Chapter Eighty-Three: Of All Under Heaven and Earth, Tong Wan Is Supreme

Wan Qi Lianhao hurriedly changed the subject, “Do you know the teacher from Shizi Mountain?”

Wan Qi Yi was indeed interested and asked, “Aren’t you having Shizi Mountain study online with Xuanxuan’s teacher? What’s the matter? Did his teacher not agree?”

Wan Qi Lianhao smiled, “You guessed wrong. Did you know Shizi Mountain and his teacher are recently researching a potion to increase plant growth efficiency?”

Wan Qi Yi nodded. Food is paramount to the people, and the faster plants grow, the better. He knew about this matter too. “What’s going on?”

“The potions currently available on the market only increase plant growth rate by one-third, but if Elder Ji and Shizi Mountain succeed, the plant growth cycle could be shortened by at least half,” Wan Qi Lianhao explained.

He raised his brows in surprise. Cutting the growth cycle in half would double the yield. Though resources were plentiful and the population declining, who would complain about excess resources? After enduring the ancient Earth era, the Federation valued environmental protection; farmland was never cultivated unless absolutely necessary.

Wan Qi Yi nodded, “If it really works, it’s a great achievement.”

“But did you know that Xuanxuan’s teacher, right in front of Shizi Mountain, concocted a potion and made a cycad seed sprout and grow right before their eyes?” Wan Qi Lianhao gestured, “It grew this tall.”

Wan Qi Yi raised a brow, knowing cycads have a long growth cycle and aren’t ideal for experiments, “How long did it take?”

“They were so stunned, no one remembered to track the time, but it couldn’t have been more than half an hour,” Wan Qi Lianhao said with awe.

Wan Qi Yi’s expression grew serious, “Half an hour for sprouting, or—?”

Wan Qi Lianhao shook his head and laughed, “If it was just sprouting, it wouldn’t be so impressive. It grew directly to this height.”

He gestured again, “Wan Qi Wu said it could be transplanted right away, and this only took less than a bottle of potion.”

“So miraculous?” Wan Qi Yi marveled.

“Isn’t it?” Wan Qi Lianhao recalled the subsequent events with a smile, “Today Shizi Mountain sought me out online, saying his teacher insisted on entering the laboratory and wanted to formally apprentice under Xuanxuan’s teacher. I wouldn’t dare approve it directly, so I had Yi Qiong invite Xuanxuan’s teacher over. Who would have guessed Elder Ji barged in, saying, ‘As long as you don’t make me abandon my family, I’ll agree to anything.’”

Wan Qi Yi smiled along, Elder Ji seemed to grow more childlike with age. After the laughter, his expression steadied, “I fear we’ve underestimated Xuanxuan’s teacher. For someone with Elder Ji’s discerning eye to want to apprentice after only seeing her so-called basic work, Xuanxuan’s teacher must be far deeper than we realize.”

Wan Qi Lianhao understood, “Xuanxuan’s teacher said Elder Ji could follow her as an apprentice, and Elder Ji acted like a young boy, bouncing with joy.”

“No sense of propriety,” Wan Qi Yi glared at Wan Qi Lianhao.

Wan Qi Lianhao rubbed his nose, “Xuanxuan calls him ‘junior brother,’ so he’s a generation below me, isn’t he?”

Wan Qi Yi’s stern façade instantly broke, imagining Elder Ji, who was older than himself, calling him grandfather.

Just as he was about to scold Wan Qi Lianhao, Yi Qiong entered, “Patriarch. Master.”

“What is it?” Wan Qi Lianhao asked.

“The item from the Rare Treasures Auction House has been purchased,” replied Yi Qiong.

“Oh? What was inside?” Wan Qi Lianhao asked curiously, wondering how the Zhan family would handle it.

Yi Qiong answered respectfully, “It’s the ‘Source of Magic’ potion.”

“Hm? Wasn’t the one from the auction house reportedly consumed?”

“Yes, but the item—Director Wan Qi Wu has verified it—is indeed the ‘Source of Magic’ potion,” Yi Qiong said, still uncertain. After the item was auctioned, it was quickly sent back to Zhujing Tower. Given its transparent color, it was impossible to tell, so Wan Qi Wu personally identified it. He confirmed it was the ‘Source of Magic’ potion.

Wan Qi Yi glanced at Yi Qiong, “It’s possible Zhan Yu obtained it from Xuanxuan’s teacher.”

Wan Qi Lianhao nodded in understanding. That was indeed possible. Xuanxuan had mentioned her teacher knew Zhan Yu. Since Xuanxuan was familiar with Zhan Yu, they must have a close relationship.

“No other trouble arose?” Wan Qi Lianhao was concerned about complications.

Yi Qiong replied, “No, the Zhan family doesn’t want to make a fuss either. They’re likely hoping to reclaim it.”

“It seems you’ll have to visit the Zhan and Kuang families,” Wan Qi Yi said.

Zhan Yu must have known about the potion beforehand, but it was clear the Zhan family had no idea before. Thus, Xuanxuan’s teacher hadn’t given the potion to the Zhan family for sale, nor the formula.

Wan Qi Lianhao glanced at Wan Qi Yi, still uncertain about Xuanxuan’s teacher. But his father was right: they had nothing the teacher would covet.

