Chapter 11: This Young Master Gets Some Training
Chen Haoran had missed Lan Fen's presence when she was in seclusion training.
He was beginning to regret that thought.
Lan Fen seemed to have heard that thought as she stepped into his guard and forced her wooden practice sword against his. Chen Haoran flexed his qi and with his superior cultivation base pushed her away. Lan Fen floated back like a leaf with the force and stepped back to the line she had drawn earlier in the dirt.
A line he hadn't been able to force her past once.
He stepped after her quickly, flitting from side to side to attack her on her flank. Lan Fen predicted his strikes and parried them away one after another with superior skill. He swung upwards, hoping to use his greater strength to force open her guard, but her sword flowed like water around his own and harshly rapped him on the knuckles forcing him to drop it.
As he cradled his hand Lan Fen tapped him on the shoulder with her sword.
"My win again," she announced.
Chen Haoran grimaced. Fighting with Lan Fen showed him how extraordinarily lucky he had gotten three days ago. As well as how unlucky their opponents were that they had to fight the monster in front of him. Lan Fen's eagle-like eyes seemed to see through every movement and her superior skill left his powerful strikes hitting the air. He couldn't imagine how strong she was at the Ninth Layer if this was her at her weakest.
"You really know how to make a guy's cultivation feel useless," he said.
"While a Qi realm is just as vulnerable to a weapon as anyone else it is not as easy as I make it look," she replied. "I stood at the Ninth Layer of the Qi realm, it is a mistake to compare me to a regular mortal."
"Mistake noted."
Lan Fen smiled and nodded at him. "Do not feel too disappointed, you have a much better awareness of the basics than most beginners."
"If only I was aware enough to use my Earth level technique," he said. He was still kicking himself for it days later. How much easier would the fight have been if he hadn't panicked and used the Canyon Carving Sword instead?
Lan Fan considered him for a moment.
"Use your technique on me," she said.
"What?" Chen Haoran was startled. He knew Lan Fen was strong but she couldn't parry the Canyon Crossing Sword. "No that's just dangerous."
"I will be fine," she said. Lan Fen locked eyes with him and he saw her confidence he felt his waver. Maybe she did have a way to deal with his technique?
"Fine," he finally said. "But be careful."
"Naturally."
Chen Haoran brought up his sword and recited the Canyon Carving Swords Sutra in his mind as he channeled his qi. What he wielded was not a sword but a river. As all water did it flowed from high to low and followed the easiest path. Through stone, through mountains, whatever stood before you is nothing more than that. Carve a path through and reach the end as those rivers did.
Canyon Carving Swor-
Chen Haoran's back hit the Earth and he felt both his breath and qi leave him in a single pained exhale that left him dizzy. Lan Fen stepped into sight and dominated his vision. Her mouth moved but he couldn't hear her and he soon became distracted by her sleeveless training uniform. He hadn't paid attention to it before but her arms were rather muscular and he was sure the rest of her body was just as toned combined with her warrior features she looked less like his sparring partner, and more like a general stepping onto conquered land.
"You look like a warrior," he blurted out in a daze.
Lan Fen blinked in surprise but smiled at him. "Thank you but that is not what I asked."
Chen Haoran had no idea what she was talking about as his senses returned to him. At least he didn't before what he said suddenly struck him. He covered his face with his hand and groaned both from pain and embarrassment.
Lan Fen huffed a laugh and dropped a towel on his head. "Do you know what happened there?"
"You didn't even give me a second," he said.
"I gave you ten seconds," she responded. "Do you see the issue?"
Of course, he did. If he had tried to use the Canyon Carving Sword last time then he would have been gutted like a fish. It wasted too much time to use it in an actual fight.
"Is it possible to get any faster with practice?"
"Of course but there will still be a vulnerability if you use it without thinking," Lan Fen said.
"Awareness huh?" The point she was making was obvious.
"Yes," she said, sitting down next to him. "A fight is all about the next moment. It's up to you to make sure it is the best one of your life and the worst one for your opponents. And you cannot do either if you are not thinking."
