Protect Our Patriarch
Chapter 3: My wife is a goddess

```

……

An River, one of the two most important rivers in the Great Qian.

Originating from the Western Sea Plateau, it flows through the Western Sea and Lingbei Commanderies, with several tributaries joining it along the way, finally emptying into the sea from Longzuo Commandery, spanning tens of thousands of miles in total.

The Flood Dragon Gang, as the local tyrant on An River, has a vast sphere of influence. Nearly ten thousand miles of the river, from Lingbei to the estuary, which is the middle and lower reaches of An River, fall under the gang's control.

For easier management, the Flood Dragon Gang sets up a branch every thousand miles, each branch overseen by a Celestial Realm master.

Including the second-in-command "Red Jade Flood Dragon" Jiang Yusong, the third-in-command "Spirit Slayer" Du Tiangang, the adopted son "One-eyed Flood Dragon" Zhao Wuqing, and others, the entire Flood Dragon Gang boasts over fifteen Celestial Realm experts.

Among them, there are three or four masters in the later stages of the Celestial Realm, making their strength formidable.

Midstream of An River, Lingbei Xianyu Branch.

This branch is located at the northernmost part of Lingbei Commandery, at Xianyu Ridge, backed by mountains and facing the river, just a river's width away from the Great Qian's capital, making it the closest part of An River to the capital.

By the river, there is a sizable dockyard, which serves as the headquarters of the Xianyu Branch.

In the dockyard, a young man in white was leisurely sipping tea, skimming the tea foam with a tea cup.

On the tea table before him, there was a chessboard carved from spiritual jade. The board was already filled with numerous white and black pieces, indicating that the game had been going on for quite some time.

Opposite the young man, the branch leader of Xianyu Branch, "Flying Eagle" Ji Chen, was holding a black piece, his face full of hesitation.

After a long while, he finally placed the piece on the board with a conflicted expression.

Without even lifting his eyelids, the young man in white flicked his finger, and a white jade piece flew out from the chess basket, landing on the board with a "snap".

Ji Chen's eyes widened, and sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

"You lost."

The young man in white took a sip of tea and said indifferently.

"Yes, yes, I lost."

Ji Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, then, with a mournful face, drew a banknote from the pile in front of him and placed it on the opposite side.

It was unclear how long the two had been playing, but Ji Chen's pile of banknotes had dwindled to a thin stack, while the young man in white had a thick wad in front of him, indicating how badly Ji Chen had been losing.

Although the Flood Dragon Gang's power was comparable to that of a Purple Mansion Clan, Ji Chen was just a Celestial Realm cultivator, managing only one of the gang's ten branches. The profits he could skim off were just enough for his own cultivation, leaving him with little in savings.

The pile on the table was nearly all his assets. If he lost any more, he would be bankrupt.

The young man in white showed no sympathy for Ji Chen.

With a casual wave of his hand, the pieces on the board returned to the chess basket.

"Next round."

"Another one?"

Ji Chen's face, already bitter, almost crumpled into tears at the words.

He quickly clutched the banknotes in front of him and pleaded, "Young Master Ce, playing against me isn't much fun even if you win. How about we take a break? Or, when our second-in-command arrives, you can play with him? His chess skills are much better than mine."

It turned out that this young man in white was none other than the great prodigy of the Holy Land, Gongyang Ce.

"No need. Changing opponents won't make much difference." Gongyang Ce lifted his eyelids nonchalantly and looked at Ji Chen, "Make your move."

Ji Chen had no choice but to pick up a black piece and ponder seriously with a mournful face.

He felt that his banknotes were doomed to be emptied today.

Just then.

A deep, powerful male voice echoed from outside the dockyard, "Hahaha~ Young Master Ce, your esteemed presence is an honor. I apologize for not welcoming you sooner."

Along with the voice came a surge of overwhelming power, like a tidal wave, filled with an indescribable grandeur and dominance.

Ji Chen's hand paused, and he quickly looked outside, seeing a brilliant glow of light approaching from the horizon, reaching the dockyard entrance in an instant.

