Chapter 182: The Holly Tree’s Special Attributes And Jiang Tao’s Special Talent!
After the idle chat, everyone went home.
Jiang Tao made an excuse to smoke downstairs, letting Xu Li and his parents take Jiang Xue upstairs first.
After watching everyone go upstairs, he walked towards the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon parked to the side.
Opening the G-Wagon’s trunk, Jiang Tao looked at the holly tree placed inside.
This holly tree had been in the trunk for more than half the day.
This morning he accompanied Jiang An’an and the others to an audition, in the afternoon he picked up his father-in-law’s family from the station, and in the evening he treated them to dinner.
The whole day was spent busily, with no opportunity for him to be alone.
Now, after sending Xu Li and the others upstairs, he finally had a little time to himself.
This holly tree was a special item that had not yet been bound or activated.
Jiang Tao was already very familiar with activating special items.
Swiftly, he took out the needle from his phone case and pricked his left thumb.
In the dim light, a drop of crimson blood oozed out.
*Plop!*
The first drop of blood missed its target and landed on the trunk’s mat.
“…”
Jiang Tao’s face darkened, and he squeezed out another drop.
This time, there were no accidents, and the blood drop landed precisely on the holly tree.
In his vision, a thin veil of crimson enveloped the entire holly tree.
The next second, two notification messages appeared on his retina.
【Special item Holly Tree bound successfully! Activating random attribute, please wait…】
【Special item Holly Tree activated and successfully obtained random attribute, please refresh the page to view.】
Jiang Tao refreshed the page as per the system’s prompt.
As expected, the attributes of the holly tree were displayed!
【Item Name】: Ageless Holly!
【Attribute】: Extend Life and Longevity.
【Item Effect】: Each holly leaf consumed can increase lifespan by 1 day.
（Only effective for the Host, and only one leaf can be consumed per day.）
…
“Ageless Holly, Extend Life and Longevity?”
Seeing the attributes of the holly tree displayed, Jiang Tao’s breathing became somewhat rapid!
Extend Life and Longevity!
Eating one leaf can increase lifespan by one day!
If he kept eating it, and eating it…
Would it just keep increasing, and increasing?
Through this method, he could truly achieve extending life and longevity!
“Awesome, Brother Tree, you’re too awesome!”
Jiang Tao looked at the holly tree in the trunk with excitement, wishing he could hug it and kiss it fiercely!
A reward that increases lifespan is far more precious than any amount of money!
Money is something you can’t take with you when you die; enough is enough.
Those tycoons with hundreds of billions in net worth don’t spend much on themselves in a year.
Extending life and longevity is an incredibly immense temptation for anyone!
From Qin Shi Huang, who sought the elixir of immortality thousands of years ago,
To the big shots today who invest hundreds of millions, billions, or even tens of billions in genetic research in biomedicine,
Who wouldn’t want a longer life, or even immortality?
Now, Jiang Tao had obtained such an opportunity!
Naturally, he was filled with immense joy and excitement!
He smoked three cigarettes in a row to calm his agitated emotions.
“Unfortunately, only I can use it now, not Dad, Mom, or Xu Li.”
“Wait…”
“Currently?”
“Does this mean that in the future, it might be possible to have Xu Li and my parents consume it through some method?”
Jiang Tao carefully reread the effect of the 【Ageless Holly】 more than ten times, and his heart began to anticipate.
“I’ll be the guinea pig and test the effect first!”
Just as Jiang Tao was about to reach out to pick a leaf from the holly tree.
Suddenly, his gaze swept over the trunk’s mat and he saw a fallen leaf.
On the principle of not wasting, Jiang Tao reached out and picked up the fallen leaf.
This leaf looked dewy green and was relatively clean.
Jiang Tao simply wiped the leaf surface a few times with his fingertip.
Without any hesitation, he directly put the leaf into his mouth and began to chew.
The taste of the holly leaf…
It was definitely not delicious.
As the leaf was crushed by his teeth, a rich grassy aroma filled his mouth, and Jiang Tao’s brows furrowed.
Anyone who eats this will know, they won’t say a word!
*Gulp~*
Jiang Tao’s throat moved, and he painstakingly swallowed the crushed leaves and juice together.
Immediately, he felt a faint gas appear within his body, diffusing towards his limbs and bones.
