Protect Our Patriarch

Everyone's attention was on Wang Shouzhe, and no one noticed a pretty maid in her late teens quietly appearing in the corner of the corridor.

After peeking at the scene, the little maid immediately ran back with a serious expression on her face.

Shulan Courtyard.

Today was the bride's big day.

The Shulan Courtyard had been cleaned several times since early morning, even the green bricks on the corridor had been washed with clear water, looking as shiny as new. All the lanterns under the corridor had been replaced with red ones, and even the trees in the courtyard were hung with small red lanterns, which were full of joy at first glance.

In the bridal chamber, the bride, Liu Ruolan, was sitting in front of the dressing table, surrounded by several beautiful middle-aged women, who were helping her dress up carefully.

Because it was a wedding, the wedding dress was grand, and to avoid getting makeup on the dress, she had to put on makeup and do her hair before putting on the wedding dress.

At this moment, Liu Ruolan's makeup was only half done, but even so, her pure eyes were clear and bright, yet full of wisdom. She was not an extraordinarily rare beauty like a Heavenly Immortal, but she was definitely a top beauty. Just sitting there, she had the gentle restraint of a lady from a noble family, but also a noble air that ordinary girls did not have.

This noble air was not spoiled, but nurtured by a family with a rich background and strong power, which was hard for others to learn.

However, she seemed a bit nervous today, her delicate body was somewhat tense, and her long eyelashes were trembling slightly.

"Miss Ruolan, all girls have to go through this. Besides, I heard that the new son-in-law is handsome and talented, with outstanding character. He is a good gentleman." The beautiful woman who was helping her dress up comforted her softly.

"Thank you, Aunt Liu." She nodded slightly in thanks, a hint of anticipation and shyness flashed in her eyes.

The beautiful woman was very skilled, and in a short while, she had done Liu Ruolan's hair.

Her lips were also painted with bright red lipstick, the bright color and her fair and delicate skin complemented each other, making her skin look like jade, as beautiful as a blooming peony.

Liu Ruolei was standing by, looking at her sister's beautiful appearance, she couldn't help but feel a little envious: "Sister, you look so beautiful today, just like a fairy from heaven. Brother-in-law is really lucky to marry you."

Hearing Liu Ruolei's words, the beautiful woman who was helping with the makeup covered her mouth and laughed, teasing: "If Ruolei is envious, I can help you. Which family has a suitable bachelor?"

The beautiful woman who spoke was named Wang Liuzi, the fourth sister of the Wang's Clan. Her husband was an elite member of the Liu's Clan.

If she had married into another family, she would have gone back to the Wang's Clan to help a while ago.

Having her accompany Liu Ruolan at this time made them seem closer.

Liu Ruolei blushed and quickly changed the subject: "Yuanrui has been eager to show off for my sister since early morning, I wonder how it's going now?"

Just as she was speaking, a pretty maid suddenly rushed in from the door.

She looked a bit flustered, and as soon as she entered the door, she said anxiously: "Miss, something bad has happened. Young Master Yuanrui has gone too far."

"Sister, still......"

Before Liu Ruolei could finish her sentence, she tensed up at the news and quickly asked: "Qiao'er, what happened?"

"Young Master Yuanrui brought Young Master Yuanqiang and said that the new son-in-law had to lift a huge, huge stone ball." As she spoke, Qiao'er spread her hands to demonstrate. The stone ball was what Young Master Yuanqiang usually used for training, and it weighed a good two thousand jin. Even Young Master Yuanhui found it very difficult to lift."

Qiao'er said worriedly, "The new son-in-law is so handsome, what if he hurts himself?"

The middle-aged beautiful woman next to her couldn't help laughing: "Qiao'er, Miss Ruolan hasn't married yet, and you, the maid, are already worried about the new son-in-law. Aren't you ashamed~"

"Don't worry, Yuanrui is a scholar, he knows the rules and won't mess around." Another accompanying middle-aged beautiful woman also laughed, "This new son-in-law is coming to marry. If we don't suppress his momentum, won't our Ruolan be bullied when she marries? Yuanrui is just being considerate of his sister."

