Protect Our Patriarch
Book 5: Chapter 135: Burning, killing, looting! The path to sudden wealth

...

Xiang Ancient City is the core and most prosperous city of the Demon Yan Kingdom. Over ten thousand years of development, its surroundings have been transformed into a massive industrial base.

The concentration of spiritual veins, long-term and effective cultivation and maintenance have given rise to numerous "royal estates," "national estates," and manors belonging to various noble families.

Some of these estates specialize in various spiritual teas, others produce mid-to-high-end spiritual rice, and of course, the most valuable are the spiritual medicine gardens.

The "All-Spirit Royal Estate" is a spiritual medicine garden belonging to the royal family of the Southern Yan Demon Kingdom.

This royal estate has a history of over seven thousand years, with a medium-grade top-tier spiritual vein and more than a dozen high-grade spiritual veins gathered underground, along with multiple Gathering Spirit Arrays. The estate is rich in spiritual energy, almost akin to a small paradise.

On an annual average, the profits from planting spiritual medicine often do not match those from planting spiritual rice, breeding spirit silkworms, or even raising meat-producing spiritual birds and beasts. However, a spiritual medicine garden is a fundamental necessity for a family that has lasted for ten thousand years.

For Basalt cultivators seeking rapid advancement, the most common and effective method is consuming elixirs, and the refining of elixirs relies on spiritual medicine.

With the generational changes in families, the annual consumption of spiritual medicine is astronomical. Relying solely on external purchases is not only unstable and unsustainable but also risks being choked by other families through supply and demand manipulation.

Moreover, the higher the cultivation level of a Basalt cultivator, the higher the grade of elixirs required for cultivation.

And the higher the grade of the elixir, the older the spiritual medicine needed, with stricter requirements on the growth environment, making them rarer and more difficult to purchase.

Without one or more well-structured spiritual medicine gardens for support, a family is unlikely to last long.

The All-Spirit Royal Estate is one of the Qiu Clan's foundations for survival.

Yet today, it was breached.

Large quantities of spiritual medicine of various ages were plundered, and some processed stockpiles were also swept clean. The top-tier and high-grade spiritual veins were being extracted.

Undoubtedly, this was the handiwork of Wang Fugui's "United Volunteer Battle Group" and Yun Mengyu's "Northern Territory Wang Mansion Volunteer Battle Group."

At this moment.

In a side courtyard of the All-Spirit Royal Estate, Jiang Qinglian, dressed like an office lady, was respectfully brewing tea at a stone table.

On a vine chair beside the stone table, Wang Fugui, dressed in white, was half-closing his eyes, leisurely enjoying the "high-grade spiritual tea" they had seized.

The tea in his hand was naturally not as renowned as the "Enlightenment Tea," but it was a trophy taken from the enemy, with a rich and distinct fragrance different from the Enlightenment Tea, offering a unique taste.

Stealing a moment of leisure.

Since arriving on the Lingqu Continent, he had been busy with various matters, either fighting or preparing for battle.

This time, after a long march to the vicinity of Xiang Ancient City, the capital of the Yan Kingdom, he led the two battle groups to specifically target the royal estates and manors of the Demon Yan Kingdom's royal family and major families for plundering, aiming to maximize gains in the shortest time possible. Although the harvest was substantial, it was indeed exhausting.

Now, with a rare moment of leisure, he could lie on the vine chair, bask in the sun, and drink tea. As he relaxed, he felt a bit drowsy.

At this time.

A personal guard entered from outside the courtyard to report: "Young Master, among the captured royal estate slaves, we found a Divine Realm expert. He claims to have been an Old Ancestor of a third-grade family and requests an audience with you."

"Bring him here."

Wang Fugui responded lazily, not even lifting his eyelids.

The personal guard immediately left to carry out the order.

In no time, he brought in a gaunt old man.

The old man wore the simplest tattered hemp clothes, which seemed not to have been changed or washed for a long time, appearing ragged, with his arms and toes exposed.

Yet, despite this, the former Divine Realm Old Ancestor still possessed his pride and demeanor, with a clear and sharp gaze that left a deep impression.

"Sin slave Yan Chengde, greets the Young Master." As soon as the old man saw Wang Fugui, he immediately understood who was in charge and stepped forward to salute without hesitation, "Sin slave was originally the Old Ancestor of the Yan Clan, a third-grade family in Xiang Ancient City. My family was framed by the Qiu Clan, stripped of our family status, and now most of my clan members either died as cannon fodder on the outer region battlefield or, like me, became sin slaves, living a life worse than death."

