Chapter 52

Jin Longyu swallowed Xiaopang in one gulp.

Lei Xihuan didn't even have a chance to save him.

But he soon realized he had overreacted. In less than two seconds, Jin Longyu opened its mouth, and Xiaopang lazily swam out.

What was going on?

Lei Xihuan couldn't figure it out.

But he noticed that Xiaopang's originally white body seemed to have become even whiter.

Then, the silver dragon fish swallowed Xiaopang in one gulp.

This time, Lei Xihuan wasn't as anxious.

Sure enough, after a short while, the silver dragon fish opened its mouth, and Xiaopang swam out again.

What were they doing?

Lei Xihuan could never have guessed that the two dragon fish were actually cleaning Xiaopang.

The two dragon fish alternately swallowed and spat out Xiaopang, and his originally snow-white body gradually changed, with a hint of red appearing on it.

Lei Xihuan wasn't sure if this was good for Xiaopang or if he was being injured and bleeding.

However, Xiaopang seemed to be enjoying it very much.

After about ten rounds, the two dragon fish stopped. Xiaopang's body had turned a pinkish-white color.

What was happening? Why didn't Xiaopang spit out any dragon saliva on the dragon fish?

But Lei Xihuan soon noticed a problem.

The colors of the two dragon fish had also changed.

The body of the golden dragon fish, which was originally red, had become almost transparent like Xiaopang's. The silver dragon fish, however, had turned a bit pale.

Why was this happening?

Actually, during the process of swallowing and spitting out, the impurities and some invisible dirt on Xiaopang's body had been cleaned by the dragon fish. The red threads that appeared were signs of Xiaopang's growth.

As for the dragon fish, they also absorbed the spiritual energy from Xiaopang's body while cleaning him, which was very beneficial to them.

But how much they could absorb and digest depended entirely on their own abilities...

The mystery of this was something Lei Xihuan would never understand.

"Xiaopang, come out."

Lei Xihuan wanted to take Xiaopang back to the pond, but Xiaopang shrank back, unwilling to leave.

"Xiaopang, what are you doing here? Come out, don't you want the spiritual energy from the jade?"

Xiaopang shook his head, as if staying there was more important than absorbing the spiritual energy from the jade.

Could it be because of the seawater?

This time, Lei Xihuan guessed correctly. Once Xiaopang was back in the seawater, he didn't want to leave.

This was a bit of a problem. What about his ten-acre pond? It seemed he would have to go through a lot of trouble to get Xiaopang to the pond.

Forget it, let him stay in the fish tank for now...

...

The next morning, Mo Fatzi called, saying he had bought the artificial seawater and it would be delivered in the next two days.

Lei Xihuan looked at the pond in the farm. Where else could the seawater be stored?

He found Lao Meng and discussed draining the pond. Lao Meng was quite fair and only charged Lei Xihuan the cost.

They started immediately, and Lao Meng brought his team that morning.

Lei Xihuan bought a good pack of cigarettes from the village store and forced it on Lao Meng. He then sat in a reclining chair, browsing the internet while keeping an eye on Lao Meng to see if he needed any help.

Taking this opportunity, he searched online for information about dragon fish. He was surprised to find that top-quality dragon fish could sell for over a million dollars.

If he had the chance, he might as well specialize in breeding dragon fish.

Thinking he hadn't logged into QQ for a while, he opened the little penguin.

Lei Xihuan didn't have many QQ friends, less than 100 in total. When he logged in, he saw two friend requests.

He accepted them all.

The first one was from someone called "Dancing with the Wind," and the profile picture was of a woman.

Could it be Annie?

Lei Xihuan sent a "?".

The reply was quick: "Bro, want to watch some *exciting* videos? Free for 10 minutes."

Damn.

Lei Xihuan didn't think twice and deleted the friend.

Nine out of ten of these were fake.

Before he could check the other friend, a message came: "Bro, you're finally online."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Zhu Jinyan. Zhi Zha Zhanda gave me your QQ number."

"Oh, I see. Where's your sister?"

"She's killing people in the game. Mo Fatzi has been pulled in too, he bought a 2000 yuan account."

Poor Mo Fatzi, another one about to suffer at Annie's hands.

"Bro, I want to come stay in Xiantao Village for a few days. Is that okay?"

"Ah, come here?" Lei Xihuan was taken aback, then typed quickly: "The living conditions here can't compare to the city."

