Protect Our Patriarch
Book 5: Chapter 148: Suiyun Princess VS Wang Ningxi

...

"When are we setting off, Master?"

Liu Safety was so excited that the entire shield trembled slightly. He wished his master, Wang Shouzhe, would immediately charge into the horde of monsters, and as the master's strongest divine shield, he would transform into an invincible wall, providing his master with the utmost sense of security.

"Well..." Wang Shouzhe pondered for a moment and said, "This matter came too suddenly. For the sake of safety, it's better to prepare thoroughly first."

Liu Safety nodded repeatedly, "Master, I truly admire your sense of safety. I'll hold on a bit longer then."

Although Liu Safety was eager to showcase his strength, he was inherently a shield that valued safety, and he felt increasingly assured about his master.

"You go to the Clan School first and bring back Tank and Baoli. Let's practice the defensive tactics A, B, C, and D, as well as the strategic retreat tactics A, B, C, and D," Wang Shouzhe said seriously.

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Safety shot out like a flash of light. He aimed to bring the two kids back as soon as possible, so they could practice the tactics and head to the dangerous battlefield early.

He had enough of these days of fading into obscurity.

In no time, Liu Safety returned with Wang Tank and Wang Baoli.

Over the years, Tank's spirit artifact had grown significantly. Although still in the form of a child, he no longer babbled when speaking and had the demeanor of a calm young boy.

He wasn't very bright, but he was diligent and hardworking in his studies, ranking around the middle to lower in the elementary Clan School.

For a spirit artifact, such grades were already quite commendable.

Wang Baoli was once the Blood Demon Cloak. The bloodthirsty spirit artifact within the cloak had been eradicated, and to change its bloodthirsty nature, it had been fed milk, so much so that Wang Baoli, the cloak, still habitually held a milk bottle.

At this moment, Wang Baoli was entirely milky white, with a crystalline luster, exuding a sense of holiness, albeit with a hint of sweet milkiness.

Fortunately, as a path artifact, its overall strength hadn't diminished much. When Wang Shouzhe donned this path artifact cloak, he could stealthily conceal himself, and his escape speed became extremely fast, making it impossible for ordinary Divine Realm cultivators to catch up with him.

Even if he encountered some slow Lingxu Realm cultivators, he might still have a chance to escape.

Once everyone was assembled, they began tactical drills.

With Wang Shouzhe's current cultivation, his hypothetical opponents during the drills were naturally not Purple Mansion Realm cultivators but rather Divine Realm and Lingxu Realm cultivators, against whom he devised a series of tactical arrangements.

Unexpectedly, they were only halfway through the drills when they received news of the triumphant return of the Changning Wang's Clan Militia Regiment.

After more than half a year of honing through the flames of war, this regiment had finally returned safely, bringing back the first batch of spoils from the Lingqu Continent.

Wang Shouzhe immediately set aside the tactical drills and met with the two deputy regiment commanders of the militia regiment, Lu Xiaoxiao and Wang Anxin, as well as the retainer Ji Yue'er, in his small residence.

"Ancestor Grandfather, these are all the riches entrusted to me to bring to you. And this is the Soldier-Hiding Tower that Seventh Brother asked me to bring back," Wang Anxin said after greeting Wang Shouzhe, taking out the path artifact Heaven-Shaking Shield, the Jade Bracelet form of Ancestor Panpan's Protection, and the tactical treasure Soldier-Hiding Tower, handing them all to Wang Shouzhe.

This was indeed a timely rain.

Ancestor Panpan's Protection was an extremely useful space-hiding secret treasure, and its only flaw had been remedied by Wang Lixian.

And the Heaven-Shaking Shield, this path artifact, was something Wang Shouzhe was very fond of.

With it, Liu Safety could temporarily move from the first shield defense sequence to the second shield defense sequence.

As for the Soldier-Hiding Tower, it was also an extremely useful treasure. Wang Shouzhe could use it to carry a portion of the militia regiment's elite, deploying them unexpectedly to resolve enemies at critical moments.

With these three treasures, Wang Shouzhe's sense of security increased significantly.

"Everyone, take a break for a while. We have plans for the future," Wang Shouzhe said to Ji Yue'er, "Ji Retainer, you've worked hard. Your contributions this time will be recorded, and when the clan acquires another path artifact, you can exchange your merits for one in advance."

Ji Yue'er's face immediately lit up with joy, and the fatigue from the constant travels seemed to vanish: "Thank you, Master, for your grace."

