Chapter 286: Mischievous Wang Qingling

Family rules must be discussed and decided upon by everyone; the family belongs to all of us, not just the two of them. "I agree, Sister-in-law's proposal is excellent. Clan members like Qingqi and Qingyun have created substantial wealth for the family. They should certainly be helped to reach the Foundation Establishment stage so they can generate even greater profits. If we allow them to die of old age in the Qi Refining stage, wouldn't all the spiritual stones the family invested in cultivating them go to waste?"

Wang Changyue agreed. She was well aware that her access to the Foundation Establishment Pill was largely thanks to her brother and sister-in-law. Although some clan members had privately gossiped about her, she knew their words held truth. Under the family's existing rules, it would have been very difficult for her to obtain such a pill.

After more than an hour of discussion, the six unanimously agreed to change the rules. Following Wang Ruyan's suggestion, the Wang family adopted a system similar to that of the Wang clan from which she came: every task performed for the clan would earn members contribution points. This accumulation of points was designed to significantly boost the clan members' motivation.

Once the discussion concluded, Wang Mingjiang and the other three departed from Wang Family Fortress, heading directly towards the State of Chu.

The Wang family constructed a courtyard dedicated to raising spirit beasts, which they named the Spirit Beast Courtyard.

The Wang family currently raises twenty-seven Azure Scale Horses, mostly first-order spirit horses, all under the care of Wang Mingyan.

Wang Mingyan was feeding the Azure Scale Horses. Nearby, in the open space, a bright-eyed girl in a green dress diligently brushed and washed one of the horses.

"Twenty-third Great-Uncle, look!" The girl in the green dress smiled sweetly, pointing to the Azure Scale Horse.

"Qingling, you're doing great." Wang Mingyan praised her with a smile.

"Twenty-third Great-Uncle, can I ride Qing'er for a little while?" Wang Qingling's eyes widened with anticipation.

Wang Mingyan shook his head, his expression serious. "Absolutely not. You're too small. If you fall off the horse, it will be a big problem, and I won't be able to explain it to your grandmother."

"No, she won't. Qing'er is very well-behaved; she won't throw me off. Twenty-third Great-Uncle, please!" Wang Qingling pleaded earnestly.

"No means no. I'm busy! You should go back. If your grandmother finds out you came to the Spirit Beast Courtyard again, she'll definitely scold you."

"Qingling, do you really enjoy spending so much time with Qing'er and the others?" A man's chuckling voice suddenly sounded, and Wang Changsheng entered, a wide smile on his face.

Wang Qingling, Wang Changyi's eldest daughter, possessed a three-spirit root. Unlike her peers, she had a special fondness for spirit beasts, spirit fish, spirit insects, and spirit birds. She personally raised three Azure-Spotted Golden Carp, two Azure Turtle Beasts, two Cockatrice Beasts, and a Snow Cloud Python. She once brought the Snow Cloud Python to the academy, which terrified her classmates. Due to this unusual hobby, other children her age tended to avoid playing with her. Naturally, all the creatures she kept were young.

Seeing Wang Changsheng, Wang Qingling's eyes lit up. She quickly ran to him, grasping his left hand with both of hers, and pleaded with eager anticipation, "Ninth Uncle, you're the best! Please, just let me ride Qing'er for a little while!"

"You little girl, you just fell off Qing'er last time and were bedridden for over two months. You've forgotten the pain now that your wound has healed, and you want to fall again?" Wang Changsheng patted her head, scolding her with a stern expression.

"Last time, I just didn't hold the reins tightly enough. This time, I promise I won't! Please, Ninth Uncle."

Wang Qingling shook her head and said seriously, "No, I want to ride by myself. I need to tame her. If I can tame Xiaobai, this will be easy." As she spoke, she raised her right hand, and a white snake, as thick as a baby's arm, slithered out of her sleeve. The snake coiled around her arm, appearing very docile.

"Why do you have the Snow Cloud Python with you again? What if it bites a clan member? You're only at the first level of Qi Refining; you might not be able to control it." Wang Mingyan said with a slight headache. He was very fond of his grand-niece, Wang Qingling, but she had caused quite a few incidents due to her hobby of raising spirit beasts and insects.

"She won't. Xiaobai has already recognized me as her master. She's very well-behaved and won't bite anyone."

"You raise so many spirit beasts, fish, and birds. Do you even have any cultivation resources left for yourself? Aren't you thinking about your future, Qingling?"

Wang Qingling shook her head, her young face utterly serious. "Little Gold gives birth to a batch of Azure-Spotted Golden Carp every year. The Azure Turtle Beasts and Cockatrice Beasts lay eggs regularly. Once the Snow Cloud Python is fully grown, it can help me find spiritual herbs and protect me. Qing'er is for travel and can help me escape if I'm in danger. Ninth Uncle, please just let me ride Qing'er for a little while! I've given her 235 baths; she definitely knows me and won't throw me off."

"Alright, alright! You win. Just don't ride too fast."

"Got it! Ninth Uncle, you're the best."

Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, and a large white cloud mass materialized beneath his feet. The cloud rapidly expanded, covering the entire ground of the Spirit Beast Courtyard in less than ten breaths.

Wang Qingling swiftly mounted the horse, gripping the reins with both hands, and then spurred the horse with a crack of the whip. The Azure Scale Horse, spurred by the pain, galloped swiftly away.

"Qing'er, faster, faster!" Initially, the Azure Scale Horse wasn't very fast, but after running for a while, its speed increased, circling around Wang Changsheng.

"Qingling, I knew I'd find you here." A woman's voice suddenly rang out.

Hearing the voice, Wang Qingling was startled. Her left hand loosened its grip, and as the Azure Scale Horse suddenly turned, she lost her hold on the reins and was flung from its back. Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, and the white cloud mass on the ground churned, transforming into a giant white hand several meters in size, which caught Wang Qingling.

"Qingling, are you alright?! How many times has Grandma told you this? Why won't you listen, child?" Zhang Yue'e rushed to Wang Qingling's side. Though her words were a scolding, the genuine concern in her voice was clear to everyone. Wang Qingling was Wang Changyi's only daughter; his previous children had all lacked spiritual roots.

"Second Aunt, please don't blame Qingling. I let her ride."

Seeing Wang Changsheng, Zhang Yue'e's expression softened, and she sighed, "Changsheng, it's not that I don't want her to ride. This girl is still so young, and I worry she'll get herself into serious trouble. You wouldn't believe it—she's been sleeping in her own room since she was tiny, and she's incredibly daring. She somehow acquired a Snow Cloud Python and secretly raised it. One day, her mother went to sleep in her room, and a Snow Cloud Python crawled out from under the quilt, scaring her mother half to death! Another time, she didn't put away her Cockatrice Beast before bed and left it in her room. The Cockatrice Beast then breathed fire and burned the room, nearly killing her. This girl just gives us endless worry."

"Grandma, you can't blame me for that! Mother came to my room in the middle of the night to sleep. If she had told me beforehand, I would have put Xiaobai away. As for the Cockatrice Beast, I just wanted it to wake me up. How was I supposed to know it would breathe fire and burn down the room?"