As Liua Ruolei was feeling utterly confused, Wang Shouzhe walked over with a dark face and grabbed Wang Luqiu’s ear: "Wang Luqiu, do you have ears on your forehead? This is Sister Liua Ruolei, not Sister Liua Ruolan!" "Ouch, ouch, Brother Shouzhe, let go. This is too embarrassing, I, Wang Luqiu, am a future grand Empress... Hmph, don’t blame me when I turn things around..." Before Wang Luqiu could finish her boast, she was already in tears from the pain and could only beg for mercy, "Brother Shouzhe, I was wrong." Upon hearing her submit and beg for mercy, Wang Shouzhe finally let her go, mocking her incessantly: "The future Empress Luqiu, suppressed so easily?" "Hmph." Wang Luqiu rubbed her reddened ear and said with a huff, "Any unparalleled genius’s growth journey is always filled with hardships and thorns, and inevitably some sinister little..." Seeing Wang Shouzhe’s expression was off, Wang Luqiu quickly changed her tune and said sincerely, "Of course, there’s also the indispensable like Brother Shouzhe, who shows utmost care and concern for the protagonist, a spirit guide on the lonely road to emperorship." Wang Shouzhe was utterly speechless, this girl had read too many cheesy blood-pumping novels, you as the protagonist? "Big Sis, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have called you small." Wang Luqiu sincerely apologized, then energetically threw herself into working hard for the rise of the family, "Wang Shouyong, what are you doing? Can’t even maintain order properly? If you can’t handle the scene, let Miss here do it." "Wang Shou... Third Brother, your construction shed needs to go up faster, a lot of recruits will have nowhere to sleep tonight." "Wang Luotong, could you lead the team to cook porridge any slower? If you keep this up, you’ll only be sent off to marry." "Brother Shouzhe, move aside. Do whatever you’re supposed to be doing, don’t stand in the way." Wang Shouzhe was quite speechless, this troublesome girl’s personality indeed had a pretty "sincere" side, anyone she could beat, she called by name, anyone she couldn’t beat, she called Third Brother, Fourth Brother, etc. "Ruolei, ah." Wang Shouzhe apologized clasped-handedly, "I’ll apologize on Luqiu’s behalf to you again, she’s just got a lively personality, but she doesn’t mean any harm." "Brother Shouzhe, it’s okay, it’s okay, well, Luqiu sister is quite adorable." Liua Ruolei recovered from her embarrassment. "Brother Shouzhe, your sister is too..." Liua Yuanrui was also incredibly moved. "Absolutely not." Wang Shouzhe hurriedly interrupted and denied, smiling as he said, "Luqiu’s just a bit more lively, she’s the exception. My sister Luojing is actually very sensible and obedient, gentle and well-behaved. Luojing, come here and say hello..." Just as he finished the sentence. A scream was heard from the crowd. A big man covered in venomous ants was desperately rolling and shrieking on the ground: "It hurts, it’s killing me, young lady spare me, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have incited... Ah!" "Brother Shouzhe, I’ve caught a spy." Wang Luojing casually threw out two fist-sized spiders and three centipedes, which quickly crawled onto the man’s body, "This guy is a Black Tortoise Practitioner, judging by his appearance, probably a loose cultivator. He dared to incite refugees, intending to rob food from our family. Hmph, you’re a bad thing, I’ll let the bugs sting you to death." The man’s screams were so painful, the surroundings fell into a chilling silence. Wang Shouzhe’s smile froze on the spot, do these sisters have to be ? This is ruining things... If that causes others to rethink marriage proposals and he can’t get a wife, what then? Liua Yuanrui was sweating profusely, sweat trickling down his face, and started looking at Wang Shouzhe with a suspicious gaze, this, this is the gentle, obedient sister? Are you sure these sisters are all very tame and not a pack of wolves and tigers? He instinctively retreated a bit, coming over to Ping’an Wang Family for diplomatic duties with some psychological superiority. Now thinking back, it seems like Ping’an Town might be quite dangerous, it was too hasty to come here! This place is uninhabitable. "Brother Shouzhe." Liua Yuanrui slightly timorously saluted him, "The engineering project has been visited completely, indeed a grand effort. However, the time’s not early, it’s time to pay respects to Lady Gongsun and Ancestor Longyan." "Little brother, please greet Lady and Ancestor for me, I’m not on the diplomatic list anyway, I’ll just stay here and help out." Liua Ruolei was quite interested in Luqiu and Luojing, voluntarily staying back to assist, "Also, Brother Shouzhe. I see a lot of people are already very hungry, could they drink some porridge first, then enlist?" After all, she was a pampered young lady, unaccustomed to the hardships of the world. "Sister Ruolei is right." Wang Shouzhe clasped his hands, "It’s my oversight, I’ll have Luotong arrange it right now. And, if you want to stay here to help, that’s fine, I’ll tell the Household Generals to look after you a bit more." "Brother Shouzhe, I’m not just some frail little girl unable to even bind a chicken." Liua Ruolei lightly smiled, then joined Wang Luqiu and continued to work. Wang Shouzhe, after giving some instructions to Wang Luotong, returned to the carriage with Liua Yuanrui, and headed towards the main estate. "Brother Shouzhe, your sister is truly lively." Liua Yuanrui still felt somewhat uneasy. As the second legitimate son, he