Protect Our Patriarch

……

Early spring of the year 3295 in the Longchang calendar of the Great Qian.

Nearly thirty years had passed since Wang Anye's marriage.

Wang's Clan main residence, Ping'an Town.

The geographical environment here is relatively favorable.

It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and bordered by a river on one side. The riverfront stretches over 130 miles from east to west, and the widest point from north to south is about 80 miles, resembling an egg shape on the map.

According to Earth's method of calculating area, it covers approximately 1,700 square kilometers. Although nominally a town, it is significantly larger than the famous city of XG from the previous life.

Nowadays, this entire area has been completely transformed into the private domain of the Wang's Clan main residence through exchanges and other means.

The former Dingpu Ferry has now become a window for the Wang's Clan private domain to exchange materials with the outside world and receive guests, bustling like a commercial center. However, without an invitation, private entry into the Wang's Clan private domain is not allowed.

Zhuhui Lake, cherished by the Wang's Clan members, has been renovated and expanded along its shores, entirely becoming the base of the Wang's Clan main residence to accommodate the gradually expanding family.

After experiencing a great disaster, by the generation of the "Shou" character, there were only nine male members left in the Wang's Clan.

However, as the family entered a period of stable development, under Wang Shouzhe's encouragement of childbirth, the population of the Wang's Clan grew exponentially. Just in the generation of the "Shi" character, there were already dozens of male members.

By the generations of the "An" and "Ning" characters, the numbers naturally increased even more. Especially in the "Ning" generation, the future numbers are expected to exceed a hundred.

On the southern shore of Zhuhui Lake, at a place called Hui Shui Bay, there is a lakeside courtyard with a plaque reading "Ningxi's Little House" at the entrance. Although the four characters are slightly immature, they are written with a sharp touch, exuding a youthful and vigorous flair.

These words were written by Wang Ningxi, the forty-seventh in the "Ning" generation of the eleventh generation of the Wang's Clan, when he first lived alone at the age of twelve.

Wang Ningxi is ranked forty-seventh in the "Ning" generation, his father is Wang Anxin, a direct descendant of the Wang's Clan, and his mother is Gongye Qianqian, a direct descendant of the third-grade Gongye Clan.

Speaking of Wang Anxin, although he is not as favored by heaven as his elder brother Wang Anye in the Wang's Clan direct line, he is still a dazzling and talented young man.

Later, for the future development of the family, he was arranged to marry into the Gongye Clan of the Great Qian. After some chaotic years of marriage, they had their first son, Wang Ningxi.

From a young age, Wang Ningxi exhibited extraordinary intelligence, and it was faintly sensed that his bloodline was exceptional. At the age of eight, he was tested on the Spirit Testing Platform and found to have a high-grade Bing-level Yuan Water bloodline aptitude.

Such a high starting point in bloodline aptitude is rare even within the talented Wang's Clan, and he awakened the same Yuan Water bloodline as his great-grandmother Liu Ruolan, receiving special attention from her.

Naturally, Wang Ningxi was directly placed into the second training sequence, with priority given to resources for enhancing his bloodline.

Wang Ningxi himself was also very promising, not only leading most of his peers in cultivation but also excelling in academic performance and moral cultivation. By the end of his thirteenth year, he had reached the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.

With both literary and martial skills advancing, as long as there were no accidents, he was destined to become a pillar of the Wang's Clan in the future.

However, just as he reached the age of fourteen, at the height of his youthful vigor, an accident occurred. That time, after thorough preparation, he attempted to break through to the Lingtai Realm under the protection of his father Wang Anxin, but he failed.

For a great prodigy, breaking through to the Lingtai Realm is as natural as eating and drinking water, and failure was an unthinkable outcome.

Moreover, if it were merely a failure to break through, it would only mean losing a few years to nurture the damaged Lingtai and meridians, at most delaying a few years. However, during this breakthrough, another force of Li Fire bloodline rose within him, clashing violently with his Yuan Water bloodline.

If not for Wang Anxin's timely alertness and the intervention of Wang Shouzhe and Wang Lixian to stabilize Wang Ningxi's bloodline, he might have exploded and died on the spot.

Even so, the two opposing bloodlines boiled within him, causing severe damage and blockage to his meridians. Whenever he tried to cultivate, the Yuan Water and Li Fire bloodlines would clash violently, worsening his injuries.

In the end, Emperor Longchang, who was residing in the Wang's Clan for retirement, personally intervened, using his extraordinary means to suppress and seal both bloodlines.

Thus, Wang Ningxi was saved but became a "waste" with no strength to even truss a chicken, and the halo of a former genius completely shattered.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Ningxi was already sixteen years old.

