Protect Our Patriarch-Chapter 784 Book 6: 58: Next, a really big game of chess

……

A moment later.

Inside Wang Shouzhe's study.

Wang Shouzhe looked at his great-great-great-grandson with a complex expression.

Under the light, Wang Baoguang was kneeling on the ground, pitifully clutching his backside and whimpering. His handsome face was scrunched up like a bitter melon, looking utterly miserable.

There was no doubt that this rascal had already been given a beating, personally administered by Wang Shouzhe himself.

Normally, the children in the family were disciplined by the previous generation. If the previous generation wasn't around, then the generation before that would do it. Now, with Wang Baoguang's previous and the generation before that not present, as the Ancestor, Wang Shouzhe had reluctantly taken on the task.

"Ouch~ Ancestor Grandfather." Wang Baoguang clutched his still throbbing backside, looking pitiful, "You've already beaten me, can't you at least let me explain?"

"What's there to explain?" Wang Shouzhe's eyelid twitched, "I'm starting to understand why your great-grandfather wanted to expel you. Hmph, hurry up and retract that magazine, publish a few articles to clarify things, and don't tarnish the girl's reputation for no reason. After that, go apologize to Princess Qingyang!"

"That won't do." Wang Shouzhe said angrily, "No matter what others do, you retract your magazine."

"Ancestor Grandfather, I can't retract it." Wang Baoguang was sweating profusely in his anxiety.

"……"

Wang Shouzhe looked at him silently for a few moments, then suddenly smiled, "Heh, do you think your Ancestor's words don't matter anymore?"

"No, no, Ancestor Grandfather, you are a god in my heart, the light in my heart." Wang Baoguang shook his head frantically, quickly flattering him, then switched to a solemn and serious expression, explaining, "Actually, I'm playing a big game here."

"A big game?" Wang Shouzhe sneered, "How big?"

"Very big, very big." Wang Baoguang said earnestly, as if afraid Wang Shouzhe wouldn't believe him, "Very big, very big, very big!"

"You?" Wang Shouzhe scoffed, "If your great-grandfather Wang Anrui said this, I might believe it. Fine, I'll give you a chance to explain. If you can't explain it well, you'll roll back to the Wang's Clan and work in a mine for a hundred years to temper your character before coming out again."

Wang Shouzhe wasn't joking.

He was always very strict with the direct descendants of the family. If Wang Baoguang dared to mess around, Wang Shouzhe would definitely send him to the mines, and no one would be able to plead for him.

Wang Baoguang was so frightened that he shivered, hurriedly crawling to the desk, pulling out an envelope stuffed with photos from his storage ring and handing it to Wang Shouzhe.

He explained seriously, "Ancestor Grandfather, didn't you assign me a task some time ago? I teamed up with Old Cai to help, and indeed, I discovered quite a few ambiguous gossip stories."

"Look at this photo..." Wang Baoguang said, "This beautiful lady is named [Qiu Kui], said to be the personal maid of the 'Fragrant Yao Consort.' And look at the man secretly meeting with her... familiar, right? Heh, it's Pei Chang'an, the closest confidant under Prince Wenyu."

"And then?" Wang Shouzhe said coldly.

"Rumor has it that the Fragrant Yao Consort hails from the Western Ruoshin Continent, with exotic looks and a subtle fragrance, deeply loved by the Tianrui Holy Emperor." Wang Baoguang continued, "But the problem is, the Fragrant Yao Consort is known for her aloof nature and has always had poor relations with the princes, especially with Prince Wenyu, where their relationship is notoriously bad."

"I wonder if this is a façade? Perhaps the Fragrant Yao Consort and Prince Wenyu actually have a good relationship... Maybe, they've been secretly involved for a long time... The discord is just a cover."

"……"

Wang Shouzhe took a deep breath, unable to suppress the veins popping on his forehead, and flicked him hard on the forehead, "You rascal, starting with a picture and making up the whole story. Couldn't it be that Prince Wenyu secretly bribed the maid beside the Fragrant Yao Consort to keep an eye on her?"

"Ancestor Grandfather, your words certainly make sense, but that's just one possibility." Wang Baoguang's face radiated with a holy glow, "No matter what the truth is, I will definitely dig it out. Also, Ancestor Grandfather, do you believe in intuition? My years of professional intuition tell me, there's definitely something wrong with these two."