"But these are all old customs. If you want a harmonious marriage and a prosperous family, you have to be virtuous and meticulous. You have to think about your husband in everything to be respected. How can you always rely on your natal family?"

Liu Ruolan's eyes flickered slightly, but she was still worried, and said in a soft and pleasant voice, "Ruolei, you go and manage it for me. Don't let Yuanrui and the others play too far. Just make a little noise and it will be fine."

"Yes, sister. I'll go right away."

Liu Ruolei was also a little restless, worried about her brother-in-law being taken advantage of, and immediately ran off after excusing herself.

......

Meanwhile, in the courtyard.

"Yuanrui, what should I do if I can't pass this test?" Wang Shouzhe knew that Yuanrui and the others were just playing around, so he didn't really care and asked with a smile.

Liu Yuanrui had his hands in his sleeves, looking relaxed and smiling: "Brother-in-law, you know, as long as you admit defeat, you can pass all the tests."Wang Shouzhe knew, this was the tradition among the Basalt families.

Younger brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law would show their strength to the groom before their sister's wedding, a gesture of support for their sister. It was to ensure that the groom would treat their sister well in the future.

Of course, this was just a traditional custom. Nowadays, it had evolved into a part of the wedding ceremony, mainly to create a festive atmosphere.

"Yuanrui, you'll have to marry a wife in the future too, don't blame me for joining in the fun then." Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, "You know how your brother-in-law is, let's just call it quits, so we don't end up in a cycle of revenge."

Unexpectedly, Yuanrui replied nonchalantly, "I don't care. I'm a scholar, what's wrong with admitting defeat? After all, I'll have to rely on my wife to protect me in the future."

Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but sweat, indeed, a man without shame is invincible.

In his previous life, a proud author once said, when you decide to give up, you'll find that everything in the world becomes clear.

There was some truth to that.

"Brother-in-law, if it's too hard, just admit defeat."

"Yeah, yeah, my sister will cover for you in the future."

The younger brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law began to tease.

Chen Fangjie was also laughing heartily on the side.

Thinking back to two months ago, this was how Wang Shouzhe treated him. What goes around comes around. Back then, he couldn't resist those tricks and had to admit defeat on the spot.

"Well... I don't mind admitting defeat to my wife." Wang Shouzhe, not one to be easily embarrassed, still had a smile on his face, "But, I still want to give it a try, if I can't do it, then I'll admit defeat."

"Brother-in-law is awesome, brother-in-law is powerful."

Cheers from the younger brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law echoed around. They were all eager to see how their brother-in-law would lift the stone ball.

"Shouzhe, be careful not to strain your back. It would be bad if it affects your wedding night." Chen Fangjie said with a smirk, laughing heartily.

This was indeed a married man, his thick skin was on a different level compared to these young men and women.

Wang Shouzhe ignored him, bent down and patted the large stone ball, and said to Liu Yuanqiang, "Yuanqiang, this stone ball of yours must weigh about a thousand or two thousand pounds, right?"

Liu Yuanqiang laughed heartily, "Brother-in-law, this stone ball weighs two thousand pounds."

"Good job, you've trained hard." Wang Shouzhe praised.

However, it felt strange to be called brother-in-law by this burly man, there was an indescribable weirdness.

"Fourth brother, be careful."

Wang Shouyong and Wang Shoulian said with some concern.

After all, they were his own brothers. When it came down to it, they were the reliable ones, caring for their elder brother.

"Don't worry, I'm just trying."

Wang Shouzhe casually reassured them, then he placed his palm on the stone ball, pushed it slightly to get a feel for it.

Suddenly.

With a press, a twist, and a lift, the huge stone ball was lifted by him effortlessly over his head.

How is that possible?

The smiles on the faces of Liu Yuanrui, Chen Fangjie and others froze instantly.

The scene before them stunned everyone, even the burly Liu Yuanqiang was surprised, his eyes wide open, looking incredulous.

This stone ball weighed two thousand pounds, even he had a hard time lifting it.

"Brother-in-law is amazing, I admire you."

The burly man was straightforward, and after recovering from the shock, he immediately expressed his admiration.

