Protect Our Patriarch

...

Gu God Village.

As the political and cultural core of the Barbarian Gu Clan, Gu God Village is vast, nearly ten times the size of an ordinary small Gu village. Even the large Gu villages with tens of thousands of people pale in comparison to Gu God Village in terms of scale.

The permanent population of Gu God Village is in the hundreds of thousands, far surpassing any typical Gu village.

Even on normal days, the village frequently hosts guests from other villages, with goods flowing in abundance. The village even has dedicated markets and trading posts, giving it the semblance of a city.

Recently, as the day of the celebration approaches, more and more guests have been arriving, making the village even livelier than usual. The hustle and bustle during the day is palpable, and not even the encroaching army of the Great Qian can dampen this enthusiasm.

In just over ten days, the day will come for the prospective Saintess Jing to officially succeed as the Saintess and offer sacrifices to the ancestors. For the Barbarian Gu Clan, this is an extremely important day, a rare celebration that must be meticulously prepared.

Thus, the villagers, young and old, have been busy since early morning.

The altar in the center of the village is naturally the focal point.

This altar, used for ancestor worship, has a long history and has been in use since the Gu God Village relocated here. The blue-gray stone has weathered the years, becoming mottled and ancient, exuding a solemn and profound aura.

On the altar stands a tall totem pole.

At this moment, an elder from the village is carefully repainting the totem on the pole with bright colors, bringing new life to the ancient totem pole.

On the altar, some lean, dark-skinned men are repeatedly cleaning the altar, ensuring every stone crevice is spotless and free of dust.

Further away, some men are moving items, rearranging the altar under the guidance of the clan elders.

Unlike the tall and fair-skinned girls, the men of the Barbarian Gu Clan generally appear leaner and darker-skinned. Compared to the spirited girls, they seem much less striking.

However, both men and women often have some tattoos on their bodies.

In the bamboo building next to the altar, a group of girls is busy taking down old and faded decorations, either cleaning them or replacing them with new ones.

This bamboo building is a rare large bamboo structure of the Barbarian Gu Clan, with a height and area many times that of a typical bamboo building. Its craftsmanship and complexity are far beyond that of ordinary bamboo buildings.

Undoubtedly, its owner is the Saintess or Saint of the Barbarian Gu Clan. This title has a long history.

However, the Barbarian Gu Clan has yet to advance further into the Void, so the positions of Saintess and Saint are merely titular.

As the residence of the Saintess, the bamboo used in this building is not ordinary but a special variety of spirit bamboo with many spiritual properties. Each piece of spirit bamboo has been specially treated, and even after many years, it shows no signs of aging.

At this moment, several girls are taking out intricately cut paper cutouts from bamboo baskets and pasting them on the pillars, doors, and windows of the bamboo building.

This is also a custom of the Barbarian Gu Clan.

The paper cutouts depict the Six Divine Gu from ancient clan legends, said to be powerful Gu insects cultivated by the ancestors, each possessing great power to protect the clan in a dangerous world.

During celebrations, elders would cut some to paste on doors and windows to ward off disasters, pray for ancestral protection, and enhance the festive atmosphere.

"Have you heard?" a girl suddenly spoke up, "Yesterday, the former prospective Saintess Ya, along with several elders, went to complain to the Saintess grandmother, accusing prospective Saintess Jing of colluding with outsiders, betraying our Sacred Gu Clan, and harboring ill intentions from the start, calling her a lackey of the Great Qian. It caused quite a stir."

The Great Qian refers to the Barbarian Gu Clan, but the Barbarian Gu Clan naturally calls themselves the Sacred Gu Clan.

"You said it caused quite a stir, how could I not have heard? My dad even went to watch the commotion yesterday," another girl rolled her eyes, "I think the former prospective Saintess Ya just can't see the situation clearly. She just wants to use this to overthrow prospective Saintess Jing and replace her as the new Saintess. But she doesn't think about how much prospective Saintess Jing has done for us since she came? How many problems she's helped us solve?"

"When prospective Saintess Jing first arrived, so many elders opposed the Saintess grandmother taking her in, but now they've all accepted her, haven't they? Who believes she's harboring ill intentions? I certainly don't."

"Exactly," another girl chimed in, slightly disgruntled, "The celebration date is set, and Ya still hasn't given up, still thinking she's the high and mighty prospective Saintess. Doesn't she see that now, apart from Elder Ga and a few die-hard conservatives, how many elders are willing to support her?"

