Chapter 266: Chapter 198: Can’t Hide It Anymore, Getting Engaged After the College Entrance Exam
Li Xiang played with the robotic dog for a bit before putting it away. It was a gift for Jiang Cai’Er, after all.
He spent his days in assiduous Cultivation at home, doing various farm chores and consuming Spirit Wine. He had added several new jars of Spirit Wine to the cellar. Once they were properly brewed, he would transfer the contents into a gourd and store it in his system’s inventory, ready to be taken out for a few swigs whenever needed.
As the immense Medicinal Power accumulated, his Spiritual Power Cultivation grew ever more profound.
If not for the technique he had previously learned from Luo Feifei for suppressing one’s Realm, Li Xiang would have likely lost control and advanced another level by now.
In the course of his Cultivation, he had a new epiphany, so he went to find Luo Feifei in the middle of the night to share it. This kind of Cultivation experience was difficult to explain over the phone, not to mention the risk of the call being compromised or monitored.
Communicating face-to-face allowed them to probe each other’s bodies with their Spiritual Power, giving the other person a tangible sense of how to circulate and suppress it.
Luo Feifei happened to have a new insight of her own. As the two of them exchanged ideas, they learned from each other’s strengths. One moment her Spiritual Power would enter his body, the next his Spiritual Power would enter hers. Through this, the technique for suppressing one’s Realm to build a stronger foundation became more and more mature, approaching perfection.
In truth, the Realm-suppressing technique they were researching was only suitable for the exceptionally talented.
If someone was already slow at cultivation, using this technique would be pointless. Their lifespan would end before they ever reached the Saint Tier.
Therefore, those with less talent still prioritized leveling up as quickly as possible, advancing whenever they could, terrified that they might not be able to advance even if they gave it their all.
Li Xiang, on the other hand, was not lacking in talent; he could be considered a genius. Secondly, he had a sufficient supply of Spiritual Medicine, piling it on endlessly. And third, as Luo Feifei had said, his constitution was somewhat special, seemingly able to contain more Spiritual Power by Nature.
Luo Feifei found herself admiring Li Xiang more and more. How on earth did he manage to cultivate his Spiritual Power to be so incredibly dense? She had never seen or even heard of such a solid foundation.
Li Xiang also gave Luo Feifei a heads-up that once his Extreme Speed reached 3 Mach, he would take her exploring in the great ocean. Luo Feifei was very much looking forward to it.
Because one of her Lifebound Superpowers was "Water Escape," the ocean was practically her home turf. She decided she would buy a bunch of pretty swimsuits in advance—at least forty or fifty of them, so she could wear a different one every day.
Aside from his diligent Cultivation at home and climbing through Luo Feifei’s window at night, Li Xiang also occasionally went on "hunts" in Southeast Asia. As a result, a number of major mysterious cases had recently occurred there.
Smugglers, gang-related forces, and even official gold reserves were robbed. According to official statistics from Vietnam, a Mysterious Man had plundered a staggering 16 tons of gold within Vietnam alone. Many suspects were arrested, but none seemed to be the real culprit.
The situation was similar in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar.
The common folk didn’t care; they chatted about it with great interest. After all, the Mysterious Man wasn’t robbing them. It was those in high positions, the powerful and influential, who were trembling in fear. Many had begun transferring their assets to Europe and America.
Vietnam actually has something called sand gold. Jewelry made from it looks quite similar to real gold, all glittering and yellow. Moreover, sand gold jewelry doesn’t fade; it won’t change color or shape whether washed with water or burned by fire. However, the actual gold content in this sand gold is quite low, only about 5%, so Li Xiang naturally looked down on it.
He only plundered high-purity gold.
It wasn’t that much, only about 28 tons, worth a little under 20 billion. Compared to Mr. Xu’s two trillion, it was not worth mentioning.
「In late July」
Li Xiang planted the late-season rice. Who would have thought that a person carrying so much wealth would still be a farmer with muddy legs, personally planting rice seedlings in the paddy fields under the scorching sun?
「Time flew by in a flash.」
Jiang Cai’Er was on break from school again. When she returned, she was thrilled to see the new robotic dog.
It only took her half an hour to "Refine" the robotic dog, turning it into one of her "Clones." She rode the dog all around the village, and the village dogs, children, and elderly all gathered around, finding it incredibly novel.
The robotic dog was equipped with a seat cushion and a luggage rack. Jiang Cai’Er could sit on it and use it as a mount, or have it carry her schoolbag or suitcase.
"Oh, so this robotic dog was bought for you! Your Brother Xiang is so good to you!" a village auntie said.
Many people had actually heard before that Li Xiang had bought a robotic dog, but who would have guessed it was a gift for Jiang Cai’Er?
"How much did this robotic dog cost?" Li Jintang also came over, looked at it, and asked with great envy.
Jiang Cai’Er was about to say twenty thousand, but Li Yucheng took one look and said in surprise, "I know this robotic dog! I’ve seen it online. I think it costs over a million."
Damn. When those words came out, everyone was stunned.
Li Jintang was even more dumbfounded, speechless for a long moment.
"Your Brother Xiang really dotes on you, huh," an auntie said with a double meaning.
Many people had a moment of realization. Things had already progressed to this point. They were all people who had been through it before; who wouldn’t understand?
Otherwise, who would just give away a robotic dog worth over a million?
"He does! My brother dotes on me a lot!"
Jiang Cai’Er thought for a moment and decided not to explain. Originally, she had prepared an excuse, planning to tell people that Li Xiang had lent it to her, but suddenly, she felt there was no need. With a charming smile, she rode the robotic dog back home.
Jiang Cai’Er was feeling a bit anxious. After coming back, she checked her phone and noticed that Luo Feifei and Li Xiang were interacting very frequently. She sensed a threat. That being the case, she might as well make the first move and establish their relationship.
