter. It was likely due to the Insecticide Powder introduced by the Purple Abode Academic Palace, the decline in aphids had led to a reduced population of Grasshopper Insects.

Now, with the emergence of aphids resistant to pesticides, there was a crisis brewing for the Grasshopper Insects, signaling that a major event was likely to unfold.

Two hours later, one of the King of the grass-bugs had returned, bringing back an army. They flew around the wheat field, voraciously preying on aphids, and what’s more terrifying was that, while feasting, they began laying eggs on the blades of wheat spikes.

As nighttime approached, another King of the grass-bug returned, bringing even more of its kind. The vast army of Grasshopper Insects left Wang Shouzhe wondering if the aphids in thousands of acres of wheat fields would be enough to feed them.

Moreover, the copious eggs they laid would hatch in just a matter of days, and even the tiny larvae should not be underestimated.

This magnificent sight gradually caught the attention of the tenant farmers, who then reported it to Wang Xiaozhi. When Wang Xiaozhi arrived later and found out that it was his granddaughter Wang Luo Jing’s doing, he was so astonished he was at a loss for words.

In an instant, he was overtaken by emotions, muttering incessantly, “This time our Wang family is saved, saved indeed.”

“Fourth Grandfather, our other two farms also have a substantial amount of crops,” Wang Shouzhe said. “As for the specifics, I won’t get involved. You can discuss it with Luo Jing yourself.” Although the Silkworm Manor specialized in sericulture, it also cultivated quite a bit of wheat.

“This…” Wang Xiaozhi’s face fell at the prospect of discussing matters with his youngest granddaughter.

“Fourth Grandfather, if you feel that Luo Jing is superfluous, I can take her back with me, so she won’t be in the way here,” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile.

“She’s not superfluous, not in the way,” Wang Xiaozhi quickly shook his head, his face contorting with a strained smile as he looked at Wang Luo Jing. “Luo Jing, we still need to figure out a way to save the other two farms. Whatever you want to do, just let your grandfather do it.”

Wang Shouzhe laughed. Although Old Wang Xiaozhi was stubborn and sexist, his loyalty and sense of belonging to the Wang family was beyond question. If he could change his mindset, he could still be a pillar of the family.

Seeing that Wang Xiaozhi had changed his attitude, Wang Shouzhe pulled him aside and spoke with a grave expression, “Fourth Grandfather, it seems that this insect disaster is not exclusive to our Wang family. I dare not speak for Longzuo, but in the vicinity of Changning, I’m afraid there’s at least a forty to fifty percent decrease in production.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Wang Xiaozhi, taken aback, then let out a naive laugh. “If other families have a poor harvest, only our family will have a good yield…”

“In this world, good and bad often have no absolutes,” Wang Shouzhe said coldly. “Sometimes what seems like a very good thing can turn out to be bad.”

Wang Xiaozhi shuddered and then realized, “Do you mean that other clans will be envious of us?”

“If it were just a matter of envy, that might be tolerable,” Wang Shouzhe said, looking extremely solemn. “As the saying goes, people don’t fear scarcity as much as they fear inequality. If everyone is affected by a disaster, that’s one thing. But if the Wang family alone has a good harvest, not just enemy clans, but even those with a good relationship with us may become resentful. One wrong move, and our Ping’an Wang Family could become the target of all.”

“What should we do? Our Wang family is already in a precarious situation; if we…” Wang Xiaozhi’s anxiety flared, given his limited understanding of these matters as a clan elder who had long focused on farming.

“Don’t panic, Fourth Grandfather, sometimes a bad situation can turn into a good one,” Wang Shouzhe said confidently with a smile. “It depends on how we handle this and steer the situation to our advantage. Let’s consider, starting with the Xu Family from Changning, the Gongsun Clan from Shanyang, and the Liu Family from Shanyin—these three clans. They have long-established marital alliances with our Ping’an Wang Family, sharing naturally close ties, so we must find a way to assist them.”

In fact, Wang Shouzhe had the best impression of the Gongsun Clan from Shanyang, and not just because his current father’s first wife was from the Gongsun Clan. The Gongsun Clan had a generous and straightforward clan spirit, and they did not scorn the Wang family even though it had fallen on hard times.

Of course, this also had to do with past marriages between the direct lines of both families. The grandmother of the current Clan Leader of the Gongsun Clan, Gongsun Mo, was Wang Lingdie, a direct descendant from the fourth generation of the Wang family.

The Xu Family from Changning was itself a very powerful Profound Martial family, not much inferior to the Ping’an Wang family even at its peak. At that time, the direct lines of both families were intermarried, and their relationship was close.

Unfortunately, later on…

Wang Xiaozhi nodded with a complex and regretful expression, “That’s right, these three families are deeply intertwined with our Wang family through marriage. It’s just a pity about Sister Zhenmei…”

Wang Shouzhe knew what he was referring to. After the upheaval in the Wang family, to solidify the relationship with the Xu Family from Changning, under the arrangements of Old Ancestor Longyan, Grand Aunt Wang Zhenmei from the fifth generation of the Wang family was married to the first-born heir of the Xu family.

And Wang Zhenmei did not fail her mission, conceiving a child of the direct bloodline after several years, which brought the two families’ relationship to its closest. Tragically, Grand Aunt Wang Zhenmei died inexplicably in childbirth, leading to a sorrowful outcome of one death and two lives.

At that time the Wang family was inconsolable with grief. The brothers of the ‘Xiao’ generation went to cause an uproar at the Xu family’s estate in Changning. Even Old Ancestor Longyan was disturbed enough to personally examine the corpse and only gave up when no evidence of foul play was found.

Since then, the intimate relationship between the Wang family and the Xu family became strained, with marriage alliances limited to only the direct descendants and no longer involving the direct line.

Similarly, the relationship between the Liu Family from Shanyin and the Wang family was also somewhat intricate and complex, which is difficult to summarize in a few words.

Complex as it may be, the bloodline ties between them cannot be erased, and in times of crisis, they still need to support each other.