Protect Our Chief - Chapter 4

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

…

“Eldest nephew, you absolutely must not do this.” Wang Dinghai anxiously advised, “The patriarch of Liu Clan is already 40 years old. He’s very experienced.”

“Zhe’er, you are too rash.” Gongsun Hui was also somewhat flustered. “The patriarch is of prestigious status and the mainstay of the clan…”

If it were a fight with Liu Yongzhou, they would be happy to see it. After all, the difference in power between the two was rather large. However, directly challenging Liu Shengye would be too risky.

On the other hand, Liu Shengye was secretly wiping his cold sweat. Fortunately, there were still reasonable people in the Wang Clan. They should persuade this young Wang Clan patriarch properly. This was absurd.

How could the commander-in-chiefs of two armies fight to the death at the first encounter? That would be a mess.

Moreover, Liu Shengye had been living in luxury all these years and had not fought with anyone for a long time. A death match was no joke.

“Mother, Sixth Uncle.” Wang Shouzhe interrupted them directly. “The patriarch is just a member of the clan. Anyone who is a member of the clan has the right and obligation to contribute their lives to the clan, and sacrifice for the survival of the clan. Moreover, Ancestor Longyan…”

Towards the end, some agitation and sorrowful anger entered Wang Shouzhe’s emotions, as if he was about to burst under the tension. Furthermore, he stopped himself from saying the last few words just as they were about to be voiced.

“Shouzhe!” Wang Dinghai panicked and hurriedly asked in a low voice, “Ancestor Longyan couldn’t possibly…”

“Don’t worry, she’s fine.” Wang Shouzhe’s face was a little pale. “It’s just that I feel terrible that Ancestor had sacrificed so much for the clan in her life. It’s time for us juniors to stand up and shed some blood.”

However, no matter how one looked at it, his words seemed to be concealing something.

With that, Wang Shouzhe turned around and stared at Liu Shengye. “Patriarch Liu, since conflicts abound between our clans, why don’t we take this opportunity to settle it? You and I will sign a contract for a death match. The loser will retreat frmo the An River fishing area and their clan must not pursue this matter.” There was a strong sense of determination in his words.

“Good, Wang Clan’s young hero really is unyielding.”

“Since there’s a conflict between the two clans, why don’t their leaders settle it once and for all?”

The onlookers naturally did not mind watching the drama unfold. An interesting event like two patriarchs personally fighting in a death match was rare to see. Immediately, they began to cheer to settle the matter first.

“F*cker! Why is this kid acting like a hungry wolf? From his vague words, could it be that… the rumors are true…? If that’s the case, then the situation has changed.” Liu Shengye quivered and frowned. After thinking for a while, he came up with a plan. He changed the topic and put on an amiable expression. “Good nephew, speaking of which, your father and I had many years of acquaintance. It’s not too much to call your Nephew, right? The three noble clans of Ping’an have been established ourselves in Ping’an Town for many years. We are all fellow neighbors in the same neighborhood, and should support and take care of each other. Taking such a small conflict so far isn’t necessary.”

“Then, the Liu Clan Patriarch intends to compensate my Sixth Uncle for his medical expenses?” Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes and sneered.

Compensate for medical expenses?

Liu Shengye’s face darkened. However, he had always been good at tolerating insults for a time and hiding his true intentions behind a smile. At this moment, his smile became even more amiable. “Conflicts between neighbors are unavoidable. However, since it’s Yongzhou’s fault this time, we naturally have to admit it. Here is 30 gold as an apology to Brother Dinghai.”

With that, Liu Shengye took out three banknotes worth 10 gold and stuffed them into Wang Shouzhe’s hands with a smile. “Everyone says that you are extraordinary. Your potential is not inferior to that of Ancestor Longyan. In the future, you will definitely become the mainstay of Ping’an Town.”

Thirty pieces of gold?

Having fused memories, Wang Shouzhe knew that this was already a huge sum of money. He immediately quited while he was ahead and said with a smile, “Patirarch Liu is the true mainstay for Ping’an. Shouzhe has just taken over the position of patriarch, and will need to rely on Patriarch Liu’s guidance in the future.”

“Of course, of course!”

Liu Shengye laughed and left the deep water dock area with his clan guards and Liu Yongzhou.

Seeing that they did not really enter a fight, the onlookers lamented as if they had missed out on a big show. They dispersed in twos and threes with slight disappointment.

“Nephew is indeed resourceful,” Wang Dinghai said with obvious joy, as if he had just vented his anger. “You managed to turn the situation around with just a few words, and even made that old fox Liu Shengye apologize willingly.”

On the other hand, Gongsun Hui didn’t show the slightest hint of happiness. The space between her brows seemed to be filled with worry instead.

“Sixth Uncle, Mother, since we’re already here, why don’t we take a look aboard Sixth Uncle’s boat?” Wang Shouzhe smiled. “I’ve never followed Sixth Uncle aboard since I was young.”

