Chapter 136: The Unexpected Dimensional Stomach
Chapter 136: The Unexpected Dimensional Stomach
Ji Xinghuo transferred ten million Asian dollars to each of his siblings as a New Year's gift, as he had promised.
"Wow!"
Liang Qiu Feiyan was thrilled. She hugged Ji Xinghuo tightly and exclaimed, "You're the best, big bro!"
The other three were equally surprised.
Even Zhong Ming, who earned the most among them, was astonished by the amount.
With an annual salary in the millions, he was already considered well-paid in the B League. Yet, it would take him a decade to save up the amount that Ji Xinghuo had just transferred to him.
Wang Zizheng was also delighted.
With this money, he could now afford many high-end equipments that were previously out of reach. He could gear up his character and recoup his investment in a year or two, bypassing the need for accumulating initial capital.
Ye Dongyun was initially pleased but then shook her head.
In a soft voice, she said, "Xinghuo, this is too much. I know you're rich now, but as an Other, you'll have a lot of expenses in the future. You should save up and not spend it recklessly."
"Big sis, don't worry. This is really not a lot for me," Ji Xinghuo insisted, refusing to take the money back.
Intrigued, Liang Qiu Feiyan asked, "Big bro, how much money do you have now?"
"Enough to support you for a lifetime," Ji Xinghuo laughed.
"Sigh..." Liang Qiu Feiyan suddenly heaved a sigh, "If only you weren't my brother. Then I could be your girlfriend, and all the good things would stay within the family..."
"Feiyan, what nonsense are you talking about?" Ye Dongyun gave her a light tap, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"I'm just saying," Liang Qiu Feiyan stuck out her tongue, her face slightly flushed.
Ji Xinghuo was speechless. As legal relatives, despite the lack of blood relation, they couldn't marry unless they first dissolved the kinship. And that would require a rigorous review process. In principle, the law prohibited members of the same household from becoming a couple.
"Xinghuo, I'll gladly accept this New Year's gift," Zhong Ming said, "With this money, I can improve my strength much faster. No need to stand on ceremony with me."
He knew that Ji Xinghuo truly had no shortage of money.
Just the set of weapons and equipment he had on him was worth over a hundred million.
"Thanks, big bro," Wang Zizheng stood up to express his gratitude, "If I don't use this money to buy Ranger equipment, I can just lie down and live off it for the rest of my life."
"We're family, no need to be so polite," Ji Xinghuo assured them, meaning every word. "To be honest, making money isn't difficult for me now. If I wanted to, I could just go hunting at the Starry Frontier for a few days and claim a bounty of ten million. Most of the things I want can't be bought with money anyway."
The four of them shook their heads in unison, unable to fathom the extent of his wealth.
From the sound of it, the North Liushi Gate Chamber seemed like his personal ATM.
"I want to train and become an Other too!" Wang Zizheng suddenly spoke up, as if he had made a big decision. He declared loudly, "I'll make a training plan tonight. Taking after big bro, I'll strive to pass the Starry Department's physical test within two years!"
"Good," Ji Xinghuo patted Wang Zizheng's shoulder, "Let me know if you need any help."
Zhong Ming was also pleased, "If you succeed, Zizheng, we'll have three Others in our family."
"Maybe four," Ye Dongyun chimed in, surprising everyone.
She had failed to fuse with an exotic species the first time in university and hadn't trained much since then.
"Don't look at me like that," Ye Dongyun smiled, "Who doesn't want to become an Other? But the second fusion with an exotic species has to be self-funded, and I don't have that kind of money. The success rate is also not high, so I had to change my life plans. Now that there's a new opportunity, I want to try again."
"Go for it, big sis!" Liang Qiu Feiyan cheered her on.
Ji Xinghuo nodded encouragingly as well.
However, he knew that the odds of his eldest sister becoming an Other were slim. Firstly, because of her age and previous failure, and secondly, due to her insufficient talent.
In fact, out of the five siblings, Ye Dongyun had trained the hardest, one might even say arduously.
She had started training at the age of fifteen but only barely passed one physical test by the time she graduated from university, earning her an exotic species that she ultimately failed to fuse with.
Of course, he wouldn't say such things to discourage his family.
Ji Xinghuo offered his unconditional support.
Perhaps spurred by Ji Xinghuo's success, both his eldest sister and youngest brother spoke of becoming Others, and even Liang Qiu Feiyan decided to pause her live-streaming to join them in training.
However, given her penchant for losing interest quickly, she might not even last a month.
The afternoon chat extended well into the evening.
That night, Ji Xinghuo treated his family to a lavish dinner, after which they all returned to their respective homes.
When he got back to his apartment, it was just past nine.
The place was exactly as he had left it a year and a half ago, meticulously maintained by the housekeeping robots. The rent and utility fees were automatically deducted from his account each month, but the lease only had a few months left.
Looking around the familiar yet somewhat foreign apartment, Ji Xinghuo thought that perhaps it was time to move to a better place.
Should he buy a house?
Or rent a luxury apartment like his second brother?
As Ji Xinghuo pondered, he released Qinghong, who swiftly flew around the apartment to reacquaint itself with the surroundings.
Lying on the bed and gazing at the bustling metropolis outside the glass window, he suddenly felt a twinge of boredom.