Path artifacts were scarce, and even if they were available for purchase, they were extremely expensive. Even Lingxu Realm experts couldn't all own path artifacts.

Take the Great Qian royal family, for example. After accumulating for so long, they had only one path artifact, left by the founding ancestor.

It's not that the Great Qian couldn't tighten their belts to buy a path artifact, but doing so would strain their finances, reducing the royal family's strength instead of increasing it.

For any first-tier clan, acquiring an additional path artifact was a major event, requiring long-term planning and accumulation.

This shows how difficult it was for Lingxu Realm cultivators without roots or foundations to obtain a path artifact.

"Ji Retainer, take a short break. In a while, I'll need you to accompany me to the Demon Kingdom," Wang Shouzhe instructed.

"To the Demon Kingdom?"

Ji Retainer's heart skipped a beat, and her expression changed slightly.

However, out of trust in Wang Shouzhe, she ultimately suppressed her worries: "Alright, I accept the order."

Master Wang Shouzhe was always cautious and meticulous. If he was going to the Demon Kingdom, he would surely prepare thoroughly and make comprehensive arrangements.

After everyone left.

Wang Shouzhe once again calculated the various trump cards he had and the personnel he planned to take along.

In addition to these visible items, the Wang Clan annually spent money on various one-time consumables for life-saving purposes.

However, items like the Legion Commander's Protection were suitable for the kids, but insufficient for dealing with Lingxu Realm opponents.

Therefore, when encountering good items, Wang Shouzhe would still find ways to acquire them.

For this trip to the Demon Kingdom, more preparations were necessary.

Wang Shouzhe decided to entrust Wang Anye from the Immortal Dynasty to find some high-end life-saving items and a large quantity of one-time firepower items for Lixian's use.

As for the Demon Kingdom instance, according to Ancestor Long Yan, there was no need to rush.

As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Without proper life-saving preparations, how could one venture into the Demon Kingdom?

...

While Wang Shouzhe was busy arranging the travel plans.

Wang Ningxi's plan to recruit the Hundred Refinements True Monarch was also proceeding intensively.

As the conversation deepened, the Hundred Refinements True Monarch grew increasingly fond of Wang Ningxi.

He had lived most of his life and had never encountered such a promising refining talent. Even his younger self was slightly inferior in comparison.

Rare, truly rare~

The Hundred Refinements True Monarch's eyes shone with a fiery light as he held Wang Ningxi's hand tightly: "Ningxi, you are truly a treasure in the refining world, a future star of hope. Why not become my disciple today? I am willing to be your guide on the path of refining. Once you join my sect, you will be my direct disciple."

Direct disciple?

The other disciples felt a wave of envy upon hearing this.

However, they were envious but not jealous. After all, the Hundred Refinements True Monarch had made it clear when they first joined that they knew they would reach the peak at the Divine Realm and couldn't inherit the Hundred Refinements True Monarch's legacy.

Being mentally prepared made it easier to accept.

Moreover, Wang Ningxi's potential in refining was indeed outstanding, and it wasn't impossible for him to surpass his predecessors. If they had the qualifications, they would have competed for the disciple position themselves.

At this point.

Princess of Suiyun could no longer sit still and hurriedly interrupted the conversation among the group of straight men: "Senior Hundred Refinements, accepting a disciple requires careful consideration, especially a direct disciple. It must be weighed thoroughly."

The Hundred Refinements True Monarch's excited expression slightly froze, feeling a bit displeased, but out of respect for the Princess of Suiyun, he explained: "Princess, you may not understand refining, so you might not realize how rare it is to find a refining talent with such potential. Ningxi is an absolute genius, a disciple that is hard to come by. How can I let him slip away?"

"But Ningxi is ultimately from the Eastern Qian," the Princess of Suiyun advised repeatedly, "Unless he is willing to join the Immortal Armament Division, wouldn't our lineage be passed on to outsiders?"

"Perspective, Princess, your perspective is still not broad enough," the Hundred Refinements True Monarch said, "My lineage was passed down from my master, not the Immortal Armament Division's heritage. I can pass it on to whomever I choose. Even if the Immortal Emperor himself were to come, he couldn't influence my decision."

"True Monarch, I think the Princess's concerns are valid. Although our Great Qian is part of the Immortal Dynasty's camp, there are still differences in closeness," Wang Ningxi advised, "Your decision to pass on your legacy to me might bring you significant trouble and affect your reputation. How about this, I can be your named disciple, and you can guide me selectively."