The other younger brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law also cheered after a moment of surprise, "Good job, brother-in-law! You're really strong, a real man!"

In the world of Basalt, it was that simple. If you were strong, you could easily conquer others.

"Yuanrui, have I passed the test? Am I qualified to protect your sister?"

Wang Shouzhe smiled at Liu Yuanrui, still looking as calm and composed as ever.

He was still holding the stone ball, looking as if he still had energy to spare.

No one knew that with the awakening of Wang Shouzhe's bloodline, his physical qualities were improving day by day. Coupled with his daily strength training and diligent cultivation, he was quite confident in his strength.

Yuanrui's test was simply a gift.

It took Liu Yuanrui a while to recover from the shock, he shook his head with a wry smile, "I underestimated you, brother-in-law. Your strength is impressive, I'm sure you can protect my sister."

"Hehe~"

Wang Shouzhe laughed, then suddenly shouted at Liu Yuanqiang, "Big guy, catch!"

With that, he twisted his arm, turned, and the stone ball spun and flew towards the burly Liu Yuanqiang not far away.

Liu Yuanqiang hurriedly caught it with both hands.

The stone ball kept spinning in his hands, causing him to stagger back several steps, almost letting go of the stone ball.

Thank goodness I reacted quickly, otherwise, it would have been embarrassing. Liu Yuanqiang was secretly shocked, just about to put the stone ball down.

Before he could react, Wang Shouzhe rushed forward, grabbed his waist, and lifted him up.

In an instant, Liu Yuanqiang felt like he was flying.

Then his body quickly sank, stopped halfway, and hung in mid-air.

He was a bit dazed, not knowing what had happened. He only felt a buzzing in his head, as if he was floating.All around, there was a collective gasp of surprise. Wang Shouzhe himself was not aware, but everyone else saw it clearly.

It turned out that Wang Shouzhe had thrown him into the air, then grabbed his two legs with both hands, lifting him up in the air like a mighty king lifting a cauldron.

As his younger brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, they were all dumbfounded.

Was their brother-in-law really that powerful?

Such terrifying strength, not to mention far surpassing the others, even the eldest son of the direct line, Liu Yuanhui, was far inferior.

At this point, Liu Yuanrui was completely convinced, and said with a bitter smile, "Brother-in-law, put Yuanqiang down. He's still young, don't scare him."

"Alright, okay."

The phrase "he's still young" gave Wang Shouzhe a jolt, almost deflating his spirit.

With a slight release of his hands, he gently put the burly Liu Yuanqiang down on the ground.

He casually stuffed a red envelope into his arms, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Yuanqiang, go play."

"Thank you, brother-in-law."

Liu Yuanqiang happily hugged his stone ball and trotted away cheerfully, soon disappearing from sight.

After this episode, the way people looked at Wang Shouzhe had changed, with a hint of awe and admiration.

Meanwhile.

The little maid, Qiao'er, who was guarding at the end of the corridor, was also excited, her face flushed. She immediately turned around and ran back to the courtyard.

"Miss, the new son-in-law is amazing! He's so strong, even Young Master Yuanqiang can't compare." She excitedly recounted the events to Liu Ruolan.

Fourth sister Wang Liuzi happily said, "He is indeed the stallion of our Wang's Clan, my fourth brother, Shouzhe, is truly extraordinary."

"The new son-in-law is so strong?" Two middle-aged beautiful women were also slightly shocked, then they smiled ambiguously, "Our Ruolan is indeed lucky."

At this time, the smart new bride, Liu Ruolan, had a somewhat blank expression on her beautiful face.

It was a good thing for a man to be strong, but what did it have to do with luck? She was completely puzzled.

At this time, the little maid Qiao'er, who had reported the situation, had already run out again to continue observing the situation.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard.

Wang Shouzhe clasped his hands and said, "Yuanrui, is it about time? Can I go to pick up your sister now?"

At this time, Liu Yuanrui had also recovered from his shock, and continued to smile and return the salute, "Brother-in-law, I would like to let you go, but I have to ask if my brothers and sisters agree."

With that, he turned his head to look at his younger brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.