The prospective Saintess Jing they spoke of is naturally Wang Shouzhe's fifth sister, Wang Luojing.

She came to the Barbarian Gu Clan decades ago. As a person from the Great Qian, she initially faced many challenges, with many in the Barbarian Gu Clan viewing her with suspicion, always wary of her. Even joining the current Saintess's tutelage was fraught with difficulties.

But over the decades, through her efforts, the Barbarian Gu Clan has developed rapidly, and life has improved significantly, presenting a thriving scene. Naturally, people's views of her changed.

Moreover, because she always treats people with kindness and lacks any airs, unlike the former prospective Saintess Ya, who was aloof, she often teaches the children in the village useful knowledge. Over the decades, she has accumulated a high reputation among the ordinary villagers.

Not to mention, these girls helping to arrange the bamboo building under the elders' guidance often followed Wang Luojing around in the past. A word from Wang Luojing might be more effective than from their own parents.

Although, recently, due to the pressure of the Great Qian army at the border, some in the village have become anxious, and some have started questioning prospective Saintess Jing's stance, they remain steadfast in their belief that she will not abandon them.

"However, although I firmly believe that prospective Saintess Jing will not betray us, my dad says the biggest problem now is not who becomes the Saintess, but that the Great Qian is clearly determined to conquer the Southern Border and won't easily give up. But our strength is clearly inferior to the Great Qian, and if we fight, we'll suffer heavy losses, and many people will die... And at that time, Ya might seize the opportunity to cause trouble..." The girl furrowed her brow, looking worried.

The other girl, seeing this, comforted her, "I don't quite understand what you're saying. But I believe that no matter what the problem is, prospective Saintess Jing will come up with a solution. Didn't she solve so many difficulties before? She can definitely do it this time too."

"How is this the same?" the girl rolled her eyes.

"Why are you worrying so much? Those are matters for the big shots to worry about, we little people can't do anything about it. You should focus on your task first, your paper cutout is crooked." Two girls carrying bamboo baskets passed by, overhearing their conversation and couldn't help but mutter.

Their bamboo baskets were filled with small copper bells, crafted in the shape of insects, very delicate. These were insect bells, used during celebrations. In ancient legends, the carvings on the insect bells could be used to communicate with ancestors.

While they were talking, one of the girls had already nimbly climbed onto the eaves, starting to hang the insect bells under the eaves.

The girl with the paper cutout quickly corrected the crooked cutout and retorted, "I'm just worried about prospective Saintess Jing and our Sacred Gu Clan's future, aren't you worried?"

"Is it your place to worry?"

The women of the Barbarian Gu Clan hold high status, and the girls naturally have bold personalities, not ones to suffer losses. A few words of disagreement, and the two girls started arguing with hands on their hips.

The other girls were busy trying to mediate, creating a bit of a chaotic scene.

"Ahem~~"

Amidst the commotion, a cough suddenly came from the side.

The girls were startled and realized that at some point, a black-clad matron had appeared behind them.

The matron wore a beaded hat, gold earrings, and several gemstone bracelets on her wrists. In the Barbarian Gu Clan, only high-status Gu Masters dressed like this.

"Aya Matron."

The girls clearly recognized her.

This was the matron by the Saintess grandmother's side, very powerful, a formidable Gu Master.

Realizing their mistake, they quickly shrank their necks and obediently admitted their fault.

"Sorry, Aya Matron, we shouldn't have been arguing here, disturbing the Saintess grandmother and prospective Saintess Jing's cultivation. We know we were wrong. Sorry~"

"Alright~ go receive your punishment," Aya Matron shook her head and waved them away.

"Oh~"

The girls could only leave dejectedly.

"These kids~~ sigh~~"

Aya Matron sighed, unable to resist glancing at the bamboo building behind her.

The Saintess and prospective Saintess Jing had been in deep conversation behind closed doors for a long time, and she didn't know how it was going. With the Great Qian army pressing in, the life and death of the Sacred Gu Clan rested on the decisions of these two.

Hopefully, everything would turn out well~

...

Meanwhile.

Inside the bamboo building where the Saintess resided.

"It is said that long, long ago, our Sacred Gu Clan was still in a primitive state, not knowing how to raise Gu insects. We lived surrounded by poisonous insects and fierce beasts, living in constant fear. Perhaps upon waking, husbands and children would be dead."