The light dispersed, revealing a figure striding in with the gait of a dragon and the steps of a tiger.

It was a middle-aged man dressed casually in a white shirt and knee-length pants, with stubble on his chin, lacking the dignity expected of a Purple Mansion Realm expert, instead exuding a rugged aura.

However, the still-surging, tidal-like aura around him showcased his power and authority.

The newcomer was none other than the leader of the Flood Dragon Gang, Long Wuji.

"Boss, you're finally here~"

Ji Chen, feeling as if he had been granted amnesty, quickly abandoned the chessboard and went to greet him, offering his grandmaster chair to Long Wuji with utmost respect.

Gongyang Ce also stood up, raising his hand in a polite salute, "Master Long."

"Young Master Ce, you're too kind~"

Long Wuji returned the salute politely, and the two took their seats as host and guest.

Gongyang Ce, being a great prodigy of the Holy Land, was likely to become a Divine Realm expert in the future, so Long Wuji naturally gave him some face. Although his posture remained lazy, his tone was unusually courteous.

After some small talk, Long Wuji got to the point, "Young Master Ce, you must be busy with important matters. What brings you to see this old man? And you even sent someone to arrange this meeting?"

"To be honest, Master Long, I came because of the Changning Wang's Clan. My follower, Cao Youqing, fell because of the Wang's Clan. I am here to invite you to join me in dealing with the Wang's Clan." Gongyang Ce said, looking at Long Wuji, "The Wang's Clan has been vigorously developing aquaculture and maritime trade in Qingluo Garrison, which you must have noticed. If you are willing to take action, all the benefits in this area will be yours, and I will not interfere at all."

"Young Master Ce's proposal is very tempting." Long Wuji smiled, "However, Young Master Ce must have forgotten that I have a fifty-year agreement with the Wang's Clan."

If not for that, how could he have allowed the Wang's Clan to grow step by step to its current state?

"It's just a verbal agreement~" Gongyang Ce said indifferently, "As long as the goal is achieved, what's the harm in using some means? Moreover, verbal agreements have many loopholes. Breaking the agreement and taking action against the Wang's Clan in advance is not difficult."

He thought it was a trivial matter.

Many agreements between noble families and various forces were broken after being made. Not only did he not care, but he also believed that the Wang's Clan did not expect Long Wuji to fully honor the agreement.

Unexpectedly, Long Wuji's smile faded, and a cold glint flashed in his narrowed eyes, "You want me to break the agreement? Hmph~ Gongyang Ce, I respect you as a great prodigy and give you some face. But you don't get to tell me how to do things."

Although Gongyang Ce was a great prodigy with a strong background in the Holy Land, Long Wuji, being of royal blood, had his own pride. He could be polite to Gongyang Ce and give him some face, but he would not be commanded by him.

He snorted coldly, "I, Long Wuji, may not be a good person, but breaking promises is something I will not do."

"Stubborn."

Gongyang Ce's face darkened at these words.

He had heard of Long Wuji's reputation as the "Imperial Uncle" and knew he had a peculiar temper, but he didn't expect him to be so rigid.

The two exchanged cold looks, and the atmosphere became tense.

Ji Chen, standing nearby, was drenched in cold sweat.

My heavens~ Will the boss and Young Master Ce start fighting?

Both of them were Purple Mansion Realm experts. If they fought, the dockyard would be destroyed.

After an unknown amount of time, Gongyang Ce suddenly snorted coldly, "Since Master Long insists, then let's wait another two years. By then, Master Long should have no reason to refuse."

"Of course." Long Wuji raised his head proudly, "By then, I will take action against the Changning Wang's Clan without Young Master Ce needing to say a word."

"Good. I hope Master Long won't regret today's decision." Gongyang Ce said, then, not bothering to waste more words with Long Wuji, he put down his tea cup and left.

Waiting another two years was no big deal.

After all, it had already been delayed for over thirty years, so two more years wouldn't make much difference. During this time, he could also make other preparations.

