Protect Our Patriarch

……

After advancing to the Celestial Realm, Liu Ruolan's bloodline had awakened to the fifth level, becoming a dao body, significantly increasing her affinity with water elemental spiritual energy.

The ocean harbored countless water elemental spiritual veins, and the concentration of water elemental spiritual energy on the sea surface was two to three times higher than that on the rivers and lakes on land.

In such an environment, the power Liu Ruolan could unleash was terrifying.

This ocean was her domain.

"Boom~"

Waves surged, creating layers of towering waves.

Liu Ruolan walked on the waves, her clothes fluttering, surrounded by a faint light blue arc, formed by the dense water elemental spiritual energy automatically gathering around her.

With a lift of her wrist, a wave roared forth, transforming into a giant hand that slapped towards Cao Bangyan, instantly engulfing him.

She didn't even need to summon her Dharma Aspect; just with ordinary moves, she had already rendered Cao Bangyan powerless.

Meanwhile, another Celestial Realm ancestor flew out from the cabin. It was Xu Beichen, the Celestial Realm ancestor of the Xu Clan from Changning.

Having been cooped up in the cabin for a long time, he was eager to fight. As soon as he stepped out, he rushed to Ancestor Ruhong's side: "Brother Ruhong, let's team up. I'll take forty percent of the credit. How about it?"

According to Wang Shouzhe's tactical arrangements, he always planned for the worst. Arranging for Xu Beichen to join was to ensure a fallback and to give the Xu Clan from Changning a sense of participation, sharing some of the battle merits.

After all, the relationship between the Xu Clan from Changning and the Wang Clan from Changning had changed significantly. Xu Pingting, the legitimate daughter of the Xu Clan, was the legitimate eldest daughter-in-law of the Wang Clan and had given birth to the legitimate eldest grandson of the Wang Clan!

The bloodlines of the two families had merged to the peak.

The Xu Clan from Changning was also developing rapidly. With their already thriving population and the acquisition of abundant resources, their second and third ancestors had long been in accelerated training sequences.

According to their plan, they would be able to step into the ranks of a sixth-grade family in fifty to sixty years at most.

However, Ancestor Ruhong was no pushover. He confidently said, "Thirty percent, or I'd rather fight slowly. Given time, I can suppress Nie Long."

Years ago, after a shipwreck led to a fortunate encounter, his bloodline had already reached the level of a prodigy. But he had kept it hidden, pretending to be old until the right moment to reveal his strength.

Looking at his "white-bearded old man" appearance, who would imagine that his actual age was younger than Fang You'an when he first appeared as a dashing young man?

If he shed his old appearance and dressed up, he would look like a handsome middle-aged man at most.

The Chen Clan's offspring were not bad-looking. Just look at Chen Fangjie, who was only slightly less handsome than Wang Shouzhe.

"Alright, thirty percent it is." Xu Beichen knew he had no advantage on the sea and didn't mind, immediately joining the battle with excitement.

Even with only thirty percent of the credit, it was still a huge gain.

Their bargaining infuriated Nie Long. They were treating him as a meal on a plate, looking down on him!

But no matter how angry or dissatisfied he was, it was futile. The situation was beyond his control.

"Damn Cao Bangyan, so foolish to be manipulated from start to finish without realizing it!" Nie Long struggled to fend off the relentless attacks from the two Celestial Realm cultivators, his resentment towards Cao Bangyan and the Cao Clan growing deeper.

"Nie Long, if you surrender, there's still a chance for survival," Chen Ruhong said loudly. "The Cao Clan only treats you like a dog. At this point, according to Daqian law, you still have a chance to redeem yourself. Why sacrifice for the Cao Clan?"

"What do you know? Without Lord Cao's rescue back then, I, Nie Long, would have been dead long ago." Nie Long's red hair and beard bristled, his large eyes filled with anger and a touch of sorrow. "Forget it, today I'll repay Lord Cao's life-saving grace."

With that, he roared, his blade striking like a dragon, slashing towards Ancestor Ruhong and Xu Beichen with a fierce energy that seemed to tear the sky apart.

