Protect Our Clan Leader

Wang Shouzhe pondered briefly, then with a serious expression on his face, he said: “Arranging and compensating for the family members of those victims can be considered a consolation to their spirits in heaven. I would appreciate it if Guard Lei could handle this matter. If it’s well taken care of, it might be a worthwhile achievement.”

As he went through the files of those cases, dubbed as the extermination cases, the victims were all adult males, leaving behind a bunch of women and children. It wasn’t because the murderer was empathetic, but rather, it seemed like they intentionally left behind a group of grief-stricken widows and orphans as a warning to others.

Lei Yangqiu was taken aback, but he soon found himself gaining a newfound respect for Wang Shouzhe. Looking at his actions, it appeared as though he genuinely cared for those bereaved women and children.

Regardless of whether his concern was genuine or not, even if it was just an act, as long as he was able to maintain this facade, it would appear real in the eyes of everyone else.

As long as Wang Shouzhe didn’t fall midway, the Wang family was likely to rise under his leadership.

Thereupon, Lei Yangqiu said with a solemn look: “Since Clan Leader Wang has asked me, I will do my utmost to comfort those elderly, weak women and children who survived.”

He paused, then spoke in a low voice, “Clan Leader Wang, you need to be careful of Zhao Bojun and Liu Zhide in the future. Those two old men are crafty characters. While they won’t dare to take action openly, one can’t say for sure about what they might do behind the scenes.”

Unconsciously, Lei Yangqiu tried to curry favor.

“Huh?” Wang Shouzhe squinted and smiled, “Grand Guard Lei, it seems that you aren’t holding a grudge against me for my actions towards you today. Are you pretending to let your guard down, ready for a surprise attack of revenge?”

At this point, Wang Shouzhe had started to notice some patterns.

In these aristocratic celestial families, the cultivators in the Spiritual Platform Realm seemed to have temperamental issues.

Take the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan, for example. Although the two old ancestors were enemies of the Wang family, and Wang Shouzhe would love to kill them instantly if he could, he had to admit that those two old ancestors still had the temperament worthy of the Sea Stabilizing Needle of a Clan.

Minister Zhong Xingwang of the Hundred Islands Guard, a Celestial family he had known before, and Lei Yangqiu, seemed to lack the unyielding tenacity and pride found in the elderly members of the Celestial families.

Upon further thought, this was inevitable.

The cultivators of the Spiritual Platform Realm in minor clans were the foundation of the family, bearing the survival or extinction of the whole clan on their shoulders. They couldn’t afford the slightest negligence. Even a minor decision could lead to a catastrophic disaster for the clan.

As time passed, these cultivators would naturally develop a formidable determination and a mindset that prioritized their clan above everything else.

However, those in the Spiritual Platform Realm within the Celestial families didn’t need to worry about the survival or extinction of their entire family. They were more focused on personal achievements and their status and benefits within the family.

In their upbringing, they constantly had to look up to the elderly Celestial ancestors in their family. As a result, they had to temper their personalities, making it impossible for them to foster an attitude or aura of dominance.

Enough of the digression for now.

Hearing Wang Shouzhe’s question, Lei Yangqiu promptly looked solemn and said, “Honestly speaking, I would be lying if I said I didn’t hold a grudge over the previous incident. Still, there was originally no animosity between Wang family and my family, the Lei Clan. If I were to turn that incident into a vendetta against Clan Leader Wang, my clan might not support it.”

No animosity?

Wang Shouzhe’s eyes narrowed slightly. Could it be that his previous assumptions were wrong? Or was it possible that Lei Yangqiu was kept in the dark?

Without saying a word, he continued to listen to Lei Yangqiu.

“Secondly, although I, Lei Yangqiu, am indeed not a good person, I have nothing to do with those who conspired with Independent Cultivators and killed civilians.” Lei Yangqiu said, “As a guard of a heavenly family, I have a promising future. Why would I participate in such horrendous acts? The Liu and Zhao Clans wouldn’t have involved me either.”

Wang Shouzhe remained expressionless, pondering over the words of Lei Yangqiu.

“Our Lei Clan has been around for nearly a thousand years, so naturally, we have our rules.” Seeing that Wang Shouzhe seemed to soften, Lei Yangqiu quickly added, “Of course, during my guard duty here, I intended to cozy up to the Liu and Zhao clans on behalf of our family in order to increase our influence in Ping’an Town. That was a strategic family objective.”