wasn’t particularly fond of cultivation, nor did he have the opportunity to pursue the path of the Spirit Platform. Therefore, he usually prided himself as a scholar and valued decorum. Yet unexpectedly, Wang Shouzhe’s sisters were fiercer, one after another. "Hehe, Yuanrui, it seems that Sister Ruolei has concealed her aura?" Wang Shouzhe diverted the topic, saying, "I cannot discern her cultivation level." There are two possibilities when one cannot discern cultivation: either the cultivation level is significantly higher, or some method has been used to conceal the aura. "Well..." Liua Yuanrui hesitated for a moment, but eventually spoke, "Brother Shouzhe is like one of our own. Indeed, our Ruolei has a decent cultivation talent and has been favored by Ancestor Xuanfu since she was young. To avoid exposing her cultivation progress, the ancestor provided her with a treasure that can conceal her aura. In a couple of years, the ancestor will take her to the academy." Though Wang Shouzhe had some suspicions, he was still somewhat shocked and envious when it was confirmed in his heart: "Congratulations, Yuanrui, the fortune of your Liua family is indeed not bad." Being so favored by Ancestor Xuanfu, Liua Ruolei must possess talent and potential not inferior to those of her ancestors. With the resources of the academy and the family’s support, without any accidents, she is bound to achieve the Spirit Platform Realm. Pursuing the path of the academy is a dream cherished by many lower-tier noble families. The academy has a broader stage and more resources compared to the family. The development of family offspring will also become immeasurable in the future. However, the academy’s strict control over its elite disciples means they can contribute to the family to some extent, but ultimately, they belong to the academy. The academy does not spend a vast amount of resources and teaching effort to train talent for the noble families to contribute. This is also why Ancestor Longyan chose to return and guard the family for the long term, relinquishing her status as an elite disciple. Moreover, Ancestor Longyan’s action was almost equivalent to betraying the academy. The academy turned a blind eye and did not pursue the matter, which was already very kind, likely due to her teacher’s mediation. Even though the Purple Mansion Academy is strict, most noble families, upon the emergence of a genius in the family, will find ways to send them to the Purple Mansion Academy. This allows the family to establish a presence within the academy, earning respect and consideration from other families both openly and secretly. No one can predict how far a family descendant can develop in the future. Should they achieve the Celestial Human Realm, the entire family would bask in glory, at the very least securing the family’s prosperity for hundreds of years. In this process, it’s not impossible for the family to gradually rise to be a Celestial Human Family. As far as Wang Shouzhe knew, any Celestial Human Family is bound to have someone in the academy, and often not just one. Let’s put aside idle talk for now. Wang Shouzhe and Liua Yuanrui arrived at the main residence, and according to etiquette, he went to pay respects to Lady Gongsun. Even though the Shanyin Liu Family and the Shanyang Gongsun Family had issues due to the mineral resources of the same mountain range, etiquette could not be ignored, especially since Gongsun Hui was now the lady of the Wang Family. Gongsun Hui was dressed in elegant formal attire and received Liua Yuanrui in the main hall of the main residence. After some pleasantries, Liua Yuanrui expressed his wish to visit Ancestor Longyan. "No rush, Yuanrui." Gongsun Hui smiled and said, "We have to wait for one more person, and then we’ll go to Longyan Residence together." Although Liua Yuanrui was curious, he gracefully subdued his curiosity and chatted with Wang Shouzhe over tea, saying, "Brother Shouzhe, my visit this time serves two purposes. First, to thank you on behalf of my family for dispatching household generals to notify us in advance during the pest disaster. Second, on behalf of my elder sister, to present a return gift to Brother Shouzhe." With that, Liua Yuanrui took out two gift lists and presented them. At that time, when Wang Shouzhe noticed signs of a pest disaster, he immediately wrote letters to notify all related families. If the Liu Family had disregarded this mutual aid and watchfulness, it would show a lack of regard for the Wang Family. Sending an emissary along with a gift of thanks indicates they acknowledged this kindness. As for Liua Ruolan’s personal return gift, it was due in part to an earlier suggestion from Gongsun Hui. Wang Shouzhe had sent the best parts of the East Sea Arrow Banner he hunted, frozen, for Liua Ruolan to taste. Liua Ruolan’s return gift was a type of Spirit Tea called Cloud Mist Spirit Species, amounting to a full three liang. This return gift of Cloud Mist Spirit Species made Wang Shouzhe feel a bit gratified and also fostered some goodwill towards Liua Ruolan. Her choice of this return gift, being an elegant Spirit Tea, was precisely one of the scarce resources needed by those like Wang Shouzhe who walked the path of the Spirit Platform. Its value matched that of the Spirit Fish he sent, neither too much nor too little. Such a return gift left one feeling comforted, and it was clear she had put considerable thought into it. Even without saying a word, one could feel her gratitude and expectations for his future.