Chapter 536: Chapter 340: The Grateful Panda’s Golden Cicada Offering

On Panda Mountain, three panda cubs were playing in the snow. They were naturally unafraid of the cold.

These were three Extraordinary baby pandas with immense potential: one male and two females. The male, Dundun Hero, possessed Saint Tier potential, while the females, La Me Meng and Yun Duoduo, both had Tier Eighteen potential. They were destined to surpass their parents, a classic case of the pupil surpassing the master.

In a short time, the three adorable babies had each already condensed two Spiritual Power Vortexes. Li Xiang had also long since formed a Soul Contract with them. Since Tuantuan called Li Xiang "Dad," they called Li Xiang "Grandpa."

After playing for a while, the three cubs started fighting over bamboo. There were plenty of tender bamboo shoots and delicious, crisp winter bamboo on the ground, but when they saw Dundun Hero gnawing on a tougher, older stalk, La Me Meng and Yun Duoduo just had to snatch it away, as if that hard, old stalk tasted better.

As the older brother, Dundun Hero—alright, he was only born a minute or two earlier, but since Li Xiang said he was the older brother, he was the older brother—gave in to his two little sisters and let them have the old bamboo stalk.

As a result, "tragedy" struck.

La Me Meng and Yun Duoduo fought over it, gnawing too forcefully. In the commotion, a bamboo fiber got stuck between the teeth of Meng Meng (La Me Meng’s nickname). She tried to pick it out with her paw, but the fiber was too small and just wouldn’t come out.

Meng Meng had never experienced getting something "stuck in her teeth" before. She panicked, squeaking frantically and hopping up and down.

Dundun and Duoduo came to help, but they couldn’t get it out either. After all, a panda’s paws are fluffy, short, and chubby—not as nimble as human hands, and they were just cubs.

"Let’s go get Dad’s help." Dundun Hero led his sister to find Tuantuan, but unfortunately, Tuantuan wasn’t there.

They then tried to find their two Little Aunts, Huanhuan and Lele, but they weren’t around either. Only their mother, Yuanyuan, and their grandmother were home. But those two were ordinary pandas and couldn’t help.

Just then, Li Xiang arrived, and the three of them rushed over. "Grandpa, help, help!"

"What’s wrong?" Li Xiang asked.

Having formed a Soul Contract, Li Xiang could engage in "Soul Communication," or "Soul Transmission," with his Extraordinary Spirit Pets within a certain range, thanks to his Beast Taming: Azure Qilin Guide Superpower. Currently, this communication distance was three kilometers; any further and it wouldn’t work.

The reason Li Xiang had arrived just in time was that he had sensed the little ones were in a bit of trouble and had come to check on them.

The three cubs’ voices were cute and child-like. Meng Meng, in particular, had tears streaming down her face, looking absolutely pitiful.

"A piece of bamboo is stuck in my teeth!" Meng Meng cried, hugging Li Xiang’s leg and looking up at him with teary eyes.

"Oh, so that’s what it is." Li Xiang was instantly relieved. ’And here I was thinking it was something serious, but it’s just a piece of bamboo stuck in your teeth. It’s no big deal, and look how worked up you got.’

"Don’t worry, Grandpa will take care of it." Li Xiang comforted her and had Meng Meng open her mouth wide. He took a look, then reached in and easily pulled out the bamboo fiber stuck between her teeth.

Crisis averted.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, you’re amazing!"

"Thank you, Grandpa!"

"Thanks, Grandpa."

"It’s nothing, just a small thing. Don’t chew on old bamboo anymore. Wait until you’re bigger and your teeth are stronger, okay?" Li Xiang said.

"We know, we know! We won’t do it again." The three panda cubs had a very good attitude about admitting their mistake.

Just as Li Xiang was about to leave, Meng Meng called out, "Grandpa, wait."

"What is it?" Li Xiang turned back.

As Li Xiang watched curiously, Meng Meng turned around, went into the cave, and came out holding a few precious items. "Grandpa, Grandpa, these are for you."

Li Xiang took a look and saw that they were Golden Cicada Flowers.

