Protect Our Patriarch

……

"R-Really?"

The Blood Spirit Artifact asked weakly.

"That's right, that's right," Wang Zongchang chimed in while prying up floor tiles, "Our Wang Clan is a warm family. Once you move in, you'll understand what lively means."

"You're the worst among them," the Blood Spirit Artifact said indignantly, "You won't even spare a single tile."

"My Fourth Uncle said this is called being environmentally friendly," Wang Zongchang, being thick-skinned, replied, "The bricks and tiles from the Shenwu period are extraordinary in craftsmanship. It's a waste to leave them buried underwater."

While they were talking, Wang Shouzhe and Wang Luojing were also sorting through the Blood Venerable's legacy.

At this moment, the Holy Gu Codex had no choice but to open the [Blood Venerable's Secret Treasury] within the research lab, despite its reluctance, as Luojing was determined.

This was a hidden storage space, similar in principle to a storage box, and more akin to Wang Shouzhe's portable space.

From the outside, it appeared to be an ordinary wall, which required a specific activation method to reveal a slightly distorted space passage.

The passage was dark and deep, instantly swallowing any light and energy that touched it, making it impossible to see what lay inside from the outside.

Wang Shouzhe and Luojing stepped into the passage and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

The Holy Gu Codex flapped its wings and followed them in, and even Emperor Longchang thick-skinnedly tagged along, eager to see what was inside.

Trailing behind Emperor Longchang was Old Yao, silently following.

The Han Yue Wu Clan of the Immortal Dynasty was also a renowned family, whose ancestors had once discovered a True Immortal relic. During his early years studying in the Immortal Dynasty, Emperor Longchang had seen records related to it in the Han Yue Wu Clan and had even paid respects to the statue of Ancestor Wu Panpan. However, he himself never had the luck to encounter even a Void relic.

"Shouzhe, this time I've contributed too, you should give me a share," Emperor Longchang said, a little excited.

"Your Majesty, these are the inheritances passed down to Luojing by her master from a past life. As an emperor, do you really have the face to ask a junior for things?" Wang Shouzhe said leisurely, "Besides, you just came to watch the excitement, what contribution did you make? It was Senior Yao who diligently helped and guided the juniors along the way, opening up the instance, truly a hard task."

"Haha~ Master Wang, you're too kind. This old servant was just following Madam Ruolan's instructions, running errands and completing some basic tasks," Old Yao said, grinning from ear to ear, "I don't deserve the word 'hard'."

"You stingy brat! I think you should be called Wang Shoucai instead of Wang Shouzhe..." Emperor Longchang was so angry his eyebrows stood up, "Even though I didn't lift a finger, my presence itself is a deterrent. If it weren't for me, would that little girl Jiang Qingxue be so obedient? At least give me a token share so I can pay off my gambling debts."

Wang Shouzhe slapped his forehead, looking at Emperor Longchang with a peculiar expression: "You gambled again? How much do you owe this time?"

"Well... it's not really gambling, just some family entertainment," Emperor Longchang said awkwardly, rubbing his hands, "Now I'm short by a hundred and several tens of thousands of Immortal crystals, which is just the price of half a Divine Spirit Artifact. I was about to make a comeback this time, I even won quite a bit in the middle, but towards the end... sigh! I should have quit while I was ahead..."

"Can you all be a bit more mindful of your influence? There are so many juniors in the family, can't you set a positive, healthy example for the children?" Wang Shouzhe said helplessly.

"What are you talking about? I'm a semi-retired emperor, I've been working hard for the billions of citizens of the Great Qian for thousands of years, what's wrong with playing a little mahjong in my old age?" Emperor Longchang huffed, glaring.

"Master Wang, rest assured, the juniors in the family all see His Majesty as a negative example to learn from. Gambling is harmful, everyone takes it as a warning," Old Yao said with a smile, "But His Majesty is right. After all, he's worked hard all his life, it's rare to have a hobby... Anyway, there aren't many years left, soon he'll become the late emperor, just let him be."

"You old thing... are you really on my side?" Emperor Longchang's eyes almost popped out, "How much did Ruolan give you?"

"Your Majesty, this old servant has served you all my life," Old Yao said, "Now there aren't many years left, I have to earn more to support myself in old age, right?"

"You old thing! Are you saying I'm poor..."

