Gao Wu: A centenarian old man, many children and good fortune! Chapter 089

Surrounded by countless fervent gazes and flattering words, Xiao Yan handled himself with ease, chatting and laughing with representatives from all sides, neither humble nor arrogant, without missing a beat.

However, his perception, far keener than ordinary people, and his insight, honed by a century of trials and tribulations, clearly captured the ubiquitous probing, evaluating, and… greedy gazes hidden beneath the smiles and admiration.

He knew that while he was currently enjoying immense prestige, hailed as a city hero, he had also become a target, watched by countless eyes.

The secret he carried (the More Children, More Blessings System) was his greatest reliance, and a trump card he absolutely could not expose. Once leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable! Not only the Blood Ghost Sect, but even some factions within the Alliance, and perhaps even those high and mighty Battle Kings, might covet him!

An innocent man is guilty only for possessing a treasure!

He had to become stronger! Become stronger as quickly as possible! Strong enough to crush all prying eyes! Strong enough to make everyone look up to him with awe and reverence!

At the same time, he also had to be more cautious and protect the secrets of himself and his family!

Inside the banquet hall, glasses clinked and the atmosphere was lively, but in Xiao Yan’s heart, a sense of urgency and… vigilance, even stronger than when he faced the Blood Ghost Sect and the Brain-Devouring Terrors, surged forth!

Improve strength! Guard secrets! These two points became his most core objectives for the future!

As soon as the clamor of the commendation ceremony and celebration banquet subsided, the various forces in the Fourth New Nanjing City eagerly began their actions.

The first to be unable to hold back were those few factions that relatively lacked top-tier martial support and were more skilled at maneuvering and opportunism.

President Zhou of the Zhou Commercial Bank, a plump merchant who controlled part of the city’s commercial lifeline, acted the fastest. The day after the banquet, he personally brought a generous gift and a carefully selected collateral family member—a twenty-year-old woman with a pure and lovely appearance and the strength of a third-grade warrior—to visit Xiao Yan’s manor.

“General Xiao! Your presence yesterday was even more magnificent than before! This Zhou is filled with utmost admiration!” President Zhou smiled broadly, adopting a very humble posture. “I heard that General Xiao’s martial arts are god-like, and my humble daughter has long admired you, wishing wholeheartedly to seek your guidance and learn from you. This unworthy Zhou is willing to send my daughter to the Xiao Martial Arts Academy, to be a registered disciple, serving tea and water, so she may listen to your teachings day and night…”

Close behind was the scarred-faced president of the “Iron Fist Society,” an underground force in the southern city. He didn’t dare to directly send someone to his door, but rather, through Zhao Meng, subtly expressed that he had several sisters under his command who were “of clean background, understood the rules, and possessed absolutely top-tier looks and figures,” hoping they could have the opportunity to “serve” General Xiao, attending to him wholeheartedly and without any ulterior motives.

There were also several local prominent families of considerable strength, such as the Zhang family and the Wu family, who followed suit. They either personally visited or arranged introductions through intermediaries, sending carefully selected young women from their respective families, either possessing quasi-warrior strength or exceptionally outstanding in appearance and temperament, all under the guise of “admiring the hero,” “eager to learn,” “willing to serve,” and so on.

For a time, Xiao Yan’s manor entrance was bustling with carriages and horses, and “visits” and “gifts” of various pretexts came one after another. These forces had their calculations clicking away, all wanting to replicate the Lin family’s previous success by sending women to establish deeper connections with this rising ninth-grade general star.

However, the outcome greatly exceeded everyone’s expectations!

Facing the collateral “disciple” from the Zhou Commercial Bank, Xiao Yan politely accepted the gift but politely declined the hopeful young woman, citing “the martial arts academy is newly established and currently not accepting disciples.”

Regarding the “goodwill” conveyed by the Iron Fist Society’s president through Zhao Meng, Xiao Yan directly had Zhao Meng refuse, stating that he was “busy with military affairs and had no time for other matters.”

For the “admirers” sent by the Zhang family, Wu family, and others, Xiao Yan likewise received them politely, then, using the excuse that “I already have virtuous wives and beautiful concubines at home, and my energy is truly limited, I dare not delay the young lady’s future,” he politely sent them all away.

Without exception! All the “gifts” sent, whether quasi-warriors or peerless beauties, were blocked at the door by Xiao Yan with various seemingly reasonable but absolutely firm reasons!

This result instantly stunned all the forces that were watching and preparing to follow suit!

What’s going on?!

This path… is blocked?!

Could the rumors be false? Is this General Xiao not as “lustful” as imagined? Or has his taste changed? Or… were his previous actions just exceptions under specific circumstances?