"Ningxi, you are truly considerate," the Hundred Refinements True Monarch was deeply moved, but his tone was even more resolute, "You needn't worry. What use is it for outsiders to oppose? This True Monarch doesn't care about outsiders' opinions. If the Immortal Armament Division objects, I'll resign and go to the Eastern Qian."

"True Monarch, what virtue or ability do I possess to receive such favor from you? It's not necessary, truly not necessary," Wang Ningxi appeared deeply moved, repeatedly expressing humility and gratitude, "If a conflict arises between you and the Immortal Armament Division because of me, I would be guilty beyond redemption."

This series of actions immediately heightened the sense of crisis within Princess Suiyun.

She couldn't help but glance sideways at Wang Ningxi.

This young man was clean and handsome, but how could he be so cunning?

Every word he spoke seemed to be for the Hundred Refinements True Monarch's sake, yet he was subtly deepening the conflict between the True Monarch and the Immortal Armament Division.

What was this behavior called?

Princess Suiyun was quite upset, but she couldn't think of the precise term to describe this situation.

If she had interacted with Wang Shouzhe, he would have told her that this was what they called a "high-level green tea." Every word and phrase was filled with subtle manipulation.

No, no~ Seeing the Hundred Refinements True Monarch falling for Wang Ningxi's tactics.

If this continued, the Immortal Dynasty would indeed lose a top-tier refining master.

In her anxiety, her gaze shifted, and she suddenly had an idea: "True Monarch, please don't misunderstand. Of course, you have the right to pass on your legacy to anyone. However, before making a decision, shouldn't we give the young talents of our Immortal Dynasty a fair chance to compete?"

The Hundred Refinements True Monarch raised his thick eyebrows, about to retort in dissatisfaction when Wang Ningxi quickly pulled him back: "True Monarch, I think the Princess makes a valid point. Moreover, Ningxi is not afraid of competition from any peers."

"Those crooked melons and split dates, how can they compare to you?" the Hundred Refinements True Monarch was extremely displeased.

"But we should give the Princess some face, right?" Wang Ningxi advised in a low voice, "I know we in the technical field are straightforward, but at least this way, we can silence the rumors. Ningxi doesn't want the True Monarch to be left with a bad reputation."

"Alright, alright~ Since Ningxi is so filial, this True Monarch is deeply gratified," the Hundred Refinements True Monarch decided, "I'll give the Princess some face. If you can truly find a refining genius comparable to Ningxi, with good character, I'll prioritize passing on my legacy to that refining genius."

Princess Suiyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Then it's settled. Give me three days, no, five days. Suiyun will take her leave."

With that, she hurriedly prepared to leave, but before she could take two steps, her hem was tugged.

"Sister Suiyun, I don't want to stay with this group of old men. Can I stay with you for a few days?" Princess Huari, Wang Jidie, blinked her eyes, looking at her innocently.

Princess Suiyun was quite fond of this clever and adorable little girl and immediately took her hand gently, saying softly, "Alright. You can stay with me for the next few days and be a guest at my mansion."

After a pause, she looked at Wang Ningxi to seek his opinion: "What do you think, Ningxi?"

"I will follow Your Highness's orders," Wang Ningxi bowed, then sternly instructed Wang Jidie, "Huari, you mustn't be naughty at the Princess's mansion. In your free time, you should study and complete your assignments. Don't neglect your studies."

As he spoke, Wang Ningxi handed a stack of prepared test papers to Wang Jidie, patting her head and advising earnestly, "Huari, I know you're quite intelligent, and you've made noticeable progress recently. Let's work a bit harder and not disappoint Ancestor Grandfather's expectations. Also, don't slack off with your pet, the little green dragon."

Tears welled up in Wang Jidie's eyes.

Forty-seventh Uncle, you are truly an exceptional uncle. No matter the time, you always have a stack of test papers ready to encourage me to study and improve. I really thank you~

"Your Highness, please also take some time to supervise her studies. This child has been cunning since she was young, and if you're not careful, she'll slip through the cracks," Wang Ningxi was worried that Princess Suiyun wouldn't grade the papers, so he handed her the answer sheets, "Your Highness, I entrust everything to you. Don't let her get away with cheating."

With that, he solemnly bowed again.

Princess Suiyun's beautiful face twitched slightly, feeling immense pressure: "Uh... alright, I will take responsibility."

