Protect Our Chief - Chapter 5

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

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“Zhe’er, you… How can you say such a thing?” Gongsun Hui did not expect the ever-docile Wang Shouzhe to make such a shocking statement.

“Sister-in-law, I think Shouzhe’s words make sense.” Wang Dinghai was quite convinced by Wang Shouzhe today, so he took his side then, “Everyone should be mentally prepared for how long Ancestor Longyan can hold up the clan.”

Gongsun Hui’s expression changed several times before she finally said, “This is the clan’s secret. A few days ago, when I went to report to Ancestor Longyan, she personally told me that if it doesn’t come down to a fight, she would be able to hold on for another 20 years. If it does… things would be hard to say.”

Twenty years? Wang Shouzhe thought to himself. That was much longer than he had expected. If this was the case, he might have a chance to turn the tables.

“Zhe’er, you’re the clan’s only hope.” Gongsun Hui’s expression was extremely grave. “Our Wang Clan should continue to endure and keep a low profile. We’ll gather the entire clan’s resources to help you break through to the Spirit Tower Realm within 20 years. You absolutely must not cause any accidents!”

“That’s right, that’s right. Sixth Uncle will think of a way to catch more spirit fishes and sell them for money to raise resources for you,” Wang Dinghai agreed. “As long as you can break through to the Spirit Tower Realm, our Wang Clan will be saved.”

“I’ll break through to the Spirit Tower Realm? And then what?” Wang Shouzhe snorted disdainfully. “Forget whether I can break through or not, even if I have the chance, will the Liu and Zhao Clans just watch me do it? Will they give me 20 years? Moreover, even if I’m lucky enough to break through, I’ll just become another Ancestor Longyan!”

Wang Shouzhe was a transmigrator, so he could naturally break out of the habitual thinking of the Wang clansmen.

His words sent a chill through Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai. Before, they had always lived under Ancestor Long Yan’s protection, and assumed that the Liu and Zhao Clans wouldn’t truly fall out with them.

However, if Wang Shouzhe, whom they had placed all their hopes on, really had a chance to break through to the Spirit Tower Realm, how could the Liu and Zhao Clans possibly sit idly by?

“That’s enough. Just now, I deliberately hinted that the Ancestor wasn’t going to last much longer. I believe that with Liu Shengye’s cunningness, he absolutely wouldn’t choose to take the vanguard and clash with Wang Clan at this time. Thus, I’ll have the clan guards continue to secretly spread the news and give the Liu and Zhao Clans a five-year countdown.” Wang Shouzhe snorted. “If anyone dares to provoke us within five years, we’ll fight them to the death. We’ll take one clan and fight them to the death. At the critical moment, we can release… um… invite Ancestor Longyan to hold the fort.”

In Wang Shouzhe’s opinion, Ancestor Longyan was the trump card.. The greatest effect of the trump card was not the moment it was dealt, but its deterrent force before the dealing.

“Brilliant.” Wang Dinghai slapped his thigh. “Patriarch, what a great plan. We are like a ferocious beast on the verge of death. They are afraid that we will fight to the death and bite back. In this way, not only will they not dare to bully us, they will also have to find a way to befriend and coax us. No wonder that old fox Liu Shengye obediently gave us 30 gold as compensation.”

“Not only that, now that we have a clear ‘time of death’ for the Wang Clan, we’ve placed a huge temptation before them. How could the Liu and Zhao Clans, which had previously formed an alliance due to a common enemy, not have second thoughts while patiently enduring and waiting?” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, “You have to know that greed and insatiability are the most primitive aspects of human nature. The following situation will definitely become very interesting. If we think of another way to secretly add fuel to the fire… heh.”

After hearing Wang Shouzhe’s analysis, Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai both gasped. They couldn’t help but look at each other in dismay, both of them feeling a bit afraid. However, at the same time, they also felt a trace of hope—a trace of hope that their clan could turn the tables!

“Mother, Sixth Uncle, this is a huge secret concerning the the Wang Clan’s survival.” Wang Shouzhe folded his hands in salute and said solemnly, “Firstly, I hope that you can keep this secret. Secondly, I hope that you can trust me unconditionally and support me.”

This was Wang Shouzhe’s true goal. His body was too young. Even if he had the status of the patriarch, he would inevitably be criticized by others. He could only throw out some shocking ideas to convince some key figures and win over allies.

Gongsun Hui was his legitimate mother, and he was Gongsun Hui’s future support. His sixth uncle, Wang Dinghai, was straightforward and easy to rope in.

Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai both took a deep breath and solemnly made an oath.

As the three of them spoke, the medium-sized fishing boat had already left the deepwater pier under the control of the boatman and entered the center of the turbulent An River.

The vastness of the An River far exceeded Wang Shouzhe’s imagination. With a single glance, he could see that the waves were majestic and boundless. The Dingpu Crossing was getting smaller and smaller, gradually fading from sight.

As they went deeper into the An River, the wind and waves became stronger, and the rocking of the boat grew more intense. Even Wang Shouzhe, who was at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining Realm, felt somewhat nauseous.

Gongsun Hui, who similarly lived in sheltered conditions, also turned slightly pale and felt uncomfortable.