"Even if there's something wrong, what does that have to do with you smearing me and Qingyang?" Wang Shouzhe said irritably.

"It does, of course it does." Wang Baoguang said seriously, "I haven't yet figured out where the rumors about you and Princess Qingyang started, but it's most likely unrelated to Prince Wenyu. By stirring things up, many fingers will point to the apparent beneficiary—Prince Wenyu."

"Prince Wenyu, to clear his name, will definitely try to trace the source of the rumors. At this point, I can secretly stir things up, occasionally pointing fingers at the eldest prince [Prince Xichen] and the third prince [Prince Hongzhou]. No matter who did it, we'll guide things in the shadows, smear where needed, and in the end, make the whole affair unresolved, with no clear outcome."

"This way, the three princes will inevitably suspect each other. At that point, I'll use the authority of [the magazine] to gradually expose various secrets among the three princes... making them restrain and bite each other."

"With the abilities of the eldest prince and the third prince, they probably can't handle Prince Wenyu, and might end up with a ruined reputation. However, with me, Wang Baoguang, the outcome will be different. The Fragrant Yao Consort is Prince Wenyu's Achilles' heel!"

Wang Baoguang said excitedly, "The final result will be the three princes 'perishing together,' with their reputations completely ruined. At that point, we'll come out to clarify, declaring that the scandal between Princess Qingyang and you was a rumor fabricated by the three princes to suppress Qingyang, clearing your and the princess's names."

"But before that, I personally suggest Ancestor Grandfather, you should take advantage of the situation and secretly take Princess Qingyang! Then, the one steering the Tianrui Holy Dynasty will be listening to you, and our Wang's Clan in the Tianrui Holy Dynasty will have whatever we want!"

Wang Shouzhe's eyelid twitched wildly, his expression becoming increasingly indescribable, "You rascal, you're really playing a big game~ Are you trying to get your Ancestor Grandfather killed?"

"Ancestor Grandfather, this is for the Wang's Clan's sake." Wang Baoguang chuckled dryly, "I'm sure Ancestor Grandmother will understand you."

"I won't take her." Wang Shouzhe sneered, glancing at him sideways, "If anyone should take her, it should be you. After all, you're not married yet, you might as well marry into the East Sea Immortal King's Mansion."

What?!!

Wang Baoguang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately collapsed to his knees with a thud, crying pitifully, "Ancestor Grandfather, please spare me! How can I compete with Ancestor Grandfather for a woman? Besides, do you think with my abilities, Princess Qingyang would even look at me? She'd have to be crazy to do so."

"Alright~ stop fake crying, at least act a bit more convincingly." Wang Shouzhe glanced at him helplessly, waving his hand for him to get up.

Seeing Wang Shouzhe's attitude soften, Wang Baoguang finally breathed a sigh of relief, quickly scrambling up and sidling over to massage Wang Shouzhe's shoulders.

Wang Shouzhe didn't stop him, letting him come over.

Taking a sip of tea to calm his emotions, Wang Shouzhe, while enjoying Wang Baoguang's service, began analyzing Wang Baoguang's plan, "Your initial layout does have some thought, with a certain feasibility. However, your plan is still a bit rough, with many loopholes. You need to think it over, refine it, fill in the gaps, and prepare a few backup plans in case of unforeseen circumstances. After you go back, organize your thoughts and write a detailed plan for me."

"As for taking Princess Qingyang, you should dismiss that filthy idea. Our Wang's Clan relies on our own abilities to establish ourselves, not on seducing a woman to rise to power."

"Yes, yes, Ancestor Grandfather, you're right." Wang Baoguang quickly admitted his mistake, awkwardly laughing, "However, we should still cooperate with Princess Qingyang, at least let her remember our kindness."

"In addition, you need to be careful to hide yourself." Wang Shouzhe seriously instructed, "Since you want to stir the waters, you must remain in the shadows. Once you're exposed, you'll lose everything."

"Don't worry, Ancestor Grandfather." Wang Baoguang patted his chest, "I've been outsmarting Baosheng for years, I'm very experienced in this. Do you know why Baosheng eventually had to approve my magazine? Heh, it's because even without his approval, my underground magazine could still spread widely, and he could never catch any evidence against me."

"Rather than having a completely uncontrollable underground magazine, it's better to give me an official approval, at least he can monitor some of my magazine's content and make me restrain myself a bit. That Baosheng kid, he does have a sense of the bigger picture."

