Protect Our Chief - Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Amethyst Spirit Beehive

However, this thought only lasted for a moment, because Wang Shouzhe only knew that the earliest sodium glutamate was extracted from kelp. However, the amount of sodium glutamate in kelp was very low and difficult to industrialize.

Modern technology extracted sodium glutamate from crops such as soybeans after fermentation through microbes.

However, Wang Shouzhe knew almost nothing about the extraction process and principles of sodium glutamate. There was no telling when he would be able to succeed if he was to develop it himself. Therefore, he could only put aside this idea for profit for the time being. It would be safer to improve and optimize the clan’s businesses first.

“Second Brother, you understand the principles now. I hope you can make the best use of your time to experiment and improve on them. Don’t let Sixth Uncle’s fishing fleet down when catching live fishes. Of course, you have to ensure you keep the secrets of our Wang Clan. I believe you know better than me on how to do this.”

After giving a few words of instructions, Wang Shouzhe led the clan guards to take their leave.

After Wang Shouyi obtained the “impartation”, he had been itching to try it. He could not even be bothered to send Wang Shouzhe off and could not wait to give it a try. Once he succeeded, the clan’s traditional business, the fish stall, would be able to play to its advantages.

At the east gate of Changning Wei City…

Exiting the city led to a straight and wide official road.

Leading the two clan guards, Wang Shouzhe spurred his horse forward. After walking and stopping for less than an hour, they arrived at the Changning Crossing of An River.

The Changning Crossing was an official crossing, and was actually controlled by the Changning Wei government. The reach of the three noble clans in Ping’an also came to a sudden halt here, which was a clear dividing line.

A clan guard of the Wang Clan was already waiting here. As soon as he saw Wang Shouzhe and the others, he came forward and said, “Wang Wu greets the Patriarch.”

“No need for formalities. Are Mother and Fifth Sister here?” Before Wang Shouzhe left the family that night, he left a letter for Gongsun Hui to follow the plan in the letter.

“Reporting to Patriarch,” Wang Wu said respectfully, “Madam Hui and Fifth Young Mistress’s carriage is already waiting in front.”

Under Wang Wu’s guidance, Wang Shouzhe quickly met up with Gongsun Hui and the others. After getting into the carriage, Gongsun Hui poured a cup of tea for Wang Shouzhe first. There was a worried look on her face. “Zhe’er, is the matter in your letter really that serious?”

“It’s probably even more serious than imagined.” Wang Shouzhe took a sip of tea to compose himself. He frowned and said, “The Qian’s Trading Company’s businesses is distributed throughout Longzuo, but they haven’t noticed this matter yet. It’s obvious that no major faction has issued any warnings about this disaster in Longzuo County, at least.”

“How could this be?” Gongsun Hui cried out, her face pale. “There are so many rich and powerful noble clans in the entire Longzuo County, but none of them noticed? If that’s the case, wouldn’t many civilians suffer?”

“Mother, you worry too much. If the sky is about to collapse, there must be someone taller to hold it up. The only thing our insignificant Wang Clan can do now is to follow the tide. The right path is to survive and strengthen ourselves,” Wang Shouzhe said indifferently. “However, Mother, you’re quite right. It’s impossible for us to be the first to detect the pest disaster in the vast Longzuo County. Perhaps most people will overlook it, but there must be some clans that have sensed something amiss and secretly make preparations in advance. Perhaps someone has already issued a warning, but the news has yet to reach Changning.”

Human nature was common.

After Wang Shouzhe discovered this matter, he immediately kept it strictly confidential and prepared to take the opportunity to make a killing. The other clans which discovered this matter by luck or through their own abilities most likely thought the same.

Moreover, it was already very late when Wang Shouzhe discovered this matter. He only had enough time to adapt to the situation. Even if he publicized this matter, it would only cause chaos to erupt early. It would not help the overall situation at all.

“Zhe’er, you’re right. Small clans like ours should be satisfied with being able to look out for ourselves now.” Gongsun Hui also said, “The Da Qian government, Violet Palace Academy, and those wealthy and powerful great clans will definitely take action to relief the disaster at the critical moment. Zhe’er, I’ll thank you on behalf of the Gongsun Clan of Shanyang first for thinking of saving the Gongsun Clan at this juncture.” “What are you saying, Mother? The Gongsun Clan and our Wang Clan have been in-laws for generations, and our bloodlines have long merged. It’s only right that we watch out for each other,” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile. “It’s just as well. I haven’t visited my maternal grandfather in a long time to pay my respects.”

According to what Wang Shouzhe knew, the intermarriage between the Gongsun Clan and the Wang Clan really ran deep. Take the current patriarch of the Gongsun Clan, Gongsun Mo, for example. His biological grandmother was the direct daughter of the fourth generation of the Wang Clan-Wang Lingdie. Madam Gongsun Hui actually had to call her Great-grandmother. The main descendant of the fourth generation of the Wang Clan also married the main daughter of the Gongsun Clan. She was Wang Shouzhe’s great-grandmother.