“Haha, Sister-in-law, Shouzhe, the fishing boat is not as stable as the ferry. When the boat is swaying, don’t use your body to resist the tilting. Instead, you should act like a tilting doll and go with the flow.” Wang Dinghai patiently taught the two how to deal with the turbulence of the wind and waves.

Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui were both Arcane Martial Arts practitioners. With their profound Arcane Qi and physical fitness, it didn’t take long for them to get used to the turbulence. Wang Shouzhe, in particular, imitated Wang Dinghai and drove his feet into the deck like piles. His body swayed rhythmically with the waves, and his posture gradually became relaxed and comfortable.

“Shouzhe is indeed talented. Sixth Uncle will show you how we catch fish normally.” Wang Dinghai excitedly prepared to show off his talent. Very few people in the clan liked to come to the fishing boat to watch him fish.

“I believe that your skills must be extraordinary, Sixth Uncle, but let the ordinary fishermen try it first,” Wang Shouzhe suggested.

Wang Dinghai was stunned for a moment, but then he immediately smiled and said, “Shouzhe, so you’re here to test the standard of the fishing boat. Good, good, the fishermen on your sSixth Uncle’s flagship fishing boat are all experts. Wang Goudan, come and demonstrate to the Patriarch.”

“Yes, Master Hai.” A young lad in his twenties jumped down from the mast. His movements were as agile as a monkey. After picking up a fishing net and tidying it up, he twisted his waist and flung it. The fishing net flew out from the side of the ship and opened up a beautiful large circular pocket in the air.

Splash!

The heavy fishing net fell into the water like an upside-down bowl. In a few breaths, it sank to the bottom.

“Good!”

The surrounding fishermen all praised.

This was… net casting. And it was very skilled.

Wang Shouzhe was the first to realize that. Before he transmigrated, he was just an ordinary office worker who would occasionally fish with his friends. Therefore, when he was browsing the apps for videos, the algorithm would recommend some fishing videos, including some videos and live streams of net casting experts.

Although Wang Shouzhe didn’t know how to play, he could judge the standard of the cast. He had to admit that this young man called Goudan was quite skilled.

After Wang Goudan waited for the net to sink, he began to carefully retract the rope. After he retracted the net from the bottom of the river, he pulled it up bit by bit. In the end, he gave a sudden yank, and the entire net was pulled onto the boat in an instant.

Got it!

The fishing net caught a big fish with a white dorsal fin. Wang Goudan took the fish out of the net, caught it, and happily came over to claim credit. “Brother Hai, it’s a nine-spotted bass. It must weigh five catties.”

“You’re not bad, kid. Put it in the live water tank.” Wang Dinghai patted him on the shoulder and praised him. Then he turned around and explained to Wang Shouzhe, “Although the nine-spotted bass isn’t a spirit fish, it has a smooth, tender, and refreshing taste. It belongs to the superior fish species. If such a fish is sold to the fish venders, it would fetch a large copper. However, our family has a fish shop in Changning City, and it’s all self-produced and marketed. This way, we can earn a few more dimes.”

Wang Shouzhe nodded his head in appreciation. The currency of the Da Qian Empire was calculated using dimes, large coppers, and gold. Normally, a catty of rice was only worth five to ten dimes. A hundred dimes could only be exchanged for a large copper. Thus, this fish was quite valuable to be worth a large copper.

Wang Goudan placed the fish in the live water tank in the middle of the fishing boat. The water in the tank was connected to the water outside world, so it could maintain the vitality of the catch.

However, according to Wang Dinghai, this treatment could only be given to some relatively valuable catches. The live water tank was also divided into several areas to store different types of catches.

With Wang Goudan’s demonstration, the other fishermen also performed their best techniques. They were all very experienced, and the nets they cast were big and round, but the catches might not be guaranteed.

Most of the hauls were empty. There would only be some surprises occasionally.

After more than two hours, there were gradually more and more catches. There were three nine-spotted basses and an even a more expensive Turbulent Leopard-striped Mandarin Perch. Although it was only about over two catties in weight, Wang Dinghai said that this fish was worth at least one large copper and 60 dimes. The good catches were all kept for the patriarch to enjoy.

Wang Shouzhe was all smiles on the surface, but in his heart, he was constantly calculating. The thirty miles of fishing territory was Wang Clan of Ping’an’s scope of fishing. The clan valued this property very much, so it should be an important part of the family’s financial income.

As time passed, Wang Shouzhe gradually became impatient and said directly, “Sixth Uncle, the performance should be almost done. All the fishermen are very good at casting nets. Can we quickly get to the main topic and demonstrate the real fishing work?”

Wang Dinghai’s originally radiant expression instantly froze. He was somewhat confused as he said, “Shouzhe, aren’t we already demonstrating the real fishing? Could it be that you want to watch how to catch spirit fishes? Some of the smaller spirit fishes are caught by luck. Some of the larger spirit fishes are very fierce, and require fishing arrows to deal with.”

This was professional fishing?

Wang Shouzhe’s face was slightly dark. In his past life, out of curiosity, he had rode along on the professional fishing boat of the relative of his colleague to experience professional fishing. In the end, that net had hauled in over 40,000 catties, and that was even considered a poor haul…

As for net casting, it was purely a method for entertainment fishing on Earth. It was only better than angling, and players were only doing it to have fun. If anyone actually used net casting as a professional fishing method to feed the family, the entire family would starve to death.

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