"Alright, alright, you two stop arguing." Wang Shouzhe, quite helpless, pulled out a stack of Wang Clan treasury checks from his storage ring and stuffed them into Emperor Longchang's arms, "I'll cover this debt of yours with my private treasury."

"Shouzhe, you actually have a secret private treasury?" Emperor Longchang immediately beamed, taking the checks and giving Wang Shouzhe a knowing look, "Don't worry, with our relationship, I won't report you to Ruolan."

Thank you very much~

Wang Shouzhe had no way to deal with Emperor Longchang.

Mainly because he was too thick-skinned. This time, upon hearing the news, he insisted on coming to "assist" and help open the Blood Dawn Sanctuary instance, just to get a share of the spoils, wasn't it?

After settling Emperor Longchang, the group had already reached the interior of the secret treasury.

Compared to the research lab outside, the space inside the secret treasury wasn't large, but it was filled with items, each carefully preserved with a special sealing device, clearly all precious items.

Under the soft, bright light, the various items shimmered with colors, dazzling like neon lights.

As soon as they entered, everyone felt almost blinded by the brilliance.

Emperor Longchang was immediately envious, his eyes fixed, and even the usually composed Wang Shouzhe's heartbeat quickened slightly.

Fortunately, Wang Shouzhe was someone who had seen the world.

After a brief pause, he calmed down and began checking and sorting the Blood Venerable's legacy with Luojing, using the inventory list.

First was the treasure section.

According to the list, there were a total of thirteen Divine Spirit Artifacts.

Wang Shouzhe carefully verified each one, confirming that the quantity and types matched.

These Divine Spirit Artifacts were mostly swords, shields, and knives, which were the mainstream types among Divine Spirit Artifacts. There were also a few pieces of armor and bows, and a few rare items like rings and rulers.

However, after confirming, Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but frown slightly: "Holy Gu Spirit Artifact, aren't there a bit too few Divine Spirit Artifacts?"

Divine Spirit Artifacts were already considered valuable during the Shenwu period, but when you think about it, even the Great Qian royal family has over twenty Divine Spirit Artifacts, let alone the legacy of a True Immortal realm expert?

You must know, the most suitable weapon for a True Immortal realm expert is an "Immortal Artifact", and for a Lingxu realm expert, it's a "Dao Artifact". In comparison, the value of Divine Spirit Artifacts is much lower.

According to Wang Shouzhe's estimation, even if there weren't a hundred or eighty Divine Spirit Artifacts in this True Immortal relic, there should at least be dozens, right?

"The Blood Venerable had a lot of expenses, and many Divine Spirit Artifacts were sold," the Holy Gu Spirit Artifact explained, "Sometimes he even rewarded some to his subordinates, so naturally, not many are left. These are the ones that held significant memories for him during his growth, so he kept them."

"A dozen or so isn't good enough?" Emperor Longchang said enviously, "When our Great Qian royal family split from the Han Yue Wu Clan, we only got one Dao Artifact and a dozen Divine Spirit Artifacts, the rest were accumulated slowly over time. Your Wang Clan is doing well, now the number of Divine Spirit Artifacts is almost catching up to our Wu Clan!"

"Fourth Brother, this ring is nice, you can replace the 'Endless Abyss' you've been using for a long time," Wang Luojing said happily, picking up a ring with an ancient design and handing it to Wang Shouzhe.

Wang Shouzhe caressed the ring and asked, "What's your name?"

"Hidden Sea," the ring replied succinctly.

"Good, not much for words, I like Divine Spirit Artifacts like this. Hidden Sea Treasure Ring, the name is quite nice too," Wang Shouzhe said, pleased, as he replaced his storage ring, "I've always wanted a Divine Spirit Artifact storage ring, today my wish is finally fulfilled."

Nowadays, the Wang Clan had the financial means to buy one in the Immortal Dynasty. However, firstly, Divine Spirit Artifact storage rings were not abundant, even at the highest-end auctions they were rare, requiring luck to acquire. Secondly, his need wasn't that urgent, so the matter had been put on hold.

After all, the Wang Clan had many places that required funding.

So, for years, Wang Shouzhe had been using the "Endless Abyss" that Wang Anye had discarded.

Emperor Longchang watched enviously from the side.

Originally, he also had a "Glutton Treasure Ring", but as Prince An began to oversee the government and gradually take over state affairs, he had no use for the ring, so he passed the Glutton Treasure Ring to Prince An.

Now, he was using a storage ring of a similar level to the Endless Abyss.

