Clan Conduct and Education

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"Then thank you for your hard work, Luojing." Wang Shouzhe also did not want to delay too much and let the Lu Clan suffer losses for nothing.

Moreover, his two uncles from the Lu Clan treated him and his sister, Wang Luoyi, rather well. Even if they only met once every one or two years, the Lu Clan would usually send their clan guards to give Wang Shouzhe and Wang Luoyi, and even Madam Gongsun Hui's daughter, Wang Luomiao, some gifts.

"It's not hard. I've had a lot of delicious food these past two days." Wang Luojing smiled faintly. "I have boundless strength in my entire body." As she spoke, she even made a gesture that showed that she was very strong.

"All right, don't show off in front of me, you skinny little girl. Let's set off quickly." Wang Shouzhe's heart warmed. He smiled and said, "Have a sip of spirit wine later and take a good nap in the carriage."

"Fourth Brother, I'll grow up." Wang Luojing pouted and was a little displeased. "Don't underestimate Jing'er, Fourth Brother."

"I didn't underestimate you. I wouldn't dare to underestimate you." Wang Shouzhe held her small hand and helped her into the carriage. "My Luojing is a great future Spirit Insect Master. Perhaps Fourth Brother will need your protection instead. How would I dare to underestimate you?"

"Then it's settled. If anyone dares to bully Fourth Brother in the future, Luojing will send bugs to bite him."

"All right, all right, whatever you say. Now, go to sleep."

…

The carriage traveled slowly along the flat road.

Wang Shouzhe rode on his black horse and guarded the sides of the carriage with the other clan guards. There were two main routes to the Lu Clan of Yingxiu. One was to pass through the Yang side of Dragon Ridge Mountain, and the other was to circle around it from the Yin side.

It was impossible for them to go to the Liu Clan of Shanyin now, so they naturally had to take the path at Shanyang.

This was also one of the main reasons why Wang Shouzhe had prioritized assisting the Gongsun Clan of Shanyang in stabilizing the crisis.

Originally, Gongsun Qiang had wanted to send them off, but Wang Shouzhe rejected him. Firstly, he couldn't stand Gongsun Qiang's lacking emotional intelligence. Secondly, the Gongsun Clan was busy with disaster relief, and had very little manpower.

In addition, Madam Gongsun Hui took the initiative to stay in Shanyang for the time being. She said that it would be a good opportunity to accompany her parents. In reality, she knew given her identity, it was not appropriate for her to go to the Lu Clan.

As the riders traveled, they entered a dense forest. The road gradually became bumpy.

Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly. "Wang Zhong, this path isn't good ofr traveling. How much longer until we reach Yingxiu?"

"Patriarch, this forest is the dividing line between Shanyang and Yingxiu. It's a total of seven or eight miles wide." The clan guard Wang Zhong said from his familiarity with the area, "After passing through the forest, we'll reach the famous Lake Yingxiu. You haven't been to Yingxiu for a couple of years. Moreover, you traveled on the main path on the other side at Shanyin before. You probably aren't too familiar with this side."

"Everyone, the forest is usually quite dangerous. Everyone, focus."

With his bellow, the various clan guards pulled themselves together and became even more vigilant.

"Wang Zhong, is there something wrong with this forest?" Wang Shouzhe also became much more vigilant. "Could there be any rumors of dire beasts?"

This was not a gaming world. If powerful dire beasts appeared, it might cause casualties to the team.

"Patriarch, at such a junction, Arcane Martial Clans of Shanyang and Yingxiu will take turns to patrol. Even slightly more powerful wild beasts would be eliminated, let alone dire beasts." Wang Zhong shook his head and said, "However, as escorting clan guards, we would train on a daily basis. In some terrains with poor visibility, we must be more cautious. Our duty is to guard against any accidents."

The team walked for a few more miles without any incidents. When they passed a small stream that overflowed the road…

Suddenly!

Wang Zhong's expression changed, and he raised his hand to stop the group.

The carriage driver, Wang Laoshi, hurriedly stopped the carriage. The other clan guards also drew their weapons with a series of clangs, looking very alert.

Wang Zhong got off his horse and walked to a small stream by the side of the road. He picked up a small piece of cloth. His expression suddenly became solemn as he said to Wang Shouzhe, who came after him, "Patriarch, this piece of cloth was cut by a sharp blade. It's also stained with some blood. There's also some blood on the rocks by the stream that hasn't been wiped clean."

Something did happen.

The worst thing that could happen when traveling in the wilderness was accidents. Wang Shouzhe said with a solemn expression, "Wang Zhong, tell me your judgment."

"This fabric is a thin-striped cotton cloth that is dyed gray. The price is relatively high. Ordinary tenant farmers, commoners, and hunters are unwilling to buy clothes made from such expensive fabric. Even if they grit their teeth and purchase it, they will only wear it during festive occasions like the New Year." As a clan guard, Wang Zhong had also received training from elder clan guards since he was young, so he was more familiar with this aspect. "Therefore, it's very likely that this person is a Arcane Martial Artist with a relatively higher status than commoners. However, his status shouldn't be too high either. People of distinguished status like you, Patriarch, usually use more expensive embroidered cloth."

