Chapter 359 - 247: Not Having to Worry About Everything
Chapter 359: Chapter 247: Not Having to Worry About Everything
"You’re all doing great. Keep it up!" Li Xiang said encouragingly.
Then, Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui exchanged a glance before turning to Li Xiang with pitiful expressions.
"What’s up?" Li Xiang asked.
Zhao Xueqing gave Lei Xiaohui a subtle tug, and Lei Xiaohui immediately mustered her courage. "Brother Xiang, look, Yao Yao already has two sets of Extraordinary Items, but we still have nothing."
No one was surprised when Luo Feifei took out her White Tiger Sword. After all, her strength was immense—she was previously Tier Five and had now reached Tier Six, putting her on a completely different level than them.
But for Yao Yao to also have Extraordinary Items—the Mandarin Duck Double-Bladed Sword and the Snake Skin Soft Boots, both fine goods brimming with Spiritual Vigor—made Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui a little jealous.
They didn’t even try to hide it from Yao Yao. Seeing a good opportunity, they decided to speak up.
Li Xiang: "..."
Zhao Xueqing blinked, the blush still on her cheeks, and whispered, "Brother Xiang, we’re all your... subordinates. You can’t show favoritism... You have to... spread the love evenly..." After she finished, she was a little afraid to look at Li Xiang.
’I’ve already been so forward,’ she thought. ’Whatever Yao Yao was willing to do, I’d gladly do it too.’
Lei Xiaohui nodded repeatedly, sharing the same sentiment about spreading the love evenly.
’We admit we can’t compare to Jiang Cai’Er and Luo Feifei, but the three of us should at least be treated equally, right?’
Yao Yao shrugged and stepped aside. She had indeed received benefits, and her combat power had increased significantly as a result. That was how she’d managed to sever seven or eight of the Exotic Beast’s long tongues in a single move during the battle in Las Vegas, earning her a first-class merit and a military rank one level higher than theirs.
Li Xiang waved his hand. "Everyone gets a share, everyone gets a share." He had never been a stingy person.
"Ah? Thank you, Brother Xiang!" Lei Xiaohui exclaimed excitedly.
"I can’t wait~" Zhao Xueqing said, thrilled.
The two women jumped for joy, their beautiful eyes shining. Not far away, Yao Yao pouted slightly, but she knew she couldn’t really say anything. She had expected this would happen ever since she revealed her treasures. But back then, with the Exotic Beast right in front of them and her being the weakest, she’d had no choice but to show her hand.
Yao Yao watched with great interest, wondering what Li Xiang would give the other two. ’Will their gifts be better or worse than mine?’
’Why am I being so petty? I’m the one who got gifts first,’ she thought. With a giggle, she went back over to join them.
Li Xiang took out a Bronze Spear and handed it to Lei Xiaohui. "Xiaohui, try this out."
Yao Yao secretly laughed to herself. ’Isn’t that the same spear I rejected last time? It was too heavy for me to wield. But Xiaohui is stronger than me, I wonder if it’ll suit her.’
"I love it!"
Lei Xiaohui had practiced with spears since she was a child and had a special love for the Spear Technique. Now that Li Xiang was giving her an Extraordinary Spirit Spear, she felt that Brother Xiang was so thoughtful; this must be a gift he had carefully prepared just for her. She accepted it with delight, and a flurry of spear shadows appeared as she performed a set from her family’s Heavy Rain Pear Blossom Spear style.
What a woman! Lei Xiaohui was truly a heroine among women. The Bronze Spear weighed one to two hundred kilograms, yet she wielded it as smoothly as flowing water, without the slightest bit of resistance.
Li Xiang estimated that her strength must be at least over a thousand kilograms.
Yao Yao was speechless. ’Even though I’m Tier Two now, I still don’t think I could handle that spear. Xiaohui is amazing!’
"Thank you, Brother Xiang!" Lei Xiaohui finished her routine, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Li Xiang then taught her the technique for drawing the Extraordinary Spirit Spear into her Spiritual Power Vortex to nurture it. Lei Xiaohui quickly grasped the trick and absorbed the Bronze Spear, which weighed one to two hundred kilograms, into her first Spiritual Power Vortex.
"Yao Yao got two items, so you each get two as well. I also have this Blood Flame Magic Ring. It can release a blood flame the size of a millstone. Its fire is quite different from your Spiritual Fire and might be able to augment your power." Li Xiang took out the Magic Ring he got from killing the Bat Demon King and handed it to Lei Xiaohui.
"Thank you, Brother Xiang." Lei Xiaohui was so moved she was on the verge of tears. ’Such a valuable gift could serve as a bride price,’ she sighed internally. ’I wonder when Brother Xiang will finally take me. He doesn’t seem very lustful... with so many beautiful women around, he still hasn’t made a move.’
Then, Li Xiang turned to Zhao Xueqing.
Zhao Xueqing’s face was full of anticipation.
"Xueqing, you’re skilled with the Vine Technique, so I’ll give you this Silver Vine Soft Whip. It has a Frozen Attribute, which should further increase your combat power." Li Xiang took out a vine-like Spirit Whip with exquisite patterns and handed it to Zhao Xueqing.
"Thank you, Brother Xiang. What a beautiful whip." As soon as Zhao Xueqing took it, she immediately felt a sense of being "one with the whip," as if this Spirit Whip was a perfect match for her.
She had been listening when Li Xiang taught Lei Xiaohui how to store Extraordinary Items. Now, she gently ran her slender hand along the whip, and the Spirit Whip vanished into her body, beginning its nurturing process as it bobbed up and down in her first Spiritual Power Vortex.