Wang Shouzhe glared at him.

I have to admit, this rascal does have some skills. To make Wang Baosheng compromise, that's not something just anyone can do.

Even though he's been in the Holy Domain all these years, he's always been keeping an eye on Baosheng's actions, and he's well aware of his abilities.

"Alright, get out of here." Wang Shouzhe waved his hand impatiently.

"Yes, yes, I'm leaving now."

Wang Baoguang half-rolled out, then rolled back, looking at Wang Shouzhe with puppy eyes, "Ancestor Grandfather, please don't rush to clarify things, be ambiguous for a while, give me some time to set things up."

Wang Shouzhe's cheek twitched, "Get out, I know."

"Thank you, Ancestor Grandfather."

Wang Baoguang happily rolled out.

"……"

Watching his cheerful back, Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but feel a deep sense of helplessness.

It's not scary if a child is troublesome, but if they're troublesome and capable at the same time, it's really hard to discipline them~

Oh well~ at least this time he's doing something right, even if the process is a bit exasperating, the outcome is something he's happy to see.

Might as well let him try~

Sighing inwardly, Wang Shouzhe quickly composed himself, temporarily putting aside the matter of Wang Baoguang, and ordered someone to call Jiang Jianmu over, instructing him to purchase a separate residence outside.

At first, Jiang Jianmu thought he had somehow offended Wang Shouzhe, making him unwilling to stay with the Jiang's Clan, and was scared out of his wits.

Fortunately, Jiang Muxian came out in time to smooth things over, explaining that the young master was buying a separate residence merely to house the Immortal's Cave Mansion.

Only then did Jiang Jianmu, trembling, go to handle the matter.

As an old and established immortal clan, the Jiang's Clan had extensive connections, and within two days, Jiang Jianmu brought several sets of information and brochures of available residences for Shouzhe to choose from.

Among the available residences, Wang Shouzhe chose one located in the eastern part of the Holy City.

This residence was the most expensive among the options, priced at a hefty twenty-three Immortal Spirit Stones.

However, with Jiang Jianmu's negotiation and bargaining, it was finally purchased for twenty-one Immortal Spirit Stones, with the transfer and ownership procedures quickly completed.

This residence was intended to house the Returning to Origin Small Cave Heaven. Although he had seen the brochures, the specific placement of the Small Cave Heaven required an on-site inspection, and he also needed to personally review the residence's condition.

Considering that the Small Cave Heaven would arrive in a few days, Wang Shouzhe didn't delay and immediately had an eleventh-grade spirit bird flying carriage prepared, reaching the residence in just over two hours.

This place, called a residence, was more accurately described as a manor.

From an aerial view, the residence was adjacent to a mountain range, covering a vast area, roughly the size of an entire Changning Garrison.

In the central area, there was a "small lake" with a diameter of about a hundred miles, containing several spirit veins, with a sixth-grade water spirit vein at its center. A small island was built on the water spirit vein, with houses and pavilions constructed on it.

Around the lake, various farms were built, with spiritual farmlands mostly ranging from third to fifth grade, totaling about a hundred thousand acres of various grades of spiritual farmland, forming an impressive lineup.

Additionally, the entire residence was enveloped in a large Gathering Spirit Array. Under the array's influence, the residence was rich in spiritual energy, lush with vegetation, and had a pleasant environment, though the core spirit plant of the array was somewhat lacking, being merely a tenth-grade ordinary Yuan Shui Spirit Vine.

"Young Master, this residence originally belonged to the Tianrui Chen's Clan, a super first-grade family with six Lingxu Ancestors. The Tianrui Chen's Clan has been developing well in recent years, and with a promising descendant emerging, they decided to sell part of their family assets to purchase an Immortal Scripture, aiming to become an immortal clan." Jiang Jianmu explained, "It was because they urgently needed money and we paid promptly that we could close the deal at twenty-one Immortal Spirit Stones, a small bargain."

Such large fixed assets, due to their high price and unlike Immortal Scriptures and Immortal Artifacts that immediately show their value and power upon acquisition, require slow management and have a slow return on investment, often having disputed prices and slow turnover.

A residence like this could be listed for sale for decades or even a century without selling. To quickly liquidate, the price often needs to be lowered.

Moreover, there aren't many buyers who can afford to spend twenty or thirty Immortal Spirit Stones in one go to purchase large fixed assets.