"Then it's a clan general, an ordinary member of an Arcane Martial Clan," Wang Shouzhe nodded and said, "or some traveling merchants."

"Traveling merchants usually travel together in groups." Wang Zhong shook his head and said, "Patriarch, look at these footprints. They should all be left by the same person, and they're heading deeper into the forest. Uh, they seem to be avoiding pursuit. Therefore, there's a high possibility that this person is a fugitive freelance cultivator, or a traitor of some clan or something like that. He must have heard our voices and rushed into the depths of the forest without hiding his tracks in time."

"Can we catch him?" Wang Shouzhe said solemnly, "We came from the direction of Shanyang and have never heard of there being any fugitives or traitors. Then it's very likely that this person came from Yingxiu's side. No matter what the situation is, let's capture him first."

"Don't worry, Patriarch." A cold glint flashed across Wang Zhong's eyes. "This person is already injured, and his tracks are difficult to conceal in a hurry. I'll bring two men to catch him."

"Wang Yong, Wang Wu, follow them," Wang Shouzhe instructed. "Safety is the priority. If they're troublesome, call for help immediately."

"Yes, Patriarch."

The three clan guards took action. The three of them distanced themselves slightly and searched along the traces in a triangle. In less than 15 minutes, a faint, miserable cry came from the depths of the forest.

Soon, the three clan guards of the Wang family carried a tied up man back to the carriage.

"Patriarch, we've fulfilled the mission." Wang Zhong tossed the captive onto the ground and said with cupped hands, "This scoundrel seems to be at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm. Judging from his attire, I think he's a freelance cultivator."

"Mmph…" The man's gaze was filled with fear. His mouth was gagged and his entire body was tied up. He could only try his best to twist and attract Wang Shouzhe's attention.

"Listen to what he has to say," Wang Shouzhe instructed.

"Yes, Patriarch." Wang Zhong took the rag from his mouth.

"Young Master, no, Lord." The slightly wretched-looking middle-aged man immediately begged for mercy. "I'm just passing by your precious land. I didn't do anything wrong. Please let me go. I still have some gold and an Arcane Martial cultivation technique on me. Take it as payment in exchange for my life."

"Whether you committed a crime or not isn't up to your word." Wang Shouzhe gestured at Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong quickly searched the man. This person only had a total of five gold, 17 large coopers, and 56 dimes. There was nothing valuable in his bag, only an old Arcane Martial cultivation technique book.

"Qi and Blood Transfer Technique in Small Cycle".

Wang Shouzhe flipped through it and frowned. This was an ordinary cultivation technique. The Wang Clan had a collection of it in their inheritance. It was used by the servants and clan guards to lay the foundation for the early stages of their cultivation. Moreover, there were obviously a few mistakes in this cultivation technique.

However, overall, it could be considered to be in line with the state of a down-and-out freelance cultivator. Freelance cultivators paid the most attention to raising their cultivation level. Whenever they got some money, they would purchase cultivation resources.

"How did you get injured?" Wang Shouzhe saw that there was a deep wound on his shoulder.

"I ran into robbers," the freelance cultivator said with an earnest expression. "I fled into the forest in a panic and was about to clean my wound when I ran into you, Lord."

"Liar. This is the border between the forces of the Gongsun Clan of Shanyang and the Lu Clan of Yingxiu. What robbers would have the guts to commit crimes here?" Wang Zhong rebuked angrily. "Tell the truth, or I'll behead you with a single slash."

"I'm innocent, Lord. I'm innocent." The freelance cultivator cried out desperately. "Those robbers are all pretending to be itinerant merchants. They usually only bully freelance cultivators who pass by. How would they dare to lay their hands on people from Arcane Martial Clans like you, Lord?"

"That sounds very reasonable," Wang Shouzhe said, unmoved. "Take him to Yingxiu and ask the Lu Clan to investigate the situation. If what you say is true and you're not a criminal, we'll return that thing to you and release you."

Arcane Martial Clans more or less had their own code of conduct. Forget about the few gold on him, even if there were dozens, hundreds, or even more gold on him, Wang Shouzhe would not possibly casually plunder him for the immediate interests, or even silence him.

This was a question about clan conduct and education. If they did this, it would leave a huge hidden danger to the clan's conduct. What would those clan guards and clansmen who participated in this matter think? Would they develop a bloodthirsty, cruel and bandit-like mindset? Would their morals be distorted?

In that case, the next time they encountered a similar situation, wouldn't it make sense to them to silence and rob people of their money?

Clans or factions that saw interests above all else and committed crimes might thrive in their villainy for a while, but definitely not forever.

Any Arcane Martial Clan that could be passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years would definitely have good conduct and education. They would have relatively high reputation and credibility, and their clansmen would certainly abide by strict rules of conduct and behavior principles.

However, the moment Wang Shouzhe said this, the freelance cultivator's face turned ashen. He cried out desperately, "Lord, I'm wrong. Please don't take me to Yingxiu. I beg of you, I've hidden some other things. As long as you let me go, they're all yours."

…