Protect Our Patriarch

Book 1: Chapter 123: Welcome the bridegroom! Fire steps on white clouds

Time flew by.

It had been ten months since the Liu and Zhao Clans were annihilated and completely exited the stage.

During these ten months, many joyous events had taken place in the Wang's Clan. The spiritual banquet of Grandpa Six, Wang Xiaohan, was held very lively. After that, it was the wedding of my sister, Wang Luoyi, and Chen Fangjie.

In a few days, it would be his, Wang Shouzhe's, big wedding day.

The Wang's Clan was thriving, with constant good news.

It was also the season of the upcoming autumn harvest.

Inside the Fenggu Farm.

In the thousands of acres of fertile fields, the rice that was in the middle and late stage of filling was like waves in the sea, swaying up and down with the wind, which was quite spectacular.

The tenant farmers were busy in the fields, carefully tending to the rice, fertilizing where necessary, and identifying the barnyard grass among the rice, which were like fish slipping through the net.

Barnyard grass and rice look very similar, and can be considered the ancestors of rice. Our ancestors selected and cultivated barnyard grass generation after generation, resulting in today's rice. They grow wildly, are hard to eradicate, and compete with rice for precious nutrients.

If not dealt with properly, it would definitely affect the filling of the rice.

The tenant farmers worked hard, but this year, they all showed joy in addition to their hard work.

Because this year, the master had brought a new variety of rice. It was said that half of the land in Fenggu Farm would be planted with this new variety of rice.

At first, the tenant farmers complained privately, fearing that the new rice would not adapt to this land, and if the harvest was poor, it would also affect their share.

Fortunately, the master was kind and promised that the tenant farmers who planted the new rice would be allocated at least according to the average income of previous years. If the harvest was good, they could get extra allocation.

After this season of planting.

The more it came to the filling period, the more the tenant farmers discovered the power of the new rice variety. Not only were the plants tall and not easy to lodge, but the rice ears were also larger and the grains were more than the usual varieties.

Many of the tenant farmers were old farmers, and they knew that if this continued, each acre of land might yield an extra dan of rice this year, and the quality might be even better.

Now the price of new rice is slightly higher, even if calculated at the original price, every twenty acres would yield an extra Top Gold in income! This income was pure extra income, excluding taxes, fertilizers, cattle, labor, etc.

On average, each tenant farmer could have an extra thirty big coppers!! If there were good varieties of wheat, wouldn't they be able to get an extra sixty big coppers a year?

How could the tenant farmers not be happy?

This extra income could be saved up entirely for their children's dowry in the future. Or to send their children to learn a craft, with a craft, not only would they not have to work hard farming, but their income would also be higher, and it would be much easier to get a wife.

Many tenant farmers have already imagined the future, in this way, they could save up Top Gold faster to buy enough farmland, so that their descendants could become self-sufficient farmers.

With this thought in mind, they worked even harder.

......

Meanwhile.

At the head of the field, the spirited Grandpa Four, Wang Xiaozhi, excitedly said, "Shouzhe, the Wang's No.9 rice variety you researched is really a high-quality rice variety. If all our farms are planted with Wang's No.9, we will earn a lot more this year."

Now that the Wang's Clan had plenty of meat, the once frugal Wang Xiaozhi and other clan elders were ordered to supplement their spiritual food, even use small Peiyuan Pills and practice diligently.

Therefore, Wang Xiaozhi looked very good this year, looking much younger. Even if there was no hope of reaching the spiritual platform realm in this life, at least he could live a few more years in good health.

Wang Shouzhe didn't want these clan elders, who had worked hard for the clan all their lives and raised generations of children, to be unable to walk the path at the age of eighty and have a bleak old age.

"Grandpa Four, let's plant it on another piece of land next year and see. If there's no problem, we'll fully switch to Wang's No.9." Wang Shouzhe was quite satisfied with the Wang's No.9 he had painstakingly developed.

The reason he was able to develop a rice variety was due to his mysterious and unpredictable bloodline ability. When he discovered that he could make dead wood come to life and flowers bloom in an instant, he had already thought of promoting spiritual medicine and spiritual grains.

Unfortunately, after some research, he found that he was thinking too simply.