These were a treasure of the bamboo forest. They were actually a composite body formed when cicada larvae are infected by a fungus, and are known as the "Cordyceps of the South." They were a precious and expensive traditional medicinal herb, said to treat fevers, rashes, convulsions, and improve vision, and were always in high demand.

"I found these while I was digging for bamboo shoots. They’re delicious." Seeing that Li Xiang wasn’t taking them, Meng Meng kept her paws held out, trying to stuff them into his mouth.

"Why are you giving them to me?" Li Xiang asked, patting her head.

"My dad said we have to show gratitude. Grandpa helped me pull out the stuck bamboo today, so I have to show my appreciation. It’s polite, and it shows how I feel."

"Oh?" Li Xiang was surprised. ’This little thing really knows how to talk. Her EQ is so high.’ He immediately accepted her Golden Cicada Flowers, picked her up for a few kisses, gave her some pointers on her cultivation, and even rewarded her with a Spirit Fruit.

Dundun: "..."

Duoduo: "..."

Dundun blinked, a sudden realization dawning on him. ’No wonder both Dad and Grandpa are always so fond of Meng Meng. I thought it was because of the "La Me Meng" brand name, since it makes money for Grandpa. But that’s not it at all!’

The "La Me Meng" spicy hot pot chain was quite profitable, and Meng Meng also had the most popularity online.

But that was definitely not why Li Xiang liked Meng Meng the most.

Although Meng Meng’s potential wasn’t the highest, she was the most well-behaved and adorable. And after what she said today, her EQ was on par with Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui.

Besides, her voice was cute and child-like, and her feelings were genuine. She definitely wasn’t just putting on an act; at her young age, she wasn’t that cunning.

How could such an adorable panda cub not be likable?

After playing with the three panda cubs for a while, he checked on the two ordinary pandas. They were doing well, so Li Xiang left, reassured.

With the world frozen over and the weather severe, Li Xiang had built them warmer dens and stocked up plenty of food—piled up into small mountains that they couldn’t finish each day.

He arrived at Xiang Mountain. The elephants had also moved into a spacious cave to live, with only a few mischievous ones running out to play. But it was too cold, so they would head back inside after a short while.

Inside, food was also piled high like a mountain. With no worries about food or drink, every elephant was content.

In addition, the herd had welcomed several new baby elephants. Three of them also had Extraordinary potential, but having just been born, they hadn’t started cultivating yet. Li Xiang took special care of them, feeding them Tier One Spiritual Medicine from time to time.

To increase genetic diversity, Li Xiang had personally gone to Southeast Asia and captured some more female and male elephants to bring back, preventing inbreeding.

With plenty to eat and drink, the new elephants quickly adapted to life here.

Xiaobai wasn’t home, but his mother, the leader of the herd, the matriarch, was always guarding Xiang Mountain and keeping the other elephants in line. To Li Xiang’s surprise, perhaps due to the severe cold or her advancing Realm, the matriarch had grown long black fur all over her body, showing signs of her ancient mammoth bloodline awakening. Furthermore, her tusks were growing longer and longer, glinting with a silvery, treasured light.

She was truly worthy of the name "Silver-tusked Mammoth."

Several other ordinary elephants had also grown dense fur, though not as long as the matriarch’s. And with an abundance of food, the elephants’ subcutaneous fat was growing thicker and thicker—likely a normal reaction to the extreme cold.

When Li Xiang arrived at Tiger Mountain, he was greeted by a lively scene.

Tuantuan, Xiaobai, and the Little Golden Tiger were locked in a mock battle, while Huanhuan, Lele, and a few other tigers watched the fun from the sidelines.

Huanhuan and Lele were waving bamboo stalks, "waving flags and shouting" to cheer on Tuantuan.

The Little Golden Tiger had its mother and sister cheering it on. Only Xiaobai was all alone, at the biggest disadvantage. However, it relied on its size advantage and its mountain-moving Giant Power, unleashing the Vajra Whip Technique with the force of a thunderstorm, powerful enough to shatter stone tablets. It actually looked the most formidable.