With that, she hurriedly took Wang Jidie's hand and returned to the flying carriage.

As the flying carriage soared into the sky, and the buildings of the Hundred Refinements Hall grew smaller in view, Princess Suiyun finally let out a deep breath, looking at Wang Jidie with sympathy: "Little Huari, what kind of life have you been living all these years?"

With those words, Wang Jidie couldn't hold back any longer and threw herself into Princess Suiyun's arms, crying out loud.

The cries were filled with countless grievances and sorrows.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Once you finish the test papers, Sister Suiyun will take you to have some fun," Princess Suiyun comforted softly.

As for not doing the test papers, that was impossible. After all, she wasn't the child's elder and had no right to intervene in her education, so she could only try to comfort her.

"Wow!"

Wang Jidie cried even harder.

Endless test papers, indescribable frustrations. When would such days come to an end~~

Soon, the flying carriage landed in Princess Suiyun's residence in the Immortal City.

This residence was Princess Suiyun's villa in the Immortal City, where she had lived during her early years in the city.

Compared to her mansion in Suiyun Prefecture, this place was smaller, but it was still grand and majestic, showcasing the royal style.

Upon entering the residence, Princess Suiyun arranged a place for Wang Jidie in a partition of her study, where she could work on the test papers.

Even though she sympathized with Wang Jidie, she couldn't allow her to cheat on this matter. She could only have maids carefully attend to her, providing exquisite fruits, snacks, and drinks, and lighting incense to clear the mind and improve efficiency.

Meanwhile, Princess Suiyun began her war mode.

The advisors of the Princess's mansion were swiftly summoned, led by the young pillar of the Han Yue Wu Clan's younger generation—Wu Yinghao.

Wu Yinghao, at just over five hundred years old, had reached the mid-Divine Realm. He was tall and handsome, with a heroic aura, clearly a general in appearance.

In fact, he had spent many years by the Princess's side and had indeed made significant contributions on the outer region battlefield. Even among the Immortal Dynasty's Divine Realm Void seeds, he was considered one of the top figures.

Although Princess Suiyun had not officially appointed the mansion master of the Princess's mansion, Wu Yinghao was the most popular candidate. If nothing unexpected happened, he was likely to take the position.

This was one of the reasons why the Han Yue Wu Clan strongly supported Princess Suiyun.

Once the Princess succeeded to the Immortal Emperor's position, the Han Yue Wu Clan would rise with the tide, further strengthening the family's power.

The other advisors were all young talents from various clans of the Immortal Dynasty, and even from the royal family, making them the future pillars of the human race.

This showed that Princess Suiyun's resources were more advantageous than those of other princesses.

Once everyone was gathered, Princess Suiyun quickly explained the situation and said, "Everyone, you are now aware of the situation. The Hundred Refinements True Monarch is one of our Immortal Dynasty's top refining grandmasters. If he is poached by the Eastern Qian, his status and influence will undoubtedly lead to many following suit. Therefore, we must stop Wang Ningxi's scheme. Do any of you have suitable refining geniuses to recommend?"

Wu Yinghao raised his sword-like eyebrows slightly and said, "Your Highness, although the Wu Clan's younger generation has a few children with decent refining talent, it would be difficult to find someone who would earn the praise of the Hundred Refinements True Monarch."

After careful consideration, the other young talents also shook their heads and sighed.

Their families had many talented individuals, but none met the Hundred Refinements True Monarch's standards.

It wasn't that they lacked confidence in their own children, but the refining master's circle was small, and many young refining talents had already tried to join the Hundred Refinements True Monarch's sect, only to fail.

Princess Suiyun's willow-like eyebrows furrowed slightly in anger: "Our Immortal Dynasty, with so many talented young people, can't anyone compare to Wang Ningxi?"

"Your Highness, you may not be familiar with the refining world, so you might not know. Refining is all about talent, and it's not just about having strong bloodline talent," Wu Yinghao explained, "To be qualified to inherit the Hundred Refinements True Monarch's legacy, one must have extraordinary bloodline talent and equally exceptional talent in refining. Moreover, the Hundred Refinements True Monarch was one of the top refining talents in our Immortal Dynasty when he was young. Someone who can earn his praise is not simple."

"Brother Yinghao," a young talent suggested, "Isn't the Eastern Qian royal family a branch of your Han Yue Wu Clan? Could you approach them to ease the Princess's worries?"

