Chapter 69: Chapter 69 The Family Heritage Passed Down
by the Old Ancestor_i
Translator: 549690339 I
The momentum he exploded with was quite extraordinary, more intense than what he had seen from Principal Qian a while ago.
It was evident that Wang Xiaohan was endowed with solid foundations.
Only because he had failed before, his will had become too depressed, and he had resigned himself to guarding his twenty-acre Spirit Field until his death.
“Hehe~” Wang Shouzhe ignored his momentum and rage, calmly saying, “Liu Shenghao of the Liu Clan and Zhao Daoyuan of the Zhao Clan. You’re familiar with these two names, right?”
Wang Xiaohan, taken aback, slowly withdrew his momentum, reverting back to his humble farmer’s demeanor. He said solemnly, “Both of them have taken the path of the Spirit Platform. There’s a rumor that within five years or so, they will both attempt to impact the Spirit Platform Stage. They represent the biggest trouble for our family.
“However, Shouzhe, there’s no need to worry too much. Once you marry Miss Liu and have offspring, the Liu Family – boasting three Spirit Platform elders – will surely find ways to protect us. All our family needs is for you to reach the Spirit Platform, and we’ll have a firm foothold.”
The three Spirit Platform elders of the Liu Family are intimately connected to the Wang family by blood, especially Liu Xuanfu who has been developing vigorously in the Purple Abode Academic Palace for many years. Her power is already unfathomably deep.
Moreover, she is the cousin of Elder Longyan.
So, this was what they were relying on. No wonder they were content to be idle. Wang Shouzhe deduced that Wang Xiaohan, after his failed attempt, indulged in self-blame and as a response, stuck his head in the sand, refusing to shoulder any further responsibilities. This kind of behavior commonly appears in modern society on Earth – for instance, some entrepreneurs lose their selfconfidence after a failed startup never to recover.
The best way to deal with such people is to eliminate all their hopes, cutting off the last psychological straw they cling onto for solace.
A playful smile emerged at the corner of Wang Shouzhe’s mouth as he toyed with his simple teacup, “It’s a pity that I already have firm news. The Zhao Clan and the Liu Clan have both secretly prepared the Heavenly Spirit Pills. Liu Shenghao and Zhao Daoyuan have been polishing themselves. At any moment, they could attempt to impact the Spirit Platform Stage. If either family succeeds, our Wang family will lose its foothold.”
” If I were the head of the Liu or Zhao Clan, once my family has two Spirit Platform elders, I would certainly first conceal this fact, then look for opportunities to secretly take risks and kill Wang Shouzhe during his mourning period.” Wang Shouzhe said indifferently, “My marriage to Miss Liu is merely a signed agreement. Even if the Liu Family feels humiliated and angered, they probably wouldn’t help me avenge.”
He knew very well that both the Liu Clan and the Zhao Clan saw him, Wang Shouzhe, as a thorn in their side. The only reason they hadn’t started anything was either because the time wasn’t right or because they can’t afford to retaliate against Elder Longyan.
If one family had two Spirit Platform elders working together, why would they fear the frenzied retaliation of Elder Longyan, who was half a step away from the grave?
Of course, they would prefer to wait for Elder Longyan to succumb to natural causes by herself, that way the risk would be smaller.
But how long could their patience last? Nobody knew.
The moment a clan gets their second elder, along with a boost to their morale, ambition inevitably starts simmering.
” How is it possible, how is it possible! How can they be so quick?” Wang Xiaohan’s face turned pale with shock and despair, in his viewpoint, Wang Shouzhe was the last hope for their family.
If he died, the Wang Family would truly be finished.
“As long as they are willing to invest resources, accelerating the cultivation „ progress is normal.” Wang Shouzhe said nonchalantly while sipping his tea. “If I were the head of the Liu or Zhao Clan, I would make the same choice. It’s but a common strategy to confuse the enemy with smoke bombs while secretly making full efforts.”
“Such cruelty, such ruthless tactics.” Wang Xiaohan trembled all over, but his eyes gradually gained conviction. He abruptly stood up, “The only plan left for now is to sell our family heirloom and exchange it for a Heavenly Spirit Pill. I, your sixth grandfather, will stake my old life on attempting the Spirit Platform again, hoping that the Old Ancestor Zhou Xuan would bless our Wang family. I, Wang Xiaohan, am going to tread the path to the Spirit Platform again — succeed or perish!”
He stood erect, like a pillar holding up heaven and earth. His air of hopelessness and defeat had completely vanished. Regardless of success or failure, this sixty-five-year-old man finally stood up again and bore the weight of the world on his shoulders, just like before.
Family heirloom?
Wang Shouzhe asked quizzically, “Could it be that you, sixth grandfather, intend to sell off the Zhou Xuan Sword? That is the only relic from Old Ancestor Zhou Xuan, placed as an offering in our ancestral shrine. Selling this off would mean dooming our family, regardless of its success or failure.”
“Of course not, how could we sell off the Zhou Xuan Sword? It symbolizes our family’s standing!” Wang Xiaohan, now emanating sharpness from head to toe, had this sharpness suppressed within him for almost twenty years under deep regret and repression.
