Chapter 299: Chapter 51: Got Hooked! The Mastermind Took the Bait_2
He spoke in a very relaxed manner.
Back then, they had no grievances with the Wang Family, it was merely a casual erasure.
The red-haired elder’s brow furrowed slightly: "Now that you mention it, I recall it as well. This family seems to have some connection with the Longzuo Wang Family. Back then, the Longzuo Wang Family sought a letter from the Academy, which helped preserve that little family. Why are you suddenly bringing up this little family? Could they really turn the skies upside down?"
"Ancestor," the man in gorgeous clothing said solemnly, "this little family is indeed on the verge of upheaval. Recently, our clan members at the Purple Mansion Academy returned with news that the Ping’an Wang Family, for some unknown reason, has produced three Celestial Prides. Among them, two are being cultivated as direct disciples by the Valley of Ten Thousand Butterflies and the Carefree Peak."
"And their patriarch, Wang Shouzhe, is even more remarkable..."
He explained to the ancestor the recent events in the Academy.
Naturally, the matters of Wang Longyan and Wang Lici were kept low-key and unknown to outsiders, so they received no news of them.
"Ancestor, at this rate, in less than two hundred years, the Wang Family is likely to climb over our heads. Will they investigate the events of back then?"
"Those two in the Academy are still too young and cannot pose a threat in the short term," the red-haired elder said calmly, "And the masters of the Academy wouldn’t casually interfere in the disputes among local powerhouses. The real threat is that patriarch of the Wang Family, Wang Shouzhe."
His gaze was steady: "Back then, due to the Academy’s warning, we couldn’t root them out completely. This time, we will act more covertly, ensuring a deadly strike that hits them at their weakest point."
"Yes, Ancestor," the middle-aged man continued, "Also, our spies have uncovered a piece of classified information. The ’foreign cement’ which recently gained fame in the East Sea Guard is, in fact, the creation of the Ping’an Wang Family."
Speaking of this, his eyes sparkled.
No wonder the Ping’an Wang Family has risen so swiftly in recent years, likely earning many resources through foreign cement.
"Foreign cement?"
The red-haired elder clearly wasn’t familiar with this item.
The middle-aged man explained it to him and continued, "Foreign cement is quite expensive. But in recent years, many buildings in Ping’an Town, including roads and river embankments, have used large quantities of foreign cement. Thus, we can infer that the manufacturing cost of foreign cement should be very low, making it highly profitable. If we can take over this business..."
Upon hearing this, even the red-haired elder’s breath grew slightly heavier.
For a family to grow and thrive, resources are indispensable.
The Huangfu Family is indeed powerful, with numerous industries and a vast scale, boasting an annual total revenue of around thirty thousand Qian Gold.
However, their expenditures are even more astonishing.
With one ancestor at the Celestial Human Realm, a dozen Spirit Platform Realm mainstays, two Celestial Human Seeds, a dozen Spirit Platform Seeds, and two to three hundred important clan members, alongside over a hundred household generals and tributes, and other servants and slaves numbering well over a thousand.
Such a multitude of people results in astronomical annual expenses.
How much of those thirty thousand Qian Gold can be saved?
As the saying goes, "Every family has its own difficult book to read," and while Seventh-Grade Noble Families seem illustrious, they have their issues, just like Ninth-Grade Noble Families.
Due to insufficient family accumulation, the red-haired elder doesn’t dare to fully commit to cultivation or aim for the Purple Mansion Realm. Otherwise, he’d become a resource black hole, hindering the growth of the rest of the descendants.
Currently, their plan and direction are aimed at achieving the Sixth-Grade Noble Family status.
But if they can seize the foreign cement industry, leveraging their foundation as a Celestial Human Family, the value generated by foreign cement will far surpass that of Ping’an Town.
By then, not to mention a Sixth-Grade Noble Family, with substantial accumulation over one or two hundred years, they might even be qualified to challenge the Purple Mansion Family status.
As the saying goes, "An innocent mans possession is his own curse." The Ping’an Wang Family is walking a path towards destruction.
A thick greed flashed in the eyes of the red-haired elder, as a strong and suffocating aura gradually emanated from him.
"Jinhuan, you can go ahead with this matter, just ensure no traces are left behind."
"Yes, Ancestor."
The middle-aged man felt invigorated, knowing the ancestor had embraced his idea.
He excitedly declared, "This is destined to be the time for our Huangfu Family to rise. During this period, I’ll make arrangements, and once the Purple Mansion Academy’s relief team departs, we’ll make our move."
...
Several days later.
Changning Guard.
City Chief’s Mansion.
As the political center of Guardian City, the City Chief’s Mansion is built square and upright, exhibiting detail without losing its majesty. At the center stands a tall tower, allowing one to overlook the entire city.