The younger brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law immediately perked up and shouted in unison, "We disagree, it's not enough fun! Brother-in-law, give us another round!"

"Alright~ Yuanrui, just use whatever tricks you have. I'll do what I can, and if I can't, I'll admit defeat."

Wang Shouzhe also knew that he probably couldn't handle these little rascals and girls with just the previous round.

"Brother-in-law is so bold!" Liu Yuanrui laughed and saluted, "Then I won't be polite."

"Our Xuanwu Clan are all pioneers. What are we living for? We live for food. My sister has married into your Wang's Clan, she must have something to eat. Brother-in-law, isn't that right?"

"That's right." Wang Shouzhe nodded in agreement.

"So how do we get meat? Of course, by hunting. Our ancestors of the Xuanwu Clan all supported their families by hunting, and hunting is all about archery. So, brother-in-law, why don't you show us your archery skills?"

Wang Shouzhe really wanted to say that meat could also be obtained by farming, but in order to go along with Liu Yuanrui's mood, he had to swallow his words.

"Alright, then I'll trouble Yuanrui to get me a bow and arrows." Wang Shouzhe was quite confident in his archery skills. His archery was already excellent, and after his bloodline awakening, it improved by leaps and bounds.

This point, not to mention he himself didn't understand, even the Ancestor was a bit confused. However, his power was still a bit inferior to those with explosive battle bodies, and his archery could not reach the heights of some natural-born archers.

In short, he was strong in all aspects, but not the strongest in any.

Unexpectedly, Liu Yuanrui laughed again, "What's the point of just showing off your archery skills? I've arranged an opponent for you."

With that, he clapped his hands.

As the applause fell, a thin figure rolled in from outside the wall.

He stepped in the air several times, his body technique was extremely good, and in just two or three breaths, he landed in front of Wang Shouzhe.

Wang Shouzhe took a careful look at him and saw that he was very thin and refined, but his appearance was somewhat sleazy and old. He had a quiver of arrows at his waist and a bow on his back, obviously a skilled bow hunter.

However, this man looked a bit too mature, probably in his thirties or forties.

Wang Shouzhe was slightly surprised and hesitated, "Yuanrui, is this also a younger brother?"

Liu Yuanrui shook his head, "No, he's not."

He looked at the newcomer leisurely, "Brother Yuanshan, why don't you introduce yourself to your brother-in-law?"

The thin man nodded, saluted Wang Shouzhe politely, "Hello, brother-in-law. I'm Liu Yuanshan, forty years old this year, unmarried."

He emphasized the word "unmarried" to express his eligibility to participate in this game.

"emmmm……this……"A bead of cold sweat trickled down Wang Shouzhe's forehead.

This guy was quite frank, but being unmarried at forty didn't seem like something to brag about, did it?

"Is my brother-in-law looking down on me?" Liu Yuanshan looked at Wang Shouzhe with a melancholic expression.

"How could I?" Wang Shouzhe chuckled, "Brother Yuanshan joining the game adds color to my wedding. You're most welcome."

"In that case, let's start the next game." Liu Yuanrui gave a sly grin, "Brother-in-law, look over there, there are some big copper coins hanging."

As he spoke, he pointed to the other side of the courtyard, indicating Wang Shouzhe to look that way.

Wang Shouzhe glanced over, but saw nothing.

He looked at Liu Yuanrui with a puzzled expression, "Where?"

"Look further."

Liu Yuanrui continued to smile.

Wang Shouzhe looked again, but still saw nothing.

"Even further."

As if anticipating Wang Shouzhe's reaction, Liu Yuanrui casually added.

Following his direction, Wang Shouzhe looked further and further, and finally spotted several large copper coins hanging from a tree ten meters away.

Before Wang Shouzhe could speak, Chen Fangjie at the side gasped, "Yuanrui, isn't this game a bit too harsh? You should leave some face for your brother-in-law."

While he said this, he secretly gave a thumbs up: Well done.

Liu Yuanrui returned a triumphant glance, it was good that Brother Chen had written to teach him.

Then, both of them revealed a knowing smirk, as if they already had the victory in their hands.

...