Protect Our Patriarch

……

The vast expanse of the Qingluo Sea was filled with clear, clean waters, though the temperature was rather cold.

In this sea, the growth rate of various seafood was relatively slow, which only enhanced their quality and flavor. Once upon a time, this vast sea was teeming with fishing boats, and the harvests were plentiful.

Unfortunately, at some point, pirates began to flourish in the Qingluo Sea. As a result, the fishing economy nearly came to a standstill, and the number of trading ships had decreased by 80-90% compared to a century ago.

Only the merchant ships of major clans like the Cao Clan and the Fang Clan could navigate these waters without hindrance.

At this moment.

In the vast sea, a fleet of ships had formed a stable formation, cutting through the waves and moving forward swiftly.

Among this fleet, the most eye-catching was a large merchant ship with a distinctive style.

This ship was named "Luomiao," a new model jointly built by the Donggang Chen Clan and the Changning Wang's Clan.

Unlike typical sea vessels with tall masts, this ship had a large cylindrical structure where the masts should have been.

Its size was much larger than ordinary sea vessels, with many joints made of the latest steel structures. Besides traditional sails, it had a massive power cabin at the bottom, equipped with a giant boiler and a steam-powered propeller.

This was the latest invention from Wang's secret research institute—the "Wang's Steam Engine."

The steam engine was one of the greatest tools that propelled Earth's civilization forward. While every ordinary person knew the principle of the steam engine, very few knew its specific structure.

Wang Shouzhe, of course, knew that steam could generate power and had a vague idea of its structure. However, designing an entire steam engine system from scratch was beyond him.

Fortunately, after decades of development, Wang's research institute was brimming with talent. Wang Shouzhe had proposed the concept, principles, and general structure of steam power decades ago.

The structure of steam power wasn't particularly complex, and the world wasn't short of smart people. Often, the only thing missing was a direction and a clear idea.

With a clear direction, blacksmiths, artifact refiners, and technicians, encouraged by Top Gold, gradually overcame various technical challenges over several decades. They developed a large yet primitive steam power system.

Primitive as it was, it was still a steam system, a "high-end technology" at the elementary level of "boiling water," far more advanced than pure sail power.

The biggest issue limiting the development of the shipping industry was the cargo capacity of ships. Only with a strong enough cargo capacity could sufficient profit be generated.

And what limited the cargo capacity of ships was essentially power.

Using sails as power was not only easily affected by weather and ocean currents, but nearly half of the year would be forced downtime. The power provided by sails also had an upper limit, making the transportation speed not particularly fast.

But with a steam system as power, these concerns were eliminated.

The power generated by a steam system had a much higher upper limit than sails, and steam power was more stable, less affected by weather and currents, providing strong power consistently. Even against the current, the speed wouldn't be too slow.

Moreover, coal was very cheap in this world, and its consumption wasn't high.

Based on this, the shipping industry had great potential for future development.

However, as of now, Wang's steam power system was still in the experimental stage and needed continuous improvement in practice. It wasn't yet ready for mass production.

The "Luomiao" was Wang's trial run.

At the same time, this large merchant ship named "Luomiao" was the flagship of the entire fleet.

It carried the most precious glass products, with twelve Divine Might Cannons installed on board, making its defense formidable, earning it the title of "mobile war fortress at sea."

Compared to the "Luomiao," the other nine merchant ships had much weaker defenses, each equipped with only one Divine Might Cannon.

The "Luomiao" had a high foredeck, standing five or six zhang above the waterline, making it look more majestic than ordinary sea vessels.

At this moment, a woman stood gracefully beside a Divine Might Cannon at the front of the deck.

She was quite beautiful, with long hair tied into a simple ponytail, and wore no extra adornments. Her figure appeared tall and slender in her Basalt combat attire and cloak, looking valiant and spirited.

This woman was none other than Wang Luomiao, the person in charge of this fleet.

Generally, women from high-grade Basalt clans would either pursue the academy route if they were outstanding, or follow the path of marriage and childbirth for family alliances. Especially those from the main lineage, they often couldn't control their own marriages.

Cao Lina was a typical example. As a main lineage woman from the Cao's Clan of Longyuan Commandery, her qualifications weren't bad, but she could only follow her family's arrangement to marry Qian Qinhong of the Qian Clan of Longzuo Commandery as a second wife.

However, Wang's Clan was somewhat different.