"Although the Eastern Qian royal family is a branch of ours, they have long since become independent, operating as a separate family and nation, not our retainers to command at will," Wu Yinghao frowned, "Moreover, the Eastern Qian has developed rapidly in recent years and has great potential for the future. If Wang Ningxi can carry forward the Hundred Refinements True Monarch's legacy and surpass it, it might not be a bad thing. At least for the human race as a whole, we wouldn't be losing out."

"Brother Yunhao, you can't be so disloyal," someone accused, "Although the Eastern Qian is part of the Immortal Dynasty's camp, it is a different nation from our Han Yue Immortal Dynasty. If our family were to poach people or take things from your Han Yue Wu Clan, saying it's for the greater good of the human race, would you be happy?"

"You're being unreasonable," Wu Yinghao retorted angrily.

"Alright, alright, we're all on the same side. No need to argue," a young prince from the royal family, Yan Xiuyuan, said, "Speaking of refining talents, our royal family does have one."

Unlike the Eastern Qian, where Purple Mansion Realm members could be titled as Commandery Princes, in the Immortal Dynasty, royal family members had to reach the Divine Realm to be titled as Commandery Princes, and the Void Realm to be titled as Princes.

"Xiuyuan, why haven't I heard of a young refining talent in the royal family?" Princess Suiyun was intrigued but also skeptical.

"Your Highness, you spend most of your time on the outer region battlefield, and even when you return, you only rest for a few years, so you might not be familiar with the younger generation of the family," Yan Xiuyuan explained, "Moreover, Tongguang has a peculiar temperament, spending all his time at home researching refining, to the point of obsession. If it weren't for our close blood ties, I might not even know of his existence."

"Peculiar temperament?"

Princess Suiyun couldn't help but recall the behavior patterns of those straight male refining masters, and a smile curled on her lips.

"Good, the more peculiar, the better. The more obsessed, the better. I think Wang Ningxi's temperament is quite peculiar too. Alright, Xiuyuan, go and bring Yan Tongguang here. Let me take a look. Everyone else, go and investigate if there are any other refining talents. Let's gather a team and give it a try. Who knows, the Hundred Refinements True Monarch might just take a liking to one of them."

"Yinghao, stay behind. I have some matters to discuss with you. Everyone else, get to work."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The young talents all took their leave, leaving only Wu Yinghao behind.

Wu Yinghao felt slightly anxious and bowed: "Your Highness, I have no intention of being disloyal."

"I didn't keep you behind for that. I've always trusted your character," Princess Suiyun said lightly, "I have a little guest at my mansion, who should be a relative of yours. You can join me in welcoming the little guest."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Wu Yinghao breathed a sigh of relief, also curious about the identity of this little guest, who was both his relative and held in such high regard by the Princess.

Before they could proceed, however.

Suddenly.

The maid responsible for attending to Princess Huari rushed out from the partition, calling out in panic: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened. Little Princess Huari has fainted."

Princess Suiyun's expression changed, and she quickly stepped into the partition.

There, Wang Jidie lay slumped over the test papers, unconscious, with a pen in hand.

Under the light, her originally fair and delicate skin had turned red, with faint wisps of steam rising from her, as if a fierce fire was burning within her.

The state was clearly not right.

"This..."

Princess Suiyun hurriedly approached, taking her wrist and infusing her with pure profound energy to protect her heart meridian and stabilize the rampant energy within her.

But as the profound energy entered, she realized something was amiss.

The boiling and domineering power within the girl's body wasn't from an external source but was emerging from deep within her own body, from her own bloodline.

Her expression changed slightly: "This feels like a secondary bloodline transformation! Such a violent change, her body might not withstand it. Quickly! Summon the imperial physician."

Meanwhile, Princess Suiyun was internally shocked and excited.

She had learned from their earlier conversation that this young girl, at such a young age, already possessed a great prodigy A-grade bloodline. The family had planned to help her break through her bloodline when she was older.

Yet unexpectedly, she had entered a bloodline transformation without any external cause.

Such occurrences were extremely rare, but not without precedent.

"Could she be...?"

Princess Suiyun's heart trembled, her eyes gradually revealing a strange expression.

"Kill, kill, kill! You outer region demons, get out of here! Those who offend my Divine Dynasty, I shall slay! Kill them all!" In her unconscious state, Wang Jidie's body trembled violently, and she suddenly screamed as if in a dream, recalling something.

...

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.