From this, it was evident how close the main lineages of the Gongsun Clan and the Wang Clan were.

At the mention of his maternal grandfather, Gongsun Hui was slightly stunned before immediately feeling somewhat joyous. She sighed with emotion and said, “Zhe’er, you’ve really grown up and become sensible.”

Although Gongsun Hui was not Wang Shouzhe’s biological mother, she was his legitimate mother. Her father, Gongsun Mo, was naturally Wang Shouzhe’s maternal grandfather. However, Wang Shouzhe’s previous self had been rather antisocial since he was young. The few times he visited Gongsun Mo since he was young, he was rather aloof, and they were not very close to each other.

As for Gongsun Hui, after she married Wang Dingyue as his second wife, she only gave birth to one main daughter and did not have any main sons. Hence, she put all her attention on her legitimate son, Wang Shouzhe.

This was the law of the Da Qian Empire, as well as the rule that all Arcane Martial Clans abode by. Whether the legitimate mother and the legitimate son were related by blood or not, it was a proper mother-son relationship.

While Gongsun Hui was chatting, his fifth sister, Wang Luojing, had been sitting there obediently. Even though it sounded very boring, she just blinked her eyes and didn’t dare to say anything. “Luojing, Fourth Brother brought you a gift. Take a look and see if you like it.” Wang Shouzhe took out a package and handed it over.

Wang Luojing opened it and saw that it was a beehive. She immediately covered her mouth in pleasant surprise and said, “This-this entire beehive is shaped like a ball. Its mouth is hexagonal and its color is slightly crystalline. Could it be the legendary Amethyst Spirit Beehive? Thank you, Fourth Brother. This is great.”

Wait, what Amethyst Spirit Bee?

Wang Shouzhe’s expression was slightly stunned. “Luojing, you didn’t learn your art very well. This is clearly the Spirit Hornet’s hive.”

Wang Luojing was slightly stunned. She bit her slender finger and said, “I see. Fourth Brother, you’re testing me again. According to the Book of Insects, the Spirit Hornets and Amethyst Spirit Bees look similar in their Class One forms. The slight difference is that the Amethyst Spirit Bees are slightly more slender. However, the difference between their beehives is huge. The Spirit Hornet’s hives are usually relatively flat, and the mouth of the hive is slightly rough. On the other hand, the Amethyst Spirit Bees’ hives are usually round, and the hive body is crystalline. It’s because the Amethyst Spirit Bees in this hive are still in their Class One form that it is only slightly crystallized. If they advance to Class Two, their beehives will be more than ten times larger than this, and its entire body will gradually take the form of amethyst jade.”

As she spoke, Wang Luojing carefully poured a few more chrysalises out. Immediately, her little face was filled with heartache. “The people who plucked the hive are really dumb. Many of the pupating larvae are dead. Boohoo… These are really Amethyst Spirit Bees. There are only a few dozen of them left alive. What a pity!”

“It really is Amethyst Spirit Bee?” Wang Shouzhe’s expression also became a little strange. “Is this considered underpaying for a valuable item?” As the patriarch apparent, his former self naturally had to learn a lot. The Spirit Hornets were generally quite common among spirit bees, and he was familiar with them.

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However, he did not know much about the Amethyst Spirit Bees. He only knew that it was a rare species that could develop into Class Two spirit bees.

Beside him, Gongsun Hui also gave him a sidelong glance when she heard this. She covered her mouth and said, “Zhe’er, you didn’t really buy this thinking that it’s a Spirit Hornet’s hive, did you? How much did you spend?”

“I was just casually shopping at the market when I discovered this beehive. I thought about how Fifth Sister had the potential of a Spirit Insect Master, so I bought it for her to play with…” Wang Shouzhe chuckled and said,” I bought it for only 10 gold after a round of bargaining. Looks like that freelance cultivator and I both misjudged. Heh…”

“It’s not just misjudging. You guys are blind.” Gongsun Hui also teased with a smile, “Once the Amethyst Spirit Bees of Class Two spirit bees truly mature, the Amethyst Spirit Honey they produce has the effect of strengthening one’s foundation, nurturing one’s essence, and nourishing one’s appearance. It is the main raw material for many Class Two Spirit Pills. If it can produce the Amethyst Queen Bee Honey, it will be a standard Class Three spirit material, and one of the main spirit materials for the famous Class Three spirit pill, Spirit Enlightenment Pill.”

“Hiss…” Wang Shouzhe sucked in a breath of cold air. “Spirit Enlightening Pill? Isn’t that the legendary spirit pill that can improve Arcane Martial aptitude?”