"Thanks, Lan Fen." Despite getting handed his ass more than he could count Chen Haoran appreciated Lan Fen's training.
"You are welcome."
They both sat in silence, catching their breaths. Chen Haoran circulated his qi and found it easier than before. Ever since fighting for his life the blockage he had been dealing with had finally loosened and kept clearing up more with every training session he did with Lan Fen. Still, while it looked like the problem was solved it was best to ask Lan Fen.
Hearing his question Lan Fen didn't immediately say anything but instead pinched his arm. He didn't know what she was feeling for but she apparently found it after a few seconds.
"You ate too many cultivation supplements in too short a time, causing a bottleneck."
"Is it that obvious?" That was his guess as well but figuring it out just by pinching his arm was a little much.
"It's a common issue for cultivators in aristocratic families, especially those with low-grade spirit roots," she said.
"Low quality?" Were there different grades of spirit roots too?
"Yes, low-grade, middle-grade, and high-grade. How fast one absorbs and processes qi depends on the quality of the spirit root."
"So people without spirit roots can't cultivate at all then?" he said.
"Everyone is born with spirit roots," Lan Fen patiently explained. "Not everyone has the opportunity to cultivate, however, and some can have their spirit roots crippled and cannot absorb qi at all."
"Do you think I have a low-grade spirit root then?"
"I do not know. It could be low-grade or it could be a particularly atrophied high-grade one. Spirit roots are a part of our bodies, if they are not maintained then their performance will inevitably drop. Without a Talent-Testing Formation or a higher realm cultivator to check, I cannot know for certain which it is."
"Well I don't think it's that bad, I've been progressing pretty fast after all. Once I'm out of this bottleneck I should reach the Sixth Layer."
"I believe you should be prepared for it to be slower from now on," Lan Fen said.
"Why?" he said, sitting up. It couldn't have been because of the supplements right? He didn't accidentally screw over his future again did he?
"You previously stood at the Fifth Layer. Though you regressed to the Third the path forward had been one you walked before," she said.
"But I didn't know anything about cultivating before this was my first time."
Lan Fen shook her head. "Cultivation is an act of continuous self-perfection of one's very being. Though your mind may not remember your body did not forget the traces of higher greatness it housed."
"That's why you said you couldn't be compared to a regular person," Chen Haoran said, realization dawning on him.
"In part yes," Lan Fen said. Her enhanced physicals might not compare to a First Layer cultivator in a direct showdown but combined with her superior skills and experience it gave her the edge to keep up with higher-level cultivators. "This is your first time cultivating to the Sixth Layer, even with cultivation supplements it won't be as easy as before."
At least that made his next decision easier.
Chen Haoran waved his hand and in front of him appeared a small pile of pills, herbs, and elixir. The rewards he received from the Gifting power. Lan Fen only arched an eyebrow and didn't comment on how they appeared from thin air.
"These are for you," he said.
"I take it these are what you have been using yourself?" As she said it Lan Fen waved her hand and the pile disappeared before his eyes.
If he had to put it in game terms then Lan Fen had some kind of inventory space, if that was the same power she used to get the drop on the assassins back then she could hide in it as well. Chen Haoran felt briefly jealous, his anxiety would kill to have a power like that instead he was stuck with a Sugar Daddy System. Regardless tit-for-tat was in play and he studiously ignored Lan Fen's display. Their boundaries had been set.
"Yeah, I'll try to get you more but Manager Lin has been running into issues with buying them," he said. That was something that had to be fixed asap. Lan Fen needed the resources and he needed Lan Fen to recover as quickly as possible. After what she told him it was obvious that she'd reach the Ninth Layer again faster than he would and she was the superior fighter besides. It only made sense that the sooner she recovered the safer he would be.
"The auction will more than resolve that issue," she said. "We just have to have the funds prepared."
"I have plenty of money right now you know," he said.
Lan Fen shook her head. "I want to clear out the whole auction, we will need more." She looked him over and her eyes began to shine.
