Protect Our Clan Leader

Every descendant of an ancient Profound Martial family must know the importance of discretion in their actions.

Especially before marriage, it is crucial to maintain a good reputation and decorum. Otherwise, it could significantly tarnish their marriage prospects—in the worst cases, the betrothal can be downgraded.

No Profound Martial family would betroth their daughter to a notorious scion. Especially for legitimate sons and daughters, attention to these details is paramount as it deals with the honor and reputation of two noble families.

Therefore, from childhood onwards, legitimate sons are tended to by servants rather than a coterie of maidservants.

An incident like taking a concubine before marriage is almost impossible. Every noble family has its pride, how can they allow their legitimate daughter to marry a man who already has a concubine?

Moreover, a family like the Spiritual Platform Clan, often limited by resources, is always aspiring to elevate the family to the next level.

It’s rare for the Clan Leader to take a concubine. A distinguished, high- bloodline woman would not become a concubine. Having a child with a low- bloodline concubine would be a disgrace to future generations, wouldn’t it?

Also, a child born to a concubine is a child of secondary status, putting them in an awkward position. How could a noble house such as the Spiritual Platform Clan, with abundant resources, waste efforts on the upbringing of such a child?

However, in the Tianren Family, owing to an abundance of resources and substantial clan assets that require a large number of talents, the practice of taking multiple wives has gradually become acceptable.

Chen Fangjie, standing at the prow of the ship, his hair disarray from the cold wind.

He feels a mixed admiration and worry for Wang Shouzhe’s good fortune. Could this Zhong Luoxian be the real legitimate daughter of the Zhong Family?

Indeed, this is not entirely impossible.

Some time ago, Shouzhe secretly visited the Hundred Islands Guard. To his surprise, someone from the Zhong Family came to deliver gifts, and he even invited the Zhong Family to the Spiritual Platform Realm for dinner.

Could it be, does Shouzhe have some intricate connection with the Tianren Family—the Zhong Family?

Considering Shouzhe’s status, it seems difficult for him to marry into the elite Zhong Family. Could it be that he’s aiming to…win her over by fait accompli?

What about Miss Liu?

Such an insult to the Liu Family’s honor can never be tolerated.

Could it be that, with Shouzhe’s wit, he has secretly won Miss Liu’s favor?

Oh, Shouzhe, you’re biting off more than you can chew with this move.

I’m a weakling and the Chen Family has little influence. I won’t be able to help you this time. Godspeed.

With Chen Fangjie standing at the prow, contemplating the secret rendezvous between Miss Zhong and Wang Shouzhe as he endures the cold wind, he can’t help but feel miserable.

Sigh!

This future brother-in-law of mine seems to be quite a handful.

Fortunately, Wang Shouzhe doesn’t know that his future brother-in-law, now weathering the cold wind, has envisioned an entirely imaginary love triangle drama for him. Otherwise, he would most likely have thrown this unsuspecting future brother-in-law into the river to cool his mind.

“Wang Mei, do you understand the plans for the upcoming operation?” Wang Shouzhe, sipping hot tea, calmly asked, “If anything is unclear, ask. However, this time, you’ll need to take some risks.”

Whether to take risks depends on the potential gains. Considering the huge benefits and the opportunity to strike at the enemy, risk-taking is inevitable.

“Master,”

Wang Mei looked up, her starry eyes sparkling in anticipation as she softly said, “For you, Master, I would even risk my life.”

Her melodic and ethereal voice was incredibly mesmerizing, making one’s heart melt.

“Pfft!”

Wang Shouzhe almost spit out his tea, glaring at her, “Speak properly.”

“Oh… forgive me, Master. I’ve gotten used to this tone recently. What I mean is, I am ready to sacrifice my life to fight the Liu and Zhao clans.” Wang Mei awkwardly smiled, quickly reverting to her usual rather mediocre tone, emitting a hint of vengefulness.

She comes from a lineage of family guards. Her grandfather died brutally in the earlier battles. How could she not hold a grudge?

When he heard her real voice, Wang Shouzhe found it disappointingly bland. He frowned and said, “Use the other tone.”

“Yes, Master. I will do as you say.” Wang Mei obediently switched back to a coquettishly sweet voice that stirred one’s heart and gave a coy glance.

“Hiss!”

Wang Shouzhe clutched his forehead. He couldn’t stand this flirtatious voice of hers. He waved away helplessly, “Nevermind, just use your normal voice.”

“….” Wang Mei blinked her innocent eyes, a little confused by the master’s changing wishes.

His preferences were indeed hard to read.

Early morning.

The sky was still dark.

A ship sailed from Dingpu Ferry. Onboard were the Liu Clan head Liu Shengye, the up-and-coming young pillar of the clan, Liu Yongzhou, along with several core clan members.

“Family Head.” A middle-aged clan member exclaimed excitedly, “It’s amazing, we would never have known without investigating. The many Guard Cities surrounding us, there are three households surnamed Zhong, of these, the one that most aligns with Miss Zhong Luoxian’s identity is probably of the Distinct Family Zhong Clan in the Hundred Islands Guard City.”

Liu Shengye’s expression was also extremely serious, yet with a faint sense of irrepressible delight, “Miss Zhong’s identity is very noble. It’s understandable that she wouldn’t want to reveal her identity when in distress. I ask everyone to remain calm and composed, so as not to lose face for the Liu Clan.”

“Yes, Family Head.” The crowd responded one after another.