"No problem. After eating your ginseng, I feel much better. The doctor told me to be more active and breathe fresh air, so I thought of coming to your place."

"Alright, come. Just give me a call in advance."

"My sister said she wants to come too."

"NO!!!" Lei Xihuan typed several exclamation marks without hesitation.

Was he joking? Once Annie came, the place would be in chaos. Would he even have a peaceful day?

"But my sister insists on coming..."

Lei Xihuan decided to use his ultimate move: "Tell your sister I'm a *pervert*, a very scary one. I can't guarantee what might happen if she comes."

Zhu Jinyan didn't reply for about two minutes, then a message came:

"I told my sister, she said it's not certain who will eat whom."

Lei Xihuan felt a sudden surge of frustration.

He could imagine the miserable life he would have if Annie stayed.

Would he have a single peaceful day?

Would he have any freedom?

How much trouble would she cause? Wasn't the last incident with the fish enough?

"Got to go, my sister is starting a clan war in the game. I'll help her. Bye."

"Bye."

Lei Xihuan suddenly felt a bit sorry for Zhi Zha Zhanda. A small clan with just a few people, always starting clan wars, what a life.

"Xiaolei, what's this?" Lao Meng's voice interrupted Lei Xihuan's thoughts.

Putting down his laptop, Lei Xihuan walked to the nearly drained pond and looked in the direction Lao Meng was pointing. He was confused.

Stones lay at the bottom of the pond, which he had brought back from Fairy Mountain.

These stones, though not as famous as Yuhua stones, were no less colorful and patterned.

But due to their low profile, they had never gained a market.

Lei Xihuan climbed to the bottom of the pond and picked up a stone from the ankle-deep water.

As soon as he touched it, a warm feeling spread through his hand.

Shouldn't stones in water be cold?

Not only that, the stone had changed significantly.

Lei Xihuan remembered this stone clearly. The pattern on it originally looked like a fairy in the clouds.

But now, the stone was crystal clear, and the rough edges had become smooth.

Most incredibly, the pattern looked almost alive.

The clouds looked as if they could be touched, and the fairy, which was originally blurry, now appeared vividly, as if walking in the clouds.

The stone was still a stone, but in the world of stone collectors, what would they call it?

This was a stone with a powerful imagination and vitality.

Lei Xihuan didn't know much about stones, but he could guess that such a stone would be very valuable.

Why had this change occurred?

Xiaopang, it must be Xiaopang!

The pond where Xiaopang lived not only made the fish grow faster and larger, but even the stones he occasionally placed in it had absorbed Xiaopang's spiritual energy, gaining tremendous benefits.

Who could say such stones wouldn't have a market? Even if there wasn't one now, Lei Xihuan would find a way to create one.

Yes, but how to promote these stones and get people to accept them?

These high-quality stones were just the stepping stones for the Fairy Mountain stones. Once they gained popularity, the villagers of Xiantao Village could earn a good income from collecting stones, and this could also attract tourists to the little-known village.

Lei Xihuan was confident his plan was correct...

"Xiaolei, are you okay?" Lao Meng called from above.

"Fine, just some stones I picked up before, used to decorate the pond." Lei Xihuan replied casually: "Lao Meng, throw me a basket."

A basket was thrown down, and Lei Xihuan put all the stones in it, then had Lao Meng pull him up.

Lao Meng picked up a stone: "Not bad, quite colorful."

He held a stone with a pattern that looked like two birds flying. Lei Xihuan smiled: "Lao Meng, do you want to buy it for 100 yuan?"

"Get lost." Lao Meng threw the stone back into the basket: "You want to sell a broken stone for 100 yuan?"

"Do you not believe me?" Lei Xihuan treated the stones like treasures: "Do you know Yuhua stones? Good ones can sell for hundreds of yuan. When I was in university in Yundong, I heard that an exquisite Yuhua stone called 'Flowing Cloud and Dripping Green' sold for 60,000 yuan."

"60,000 yuan?"

Lao Lei's eyes widened in disbelief: "Who would spend 60,000 yuan on a broken stone?"

Lei Xihuan shook his head and smiled: "To those who don't like it, it's worthless. But to collectors, if they find something they like, they'll pay any price. That's how it is."

"Crazy, crazy."

Lao Meng still thought anyone who would spend 60,000 yuan on a stone was crazy.