Chen Haoran felt a distinct chill run through him.
"Perhaps we could kill two birds with one stone."
Chapter 12: This Young Master Admires Nature
"Lan Fen I don't think this is a good idea."
She had led him out of Clearsprings City and before he even had a chance to appreciate the surroundings led him so deep into the mountains he couldn't see the city walls anymore. They were hunting, she had told him. For what he didn't know until they came upon a small spring of water with three huge pigs rolling around its muddy banks.
"Why not?" she said. "The only thing a cultivator fights more than other cultivators is monsters. These Demonic Thrush Pigs have cores you can sell and are a nuisance with how quickly they breed and their tendency to uproot farmland." Lan Fen searched the tree line as she spoke and ticked her fingers off. "Training, making money, and doing a public service, what more could you ask for?"
Chen Haoran looked at the three offending fingers in front of him, then at the waist-high hell pigs sporting seven-inch tusks, and debated the merits of bending them backward. Then he remembered seeing those same fingers stab a man through his eyes and the thought fled as quickly as it came. Instead, he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"My life for one?" He took a closer look at the hell pigs, they were too far away for him to sense but given how weird humans are in this crazy world he didn't expect the wildlife to be any different. "Do monsters cultivate too?"
"Yes, they follow the same realms we do but it's nowhere near as sophisticated." Lan Fen's voice sounded above him and he found as he looked up that rather than scanning the trees for hidden dangers she was looking for a good branch to lie down on. "They are however possessed of more brute force on average than human cultivators of the same realm."
"Lovely," he said. "And what will you be doing while I'm fighting for my life?"
Lan Fen had the audacity to pull down a branch full of nuts above her. Selecting the choicest among them she cracked their shells with her bare hands and loudly snacked on them. "Supervising."
The hell pigs perked up having finally noticed their presence and Chen Haoran hastily drew his sword as the pigs picked themselves ups from the mud. Third Layer of the Qi realm, all of them. "What are you going to do if I die while you're 'supervising'?"
"Fear not, I will make sure your tomb has a suitable epitaph then," she said, waving her finger as if writing it right then and there. "Chen Haoran, laid low by pork. He will not be missed." She recited that ridiculous epitaph with a deep and somber voice before noticeably brightening. "What do you think?"
"You wouldn't dare," he said looking at Lan Fen with wide eyes even as the hell pigs approached.
"If I don't erect a memorial to your death by pig then I, Lan Fen, am not human," she said lightly. "You are not allowed to use the Canyon Carving Sword by the way."
Chen Haoran had no time to respond as the hell pigs were upon him.
That didn't mean he wouldn't though.
The largest of the pigs took the lead in charging at him and Chen Haoran waited until the last moment before cycling the qi in his legs and leaping high into the air. The sound of flesh hitting wood, the pigs angry squealing, and Lan Fen's surprised yelp were music to his ears as he landed. Lan Fen had been shaken from her branch and was forced to wrap her legs around it to avoid falling. She looked at him unamused from her now upside-down position.
Chen Haoran didn't have the time to properly appreciate the petty revenge he just risked his life for however as the other two hell pigs quickly wheeled around to gore him to death. He whipped around to the side of one pig and stabbed, his sword easily piercing through its thick flesh and into its heart. The pig dropped like a stone. Its compatriot roared and furiously charged at him. Chen Haoran considered whether he should face it head-on, he was stronger than it and his sword could easily pierce its hide.
But he had to be aware, there was still one more after all.
Chen Haoran sidestepped the hell pig and dragged his sword along its flank. The pig did most of the work of splitting itself open for him and fell to the ground once it passed. Chen Haoran looked back and searched for the largest pig but rather than fight it had escaped while he butchered the others. With his back secured Chen Haoran went and put the remaining pig out of its misery.
He marveled as he watched the blood slide right off the Mysterious Watersteel Sword. A Spiritual Treasure, as he later learned it was called, followed the same ranks as techniques which meant his sword wasn't much to write home about compared to his Earth rank techniques but he definitely wouldn't have killed these pigs so easily with a normal iron sword. He didn't admire his sword for long though as he had more important things to do.