Under Wang Shouzhe's insistence, all women in Wang's Clan enjoyed the same rights and treatment as men, including marriage. Any woman in Wang's Clan had the right to choose whether to marry or not, with the family only giving suggestions without forcing them. In fact, they had even more rights than the men, as the family would take certain measures if some men didn't marry and have children for a long time...

In this regard, Wang Shouzhe had the strong support of Ancestor Long Yan.

Therefore, Wang Shouzhe's half-sister, Wang Luomiao, had never married. Like the men of her generation in the family, she used her efforts and abilities to support the family.

Sea trade was always tough.

Wang Luomiao chose this way to take on some responsibilities for the family and share some burdens for her brother Wang Shouzhe. Over the past twenty years, she learned everything she could, growing step by step, integrating herself into the family.

The sea breeze blew, and her cloak fluttered.

With the passage of time, the once naive girl had gradually transformed into a mature and capable heroine.

"Miss Luomiao, the wind is strong outside."

At some point, a refined and handsome young man appeared behind Wang Luomiao.

He looked at Wang Luomiao with concern and said, "You should go back and rest for a while. In this Qingluo Sea, no pirates dare to touch a ship flying the Fang Clan's flag."

Although this merchant fleet was part of the marriage alliance industry of Wang's Clan, it was specifically for trade with the Fang's Clan of Longyuan Commandery. Due to the lucrative profits, the Fang's Clan valued this trade route more and more, sending their direct descendant Fang Jinghui to oversee it.

This young man was naturally Fang Jinghui.

After twenty years of cooperation, the relationship between the two clans had become increasingly close.

Fang Jinghui was only a few years older than Luomiao. Despite his refined and elegant demeanor, his strength had reached the peak of the third layer of the Lingtai Realm. In the academy, he would undoubtedly be a core disciple on par with Ji Mingyu.

This showed that the foundation of the Fang's Clan of Longyuan Commandery far exceeded that of an ordinary sixth-grade clan, and they were on the verge of becoming a fifth-grade Purple Mansion Clan. Once they succeeded in becoming a Purple Mansion Clan, with the support of Fang You'an, a direct disciple of the Purple Mansion Academy of Longzuo Commandery, their future development potential would be immense.

"Young Master Jinghui." Wang Luomiao nodded slightly, "This time, the ship is loaded with a large number of glassware. It's better for me to keep an eye on it so I can respond quickly if anything happens."

As the direct sister of the clan head, Wang Luomiao had received top-notch education and resources since childhood.

Although she didn't obtain the primary bloodline improvement elixir due to the depletion of resources in the Shenwu Royal Dynasty's trial grounds, Wang Shouzhe, as her brother, naturally wouldn't treat her poorly.

With the "Qi Activation," "Blood Purification," and "Marrow Cleansing" pills, her bloodline qualification had reached the level of a minor genius of mid-grade C. Later, Wang Shouzhe reserved one of the wedding blood gu for her, and after using it, her bloodline qualification barely crossed the threshold between mid-grade and high-grade, reaching high-grade D.

Now, she was already a generation of genius.

However, being ten years younger than Wang Shouzhe and starting a bit later, her current strength was only in the mid to late stage of the third layer of the Lingtai Realm, still a bit away from breaking through to the mid-stage of the Lingtai Realm.

With such bloodline talent, while there was still some risk in advancing to the Purple Mansion Realm, reaching the Celestial Realm posed no difficulty. Moreover, Wang's Clan was in a period of rapid development, with annual revenue from various industries gradually increasing.

For example, the Ice Fiend Island developed by the academy had now reached an annual revenue of hundreds of thousands. The Shouda Trading Company, which had received significant investment earlier, had already recouped its costs and was generating considerable annual profits.

The most anticipated project for Wang's Clan was Xin'an Town, which had begun large-scale land reclamation, increasing the number of fertile fields and bringing considerable revenue to Wang's Clan, which primarily focused on grain cultivation.

Moreover, Xin'an Town, being a newly reclaimed town, enjoyed a thirty-year exemption from national and commandery taxes under Daqian law, only needing to pay the garrison tax to Changning Garrison and the clan tax to Wang's Clan. If the fields were registered under Wang's Clan, even the clan tax would be exempted.

Therefore, the revenue from Xin'an Town was particularly impressive.

