Chapter 3: Countermeasures |
"Enough!" Gong Sunhui scolded, her voice stern, and then added, "Sixth Uncle, don't be impulsive. We should handle this matter calmly."
Gong Sunhui herself was the eldest daughter of the Shanyang Gongsun Clan and the wife of the Wang Clan's patriarch, making her the stepmother of the new generation of Wang Clan leaders. With her identity, she was more than qualified to mediate this matter.
Wang Dinghai's tone was agitated as he said, "Fifth Aunt, it's not that I'm being impulsive, but that Liu Yongzhou is too outrageous. Everyone in Ping'an Town knows that the An River, from the Dingpu Ferry Terminal to Lianshi Beach, is our Wang Clan's territorial waters. But Liu Yongzhou has repeatedly crossed the line, and this time, he's even crossed ten miles into our territory. If I don't take action, will our Wang Clan still have a place in this river?"
"Oh, oh, oh, Wang Dinghai, you're being too quick to accuse others," Liu Yongzhou said, looking like he was greatly wronged. "The winds on the An River are strong, and the currents are rapid. Our Liu Clan's territorial waters are also on the upper reaches of the An River, so it's unavoidable that our boats might drift. But you're using your fishing boats to ram into ours, and then you're complaining about being at a disadvantage. This is truly unreasonable. Are you bullying us because we don't have our clan leader here?"
Wang Shoujie had been silent, observing and thinking. He had already determined that this was a deliberate provocation by the Liu Clan, aiming to test him as the new clan leader. The goal was likely to gauge his abilities and possibly form an alliance with the Zhao Clan.
If Wang Shoujie, as the clan leader, was incompetent and cowardly, the Liu Clan would likely take advantage of the situation and launch a series of plots.
"Cough, cough!"
Wang Shoujie coughed twice and walked forward calmly.
"Great nephew, you're here too?" Wang Dinghai's face lit up, and then he said angrily, "Quickly, give your sixth uncle justice. This kid is secretly plotting against us. I won't back down, and I want to have a fair competition with him again."
Without a doubt, Wang Shoujie surpassed Liu Yongzhou in overall strength. Moreover, Wang Shoujie was only 18 years old and had already reached the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, indicating great potential for future growth.
Currently, the Liu Clan was also very wary of Wang Shoujie. If he were given the opportunity to break through to the Spirit Realm, the balance of power in Ping'an Town would undergo a significant change.
The surrounding onlookers began to discuss in hushed tones, seemingly interested in the young clan leader of the Ping'an Wang Clan. Their words implied that if Wang Dingyue, the previous clan leader, had lived for another ten years, the situation would be different by the time Wang Shoujie grew up.
"Sixth Uncle, victory and defeat are common in battle," Wang Shoujie said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tested the waters. "However, do you really have the confidence to win? If you lose again in front of everyone, it will damage our Wang Clan's prestige."
"Uh..." Wang Dinghai hesitated, speaking in a low voice, "I've had several conflicts with that Liu kid, and usually, we're evenly matched. But today, his Water Escape Technique seems to have improved significantly. He's as slippery as an eel in the water, and I was caught off guard. But don't worry, nephew, I'll do my best to win this time."
Water Escape Technique improved significantly?
Heh, this was interesting. Wang Shoujie touched his nose, roughly understanding the opponent's tactics. They were creating conflicts, provoking Wang Dinghai's sense of injustice, and then, in front of everyone, letting Liu Yongzhou defeat Wang Dinghai, damaging the Wang Clan's prestige.
If they could further stir up emotions and get both sides to sign a wager, that would be perfect. At that time, they could take a big bite out of the Wang Clan.
Wang Shoujie had a clear judgment of the situation and said, "Sixth Uncle, let me handle this matter."
"Uh..." Wang Dinghai hesitated, but after seeing Wang Shoujie's calm demeanor, he calmed down and stepped back two steps. "Great nephew, be careful. The Liu Clan is good at playing tricks."
"Don't worry, Sixth Uncle. I won't lose," Wang Shoujie reassured him and then looked around the scene before declaring loudly, "Mysterious Martial Clans has always been known for their martial prowess. If the younger generation can't protect our ancestral territories, it's only natural to retreat. Liu Yongzhou, if your Liu Clan wants to encroach on our Wang Clan's fishing grounds, creating conflicts is just a small trick. Why not be more straightforward? Let's have a Life-and-Death Arena battle between us, and whoever wins gets to keep the fishing grounds?"
"What?"
The surrounding crowd gasped in shock. Life-and-Death Arena? Wasn't this young Wang Clan leader going too far?
Wang Shoujie was five years younger than Liu Yongzhou, but his proposal of a Life-and-Death Arena battle made Liu Yongzhou's face turn pale. He didn't dare to accept, and could only stammer, "Clan Leader Wang, you're joking. How can a clan leader engage in a life-or-death battle?"
From this alone, it was clear that Liu Yongzhou, although not bad among his peers, was still inferior to Wang Shoujie, who had been groomed as a young clan leader.