"Register the rest of the Divine Spirit Artifacts and put them in the family treasury. When I have time, I'll test each Divine Spirit Artifact's performance and determine the exchange conditions," Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, "It's time to expand the family's treasury foundation."

Although the Wang Clan already had Divine Spirit Artifacts, the number wasn't large, and each one had an owner.

He had been worried before, as Shouyong, Shoulian, Luotong, and Zongchang were all about to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm, but they didn't have a suitable Divine Spirit Artifact. The top-grade magical treasures they were using, though of excellent quality from the new recruit training camp, could suffice even after they advanced to the Purple Mansion Realm, but it wasn't a long-term solution.

Moreover, the family had cultivated many great prodigies over the years, some of whom, like Anxin, would also advance to the Purple Mansion Realm in seventy or eighty years, and they would need Divine Spirit Artifacts as well.

Having this batch of ownerless Divine Spirit Artifacts could greatly enhance the family's foundation and avoid the awkward situation of Shouyong and the others reaching the Purple Mansion Realm without a Divine Spirit Artifact. Naturally, it was a happy occasion.

In addition to this batch of Divine Spirit Artifacts, there were two special spirit treasures, one of which was a map made of special material, named [Map of Rivers and Mountains], also a treasured collection of the Blood Venerable.

The name was a bit exaggerated, but it contained a small top-grade Yao Earth spiritual vein, making it a special spatial item capable of sustaining life.

Wang Shouzhe estimated that it contained about several hundred acres of top-grade spiritual farmland, suitable for cultivating some long-term spiritual herbs.

However, the Map of Rivers and Mountains had its limitations, as once it was fixed, moving it would be time-consuming and laborious, unlike a portable cave dwelling that could be carried around.

Therefore, it was more suitable to hang in a study, serving as the study's "backyard".

If a branch of the Lixian tree were planted inside to promote the growth of spiritual herbs and plants, the effect would be more than just one plus one equals two.

The other item was a palm-sized pagoda-like spirit treasure, named [Soldier-Hiding Tower].

"Shouzhe, this 'Soldier-Hiding Tower' is a good thing," Emperor Longchang said enviously, "It's one of the famous tactical treasures from the Shenwu period, with an extremely stable internal space that can also accommodate living beings. Unlike storage rings and portable cave dwellings, which have many shortcomings, it can truly transport troops for surprise attacks! This thing is rare even in the Immortal Dynasty."

The shortcomings of storage rings need not be mentioned, as they cannot accommodate living beings. Portable cave dwellings can carry people, but the space is too small, making it unrealistic to carry a large number of personnel.

"How many troops can you hide?" Wang Shouzhe asked.

"It can hide a thousand Celestial Realm warriors, thirty Purple Mansion Realm warriors, and two Divine Realm warriors," the spirit of the Soldier-Hiding Tower said, "The warriors inside the tower can ensure that not a trace of their aura leaks. However, if there are too many strong individuals, it may leak aura."

"That's quite a number," Wang Shouzhe said with satisfaction, "If used well, this item can achieve the effect of a surprise attack."

Such a large army marching would undoubtedly cause a commotion.

If only one person acted and released the army at a critical moment, the tactics could become flexible and varied.

"If I had this treasure back then, I would have directly attacked the capitals of Southern Qin and Western Jin," Emperor Longchang said enviously, "Why don't you lend me the Soldier-Hiding Tower first, let me have some fun."

"Your Majesty, that would be sending yourself to your death," Wang Shouzhe said, tucking the Soldier-Hiding Tower into his arms, "To ensure Your Majesty's peaceful retirement, I'll keep this treasure."

"You're not using it for anything, you just stay at home all day and don't fight," Emperor Longchang said, rolling his eyes, "Why not hand it over to the state, and use it in this war to strike the Western Jin dogs and Southern Qin pigs?"

"This is private property of the Wang Clan, Your Majesty, don't overthink it. Moreover, such unique treasures are not toys; only by using them suddenly at a critical moment can their effect be maximized. Once used, the enemy will be on guard," Wang Shouzhe said bluntly, "Besides, this war is overseen by Prince An. Our Wang Clan will naturally fulfill our duty as ministers to assist. Your Majesty need not worry too much, just focus on being your trump card."

"It's the Emperor card," Emperor Longchang protested, "How can a mere trump card describe my importance?"

"As long as Your Majesty is happy."

Wang Shouzhe calmly began checking the other treasures.