Reviving dead wood and making flowers bloom in an instant could only be used on ordinary plants.

And they couldn't be catalyzed in a very short time out of thin air, because there was no supplement of nutrients, and catalyzing too quickly would consume their life potential and they would wither quickly.

For those spiritual grains and spiritual plants, of course, there was also a catalytic effect.

But just for a single stalk of Baiyu Lingmi rice, if it was catalyzed in a very short time out of thin air, the rice husks that were finally formed would be empty.

If it was planted normally and the nutrition was increased, it would take Wang Shouzhe more than ten days to finally mature it and produce a stalk of Baiyu Lingmi rice.

And there was only one plant, the cost-effectiveness was extremely low.

As for promoting ginseng and other spiritual medicines, it was even more needless to say, more than ten days of hard promotion, at most could make that ginseng have an extra year of age. The effect of promotion was like chicken ribs.

However, Wang Shouzhe estimated that it was because his mysterious bloodline level was too low and too thin. If one day, the mysterious bloodline awakened to the extreme, maybe he could really catalyze a hundred-year-old ginseng in an instant.

But with the current situation, promoting spiritual species was really too tiring and not cost-effective.After much consideration, Wang Shouzhe decided that instead of rushing to cultivate spiritual seeds, it would be better to first improve ordinary rice and wheat seeds. Therefore, he built a laboratory and began small-scale catalysis of rice seeds.

His bloodline ability had a significant advantage over ordinary plants.

With just a fraction of a greenhouse experimental field, as long as the nutrients in the field could keep up, he could mature and harvest the rice seeds in just a few days.

Therefore, he decided to use his new ability to cultivate rice seeds.

The initial rice seeds came from the Liu and Zhao Clans, from their farms that had suffered such a decrease in production that it was painful to see. The rice that could still survive despite such a decrease in production must be the ones with better resistance to pests and diseases.

Starting from this basis would be much simpler.

Afterwards, he cultivated new varieties of rice generation after generation. His pitiful and scattered knowledge of agriculture and breeding from his previous life was gradually put to use.

After spending half a year, he developed fifteen varieties of rice, each with its own advantages.

However, in the end, he chose Wang's No. 9, which had an "ordinary" yield and not particularly outstanding resistance to pests and diseases, as the variety for large-scale experiments.

The reason was simple. This variety had a unique feature in its genetic mutation: seeds soaked in low-concentration salt water could not reproduce.

In layman's terms, only the Wang's Clan could cultivate the first generation as the original species. Seeds soaked in low-concentration salt water could only be used for consumption after they produced offspring, and could not be used as good seeds.

This could effectively prevent the leakage of good seeds.

As far as Wang Shouzhe knew, many families with a long history or powerful families would cultivate good seeds generation after generation, either with high yield or high quality.

These good seeds were cherished by them and only used in their own farms. When sold to the outside, they would be shelled. Because once sold as grain seeds, the entire variety would be spread out.

But Wang Shouzhe's Wang's No. 9 had no such concerns.

As Wang Shouzhe pondered, Wang Xiaozhi said, "Shouzhe, I know you care about this mass production. But you should hurry back. Your wedding is in a few days. The whole family is busy preparing for your wedding. You can't keep running to the fields."

"I'm just taking a look. I'll go back, I'll go back." Wang Shouzhe said with a smile as he bid farewell.

He knew that the Wang's Clan had been preparing for his wedding for a long time. The wedding clothes and everything else had been made half a year in advance.

His second brother, Wang Shouyi, had also commissioned various merchants half a year ago to purchase high-end ingredients from Longzuo Commandery and even surrounding areas.

The rest of the family had also been busy for a while.

At this time, many daughters who had married out brought their husbands and children back to the Wang's main house, both to celebrate and to help.

On the way back in the carriage, Wang Shouzhe let out a sigh. He couldn't help but feel a thousand emotions. He was getting married before he knew it!

What surprised him the most was that he and the bride had never met.

Neither of them knew what the other looked like.

Moreover, so far, the two of them had only had two or three small exchanges from a distance.

This was even more exaggerated than Wang Shouzhe's online relationships on Earth.

But in this world, it was quite normal for the legitimate sons and daughters of noble families to marry.