With money, Wang Shouzhe began to collect Xisui Dan, Wuji Baodan, and other items that could improve qualifications. Given Wang Luomiao's status and contribution to the family, she might even receive a Wuji Baodan in the future.

But let's not digress.

Seeing Wang Luomiao's firm attitude, Fang Jinghui sighed helplessly, "In that case, I'll stay here and chat with you, Miss Luomiao."

As he spoke, he walked to Wang Luomiao's side and said casually, "In five or six days, we'll reach our Fang Clan's Panshui Port. It will take a few days to unload and check the cargo. Do you have any plans, Miss Luomiao? Are you planning to go somewhere for a stroll..."

While they were talking.

Suddenly.

A sharp, piercing whistle sounded abruptly.

It was the lookout on the watchtower who had spotted the enemy and blew the warning whistle.

In an instant, everyone in the merchant fleet tensed up. Wang Luomiao and Fang Jinghui immediately stopped talking and looked up at the watchtower.

On the watchtower, the lookout assistant was methodically waving flags, conveying messages through flag signals.

"Pirates attacking?" Fang Jinghui's face changed, "Which group of pirates dares to plunder our merchant ships?"

Wang Luomiao's face turned cold. She immediately made a series of deployments and arrangements based on the number of pirate ships and the direction of their attack conveyed by the flag signals.

The "Luomiao," as the flagship, turned to block the direction of the pirate attack. On the deck, all twelve Divine Might Cannons were loaded and ready for battle.

All non-combat personnel hid in the cabin, leaving only Basalt cultivators and family guards who knew how to operate the Divine Might Cannons on the deck.

Merchant ships had large cargo capacities and couldn't outrun pirates. With the advantage of the "telescope" to spot the enemy first, setting up a defensive formation was the best strategy.

Almost at the same time the fleet completed its deployment, dozens of small dots appeared on the vast sea. These were dozens of medium and small fast ships, with their sails bulging, speeding towards them with the wind.

Behind these fast ships were a few large sea vessels. These large sea vessels were slower than the fast ships but still twice as fast as the heavily laden merchant ships.

Pirate flags fluttered high above these sea vessels, creating a strong sense of oppression even before they got close.

Soon, the fast ships became clearer in everyone's sight, and the distance between the two sides began to close rapidly.

A fierce sea battle broke out.

The thunderous roar of the Divine Might Cannons created waves on the sea. With enough luck, they could even sink a small fast ship.

As the pirates quickly approached, their ballistae began to counterattack.

However, compared to the clean and decisive results of the Divine Might Cannons, the ballistae's effectiveness was immediately overshadowed.

"Damn it!" The rugged pirate leader Nie Long was so furious that his eyes almost spewed fire, "How can the Divine Might Cannons be so powerful?"

He had heard that the Divine Might Cannons of Wang's Clan and Chen's Clan were formidable, but he had scoffed at it. Now, he was tasting the bitter truth. Not only had many of his brothers been killed by the Divine Might Cannons, but many of his ships had also been destroyed.

"Brothers, keep charging!"

Nie Long's red hair stood on end, and his aura surged.

At the same time, he stomped on the deck with one leg, and his whole body soared into the air, flying towards the "Luomiao."

In just a moment, he was already above the flagship "Luomiao."

With a flick of his right hand, a thick-backed saber appeared in his palm, a treasure-grade long saber.

This was a gift from the previous head of the Cao Clan, Cao Youbin, when he advanced to the Celestial Realm. Without it, Nie Long wouldn't have been able to obtain such a treasure-grade long saber with his strength and financial resources.

Nie Long held the saber with both hands and slashed down at the flagship.

In an instant, a massive amount of profound energy surged out, condensing into a semi-circular saber light several zhang in size, roaring forward with a majestic and fierce momentum.

It was evident that Nie Long was a master of the saber, having comprehended some saber intent.

At this moment, he hovered in the air, his burly figure like a small mountain, his profound energy surging like angry waves. The overwhelming saber light was truly imposing.

Even though it seemed like a casual slash, the power of this slash was enough to cut through waves and strike fear into people's hearts.

This was the might of a Celestial!

When a Celestial Realm Basalt cultivator went all out, the combat power they unleashed was terrifying. Merchant ships and Divine Might Cannons were useless.

This was why having a Celestial Ancestor could dominate a region and become a powerful force.

Celestial Realm cultivators had long transcended the mortal level. With their strength alone, they could easily destroy an ordinary eighth-grade clan. In critical moments, they could often determine the outcome of a small-scale war.