Noticing Li Xiang’s arrival, the three great beasts perked up and fought even more fiercely, each unleashing their signature moves. For a moment, the roars of the tiger, the trumpeting of the elephant, and the squall of the panda echoed throughout the forest.

Several miles away, in a mountain hollow, a sounder of wild boars trembled in fear. A few of them even wet themselves.

But the villagers from the surrounding area weren’t surprised at all; they were used to it.

Everyone knew that those were Brother Xiang’s pets sparring with each other. As the world’s most powerful Armored Man, what was wrong with raising a few fierce Beast Pets? It was something even the country supported.

They would be the core strength for defending their hometown during the future Apocalypse. So not only were the villagers unafraid, but they would also often come to watch on days with good weather and even proactively explain the situation to tourists.

Of course, now that the roads were sealed by ice and snow and the biting cold was unbearable, the scenic area was closed, the employees were on vacation, and no tourists were visiting.

...

The tunnels and underground commercial plaza centered around Li Family Village had gone viral in the country, thanks to the age of the internet and the popularity of short-form videos.

Many locals braved the ice and snow to come "check in," and foot traffic inside the tunnels surged.

With the increase in foot traffic, more and more people set up stalls to do business. The air was filled with the aroma of all kinds of food and a lively, bustling atmosphere.

As for people from other regions, the inconvenient transportation meant they could only watch on their phones, their envy growing.

"I really want to live in Li Family Village. Is it too late to move there now?"

"Definitely not. You think the household registration system is just for show? Unless you’re very rich—no, even being rich isn’t enough. You have to be very talented or have great Cultivation Talent."

"Li Family Village is a real hot commodity now."

"Isn’t it? That’s the home of the world’s most powerful Armor Hero. I predict that in the future, it will definitely become a global Holy Land. The new center of the world."

Due to the immense daily foot traffic, security guards alone were no longer enough to maintain order. Therefore, the county dispatched police officers (including traffic police) to help.

Additionally, the entire tunnel system was being fitted with new lighting and ventilation equipment.

Li Xiang had actually designed hidden ventilation shafts before. They would have been sufficient for a small number of people, but the explosive popularity was beyond his expectations. With so many people, the bustling atmosphere, and many smokers, the air was no longer fresh enough. So, the county government took over and began installing large exhaust fans.

Li Xiang also used his Earth Superpower to add some new air intake vents.

At the same time, the fire department was urgently dispatched to install fire hydrants and strengthen training and safety education for the public, taking precautions before a disaster could strike.

Several new public restrooms were also added, and a new septic tank was built at a distance.

With Li Xiang’s help, the work of the relevant county government departments went very smoothly.

Li Xiang’s name appeared on all sorts of work reports from the county government. Of course, given his current status, he didn’t really care about such things; it didn’t matter to him whether his name was included or not. But the county insisted on adding it. Well, mainly because the county felt it was an honor to include his name.

The county even wanted to change its name to "Li Family County," but Li Xiang vetoed the idea.

After that, the county invited Li Xiang to all kinds of meetings. He didn’t have that much time, so he only attended a few important ones, but when he did, he tried his best not to speak.

But sometimes, their hospitality was hard to refuse, and he would be compelled to say a few words. He often hadn’t even said much before he was met with thunderous applause.

Li Xiang: "..."

Eventually, he just stopped attending altogether.

He had a perfectly legitimate excuse: his wife was about to give birth, and he had to be at home to take care of her.

In fact, Jiang Cai’Er was indeed about to give birth. A month in advance, Li Xiang took her to the provincial capital, checked her into the best hospital, and booked the most expensive suite.

All expenses related to childbirth were fully reimbursed by the province. There was also a substantial childbirth allowance.

They had only been there for a few days when many leaders from the county, the province, and the Imperial Capital came to visit. Not to mention Tsinghua Garden—numerous leaders, professors, and classmates also came.

The room was filled to the brim with all sorts of gifts. He couldn’t very well refuse them, so thankfully, Li Xiang had his Otherworldly Warehouse and simply stored everything inside.

Good grief. When word got out, no one was surprised. They felt it would be abnormal if he *didn’t* receive this kind of treatment.

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