Third-grade family?

Wang Fugui lifted his eyelids to glance at him, his expression unreadable: "I can guess your intentions to some extent. However, I am not interested in the grievances between you, the Qiu Clan, and the Wu Clan."

When Ancestor Grandfather was organizing and analyzing intelligence on the Demon Dynasty, he occasionally overheard some things, so he was always aware of how cruel the power struggles and mutual suppression between families could be without any rules.

Seeing Yan Chengde about to speak again, he waved his hand to interrupt: "I can give you a batch of grain, a batch of weapons and equipment, and a large number of sin slaves. You can use these to attack the private estates of various families in the Demon Yan Kingdom, rescue the slaves there, and expand your power. But remember, you are only allowed to target the families, not to harass civilians."

During this time, they had seized too much grain and low-end weapons and equipment, which couldn't fit in the storage rings and couldn't be taken away. Rather than leaving them for the Demon Yan Kingdom, it was better to distribute them to these slaves and let them start an uprising themselves.

Although it might not become a significant force, it could still cause considerable disruption to the Demon Yan Kingdom.

In the Clan School's social science courses, there had been systematic analyses of the pros and cons of slave societies. Wang Fugui understood that this was a necessary stage in social progress, but ultimately, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages, and it was not the way of the king. Therefore, he was happy to create some trouble for this system.

Yan Chengde was stunned.

He had already lost hope, never expecting this young master to be even more straightforward than him.

After being in a daze for a while, he suddenly came to his senses and, overwhelmed with emotion, bowed deeply to Wang Fugui: "Old slave thanks the Young Master. Once the old slave avenges the extermination of my clan, I will immediately return to follow the Young Master, serving as a slave to repay the Young Master's kindness."

"Alright, we'll talk about the future later." Wang Fugui waved his hand, not caring much, and instructed Jiang Qinglian beside him, "Steward Jiang, please ask Steward Ji to find a way to remove his restrictions, then do as I said."

"Yes, Young Master Fugui."

Jiang Qinglian stood up upon hearing this, bowed to accept the order, and then left the courtyard with Yan Chengde.

After they left, Wang Fugui took another nap, his expression calm, as if he had just done an ordinary, insignificant thing.

...

Meanwhile.

In the Southern Yan Kingdom's capital.

Xiang Ancient City.

As the capital of the Southern Yan Kingdom, Xiang Ancient City has a long history. Since the founding of the nation, through the long years, this city has always stood on this vast land, quietly witnessing the changes of history.

Its long history has endowed it with profound heritage, with ancient buildings visible everywhere in the city, even a protruding brick at the base of a wall might have a history of thousands of years.

In these over ten thousand years, the situation in Xiang Ancient City has undergone earth-shaking changes.

Initially, Xiang Ancient City was not as large as it is now, only about a third of its current size.

The current inner city walls were transformed from the original walls of Xiang Ancient City. The outer city was gradually expanded over these ten thousand years.

As a result, only the true noble families could reside in the inner city, while the outer city was mostly home to various emerging noble families, with clear distinctions and significant class barriers.

The recently established "Temporary Recruitment Point" in Xiang Ancient City was set up in an abandoned ancestral hall outside the inner city.

The ancestral hall, whose deity was unknown, had an architectural style that was square and grand, distinct from the overall architectural style of the Southern Yan Kingdom.

The long history had left its walls mottled with traces, and the tablets and sculptures in the ancestral hall had long disappeared, leaving only towering stone pillars and a grand square, faintly reminiscent of its former grandeur.

Now, on this vast square, new training facilities had been erected, and the majestic ancestral hall-style buildings had been converted into barracks.

At this moment.

On a high platform at the corner of the square, a tall woman stood facing the wind, looking down at the new recruits training on the square.

In her right hand, she casually held a Divine Spirit Artifact-grade long whip, her red dress fluttering in the wind, making her look like a blooming red rose, heroic and extraordinary.

This woman was the commander overseeing the recruitment, a highly esteemed member of the royal family, "Princess Jiabao," Qiu Daoyu.

Among the young generation of the royal family, Princess Jiabao was deeply favored by Emperor Yuanji of Yan, having been carefully nurtured since childhood.

Rumor had it that Emperor Yuanji had found her an outstanding noble suitor in the Demon Dynasty, but Princess Jiabao refused, citing incompatibility and dislike.

Emperor Yuanji was not angry; instead, he granted her some autonomy in choosing her spouse, as long as she decided before the age of two hundred, she could choose her husband within certain limits.