A woman dressed in luxurious attire, her dark clothes adorned with various mysterious symbols, murmured in a slightly hoarse voice, "Until one day, the Gu God descended upon these mountains, granting our clan the ability to raise Gu insects, and left behind a sacred Gu [Heavenly Silkworm] and the 'Holy Gu True Method' inheritance."

"Our clan learned how to control and harness poisonous insects and strange Gu, gaining the ability to hunt fierce beasts. Gradually, the Sacred Gu Clan spread its branches and occupied vast territories."

The woman in luxurious attire had graying hair and a low voice, as if she were old. However, her face was wrinkle-free, still appearing somewhat youthful. Yet, from her face to her neck, she bore many mysterious tattoos, giving her a mysterious and dangerous aura.

This was the current Saintess of the Sacred Gu Clan—Saintess Dai.

On her shoulder lay a two-foot-long, plump white silkworm, its eyes adorably silly, half-asleep. Gu insects were like this, spending most of their time in hibernation.

This was the sacred Gu passed down through generations of the Sacred Gu Clan—the [Heavenly Silkworm], said to be reborn after each death. Under the nurturing and ritual refining of the current Saintess or Gu Saint, it quickly reached the stage of a ninth-level Gu insect.

Thus, the sacred Gu inheritance of the Sacred Gu Clan has never been broken.

Not far behind Saintess Dai, a young woman also dressed in a dark Gu Master dress stood quietly, her head slightly lowered, listening silently.

She was Wang Luojing, the fifth sister of Wang Shouzhe, the current clan leader of the Changning Wang's Clan.

Wang Luojing's figure was petite and delicate, her pretty and pure face more adorable than alluring. If she were on Earth with a little grooming, she would undoubtedly look like a high school girl.

In reality, she was already one hundred and twenty-five years old. Due to her fast cultivation speed, her body remained in a very youthful state.

Since achieving great success in the Shenwu Royal Dynasty's new recruit training camp and successfully advancing her bloodline to the mid-stage of the great prodigy B-grade, Wang Luojing's cultivation speed had increased significantly.

Now, her cultivation had reached the eighth level of the Celestial Realm, and reaching the Purple Mansion Realm was only a matter of time.

Her mindset differed from the Barbarian Gu Clan, unwilling to tattoo her body to enhance combat power.

"Luojing," Saintess Dai turned to Wang Luojing, a strange light flashing in her deep eyes, "Do you know why I am willing to support you as the next Saintess?"

"Your Grace," Wang Luojing replied softly, "It's because of my late master Zhou Changfeng."

"No, when I was a prospective Saintess and took in the Great Qian's Changfeng as a disciple, I was already criticized. Who would have thought that after gaining some strength, Changfeng would, with the secret assistance of the traitor Wa Bake, steal half of my 'Holy Gu True Method' while I was in seclusion receiving divine inheritance?" Saintess Dai sighed, "This caused me to fail half of my inheritance due to anger, making him the culprit for my inability to break through to the Divine Realm. As a result, I have to pass on the inheritance at just over six hundred years old."

"By rights, I should never forgive him. But his final letter explained his reasons, and he lived a destitute life, never breaking through to the Celestial Realm, atoning for his sins."

"I can forgive him and accept you as my disciple, which is already magnanimous."

Wang Luojing remained calm, "Then what does Your Grace mean...?"

"Just like the story I just told," Saintess Dai sighed, "Our Sacred Gu Clan now faces the same predicament our ancestors once did."

"Only, our ancestors faced poisonous insects and fierce beasts, while we now face the stronger Southern Qin and Great Qian. Southern Qin is currently somewhat distant, with mountain ranges shrouded in miasma separating us, but one day they will expand here."

"And the Great Qian is extremely aggressive, expanding its territory and power rapidly. Especially this generation's Emperor Longchang, whose ambition for expansion is immense. After annexing our Sacred Gu Clan's most fertile lands, he is still not satisfied and attempts to conquer us completely."

"Every time we resist, at least hundreds of thousands of our best clansmen die on the battlefield."

Wang Luojing remained silent, though she felt some sympathy for the Sacred Gu Clan. But the world's rules are such that the strong will continually expand their territory, either conquering or annexing the weak.

