Chapter 2724 — Testing Attributes
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Oh—I mean, let Sister Xinyan's daddy buy another one," Shen Yushu said, backpedaling. Privately, she was already making plans: when Tang Zhi called in a few days, she would bring it up, and have Tang Zhi ask Xuegu for another one of these fine treasures.
"Yeah, let me see if it'll work," Wang Xinyan said hurriedly. The credit belonged to Tang Zhi, yet it had somehow been pinned on her, and it made her cheeks burn. She was not a greedy person and did not want Wei Zhao's gratitude toward Tang Zhi transferred onto herself; that would leave her feeling utterly indebted.
It had already made her feel a little guilty, stepping in for Tang Zhi as Wei Zhao's principal wife; to also covet Tang Zhi's contribution would leave her terribly uneasy. True, Wang Xinyan had agreed to nothing and promised nothing—but she slept in the same bed as Wei Zhao every night, and who would believe she was not his girlfriend?
"That's fine then. A little more expensive doesn't matter," Wei Zhao said after hearing her out.
"All right, Arrow-Brand Bro, you owe us the story of this trip to the ancient tomb! Little Shu loves hearing your tales best!" Shen Yushu changed the subject. She did not want to dwell on Kang Xiaofeng's errand—talk too much and you slip.
"Oh, the tomb. Right—the haul from this trip really was enormous!" Wei Zhao nodded, suspecting nothing. He had only just returned to the villa from the tomb that day and had not gone to school; when Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Wang Xinyan came back that evening, he had not even had time to say anything to them before Kang Xiaofeng arrived.
So Wei Zhao sat down and told Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Wang Xinyan about this journey into the tomb. The tale was hair-raising and chilling to the bone; Gu Mengyao broke out in cold sweats as she listened, and when she heard that Yu Xiaoke had gone missing, her face went stark white with fright.
But when they heard that Yu Xiaoke had actually discovered a hidden mechanism, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Yushu clicked her tongue in admiration. "Arrow-Brand Bro, this Yu Xiaoke is quite something—a worthy hand of the Thief Sect. If you hadn't brought her along, you and Teacher Bai might have come back from that tomb with nothing at all."
"Exactly. Yu Xiaoke may be a bit money-hungry, but that's hardly a flaw of hers. The gold and silver she takes never go toward her own comforts—every bit of it goes to the children at the orphanage," Wei Zhao said with a nod.
That was precisely why Wei Zhao had kept helping her. Otherwise, if Yu Xiaoke had been a vain, materialistic girl, he certainly would not have aided her so unstintingly—nor could he have fallen for her.
"So do you like her?" Shen Yushu asked suddenly.
"I…" Wei Zhao smiled wryly. That was a question he truly could not answer. But after thinking it over, he nodded in admission. "Somewhat."
Wei Zhao's answer did not surprise Gu Mengyao and the others. After all, if he did not like Yu Xiaoke, he would never have helped her so much.
"Yu Xiaoke isn't bad by nature, but bringing her home to live with us isn't really practical either—she can't leave the orphanage," Gu Mengyao said after a moment's thought.
"Right, let's drop that for now." Wei Zhao waved a hand. "This treasure for testing one's constitution that I brought back from the tomb—you should all try it too and see what constitutions you have. Then I'll keep an eye out for cultivation methods and mnemonics that suit each of you."
"Wonderful!" Gu Mengyao had long wanted to become a cultivator. Over these past weeks she had realized that Wei Zhao could not protect her forever; he had his own affairs to attend to. Even if they kept living under the same roof for the rest of their lives, he would inevitably have to leave on business. She had to be able to protect herself, so that Wei Zhao could leave with peace of mind.