"Haha~" Wang Shoujie sneered, "Cowards are cowards, no need to put on a grand show. I, Wang Shoujie, stand here today, and no matter how many of Liu Clan's Eternal Generation come, I'll take them on."
"Good Well said, the new clan leader of Wang Clan is quite bold!"
"Mysterious Martial family, establishing their family through martial arts, has some meaning to it. Let's see how Liu Clan takes this. From what I know, the oldest of Liu Clan's Eternal Generation is around 36 or 37 years old, and the youngest is still learning to speak. Thinking about it, it's hard to figure out who can take on the new clan leader of Wang Clan."
"Brother, how is this young man's strength? Can he really defeat all of Liu Clan's Eternal Generation?"
"You're an outsider, right? That's our Ping'an Wang Clan's new clan leader, Wang Shoujie, who is only 18 years old and has almost reached the high level of the Qi Refining Realm. Moreover, he's said to be extremely talented in swordsmanship and has already reached the level of 'perfection'. A local resident introduced with a hint of pride, "And Wang Shoujie has already passed the entrance exam of Purple Palace Academy and will be enrolled soon, but unfortunately, Wang Clan had a major incident and had to give up his studies."
"Purple Palace Academy, isn't that the one that claims 'once you enter the Purple Palace, you'll definitely become a spiritual tower' (meaning 'a place where one can achieve great success')? That's impressive, but what a pity!"
The surrounding discussions reached Wang Shoujie's ears, reminding him that he had indeed passed the initial selection of Purple Palace Academy not long ago.
Purple Palace Academy in Longzu County recruits new students every three years, but their requirements are extremely strict. Within the Changning Guard's jurisdiction, only one to three students pass the initial selection and qualify for the re-examination each year. This year, Wang Shoujie was among them.
However, saying that he would be enrolled soon was an exaggeration. In the entire Changning Guard area, it's not certain that a student from Purple Palace Academy would emerge in ten or eight years. Wang Shoujie acknowledged his own abilities, but he also knew that the probability of passing the re-examination was less than 30%.
The surrounding atmosphere and public opinion began to lean towards Wang Clan.
The previous conflict, which was initially mishandled and would have damaged Wang Clan's reputation, had instead boosted their prestige.
"Well done, nephew!" Wang Dinghai said with a pleased expression, "Look at those Liu Clan kids, do they still dare to be arrogant?"
Gong Sunhui's beautiful eyes shone with admiration towards Wang Shoujie, never expecting that his few words would turn a bad situation that would have damaged the family's reputation into a disadvantage for Liu Clan.
Before this, her son had only focused on his own cultivation and paid little attention to other matters. Unexpectedly, as soon as he became the clan leader, he showed his capabilities.
"Good!"
Suddenly, a cheer erupted, "The Wang Clan's clan leader's words are truly earth-shattering, impressive. Mysterious Martial Clan establishing their family through martial arts, if they can't protect their ancestral heritage, why not retreat and yield? Well said!"
As the speaker finished, a middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe, with an extraordinary aura, emerged from the crowd, surrounded by several brave family guards. His expression was like a smile, but not quite, as he gazed at Wang Shoujie.
As soon as he appeared, Gong Sunhui and Wang Dinghai's faces changed color: "It's actually Liu Shengye!"
Especially Gong Sunhui, who directly warned Wang Shoujie in a low voice, "Be careful, Liu Clan's clan leader must have ulterior motives for appearing at this time."
Liu Shengye.
Wang Shoujie's eyes narrowed slightly, the current clan leader of Ping'an Liu Clan, who was said to have personal martial arts skills that were not the strongest in Liu Clan, and was still unable to break through to the 8th layer of the Qi Refining Realm at the age of 40.
However, in Wang Shoujie's memory, this person was known for his cunning and was a famous "smiling tiger" (meaning 'a person who hides their true intentions behind a friendly facade'). He had often gained the upper hand in his interactions with Wang Clan's previous clan leader, Wang Dingyue, and was extremely skilled at managing the clan's assets, causing Liu Clan's power to rise steadily.
"Originally, it was the Liu Clan's clan leader who arrived." Wang Shoujie responded calmly, "Since the Liu Clan's clan leader acknowledges my words, does that mean you agree to a Life-and-Death Arena with me?"
"Which has nothing to do with this," Liu Shengye countered, "As the clan leader, how can you bully the younger generation?" He implied that the Life-and-Death Arena should be between Liu Yongzhou and Wang Dinghai instead.
"Clan Leader Liu's words are very reasonable," Wang Shoujie nodded seriously, "You and I, Wang Clan and Liu Clan, have had many conflicts and grudges. If we're going to have a Life-and-Death Arena, why not have the two of us, as clan leaders, take the stage personally? That would be a fair match."
"What?"
Liu Shengye's face twitched, the clan leader taking part in a Life-and-Death Arena personally? Has Wang Shoujie gone mad? First, he bit off more than he could chew with Liu Yongzhou, and now he's directly challenging him, Liu Shengye? Is this a case of 'catch whoever you can'?
The surrounding merchants and travelers, as well as the other people at the dock, were also shocked into silence. This was a battle between two clan leaders, was it necessary to be so impulsive?
[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]
