Protect Our Clan Leader

Seeing such a pitiful expression, Wang Shouzhe’s mouth twitched a couple of times. He took several deep breaths to calm himself before saying, “Fine, fine, you didn’t do anything wrong. Come, take a seat.”

Immediately, Wang Licui found a stool to sit on, perching at the very edge, posed as if she were ready to be chided by her Fourth Uncle.

“I can tell, the Old Ancestor is quite fond of you.” Wang Shouzhe said, “Spend more time with her on our journey, keep her company.”

So it’s about this? As long as I’m not getting chastised, it’s all good.

Wang Licui loosened up slightly from her tense state, consistently nodding in agreement. She moved slightly back on the stool, took out a preserved sweet snack to calm herself, then began eating it with delight.

Seeing her carefree manner, Wang Shouzhe felt a twitch in his eye.

From within his sleeves, he casually threw her two books, “These are ‘Selected Poetry and Verses of Longzuo¹ and ‘Recluse’s Pen Talks at Cuiju Mountain’. I just bought them in Donggang, supposedly with deep literary messages.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “During morning recitations, I heard you recite ‘Observing the Sky at Night on Tianlan’, brimming with emotion and rhythm. It seems you have a talent for literature. Why not familiarize yourself with these two books as quickly as you can, then recite them to the Old Ancestor for entertainment. She loves children who are diligent in their studies, surely she will be pleased.”

“What?!”

Wang Licui’s eyes bulged out, candy stuck in her mouth, a look of shock filled her chubby cheeks. Fourth uncle, are you, are you, are you a devil?

“Hmm, your surprised yet excited expression pleases me,” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, “Do you like them?”

Tears rolled down Wang Licui’s cheeks as she forced a grin and said through a sobbing voice, “Tha-thankyou, Fourth Uncle, I love them…”

“Licui, seeing your tears of joy, reassures me that all my efforts have been worthwhile,” Wang Shouzhe said, patting her head apologetically, “Sorry, in our haste, I only managed to buy two books. Upon our arrival at Hundred Islands Guard, I’ll get you more. Who knows, our family might produce a literary genius.”

Wang Licui felt her world crumbling, the color of life stripped away, leaving nothing but bleakness.

Thankfully, she still had her candies.

The sweetness in her mouth seemed like the only vibrant hue in her life now; her only source of hope.

“Oh, one more thing.” Wang Shouzhe frowned, “These candies are fine to have now and then, but too much can hurt your teeth and lead to weight gain. Look at your round face. Hand them over, I’ll keep them safe for you.”

Boom!

Those words struck Wang Licui like a bolt of lightning. Tears welled up uncontrollably as she slowly took out a packet of candies.

“That’s not all, is it?”

And then, she took out another one.

“Ha-ha-”

And another one.

After rummaging around to produce five packets in total, Wang Licui clutched the two books, sobbing, “That’s it, there’s no more. Fourth Uncle, it’s getting late. I-1 ‘ll go study now…”

Then she ran off swiftly, as if escaping a blazing inferno.

Once she was gone, Wang Shouzhe chuckled to himself, brewed a pot of tea and began drinking it in satisfaction – a helpless little girl like her was no challenge to him.

Disciplining his niece was a mere interlude.

After taking a moment of respite, Wang Shouzhe pulled out a booklet provided by his future brother-in-law Chen Fangjie. He slowly began to flip through it. The Wang family had heard of the Hundred Islands Guard but had little detailed information about them in their records, and whatever information they had was outdated.

The Chen Clan of Donggang had more dealings with the Hundred Islands Guard, so their information was naturally more comprehensive. The booklet contained a list of forces, families, situational patterns, and individuals not to be trifuriously with in the Hundred Islands Guard.

Reading the booklet made Wang Shouzhe wide-eyed with shock. The power dynamics of the Hundred Islands Guard were indeed much more complex than those of Changning. Firstly, it was home to dozens of prominent families, big and small.

Some of these families, while weaker in power, independently occupied an island. Others were stronger and powerful enough to rule over several, even over a dozen islands.

The main island is called Golden Sand Island, which was said to have been rich in gold sand a thousand years ago, provoking a bloody struggle among some Profound Martial families. The Daqian Officials dispatched powerful forces to suppress the fighting and established the Hundred Islands Guard on the island to stabilize the situation. However, several hundred years later, the gold sand had been completely depleted, and some residual Profound Martial Families took control over the Hundred Islands, gradually evolving into the current territorial layout.

Because of the complex and remote geographical environment of the Hundred Islands Guard and the depletion of gold sand, the control of the Daqian Officials here has gradually weakened. Therefore, there are bound to be some Independent Cultivators who are wanted for crimes, sons and daughters expelled from prominent families, or pirates and bandits seeking to wash off their infamy who would venture into the Hundred Islands Guard.