"Additionally, the Tianrui Chen's Clan is currently thriving, with hopes of becoming an immortal clan, seemingly having good family fortune. Buying their residence might bring us some good luck."

Jiang Jianmu's words were quite practical.

Some declining families selling fixed assets often face buyers' scrutiny, price haggling, and hesitation, partly due to this reason.

Most long-established families place great importance on "fortune," and declining families with poor fortune naturally worry buyers about bad luck.

Of course, the quality of the fixed asset itself is also a crucial factor.

A family's decline is rarely sudden but a gradual process. During this time, their ability to maintain their fixed assets diminishes, much like a main house falling into disrepair. By the time it's finally put up for sale, it might be riddled with problems internally.

Such fixed assets require significant time, effort, and capital to refurbish and maintain after purchase.

In contrast, assets like those sold by the Tianrui Chen's Clan, due to a lack of funds for advancement, are often still profitable and well-maintained before being sold, requiring little adjustment to continue generating revenue, making them more appealing.

"Not bad." Wang Shouzhe nodded in satisfaction after inspecting the residence, "Head Jianmu has been thoughtful."

Saying this, he casually handed Jiang Jianmu an Immortal Spirit Stone.

Jiang Jianmu was immediately flustered, his face flushed with excitement, "Young Master, I can't accept this! It's my duty to serve you, how can I accept such a generous gift?"

He felt he had merely run an errand and hadn't done much, so he dared not accept it.

"Take it." Wang Shouzhe waved his hand slightly impatiently, "I don't have the habit of having people work for me without compensation."

"Then... Jianmu thanks the Young Master."

Jiang Jianmu hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.

Although the family had caught a break recently, Jiang Yunxuan and Jiang Muxian's attempts to become True Immortals required substantial resources, and the younger generation, previously delayed in their cultivation due to resource shortages, now needed to catch up, leaving the family still in need of funds.

An extra Immortal Spirit Stone, once divided, could provide additional cultivation resources for the family's children.

After a pause, Jiang Jianmu asked, "Young Master, there are still many farms within the residence. Should the tenant farmers be dismissed or temporarily retained?"

"Keep them for now." Wang Shouzhe pondered briefly, "Send some clever Jiang's Clan members to manage the farms, continue planting and harvesting as usual, and don't let the spiritual farmlands go to waste."

"Yes, Young Master." Jiang Jianmu immediately complied.

He began to plan, realizing that the Young Master likely didn't want to deal with these trivial matters, so he needed to put in extra effort, at least by screening and clearing out the tenant farmers, removing those who were lazy or dishonest, and keeping the reliable ones, while also recruiting additional tenant farmers.

With spiritual farmlands available, there was no fear of not being able to recruit tenant farmers to serve them.

As they spoke, the flying carriage had already circled the residence, inspecting and surveying the entire area.

Having a clear understanding, Wang Shouzhe directed the flying carriage to land at the lakeside pavilion.

The materials used for this lakeside pavilion were noticeably superior to those of the surrounding farms, and it was built with a serene elegance. Even the surrounding vegetation appeared meticulously maintained, suggesting that this place was specifically prepared for the residence's owner or distinguished guests.

The place was spotless and well-maintained, indicating that the Tianrui Chen's Clan had only recently vacated it.

Seeing this spiritually vibrant and misty pavilion, Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but miss his wife, Liu Ruolan, reminiscing about the moments they shared at the lakeside pavilion of Zhuhui Lake.

After a moment of daze, he snapped back to reality and said to Jiang Jianmu, "I'll stay here for a few days."

"Young Master, this place hasn't been tidied up yet. Why not unfold your portable cave mansion for now?" Jiang Muxian quickly suggested, "Give me a few days to arrange and decorate this lakeside pavilion."

"Alright, then Muxian, you handle it. I'll take a stroll around."

Wang Shouzhe nodded, letting her get busy, while he wandered around the pavilion alone.

Unconsciously, he walked to the railing, his divine sense sweeping through the spirit lake, "seeing" the lake teeming with spiritual energy, filled with countless aquatic spirit fish, spirit clams, and more.

The most "eye-catching" was a massive aquatic vine lurking in the water.

Its thick vines mostly coiled like a python in the lake, with only a portion of its spirit leaves floating on the surface, absorbing the essence of spiritual energy.

Sensing Wang Shouzhe's "gaze," a segment of the giant vine suddenly detached from the main vine, bursting out of the water with a splash, and swiftly transformed into a woman in a water-green jacket and skirt.