Outside the City Chief’s Mansion, in four directions, are expansive plazas.
The plazas are paved with bluestone, interspersed with rune bricks, forming a large guardian array encircling the mansion.
It can be said, this City Chief’s Mansion itself is an incredibly sturdy fortress, capable of resisting even a Tier Seven Ferocious Beast for quite some time.
However, at present, these expansive plazas are already filled with carriages, each bearing different family crests, belonging to the various noble families attending the meeting at the City Chief’s Mansion.
At this moment, in the main hall, most of the Eight-Grade Noble Families have already mostly arrived.
There’s Liua Gaowang, the clan leader of Shanyin Liu Family, along with Ancestor Liua Zhisheng.
Evidently, since clan leader Liua Gaowang hasn’t reached the Spirit Platform Realm, he came to support Ancestor Zhisheng.
Additionally, there’s Chen Dewei, the clan leader of the East Port Chen Family.
Being a Spirit Platform Realm clan leader, he came alone.
Correspondingly, there’s the clan leader of the Shanyang Gongsun Family—Gongsun Yan.
Gongsun Yan, only twenty-three years old, is already at the seventh layer peak of the Qi Refining Realm, possessing a calm and reserved demeanor without lacking grandeur, making him the new generation clan leader of the Gongsun Family.
As for his father, Gongsun Qiang, who served a lifetime as Young Clan Leader, ultimately did not become clan leader, and having achieved the Spirit Platform Realm, moved on to become an Elder.
Regarding the maternal family of Wang Shouzhe, the Yingxiu Lu Family, they currently have only two Spirit Platform Realm cultivators, falling short of the Eight-Grade Noble Family threshold. Accordingly, they are not eligible to participate in this particular reception.
Additionally, the clan leader of the seasoned Eight-Grade Noble Family, the Changning Xu Family, Xu Anbang, was already waiting here early.
Besides them, there’s the clan leader of the Westpeace Dang Family, Dang Zhenghe, the clan leader of the Qianma Huangfu Family, Huangfu Deyun, and other renowned family heads of big families such as the Wangxia Lei Family have all arrived.
Among them, the Qianma Huangfu Family and the Wangxia Lei Family are branches spun off by the two Celestial Families, the Huangfu Family and Lei Family, in Changning. With the nurturing of their main families, they have developed into Eight-Grade Noble Families within just a short one or two hundred years.
Together with the Ping’an Wang Family, now the eight Eight-Grade Noble Families in the Changning Guard region are gathered.
When Wang Shouzhe, led by a House General from the City Guardian’s Mansion, walked into the main hall, all eyes in the room fell upon him.
The Shanyin Liu Family, Shanyang Gongsun Family, and East Port Chen Family naturally all cast friendly and cordial glances his way.
Whereas the look from the clan leader of the Changning Xu Family, Xu Anbang, was clearly more complex.
Once upon a time, as a seasoned Eight-Grade Noble Family, the Changning Xu Family was high and mighty, extraordinarily prestigious, and their relationship with the Ping’an Wang Family was highly complex.
Over time, the connections between the two sides gradually dwindled, leaving only the direct veins occasionally maintaining marital relations.
But now, within a mere ten years, the Ping’an Wang Family has rapidly risen, monopolizing Ping’an, an entire territory. Not only is their strength on the brink of surpassing the seasoned Eight-Grade Noble Families, but their future potential is also immeasurable.
The other Eight-Grade Noble Family clan leaders also viewed Wang Shouzhe with deep intentions, all seemingly harboring their own schemes and plans.
"Cousin Shouzhe," the youngest clan leader present, Gongsun Yan, was the first to greet Wang Shouzhe, offering a bow, "Cousin, why have you come only now? Everyone has been waiting for a long time."
"Cousin Yan," Wang Shouzhe replied with a smile, returning the gesture, "I am from Ping’an Town, a place far away, so it’s natural for me to be late."
Subsequently, Wang Shouzhe exchanged greetings and pleasantries with each clan leader.
They were all people of status; intimacy between allies and in-laws was normal, and even if there had been some past conflicts, on such formal occasions, everyone maintained their decorum, greeted each other with smiles, and conversed as though they were old friends who hadn’t met in years.
Nonetheless, the conversations held in this setting were devoid of substance.
In the midst of this lively scene.
The House General outside announced, "Celestial Human Clan Leader Huangfu Jinhuan arrives..."
The people engaged in conversation immediately halted and looked towards the entrance.
In came a middle-aged man in gorgeous clothing, confidently stepping with a powerful gait.
His gaze swept through the room, and immediately, he broke into a smile: "Apologies, everyone, for my late arrival."
After the usual courtesies, his gaze landed on Wang Shouzhe.
And Wang Shouzhe’s gaze fell on him.
Their eyes met in a collision.
...