In that case, collaborating with the Zhan family was entirely feasible.

Yet, with Zhan Yu’s “child fixation,” was it really wise to bring Xuanxuan along?

Wan Qi Lianhao hesitated. Wan Qi Yi, unaware, glanced at the time, “Go wake Xuanxuan. It’s mealtime; there’s no rush. We’ll visit during the New Year, which is a good excuse for a visit.”

Seeing there was no urgency to go to the Zhan family, Wan Qi Lianhao relaxed. Perhaps, by then, he wouldn’t need to bring Xuanxuan along.

No matter what, he was determined to protect Xuanxuan well and keep certain “child fixated” individuals from getting too close.

He went to Xuanxuan’s bedroom, where she was sleeping sweetly, evidently dreaming of something delightful—the corners of her mouth curled up. Wan Qi Lianhao’s expression softened.

Amused, he thought Xuanxuan was most likely dreaming of jerky, and perhaps he wasn’t restricting how much she could eat.

He gently nudged her twice, “Hm?”

Xuanxuan groggily opened her eyes to see her father smiling at her. She pouted in annoyance, rubbed her eyes, and covered her mouth with a small yawn. Just like that, her delicious jerky vanished, and she snapped back to reality.

After washing up, she looked at the dining table in front of her. Reality was: no meat, plenty of greens.

Wan Qi Weihao and his brother both glared resentfully at their third uncle, wondering why they had to suffer collective punishment.

They pitifully looked at their grandmother, wondering why she listened to their father.

Seeing Xuanxuan’s woeful expression, Tong Wan felt sympathetic, but after assessing Xuanxuan’s current state, she had to heed Wan Qi Lianhao’s advice. After all, for a girl, growing too fat was undesirable.

Tong Wan believed she couldn’t let Xuanxuan regret it when she grew up. It didn’t matter if girls were chubby as children, but losing weight later was hard on the body. Too much meat and too few vegetables weren’t good for Xuanxuan’s health either.

As for the men of the household, Tong Wan didn’t care; having food was good enough for them. How dare they have demands?

Tong Wan swept her gaze forcefully over the table; everyone bowed their heads. In the Wan Qi family, Tong Wan was supreme.

Wan Qi Lianhao silently gave his mother a thumbs up—she was truly formidable.

Xuanxuan looked miserably at the greens in her bowl, convinced her face would turn green by tomorrow.

She suddenly frowned, glancing at Wan Qi Lianjun beside her. She used to think he smelled faintly of flowerless herbs, assuming it was accidental, until she realized it wasn’t. Wan Qi Lianjun always carried that scent, though the amount wasn’t enough to harm him—until now.

Xuanxuan was certain Wan Qi Lianhao or someone else had deliberately placed flowerless herbs on him. But she didn’t understand why; a small amount could calm the mind, but excessive use led to nerve deterioration, and the crucial thing was it couldn’t be combined with another rare plant.

Strange. By rights, Wan Qi Lianjun shouldn’t have let outsiders close. Xuanxuan’s expression chilled—it must be someone within.

For Wan Qi Lianhao to trust the daily contact, it had to be someone he believed in.

Xuanxuan bit her fork, thinking deeply, only for her father to tap her head, “No biting utensils while eating.”

Xuanxuan pouted. With no meat, nothing tasty, what else could she chew?

“If you don’t want your post-meal snack, that’s fine too,” Wan Qi Lianhao said calmly, eating his meal. Even he felt uncomfortable with all the greens—eating a little daily was fine, but doing so every day alongside Xuanxuan was unbearable.

The post-meal snack was just a few pieces of jerky, an incentive Wan Qi Lianhao set so Xuanxuan would eat more regular meals. If even that disappeared, Xuanxuan felt she might as well run away from home.

Though she grumbled inwardly, Xuanxuan obediently started eating. Rebelling against her father never ended well.

She’d learned that lesson early.

Wan Qi Weihao, sitting nearby, secretly winked at Xuanxuan, who immediately understood and nodded. Wan Qi Weihao and Wan Qi Weihan always prepared snacks for her.

They both had their own little stash, and whenever they went out, they’d bring treats back for Xuanxuan. Wan Qi Lianjun also always remembered to prepare food for her.

Thinking of those snacks—even if they weren’t as tasty as those made by Tong Wan and Wan Qi Lianhao—they were better than nothing.

She smiled as she ate her rice, reluctantly stuffing the greens into her mouth and swallowing them whole.

Wan Qi Lianhao glanced at Xuanxuan, then at his two nephews, “What are you two scheming?”

The twins shrank their necks. Since Wan Qi Lianhao returned, morning training had been handed over to him. They dared not cross him, remembering how he’d start the morning demanding two laps—they couldn’t handle that.

Xuanxuan looked pitifully at Wan Qi Yi; Tong Wan could no longer be relied on.

Wan Qi Yi looked at Xuanxuan, then at his wife, and seeing Tong Wan wasn’t watching him, coughed twice, “Eat. No talking.”

Wan Hou Lianbin could only glare at Xuanxuan, who paid him no mind, busy considering when to visit her eldest uncle’s house.