For a time, various speculations and doubts circulated among the major forces.

Lin Jianye and Lin Tao of the Lin family, upon hearing this news, also looked at each other, filled with confusion. They had originally thought they had guessed Xiao Yan’s “preferences” and were preparing to send a second batch of even better women to solidify their relationship, but they never expected Xiao Yan to make a complete U-turn!

“What is this old man… thinking?” Lin Jianye frowned deeply.

Lin Tao pondered for a moment, guessing, “Perhaps… he’s trying to avoid suspicion? After all, he’s currently riding a wave of popularity, with countless eyes on him, and he doesn’t want to be accused of being greedy for beauty?”

“Possibly…” Lin Jianye nodded. “Or perhaps… he feels that the people sent by those smaller families aren’t important enough? They don’t catch his eye?”

“Or even…” Lin Wei interjected coldly from the side, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible complexity, “…his family members at home wouldn’t allow it?”

Whatever the reason, Xiao Yan’s unexpected “rejection of gifts” poured cold water on those forces attempting to curry favor with him through the shortcut of “sending women.”

They had to re-evaluate the character and conduct of this newly rising powerhouse and began to search for other avenues.

As for Xiao Yan himself, he paid no mind to the various speculations from the outside world.

The reason why Xiao Yan uncharacteristically turned away the “gifts” that were proactively sent to his door was actually exceptionally simple and pragmatic.

It wasn’t that he had suddenly changed his ways, becoming pure and ascetic, nor was it about avoiding suspicion or considering the feelings of his wives and concubines at home.

The core reason lay in—efficiency! And a strategic consideration for higher-quality “feedback sources” in the future!

He already had seven wives successfully pregnant, and there were eight young children at home who required his time and energy to guide their “cultivation.” This already occupied a significant portion of his energy.

More importantly, with his own rapid increase in strength, having stepped into the extraordinary ninth-grade, his perspective had long since changed.

He keenly realized a crucial issue: the potential of his offspring directly determined the multiplier and quality of the feedback!

“Normal” potential yields a hundredfold feedback.

“Excellent” potential yields a two-hundredfold feedback.

So, what about beyond “Excellent”? Are there “Exceptional,” “Outstanding,” or even “Legendary” levels of potential? What would be the feedback multipliers for these higher-potential offspring? Three hundredfold? Five hundredfold? Or even a thousandfold?!

The answer was almost certainly yes!

And the potential of offspring, in addition to being influenced by the mother’s nourishment during pregnancy, more crucially, likely depended on the mother’s own bloodline strength and martial arts talent!

The five women sent by the Lin family before, though only quasi-warriors, had ultimately crossed the warrior threshold, and their bloodlines had undergone initial tempering, making them significantly stronger than pure ordinary people. Among the offspring they bore, two exhibited “Excellent” potential (Lin Xueqing, Su Wan’er) and three “Normal” potential.

Chen Yuyao, also with a quasi-warrior foundation, had two children: one “Excellent” and one “Normal.”

And Li Xiuying, whose second pregnancy occurred after breaking through to quasi-warrior, ultimately gave birth to a child with “Excellent” potential!

This was enough to show that the mother’s strength and potential had a direct and significant impact on the potential assessment of the offspring!

Now, the women sent by these forces were mostly ordinary people with outstanding looks, or low-grade warriors who had just barely reached the quasi-warrior threshold and whose potential was almost exhausted.

If they were to conceive, the offspring they bore would likely have at most “Normal” potential, providing only a hundredfold feedback.

For Xiao Yan, who already possessed multiple “Excellent” potential feedback sources (two hundredfold), spending valuable time and energy on these “common goods” to obtain relatively inefficient hundredfold feedback was simply not cost-effective enough!

He didn’t lack quantity now; he lacked quality!

Instead of wasting time on these limited-potential women, busy all day long, it would be better to focus his energy on finding women who were stronger themselves, had higher talent, and greater potential!

For example… a genius transcendent like Lin Wei? Or the direct descendants of other martial arts families? Or even… if possible, the descendants of those high and mighty Battle King families?

If he could have them bear children for him, would the potential assessment of those children directly be “Exceptional” or even higher? Would the feedback multiplier reach three hundredfold, five hundredfold, or even a more terrifying level?!

The feedback from one high-potential offspring could be worth ten normal-potential offspring, or even a hundred!

Xiao Yan had calculated this very clearly!

Therefore, the signal he was now sending was very clear: he no longer cared for ordinary goods!

Want to establish a deeper relationship with him, this rising ninth-grade general star? Want to get on board his endlessly potential ship?

You can!

Show your true sincerity! Send the most valuable, most potential, and most excellent bloodline women from your family!

Otherwise, no deal!