Outside the lakeside study of Ningxi's Little House, the lake waves rippled, the spring water warmed, and a group of green-headed spirit ducks played happily by the lake.

The "scholarly" Wang Ningxi had grown into a handsome young man.

He was writing a letter at his desk, his handwriting now more graceful and elegant compared to the youthful sharpness of his twelve-year-old self. Yet, there was an inescapable gloom between the strokes.

Especially with the three characters "Letter of Withdrawal" at the top of the letter, adding a sense of melancholy to the document.

It's no wonder; Wang Ningxi was once a remarkable young man, noticed by many families even at the tender age of ten. Even some elders in the royal family had their eyes on him.

However, Lady Bilian of the Yuwen's Clan, always keenly perceptive, persistently pestered Wang Shouzhe with the Fire Fox Ancestor, as if saying, "If you don't agree, I'll stay at your house every day."

In the end, she successfully got the Shangguan Clan's direct daughter onto the Wang's Clan's ship. Of course, this was also because the young lady from the Shangguan Clan was quite exceptional and matched Wang Ningxi well, which is why Wang Shouzhe agreed.

But who would have thought, fate would play such tricks.

"Young master," a young servant named Wang Ji, about the same age as Wang Ningxi, pleaded with a pale face, "You can't withdraw from the engagement on your own. If the master finds out, he might beat you to death."

The handsome Wang Ningxi remained calm and said, "With my current broken and blocked state, my sea of energy sealed, I can't even defeat you, a mere fourth-level Qi Refining servant. Dragging down Miss Shangguan with such a crippled body would be shameless. If Father wants to beat me for this, then let him."

Initially, he had hope for his "condition," but after both Ancestor Grandpa and Great-grandmother Lixian tried and failed to find a solution over two years, he understood that his problem was difficult to resolve.

"But..." Wang Ji was puzzled, "If you miss out on Miss Shangguan, can you still marry another excellent lady from a noble family?"

Wang Ningxi smiled wryly, "Wang Ji, with this crippled body, marrying any girl would be harming them. Besides, my parents are still young; they can have more children."

"What about you?" Wang Ji asked, his expression darkening.

"I've learned most of what the Clan School has to offer. I plan to graduate early this year," Wang Ningxi said. "The good thing is that before attempting to break through to the Lingtai Realm, my divine sense was already strong. Although my body is weak, I can still use my divine sense."

"Moreover, since my maternal family is the Gongye Clan, known for their artifact crafting, I plan to find a job at the Artifact Crafting Headquarters, doing what I can to repay the resources the family invested in me. But ultimately, I've still let the family down."

Although his Lingtai had been opened, his physical foundation hadn't transformed or evolved, making him even less than an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator. If he could live to seventy or eighty, it would be considered lucky, and his lifetime contributions to the family would be very limited, hence he felt indebted.

"Young master, please don't say that. No one looks down on you," Wang Ji quickly comforted, "Our Wang's Clan ancestors and the Gongye Clan ancestors are all trying to find a solution for you. Maybe one day, you'll recover."

"I know my own situation best," Wang Ningxi said as he finished writing the letter, sealed it with wax, and handed it to Wang Ji. "Make sure this letter is sent out properly, or you won't stay by my side anymore; you'll go to the outer regions to open up wasteland. You know my temper; I always mean what I say."

"Yes, young master," Wang Ji shivered and obediently took the letter.

After completing all this, Wang Ningxi said to the person behind him, "Ancestor Shouwei, I'd like to take a walk in Xinping Town. Please accompany me."

"Yes, Young Master Ningxi," a seemingly ordinary "middle-aged man" responded calmly.

This was one of the family's artifact-crafting guardian puppets, a treasure obtained from the Shenwu Royal Dynasty's Recruitment Point. Although it only had the initial Lingtai Realm strength, its defensive capabilities were very strong, and it was smarter and more efficient than the average Lingtai Realm puppet on the market.

No wonder, anything from the Shenwu Royal Dynasty wouldn't be trash.

Wang Shouwei had made many contributions during the rise of the Wang's Clan. However, his strength had long since fallen behind the leading group. Thus, he now specialized in protecting some of the younger generation.

Besides Wang Shouwei, Wang Ningxi also took the top-grade spiritual tool, the Autumn Water Sword, which had once been the sword of his great-grandmother Liu Ruolan during her Lingtai Realm days. It was later passed to Wang Liyao, who returned it to the family treasury.

Passed down through generations, the Autumn Water Sword eventually came into Wang Ningxi's hands.

The Autumn Water Sword was a spiritual tool, and with Wang Ningxi's decent divine sense, he could barely use it to protect himself.

Afterward.

Under the protection of Wang Shouwei, Wang Ningxi toured around Xinping Town and Xin'an Town for over a month until the family head Wang Shouzhe sent someone to summon him back.