“Sure. Then Sixth Uncle will take you to have some fun,” Wang Dinghai said happily. “I’ll show you some fishing feats later.”

When they were about to board the ship, Wang Shouzhe summoned several clan guards to his side and whispered some instructions to them. The clan guards understood and saluted before dispersing to carry out their tasks.

Only then did Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui follow Wang Dinghai to the deepwater berth.

At the same time…

Outside the Dingpu Crossing, the young and hot-blooded Liu Yongzhou said with a dark expression, “Patriarch, we agreed on taking a bite out of the Wang Clan. How did it end up with us apologizing and compensating them?”

“Yongzhou, you’re still too young.” Liu Shengye was calm and collected as he smiled with his hands folded behind his back. “As the saying goes, times have changed. In this current situation, not only can we not take the initiative to provoke the Wang Clan, we should be careful to avoid any conflicts with them.”

“Patriarch…” Liu Yongzhou was a little resentful and confused.

“Based on my deduction, that old Wang Longyan doesn’t have long to live.” Liu Shengye narrowed his eyes and said, confident in his wisdom, “The Wang Clan is like a sickly tiger on the verge of death now. This is the most dangerous time. If we press too hard, we might trigger an insane backlash from the other party. Although the Liu Clan has nothing to fear from them, we don’t want to let the Zhao Clan benefit from our conflict.”

Wang Longyan!

That name was like a poisonous thorn stuck in the Liu Clan’s throat. As long as she was alive, the Liu Clan wouldn’t dare to completely fall out with the Wang Clan.

“Patriarch, is this true?” Liu Yongzhou was extremely excited.

“Initially, when I saw that Wang Longyan did not leave her seclusion even when the Wang Clan’s patriarch had changed, I was already had 30 to 40 percent of confidence about this hypothesis.” Liu Shengye laughed coldly. “I saw how the new patriarch Wang Shouzhe was so unable to keep his composure that he wanted to stake everything on a fight to the death with me. That confirmed 70 to 80 percent of my deduction. Heh, how could I do as he wished? In as little as two to three years, and at most four to five years, once Wang Longyan dies…”

“Patriarch? That long?” Liu Yongzhou was a little stunned.

“What do you know? How can the rise and fall of a clan be achieved overnight? The Liu Clan has waited for so many years. Can we not endure merely a few more years?” Liu Shengye waved his sleeve, and the clan guards supported him onto the carriage. “Moreover, before Wang Longyan dies, Liu Clan still has a lot of preparation work to do. Yongzhou, you must remember that without my orders, you are not to clash with the Wang Clan. Otherwise, you will be punished according to the clan rules!”

“Yes, Patriarch.” Liu Yongzhou was still holding on to his anger, but there was nothing he could do. He could only respectfully send off Patriarch Liu Shengye’s carriage.

…

Speaking of which, Wang Shouzhe had a few clan guards stay at the pier to carry out a mission. Together with Madam Gongsun Hui, they boarded Wang Dinghai’s medium-sized fishing boat, “Dinghai”. The medium-sized fishing boat was about 80 to 90 feet long and 20 feet wide. It was completely made of wood.

From the tall mast and the hanging sail, it was a sail-powered boat.

Wang Dinghai instructed his crew to sail out of the pier. Just as he was about to excitedly introduce the various facilities on the boat to Wang Shouzhe. Gongsun Hui said with a serious expression, “Zhe’er, Sixth Uncle, let’s talk at the stern.”

The two of them followed her instructions while the boat slowly sailed out of the pier.

“Alas, Zhe’er, you’ve gone a bit too far today,” Gongsun Hui said with a sigh. “Ancestor Longyan sacrificed her entire life for the clan, and the hardships and toil she went through were uncountable. How could you insinuate that she’s going to, um… and in public, too? Also, you actually sent clan guards to spread rumors! Your behavior today will certainly reach the ears of the clan elders, and those elders will definitely reprimand you.”

“That’s…” Wang Dinghai, who was standing at the side, was also somewhat flustered.”Sister-in-law, what should we do then? The elders won’t impeach Shouzhe, right? “Ancestor Longyan was not only the clan’s mainstay, but also an existence akin to a great mountain. Wang Dinghai naturally felt extreme reverence.

“Sixth Uncle, calm down, calm down.” Wang Shouzhe smiled indifferently. “The clan elders are all elders. I believe that they will understand once we explain things to them. Mother, let me ask you, how much longer can Ancestor Longyan last?”

“Zhe’er, how could you be so disrespectful to Ancestor Longyan? We can’t discuss this so impudently…”

“Mother, as the patriarch, I naturally have to consider the entire clan’s interests and developments overall.” Wang Shouzhe interrupted Gongsun Hui directly. “If I can’t even ask how long the Ancestor can last, how can I plan for the future development of the clan? If that’s the case, I’m afraid I cannot take on the position of the patriarch. It’d be better to replace me as soon as possible.”

…