The sensation was warm and quite comfortable.
【Lifespan +1!】
【Your remaining lifespan is 7 years, 7 months, and 7 days!】
“What the heck? 7 years? That’s all I have left?”
Seeing his dwindling lifespan balance, Jiang Tao was shocked again.
His heart began to pound rapidly, and adrenaline surged.
If it weren’t for this holly tree.
Wouldn’t he have died prematurely at the age of 38?
So close!
This holly tree came at the perfect time!
Jiang Tao lit another cigarette to calm his nerves, and his rapidly beating heart slowly eased.
“This lifespan should decrease by one day each day, and I can increase it by one day by eating one holly leaf daily.”
“One minus one plus one, won’t they cancel each other out?”
“In other words, as long as I consistently eat holly leaves every day, my lifespan balance will remain at 7 years, 7 months, and 7 days forever?”
While smoking, he performed a simple analysis.
Jiang Tao felt his analysis was quite reasonable.
However, whether this was the correct calculation would only be determined after observing tomorrow.
“Tomorrow and accidents, you never know which will come first.”
“From now on, be good to myself and to my family.”
“Money can be earned slowly, and life should be lived at a slower pace, savored carefully.”
Seeing his remaining lifespan had influenced him, many emotions welled up in Jiang Tao’s mind.
“Tomorrow, I’ll first buy a large flower pot to properly house Brother Tree.”
After finishing his cigarette, he closed the trunk and turned to go upstairs.
After walking less than 10 meters, Jiang Tao returned to the G-Wagon.
He reopened the trunk and carried Brother Tree out!
Before today, Brother Tree was just an ordinary, unremarkable holly.
But now, it was different!
The preciousness of Brother Tree undoubtedly exceeded Jiang Tao’s entire net worth at the moment!
He wasn’t entirely at ease leaving something so valuable in the car’s trunk!
Better safe than sorry.
If it were stolen, he wouldn’t even know where to cry!
Of course, there might not be many thieves who would steal a tree, but it’s not impossible!
Caution ensures safety.
This holly tree weighed at most twenty-something pounds.
For Jiang Tao, whose physique had reached about 80 points, it was nothing.
He easily lifted it from the trunk and carried it upstairs with one hand.
“Huh, Second Brother, where did you steal a tree from?”
Jiang Bing, who was watching a drama in the living room and waiting to take a bath, looked surprised when she saw Jiang Tao carrying a tree.
“Don’t ask so many questions, kid, play with your phone.”
Jiang Tao waved his hand speechlessly, walked through the living room, and temporarily placed the holly tree on the balcony.
“Tch, boring.”
Jiang Bing clicked her tongue and looked back at her phone screen, where a scantily clad, attractive female streamer was doing a suggestive dance.
“Huh, Husband, where did you get a tree from?”
Xu Li, after bathing Jiang Xue, came out of the bathroom with her daughter and also immediately saw the holly tree Jiang Tao was fussing with.
Jiang Xue raised her hand and said, “I know, I know! Daddy dug this tree up from Sister An’an’s house yard!”
“Uh… Husband, what are you bringing it back for?”
Xu Li held her forehead, looking a bit speechless.
These kinds of holly trees were common in the green belts on the street, but not many people kept them at home.
“This involves Feng Shui, you wouldn’t understand if I explained too much.”
“You just need to know that placing a pot of holly in our house’s direction will bring various benefits to our family.”
Jiang Tao didn’t want to explain too much, so he attributed the holly tree to Feng Shui.
As expected, when it involved her knowledge blind spot, Xu Li didn’t ask further.
She unconditionally supported any decision Jiang Tao made.
Jiang Tao added, “Wife, you need to pay attention to this tree from now on and take good care of it.”
“Mhm, don’t worry, Husband, I’m quite good at taking care of plants!”
Xu Li smiled and nodded, happy to do anything Jiang Tao asked.
Jiang Bing chimed in, “Second Brother, when you have time, can you come to my place and look at my Feng Shui too~”
“I will definitely do it another day.”
“When is another day?”
“The day I have time.”
“Then when do you have time?”
“The day I have time.”
“You don’t even intend to go!”
Jiang Bing rolled her eyes at her second brother speechlessly; she realized he was just brushing her off.
Xu Li giggled, amused by the siblings’ banter.
