章節 3: Subverting the Trap
編輯: Atlas Studios
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"That's enough." Gongsun Hui reprimanded him delicately. Then, she said, "Brother-in-law, don't be rash. We can resolve everything calmly."
Gongsun Hui was the daughter of the direct lineage of the Gongsun Clan of Shanyang, the main wife of the Wang Clan's former patriarch and the legitimate mother of the Wang family's new patriarch. Her status was qualified for settling this matter.
Wang Dinghai said in an agitated tone, "Sister-in-law, it's not that I am being rash. The brat from the Liu family has gone overboard. Everyone in Ping'an Town knows that the 30 miles of An River from the right of the Dingpu Crossing to the Rubble Beach are the territory of the Wang Clan of Ping'an. But that brat Liu Yongzhou has crossed the boundary to fish time and time again. This time, he actually crossed the line by 10 miles brazenly. If I don't take action to banish him, will there be any room left for the Wang Clan in An River?"
"Oh, Old Wang, don't launch an accusation first when you're the guilty one." Liu Yongzhou looked as if he had been greatly wronged. "The winds above An River are strong windy and its waters are turbulent. The territory of the Liu Clan is upstream of the An River, so it's inevitable that we can't always stabilize the boat. On the other hand, the moment you showed up, you crashed into us with your fishing boat. After suffering some losses in the conflict, you actually called your parents. How preposterous. Are you trying to bully the Liu Clan for not having any elders?"
Wang Shouzhe had been silent the entire time, observing and analyzing subtly. He had already confirmed that this conflict was initiated by the Liu Clan. Their goal was most likely to test him at the juncture where he had just succeeded as the new patriarch. They might also have some thoughts of evaluating the capability of the new patriarch.
If he, the patriarch, lacked capability and behaved cowardly, they would most likely join forces with the Zhao Clan next, and a series of both conspiratorial and brazen schemes would surge forth.
"Cough!"
Wang Shouzhe coughed twice and walked forward calmly.
"Nephew Shouzhe, you're here too?" Wang Dinghai's expression lit up. Then he said angrily, "Hurry up and be the judge for your Sixth Uncle. This brat ambushed us with a sneak attack through trickery. Your Sixth Uncle finds it unfair and wants to have a fair fight with him again."
"So it's the Young Master, no, the Patriarch of the Wang Clan has arrived." Liu Yongzhou's eyes narrowed slightly, and he revealed some wariness and jealousy towards Wang Shouzhe.
Without a doubt, Wang Shouzhe's overall strength far exceeded Liu Yongzhou's in all aspects. Moreover, Wang Shouzhe was only 18 years old, and he had already cultivated to the advanced state of the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm. He had great potential for future growth.
Currently, the inner circles of the Liu Clan was also very wary of Wang Shouzhe. If he was given the chance to charge into the Spirit Tower Realm, the power structure of Ping'an Town would undergo a huge upheaval.
The surrounding onlookers also began to discuss in low voices. They seemed to be rather interested in the young patriarch who had just succeeded the Wang Clan. From their words, they vaguely pointed out that the Wang Clan's former patriarch, Wang Dingyue, had died too early. If they had been able to hold out for another ten years, after the young patriarch, Wang Shouzhe, fully matured, the Wang Clan of Ping'an would be in a different situation.
"Sixth Uncle, victory and defeat are common in war." Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his voice to test him casually. "That said, Sixth Uncle, are you really confident that you can defeat him? If you lose another round in public, it will damage the reputation of the Wang Clan."
"Um…" Wang Dinghai hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice," I've had several conflicts with that Liu kid. Normally, we're evenly matched and have different advantages over each other. I don't know why I'm so unlucky today, but that boy's Water Traversal Technique seemed to have improved by a large margin. He's as slippery as a loach in the water, and I suffered a loss when I was caught off guard. Don't worry though, Nephew. Your Sixth Uncle will win this battle at all costs."
His Water Escape technique improved by a large margin?
Heh, this was interesting. Wang Shouzhe rubbed his nose. He had more or less understood the other party's tactics. He created conflicts to stir up Wang Dinghai's agitation, then defeated Wang Dinghai in public as Liu Yongzhou, a rising star, thus damaging the Wang Clan's reputation.
If he could intensify their emotions a little more, and the two parties signed a bet or something, it would be most perfect. At that time, they would naturally be able to take a huge bite out of the Wang Clan.
Wang Shouzhe had a clear understanding of the situation now. He immediately said, "Sixth Uncle, let me handle this matter."
"This…" Wang Dinghai hesitated for a moment. However, after seeing Wang Shouzhe's composed demeanor, he calmed down and took two steps back." Shouzhe, you have to be more careful. The Liu Clan is best at trickery. "
"Sixth Uncle, don't worry. We won't suffer losses." After consoling him, Wang Shouzhe looked around the scene and said in a clear voice in front of everyone, "The Arcane Martial Clans have always established ourselves through martial arts. As the saying goes, if the younger generation is unable to protect the territory passed down from the ancestors, they should retreat to a corner. Liu Yongzhou, if your Liu Clan wishes to encroach on the Wang Clan's fishing area, creating conflict is an underhanded method of doing so. Why don't we be a little more straightforward? As peers of the same generation, why don't we follow the examples of our ancestors, and fight an arena death match? Whoever wins will receive the other party's fishing area. How about that?"
"What?"
Shocked cries rang out in the surroundings. A death match arena!? Did the Wang Clan's young patriarch have to be so radical?
Wang Shouzhe was younger than Liu Yongzhou by five years, yet when he challenged Liu Yongzhou to an arena death match to his face, Liu Yongzhou's face went pale. He didn't dare to accept this challenge, nor could he accept it. He could only say embarrassedly, "Patriarch of Wang Clan, you must be joking. You are the patriarch. How can you enter an arena death match?"