The Great Qian's vast territory today was indeed won bit by bit. In fact, if the Great Qian couldn't strengthen itself, it would eventually be jointly annexed by the Southern Qin and Western Jin.

"Luojing, the reason I support you as Saintess is not only because you brought Changfeng's letter but also because you brought a letter from your Wang Clan's Wang Shouzhe," Saintess Dai said calmly, "Just as the Gu God descended in our most critical moment and changed our fate, the Sacred Gu Clan now also needs change."

"Your Wang Clan and the current Prince An are indeed different from Emperor Longchang and other Great Qian people. They kept their promises and, in just a few decades, brought earth-shattering changes to the Sacred Gu Clan, showing me the true path for our future."

"Your Grace, I understand," Wang Luojing replied calmly, "Rest assured, both I and my Fourth Brother will bring new life to the Sacred Gu Clan from our respective positions, ensuring long-lasting peace, common prosperity, and development."

Saintess Dai nodded.

In fact, over the past decades, she had not been idle, always observing the significant changes the Wang Clan brought to the Sacred Gu Clan. At the same time, many Gu Masters who went to "work" for the Wang Clan were her people.

She learned bit by bit about Wang Shouzhe's past deeds, and fortunately, the Wang Clan and Wang Shouzhe had an excellent reputation, always bringing allies along for development and effort.

Similarly, Prince An's reputation and credibility were also excellent, giving her much reassurance.

These various reasons prompted Saintess Dai to make a firm decision, uniting with several heavyweight Gu Elders to fully support [Prospective Saintess Jing] as the next Saintess, leading the Sacred Gu Clan into a new future.

If it were Emperor Longchang or Commandery Prince Kang executing this plan, she would never dare to gamble so boldly. Wang Shouzhe was right; before Emperor Longchang's death, the Sacred Gu Clan and the Great Qian would inevitably clash, and by then, it would be difficult to resolve.

In the current situation, this was the best solution for the Sacred Gu Clan.

"Your Grace, my Fourth Brother sent a letter," Wang Luojing took out a letter and said softly, "He says the time is ripe, and we can proceed according to plan."

"Good, then I will wait and see," Saintess Dai's eyes showed determination, convinced this was the best choice for the entire Sacred Gu Clan. Moreover, she had no choice but to agree.

If she dared to break her promise and not support Wang Luojing as Saintess, or act against the plan, the tens of thousands of Great Qian troops outside would flatten Gu God Village in an instant.

...

Time flew by.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Great Qian's army quietly camped several hundred miles outside Gu God Village.

This exerted immense pressure and threat on the entire Barbarian Gu Clan.

Envoys from both sides came and went, seemingly running back and forth several times a day, negotiating and trying to reach an agreement.

Today.

It was the day of the Saintess's inheritance in Gu God Village.

Inside Gu God Village, there was joy and excitement, temporarily "forgetting" the shadow of war looming overhead, immersed in the festive atmosphere.

In front of the altar.

The viewing bamboo platform for the inheritance celebration had already been set up. The surrounding area was packed with people, but they were all onlookers with no seats.

Unlike the solemn and dignified atmosphere of the Great Qian's royal ceremonies, the Sacred Gu Clan's side was noticeably more relaxed, with a tradition of involving the entire community.

The prominent figures of the Sacred Gu Clan arrived one after another, being guided to their seats on the viewing bamboo platform.

They were all key figures in the Sacred Gu Clan's ruling class, with the weakest among them being Gu Masters in the mid to late stages of the Celestial Realm.

According to the Sacred Gu Clan's tradition, they bore many rune tattoos.

Soon, dozens of people filled the viewing bamboo platform.

Then, one by one, the Gu Elders made their appearance. Only Gu Masters equivalent to the Great Qian's Purple Mansion Realm cultivators were qualified to serve as Gu Elders, each one a towering figure in the Sacred Gu Clan, with the power to influence the clan's direction and future.

Though the Sacred Gu Clan was not as strong as it was at its peak, it still had a total of seventeen Gu Elders.

The selection of the Saintess successor from the two prospective Saintesses relied on the votes of these seventeen Gu Elders. Prospective Saintess Jing received the support of nine Gu Elders and Saintess Dai, successfully becoming the next Saintess.

As each Gu Elder appeared, the atmosphere at the scene grew increasingly solemn and dignified.

Among them, Elder Ga and the eliminated prospective Saintess Ya's appearance drew particular attention.