The battle lasted a full quarter of an hour.

In the end, under the combined efforts of Chen Ruhong and Xu Beichen, Nie Long was slain on the Qingluo Sea.

After the battle, the two ancestors were exhausted. They looked at each other, not expecting a pirate to have such integrity, refusing to surrender or betray the Cao Clan until death.

They couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for him.

As for Cao Bangyan, after being defeated by Liu Ruolan, he was soon captured alive. It was somewhat unfair for him. With his prodigy-level Celestial Realm third-layer cultivation, if he had fought Liu Ruolan head-on with all his might, he might have held out for half an incense stick's time.

Unfortunately, he was too reckless, failing to fully utilize his strength and was easily defeated.

Meanwhile.

The ship battle quickly reached its end. With both Celestial Realm leaders defeated, the pirates lost the will to fight and soon surrendered under the leadership of some Lingtai Realm leaders.

Wang Luomiao immediately commanded her subordinates to bind all the pirates and lock them up, then began to clean up the battlefield.

At the same time, under the guidance of the surrendered pirate leaders, Ancestor Chen Ruhong and Xu Beichen led elite fast ships to raid the "Red-Haired Dragon King" Nie Long's lair, capturing more pirate remnants and seizing a large amount of loot.

According to Daqian law, families had the right to dispose of the loot after exterminating mountain bandits and water pirates. Moreover, reporting to the authorities would earn them a merit reward.

The Wang Clan, deeply influenced by Wang Shouzhe, naturally wouldn't miss this.

The subsequent handling proceeded in an orderly manner.

……

Not long after.

In the commandery city of Longzuo Commandery, at the Commandery Governor's mansion.

The Commandery Governor's mansion was a large official institution, issuing all orders within Longzuo Commandery, from recruiting talents and suppressing bandits to collecting taxes and providing disaster relief.

It managed everything within Longzuo Commandery.

Correspondingly, the Commandery Governor's mansion was quite large, grand and majestic, with strict security and a giant defensive formation, providing high-level protection.

Most importantly, the Commandery Governor of Longzuo Commandery, Taishi Ankang, a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, resided there year-round.

With him and the defensive formation, even two or three Purple Mansion Masters would find it difficult to breach the mansion in a short time.

In the eastern part of the mansion, there was a prison.

Those qualified to be imprisoned here were not ordinary people. Among them were noble family members who committed major crimes, vicious Basalt criminals, and some heretics against Daqian...

With a population of seventy to eighty million in Longzuo Commandery, there were all kinds of people, so the prison held quite a few inmates.

Currently, Cao Bangyan, the prodigy of the Cao Clan from Longyuan Commandery, was imprisoned here.

One day.

Two visitors entered the prison.

One was Wei Wenxun, who had just been promoted to the Commander of the Western City of Longzuo Commandery due to his outstanding performance after his term as the garrison commander of Changning Garrison. The other was Wang Shouzhe, the head of the Wang Clan from Changning.

In the cold, dark prison, Wei Wenxun whispered to Wang Shouzhe, "Master Wang, the Commandery Governor is very concerned about this case. I pulled some strings to get you in, so don't make it difficult for me."

"Commander," Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, "we've known each other for twenty or thirty years. When have I ever let you suffer? I'll even send you a big merit later."

Wei Wenxun thought about it and agreed. Wang Shouzhe never fought unprepared battles. As long as he wasn't an enemy, partnering with him was quite comfortable. After all, working with him only required obedience and lying back.

Under the guidance of the guards.

The two watched the interrogation of Cao Bangyan from outside the cell.

At first, Cao Bangyan was very stubborn, refusing to speak despite the officials' threats and inducements.

The officials were quite troubled.

Cao Bangyan was a legitimate son of a Purple Mansion family and a prodigy. Before a formal verdict, they couldn't use torture. But without torture, without a signed confession, the evidence provided by the Wang Clan's Heavenly Recording Disk wasn't enough for a conviction.

Seeing this, Wang Shouzhe called the official over and whispered a few words.

The official, skeptical, turned and left, returning shortly with tools and setting them up as Wang Shouzhe had instructed.

