CHAPTER 555: CHAPTER 555: BEAST GROWTH

Su Jiyai’s eyes softened. She gave a small sigh. "That’s all in the past. You don’t need to bring it up now."

But Xi Ping shook her head firmly. "No, it’s not okay. Just because it was in the past doesn’t mean we should ignore it. My brother made a mistake, and as his sister, I want to take responsibility for it."

She looked up with determination. "From now on, he will give you 10% of his earnings every day for one whole year."

Su Jiyai blinked in surprise.

She had nearly forgotten about Xi Ping’s brother. During their time in the military, he had always been the quiet one who stuck with Li Yuan. Though he didn’t say much, when he did, it was usually backing Li Yuan up.

He had never physically hurt her or joined in on any schemes, but he definitely didn’t stop them either. He was the type to follow the crowd and stay silent.

She remembered beating him up once after he had made an appearance near base, and after that, she had pretty much let it go. It was never that deep for her.

She smiled gently. "Really, it’s fine. I’ve moved on. You don’t need to pay me anything."

But Xi Ping was still serious. "No. It’s not just about the money. It’s about recognizing that he was wrong and showing that we respect you now. And besides," she added in a soft voice, "I want to be someone you can trust."

Su Jiyai stared at her for a second, then smiled again. "Alright. If it makes you feel better."

With the emotional talk over, she turned to both Qin Feng and Xi Ping and clapped her hands together. "Let’s get back to the task. Time to open the portal."

Xi Ping nodded and stepped forward. She raised her hands, channeling her power. A swirling blue portal opened in the air in front of them, like a watery mirror floating in space.

"Let’s go," Su Jiyai said.

They stepped through together.

..................

On the other side, they entered a wild, overgrown jungle. Strange trees towered above them, their leaves glowing slightly in the dim light.

The air smelled earthy and fresh, but it also carried the scent of danger.

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed in the distance.

They didn’t waste time.

Su Jiyai led the group quickly through the tall grass, and not long after, they spotted their first mutated beast, a giant boar with crystal-like tusks and green fur.

"Let’s take it down fast," Su Jiyai said.

They continued hunting for hours, taking down mutated deer, oversized wolves, and even a giant lizard with fire breath. Each time, they worked like a perfect team. No wasted movements, no mistakes.

By the time they finished gathering meat, Su Jiyai, Qin Feng, and Xi Ping were all covered in sweat and dirt. But their faces were full of satisfaction.

Qin Feng’s entire storage was filled to the top with mutated beast meat, so full that not even a single more bone could fit inside. Su Jiyai had also packed her system inventory with beast meat, using every available slot.

But as the group stood near the glowing portal, getting ready to return home, Su Jiyai suddenly frowned.

Her thoughts became serious.

"My base has over 100,000 people now," she murmured to herself. "At this rate, if we keep hunting like this, the beasts in this island might all vanish one day..."

She hadn’t thought about this before.

So many people would need food every day, and although this other world was full of mutated animals now, one day it might be empty if they kept taking without giving anything back.

Just as she was thinking, Qin Feng spoke up quietly.

"Why don’t we raise them?"

Su Jiyai blinked and looked at him. "Raise them?"

Qin Feng nodded. "Yeah. Tame the beasts. Help them reproduce. That way, we won’t run out. We can farm them instead of always hunting."

Su Jiyai’s eyes widened a little, and then she slowly nodded. "That... actually makes sense."

She opened the system in her mind. "System, is there any medicine or something that can help beasts reproduce faster and grow quickly?"

After a short pause, the system replied by opening the system shop interface in front of her.

Su Jiyai scanned through the items, her eyes moving quickly.

Then, she found it.

[Beast Growth and Reproduction Powder]

Its description said: "Sprinkle in the air to boost energy and reproduction. Mix in rivers, food, or soil to help plants grow and purify the environment. Also increases fertility in nearby beasts."

Su Jiyai’s heart sped up as she checked the price. She braced herself, thinking it might cost billions.

But when she saw it was just 1,000 coins per bottle, she let out a long breath.

"Thank goodness," she muttered. "Finally, something affordable."

She quickly bought several bottles, thinking she’d only need a few to cover the island and nearby waters.

But she was wrong.

Very wrong.

As she started spreading the powder across the island and mixing it in the nearby water, the system kept telling her: "Not enough. More area detected."

By the end, she had spent almost 1 billion coins.

Her mouth twitched.

"I’ve been scammed..." she muttered, staring at the empty coin balance in her system.

But then she remembered the item description. It promised stronger reproduction and beast growth for a whole year.

"...It’s an investment," she told herself with a deep breath. "At least we’ll get meat, clean rivers, and more herbs out of this later. We’ll earn it back."

Her heart was still in pain, though.

Xi Ping, who had been watching Su Jiyai’s expressions change, from shocked to heartbroken to calm, stepped forward quietly.

She bowed slightly and said, "Boss Su... if this was too expensive, I don’t need a share of the profits. I’ll give mine to you."

Su Jiyai looked up, a little surprised, but then she smiled gently.

She turned to Qin Feng and Xi Ping and said seriously, "No. Everyone deserves a fair share."

She then raised her hand and pointed to each of them.

"Xi Ping, since you’re opening the portal every time and keeping it stable, you’ll get 25% of the profits."

Xi Ping’s eyes widened.

"Qin Feng, you’re in charge of fighting and organizing the storage. You’ll get 20%."

Qin Feng nodded with a calm smile.

"As for me, I’ll take 50%."

Then, Xi Ping blinked and tilted her head. "Wait... that adds up to 95%... What about the remaining 5%?"

Su Jiyai gave a small mysterious smile but didn’t answer.

Xi Ping understood that it wasn’t her place to ask more questions. She nodded, thankful already.

"Thank you... for giving me such a big share. I didn’t expect it," she said sincerely.

Su Jiyai chuckled and patted her shoulder. "You’re doing more than you think. And I trust you."

Xi Ping smiled back, her cheeks turning a little pink.

After returning to their own world, Su Jiyai looked at Qin Feng and Xi Ping with a thoughtful gaze. The moment their eyes met, Xi Ping seemed to understand something without needing to be told.

She gave a soft smile and said, "I’ll leave you two alone."

Then she turned and walked away quietly, not even looking back.

As she walked through the hallway, she couldn’t help but think to herself,

’So that’s why Qin Feng was always so protective of that little pulp... They were a couple all along. She smiled a little sadly. I’ve been a third wheel this whole time. If I had known, I wouldn’t have bothered them so much...’

Back in the room, Su Jiyai and Qin Feng stood in comfortable silence for a moment. Then, Su Jiyai looked at him seriously and said,

"I said earlier that you’d get 20%, but actually... I want you to take 25%."

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You already said 20%. It’s fine. I don’t need more."

Su Jiyai shook her head. "I only said that to balance things out in front of Xi Ping. But between you and me... I’d feel weird if I gave you less than her. You do just as much. Maybe even more."

Qin Feng chuckled softly and gave a small shrug. "If that’s what you want, then I’ll let you do whatever you want."

Su Jiyai smiled, a gentle look in her eyes. "Alright then. Let’s rest for now."

That night, when the base was quiet and everyone had gone to sleep, Su Jiyai slowly got up from her bed. She carefully walked out of the room without making a sound.

But the moment the door closed, Qin Feng’s eyes opened.

He had been awake.

He frowned slightly and sat up. Where’s she going at this hour?

He got up and checked outside the room. But the hallway was empty.

Then it hit him.

He tried to teleport, half-expecting there to be a barrier. But surprisingly, there was none. He teleported straight outside with ease.