Like gloating.
"How was that Lan Fen?" he said. He couldn't hide the smugness in his voice if he tried. He waited for an answer but all he received was the sound of chirping insects. He looked around the trees but didn't see Lan Fen anywhere. "Lan Fen?"
Something small and hard smashed against the back of his head he practically flew with how far he jumped forward only to turn around and see Lan Fen on a different tree bouncing a nut in her hand another nut just like it laid on the ground where he a just been.
"You handled that fast," she said. The underbrush around them began to rustle and squeal. "So I went and found you some more pigs."
"Oh, you bi-" Chen Haoran's curse was cut short as the first of the angry pigs burst out from the brush.
This was going to be a long day.
—————
"So what did we learn?"
"That you're a vindictive bitch." Chen Haoran said. Picking leaves out of his hair.
"That much should have been obvious."
After his little prank, Lan Fen had led him on a goose chase involving what felt like damn near every Demonic Thrush Pig on the mountain. He didn't know how she was sensing them before him but she lead him straight into several groups like a GPS from hell and when he got wise to it she provoked other pigs and lead them to him instead. She didn't leave the trees once while doing it either and the less said about his disastrous attempt to climb after her the better.
Suffice to say he was muddy, bloody, and miserable. Thankfully he wasn't seriously injured, anytime a pig was about to maim him an accurately thrown nut struck its eyes or nostrils and gave him the opening needed to escape.
He would have been more thankful if Lan Fen didn't hit him with twice as many nuts after every save.
Lan Fen didn't even accept any of the hell pig's monster cores! They were too common and low level in her words. Which begged the question of just how the hell they were going to make any money out here.
"How the hell are we supposed to be making money out here?" They had been hiking in the mountain for a while now, so much so that even Lan Fen was starting to sweat. He was starting to get a little worried about stronger monsters showing up the further they got from civilization.
"Before I lost my cultivation I had hidden a chunk of my savings here." So either Lan Fen was paranoid or his theory she deliberately lost her cultivation had another check mark added to it. "Ordinarily it would have been difficult to reach before I reached the Second Layer but with you here the way gets cleared and you can train."
"How was that clearing the way! You brought all those hell pigs to me!"
"Oh stop complaining, I made sure to avoid the stronger ones." Lan Fen bent a low-hanging branch out of the way and let it loose when she passed and the branch swung sharply towards Chen Haoran's face.
Rather than dodge, he cycled qi through his head and broke the branch on his face. He looked at Lan Fen as if her little trick was nothing. Which was a lie, his face stung like shit, but it was a matter of principle.
Eventually, they reached a clearing devoid of trees save for one large tree in the center. Lan Fen stopped dead in her tracks and Chen Haoran studied the clearing. The area was a suspiciously even circle around the central tree.
"Gee could you have picked a more obvious area to hide your stuff?" he said. His sarcasm came out tired but he needed a win today.
"It was not before," Lan Fen whispered. She hadn't taken her eyes off the tree ever since they got near and when Chen Haoran looked down he saw she had stopped just before the circle.
He observed the tree carefully not seeing anything wrong. His sense couldn't extend that far either. He was just about to ask Lan Fen what she saw when it finally moved. What he thought was tree bark was instead camouflage that wrapped up to a branch that wasn't one at all.
The giant snake opened one green eye.
"Tree Sitting Python," Lan Fen said, her tone grave. "Ninth-Layer Qi realm."
"Where did you say your stuff was?" He hoped it was somewhere close by. Whatever could make Lan Fen sound serious wasn't something he wanted to mess with.
"Buried under that tree."
Chapter 13: This Young Master Swung His Sword
The tree was huge. At least the size of a small building. It only made the Tree Sitting Python seem larger wrapped around it. Chen Haoran was confident it only needed one bite to swallow him and Lan Fen.
"Can we lead it away?" he said.
"Tree Sitting Pythons do not leave their home tree once bonded unless the tree itself dies," Lan Fen replied.