With a flick of his sleeve, a white-gold glow enveloped him.

In the next moment, the glow shot into the sky, like a rainbow piercing the sun, and disappeared into the distant horizon with a rolling momentum.

……

Longzuo Changning Garrison.

To the northwest of Changning City, there is a medium-sized volcanic crater.

Its presence has caused large areas of land to be strewn with rocks and heavily mineralized, making it difficult to cultivate on a large scale.

As a result, this large area of land has long been used as vast pastures.

However, blessings often come with misfortunes. The volcanic ash accumulated over the ages has merged with the earth, enriching the soil with nutrients, making the pasture grass particularly lush.

The meat from cattle, sheep, and pigs raised on this grass is of high quality and sells well in the southern six garrisons.

Initially, this vast pasture was occupied by the Huangfu's Clan and was known as the Huangfu Great Pasture. Now, it belongs to the Wang's Clan and is known as the Wang's Great Pasture.

Although the annual income from the Wang's Great Pasture is not among the highest of the Wang's Clan's industries, it is one of the clan's foundational industries.

The ordinary yak meat, pork, and mutton produced each year are supplied to Ping'an and Xinan towns, with the surplus consumed within Changning Garrison and nearby areas.

Wheat and rice are essential for human survival, but supplementing the diet with meat can enhance vitality and benefit the growth and development of the young.

Nowadays, the overall living standards of the commoners and tenant farmers in Changning Garrison are quite prosperous, with average consumption of meat, fish, eggs, and milk far exceeding that of a century ago.

Generations of improved nutrition have resulted in the current young generation of Changning Garrison being physically superior to their ancestors, with average height and bloodline quality surpassing the overall level of Longzuo Commandery.

The production of spiritual meat, such as spirit-horned yak, iron-backed boar, and northwest spirit meat cattle, is also increasing annually. However, due to the long production cycle and high consumption, it has been difficult to meet the growing demand for spiritual meat in Changning Garrison.

The most challenging to raise is the northwest spirit meat cattle, a third-tier meat species. Although its growth cycle has been shortened to a century, the average cost of raising one still reaches tens of thousands of top gold.

Even though these spirit meat cattle, after generations of selective breeding, have grown to the size of adult elephants, with a meat yield of nearly ten thousand pounds per head, the cost per pound remains terrifyingly high.

However, as a third-tier spiritual meat, it significantly supplements the vitality of Basalt cultivators and accelerates their growth. Therefore, despite the high costs, the Wang's Great Pasture must raise them on a large scale.

Currently, the Wang's Great Pasture has over five hundred northwest spirit meat cattle, with the number increasing annually. It is expected that in the near future, they will be able to slaughter ten heads per year, barely meeting the clan's needs.

The Wang's Clan has many prodigies and great prodigies. Various nutrient-rich spiritual foods and supplements are essential to avoid hindering their cultivation progress.

Even Wang Shouzhe and Wang Long Yan, great prodigies in the Celestial Realm, consume fifth-tier spiritual meat to accelerate their cultivation. However, ordinary pastures cannot raise fifth-tier spiritual beasts.

They either wait for a fifth-tier spiritual beast to foolishly challenge Shouzhe Pass or rely on long-term purchases. The prices are extremely high and unstable.

Therefore, the Wang's Great Pasture is also attempting to raise fourth-tier meat cattle. However, this requires long-term accumulation, and the Wang's Clan lacks the foundation in animal husbandry.

Volcanic Crater Pasture.

Outside the crater, the Wang's Clan has built a small base.

This small base serves as the long-term residence and office for the core members and retainers of the Wang's Clan, controlling the entire Wang's Great Pasture.

For the past fifty or sixty years, Wang Luotong of the Wang's Clan has been diligently developing the livestock industry, expanding the overall scale by threefold. The current total output value exceeds one million top gold, and she has accumulated much animal husbandry technology for the clan.

More importantly, during this process, she switched from her original main cultivation technique "Xuan Yuan Technique" to the fire-based "Red Dragon True Technique," relying on the fire spiritual vein within the volcano to continuously improve her cultivation, eventually reaching the Celestial Realm.