Li Xiang nodded, giving her an appreciative look. ’Xueqing really is sharp as a tack.’ He then took out a pair of daggers as white as ivory and handed them to Zhao Xueqing.
’This pair of White Fang Daggers was one of the first Extraordinary Weapons I ever obtained. I had treated them like priceless treasures back then, but now they seem a bit too ordinary. They’re perfect for giving away as gifts.’
Zhao Xueqing accepted them and caressed them in her palm. The sidelong glance she shot Li Xiang was filled with tender affection. She didn’t say thank you again, but secretly vowed to cultivate diligently and follow Brother Xiang for the rest of her life, never leaving his side.
Because Li Xiang had changed her life.
And wasn’t the same true for Yao Yao and Lei Xiaohui?
If it were just a matter of gratitude, it wouldn’t have come to this. But Li Xiang’s charisma was too great. Having spent so much time with him, they had fallen too deep to pull themselves out.
Li Xiang was quite satisfied with the three women’s "loyalty." He sparred and chatted with them for a while longer before leading them back.
「...」
Before Li Xiang and the others left, all the work and security at home had been entrusted to Lei Xiaonan. After Li Xiang returned, he checked on things and found the kid had done a good job. So, he called Lei Xiaonan over for a talk, taught him the Breathing Technique, and bestowed upon him some Spiritual Medicine.
Lei Xiaonan’s excitement and gratitude were plain to see. Watching his cousins, Lei Jiaming and Lei Xiaohui, repeatedly earn merits and even receive military ranks, he thought, ’Finally, it’s my turn.’
"Brother Xiang, from now on, I’d go through fire and water for you, no questions asked!" Lei Xiaonan declared, thumping his chest.
"Alright, cultivate well. I have high hopes for you," Li Xiang said, patting his shoulder. "If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me, or you can ask your cousins for advice."
"Yes, sir!" Lei Xiaonan snapped to attention and saluted.
"Go on. Don’t spread this to outsiders. Keep it as secret as possible," Li Xiang instructed. Although he wasn’t one to hoard his knowledge, the time wasn’t right, so it was better to keep it within a small circle for now.
Lei Xiaonan gave a few more salutes before bounding away like an excited monkey.
「...」
The weather in Sichuan Province finally cleared up, and much of the snow had melted. However, it would likely snow again in a few days.
Li Xiang was at home doing chores and farm work. Thanks to his new Superpower, he was extremely efficient, cleaning his house and yard until they were spotless, inside and out.
He also used his Earth Superpower to form several single-piece ovens in his yard, and was learning to bake things like flatbreads, large sourdough loaves, and baguettes...
He had to admit, this Superpower was quite useful. The ovens it produced were remarkably beautiful and sturdy.
With the good weather, tourists began to flock to the scenic area again. They came not only to see the pandas but also the ice and snow sculptures.
This new wave of tourists was attracted by videos that Yao Yao and the others had filmed and posted on their social media accounts, heavily promoting the exquisite, craft-like sculptures Luo Feifei had created.
Although the weather had cleared and it was warmer than the past few days, the daytime temperature was still very low, peaking at two or three degrees below zero Celsius at noon and dropping to eight or nine below at night. The ice and snow sculptures weren’t in any danger of melting.
Everyone was taking pictures and marveling at the sights. Naturally, they couldn’t help but spend some money too.
On such a cold day, who wouldn’t want a hot coffee or milk tea? Or a drink at the National Style Tavern? Or to gather around a stove to brew tea at the National Tea House?
As a result, business was booming.
Then, to Li Xiang’s surprise, the personage from the Capital City was coming.
Li Xiang received a notice three days in advance, asking if the site needed to be cleared. The reply from above was to keep everything as usual.
’This leader is known for being down-to-earth, so having more people around would actually be better,’ Li Xiang mused.
On the day of the official visit, a great number of people showed up. Several officials at the same level as Xu Xuan’s grandfather were also in attendance.
They weren’t just from Sichuan Province; some were from other provinces as well.
In addition, the leaders from the local city, county, and town were naturally all there to accompany the delegation.
Xu Xuan and Zhang Youyou came along too, of course. They quietly told Li Xiang that the visit was to inspect the Shelter project.
This matched Li Xiang’s guess.
When footage of the inspection was broadcast by the news media, the public was stunned.
’How did this backwater place get so important? Isn’t it just a countryside tourist spot? It might be lively and seem profitable, but this is on another level, isn’t it?’
’Are they aiming for the heavens?’
"These two giant pandas are quite cute and well-raised. But it’s too lonely for a mother and son here; it’s not suitable for breeding. I suggest we introduce a few more to be raised here," the personage commented after seeing the pandas.
The relevant leaders from Sichuan Province immediately promised to see to it.
Li Xiang: "..." ’Can I go pick them out myself?’ he wanted to ask. But on second thought, he decided against it. ’I’ll just leave it to fate. Even if the new ones don’t have Extraordinary potential, they might produce offspring that do if they breed with Tuantuan.’
After this inspection, Li Xiang figured that the secret construction of Shelters would soon begin all across the country.
As for the great flood in a few years, there were ways to mitigate it. In mountainous areas, it was simple enough: just build the entrances at a higher elevation. Li Xiang’s own entrance, for example, was halfway up a mountain, or one could even be built on a summit.
In the plains, they could build entrances on high ground or construct circular, "high-walled" entrances—the extremely thick kind that floodwaters couldn’t breach.
Nine years was enough time to build Underground Cities for the entire population.
In addition, all the supporting facilities, such as underground agriculture and energy sources, would probably be researched and developed concurrently.
Li Xiang suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. ’Damn, it feels good not having to worry about every single thing myself.’
Still, he would continue to fill up his Otherworldly Warehouse, just in case.