Thus, at only one hundred and fifty years old, Princess Jiabao became the coveted target of young people in Xiang Ancient City.

Being "showered with love," Princess Jiabao naturally led a carefree and leisurely life.

However, recently, she was troubled and felt immense pressure.

In recent times, bad news had been coming from the front lines, and even her most respected Ancestor, Emperor Yuanji, had suffered defeats. The royal family and elite families in Xiang Ancient City had urgently mobilized soldiers, organizing a wave of reinforcements to support and resist the main forces of the Liang Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, during this time of vulnerability in the rear, two elite bandit armies broke through multiple garrison towns and passes, reaching the heart of the Yan Kingdom, and began "burning, killing, and looting" near Shangjing City, committing all sorts of evil.

Because of this, the entire Xiang Ancient City was in a state of panic.

As the capital of the Yan Kingdom, Xiang Ancient City was originally the safest city with the highest defense level, but now, with the elite Xuanshan Cavalry absent and the main garrison forces deployed to the front lines, the remaining garrison was not only small in number but also lacked combat effectiveness. To put it bluntly, Xiang Ancient City had never been so weakly defended since its construction.

If it weren't for the defensive array as a reliance, Xiang Ancient City would have already descended into chaos.

At this critical moment, Princess Jiabao Qiu Daoyu, as one of the core members of the royal family, naturally had to step forward, organize more militia forces, and work with the weak garrison to prevent the two bandit armies from attacking Shangjing City.

"Princess, today's recruitment numbers have been tallied."

At this time, the maid Xiaoyou, temporarily acting as a female officer, flew up to the high platform, her face not looking good as she reported: "Today, a total of one thousand three hundred and fifty-six people are willing to respond to our call and join the militia, five hundred fewer than yesterday."

"Only this much?"

Princess Jiabao's face turned cold, angrily whipping the high platform beside her.

With a loud "crack," a hole was blasted in the high platform, yet she still felt unsatisfied, angrily saying: "Even if a significant number of elites have been deployed, there are still at least dozens of times more Basalt cultivators in the city. In times of national crisis, how can so many people choose to be cowards?"

In recent days, her militia had only recruited over seven thousand people, and their overall strength was not high. Once on the battlefield, they would be nothing more than fodder for those two elite bandit armies.

"Please calm down, Princess." Maid Xiaoyou hurriedly advised, "Our Yan Kingdom has been at war with the Liang Kingdom for over fifty years, and those with hot-blooded ambitions have long joined the regular army. With the recent front-line defeat, several princes have forcibly organized another wave of troops for support. Recruiting so many militia in a short time, Princess, you are already doing very well."

"No, it's not enough." Princess Jiabao's face was ashen, her mood heavy, "The scouts report that those two bandit armies are extremely formidable, having captured many royal estates and family manors with ease. Our Xiang Ancient City's defense is too weak, too dangerous!"

"Pass my order." Princess Jiabao's expression was serious, her voice stern, "Immediately mobilize the families to squeeze out more troops to join the militia, and all named businesses, taverns, and other establishments, have them pull out fifty percent of their guards for me."

"Princess!" Maid Xiaoyou was anxious, quickly trying to dissuade her, "Issuing a forced recruitment order requires an imperial decree, and also..."

"I'm not issuing a forced recruitment." Princess Jiabao coldly interrupted her, "Send someone to tell those businesses, if they don't comply with me, Princess Jiabao, today, don't blame me for being ruthless when the Yan Kingdom recovers. And those rogue cultivators who have been lurking in Shangjing City for years, recruit them too, and those hidden organizations, bring them out! In short, anyone with a bit of combat power, I want them all!"

"Yes, Princess."

Maid Xiaoyou, seeing her mistress's firm resolve, knew she couldn't persuade her, so she gritted her teeth and went to carry out the orders with worry.

After everyone left, Princess Jiabao looked troubled.

After the defeat of Ancestor Grandfather, he disappeared with the Xuanshan Cavalry, with no news returning, and the front line was in such a dire state. Now, even Xiang Ancient City was under the threat of bandit armies!

The garrison in Xiang Ancient City was so weak, and the recruited militia was a motley crew, a patchwork of mismatched forces.

If things continued like this, something big was bound to happen.

"Daoyu."

At this time, a gentle and magnetic male voice sounded.

Princess Jiabao turned her head to see a white-robed man gracefully landing on the high platform not far away.