Of course, without the Marrying Blood Gu she requested from Wang Shouzhe, she wouldn't have had the talent to reach the Celestial Realm at the age of eighty-seven.

Meanwhile.

In the base of the Wang's Great Pasture.

A middle-aged man with a mustache leaped down from a carriage, holding a four or five-year-old boy in his arms.

Nearby, Wang Chong, a middle-aged Lingtai Realm retainer, hurriedly led a few clan soldiers to greet him, bowing, "Greetings, Master Lei, and Young Master Zongbo." With a wave of his hand, the clan soldiers led the coachman to rest and unloaded the supplies from the carriage.

These were fruits, poultry, fish, and geese produced by the Wang's Clan's farms. Although the Wang's Great Pasture was vast, it produced very few fruits and agricultural products.

"Wang Chong, where is my wife? Is she patrolling the pasture again?" Lei Bowu asked as he walked into the base with the child. As a son-in-law of the Wang's Clan, he could have assisted Wang Luotong in managing the pasture.

However, thirty-nine years ago, after the birth of their eldest daughter, Wang Limei, according to family rules, the child had to grow up in the main residence until the age of sixteen, preferably with one parent.

As the weaker party in the marriage, Lei Bowu had to return to the main residence to take care of the child.

Fortunately, the Wang's Great Pasture was only half a day's ride from the main residence. Wang Luotong could take time to reunite with the family, and Lei Bowu could occasionally bring the child to visit her.

When Wang Limei turned eighteen, Lei Bowu returned to the pasture to assist Luotong. Five years ago, when Wang Luotong, still at the peak of the ninth level of the Lingtai Realm, gave birth to a son, Wang Zongbo, Lei Bowu had to return to the main residence to be a full-time dad again. After all, he had been madly in love with Wang Luotong in his youth, and marrying into the family came with its sacrifices.

Lei Bowu had no complaints, knowing that his wife, a prodigy of the Wang's Clan, had to work hard for the family and earn more contributions. A prodigy's cultivation consumed a lot of resources, and although the Wang's Clan provided ample support, she still needed to complete additional tasks to earn contributions for faster cultivation.

Meanwhile, Lei Bowu also took on some family tasks that didn't require travel to supplement his prodigy wife's resource consumption.

Back to the present.

Retainer Wang Chong respectfully replied, "Master Lei, as you know, as our Wang's Great Pasture grows in scale and output, there are always some fierce birds and beasts sneaking in from the Great Swamp, crossing the Zhenze Garrison border to steal our spiritual livestock."

"A few days ago, patrolling retainers spotted several fierce swamp crocodiles. They were very cunning and had already dragged away several spirit-horned yaks. Lady Luotong personally led the retainers and clan soldiers to hunt them down."

"Fierce swamp crocodiles?" Lei Bowu frowned, "What's going on with the Wang's Clan at Zhenze Garrison? Their defense against the Great Swamp is too lax. I've heard this has happened several times in recent years."

"Our Wang's Clan investigated and found that it wasn't intentional by the Wang's Clan at Zhenze Garrison," Wang Chong said, "They suffered even more, losing a clan member."

As they spoke.

In the distance, a sturdy horse galloped in, "Is Lady Luotong here? Our Young Master Shihai is here to deliver a batch of livestock, all high-quality breeds from Monan."

"Lady Luotong is not here, I'll handle it." Lei Bowu handed the child, Wang Zongbo, to a clan soldier for care. Then, he led the base's managers and clan soldiers to welcome Wang Shihai.

The livestock from Monan were numerous and of high quality, including breeding cattle and horses. This showed the strong support from the Monan Wang's Clan to the Changning Wang's Clan.

These livestock were only part of the gifts, with the rest, including iron ingots, escorted by Wang Shizhao to the Wang's Clan warehouse.

Everyone worked busily for a whole day to settle the livestock and complete the registration and handover.

After finishing, Wang Shihai and Lei Bowu finally had a chance to sit down for tea and a meal.

