"I don't know." Sun Miao answered decisively without any hesitation, as if he had never thought about the question before.
In reality, Sun Miao was cursing in his heart, thinking to himself, "With your top-level Earth Realm strength, don't you know how to coerce and entice Lin Yao? As long as you control the scale well, you won't provoke the Yi family's protest, and you can still achieve your goal."
Sun Miao could only think these words in his heart; he couldn't say them aloud. Although the Sun family also had their own plans, they had to bear the consequences of their words—this was an ironclad rule that Sun Miao dared not violate lightly. He also never considered denying that he had given Pei Yuan advice if something went wrong. Therefore, he could only subtly guide the conversation, not speak openly.
The emergence of something that could rival the Sun family's "Langya Jade Bottle" was of great importance to Sun Miao, the family's successor. This was the real reason he was willing to play the "working game" with Pei Yuan: he had to understand any factors that were detrimental to the family and find a solution.
"It's infuriating to think about it. The key talents of our two great families have ended up working for a small company as an office worker! What's worse, they have to take orders from Lin Yao. It's an absolute humiliation!"
Pei Yuan downed the Wuliangye liquor in one gulp from a small glass. When he put the glass down, his movement was so forceful that it shattered the glass turntable on the table with his inner energy. Fortunately, the turntable was not far from the table, so the liquor did not spill.
"Just bear with it. At least there are a few beautiful women in the office." Sun Miao was also a little frustrated, but she hid it well, and it wasn't obvious on the surface. "As for the work Lin Yao arranged, just say you don't know how to do it. We'll just waste time there and wait for an opportunity. Once we achieve our goal, we'll leave."
"That's all we can do." Pei Yuan sighed heavily, as if he wanted to exhale all the frustration in his chest. "I don't know what the Grand Elder and your Grand Elder mean. Such a small fry doesn't need such a big fuss. Just take him somewhere and the problem will be solved. I don't believe that we can't do this after we've made preparations. It's just a small mid-stage Earth Rank!"
"Let me reiterate, don't expect me to help you. You have to do it yourself. I'll offer assistance from both sides and observe from the sidelines."
Sun Miao quickly made his stance clear. Based on his understanding of Pei Yuan, if he didn't take a firm stance, Pei Yuan would definitely act first and ask for permission later, and then drag him into it. Even if he didn't take action, just standing by would be considered an accomplice.
The Sun family rules are very strict, and he can accompany Pei Yuan, this impulsive fellow, to receive family punishment.
*********
Some were happy while others were sad. Lin Yao was in a great mood, lying on the bed and reminiscing about his afternoon stroll on the street. He felt it was so interesting and comfortable.
In fact, Lin Yao and Xia Yuwen didn't buy or look at anything in the afternoon. Most of the time, they were just two quiet people, walking along the street in silence. One blushed and the other's heart was racing. If it were any other couple, they would feel like they had failed miserably, but these two inexperienced young people were happy with it and felt it was wonderful.
"Yaoyao, it's time to practice your skills." Xiaocao's voice rang out, interrupting Lin Yao's daydreaming.
"Oh." Lin Yao sat up in bed. "Wow, it's so dark already! Time flies!"
"Are you daydreaming? You must be thinking about Wenwen." Xiaocao bluntly exposed Lin Yao's secret. "You've even forgotten to practice your skills. Hurry up and practice, you're far behind me."
"What?" Lin Yao didn't understand.
"Didn't you say you sensed two streets this afternoon?" Little Grass's voice was full of pride. "Hmph! Only two streets! I can now cover a radius of five kilometers!"
"Ah~~~~~~~" Lin Yao let out a long exclamation, nothing but "Ah" after "Ah".
Xiao Cao's words were so shocking that Lin Yao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
With a radius of five kilometers, that means the grass could cover an area of about eighty square kilometers at the same time, which is simply frightening.
In Chengdu, this area, located at Tianfu Square, covers almost the entire area within the Second Ring Road. Lin Yao didn't know what that meant, but he knew that the scope was so vast that he couldn't accept it for a while.
"What do you mean? Can't I be amazing?" Xiaocao spoke with the air of someone in a superior position; heaven knows which movie she learned that from.
"Is your coverage all-round or one-way?" Lin Yao couldn't help but want to confirm. This data was really frightening. He was already shocked when the grass could cover a radius of one kilometer. Suddenly, there was a five-kilometer coverage. It was as if the grass was testing the resilience of his nerves.
"Of course it's all-encompassing, like a spider web." Xiaocao's tone softened. "It's like the time you created that thick fog a few days ago. Although I was stuck inside you and couldn't move, I still benefited a lot. I tested it when you were flirting with girls just now, and it actually covered five kilometers. I just refrained from disturbing you. See how good I am to you?"