Half an hour later, Cao Bangyan confessed.

The official was immediately full of admiration for Wang Shouzhe.

For a moment, Wei Wenxun looked at Wang Shouzhe with a changed expression: "I didn't expect Master Wang to know these things?"

"Not at all," Wang Shouzhe waved his hand calmly, "I just read a few books in my spare time, just theoretical knowledge. It doesn't hurt to try."

In his past life, he had watched many TV dramas, learning little useful knowledge but plenty of odd trivia.

Who would have thought that in the Basalt world, this random knowledge would come in handy?

……

The next day.

In the garden of the Commandery Governor's mansion.

Wang Shouzhe and Commandery Governor Taishi Ankang sat at a stone table, drinking tea and discussing the Dao. The newly promoted Commander Wei Wenxun stood behind, bowing his head, barely daring to breathe.

After a long time.

Taishi Ankang put down his teacup, looking at Wang Shouzhe with a meaningful gaze: "Kid, you sure know how to stir up trouble."

"Sir," Wang Shouzhe remained calm, "this case involves the Cao Clan colluding with pirates to plunder merchant ships. The evidence is complete and thorough. It's not me causing trouble."

"Hmph, do you think I'm deaf and blind?" Taishi Ankang glared at Wang Shouzhe, "Rumor has it that fifteen years ago, you and the Qian Clan conspired to kill Zuoqiu Qingyun of the Zuoqiu Clan and framed Cao Youqing. Is this true or false?"

"Sir, what does it matter now whether it's true or false?" Wang Shouzhe said indifferently, "Zuoqiu Qingyun was a madman. His death was beneficial to society. Shouldn't the Zuoqiu Clan reflect on their shame instead of sending people to kill me, a hero who eliminated a menace?"

So it was this kid...

Taishi Ankang's expression froze. Although he had guessed seven or eight parts, Wang Shouzhe's casual admission still made him angry. He couldn't help but scold, "Wang Shouzhe, I thought you were mature and steady, but how could you act so impulsively? Don't think that being Changchun Immortal's disciple and having your daughter Liyao as Tianhe Daoist's favorite disciple allows you to do as you please."

"Yes, Zuoqiu Qingyun's case is a scandal, and the Zuoqiu Clan won't use force against you. But his death still shamed them. Even the Cao Clan from Longyuan Commandery suffered under their suppression. Can your mere seventh-grade family withstand their retaliation? Sigh, aren't you afraid of ruining the Wang Clan's bright future?"

Taishi Ankang had a good impression of Wang Shouzhe, seeing him as a promising family. His scolding was a form of care.

"Thank you for your advice, sir," Wang Shouzhe cupped his hands, "but what's meant to come will come. May I ask how you plan to deal with Cao Bangyan?"

"How to deal with him? Don't you already know?" Taishi Ankang glanced at him, "You've solidified the evidence against Cao Bangyan, implicating the Cao Clan in harboring pirates. As the Commandery Governor, I can't arrest the head of a fifth-grade family from Longyuan Commandery for interrogation."

"Wang Shouzhe, you've left me no choice but to report this case to the capital's Supervisory Department for investigation."

"You're wise, sir," Wang Shouzhe said with a smile.

Wise, my foot.

Taishi Ankang's eyes were filled with a deep look. Clearly, he, the Commandery Governor, had been used by Wang Shouzhe as a sword against the Cao Clan from Longyuan Commandery.

Wei Wenxun, standing by, felt a familiar sense of déjà vu. When he was the garrison commander of Changning Garrison, wasn't he also arranged by Wang Shouzhe?

"Shouzhe, tell me, what else do you need me to do?" Taishi Ankang asked with a half-smile, expressing his dissatisfaction at being used by Wang Shouzhe.

"The urgent task is to clear the pirates from Qingluo Sea and restore peace to the sea," Wang Shouzhe "honestly" suggested.

Taishi Ankang's eyelid twitched, wanting to slap this kid to death. Given an inch, he took a mile.

Why not let Wang Shouzhe be the Commandery Governor?

……