Some Rejoiced, Others Grieved

"Really... really?"

Shen Jingchuan gently tapped her forehead:

"Would I lie to you? The purer the Spirit Root, the brighter the light. Yours is a single Ice Spirit Root, also called Variant Spirit Root, which is on par with the top-tier Heaven Spirit Roots. Countless people would kill for it."

Bai Ruoli stared at him blankly, her eyes gradually reddening. She had only hoped to be like Sister Lin and would have been content; she never imagined that she would have such good fortune.

She pursed her lips and nodded emphatically, tears finally streaming down her face, but a smile played on her lips.

Lin Qingyao was taken aback at first, feeling a pang of sadness, but then she was genuinely happy for her and smiled as she leaned closer.

"Congratulations Ruoli! This is wonderful news!"

The maids were also in an uproar, all surprised and envious, surrounding Bai Ruoli to offer their congratulations, chattering excitedly, making the courtyard incredibly lively.

The Yue'er couldn't contain herself any longer and jumped over.

"Young Master, I want to get tested too!"

"Okay, put your hand on." Shen Jingchuan reached out and ruffled her hair. "Don't get so excited, calm down."

"Yes." Yue'er responded obediently, trying her best to keep a straight face, slowly placing her palm on top, and even reverently closing her eyes.

In that instant, light indeed shone through the depths of the stone again. White, cyan, blue, red, and yellow—five colors intertwined, each wisp so faint as to be almost invisible, flickering and uncertain—exactly the same as Lin Qingyao's situation just now.

Shen Jingchuan understood immediately and sighed inwardly.

She's another Hidden Spirit Root with Five Spirit Roots, just like her master. This is a complete money-loser; her Spirit Veins are thin and blocked. In the future, she'll need to spend a lot of money on expanding her veins, pills, and Spirit Stones.

It was a pity, but he couldn't just abandon the girl beside him. He shook his head, not taking it too seriously—others couldn't afford to raise her, but he could.

Yue'er opened her eyes and saw his expression, her heart filled with unease.

"Young Master, I... I don't have one?"

"Yes, you have the Five Phases Spirit Root, just like your master. I'll slowly work on conditioning it for you later." Shen Jingchuan didn't elaborate, only patting her head. Yue'er heard "yes" and didn't listen to anything else, just grinned.

Shen Jingchuan looked up and saw Qinghe staring longingly in his direction, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes.

"Come here, Qinghe."

Qinghe's eyes lit up immediately, and she quickly ran over, imitating Yue'er, carefully placing her hand on it, closing her eyes, and even slowing her breathing.

This time, however, no matter how long she waited, the stone remained silent, without a trace of light, not even the faint glow she had seen before.

Shen Jingchuan gently shook his head at her.

The light in Qinghe's eyes gradually faded. She pursed her lips, withdrew her hand, lowered her head, and returned to Bai Ruoli's side, her eyes reddening.

Bai Ruoli reached out and pulled her to her side, gently comforting her.

"Silly girl, not everyone has the destiny to become an immortal; you can't force it. Even without Spirit Roots, you're still doing just fine by my side. Who would starve you?"

Qinghe sniffed and nodded reluctantly.

Next was Ju'er. She stepped forward and placed her hand on it, but after a long while, the stone remained completely still, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Another one that doesn't exist.

Ju'er also slumped down and retreated, returning to Lin Qingyao's back with an expression of undisguised disappointment. Lin Qingyao, not good at comforting people, patted her on the back.

Shen Jingchuan observed this and agreed; it was true, not everyone could possess Spirit Roots. It would be truly strange if even a random maidservant possessed immortal bones.

Shen Jingchuan's gaze fell on the Su Qingshu and Su Qinghua sisters. The two were looking at him anxiously, unsure of what to do with their hands.

"What, you two don't want to take the test anymore?"

Su Qingshu was shy by nature. She bit her lip and was about to step forward with a forced smile when Su Qinghua jumped out first.

She opened her mouth to call him "brother," but halfway through the sentence, she caught sight of Lin Qingyao and Bai Ruoli beside her and hurriedly changed her mind.

"... Uh, young master, let me go first! What are you afraid of? Whether it's true or not, young master won't abandon us, right, young master?"

Shen Jingchuan chuckled at her words and waved his hand.

"Alright, you don't need to be so considerate in the future. When they're around, you can still call them 'brother,' stop calling them 'young master.' I adopted you two as my sisters in the first place. You both still have your own good citizen status; you're not girls I bought with money. Why so many rules?"

Su Qinghua had already moved closer, her beautiful big eyes sparkling as she looked at him, her voice soft.

"Brother, I'll listen to you."

Su Qingshu also moved over and followed, but didn't dare to make a sound. She only glanced quickly at Lin Qingyao and then at Bai Ruoli.

Lin Qingyao smiled and spoke.

"Alright, I've told you two sisters before, it's your own fault for being so reserved. I really appreciate your good manners, but there's no need to be so stiff. Your brother has already said that's how you'll address each other from now on, no need to be so formal."

The two sisters exchanged a glance and then curtsied to Lin Qingyao and Bai Ruoli.

"Yes, madam."

"What madam?" Lin Qingyao deliberately put on a stern face, but her eyes were smiling. "Call her sister-in-law, just like your brother."

The two sisters blushed and stammered softly, "This... we wouldn't dare."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Shen Jingchuan made the final decision. "It's settled then. From now on, call her 'brother' and 'sister-in-law.' Alright, who's going first?"

"I'll go first! I'll go first!"

Su Qinghua immediately raised her hand high and placed her delicate white hand on the Spirit Testing Stone. The stone trembled slightly and hummed, and five colors of light—white, cyan, blue, red, and yellow—sparkled brightly and clearly.

"Brother, I... have Spirit Roots?" Su Qinghua's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes." Shen Jingchuan nodded with a smile. "That's why we're called siblings; you and your brother both have Five Spirit Roots."

"Really?" Su Qinghua lit up with a smile, a touch of girlish naiveté in her eyes. She giggled, "That's wonderful! I should be like you, brother, after all, we're family."

"Alright, alright, stop blocking the way."

Shen Jingchuan chuckled and pulled her aside, smoothing her long hair.

"And your sister too, the last one, hurry up, stop dawdling."

Su Qingshu stepped forward as instructed and gently placed her hand on the stone. The stone trembled again, and five-colored light shone brightly, exactly the same as what Su Qinghua had just experienced.

This time, without Shen Jingchuan saying a word, everyone around understood as soon as they saw the five-colored light.

Su Qingshu finally felt relieved. She pursed her lips, her eyebrows curved into a smile, and she smiled gently and sweetly, though her eyes were a little hot.

"Sister!"

Su Qinghua cheered and rushed over, hugging her tightly, their two identical little faces pressed together.

"We both have them, we both have Spirit Roots, just like you, brother!"

Su Qingshu leaned on her sister's shoulder, nodded emphatically, and laughed until tears streamed down her face.