He returned to the main residence as quickly as possible and went to visit Ancestor Grandpa as instructed.

In Shouzhe's Small Courtyard.

He was leisurely sipping tea, surrounded by a group of children listening to his timeless stories.

His appearance remained that of a thirty-something young man, but his aura and eyes were as deep as the sea, making it difficult for anyone to see through him.

"Ningxi pays respects to Ancestor Grandpa," Wang Ningxi greeted gracefully.

The children, upon seeing Wang Ningxi, also greeted him one after another, "Greetings, Forty-seventh Brother/Uncle/Grandpa."

Wang Ningxi smiled and greeted the little ones, taking out some small toys from his storage ring to give to them. His heart warmed as he recalled his own childhood, when he too had been cherished at Ancestor Grandpa's knee.

"Ningxi is back," Wang Shouzhe smiled, waving the children off to the study to do their homework, then sat in the pavilion with Wang Ningxi for tea, casually chatting about family matters.

While drinking tea, Wang Ningxi appeared slightly uneasy.

After a while, Wang Ningxi finally couldn't sit still and whispered, "Ancestor Grandpa, do you know about that matter?"

"What are your thoughts after walking around Xinping and Xin'an towns?" Wang Shouzhe didn't answer directly.

"Our family's territory is naturally prosperous and strong. Though not as luxurious and ancient as Guilong City, it is like the rising sun, and under Ancestor Grandpa's wise leadership, it will only get better," Wang Ningxi praised.

"I'm not asking for flattery," Wang Shouzhe said, rolling his eyes. "I heard you're designing some kind of farm tool?"

"Nothing can be hidden from Ancestor Grandpa," Wang Ningxi said, taking out some blueprints from his storage ring. "But it's not really designing. I've also learned about the progress of our Wang's Clan Artifact Crafting Research Institute in power sources and mechanical transmission."

"The research institute has always wanted to miniaturize steam engines and develop related farm tools for large-scale reclamation and planting to solve the current shortage of farming labor, but they've been stuck at a bottleneck."

"You have a solution?" Wang Shouzhe's eyes lit up slightly. "Did you secretly obtain the core power technology of puppet machinery from the Gongye Clan?" Although Wang Shouzhe was a transmigrator and knowledgeable, he wasn't a professional in industrial or agricultural fields.

He could give ideas and directions, but asking him to do R&D would be a mess.

Moreover, what frustrated Wang Shouzhe the most was that they had yet to find natural oil, making it impossible to produce gasoline, asphalt, plastic, and other products.

"Of course not..." Wang Ningxi said, "Although my maternal family is the Gongye Clan, I can't access their core artifact crafting technology. Besides, I've heard that the core power technology of puppet machinery is extremely difficult, requiring precious materials and high manufacturing difficulty. To make one, the cost would be at least tens of millions of Qian gold, and the annual maintenance costs are astronomical."

During the construction of the Grand Canal, the Gongye Clan produced some large artifact-crafting excavation machinery, with manufacturing, usage, and maintenance costs so high that it was jaw-dropping. In Wang Shouzhe's words, it was cheaper to hire Purple Mansion Realm cultivators to do the work.

For national projects, burning money to speed up progress was acceptable, but in agricultural production, cost must be considered. Without cost advantage, how could economic value be generated?

"The research institute has fallen into a trap, insisting on using a specific power source to solve the problem, researching technology before achieving it..." Wang Ningxi said, "Actually, a change in thinking would suffice. We can start by improving traditional farm tools, using strong beasts to drive mechanical transmission structures. So, this time, I've improved the combination of mechanical transmission structures and farm tools, making it suitable for the general farmers. Ancestor Grandpa, look at the blueprints, here, there, and these designs are all for better power transmission... and this design..."

Wang Shouzhe glanced at it, but couldn't understand it... He immediately coughed twice and said, "Ningxi, show me the actual product when it's done."

He secretly thought that the Clan School's education was becoming more and more perverse, reaching this level? No wonder teaching children was becoming difficult...

"Ancestor Grandpa, my improvements this time aren't too big. Look at this transmission structure, it's simple, the Clan School had courses on it..." When it came to his favorite artifact crafting design, Wang Ningxi was no longer sleepy, speaking enthusiastically.

"Let's put this matter aside for now. Let's talk about your withdrawal from the engagement. What did Miss Shangguan do to you that made you want to break off the engagement?" Wang Shouzhe quickly changed the topic, secretly wondering if he should return to the Clan School for a refresher course.

Otherwise, what if he ended up muddle-headed like Emperor Longchang when he got old?

Wang Ningxi, who was in high spirits, was left speechless: "..."

……