Chapter 2937 — A Quiet Request

Only, this was as much as Wei Zhao could settle for the moment.

Shaking his head, Wei Zhao put these matters temporarily behind him and rose to go back to his room to look into the business of crafting the jade pendant—when, unexpectedly, the doorbell rang.

Since both Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu had gone upstairs, Wei Zhao had no choice but to answer the door himself. He opened it, and who should it be but Han Jingyi.

"Wei Zhao, you're back!" Han Jingyi was overjoyed to see him; she bounced inside and looked him up and down.

"Yes, I'm back. How did you know?" Wei Zhao was rather surprised at how well-informed she was.

"Your car's parked right outside!" Han Jingyi stared at him, baffled. "Wei Zhao, what's wrong with you? You seem a little... distracted."

Her words brought him up short—of course, his Grand Cherokee was sitting right there in front of the house; if Han Jingyi had failed to notice he was home, she'd have to be blind. He gave a wry smile. "It's nothing. The company's run into a bit of trouble. I only just got home and haven't had a chance to come find you."

"Mm-hm! Jingjing came to see Wei Zhao because she has something important to tell you!" Han Jingyi nodded, unconcerned, and came straight to the point.

"Oh? What important thing?" Wei Zhao blinked.

"Jingjing's been working on an invention lately. Actually, she started thinking it over back when she could already refine pills in batches. Just recently, Jingjing finally had a bit of a breakthrough, so she wants to go into seclusion for a while, and she came specially to say goodbye to Wei Zhao..." Han Jingyi said.

"An invention? Seclusion? Goodbye?" Wei Zhao was a little dazed, unable at first to make sense of what she was saying. Only after a long moment did it sink in. "You mean... you're going to lock yourself in a room and work on this invention of yours?"

"Mm-hm!" Han Jingyi nodded, gazing at Wei Zhao with undisguised admiration. "Wei Zhao is so clever—you knew right away what Jingjing was going to do!"

"Pfft..." Wei Zhao choked, then couldn't help laughing. "What's so clever about that? You just told me you were going into seclusion to work on an invention—of course I could figure it out! By the way, Jingjing, what exactly are you trying to invent?"

"Jingjing is researching a method that can refine pills with one hundred percent success!" Han Jingyi said. She had never kept her inventions from Wei Zhao.

"Oh? A method for one hundred percent success in pill refinement? But... Jingjing, can't you already refine pills with one hundred percent success? Why research it further?" Wei Zhao was taken aback, looking at her in some puzzlement.

"That's because only Jingjing can do it with one hundred percent success! Jingjing means to let other alchemists also achieve one hundred percent success in refining pills!" Han Jingyi explained.

"Other alchemists... also achieving one hundred percent success?" Wei Zhao drew a sharp breath. If Han Jingyi's invention truly succeeded, it would set off a tremendous uproar in the world of cultivation!

"Mm-hm, that's right!" Han Jingyi nodded. "Jingjing's research has already shown some promise—only the final implementation remains!"

"Now that is a rather interesting invention..." Wei Zhao nodded, lost in thought. If Han Jingyi really could develop it, then he could find some underlings who met the constitution requirements and have them refine pills in batches—and become a great alchemical sect to rival the Xuandan Sect!

"Maybe. But everything has to wait until Jingjing finishes her research." Here Han Jingyi changed the subject. "By the way, Wei Zhao, what happened with your company?"

"Nothing much, really. Liu Tianli of the Liu family put all the company's money into some drug-trafficking scheme, and ended up getting cheated... Oh, that's right, you probably don't know anyone from the Liu family..." Wei Zhao said offhandedly.

"I see... So, Wei Zhao, how do you plan to punish the Liu family?" Han Jingyi seemed remarkably interested as she pressed on.

Wei Zhao found it odd that she should care about such things, but he answered anyway. "In light of the Liu family's loyalty all this time, I'll just terminate their partnership with Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals, and let the mastermind, Liu Tianli, simply disappear. As for the rest, everything stays as it was..."

"I see..." Han Jingyi nodded, but then suddenly asked, "Wei Zhao, could you... let the Liu family off just this once?"

"Huh?" Wei Zhao was thrown by the abruptness of the question. Utterly at a loss, he asked, "Let the Liu family off? Why?"

"Because... because Jingjing knows the Liu family, that's why. The invention Jingjing's researching, this one-hundred-percent pill refinement method, needs the Liu family's help to procure some of the things she needs. So, Wei Zhao, could you promise Jingjing? Let the Liu family off?" Han Jingyi batted her big, watery eyes, gazing at Wei Zhao imploringly.

Wei Zhao frowned. Han Jingyi's reason was, frankly, far-fetched and baffling. Her invention needed the Liu family's help?

Still, he probed cautiously. "You don't need the Liu family. Whatever you need, I can have someone else procure it for you."

"Wei Zhao, please just say yes to Jingjing, I'm begging you!" Han Jingyi insisted.

Had anyone else begged him, Wei Zhao would certainly not have agreed so readily to such a baffling request. But with Han Jingyi, he could not refuse—not only because she could refine pills for him, but because she had once nearly lost her life helping him keep his secret.

"All right. I won't terminate the Liu family's partnership with Guan Daifu Pharmaceuticals. I hear Liu Tianli has a gifted daughter named Liu Jinghan—she ought to be able to take up her father's work..." Wei Zhao sighed and agreed to Han Jingyi's request. It was not a complete concession, but even so it was a tremendous one for him.

Hearing this, Han Jingyi did not seem especially happy. Instead, a flicker of barely perceptible sorrow passed through her eyes. Then she asked, "And... what about Liu Tianli?"

"Everyone must answer for what they've done. Wrong is wrong. If someone does wrong and suffers nothing for it, what would everyone else think?" Wei Zhao paused there. "Jingjing, why are you pleading for the Liu family?"

"Wei Zhao... Jingjing... in all this time, this is the only thing I've ever asked of you, all right?" Han Jingyi bit her lip, raised her head, and looked Wei Zhao straight in the eye. "Is that all right? Wei Zhao, for the sake of Jingjing, who once nearly died—say yes to Jingjing, please?" (To be continued)

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