From this perspective alone, although Liu Yongzhou was also outstanding among his peers, he was still far from being comparable to Wang Shouzhe, who had always been raised as the heir apparent to the patriarch.
"Heh…" Wang Shouzhe sneered and ridiculed, "If you are cowardly, you are cowardly. There's no need to speak so pompously. I, Wang Shouzhe, will stand here today. As long as it's someone of the Yong generation from your Liu Clan, I will meet every single one of you that comes."
"Good! Well said! The Wang Clan's new Patriarch is bold indeed."
"Arcane Martial Clans establish themselves with martial arts, that's interesting. Let's see how the Liu Clan will counter this. From what I know, the oldest of the Liu Clan's Yong generation is more than 36 or 37 years old. The youngest is still learning how to speak. No matter how I think about it, I really can't think of anyone who can fight against the Wang Clan's new patriarch."
"Mister, how is this young man's strength? Can he really defeat all the members of Liu Clan's Yong generation?"
"You're a foreigner, right? That's the new patriarch of the Wang Clan of Ping'an, Wang Shouzhe. He's only 18 years old, but he's already about to reach the advanced state of the Qi Refining Realm. Moreover, it's said that he's extremely talented in the way of the sword, and his swordsmanship has long reached the point of perfection." The local proudly introduced, "Moreover, that Wang Shouzhe has already passed the recruitment test of the Violet Palace Academy and will be entering the academy soon. Unfortunately, with such a major event happening to the Wang family, he had no choice but to give up his studies."
"Violet Palace Academy, that Violet Palace Academy that's said to guarantee Spirit Tower Realm upon entry? Amazing, amazing, what a pity!"
The surrounding discussions reached Wang Shouzhe's ears, making him remember that not long ago, he really had passed the Violet Palace Academy's preliminary selection for admissions.
The Longzuo County's Violet Palace Academy would recruit new students every three years, but their criteria were extremely strict. Within the Changning Province, there would be one to three people who passed the preliminary selection and were qualified to participate in the second round of examinations every time. This year, Wang Shouzhe was one of them.
But to say that he was about to enter the academy was an exaggeration. There might not be a single disciple enrolled in Violet Palace Academy out of the entire jurisdiction of Changning Wei for up to ten years. Wang Shouzhe considered himself exceptional, but he also knew that the chances of passing the second round of examinations were less than 30%.
The surrounding situation and public opinion started to skew towards the Wang Clan.
Initially, the conflict from before would have damaged the Wang Clan's reputation if it wasn't handled properly. But now, it increased the Wang Clan's prestige instead.
"Well done, Eldest Nephew," Wang Dinghai said with a face full of joy. "Let's see if that little brat of the Liu Clan still dares to be arrogant."
Gongsun Hui was also somewhat pleasantly surprised. She didn't expect that Shouzhe's few words would actually turn the unfortunate event that damaged the clan's reputation into a disadvantageous situation for the Liu Clan's reputation.
Prior to this, her son had always been focused on his own cultivation and had little concern for other matters. Who would have thought that he would show such capability when he had just become the patriarch?
"Good!"
Suddenly, a cheer rang out. "Patriarch Wang's words truly enlightened me. Admirable, admirable. The Arcane Martial Clans established themselves with martial arts. If they can't defend their ancestral heritage, why not retreat to a corner? Good, well said!"
With these words, a middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe walked out with an extraordinary bearing, escorted by a few well-built clan guards. He stared at Wang Shouzhe with a half-smile.
As soon as this person appeared, both Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai's expressions changed. "It's Liu Shengye!"
Gongsun Hui in particular directly reminded Wang Shouzhe with a tense expression, "Zhe'er, there must be something fishy about the patriarch of Liu Clan appearing at this time. You have to be careful."
Liu Shengye.
Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly. He was the current patriarch of the Liu Clan of Ping'an. It was said that he wasn't the strongest individual in the Liu Clan. At 40 years old, he still hadn't broken through to the eighth level of the Qi Refining realm.
However, in Wang Shouzhe's memories, this person had always been famous for his craftiness and scheming, and was someone reputed for concealing nefarious intentions with affable demeanors. He had repeatedly been at an advantage when clashing with the Wang Clan's former patriarch, Wang Dingyue, and was very good at managing the family property, allowing the Liu Clan's strength to increase day by day.
"So the Liu Clan's patriarch has graced us with his presence," Wang Shouzhe calmly replied. "Since the Liu Clan's patriarch agrees with me, do you agree to the arena death match between Liu Yongzhou and I?" Without another word, he laid a trap for Liu Shengye first.
"Of course not. Although the Wang Patriarch's words are reasonable, as the patriarch of a clan, how could you bully your inferior?" Liu Shengye took the opening and said, "Since this is an arena death match, it's only worth watching if statuses are similar."
His intention was naturally to drag this battle back to Liu Yongzhou and Wang Dinghai.
"The Liu Patriarch's words are very reasonable." Wang Shouzhe nodded in agreement with a serious expression. "The Wang Clan and Liu Clan had many conflicts and accumulated a lot of resentment. Since there's to be an arena death match, why don't you and I participate personally as two patriarchs? After all, we can be considered to be of equal statuses."
"What?"
Liu Shengye's face spasmed. 'The Patriarch wanted to participate in the arena death match personally? Has Wang Shouzhe gone mad? First he targeted Liu Yongzhou, and now he's targeting myself! Is he going to target everyone he sees? What I said didn't mean that.'
The surrounding traveling merchants and the rest of the people at the crossing also fell into a state of absolute silence and shock. This had escalated into an arena death match between two patriarchs of noble clans. Did they have to be so impulsive?
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