He wore a jade crown, a sword at his waist, walking with an elegant stride, exuding extraordinary charisma.

Upon seeing this person, Princess Jiabao's expression slightly relaxed: "Lüqiu Yuanmo, how did your efforts to mobilize the young members of the families go?"

This man was a Divine Realm seed of the second-grade Lüqiu Clan of Yan, young yet already possessing remarkable cultivation. Now, in his two hundred and some years, he had reached the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion Realm and had earned numerous merits on the outer region battlefield.

"Ah, Daoyu." Lüqiu Yuanmo sighed, "The elite of the families are now either on the outer region battlefield or have already suffered significant casualties on the front lines. The remaining forces were organized into the second wave of reinforcements, leaving with the various guarding princes and commandery princes."

"The remaining people in the families are either too old or too young, and the few remaining combat forces are the future seeds of the family, who cannot afford any mishaps..."

"What about the future seeds?" Princess Jiabao's eyebrows arched, angrily saying, "In times of national crisis, who can escape? If we continue to do nothing, are we really going to let those bandit armies invade Xiang Ancient City?"

"Daoyu, don't be angry." Lüqiu Yuanmo soothed, "All the families are contributing to the country, and many have sacrificed, so we can't be too harsh."

In fact, all the families understood that with the situation escalating so much, the Demon Emperor would not sit idly by and would soon intervene, at which point the war would end.

They just needed to hunker down and wait for this period to pass, and everything would be fine. Being too proactive and dying would mean real death, and no one wanted their family's future seeds to perish in vain.

Just as Princess Jiabao was about to get angry again, Lüqiu Yuanmo said: "Daoyu, I have persuaded a group of brothers and sisters from various families to come and help with my personal connections, and I will personally follow you, Daoyu, to the end."

"Good!" Princess Jiabao's expression relaxed significantly, "Brother Yuanmo, you have impressed me this time."

"Not at all, it's my duty." At this point, Lüqiu Yuanmo looked around, pulling Princess Jiabao aside, and whispered, "Daoyu, I have a plan that might turn the tide, do you want to hear it?"

"Speak quickly, don't beat around the bush." Princess Jiabao raised her eyebrows, "You know I hate dithering."

"My idea is that instead of defending the city to the death, we should organize the remaining elite and launch a surprise attack on the bandit armies!" Lüqiu Yuanmo said seriously.

"What? Are you crazy?" Princess Jiabao's face changed, "Those two bandit armies are clearly flying the flags of the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty, elite among elites, with many Divine Realm cultivators among them. They even emptied the top-tier spiritual vein of the All-Spirit Royal Estate, indicating a Lingxu Realm is accompanying them."

"Facing such formidable bandit armies, we can only rely on the formation to defend the walls, and with the help of Old Ancestor Kui Niu, we can barely hold Xiang Ancient City. Going out to meet the enemy would play right into their hands."

Facing Princess Jiabao's series of doubts, Lüqiu Yuanmo calmly said: "In recent days, I have also sent people to gather intelligence and information from various sources, and entrusted the Ancestor to secretly leave the city to investigate, collecting information on the defeated armies. After compiling intelligence from various channels, I discovered an astonishing fact."

"What astonishing fact?" Princess Jiabao's expression became serious.

"The commanders of those two bandit armies are actually two teenagers, one boy and one girl." Lüqiu Yuanmo said, "Daoyu, think about it, those two bandit armies are flying the flags of either a first-grade family of the Immortal Dynasty or the Northern Territory Wang Mansion. What kind of children could command them?"

Princess Jiabao frowned: "I can't say for the boy, but that teenage girl, could she be Yun Mengyu, the daughter of Princess Mingzhu, married into the Northern Territory Wang Mansion?"

"Princess Mingzhu is from the Zhenyang Prince lineage of Northern Liang, so it's not surprising for her to come to support Northern Liang in a crisis. Besides Yun Mengyu, no one else would have the qualifications to command an elite army at such a young age." Lüqiu Yuanmo's eyes shone with excitement.

"But even if Yun Mengyu is Princess Mingzhu's daughter, she can't command an army, right? She's too young, how could she gain respect?" Princess Jiabao was still puzzled.

"Daoyu, you usually don't pay attention to outside matters, so you might not know. I've heard that Yun Mengyu has already been titled 'Princess' in the Han Yue Immortal Dynasty, ranked as the Fourth Little Princess." Lüqiu Yuanmo said, "That's an Immortal Dynasty Princess, commanding a mere battle group, who would dare disobey?"

"Immortal Dynasty Princess?"