"Shihai, I heard you applied to assist in managing the fishery at Qingluo Garrison but were rejected by Master Wang Shouzhe?" Lei Bowu teased while sipping spiritual tea, "You'd rather go all the way to Qingluo Garrison to raise fish than stay home with your lovely wife?"

Wang Shihai, the second son of the young clan leader Wang Zong'an, was known for his playful nature, unlike his steady elder brother Wang Shizhao.

"Fourth Uncle," Wang Shihai said bitterly, "My dream is the vast sea. I want to see the legendary Tianji Continent. But my wife is too demanding, forbidding this and that... She's even won over Grandmother, who has personally scolded me twice!"

Mentioning his grandmother, Lei Bowu's face also turned serious, "You deserve a scolding. Going far out to sea is very dangerous. Do you want that young lady from the Yu family to become a widow at such a young age? Besides, you've only had one child, An Rui. If you don't have more, how can Master Wang Shouzhe let you go?"

"Sigh, Fourth Uncle, you're just like Grandfather," Wang Shihai grumbled, "He said that as long as I have five children, I can go wherever I want... But until I have five, I'm not allowed to step out of the safe zone..."

"Five... that's a bit much," Lei Bowu's mouth twitched, "But you have to understand your grandfather. You young ones haven't experienced it, but back in the day, the Wang's Clan was on the brink of extinction, with few members and weak strength. Master Wang Shouzhe wants the clan to prosper quickly. Besides, the Wang's Clan is wealthy now and can afford to raise more children."

In fact, Wang Luotong didn't want to have more children after their first. After being scolded by Master Wang Shouzhe several times, she reluctantly decided to have another child before advancing to the Celestial Realm.

It's well known that the stronger Basalt cultivators become, the lower their chances of conceiving. Both partners being in the Lingtai Realm makes conception chances very low, requiring significant effort.

Thanks to Master Wang Shouzhe's insistence, Lei Bowu found that period to be the most memorable of his life—painful yet joyful.

Thinking about it now.

Lei Bowu's lips curled into a nostalgic smile. Having a powerful prodigy wife made life colorful indeed.

Suddenly!

At that moment.

A loud crash echoed from within the base, as if something heavy had fallen.

Everyone rushed out to see.

On the plaza, a massive beast's head lay menacingly on the ground. Nearby, a voluptuous woman wielding a fiery whip hovered in the air, her expression somewhat angry.

"Wife, you're back?" Lei Bowu hurriedly approached, gasping at the sight of the beast's head, "This... such a huge swamp crocodile head. Could it be a fifth-tier beast?"

"What are you doing here?" Wang Luotong glanced at him coldly.

Lei Bowu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly smiled, "Wife, it's Zongbo. He missed you and insisted on coming to see you."

Mentioning Wang Zongbo softened Wang Luotong's expression, "Stay for a couple of days, then take him back. The pasture might be a bit unsettled in the coming days."

"Fourth Aunt," Wang Shihai greeted, glancing at the beast's head, "A fifth-tier beast making it all the way from the Great Swamp to our pasture... This hasn't happened in years."

He secretly admired her. Fourth Aunt had just advanced to the Celestial Realm and could already slay a beast of the same tier without getting hurt.

"So, Shihai is here too." Wang Luotong's attitude towards Wang Shihai was much friendlier. She answered seriously, "It's unlikely that the Wang's Clan at Zhenze Garrison is behind this. They don't have the means to control a fifth-tier beast. I suspect something has gone wrong within the Great Swamp, causing some amphibious beasts to migrate."

"This could be a big problem and must be reported to Fourth Brother immediately. If necessary, we may need to organize a joint operation to clear the Great Swamp. You all rest for a while; I'll write a letter and send it via messenger crow. Old Lei, take care of this beast's head."

With that, she left swiftly.

"Wife, don't worry. I'll handle it," Lei Bowu responded loudly, feeling quite pleased with himself. He had indeed chosen well, marrying such a formidable wife.

Life was full of joy, though she was currently unwilling to have more children.

……