Chapter 2: Where Did the System Go? |
But after a while, there was no response at all.
Could it be? Wang Shoujie's heart sank a little, traversing without a golden finger, this pace is a bit of a pit, isn't it? Subsequently, Wang Shoujie repeatedly tried many times, but still did not see any trace of the golden finger.
His heart became more and more anxious. In this fantasy world, masters abound, and fierce beasts roam rampantly. Without a golden finger, how can he play?
"It seems that I can only take one step at a time." Wang Shoujie's expression was slightly solemn, but he soon calmed down. Even without a golden finger, he still has some advantages.
At least after the fusion of memories, he found that although this world has many strong masters, in terms of social development and advanced thinking, they are not as good as the people on Earth, even if he is just an ordinary office worker after graduating from university...
Just as Wang Shoujie was about to summarize his advantages.
Suddenly, the servant Wang Gui rushed in anxiously from outside: "Master, Master, something terrible has happened. Sixth Elder has been beaten, and he has sent people back to ask for help."
Sixth Elder?
Wang Shoujie's brow furrowed slightly, and memories surged forth: "It's Uncle Wang Dinghai."
Now that Wang Dinghai has been beaten, there must be some changes in the family's fishing fleet. This is a good opportunity to personally observe this world.
"Calm down, what's the point of being so anxious?" Wang Shoujie thought about it and calmed down. After scolding him, he said calmly, "Prepare the carriage, we'll go and take a look."
"Yes, Master." Wang Gui hurriedly responded and ran off to prepare for the trip.
Wang Shoujie, based on his memories, walked out of the room and slowly headed towards the main gate of the manor, observing the various buildings and structures of the manor along the way, and verifying them one by one with the memories in his mind.
On the way, he happened to see the Gong Sunhui, her face grave, leading several family guards, hurriedly walking towards the main gate.
Wang Shoujie greeted her with a salute: "Greetings, Mother."
The Wang Shoujie with the merged memories already knew that he had lost his mother at a young age, and Gong Sunhui was the legal wife of his late father Wang Dingyue, and they had a legitimate daughter named Wang Luomiao, who was now eight years old.
Therefore, although Gong Sunhui is Wang Shoujie's mother, she is not his biological mother. But she is of pure character and has always treated Wang Shoujie as her own, taking good care of him in every way.
This is a bit different from the usual fantasy novel routine.
Gong Sunhui, seeing Wang Shoujie, hurried forward and grabbed his hand, her face full of concern: "Zhe'er, why are you out? Have you had your meal? Are you feeling better?"
The other family guards also hurriedly saluted Wang Shoujie.
"Mother, I'm fine, and I've finished the nourishing meal you had prepared. I'll tell you more about it later." Wang Shoujie discreetly withdrew his hand, his expression solemn, "Mother, are you leading the family guards to support Sixth Uncle? I'll accompany you."
Gong Sunhui's expression darkened, and after a moment of hesitation, she said, "Zhe'er, since you have inherited the position of clan leader, you will eventually face such matters. Since you are now well, let's go and take a look together."
"Yes, Mother."
The two of them left the main gate of the manor together. The plaque above the main gate was inscribed with the grand words "Ping'an Wang Clan" in dragon and phoenix calligraphy, exuding an imposing aura.
However, the faded color of the columns and the white lanterns swaying in the wind with the character "Dingpu" written on them conveyed a sense of the declining and desolate state of the Wang Clan.
"Master, Mistress Gong, the carriage is ready." The personal servant Wang Gui came running, "The sword and bow and arrows have been placed in the carriage."
After a brief discussion, Wang Shoujie and Gong Sunhui boarded the same carriage, while the other four family guards rode yellow-spotted horses to escort them on both sides, heading towards the Dingpu Ferry Terminal on the An River.
On the way, Gong Sunhui recounted the previous events in detail.
With the thinking of his past and present life, Wang Shoujie quickly grasped the actual situation. The An River is a wide river hundreds of yards wide, with abundant and distinctive aquatic resources. Through the fishing fleet, it can generate long-term economic benefits.
However, where there are benefits, there are often conflicts and confrontations. The three major families of Ping'an Town naturally do not want to give up this fat meat, and after various struggles and compromises, the three major families of Ping'an have now divided the territory of the An River, and they do not encroach on each other's domains.
The section of the An River from the Dingpu Ferry Terminal to the Luanshi Shoal, a distance of thirty miles to the right, belongs to the water domain of the Ping'an Wang Clan.
In recent years, two other prominent families have continuously risen and their ambitions have grown, while the overall territory is limited, it is natural for them to encroach on others' territories.
