Chapter 23: The Dilemma Caused by Yao Zi’er’s Special Constitution

“Every family with even a bit of heritage knows about spiritual herbs and collects them? That’s reasonable. Although spiritual herbs lack the nourishment of spiritual energy, they still possess their own extraordinary qualities. After the world’s update, with Great Xia’s five-thousand-year legacy, it’s impossible that only the Medicine family discovered spiritual herbs. Other forces must have found them too, and once discovered, they would definitely collect them for purposes like extending life.

“This is good. With so many forces collecting spiritual herbs, even though many were likely used up in the process, there must still be plenty left. If I can get my hands on them all, there might even be treasures comparable to the Longevity Flower.”

Inside the villa, Ye Yang thought to himself upon hearing Yao Lai’s words.

…

“Was the Zhao family unaware of the secret of spiritual herbs simply because they rose too quickly?” In the adjacent private room, Zhao Qingzhi’s expression turned peculiar after hearing Yao Lai’s explanation. “But is the secret of spiritual herbs true, and is it also true that they don’t covet our Zhao family’s wealth?”

Zhao Qingzhi looked at Yao Lai in the other room, still assuming the worst of human nature as he speculated about Yao Lai’s intentions.

Buzz …

As Zhao Qingzhi pondered Yao Lai’s motives, he suddenly felt a warmth in his chest. Sensing this, he immediately reached into his robe and pulled out a jade token—the task jade token. At that moment, the token was emitting faint white light.

“This is a sign that it’s detecting a Wisdom Root. Yao Lai, it seems you’re also someone with a Wisdom Root. Good. This means I don’t need to care about your true intentions. Once you join Kunlun, worldly schemes are nothing but fleeting illusions.”

Seeing the white light from the task jade token, a smile appeared on Zhao Qingzhi’s face. He then focused his gaze on Yao Lai, carefully sensing the token.

“Low-level Wisdom Root holder, meets the conditions for recommendation to join Kunlun.”

Soon, Zhao Qingzhi obtained Yao Lai’s Wisdom Root level from the task jade token.

“Low-level Wisdom Root?”

Upon sensing Yao Lai’s Wisdom Root level, the smile on Zhao Qingzhi’s face grew wider. His purpose in meeting Yao Lai was to determine if he possessed a Wisdom Root. If confirmed, Zhao Qingzhi would use his authority to recommend Yao Lai to join Kunlun. Of course, the recommendation would come with a condition: Yao Lai would need to offer a satisfactory price.

Zhao Qingzhi had already decided what price to demand. If Yao Lai’s Wisdom Root level was high, he would ask for fewer benefits. From his experience with the Bone-Strengthening Pill, Zhao Qingzhi understood that many of Kunlun’s items likely provided benefits based on Wisdom Root levels—the higher the level, the greater the benefits. If Yao Lai had a high-level Wisdom Root, Zhao Qingzhi wouldn’t demand too much, fearing that Yao Lai might grow rapidly and surpass him, which would be troublesome. But since Yao Lai only had a low-level Wisdom Root, Zhao Qingzhi had no such concerns. He was ready to make bold demands. After all, with an opportunity as grand as Kunlun, no matter how much he asked for, it wouldn’t be excessive.

“Hm? Why is the identity jade token still reacting? Last time, after detecting Ling’er’s Wisdom Root, the signal disappeared. Yao Lai’s Wisdom Root has already been detected, yet the signal persists? Could there be another Wisdom Root holder?”

As Zhao Qingzhi was planning how to demand benefits from Yao Lai, he suddenly noticed that the identity jade token was still emitting white light. He immediately shifted his gaze to the people Yao Lai had brought with him.

“Mid-level Wisdom Root holder, meets the conditions for introduction to Kunlun.”

Soon, Zhao Qingzhi’s attention settled on Yao Lai’s granddaughter, Yao Zi’er.

“A mid-level Wisdom Root in a woman? I didn’t expect to find another woman with a Wisdom Root besides Ling’er so quickly. Should I recommend Yao Zi’er to Mr. Ye as well? If I do, Ling’er’s advantage of being the only one by Mr. Ye’s side will be gone.

“But if I don’t, once Yao Lai joins Kunlun and receives an identity jade token, he’ll also sense that Yao Zi’er has a Wisdom Root. He could then directly recommend her to Mr. Ye, and I’d be handing over the points reward for recommending a woman with a Wisdom Root to him for free. I have to recommend her. I can’t let such easy points slip away, even if it’s to her own grandfather.

“Ling’er has a top-tier Wisdom Root, while Yao Lai’s granddaughter only has a mid-level one. In comparison, Ling’er has a significant advantage. In fact, this contrast might even make Mr. Ye value Ling’er more.”

After learning Yao Zi’er had a mid-level Wisdom Root, Zhao Qingzhi’s eyes flickered with thought before he decided to recommend her as well.

…

Inside the villa, Ye Yang noticed the change in Zhao Qingzhi’s expression and smiled faintly. Although he couldn’t use his soul-capturing technique to read Zhao Qingzhi’s thoughts since his main body wasn’t present, the obvious shift in expression allowed Ye Yang to guess what he was thinking. Zhao Qingzhi was likely worried that recommending Yao Zi’er, who had a special constitution, to him might affect Zhao Ling’er’s status.

“Fortunately, I issued a long-term task offering points for recommending women with Wisdom Roots to me. Otherwise, even with the huge advantage of a top-tier special constitution over a mid-level one, someone as cautious as Zhao Qingzhi would likely delay as long as possible.

“Even if it meant waiting until Yao Lai joined Kunlun and discovered it himself, it wouldn’t matter, as it would at least buy time for Zhao Ling’er.

“But with the points reward, and the certainty that someone else would discover and recommend her if he didn’t, even a cunning old fox like Zhao Qingzhi wouldn’t let such easy benefits slip away.” Ye Yang thought with a smile.

…

“What? I’ve explained everything so clearly, and you still haven’t gone to fetch your old man to meet me?”

In Yao Lai’s private room, seeing that Zhao Wuji and Zhao Xuankun remain motionless after his clear explanation, Yao Lai’s face darkened as he spoke coldly.

Knock, knock, knock.

Before the Zhao brothers could respond, a sudden knocking sound came from the wall of the adjacent room. Hearing it, Zhao Wuji’s expression shifted. This was the signal Zhao Qingzhi had arranged to indicate he would personally meet Yao Lai. Without this signal, Zhao Wuji would have represented Zhao Qingzhi to negotiate the purchase of the divine medicine.

“Elder Yao, my father has likely arrived. Please proceed to the adjacent room,” Zhao Wuji said solemnly, pointing to the neighboring private room.

“Already here? He was probably here all along, watching from the next room, wasn’t he? Knocking on the wall as a signal—so obvious. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Yao Lai said coldly, hearing Zhao Wuji’s words.