As a True Immortal realm expert, even if the Blood Venerable was poor, he was still a True Immortal realm expert. It was impossible for his legacy to contain only Divine Spirit Artifacts.

Imagine, even the Great Qian Wu Clan has a Dao Artifact inheritance, how could the Blood Venerable not have one?

However, it was slightly regrettable that the Blood Venerable was a wanted criminal, fond of research, and spent money like water. In the end, he became even poorer due to his fake death and seclusion to research new technology.

Therefore, the Blood Venerable left only one Dao Artifact as his legacy.

It was placed prominently in the center of the secret treasury.

It was a bow, accompanied by twelve arrows.

Compared to a typical longbow, this bow was slightly shorter. The material of the bow was unknown, but it gleamed with a metallic luster under the light, with deep green patterns entwined around it, looking extremely mysterious.

Where the bowstring should have been, there was nothing.

It was unclear how to draw the bow when using it.

The twelve arrows were also specially made, inscribed with runes, and the arrowheads had blood grooves, emitting a faint blue glow, making one suspect they were coated with a deadly poison.

"I am called the Saint-Slaying Bow, a Dao Artifact commissioned by the Blood Venerable at great expense. His purpose was simple: to use me to kill His Majesty the Holy Emperor," the Saint-Slaying Bow introduced itself, "Let me clarify, this was merely the Blood Venerable's delusional obsession. As a mere Dao Artifact, hoping to kill His Majesty the Holy Emperor... I don't think I can bear such a responsibility. I've been under a lot of pressure over the years, and I hope my new master can help me change my name..."

That pressure was indeed immense.

The name was too grand to live up to! Expecting a Dao Artifact to kill the Holy Emperor was less realistic than staying home and sticking needles into a doll.

Wang Shouzhe fondly caressed the Saint-Slaying Bow and said, "A bow is a weapon of war, to be used cautiously, best to strike only when it can be a decisive blow. So, from now on, you'll be called 'Goudan' (Dog Egg), a humble name is easier to live with."

"Goudan...?" The Dao Bow was stunned for a moment and asked weakly, "Can I go back to being called Saint-Slaying? Now that I think about it, it seems quite nice."

"Fourth Brother, you're bullying the new treasure again," Wang Luojing said with a smile, "I think 'Cautious' is a good name, it matches well with Fourth Brother's shield named Safety."

"Cautious? A good name," the Dao Bow said excitedly, "I like this name. Rest assured, new master, although I can't defeat His Majesty the Holy Emperor, once you advance to the Divine Realm, we can team up to beat a regular Lingxu Realm, like that poor old man beside you."

"?" Emperor Longchang's face turned black, "Who are you calling poor?"

"If you're not poor, why did my master have to pay your gambling debts?" the Dao Bow Cautious said truthfully, "I warn you, don't rely on a bit of cultivation to bully my master. I, Cautious, may not be able to slay saints or destroy immortals, but I can handle an old man."

"Heh, you think you can beat me with a Dao Artifact?" Emperor Longchang was so angry he rolled up his sleeves, "Come on, let your Emperor Grandpa show you some power."

Wang Shouzhe hurriedly intervened to separate the bow and the man: "Cautious, be respectful to the Emperor. After all, regardless of his achievements, he has contributed to the Great Qian for over three thousand years, even if there's no merit, there's hard work."

"…?" Emperor Longchang sneered twice. Ever since he met this kid, he hadn't heard a single pleasant word from him. This time, he decided not to talk to this kid for at least a month.

"Your Majesty, why are you angry with a Dao Artifact?" Wang Shouzhe advised, "It's just loyal to its master, it doesn't know that over the years, you've done a lot of work for our Wang Clan, not just freeloading."

"…" Emperor Longchang sneered even more deeply, deciding not to talk to him for at least two months.

After the persuasion.

Wang Shouzhe checked the remaining legacy.

Mainly, there were some spiritual stones left. According to the inventory and on-site verification, there were about ten million lower-grade spiritual stones, eighty thousand middle-grade spiritual stones, seven hundred upper-grade spiritual stones, nine top-grade spiritual stones, and one almost perfect Immortal spiritual stone containing abundant Immortal spiritual energy.

Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but play with it.

"This, is this an Immortal spiritual stone?" Emperor Longchang almost drooled, "Come on, Shouzhe, let me take a look. I've never seen an Immortal spiritual stone in my life."

……