Before Chen Fangjie and his sister Wang Luoyi got married, they had only visited the Wang's main house once, and then they dared not run to the main house again. They were afraid of breaking the rules and being killed by Wang Shouzhe.

"Hehe~ But this kind of arranged marriage is quite good." Wang Shouzhe laughed. It's so troublesome to date and get married on Earth.

……

A few days passed.

Golden autumn in October.

The autumn was high and the air was refreshing.

This was a season of harvest and a suitable season for marriage.

For Shanyin Town in Changning Guard, this was also a very important season.

Because in Shanyin Town, where the Liu's Clan held absolute power, their legitimate daughter, Top Gold, was getting married today.

To celebrate this joyous occasion, the Liu's Clan had announced that all the good fields in their territory would be exempt from the clan tax for this autumn harvest.

What a huge gesture!

You should know that there were about 70,000 acres of good fields in the Liu's Clan's territory that needed to pay the clan tax. Just the reduced clan tax amounted to more than 700 Top Gold.

For most ordinary farmers, this was a great joy. Paying less tax in the autumn harvest season could make them have a full and prosperous year.

This also showed the strength of the Liu's Clan's overall financial power. The loss of just over 700 Top Gold was insignificant, which was not something ordinary clans could compare to.

At the entrance to the area controlled by Shanyin Town, there stood a gate tower. On the gate tower was a stone plaque with the word "Shanyin" written on it.

This was a line of defense and checkpoint, where a member of the Liu's Clan and a team of family guards and servants were stationed all year round. Anyone entering Shanyin Town, especially those scattered cultivators and traveling merchants, would be questioned and registered.

This was what set Shanyin apart from other towns. It could prevent most fugitives from entering and make those criminals who wanted to commit crimes feel awe.Thus, the crime rate within Shanyin has always been the lowest among all the towns in Changning Guard, with a stable and orderly life.

At the same time, a large open space next to the gate tower was already occupied by members of the Liu Clan, who had set up sunshades and a ready-to-play drum and suona team.

At the hour of Chen.

A large number of Shanyin civilians had gathered near the gate tower.

There were farmers, small merchants, craftsmen, some Xuanwu practitioners from lower-class families, traveling merchants, and even many independent cultivators. People of all ages and genders were present.

They were all discussing and occasionally looking outside the gate tower, seemingly looking forward to something.

"I heard that the groom is the young clan leader of the Wang's Clan in Ping'an Town? I wonder what he looks like, whether he is worthy of our Miss Ruolan."

"Brother, where did you get this outdated news? The groom has long been the clan leader of the Wang's Clan."

"Clan leader? How old must he be. Our Miss Ruolan, she's not going to be a second wife, is she?"

"How could she be a second wife!? Our Miss Ruolan is the legitimate eldest daughter of the prestigious Liu Clan, her status is incredibly noble. I heard that the groom is only nineteen years old, at the prime of his youth, just one year older than Miss Ruolan."

"His age and status are passable, but that Wang's Clan in Ping'an, isn't it a small family in a remote corner south of the An River?"

"That's right, Ping'an Town has only been developed for over a hundred years, and it is said that there are still dangerous beasts in its territory."

"Ah~~ Is our Miss Ruolan going to suffer in such a poor and barbaric place? Isn't it dangerous where there are dangerous beasts?"

In this world, many civilians are born and die in the same place.

Living a lifetime, having the opportunity to visit the guard city is already considered a good life.

Ping'an Town and Shanyin Town are separated by mountains and rivers, and ordinary people only hear some news, they can't really know the truth.

However, some independent cultivators and traveling merchants who have traveled all over the place couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up for Ping'an Town: "Ping'an Town is now in the hands of the Wang's Clan, and its development is quite fast. Although it is temporarily inferior to Shanyin, it has great potential for future development. As for the appearance of dangerous beasts in its territory, it does occasionally happen, but it is unavoidable because it is close to the frontier."

"Clan Leader Wang Shouzhe of the Wang's Clan is a remarkable young man, highly respected in Ping'an Town, and worthy of your Miss Liu."

With the rebuttal of the independent cultivators and traveling merchants, some of the Shanyin civilians finally had some impression of Ping'an Town and Wang Shouzhe.