“And I must also admit that I have accepted gifts from the Liu and Zhao clans in private. However, I can swear by the name of our clan that I was not involved in any heinous deeds.” Lei Yangqiu hurriedly clarified.

Wang Shouzhe pondered for a moment, believing him to a certain extent, but still scoffed, “But your indulgence and turn-the-blind-eye attitude have made the Liu and Zhao clans increasingly wild.”

“That’s true.” Lei Yangqiu admitted unabashedly, “But I won’t admit that I was aware of this. Honestly, I was quite surprised when I saw the evidence today.

But firstly, Leader Wang, you’ve put me on the spot, clearly using me as a pawn. Secondly, wooing the Liu and Zhao Clans is part of our Lei Family strategy. As such, I felt compelled to protect them and oppose Leader Wang.”

“Of course, in my heart, I also didn’t think the death of some common people was a big deal…” Lei Yangqiu said cautiously, but upon seeing the displeasure on Wang Shouzhe’s face, immediately added, “After being reprimanded by Leader Wang, I now understand the error of my thinking.”

“Although Leader Wang’s scolding made me feel humiliated and furious to the point of wanting to kill you, upon reflection, it wasn’t necessarily unreasonable,” Lei Yangqiu said earnestly. “If I could really do as Leader Wang suggested, I might actually accomplish something. The old ancestor in our family might perhaps look at me in a new light.”

“Of course, one more thing is crucial,” Lei Yangqiu said earnestly, “Our aim with the Lei Family is to have an influence in Ping’an Town, but it’s not as if we have to cling to the Liu and Zhao clans. We could ally with the Wang family too. After today, I’m convinced that Zhao Bojun and Liu Zhide likely won’t be a match for Leader Wang.”

To persuade Wang Shouzhe to pardon him, Lei Yangqiu was really giving it his all.

“An alliance with the Lei Family?” Wang Shouzhe furrowed his brow in thought.

Lei Yangqiu wanted to say it wasn’t an alliance, but a surrender. However, he swallowed his words at the last moment. He had already seen that Wang Shouzhe would likely not be one to play second fiddle.

“Let’s leave it at that for now,” Wang Shouzhe said after pondering for a moment. “Guardian Lei, don’t think you’re off the hook. I will have someone investigate you. If it turns out like you’ve said, that you’re just misinformed and not greatly evil, we’ll put today’s incident behind us.”

“If you’ve committed an unforgivable crime, even though I don’t have the authority to judge you, I would suggest you pack up and leave immediately.”

Wang Shouzhe’s gaze was fixed on Lei Yangqiu.

Lei Yangqiu was unnerved by his stare, his heart was pounding, he quickly answered, “Of course I have minor offenses, even accepting bribes, but I wouldn’t dare commit major crimes. I promise to make amends for these in the future.”

“Alright, your word alone isn’t enough. First, go and take care of the aftermath for the orphans,” Wang Shouzhe waved his hand dismissively, “Or should the Guardian expect the Wang family to serve him a meal?”

“How dare I, Leader Wang, I’ll take my leave now.” Lei Yangqiu’s face tightened and he quickly retreated.

It wasn’t until he had gone a considerable distance that Lei Yangqiu could finally let out a sigh of relief, it felt like he had made it through a critical juncture.

At this point, his back was soaked with sweat. Wang Shouzhe, no, Leader Wang, was terrifying. He manipulated Lei Yangqiu effortlessly with his casual demeanor and words, controlling his life or death, leaving Lei Yangqiu feeling powerless.

He found himself in a strange and unsettling situation, and couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

At this moment, he genuinely felt a combination of deep respect for Wang Shouzhe, gratitude for being spared, and loathing for the Liu and Zhao clans who had put him in a bad spot.

Watching Lei Yangqiu’s receding figure, Wang Shouzhe also fell into deep thought.

What’s this state Lei Yangqiu is in called again? He had read about it on an app before.

Oh right, Stockholm Syndrome? More or less, it’s quite similar.

It’s the circumstance where someone completely controls one’s life and death and they are powerless to resist. Receiving a little favor, they become deeply grateful to the controller, even worshipping and blindly following them.

Heh heh~ things have become interesting now.