Chapter 406 - The Nine Qualities Required of the Head of the Xiasi Group
Wen Xinya brought a bowl of dang-gui soup for blood nourishment into the study room. Si Yiyan was on the phone, speaking in E-language. That indescribably charming face now looked much clearer and actually even seemed slightly hardy. His facial features looked like they were carved by knives, his nose as high as a mountain, looking all aesthetic like a sculpture. His deep eyes glowed dully, yet had an unraveled pride.
The finger joints could clearly be seen as his fingers rested elegantly on the computer, typing on it from time to time, producing a crisp sound which was actually an additional clattering menace.
Seeing that she came over, Si Yiyan hung up the phone after a few more words.
“Did anything happen?” Wen Xinya asked softly. He was wearing a light-ash blouse—that kind of ash color was like ink dissolved in water, filled with poetic elegance, already rid of the harsh menace just now.
Si Yiyan pulled her to the sofa and explained with a mild smile. “Nothing major. Don’t worry.”
Wen Xinya didn’t continue asking and only passed the small bowl in front of her into his hands. “Drink this dang-gui soup for blood nourishment! I’ve simmered it for two hours.”
Although Si Yiyan’s injury was almost fully healed, Wen Xinya still prepared medicinal cuisines to improve his health and blood nourishment medicinal soups for him every day.
Si Yiyan smelled the bitter and strong medicinal scent of the blood nourishment soup and furrowed his elegant brows slightly. However, he still received and drank it up bit by bit.
Seeing his cooperation, Wen Xinya’s eyes filled up with amusement. She couldn’t help but recall the situation of Mother Jiang and Mother He preparing blood nourishment soup for her when she was injured by Wen Haowen previously. The effects of dang-gui soup for blood nourishment were truly great, but it tasted even more bitter than ordinary medicines—previously, she had only drunk it twice before refusing it no matter what.
However, Si Yiyan had drunk it for almost half a month. He would frown whenever she brought it over, but he would finish it to the last drop every time.
After finishing the blood nourishment soup, Si Yiyan was preparing to fetch a cup of tea to rinse his mouth when a piece of sweet-smelling pastry was delivered to his mouth. “I’ve especially gotten Mother He to make some lotus seed cakes—they taste sweet yet not overwhelming. Quick, have some to combat the bitterness.”
Si Yiyan ate the pastry from her hand. Indeed, just like what she said, it was sweet yet not overwhelming, and the bitter taste in his mouth mellowed down. “My injury has already healed. I don’t need to drink such soups and medicines anymore.”
Wen Xinya said confidently, “Your injury has healed. However, you bled so much previously and will need to nourish your blood for more than just a few days. This formula is Grandpa Du’s secret formula. Don’t worry… it only nourishes your blood and enhances your cardiovascular health—it won’t be too much.”
Si Yiyan looked at her resolute expression and sighed slightly. That medicine really tasted…
Wen Xinya chuckled with a “psst”. “Does your face have to be as better as that bowl of medicine! I’m brewing medicine for you and waiting on you daily and you’re still frowning upon me.”
Si Yiyan pulled her hand in and hurriedly said, “How would I dare, how would I!”
“That’s more like it!” Wen Xinya raised her brows contentedly, her fluttering eyes glitteringly enchanting.
Si Yiyan couldn’t help but lean in and kiss her on the lips.
Wen Xinya struggled, pushed him away with determination, covered her mouth with one hand, pointed her other hand towards Si Yiyan’s lips, and said with a muffled voice, “Bitter… so bitter!”
Faced with rejection, Si Yiyan did not look too happy. The bitterness that filled his mouth was bearable just now, but it became unbearable at this moment.
Wen Xinya saw that Si Yiyan’s elegant and harsh face darkened in a rare occasion and couldn’t help but start laughing. She took the initiative, leaning in to kiss his lips. Unexpectedly, Si Yiyan pressed on the back of her head and started kissing her passionately.
As bitterness filled her mouth, Wen Xinya’s face scrunched up like a bun and couldn’t help but curse in her heart: Si Yiyan is obviously taking revenge, plain revenge.
Si Yiyan released her lips and sneered. “They say through thick and thin—naturally, bitterness should also be shared.”
Wen Xinya stared at him angrily. “I wonder who said ‘I’ll take the suffering and pain while you enjoy the bliss’—Ninth Young Master Xiasi is so forgetful, forgetting what you said previously so quickly!”
Si Yiyan said with a teasing smile, “With a beauty before me, I can’t see and think clearly—my wits all thrown out of the window.”
Wen Xinya giggled with a “psst”. “Let me see. Si Yiyan you’re the only child of your parents but everyone calls you Ninth Young Master. Previously, I thought the number nine represented respect, so it actually means that you’re keenly attuned to all nine orifices of your body—no one can win you in a debate.”
Si Yiyan said plainly, “In a way, you’re kinda right. The heads of the Xiasi Group across all generations are all designated with the number nine, not just because it’s the most distinguished number, but because we’re required to possess nine qualities and can be said as keenly attuned to all nine orifices of our bodies.”
Wen Xinya blinked, not expecting there to actually be more to this, and hurriedly asked, “Even Bi Gan only has a heart attuned to his seven orifices, and you’re actually attuned to nine. Quick, tell me what are the nine qualities?”
“Tough and calm like an angular bone, elegant and flawless like jade, and unwavering like a rock—these are the basic characteristics of a person; the loyalty of a wild wolf, the slyness of a fox, and the patience of a leopard—these are the basic personalities to establish one’s foothold in the world; and, the severity to heptakill and the cunningness of a greedy wolf—these are the basic means to fight for power.”
This wasn’t any secret. It was precisely due to the spread of these kinds of rumors that every head of the Xiasi Group was painted as being highly secretive and unpredictable, instilling fear in others and also laying the foundation for the absolute power and status of the Xiasi Group.
Wen Xinya couldn’t help but widen her eyes. “Incredible. How are such qualities instilled then?”
She didn’t know about other heads of the Xiasi Group, but Si Yiyan definitely possessed these nine qualities and was even more outstanding than what the nine qualities described.
Si Yiyan saw that her huge staring eyes were twinkling with curiosity, making them appear even brighter. “A person’s characteristics are nurtured through education, yet personalities require conscientious learning. When I was little, I lived together with wolves, foxes, and leopards—only by living with them can one learn the most precious qualities from them. The other three qualities are political tactics to fight for power—I learned them from Old Mr. Mo.”
When he was young, as his character was too soft, in order to train his guts, his father had purposely come to Country Z for holiday and let him live together with wild beasts. He was terrified then and would accidentally make provoking actions from time to time, which made the wild beasts attack him ferociously. However, his father had sent many highly skilled men to protect him and didn’t make him suffer any injuries.
And from then on, he had learned to observe the habits of the wild beasts as well as their special characteristics. After understanding these, those terrifying wild beasts were but huge obedient cats in his eyes.
Wen Xinya gasped and hurriedly asked, “You lived together with wild beasts. Won’t they hurt people?”
In her mind, wild beasts were all ferocious. Si Yiyan had actually lived together with wild beasts when he was young—this was totally out of her perceivable knowledge.
Si Yiyan saw her nervousness, took her hand, smiled, and said, “Of course, wild beasts will hurt people. However, the Xiasi Group trains many beasts. Thus, as long as one doesn’t do any provoking acts, they wouldn’t hurt people. However, there would still be accidents once in a while.”
Wen Xinya heaved a sigh of relief and felt slightly moved. “Nobody was ever born outstanding. Instead, like bones and rocks, it’s achieved through cutting, grinding, and scraping.”