Stepping out of the bathroom, Li Xiangdong found a windbreaker that used to be a bit loose and put it on, but it still looked too small.
Pushing open the balcony window, the morning light shone on his face, and Li Xiangdong felt his body brimming with strength, his physical and mental state better than ever before. Just one night after drinking the Primary Genetic Potion, he had actually grown taller. Li Xiangdong was already 1.79 meters tall, and now he figured he must be close to 1.9 meters.
Walking down the stairs, out of the courtyard, and onto an empty path in the back mountain, he broke into a fast run, but his foot missed its footing and he almost tumbled. Knowing that this was due to a sudden surge in physical strength and a temporary lack of coordination in his balance and other faculties, Li Xiangdong consciously slowed his pace, carefully adapting to his enhanced power. In less than half an hour, the movements of his hands and feet became much more coordinated.
The faster Li Xiangdong ran, the greater his speed became. He only heard the wind whistling by his ears and felt that his strides took no effort at all.
Ahead of him was a steep slope of about two meters high. Usually, he would have to use his hands to brace himself for leverage, but today he cleared it with just a light stamp of his foot.
Li Xiangdong estimated that with his current speed, he could easily take the gold medal in the 100-meter sprint at the World Athletics Championships.
After running to vent some energy, Li Xiangdong had basically adapted to the changes in his body. When he returned home, it was already past 7 o'clock.
Mom had already made breakfast, and the whole family was up. Right as he stepped inside, he ran right into his younger sister, Li Yin, walking out the front door.
Women really were sensitive creatures. With just one glance at Li Xiangdong, Li Yin started shouting, "No way, Big Brother, you are acting very strange today!" Circling around Li Xiangdong, she muttered, "Let me take a closer look... Huh? Big Brother, why did you suddenly grow so tall?"
Mom's voice came from the kitchen: "Stop making such a fuss early in the morning! Hurry up and eat breakfast, you still have online classes!"
"Mom, come out and see for yourself! Big Brother suddenly grew a whole lot taller. Originally, I just reached the tip of his nose, but now I don't even reach his chin."
Answering Mom while continuing to question Li Xiangdong, Li Yin asked, "Big Brother, didn't you eat some kind of immortal elixir to grow this fast? Can you give me one too?"
Li Xiangdong smiled and said, "An immortal elixir? Alright, I'll get you a bottle of height-growth oral liquid when the time comes!"
Thinking her brother was joking with her, Li Yin grabbed Li Xiangdong's arm and acted coquettishly: "As long as I can grow taller, oral liquid is fine too! You have to keep your word!"
"Of course, when has your big brother ever lied to you? Everyone in the family will get some when the time comes, so we can all improve our physical fitness and grow taller!" Chatting and laughing with his sister, Li Xiangdong walked into the dining room to get ready for breakfast.
Mom had been bustling about the kitchen since early morning. Grandpa, Grandma, and Dad had also arrived, and the family of six sat together. Another happy and blessed day was beginning.
Because of Li Xiangdong's commotion, his height became the main topic of discussion at the breakfast table.
Li Xiangdong figured that since his height had suddenly increased, he needed to explain it to everyone. The issue of the Storage Ring certainly could not be exposed; he couldn't even tell his family. The genetic potion definitely had to be given to his family to use, but he couldn't tell the unvarnished truth—he needed to use some tact in how he spoke, and he had to time it right when bringing it out for use.
"I do have a secret to tell you all, but absolutely no one else can find out about this matter."
Li Xiangdong said solemnly, "I've obtained a nutrient solution that can enhance human physical fitness. As for where it came from, I can only keep it confidential for now, because such a product isn't on the market yet. This drink has been clinically tested and has absolutely no side effects. Twenty days ago, I fed a bottle to Xiaohei, and it has already been proven safe."
With that, Li Xiangdong called Xiaohei into the dining room. Xiaohei had grown as tall as a sturdy little calf, its black fur shining and glossy, and its limbs exceptionally robust, making it look full of power.
After entering, Xiaohei performed a very human-like action, rubbing against everyone's feet one by one, and then looked up at them, as if asking what was going on.
"Xiaohei, sit!"
"Xiaohei, roll over!"
"Xiaohei, close the door!"
As Xiaohei skillfully performed various actions under Li Xiangdong's commands, the family watched with wide eyes.
Finally, Li Xiangdong gave a single command: "Mission complete, go outside and keep watch!"
Xiaohei immediately bolted out the door like a wisp of smoke.
"No wonder Xiaohei has changed so much lately—so you were the one behind it, Li Xiangdong!" Li Yin lightly punched Li Xiangdong's arm with her small fist. "I actually thought Xiaohei had turned into a spirit?"
"I drank a bottle yesterday myself, and there were no adverse reactions at all. On the contrary, the effects were very obvious, and my sudden increase in height is probably because of this. According to the description, the most important function of this nutrient solution is to boost the body's immunity, and it's very effective against the current pneumonia prevention. I suggest everyone drink a bottle; there's no harm in it anyway."
Li Xiangdong passed the genetic potion off as a nutrient solution, trying his best to downplay its miraculous effects, mainly to dispel his family's doubts.
"I want to drink it! I want to drink it! I'm 1.6 meters right now, I'm going to strive to grow a bit taller, to 1.7 meters." True to form, Li Yin was the first to express her stance without a single care.
Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Mom were all a little worried, but fortunately, none of them objected.
"Wait a moment, I'll get each of you a dose." Li Xiangdong dashed upstairs, grabbed five tubes of the Primary Genetic Potion and a bottle opener, and rushed back down, placing the five tubes of the Primary Genetic Potion on the dining table.
"Isn't this calcium gluconate oral liquid from TV commercials?" Li Yin picked up a pale blue tube of the Primary Genetic Potion. "It looks very high-tech though. Is this the latest tech product? Does it really have no side effects?"
"If you're worried there's a problem, you can choose to drink it later. I'll save a tube for you anyway."
"Since you've already drunk it, I'll drink mine now too." Hesitating for a moment, Li Yin made up her mind to drink it first.
Li Xiangdong picked up a tube, expertly cut open the sealed glass cap with the opener, and handed it to his sister.
Holding it carefully in her hand, Li Yin smiled and said, "I'm drinking it." With that, she tilted it into her mouth.
"Ah, it's sweet and quite tasty!" Just as Li Yin was about to toss the glass bottle into the trash can, Li Xiangdong stopped her and collected the glass bottle.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, you should all drink a bottle!" Li Xiangdong opened the remaining four bottles and distributed them to the four of them.
Seeing everyone cautiously drinking the Primary Genetic Potion, Li Xiangdong, as someone who had already been through it, reminded them: "How is it? Isn't it a very comfortable feeling? But I forgot to mention one thing earlier: you'll need to drink a few more cups of water later. It will soon expel the impurities from inside your bodies, and there might be a bit of an odor. Now, you should all go to your rooms to rest, preferably take a nap, and when you wake up, you'll be able to feel the effects."
Hearing that their bodies would start to smell, Li Yin hastily drank some water and hurried back to her bedroom. Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Mom also drank water at Li Xiangdong's urging and then returned to their rooms to rest.
Li Xiangdong stayed behind to clean up the dining room, then returned to his bedroom and put all the remaining genetic potions back into his ring. He was worried that his little sister, being immature, might go looking for them on her own and drink another tube, and he had no idea what kind of problems that might cause.
Judging from how the ring had been functioning lately, the energy reserves were still very abundant, and it was better to keep these advanced high-tech products stored inside the ring.