Elder Ga was one of the most esteemed elders in the Sacred Gu Clan, and the former prospective Saintess Ya was an exceptionally talented descendant of his line, showing extraordinary talent from a young age.

Before prospective Saintess Jing appeared, everyone believed Ya would undoubtedly succeed as the next Saintess, given that Saintess Dai had failed half of her inheritance and, unable to advance to Gu Saint, would have to retire early.

But to Elder Ga and Ya's surprise, the rising star [Jing], with her achievements and Saintess Dai's full support, ultimately won the right to succeed as Saintess.

It was evident.

Elder Ga and former prospective Saintess Ya were not in a good mood. As they entered, their faces were dark, and their tattoos appeared even more vibrant.

"Oh, isn't this Ga?" Elder Chan, who had always been at odds with Elder Ga, taunted, "I thought you wouldn't come today."

Elder Chan was an old woman who, due to territorial and historical reasons, had always opposed Ga. She was also a strong supporter of prospective Saintess Jing.

"Hmph!"

Elder Ga's gaze grew even darker, "Perhaps the Heavenly Silkworm will reject foreign bloodlines, unwilling to grant the inheritance."

"Hahaha, dream on. Prospective Saintess Jing's Gu Master bloodline is very pure, hardly foreign," Elder Chan laughed, "Besides, Saintess Dai already consulted the Heavenly Silkworm, and it expressed its fondness for Jing long ago."

The opinion of the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm was naturally crucial. Comparatively, the Heavenly Silkworm favored Jing, possibly due to her significantly stronger bloodline talent.

If the Sacred Gu Heavenly Silkworm were unwilling to accept a Gu Master, how could they gain the support of multiple Gu Elders?

"Hmph!"

Elder Ga snorted coldly, just about to retort when.

Unexpectedly, a loud voice came from outside the viewing platform: "The Great Qian's 'Prince An' has arrived."

Prince An?

The "ordinary big figures" who were unaware of the inside story were shocked and began discussing.

"Why would the Great Qian's Prince An come here?"

"It must have been arranged by Saintess Dai and the Gu Elders to invite him to the ceremony."

"He's bold, isn't he afraid we'll swarm him and solve the crisis of the army at the border?"

"Fool, if we kill Prince An, our Sacred Gu Clan will be buried with him."

However, they only dared to say these things when Prince An was still far away.

When Prince An and his entourage of guards approached, the surroundings fell silent. Prince An, clad in armor, received countless looks of either hatred, awe, or admiration.

In a white robe, Wang Shouzhe, graceful and like an immortal, followed a few steps behind Prince An, unwilling to steal the spotlight.

But even so.

Many young women among the onlookers cast admiring glances at Prince An and Wang Shouzhe, with more whispers directed at Wang Shouzhe.

"That young man in white is so handsome."

"Oh no, I want to marry him, what should I do?"

"That young man must be a big shot in the Great Qian, how could he be interested in you?"

"Even spending one night with him would be nice."

"Then let's gather some sisters later, and once the celebration ends, we'll swarm him. Even touching him would be worth it."

The women of the Barbarian Gu Clan have always been more open-minded than those in the Great Qian. Especially during such rare festive occasions, if a man and woman fancy each other, it's quite normal for them to do something.

Even if whispered, it reached the ears of Prince An and Wang Shouzhe. With their strength, unless they deliberately used divine sense to isolate and block, it was hard not to hear.

While they didn't take it seriously, a "senior guard" behind them, fully armored, used an elderly and teasing voice to transmit, "Hehehe, someone like Shouzhe is indeed popular with foreign women. If you want to leave some romantic tales, feel free, I promise not to tell Ruolan."

Wang Shouzhe rolled his eyes in annoyance. Emperor Longchang, the closer he got to retirement, the more playful he became. After staying with the Wang Clan for a while, he started getting restless again, insisting on coming along for the expedition.

He claimed he wanted to witness the removal of the thorn in his heart so he could retire peacefully.

If he had the ability, he should fight himself. Disguising as a guard, what was that about?

In the entire Wang Clan, only Ruolan, An Ye, and Lixian could say a few words that he would listen to.

Sigh~ The behavior of this old rascal is truly exasperating.

However, Wang Shouzhe privately didn't want Emperor Longchang to come, not fearing anything else, just fearing he would cry.

...