Chapter 78

When Li Mang saw the 'model' of the crystal dragon on the coffee table at Xiao's house, his heart could not remain calm, and he involuntarily moved towards the table.

Li Mang's behavior was indeed a bit impolite, but the Xiao family had a very good impression of him, so they let him go over.

He picked up the crystal dragon model directly, carefully touching the scales with his hands, but Li Mang frowned tightly because he did not feel any trace of the crystal dragon's aura on it, not even a bit. What puzzled him was that the image of the crystal dragon had never been circulated in the world, so how could someone make a model of it? This was not scientific...

"This toy was picked up from the roadside when the electrician came to replace the wires this morning. It looked quite nice, so I picked it up," Xiao's mother explained. This crystal model was indeed beautiful, lifelike, and uniquely shaped, making it a dignified addition to the living room.

"Picked up this morning..." Li Mang's heart was stirred again. He had reason to suspect that this model might be a disguise of the crystal dragon. The crystal dragon had escaped with severe injuries, and from the search locations of Yanhuang and Chiyou, it indeed disappeared in Tianmen Village. It was not impossible that it had turned into this crystal statue.

The crystal dragon was a Xuan-level spirit beast, and it was not strange that it could transform and shrink. Moreover, some strange beasts had innate abilities, and it was not surprising for them to transform into sculptures to disguise themselves in times of danger.

Xiao Zishuang, who was standing beside him, noticed Li Mang's unusual expression and couldn't help but ask, "Li Mang, is there something wrong with this sculpture?"

"Wrong?" Li Mang was at a loss, the Xuan-level spirit beast that the two super organizations, Yanhuang and Chiyou, had been searching for so hard, had been picked up and used as a decoration. He didn't know how to describe his mixed feelings. Although it was currently just a suspicion, Li Mang had to get this crystal dragon model, but what reason could he give? This troubled him.

"Aunt, I really like this model. Can you give it to me?" Li Mang asked, thickening his face. He was not trying to take advantage of the Xiao family, nor was he worried that the model was not the real dragon. He had his own considerations for asking for it rather than buying it.

Firstly, this thing was priceless. Even if it cost a billion, organizations like Yanhuang would be willing to pay, even if it turned out to be a fake. But Li Mang didn't know what price to offer. Ten thousand or eighty thousand was too little, and over a million might scare the Xiao family. He was also worried that if this news spread, and Yanhuang and Chiyou found out, it would not be good for him or the Xiao family.

Therefore, it was better to directly ask for it, even if it meant taking advantage of the Xiao family. He could think of other ways to make it up to them later, which would be more appropriate.

"You can take it if you like it!" Xiao's mother said indifferently. It was just a pretty decoration, and it was picked up. It would be great to improve the relationship with this future son-in-law. She was very satisfied with Li Mang, the more she saw him, the more she liked him.

"Thank you, Aunt!" Li Mang was excited inside but couldn't show it. Although he wanted to hide the crystal dragon immediately, doing so would be too artificial, so he could only temporarily put it back on the coffee table.

The appearance of the crystal dragon sculpture did not cause much trouble. Li Mang and the Xiao family had a very pleasant time, chatting happily. Even Xiao Tianxiao, who had been quite prejudiced against him at first, tried his best to please him.

...

When Li Mang came to Xiao Zishuang's room again, he entered through the front door. Recalling the ripples of their encounter last night, both of them felt a mix of awkwardness and sentiment.

"Li Mang, you bought so many things today. I should give you the money," Xiao Zishuang quickly found a topic to break the silence, sensing the ambiguous atmosphere.

"No need, these are gifts for your family," Li Mang quickly stopped her. He was joking; he was still thinking about how to compensate the Xiao family! How could he take this money?

"But they are too expensive," Xiao Zishuang was troubled.

"… Don't worry, these are mission funds," Li Mang could only come up with this excuse.

"Public funds…" Xiao Zishuang's eyes widened instantly, then she cautiously asked, "Is that okay?"

"It will be fine," Li Mang laughed in surprise.

Hearing this, Xiao Zishuang didn't say anything more. She was worried about annoying Li Mang. After a moment of silence, she mustered the courage to ask, "Can I have your phone number?"

"…" Li Mang was silent. He was not a naive rookie and could see what this pretty flight attendant meant, but it was mostly admiration. Once, he was a man no one cared about. He never thought he would be favored by a goddess.

Xiao Zishuang waited for a long time without an answer, feeling a wave of disappointment. She didn't know why she had developed such feelings for a man she had known for less than a day. Human emotions were complex.

"Of course," Li Mang smiled and gave her his phone number. He needed to get in touch with the Xiao family to make up for it later. As for personal feelings… Li Mang still had to face the issue of survival, and he had no time to think about love. He would deal with it later.

Despite the Xiao family's enthusiastic invitation, Li Mang politely declined the offer to stay overnight and left Tianmen Village with the crystal dragon sculpture, riding a motorcycle.

Although this mission was fraught with unprecedented danger, his luck was good. He not only avoided the pursuit but also learned that Chiyou wanted to kill him. The biggest gain was undoubtedly the crystal dragon sculpture. If everything went as planned, he would get a crystal dragon, which would be the greatest reward of this trip.

...

In the Zhāoyáo Mountain of the Shanhaijing.

"How do I awaken this crystal dragon? And how do I make it recognize me as its master…" Li Mang had been pondering this for a long time and had tried various methods like blood recognition, but none of them worked, leaving him somewhat depressed. He had no choice but to wait until he returned to the Yanhuang compound to find a solution. The library in the Xuan Tower had a lot of such information.

Putting the crystal dragon model away, Li Mang took some fruits and paddled a bamboo raft to Tangting Mountain. To his surprise, the White Ape King was already waiting for him, along with a few others who looked eager. Li Mang's arrival made them all perk up, their eyes fixed on the fruits in his hands, with the White Ape King particularly focused on the bananas in his right hand.

Li Mang was secretly amused but said nothing, just putting the bags of fruit on the ground and then turning to leave. But he saw with a sidelong glance that the fruits were quickly taken by a white ape and presented to the White Ape King.

These ancient white apes were not much less intelligent than humans. With some training, they could handle simple tasks. One day, these silly monkeys would become his personal free labor force, handling tasks like farming and hunting, so he wouldn't have to do everything himself.

"The satellite signal of Li Mang from Team Nine has appeared at the capital airport!" The next morning, the Yanhuang monitoring team reported.

...

PS: I received quite a bit of money during the Qingming Festival... zecsw, Duìjiǔdānggē68, Kādá, Mhǔ, Lǎonà ài àojiāo Luólì, Dōngfāng de móguǐ.

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