Since handing over the mobile phone matters to Kelly and the others, Mu Lin had once again become a hands-off boss.
Xiao Laipi had been monopolized by Meizi and her group, whose excessive affection even this centuries-old demon could hardly bear. He kept trying to avoid them. If it weren’t for the girls’ cuteness and the fact that floating stones—the essential energy source for his survival—were here, he probably would have fled long ago.
Sure enough, Xiao Laipi spent his days in a chaotic scramble, constantly chased by the girls. Having served as a guardian spirit for hundreds of years, he was supposed to maintain a solemn demeanor all day long. Yet now, playing around with Meizi and the others, he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.
With the little girls no longer clinging to him, Mu Lin finally had more free time for his research. After Meizi and the others went to school, he and Xiao Laipi began studying the demon’s otherworldly dimension.
Xiao Laipi’s alternate space was naturally inherent, opening only when his body reached a certain level of growth. As he absorbed more energy, the alternate space gradually expanded. Mu Lin wanted to study this alternate space for two reasons: first, he hoped to create one for himself, which would be far more convenient than storage bags or rings. Second, he believed many Taoist techniques involved alternate spaces—such as the Five Ghosts Transportation Art, storage spells, teleportation, and escape techniques.
Currently, Mu Lin lacked sufficient power for teleportation and could only use escape techniques. While using these techniques, he always sensed himself moving through another space, albeit for an extremely short duration. The differences among escape techniques were minimal, mostly relying on different materials to cast the spell, with the only variation being the number of talismans used. Despite continuous research, he had made little progress. Mu Lin could only sigh, lamenting his lack of advanced experimental equipment, and began thinking about expanding his laboratory again. Anyone familiar with such things entering his lab would surely exclaim it was the most advanced laboratory in the world.
The acquisition of the mobile phone manufacturer had been largely completed, now awaiting technicians from Bell Labs to appropriately upgrade the production equipment. As Kelly had said, the upper echelons of New York society indeed showed full support, and the applications for installing mobile signal transmitters had all been approved. They were now simply awaiting completion of the factory equipment upgrades before beginning mass production.
One day, Mu Lin received a call from Professor Wang at the clinic. He said a French patient had arrived with an unusual illness, one none of them could diagnose. The situation had already caused serious repercussions in Washington, with some people taking the opportunity to harass the clinic. They requested Mu Lin’s presence in Washington to treat the patient and handle the aftermath of the incident.
After receiving the call, Mu Lin felt a pang of guilt for having neglected the clinic for so long. He had never really taken it seriously, leaving everything to the elderly doctors to handle. This time, the situation must be serious. Although Professor Wang and the others were vague in their description, Mu Lin could sense their inner anxiety from their tone.
After saying goodbye to Kelly and the others, Mu Lin set off for Washington with Xiao Laipi. Perhaps having played enough with Meizi and the others, Xiao Laipi threatened Mu Lin that if he were left behind again as a babysitter, he would run away from home. Helplessly, Mu Lin had no choice but to bring the little creature along, although somewhat reluctantly. After all, bringing such an adorable creature would inevitably draw public attention and curious gazes, which went against his low-profile principle.
Today, the first-class cabin wasn’t very crowded, but the flight attendants kept rotating in and out. Mu Lin knew they claimed to be serving him, but in reality, they were there to catch a glimpse of Xiao Laipi. This made the burly man in the next seat envious of Mu Lin’s “fortunate encounter.”
Although Xiao Laipi had lived in Europe and the Americas for a long time, he rarely appeared in public. Previously, he had to avoid Chinese cultivators hunting him down while worrying that too much activity would consume more floating stone energy. Therefore, he had mostly lived in seclusion. The floating stones Mu Lin provided finally freed him from such concerns.
After a period of absorption and cultivation, his fur changed from originally white with brown tinges to completely snow-white. His eye color also shifted from brown to deep black, making him even more adorable. Through playing with Meizi and the others, he had come to understand this well—whenever he showed even a hint of cuteness, the girls would immediately reach out to pet him. Right now, he pretended to meditate with his eyes closed, just like Mu Lin.
When the plane arrived in Washington, Mu Lin and Xiao Laipi almost tumbled off the plane in haste. Xiao Laipi’s previously snow-white fur was now smeared with lipstick marks, making him look like a leopard, causing passersby to stare in bewilderment. Originally, when Mu Lin heard the announcement of landing, he stood up and stretched lazily. Who could have guessed this action might be contagious—Xiao Laipi also stood up in his seat, stretched, and yawned widely.
At that moment, the flight attendants, who had been preparing to guide them off the plane, let out delighted cries. One after another, they rushed over to get close to Xiao Laipi, even pushing Mu Lin, the owner, aside. When Xiao Laipi followed Mu Lin to disembark, the girls finally noticed him and began asking for his contact information, saying they wanted to come visit Xiao Laipi.
How could Mu Lin dare leave his contact details with these fan girls? On one hand, there was Xiao Laipi’s threat; on the other, he himself was too afraid. If a group of flamboyant beauties showed up at his clinic in Washington, no one would believe they were there to see Xiao Laipi—they would only assume he had seduced them. His reputation as a playboy would spread worldwide in no time.
After boarding the clinic’s car that came to pick him up, Mu Lin hastily ordered the driver to start the car, leaving the driver utterly puzzled. He knew Mu Lin’s influence in the U.S. and couldn’t imagine who could have caused Mu Lin to act so flustered.
Only after the car left the airport did Mu Lin and Xiao Laipi finally breathe a sigh of relief. If not for the airport staff’s strict work discipline, they might have chased after them directly. Looking at Xiao Laipi, Mu Lin complained, “It’s all your fault! I told you not to be so cute. Otherwise, how could you attract a bunch of fan girls? Next time, I’m definitely not bringing you!”
“You dare! Do you think it’s fun for me to come with you? If Meizi and Meifang were here, they would never let me get this messy. Look at me now—almost like a leopard! Have I ever looked this bad?” Xiao Laipi whined.
Then he threatened Mu Lin again, “If you don’t bring me next time, I’ll just teach Kelly and Fanny to take me out! And I’ll teach Meifang and Meizi some things you don’t know!” Ever since absorbing enough floating stone energy, Xiao Laipi could now use the secret technique of transmitting voice into someone’s mind. However, if someone was nearby, they would see Xiao Laipi’s mouth moving slightly, as if responding to Mu Lin.
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