Before long, Jiang Cai’Er’s parents naturally found out as well.
The couple murmured to each other in bed while trying to sleep that night.
Aunt Jiang: "Jianguo, what do you think we should do about this?"
Jiang Jianguo thought for a moment and said, "She’s not of legal age to marry yet, and she’s about to start her last year of high school. We can’t have a wedding now, can we?"
"What are you talking about? I’m not talking about a wedding. I’m asking if you approve or not." Aunt Jiang shot her husband an exasperated look, but then immediately felt her question was pointless. Since her husband was already thinking about the wedding, how could he not approve?
Jiang Jianguo said, "Our daughter has to get married eventually. As long as she’s happy, that’s what matters. Besides, that kid, Li Xiang, his business is so big now, you could say he’s accomplished. Which young lady in the surrounding villages doesn’t have her eyes on him? If we miss this chance, we won’t get another one. Plus, we watched him grow up. We know him inside and out. He would never treat Cai’Er badly in the future."
"That’s what I was thinking, too. Li Xiang is indeed a good match. Being a few years older is no big deal; he’ll know how to cherish her more. It’s just..." Aunt Jiang trailed off.
"Just what?"
Aunt Jiang said, "It’s just, I have to warn her. She’s still young, and they can’t get a marriage license yet. It’s fine for them to date, but they shouldn’t do anything that leads to trouble."
"That probably won’t happen, right?" Jiang Jianguo couldn’t help but worry too. If she got pregnant in high school, a good thing would turn into a bad one.
"They’re young and passionate. What if they can’t control themselves?" Aunt Jiang said.
Jiang Jianguo said, "Then you should go talk to her right away."
So, Aunt Jiang got up and went to knock on Jiang Cai’Er’s door. Luckily, it was still early, and Jiang Cai’Er was at home doing her homework, not having snuck out yet.
"Mom..." Jiang Cai’Er sounded a little guilty.
"What are you scared of, child? Mom’s not going to scold you." Aunt Jiang lovingly stroked her daughter’s hair.
"Mom, does that mean... you’re not against it?" Jiang Cai’Er couldn’t help but feel happy.
"Silly girl. Your father and I don’t object, but you have to promise me two things," Aunt Jiang said with a stern and very serious expression.
"Which two?" Jiang Cai’Er asked quickly.
"First, you have to maintain your boundaries. You must not cause any scandal before you’re married."
"Oh, Mom, what are you talking about?" Jiang Cai’Er was still a young girl, and this was the first time she’d had such a talk with her mother. She was a bit thin-skinned, and her face turned as red as an apple.
"I’m serious. Can you do that?" Aunt Jiang pressed.
Jiang Cai’Er replied helplessly, "Mom, don’t worry. I know my limits, and Brother Xiang knows his, too. Do you think we’re that immature?"
Aunt Jiang felt slightly relieved and began to talk about the second thing.
"The second thing is, you can’t let this affect your studies."
"That’s a given." Speaking of this, Jiang Cai’Er was much more confident. She immediately took her mother’s arm and said, "Mom, you can rest assured. I promise you, if there’s ever a time I don’t get first place in the entire school or my composite score drops below 740, you and Dad can punish me however you want!"
"740?" Aunt Jiang gasped. "You can score that high now? Don’t lie to your mother."
"Of course. In the last few mock exams, my scores were all above 740. One time it was even 750. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my teacher. But please, don’t tell my teacher about my personal life."
If her homeroom teacher knew she had started dating, he would probably lecture her and give her "ideological work" every day. He might even call her parents in.
The mother and daughter had a long, heart-to-heart talk before Aunt Jiang left.
Now that Jiang Cai’Er knew her parents’ true feelings, a great weight was lifted from her heart.
Aunt Jiang went back and told her husband about her conversation with their daughter. Jiang Jianguo also gasped. Their daughter was that incredible now? She could guarantee a score above 740 every time? And they both knew their limits and wouldn’t cause a scandal. What was there to worry about?
One had to know, the highest score in last year’s college entrance exam in Sichuan Province was only 715, and the cutoff score for Qingbei was around 690. With a score of 740, as long as she performed normally on the exam, getting into Qingbei was set in stone.
"If our daughter really gets into Qingbei, when we hold the school acceptance banquet, we can hold the engagement ceremony at the same time," Aunt Jiang said.
Jiang Jianguo nodded and joked, "It’ll probably be a trending topic then. I remember last year, a high school couple got engaged right after their college entrance exams, and it was a hot topic all over the internet."
"Yes, I saw that news story too," Aunt Jiang laughed. "That family was given a bride price of six million. How much do you think we should ask for?"
"Let them decide. Let Cai’Er make the call," Jiang Jianguo said, not very concerned about such things.
Aunt Jiang pouted. "It’s not that I’m greedy for the bride price, but if it’s too little, it’ll make Cai’Er lose face. Li Xiang is a huge online celebrity. What if it becomes a trending topic and the whole country finds out? It wouldn’t sound good."
Jiang Jianguo whispered, "You’re worried about that? Look at what Li Xiang does. He bought a robotic dog worth over a million without a second thought and gave it to our daughter as a ’toy.’ No matter how small the official bride price is, could it be less than that?"
"That’s true. Xiang’Er has always been generous." Aunt Jiang nodded. Her thoughts were a bit jumbled today, so she hadn’t considered many things.
The couple chatted until it was nearly dawn before they finally fell asleep. The main reason was that this past year had been too dreamlike. First, Li Xiang returned and suddenly became rich and successful, and then their daughter’s grades improved by leaps and bounds.
Even if their daughter graduated from Qingbei, she might not be able to find such a good match.