Lin Yao felt ashamed, thinking to himself, "Me, picking up girls? That sounds really awkward."
What's even more awkward is that while he's in a relationship, Xiaocao is playing around, and the two of them even share a "body".
Lin Yao felt a slight sense of crisis. At that moment, he was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice the unusual behavior of the grass. This wouldn't do; he wouldn't even be able to sense if it encountered danger.
"Little Grass, this covering won't affect you, will it?" Suddenly remembering the cost, Lin Yao quickly asked.
"It doesn't have much of an impact. With such a wide coverage, the power at a specific point isn't very strong, and the power weakens the farther away you are," Xiaocao explained carefully. "However, if you want to send medicinal gas or poison gas into an ordinary person's body, it's still very easy and not troublesome at all."
"By the way, Yaoyao, let me tell you, the plants within my control will listen to me. I can make them change some of their habits, such as blooming out of season."
"So amazing?! Then you'll be the Flower Goddess from now on." Lin Yao praised her generously, secretly delighted by Xiao Cao's growing strength.
“Yes, that’s Mingjin’s ability, and now it belongs to me.” Little Grass was very proud. “However, controlling plants out of season will cause them a lot of damage. For example, they will easily wither after flowering, and even if they don’t wither, it will take a long time to recover.”
"Oh, it's okay, we don't need to do that kind of thing," Lin Yao replied nonchalantly.
"Xiao Cao, how many experts are there in Beijing right now? How many experts have you sensed?" This information was crucial, so Lin Yao quickly asked.
"There are many. Just near Wenwen's house, there are 113 early-stage Earth-level experts, 22 mid-stage Earth-level experts, two top-stage Earth-level experts, one peak Earth-level expert, and even one Heaven-level expert. And that's just within a five-kilometer radius." Xiaocao's intelligence work was very thorough; she proactively completed all the tasks that Lin Yao hadn't assigned her beforehand.
"Oh, it's normal for the Beijing Military Region to have experts, but I didn't expect that besides the four great families, there would be other people who could cultivate to the Heavenly level. It seems that there are many hidden talents in this world." Lin Yao said to himself.
After listening to Yi Yang and Yi Fei's detailed explanation of the structure and code of conduct of ancient martial arts practitioners, it was clear that the top-level experts from aristocratic families had to report before entering the capital, but could do so freely outside the capital. Unexpectedly, there was also a team stationed in the military region that was no weaker than that of the major aristocratic families. If it were Zhongnanhai, where Yi Fei used to work, there would definitely be even more experts.
The phone rang, and Lin Yao was surprised to find that it was Pei Yuan calling. This kid had actually found out his phone number. Lin Yao had originally thought that these two arrogant people wouldn't talk to their colleagues.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yao discussed it with Xiao Cao. To put it simply, he just wanted to have a chat with someone and didn't expect Xiao Cao to give any advice.
Although Xiaocao's intelligence is showing to be increasing, high IQ doesn't necessarily mean high EQ; after all, she's not a completely real person.
“Go ahead. There’s a saying in the book that goes, ‘If it’s a blessing in disguise, you can’t escape it.’ Since the two of them see each other every day anyway, you might as well meet them privately and see what they’re up to so you can come up with your own strategy.”
Lin Yao was taken aback, wondering if this was still the ignorant little grass? Could it be that movies, TV shows, and novels were so effective that the little grass had actually learned and applied philosophical principles?
"Of course, I'm a blade of grass, the smartest blade of grass!" The blade of grass, who knew nothing of humility, immediately seized the opportunity and climbed up the pole, quite proud of itself.
It was still a teahouse near Wangfujing, but this time Pei Yuan and Sun Miao didn't choose the public hall; they booked a private room instead. Lin Yao arrived in his Audi's younger sibling, the Alto, at 10:41 PM, just as the nightlife was starting.
"Speak up, what exactly do you two want? Are you bored and have nothing better to do than come work for the company? And even try to be office staff. What's your purpose?"
Lin Yao got straight to the point, not wanting to waste words with these two. Although Sun Miao's attitude was good, with a smiling, thin Maitreya Buddha-like appearance, Pei Yuan's murderous aura was on full display, which Lin Yao found very offensive.
Although Pei Yuan and Sun Miao have surpassed Lin Yao in terms of individual strength, having cultivated to the peak of the Earth level, Lin Yao is not afraid of them at all, given his current and improved Qi Rank 10 Healing True Qi. If he uses his attribute True Qi, Lin Yao is confident that he can defeat these two without relying on Xiao Cao, provided that they cannot escape.
If they were to escape, Xiaocao would need to intervene. Besides, Xiaocao's strength was originally part of Lin Yao's strength, and Lin Yao never hesitated to accept this; he had long since bound Xiaocao to himself.