He took out his phone and started browsing the news, watching movies, and videos, but soon lost interest.
"Might as well cultivate," Ji Xinghuo decided.
Just as he was about to begin his training, his phone rang.
"This afternoon," Ji Xinghuo replied.
"I saw someone mention in our class group chat that you sued those who badmouthed you, and that's when I knew you were back!" Lu Yunhai was very agitated. "Where are you now?"
Ji Xinghuo was about to say that he was at home when his phone notified him of another incoming call, this time from an unknown number.
Immediately after, his screen was flooded with more calls.
Some were from classmates, friends, and teachers he knew, while others were from strangers.
"See you guys at our usual spot," Ji Xinghuo said before hanging up and turning off his phone, finally finding some peace and quiet.
He got up and headed out, making his way to a barbecue restaurant near the archery range.
"Xinghuo, over here!"
Lu Yunhai poked his head out of a private room to wave him over.
"Yunhai," Ji Xinghuo walked over and sized him up, surprised. "You succeeded in your second fusion with an exotic species?"
"Of course!" Lu Yunhai beamed with pride. "You've already ascended the Starry Ladder, so I had to become an Other too, or I'd be left too far behind. And I have you to thank for that. Without the money you lent me, I would've had to wait several more years."
Ji Xinghuo patted him on the shoulder. "Don't mention it."
As he stepped into the private room, he spotted another person inside and was taken aback. "Miss Fang?"
They had met once before.
During the 'She Ye Cup' competition two years ago, Fang Yinping had been one of his competitors, and she was said to have quite the background. There had been a minor misunderstanding between them, but it was quickly resolved.
"Mr. Ji, long time no see," Fang Yinping greeted him amiably.
Ji Xinghuo glanced at Lu Yunhai, raising an eyebrow and asking silently what was going on.
"Yinping is my girlfriend now. We've been together for over a year," Lu Yunhai explained, a little embarrassed. "She insisted on coming with me when she heard I was meeting you, and I couldn't stop her."
Ji Xinghuo's eyebrows rose even higher as he understood.
During the 'She Ye Cup', when Lu Yunhai had mentioned Fang Yinping, he had sensed that something was off. It turned out that Lu Yunhai had harbored a secret crush back then, and now, having become an Other, his confidence had also soared.
No wonder he seemed so pleased with himself when I saw him earlier, Ji Xinghuo thought. So he's won the heart of a beauty.
"Good for you, Yunhai," Ji Xinghuo said sincerely, genuinely happy for his friend.
Knowing that Lu Yunhai had been deeply hurt when his ex-girlfriend broke up with him, he was glad to see him moving on. And from his current state, it seemed like he was thriving in both his career and love life.
"Mr. Ji..."
Fang Yinping's words were cut off as Ji Xinghuo smiled and said, "Call me Xinghuo, just like Yunhai. No need to stand on ceremony."
"Alright, Xinghuo," Fang Yinping echoed, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Yunhai has been worrying about you every day at home. He said that when you got back, he wanted to properly thank you for helping him become an Other. But when we saw the news about you online, we were shocked."
Lu Yunhai nodded. "Yeah, I couldn't believe it myself at first. I thought it might be someone with the same name."
The conversation then revolved around Ji Xinghuo.
Since Lu Yunhai was family, albeit a layer removed, and with Fang Yinping present, Ji Xinghuo didn't share too much. Nonetheless, what he did share was enough to leave the couple in awe.
Ji Xinghuo quietly observed Fang Yinping and, sensing that her intentions towards Lu Yunhai were genuine, he relaxed.
After a while, Ji Xinghuo bid them farewell and headed home.
Looking at the string of missed calls, he hesitated before returning the calls of a few close friends and classmates, giving them a general idea of his situation.
He also chatted with his foster parents for a bit.
With each person he spoke to, including his foster parents, Ji Xinghuo noticed a distinct change in their attitudes towards him.
They were warmer, even verging on respectful and ingratiating.
Some were very subtle about it, but the fact that they had called said a lot.
Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but feel moved.
He set up a white-list in his contacts, limiting those who could reach him to just over a dozen people.
Then, he added the contact information of a few of his teammates.
Chi Zhonglin, Jiang Nancayi, and Jing Ji were all currently on Earth, though only Chi Zhonglin lived in Chang'an; Yuan Chongzhen was still in the Starry Realm and hadn't returned yet.
Ji Xinghuo arranged to meet up with his teammates when they were free.
After dealing with his social obligations, it was already late into the night.
"I slacked off today, so no cultivation for me," Ji Xinghuo said to himself as he sat at his desk, browsing the exotic species trading platform. Suddenly, he turned to look at Qinghong, who was lying in the corner of the bed, dozing off after a feast of takeout barbecue.
Ever since returning to Earth, Qinghong's dimensional stomach had stopped working.
It couldn't retrieve or store anything.
Just as Ren Jie had said, the space of the real universe was a billion times sturdier than that of the Starry Realm, rendering any abilities or objects related to space manipulation useless in the Milky Way Galaxy.
"What a waste," Ji Xinghuo lamented.
He sensed the items in his dimensional stomach and casually willed them, not expecting anything to happen.
However, in the next moment, a brilliant, gem-like tear appeared in his hand—a Star Tear!
Ji Xinghuo's eyes widened in surprise.
(End of Chapter)
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