"Not good, it's the 'Red-Haired Dragon King' Nie Long. Be careful, Miss Luomiao!" Fang Jinghui's face turned pale. He hurriedly stood in front of Wang Luomiao, raised his left hand, and a spinning spirit shield flew up, creating an energy shield that protected both of them.

However, with his strength, trying to block this attack was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

At this critical moment, a long whistle suddenly sounded from within the "Luomiao." A blue water dragon burst out from the cabin, shooting like an arrow towards the saber light.

"Boom!"

The two energies collided fiercely, sending a shockwave in all directions, causing the masts and deck of the "Luomiao" to crack.

At the same time.

A tall and burly old man, holding a silver spear, flew out of the cabin and hovered in the air, facing the "Red-Haired Dragon King" Nie Long. He laughed loudly, "Nie Long, as long as I'm here, you won't have your way."

"It's you? Ancestor Chen Ruhong of the Chen Clan?" Nie Long's pupils contracted, and his expression became serious, "Why are you out here instead of staying in Donggang?"

He was also very wary of Chen Ruhong. It was rumored that after Chen Ruhong advanced to the Celestial Realm, he had wiped out several waves of pirates in the East Sea, including a Celestial Realm pirate.

That pirate had been wreaking havoc in the East Sea for over a hundred years. Even the East Sea King and others couldn't do anything about him, yet he was killed by the newly advanced Celestial Chen Ruhong.

That battle made Chen Ruhong famous, causing all the small-time pirates in the East Sea to cower.

Many people speculated that Chen Ruhong's bloodline talent was extraordinary; otherwise, he couldn't have advanced so quickly and possessed the strength to kill those of the same level.

"I left home to eliminate scoundrels like you." Chen Ruhong said coldly, "Nie Long, today is your death day."

"Chen Ruhong, don't be arrogant! I've been dominating the Qingluo Sea for years, and my cultivation is higher than yours. How can you kill me?" Nie Long was furious, his aura surging as he slashed at Chen Ruhong with all his might.

This slash was not as casual as the previous one. It was a full-force attack, with a more profound and domineering saber momentum, carrying a fierce and unyielding intent.

"Hmph~!"

Chen Ruhong snorted coldly, fearlessly raising his spear to meet the attack.

"Boom! Boom!"

The two Celestials clashed in mid-air, causing waves to rise on the sea below.

Under Chen Ruhong's intentional guidance, their battle gradually moved away from the "Luomiao," avoiding collateral damage.

This scene made Fang Jinghui both surprised and delighted, "Miss Luomiao, Ancestor Ruhong is secretly protecting us? In that case, these pirates are doomed. Let's join the fight and defeat the pirate minions first."

"Sigh~~ Young Master Jinghui, you think too simply. This pirate attack is no coincidence." Wang Luomiao sighed, looking helplessly at Fang Jinghui.

To be honest, Fang Jinghui should have just received them at Longyuan Panshui Port, but he insisted on personally escorting them back and forth several times. How could Wang Luomiao not understand his intentions?

It wasn't that Wang Luomiao was heartless, but she had seen many outstanding family members, and Fang Jinghui's overall performance was just average.

Not to mention comparing him to her brother Wang Shouzhe, he couldn't even compare to her brothers Wang Shouyong and Wang Shoulian.

This shipping operation was planned by her brother Wang Shouzhe. The cargo on these ten merchant ships was genuine, but her brother used it as bait to lure hidden enemies into action.

Wang Luomiao didn't know how her brother knew there would be trouble, but she had witnessed too many miracles since childhood and had unconditional trust in her brother.

This time, her brother was right again.

"Miss Luomiao, are you saying there's a mastermind behind this pirate attack?" Fang Jinghui wasn't too slow-witted and immediately realized something, "Could it be the Cao Clan? The Cao Clan has always coveted our maritime trade interests, but they offended the Zu oqiu's Clan of Qing'an Commandery a decade ago and have been struggling ever since."

Just as he finished speaking.

Another powerful Celestial Realm cultivator soared into the sky from the pirate flagship and quickly arrived above the "Luomiao." He stood with his hands behind his back, hovering in the air, and said coldly, "I underestimated you, having a Celestial Realm cultivator secretly guarding your fleet. But with me, Cao Bangyan, here, none of you will escape today."