At this critical juncture for the family’s survival, his sharpness that he thought long lost finally unsheathed anew. Even Wang Shouzhe couldn’t help but feel a constriction in his heart. Truly worthy of the sixth grandfather- a person who once attempted to reach the Spirit Platform Stage.
“We, the Ping’an Wang Family, owe our founding to Old Ancestor Zhou Xuan’s every punch and kick.” Wang Xiaohan confidently stood, his back facing his hands, “Although we are now decayed and dormant, our profound foundation is still incomparable to the treacherous families of slave origins like the Liu and the Zhao Clans.”
Having experienced the rebellion incident, Wang Xiaohan naturally harbored deep hatred for the Liu and Zhao Clans even though they were only subsidiary families, not slaves.
“So our family does have some hidden potential?”
This made Wang Shouzhe even more resolute. His late father, Wang Dingyue, must have used the excuse of seeking opportunities in foreign realms when he died. Even his own son had been kept in the dark, let alone his mother.
“Shouzhe, do not take it to heart. I intended to show you all this in person after you returned to the Prosperous Farm,” said Wang Xiaohan apologetically, “But you’ve been too busy lately, and there hasn’t been an opportunity.” Wang Shouzhe did not mind this. He used to be a minor member of the family, so it was not possible for him to know everything. Besides, the more hidden secrets and potentials a family had, the better. He would be thrilled if there were a dozen undisclosed trump cards.
In this way, the pressure on him as the clan leader would be greatly alleviated, and it might not be a bad thing to comfortably play dead.
Wang Xiaohan led him past the twenty acres of Spirit Fields, across the trickling clear Spiritual Spring, where he opened a secret door camouflaged as a rock by the mountain stream.
Once inside, they found that both sides consisted of blade-like cliffs, and only a narrow and cramped path led to the end.
Following Wang Xiaohan through the narrow path, their vision suddenly brightened. This was a secluded place that looked like a heavenly abode, with sunlight shining through the roof of the cave, illuminating the hidden interior.
The interior was not that spacious, only about a thousand square meters, roughly the size of two acres. However, the family had built a Spirit Gathering Array here. In the Spirit Gathering Array were two acres of Spirit Fields, shrouded in misty fog.
These two acres of Spirit Fields, judging from the rich concentration of Spiritual Energy, were far superior to the twenty outside. And the crops were not the traditional White Jade Spiritual Rice.
They were precious spiritual medicines!!!
“These two acres of Spirit Fields, they are actually mid-grade?” Even Wang Shouzhe could not help but be a bit astonished.
“Yes,” Wang Xiaohan showed a trace of pride on his face. “When Old Ancestor Zhou Xuan founded the Prosperous Farm, he discovered this hidden, independent space in the mountain stream, which happened to be the starting point of a small Spirit Vein, and a tiny Spirit Cave. He personally expanded and chiseled this place with a few family members, spent a vast amount of resources to build the Spirit Gathering Array, and put in a lot of effort to open up two acres of Spirit Fields. After being nourished by the Spirit Gathering Array for a long time, it gradually became two mid-grade Spirit Fields.” Spiritual medicines usually grow in places with Spirit Veins and Spirit Caves, nurtured by Spiritual Energy over many years, progressively producing the effects of plant essence. The more abundant the Spiritual Energy, the higher the chances of Spiritual Medicine growth.
Anyway, until now, Wang Shouzhe had not yet encountered any Spiritual Medicine in the wild.
“Shouzhe, look here. This area has ten-year-old Purple Leaves, planted ten years ago. Here we have twenty-year, thirty-year, fifty-year-old ones.” Grandpa Wang Xiaohan pointed to an area covering one acre of Spirit Field, which was divided into five sections from small to large, each planted with Purple Leaves of different ages.
The older the Purple Leaves, the larger the area they occupied.
Wang Shouzhe knew that Purple Leaves was a common and easily cultivated root-type Spiritual Medicine. Once it matured to the age of fifty years, it could be used in Alchemy.
The main ingredient of the renowned and popular Little Pei Yuan Dan is the fifty-year-old Purple Leaves.
A fifty-year-old Purple Leaves weighed about a pound, and together with other auxiliary materials, it could be used to produce five to ten Little Pei Yuan Dan. If fewer than five were produced, it indicated an immature Alchemist. More than ten, and the Alchemist was a true master.
However, the profit margin for producing Little Pei Yuan Dan was relatively small, so few master alchemists would bother to do so.
Therefore, if a fifty-year-old Purple Leaves were to be sold, it would be worth about fifty Qian Gold. Alchemists would break even if they produced six pills, and anything beyond seven would mean profit.
“If this one acre of land is rotated this way, our family will receive a batch of fifty-year-old Purple Leaves every ten years.” Wang Xiaohan said proudly, “Every ten years, we can harvest an average of eighty mature Purple Leaves.”
Eighty?
Wang Shouzhe was silently astonished. Wouldn’t that sell for about four thousand Qian Gold? This could be considered a substantial income. And this was just the yield of one acre of the mid-grade Spirit Fields.