Princess Jiabao was shocked.

She naturally understood the weight of an Immortal Dynasty Princess, and her expression suddenly became clear: "In that case, it all makes sense. I suppose that boy must also be of extraordinary origin. No wonder there's even a Lingxu Realm accompanying those two bandit armies."

"Most likely, even if that boy's background is slightly inferior to Yun Mengyu's, it wouldn't be by much, perhaps a secret heir of the Immortal Palace." Lüqiu Yuanmo's face was filled with excitement, "Daoyu, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If we can capture Yun Mengyu and that boy, not only can we protect Xiang Ancient City and its surrounding industries, but we might also turn the entire national crisis around."

"By then, we would have a huge bargaining chip, enough to make the Emperor of Liang return everything he took!"

Princess Jiabao was also greatly encouraged: "The only problem now is that they have many Divine Realm cultivators and a Lingxu Realm protector. The Divine Realm cultivators are manageable; although Xiang Ancient City is currently empty, we can still gather a few retired princes and ancestors. But the Lingxu Realm..."

"Then we must rely on Old Ancestor Kui Niu. Although he is only at the peak of the tenth tier, with the addition of another royal artifact, he should be able to entangle a Lingxu Realm for a short time." Lüqiu Yuanmo said passionately, "We seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, risking everything to capture two teenagers, wouldn't that be easy?"

"If she is indeed an Immortal Dynasty Princess, it's worth the risk." Princess Jiabao, now slightly calmer, added, "However, this matter must be handled with extra caution. Yuanmo, send people to gather more intelligence, and I will organize the old princes, old commandery princes, and the ancestors of various families."

"At your command, Princess." Lüqiu Yuanmo bowed.

"Don't call me Princess, I'm not a princess." Princess Jiabao chided.

"Isn't it just a matter of time?" Lüqiu Yuanmo chuckled as he retreated.

...

Not long after.

The "bandit army group" led by Wang Fugui and Yun Mengyu captured another wealthy manor. It was said to be the Lüqiu Clan's spiritual medicine estate, and after a round of plundering, the valuable items were taken, while the worthless ones were packed for the slave army.

Afterward, they set a great fire in the Lüqiu Clan's estate. In the raging flames, years of accumulation by the Lüqiu Clan were reduced to ashes.

"Damn it!"

In a hidden mountain valley forest, Princess Jiabao watched this scene, her eyes red with anger.

The raging fire in the distance, the plunderers' wanton laughter, deeply provoked her, making her feel as if a fire was burning in her heart, growing hotter and hotter.

She gripped her whip tightly, angrily saying: "We can't wait any longer. If we let the bandit army continue, the losses for our Yan Kingdom will be too great."

"Princess, please calm down." Lüqiu Yuanmo quickly advised.

Though he was also heartbroken over the plundering and burning of his valuable spiritual medicine estate, he still said seriously: "Let's wait a little longer, let them relax a bit more, wait until it's darker."

The more relaxed the enemy's defense, the greater their chances of success.

But just at this moment.

A furious voice erupted from the bandit army: "Wu Zhide, you damn dog, how dare you steal my millennia-old purple knotweed, don't think I'm afraid of you!"

"Wu Zhide, why are you yelling? Haven't you taken enough from the Northern Territory Wang Mansion, relying on your Young Master Fugui?" The Divine Realm commander of the Northern Territory Wang Mansion, Yun Kaicheng, was also "furious," angrily saying, "Do you really think our Fourth Little Princess is just for show?"

Neither side yielded, the argument escalated, and eventually, they started fighting, with their respective camps joining the fray.

"Wang Fugui, control your people!" Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Yun Mengyu's angry voice rang out, "Or don't blame this princess for turning against you."

"Yun Mengyu, I've tolerated you for long enough." Wang Fugui also shouted, "You keep taking advantage of your princess status, today if you don't hand over that millennia-old purple knotweed, we're done!"

"Done is done!"

Listening to this series of changes from afar, feeling the distant battle aftermath, Lüqiu Yuanmo and Princess Jiabao were both overjoyed.

This commotion not only confirmed that the opposing commanders were indeed the Fourth Little Princess Yun Mengyu and that so-called Fugui, but also that they had internal strife.

Most importantly, from the direction of Yun Mengyu and Wang Fugui's voices, they could directly determine their location!

Opportunities like this don't come twice!

"Attack!"

"Kill them!"

Lüqiu Yuanmo and Princess Jiabao exchanged glances, launching their assault almost simultaneously!

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