But there were still many people who held prejudices.

"There are dangerous beasts occasionally, aren't there? Miss Ruolan is going to suffer if she marries into such a barbaric place."

"Wang Shouzhe? This name is so common. I don't know what he looks like, I hope he is handsome and heroic, if he is seventy or eighty percent as good as Young Clan Leader Yuanhui, that would be enough."

"How can he compare with Young Master Yuanhui? If the groom is half as good as Young Master Yuanhui, that would be good enough."

Various discussions continued.

Suddenly.

A few quick-witted young men ran back from a distance, their faces flushed with excitement, shouting, "They're here, they're here, the wedding procession of the Wang's Clan from Ping'an Town is here, the groom is here."

In an instant.

Everyone quieted down and craned their necks to look outside the gate.

Before long, the wedding procession slowly appeared around the corner of the road.

Leading the procession was a young man dressed in a wedding suit, with a large red flower ball hanging on his chest.

He wore a purple jade crown with tassels, a tight-fitting vermilion wedding robe, embroidered with dragon patterns, mainly featuring phoenix and chirping patterns, the design was extremely complex and gorgeous, symbolizing the vision of the couple working together to manage the family after marriage.

He wore a pouch of treasures around his waist, symbolizing the groom's family's wealth, which could provide the bride with a worry-free life. This pouch of treasures was to be given to the bride, representing that the bride would manage the finances in the future.

On his right side, he wore a jade sword and a small and exquisite purple gold bow, representing the strong military power of the groom's family, which could protect his wife and children.

The boots he wore, with their upturned toes, symbolized the groom's future career advancement and the family's desire for growth.

These attires were all carefully chosen in this world.

This was the standard attire for a clan leader, or the heir to a family. Neither the direct descendants nor the legitimate sons of a family could wear this wedding suit.

"Ah, the groom is tall and handsome, very heroic." A scholar praised, "His riding posture is calm and composed, very good."

"The groom's wedding suit, from a distance, seems to be emitting a faint red glow and golden light, could it be... the legendary Golden Fire Dual Spirit Silk Robe?" An experienced independent cultivator exclaimed.

"Brother, what is a Golden Fire Dual Spirit Silk Robe? Isn't it just a wedding robe? What's so special about it?"

"Hehe~ There are many types of spirit silkworms in the world, such as Ice Spirit Silkworm, Fire Spirit Silkworm, Gold Spirit Silkworm, etc. But no matter which kind of spirit silk clothing, they are all very expensive, and it's a treasure for ordinary noble ladies to have a spirit silk handkerchief." The independent cultivator explained.

"The most suitable for making men's wedding suits is the Dual Spirit Silk Robe, which is mainly made of Fire Spirit Silk and supplemented with Gold Spirit Silk. These two kinds of spirit silks are naturally red and golden, making the wedding robe very luxurious.""But the wedding robe uses a lot of materials and is complex to make, so the price is even more expensive. I reckon the groom's outfit alone must not be less than two thousand Top Gold!"

"Two thousand?"

Whether it was commoners, rogue cultivators, or traveling merchants, all were staggered.

That was an astronomical price!

The most crucial point was, a man would only wear a wedding robe once in his lifetime... Two thousand Top Gold for a single wear, that was too extravagant!

"In Longzuo Commandery, I have seen such a wedding robe. It was used by a young Clan Leader of a celestial family when he was getting married." The rogue cultivator proudly boasted of his knowledge.

Could a groom who could afford such a wedding robe be from an ordinary family?

Almost everyone, all at once, looked at the groom with awe.

"Hey, hey, don't just look at the robe, look at the horse the groom is riding!" Another knowledgeable rogue cultivator called out.

With his reminder.

Everyone then noticed that the horse the groom was riding was no ordinary steed.

They saw that the horse had a single horn on its head, its body was a fiery red color like fire, and its hooves were as white as clouds. It was robust and handsome, full of spirit.

It moved lightly, as if it was treading on clouds and flying in the sky.

"This is... the legendary ten-thousand-gold spiritual beast, a famous horse."

"Fire Treading on White Clouds!"

Indeed.

A thousand-gold robe, a ten-thousand-gold horse, the young master has come to marry the noble lady!

...