The woman appeared to be in her thirties, slender and graceful, with a gentle demeanor. Her slightly blue-green hair was braided into a long plait hanging by her ear, interspersed with a few small green spirit leaves, giving her a rustic charm.

Upon appearing, she immediately bowed respectfully to Wang Shouzhe, "Servant Chen Qianteng greets the Young Master. I am the residence's core spirit plant, a tenth-grade Yuan Shui Spirit Vine."

She understood that this young, handsome man with a deep aura was likely her new master.

As the core of the Gathering Spirit Array, she was responsible for suppressing the spirit veins and channeling spiritual energy, unable to leave the core for long. With the residence sold, she, as the core, was naturally included in the sale to Wang Shouzhe.

Otherwise, how could a mere residence be priced at over twenty Immortal Spirit Stones?

"A tenth-grade spirit plant core, a bit shabby." Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly.

Her cultivation was only at the tenth grade, theoretically equivalent to the late Divine Realm, similar to his level. But if they were to fight, Wang Shouzhe, with his Saint Child bloodline, could easily crush her.

Hearing Wang Shouzhe's words, Chen Qianteng felt a pang of bitterness and a hint of grievance.

This was the Chen's Clan's residence, not their main house.

The Tianrui Chen's Clan's main house had an eleventh-grade peak spirit plant. As the residence's core, the number of spirit veins and other resources allocated to her were naturally inferior to the main house, so being at the tenth grade was quite normal, wasn't it?

Moreover, she was at the peak of the tenth grade, how was she shabby for guarding the residence's core?

However, facing her new master, uncertain of his temperament, she dared not complain, keeping her head down in silence.

If her new master was dissatisfied and sold her, she would lose the benefits of being the core of this large Gathering Spirit Array.

It was by being the core of the Gathering Spirit Array that she had gradually grown to her current state. Given a thousand more years, she might break through to the eleventh grade through gradual effort, which was quite commendable for a spirit plant.

Just as she was feeling anxious, a small bottle suddenly flew in front of her.

Along with it came a sentence from the young master, "This is a small bottle of Chaos Essence, take it. I hope you quickly break through the bloodline shackles of a spirit plant and advance to the eleventh grade, barely fitting the role of a core spirit plant."

What?

Chaos Essence?

Chen Qianteng's mind went blank for a moment before she finally reacted.

In an instant, her entire vine seemed to be struck by immense happiness, leaving her dizzy and nearly speechless.

She had lived for nearly ten thousand years and had never seen Chaos Essence before. Such a precious item was given to her so casually?

Seeing her bewildered expression, Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but chuckle.

This vine had grown so large, it must be quite old, yet it seemed so naive?

Wang Shouzhe forgot that most families raising spirit plants never required them to be intelligent or knowledgeable, only strong enough. After all, families raised spirit plants primarily for guarding purposes, and spirit plants were unlikely to leave the residence, so most lived their lives without moving much or experiencing much, naturally having a simple nature.

Spirit plants like those in the Wang's Clan, starting clan school at a young age, were the real oddities.

As for the small bottle of Chaos Essence Wang Shouzhe gave, it was naturally the surplus after reserving portions for the family's young ones.

After laughing, Wang Shouzhe didn't pay much attention to her reaction, merely waving his hand, "Alright, go cultivate. Also, from today on, your name is [Wang Qianteng]."

"Yes, Young Master. Thank you, Young Master. Servant Wang Qianteng will take her leave now."

Wang Qianteng finally snapped out of her daze, clutching the small bottle of Chaos Essence like a treasure, and then returned to the water, eagerly beginning to absorb the Chaos Essence and cultivate.

Wang Shouzhe continued to leisurely stroll around the residence.

However, the peaceful days lasted only a couple of days.

On this day.

A luxurious flying carriage descended from the sky, heading straight for the residence.

This flying carriage was pulled by two twelfth-grade Yuan Shui Azure Dragons, and the carriage itself was extraordinarily opulent, exuding an aura of majesty.

Before the carriage even landed.

A voice full of authority and anger boomed from within, "Wang Shouzhe, you brat, how dare you insult my precious daughter? Get out here now!"

My precious daughter? Insult?

Wang Shouzhe stroked his chin, quickly piecing things together, and then sighed helplessly. Well, it seemed the East Sea Immortal King had personally come to cause trouble.

He sure came quickly~