Fortunately, the Chen Clan of Donggang has been operating on the main island of Golden Sand among the Hundred Islands Guard for many years. They have extensive connections and a solid foundation, and any ordinary person would not dare to provoke them easily under their protection.

As long as one does not recklessly stir up trouble, safety is not an issue. Otherwise, Chen Fangjie would absolutely not dare to allow Wang Shouzhe to go to the Hundred Islands Guard. If anything serious were to happen, how could Chen Fangjie make up for it?

However, amidst the chaos of the Hundred Islands Guard, some unique industries have been born that don’t exist elsewhere.

For example, the black market!

The Golden Sand Black Market is one of only two businesses run by the Tianren family in the Hundred Islands Guard and has a history of two hundred years. In the black market, all identities can be disguised and hidden. If you have money, you can secretly buy what you want in the most confidential manner. You can sell your items secretly, even if they are banned goods or stolen property!

The black market doesn’t care who you are or where your money and goods came from – they only maintain order, credibility, and take a cut.

Order and credibility are the foundation for a black market’s survival.

Because those who go to the black market are often extremely sensitive to the exposure of their identity and origin. Any slight sign of trouble would deter them. Hence, it is clear that the Golden Sand Black Market, which has stood tall for two hundred years and continues to grow in scale, must place a great emphasis on credibility and order.

Upon seeing this news about the black market,

Wang Shouzhe had a vague suspicion in his heart that the Old Ancestor Longyan must have come for the black market, and with Wang Shouzhe’s wisdom, he mostly guessed the purpose of her trip.

Immediately his brow furrowed, this was something he didn’t want to see. After disembarking, he needed to talk to the Old Ancestor Longyan. There were certain things that needn’t be done to that extent.

However, since she is the Old Ancestor, once she makes up her mind to do something, she must have thought about it for a long time. How could he persuade her to change her mind?

Wang Shouzhe’s face grew heavier, and his fingers drummed against the table as he thought rapidly.

Time passed bit by bit.

More than twenty hours flew by, and the massive seafaring vessel docked at the deep-sea harbor on Golden Sand Island of the Hundred Islands Guard.

Wang Shouzhe and his party disembarked from the ship Jun Yao, basking in the strong scent of the sea wind. As it turned out, the merchant ship Jun Yao was very stable at sea, having safely and uneventfully reached the Hundred Islands Guard.

Now, Chen Fanghua, a member of the Chen Clan, stepped forward and greeted respectfully, “Young Master Wang, as instructed by the young clan leader before his departure, I am to arrange accommodation and guide for you and your party.”

Wang Shouzhe was amused. It seemed that his future brother-in-law was worried about him running into danger on the island, and had specifically arranged for his clan members to manage his accommodation and itinerary.

“In that case, I must thank you, Brother Chen.” Wang Shouzhe was unfamiliar with Golden Sand Island, so having someone else arrange things was ideal. Besides, he needed to accept the kindness of his future brother-in-law, Chen Fangjie.

Knowing that “Young Master Wang” has female family members, Chen Fanghua had arranged a carriage for them. Old Ancestor Longyan, his fourth aunt, and their maid all got in the carriage. Wang Shouzhe and his two household heads, Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, were temporarily assigned three purebred horses.

After that, Chen Fanghua, accompanied by a household head, led Wang Shouzhe’s party towards the inner city of Golden Sand Island.

As they walked, Chen Fanghua chatted casually with Wang Shouzhe about the local customs of Golden Sand Island. For example, Golden Sand Island is the largest island among the Hundred Islands Guard. However, due to the abundance of rock and other impurities in the soil, very little fertile land can be cultivated.

“That’s why, among the cargo we carry, half are food crops and various kinds of meat, and the rest are daily necessities. These ordinary items actually yield good profits in the Hundred Islands Guard,” Chen Fanghua did not shy away from sharing this common business knowledge. It was evident that he wanted to build a good relationship with Wang Shouzhe.

“Doesn’t the Daqian Law stipulate that food cannot be speculated?” Wang Shouzhe asked curiously.

“Young Master Wang, the Daqian Law doesn’t hold much sway in the Hundred Islands Guard,” Chen Fanghua explained with a smile, “Besides, we are not speculating on food, we are bartering. Although the Hundred Islands Guard doesn’t produce much food, it is rich in various marine delicacies and oyster cement. When transported inland, they can still generate considerable profitability.”

Wang Shouzhe knew that maritime trade in this era must be highly profitable, but it was also risky and difficult. Building a merchant ship is not only costly but also requires deep professional knowledge.

Besides, the training of seamen and professional sailors is extremely challenging. Even a slight mishap could result in the loss of a ship, leading to a total loss of investment.

Therefore, it’s practically impossible for ordinary families to venture into the maritime trade sector. No wonder the Chen Clan of Donggang has become increasingly prosperous over the past century.