Only Liu Yongzhou stood straight like a javelin at the bow, with a hint of zeal in his eyes from time to time.

He was a descendant of a Tianren family.

Luoxian was, no, she was indeed the descendant of a Tianren family.

No wonder she often avoided questions about her family background. Indeed, only a Tianren Family could cultivate such a distinguished young fairy lady whose every word and expression revealed an unapproachable aura.

The most exciting part for him was that Luoxian seemed to have a somewhat different attitude towards him, as if wanting to get closer, but also seeming to have deep-seated reservations.

Every time he saw her furrowed brows, as if in distress, Liu Yongzhou’s heart shattered.

Indeed, the great disparity between their two families was a formidable obstacle.

With this thought, Liu Yongzhou’s fiery heart cooled a bit.

However, he had another thought. His eldest uncle, Liu Shenghao, was about to ascend to the status of the Old Ancestor in the Spiritual Platform Realm, and their family was bound to enter a period of expansion with a significant increase in resources and income. And Liu Yongzhou himself was the designated next successor to the Spiritual Platform Realm.

Even with this status, though there was still a significant gap between himself and Luoxian, it wasn’t impossible to bridge. If the entire clan could support him in his pursuit of the Spiritual Platform Realm, and if Luoxian had feelings for him, they might succeed.

His heart was burning again, filled with hope for the future.

Not long after, their boat was on its way again.

The Liu Family saw a lavish medium-sized ship coming into view.

“That is…” Everyone in the Liu Clan was surprised. Today’s meeting with the grain seller was arranged by Miss Zhong and they didn’t expect it to be on such a luxurious ship.

“Huh?” Liu Shengye had good eyesight and squinted, “Although this ship doesn’t have a family flag, from the emblem on the bow, it should be a ship from the Dantai family of the Eastern Sea King.”

The Dantai family?

Unlike the remote Hundred Islands Guard City, the Eastern Sea was adjacent to Changning Guard City. And the Eastern Sea King was a renowned Tianren Family, well-known to all surrounding Guard Cities.

“The ship is extraordinarily luxurious, its owner must be an important figure from the Dantai family.” Liu Shengye’s tone was serious and wary, “Let’s steer clear of it, so as not to inadvertently invite disaster.”

However, Liu Yongzhou had an idea. Could it be that…

Sure enough, a graceful figure in a fairy dress floated out from the ship.

“It’s Miss Zhong Luoxian.” Liu Yongzhou was exhilarated, “So the seller she sought out was from the Dantai family of the Eastern Sea King. Truly worthy of being the direct descendant of the Zhong Family.”

Everyone from the Liu Clan was reported. To have the opportunity to connect with the family of the Eastern Sea King was beyond their wildest dreams.

The ships drew near each other.

The members of the Liu Clan, under the guidance of the other ship’s crew, boarded the ship one by one. The opulence they encountered made them tread very carefully. The cost of this ship was probably not less than three to four thousand Qian Gold.

The income of the vast Liu Clan could reach this figure. However, with their family size and businesses, their expenses were substantial. They could only accumulate five to six hundred Qian Gold at the end of the year.

“Young Master Liu.” Zhong Luoxian’s gaze first fell on Liu Yongzhou. Seeing him, her face lit up with joy, but she immediately restrained herself. She bowed slightly to the members of the Liu Clan and said in a soft voice, “Luoxian pays her respects to the elders of the Liu Clan.”

The Head of the Household, Liu Shengye, hastily reciprocated their salutations. Even though Miss Zhong was paying her respects as a junior, they could not afford to be complacent. This was truly befitting of a daughter raised and educated by a Celestial’s Family, such a personable young lady.

Liu Shengye was increasingly confident about the ultimate goal of this journey.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhong Luoxian led them inside the ship to meet with the grain sellers.

Upon entering, they were astounded by the lavish decoration and layout. They realized they had underestimated the cost of this ship. Just the decor alone was worth more than a thousand Qian Gold.

Inside the chamber, a handsome young man in a silk robe with a jade crown was lazily lounging. His whole being exemplified the essence of noble identity.

The brocade robe was made of Ice Spirit Silk, slightly icy white in color, casting an exceptional aura. Ice Spirit Silk was always a luxurious and costly item.

Wearing it gives you a refreshing and cool sensation on a hot summer’s day without a drop of sweat. Wearing it for a long time also nourishes the skin and has beautifying effects.

Most importantly, Ice Spirit Silk is incredibly fine and strong, ordinary swords and knives are hard to cut through it, and it has a certain defensive effect and fire-proof function.

Descendants of ordinary families consider Ice Spirit Silk as the aspired luxury item. It’s said that the Insect Master of the Changning Xu Family secretly bred some Ice Spirit Silkworms and made a lot of money from them, but even so, few people in the Xu Family can afford Ice Spirit Silkworm clothing.

The price is just too high.

The young man’s garment alone probably cost hundreds of Qian Gold. The jade crown he was wearing was also dazzling, obviously a very valuable Spiritual Treasure.

Even the household guard standing behind him seemed refined and extraordinary.

“Zhong Luoxian.” The noble young man gave the Liu clan members a lazy glance, his eyebrows slightly wrinkled and spoke with laziness and contempt, “You write to our Dantai Family, to trade with this obscure family?”

A surge of anger erupted in Liu Yongzhou’s heart. Who the hell was this guy? How dare he speak to Miss Luoxian in such a manner.