The plan to nibble away at the territory has been ongoing, and the family's territory and industries have been shrinking year after year. The smaller the territory, the scarcer the resources, and the more difficult it is for the clan members to grow, thus entering a vicious cycle.
The situation is even worse, as the Wang Clan's Ancestor Longyan's health seems to be declining year by year, and she has been in seclusion for the past few years, not even showing up for the major events in the family, which inevitably raises speculations about whether she can still fight.
The situation is not optimistic, Wang Shoujie frowned.
The Wang Clan's main residence is built by the mountain and the water, less than 10 miles from the Dingpu Ferry Terminal, with a solid road base that is maintained year-round. With the vanguard family clearing the way, it takes less than half an hour by carriage to reach the terminal.
This ferry terminal was one of the outposts of the Changning Guard when Ping'an Town was first established. After more than a hundred years of development in Ping'an Town, the Dingpu Ferry Terminal has become a vital transportation hub connecting the north and south.
The Three Great Families of Ping'an all have docks, ferries, and shops at this terminal.
The terminal has some simple defensive facilities, with a rather crude city wall of only five or six meters high, capable of withstanding only small-scale beast attacks.
After entering the terminal, Wang Shoujie's group headed straight for the deep-water dock. Under the long wooden pier, there stood giant wooden pillars with outstretched arms, supporting the pier to a depth of three or four zhang (about 30-40 feet). In the deep-water area, there were two transverse piers, forming a series of berths.
The berths were occupied by boats of various sizes, including ferries, merchant ships, and fishing boats.
In the distance, two groups of people could be seen confronting each other at the end of the pier, holding sticks, knives, and forks, their emotions running high.
"Old Six of the Wang family, you've got some guts. Daring to bring people to block our Young Master Yongzhou, are you asking for another beating?" a young man's mocking voice rang out.
"You little dog of the Liu family," the other man shouted angrily, "Didn't you just ambush from the water? If you're a real man, let's go into the water and have a real fight, and I, Old Six of the Wang family, will teach you how to be a decent person."
"Old Six of the Wang, don't blame me for looking down on you. At your age, you're practically a living dog, without an ounce of brains," the young man sneered. "Ambushing from the water is a common battle tactic, do you expect us to announce it beforehand and say we can't use tactics? Haha, you're just getting more and more outdated. Why don't you just get out of Ping'an Town before you waste our resources?"
The young man's group burst into laughter, chanting "Get out of Ping'an Town, get out of Ping'an Town."
The Dingpu Ferry Terminal was crowded with travelers and merchants, who had gathered to watch the commotion, and various discussions were ongoing. This confrontation would undoubtedly be spread by word of mouth to other places, and the Wang Clan, as the losing party, would become a laughingstock, damaging their reputation.
"You little dog of the Liu family, you've gone too far. Your Old Six will fight you to the end!" the man had turned beet red, his rage reaching its peak.
"Old dog of the Wang, if you've got the guts, come at me!"
The two sides were on the verge of a physical altercation.
"Stop!" Gong Sunhui, seeing the situation escalating, quickly stepped between the two groups, "Wang Dinghai, Liu Yongzhou, calm down and let's talk this through."
Worried that the elder Gong would be harmed, Wang Shoujie waved his hand, and four of the Wang family's guards immediately surrounded and protected Gong Sunhui, while he himself closely followed, continuing to observe the situation.
Based on his observation and memory, the young man in the tight-fitting water clothes, with a short blade hanging at his waist, who looked a bit nonchalant, was called Liu Yongzhou, a member of the Liu Clan's Yong generation.
Rumor had it that this young man was skilled in water combat, especially the Water Escape Technique, and had once killed a first-tier ferocious beast, the Red Scaled Eel, weighing over 200 jin (about 220 pounds), with a short blade while diving, earning him the reputation of the "Thousand Mile Colt" of the Ping'an Liu Clan, despite being only in his early twenties.
The other man, with a lean build and dark skin, was clearly a long-time water dweller. He had injuries on his head and arms, wrapped in some burlap, looking rather disheveled.
This was Wang Shoujie's clan uncle, Wang Dinghai, who was responsible for the family's fishing operations in their sphere of influence, and was also highly skilled in water combat and hunting, being the main captor of the Crimson-Tailed Spirit Fish that Wang Shoujie had previously eaten.
"Well, well, if it isn't Lady Gong Sunhui of the Wang family," the young man called Liu Yongzhou greeted with a smile, before turning to Wang Dinghai with disdain, "Old Six of the Wang, you and I have some conflicts as juniors, and you even brought out your clan sister to back you up. I, Yongzhou, am truly impressed and ashamed."
"You..." Wang Dinghai's dark face flushed a deep red.
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