[Chapter 411: Li Bingbing, The Spatial Ring]
Back at the hotel, as soon as he opened the door, he saw Li Bingbing sitting alone on the couch watching TV, dressed in a stunning black cheongsam.
Seeing him return, she excitedly ran over and, just as she reached him, leapt into his arms, planting a sweet kiss. "Honey, you're finally back."
Li Bingbing had clearly prepared carefully. She had taken a shower earlier, and the pleasant scent of shampoo filled the air. The elegant black dress perfectly accentuated her tall, curvy figure.
Noticing Linton's intense gaze, Li Bingbing shyly said, "I bought this dress this afternoon. Do you like it?"
"It looks amazing. Absolutely gorgeous."
"Want me to walk a little so you can see it better?"
"Sure."
Li Bingbing stepped away from Linton's embrace and let him sit on the sofa. She picked up a folding fan from the coffee table, instantly transforming her image.
Before him was a graceful Asian beauty in a black cheongsam, gently swaying her slender waist. Pink flowers decorated the dress, wrapping elegantly around her silhouette.
With a light twirl of the fan, her eyes sparkled as seductively as flowing spring waters. She slowly closed the fan, trailing it down along her slim waist, then lightly brushed it over the curvy line of her hips.
Her feet, clad in high heels, moved softly as she approached. Her delicate calves and exaggerated hip movements were fluid, almost as if she had no bones.
Linton's heart fluttered along with hers.
The cheongsam was indeed the perfect garment for an Asian woman, showcasing Li Bingbing's curves beautifully. Her rounded hips formed stunning lines, and her full, sensuous bust moved rhythmically with each step.
In a word: stunning.
Two words: elegant and charming.
Every expression, every smile, was full of allure.
Laughing heartily, Linton scooped Li Bingbing up and carried her to the inner room...
A gentle, lingering song began to play...
...
Half an hour later, Li Bingbing lay softly atop Linton.
"Honey, you're incredible."
"Bingbing, why don't you tell me your story?"
"Sure. I was born in Wuchang, Heilongjiang province..."
"So you're studying while working, carrying the financial burden for your family?"
"There is no choice. My dad's just a factory worker, his income is limited. My little sister's still in high school. If I don't work hard, who will pay for my mom's medical bills? Now that I can earn money, I've gotten used to it over the last couple of years."
"Bingbing, you're an amazing girl. Your efforts won't be wasted. Keep at it, and great rewards will come."
"Thanks. Actually, there have already been some. Last year, through my teacher's introduction, I acted in the TV drama Yilu Denghou, and now, I'm lucky to have met you."
"Since fate brought us together, how about I arrange for your mother to come here for treatment?"
"There is no need. Her condition is stable now; she just needs rest and regular checkups."
"Okay then. I'll send you $50,000 tomorrow. Use it for her treatment and recovery. From now on, stop overworking yourself. Focus all your energy on studying and acting."
"I can't accept that. I already got $2,000 from your assistant yesterday as a stipend. Your assistant even took me shopping this afternoon. If I take your money again, what would that make me?"
"Consider it a loan. When you become a star, you can pay me back."
"That's no good either. I did not become your friend for your money."
"I know that. I said it's a loan to help you focus on your studies and acting, so you can quickly become a star."
"Honey, you're too good to me..."
Seeing Li Bingbing crying happy tears, Linton felt a slight pride. This white lotus definitely wasn't escaping from his grasp.
He wiped away her tears. "Don't cry. Today's a happy day."
"Honey, I'm fine now. I want you to love me even more."
The sweet and cheerful song played again...
---
Two hours later, the activity wound down. Linton sent a small amount of energy, and Li Bingbing soon fell asleep.
Linton got up and went to the living room, taking out the stone he had found at the market that afternoon.
On the surface, the stone looked ordinary, but his spiritual sense wouldn't deceive him -- there was definitely something unusual inside.
Not bothering with other methods, he crushed the stone with his hands. As the stone disintegrated to dust, an ordinary looking metal ring was revealed.
"A ring? A ring growing inside a stone?" Linton looked at the plain ring in his hand, puzzled. Even more strange, he couldn't identify the material -- it was neither gold, silver, nor any known metal.
No matter, he decided to analyze it more closely with his spiritual sense.
As his spiritual perception probed, a strange expression crossed his face.
He clearly sensed a faint resistance blocking his spiritual energy from entering the ring. But since the ring was inanimate and powered by no source, as Linton strengthened his focus, a soft cracking sound came -- like an eggshell breaking.
Then his spiritual energy flowed in unobstructed.
A tremendous wave of happiness enveloped him. Inside was a huge spatial dimension.
Jackpot! He had truly struck it rich. The space device he'd longed for had come to him: the highest-grade spatial ring from the spirit cultivation world.
The space was cubic, about 30 meters long and wide, and 10 meters high -- about 9,000 cubic meters.
Though once filled with many items, most had decayed over time. At Linton's touch, they instantly turned to ashes.
He was disappointed -- he had hoped to learn more about the ancient cultivation, but that dream faded. The origin of the ring remained a mystery.
However, it was certain this ring came from an era far older than the quartz pendant he had obtained in his past life, which caused his transmigration.
No matter -- it was a treasure in itself.
Next, he used his spiritual energy to brand the ring with his mark, binding it to him. From now on, only he could use it.
Really, the brand was unnecessary; he was the only cultivator here. Ordinary people without spiritual power couldn't even detect the ring's inner space, let alone open it or store anything inside.
Still, with the brand, the ring could change its outward appearance at his will. To avoid suspicion, Linton transformed it into a simple, common ring and wore it on his right index finger.
With this, he truly felt like a cultivator.
With this, wherever he went, life would be much easier.
With this, next time he went to India, he could pack up all the treasures hidden beneath the Padmanabhaswamy temple in one go.
He wondered if the ring could store living creatures.
At the thought, he had a sudden urge to experiment. After all, Li Bingbing wouldn't wake anytime soon.
He put all the stone dust into the ring, slightly opened the window, and in a flash, left the hotel.
Since this was Hong Kong, he didn't fly on his sword but landed on the ground. Using the Earth Escape technique, he burrowed underground, heading toward a nearby park.
Emerging inside the inner park, he emptied all the dust from the ring, then captured a cicada and placed it inside. Two minutes later, the cicada was dead.
Next, he tried a frog -- same result; it died within two minutes.
He tested with grasshoppers, mosquitoes, various insects... without exception, they all died quickly.
Apparently, the inside of the ring was a vacuum, lacking air, and it couldn't sustain living creatures.
He didn't know if food would stay fresh in the vacuum. That would have to be tested later.
*****
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