"Cao Bangyan! How can it be you? You... you have such nerve." Fang Jinghui's face turned ashen. Compared to Nie Long, a pirate, Cao Bangyan was a well-known genius in Longyuan Commandery.

Moreover, it was rumored that Cao Bangyan was ruthless and vengeful. Anyone who offended him met a tragic end. Fang Jinghui had even heard that Cao Bangyan was a notorious lecher, preying on young women from lower-grade clans.

However, these were just rumors without concrete evidence, and no one dared to accuse Cao Bangyan openly.

"Fang Jinghui, hehehe~" Cao Bangyan chuckled mockingly, "You are too naive. In the vast Qingluo Sea, once you're all dead, who will know it was me?"

"You..." Fang Jinghui was so furious he almost spat blood. Just as he was about to retort, Wang Luomiao gently pulled him back and stepped forward. She raised her head and said loudly, "Cao Bangyan, what reason do you have for driving pirates to plunder our merchant ships?"

Cao Bangyan slowly descended onto the deck, his eyes filled with greed as he stared at Wang Luomiao. "Little sister, you must be Wang Luomiao, the direct descendant of Wang's Clan. As the rumors say, you are indeed charming and extraordinary. If you obediently submit to me, I will spare your life."

"Bastard..." Fang Jinghui was furious and was about to charge forward when Wang Luomiao grabbed him and threw him back. She calmly said, "You are a genius, so submitting to you is not a big deal. However, our Wang's Clan has never offended your Cao Clan. Why are you targeting us?"

"Luomiao..." Fang Jinghui, lying on the ground, looked shocked and angry.

"Interesting, interesting. Are you trying to get information from me?" Cao Bangyan laughed loudly, "But since you are so sensible, I'll let you know. Your Wang's Clan has offended someone you shouldn't have, and you are about to be destroyed."

"Who did we offend?" Wang Luomiao frowned slightly, "Could it be that our suppression of pirates offended the 'Red-Haired Dragon King' Nie Long? How could he have the power to drive you, Young Master Cao?"

"Nie Long? Bah, Nie Long is just a dog we raised. How dare he drive me?" Cao Bangyan said arrogantly, his eyes constantly scanning Wang Luomiao's body, "Little beauty, don't be so ignorant..."

"Sister-in-law, have you recorded everything?" Wang Luomiao suddenly asked behind her.

"Recorded." A cold, clear voice responded. A woman wearing a bamboo hat and veil, her face obscured, suddenly appeared on the deck.

In her delicate hands, she held a strange disc-like tool. Anyone with some knowledge would recognize it as a very precious spiritual treasure, the "Heavenly Recording Disk."

This item was extremely difficult to craft, and no artifact refiner in Daqian could produce it. Only a certain artifact refining family in the legendary "Han Yue Immortal Dynasty" could replicate the Shenwu Royal Dynasty's Heavenly Recording Disk.

This item was rare even in the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty, and in Daqian, it was incredibly valuable, beyond the reach of ordinary clans.

Fifteen years ago, Wang Shouzhe had witnessed its wonders and kept it in mind. After spending considerable effort and Top Gold, he managed to acquire one. Now, it was proving its worth at a critical moment.

"Who are you? That's a Heavenly Recording Disk!" Cao Bangyan's face turned grim, and he said coldly, "You were trying to get information from me?"

Wang Luomiao pursed her lips and said, "Idiot, you just realized it now? With your intelligence, you think you can deal with our Wang's Clan... Who do you think you're underestimating?"

"You!" Cao Bangyan was so enraged he almost spat blood. He laughed angrily, "Fine, fine, I admit I was provoked. I'll make sure you two..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

A flash of water light appeared before his eyes. The veiled woman had somehow closed the distance, raised her delicate wrist, and delivered a light, floating palm strike.

"Boom!"

Cao Bangyan felt as if his chest had been hit by a primordial beast, his ribs cracking. His body flew backward like a cannonball, smashing through the ship's railing and continuing for over a hundred zhang before crashing into the sea.

"This..." Fang Jinghui's pupils contracted. A genius like Cao Bangyan was sent flying with one move! Although it was a surprise attack, the mysterious woman was incredibly powerful.

"Humph~~" Wang Luomiao sneered, "What a so-called genius Cao Bangyan, boasting so much. I thought he was formidable."

"Sister-in-law is mighty, sister-in-law is domineering!"

……