After a bit more playful teasing, Jiang Bing huffily took her pajamas to the bathroom to wash up.
Then it was Dad and Mom’s turn, with Jiang Tao being the last.
Living with a large family was lively.
But it was indeed inconvenient for bathing and such.
So Jiang Tao had no objection to his parents and sister moving out and living in their own homes.
Anyway, everyone lived in the same residential area, and it only took a few minutes to walk to each other’s houses.
Cramped together every day made everyone feel inconvenient and uncomfortable.
It was better to maintain a certain distance for everyone’s well-being.
Jiang Tao finished bathing past midnight.
Standing by the sink mirror in the bathroom.
Jiang Tao suddenly had an idea and equipped the 【Bole】 title, looking at himself in the mirror.
【Name】: Jiang Tao
【Talent】: Long-distance Running!
【Profession Direction】: Professional Marathon Runner! （5-star） Physical Education Teacher（3-star!）
“Marathon runner? System Brother, are you joking? I’m already 31!”
“Many professional athletes at my age have retired or changed careers.”
Jiang Tao never expected his talent to be “Long-distance Running”!
And the most recommended profession was “Marathon Runner”!
“No wonder I unlocked the Sports Star side quest before!”
“So I have talent in running?”
At this moment, Jiang Tao suddenly had an epiphany, like “Today I finally know who I am.”
Then, he felt a pang of regret.
“If I had discovered my talent when I was younger, I wouldn’t have wasted so many years.”
He had worked in sales, as a salesperson, a street vendor, a delivery man, and finally, a truck driver.
For many years, he had been trying to find a job that suited him, but he never did.
Although he had been a truck driver for five or six years, which wasn’t short,
it was definitely not because he liked the profession, but simply to earn money to support his family.
Busy with life for so many years, Jiang Tao had barely exercised.
It was only recently, for the 【Physique】 reward, that he started running on the treadmill.
He truly never expected that his “talent point” would be in running!
“If I had entered this field earlier when I was young, perhaps I could have made a name for myself?”
Jiang Tao followed a running streamer named “Da Zheng,” who was a grassroots marathon runner.
“Da Zheng” also worked in restaurants and car repair when he was young.
Finally, with his wife’s encouragement and support, he began to try running and gradually displayed his talent in this area.
His Kuaidou fans slowly grew from a few hundred to millions, making him a big streamer on Kuaidou.
By signing endorsement deals with sports brands, as well as live streaming and selling sports equipment,
Da Zheng’s income soared from tens of thousands a year to hundreds of thousands, millions, and even tens of millions!
Through the sport of running, Da Zheng gained countless fans and achieved financial freedom.
Seeing his “talent point” in the mirror today.
Wasn’t he just another version of “Da Zheng”?
Perhaps, there are many “Da Zheng” in life.
It’s just that they, like him, didn’t discover their talent early enough.
And a wife who can accept that you have no income and still silently support your running.
Running, even with exceptional talent, requires accumulating a large mileage to see results.
Giving up one’s job to train and compete fully in running, like Da Zheng, requires great courage.
“At only 31 years old, it’s not too late; everything is still possible.”
Seeing his talent and suitable profession, Jiang Tao clenched his fists, suddenly full of confidence.
Not only could he earn “Physique” rewards by completing special missions,
but he could also continuously gain “Physique” bonuses from the 【Body-Strengthening Treadmill】.
With these two “cheats,” if he couldn’t achieve something, as teacher Xiao Yan would say, he should go home and raise pigs!
“After I finish with this busy period, I’ll push forward with the Sports Star mission.”
After making a silent plan, Jiang Tao put on his pajamas and left the bathroom.
Returning to the master bedroom, Jiang Tao saw that Xu Li had already fallen asleep, hugging her quilt.
She hadn’t slept well for the past two days accompanying Du Ennan at the hospital.
Now that she was back in her own home, on her familiar large bed, she could finally sleep comfortably.
Before Jiang Tao could activate 『Sleep Mode』 for her, she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
But Jiang Tao still spent 66 yuan to reactivate 『Sleep Mode』 for Xu Li.
Because in this mode, she could get better sleep.
After activating it for Xu Li, Jiang Tao also activated 『Sleep Mode』 for himself.
He wrapped his arms around Xu Li’s waist from behind and went to sleep!