"What if I cut the tree then? I have enough range on the Canyon Carving Sword that I can still run away after. How fast is it?"
Lan Fen shook her head. "The beast can attack further than you think. This clearing was full of trees when I last came here." If it doesn't leave its tree once bonded but simultaneously cleared out all the trees here then that meant the whole circle was within its range.
"Poison?" Lan Fen had called it a python but he didn't think it was a bad idea to assume the superpower snake was venomous.
"No, purely physical," she said.
"Would it attack us as soon as we stepped in?" he said.
"It would probably wait until we got closer, easier to cut off our escape that way."
"What's even up with this bullshit luck?" Chen Haoran grumbled.
"It might have sensed the treasures I buried here when searching for a new home tree." Lan Fen said, looking more frustrated than he'd ever seen her.
"So what's the plan?" he said. No matter what it seemed like this snake would be a pain in the ass to deal with.
"We leave and come back when I'm stronger." Lan Fen said with disgust.
"Just like that? Didn't you want to use this money from here to clear out the auction?" Lan Fen was always so confident that he never expected her to just back off like this.
"That was hyperbole," Lan Fen said shaking her head. "The gold taels you have will be plenty for my needs. Trying to get my savings is not worth the risk."
Or maybe he was the one too confident in Lan Fen. He had been dazzled by her skill and competence these last few days but it was a fact she still had no cultivation base.
There were some things even she couldn't do by herself.
"What if I used the Canyon Carving Sword?" While he was tired it was only mental exhaustion, he still had more than enough qi to spare. The snake looked to be four layers of cultivation above him but didn't Lan Fen say his Third Layer was equal to an average Fifth Layer? Now he was at the Fifth Layer himself, he'd be roughly equal to a Seventh Layer Cultivator. Could the Canyon Carving Sword make up the difference? He looked down at his blade.
Yeah. He could do it.
"No," Lan Fen said. "You cannot do it." Despite saying that she had hesitated before answering.
That hesitation spoke volumes. "So there's a chance?" he pressed.
"A chance to die yes."
"Doesn't matter, you want to grab that stuff and I want that core." Since the snake was at the peak of the Qi realm then there were good odds that he'd get a Liquid Meridian level core if he gave it to Lan Fen.
Lan Fen bit her lip and looked between him and the Tree Sitting Python. He could see the calculations flying through her head. "Fine, but you will only have one chance. The timing of this must be perfect." She finally relented.
"I got this."
Chen Haoran drew his sword and Lan Fen came up behind him and placed a hand on his back. "I will tell you when to strike. If this fails I will pull us out of danger." She warned him.
The knowledge that Lan Fen could still save their lives bolstered his courage as they slowly advanced into the clearing. The snake gave no indication it noticed them but through qi strained eyes Chen Haoran could see that it was subtly angling itself towards them. As they got closer he could finally feel the energy of the monster. Much larger than anything he had ever sensed before.
Sweat beaded on his brow.
Breathe.
The sword is a river, Chen Haoran recited to himself. Water flows from high to low and reaches its destination through the path of least resistance.
The snake hissed at them and began to coil.
Through stone, through earth, through mountains.
The snake lunged at them, the top half of its body unnaturally elongating while the rest remained wrapped around the tree. Lan Fen held the fabric of his robes in a tight fist at his back.
The enemy is the path of least resistance.
The snake's fangs were bearing down above them at full force. Lan Fen still hadn't given the signal. He watched the cavernous mouth close in on them.
"Now!" she shouted.
Carve through.
He wanted that core.
Canyon Carving Sword
Chen Haoran's qi roared like a raging current and flowed through his body to the Mysterious Watersteel Sword. The sword flashed blue and its ripples seemed to move like a pool of water disturbed. He swung and his sword became a river of energy that raced into the dark maw of the Tree Sitting Python. Its head burst and what remained was split down the middle leaving the front end of the python looking like a bloody macabre flower. Naturally, he and Lan Fen were showered with blood and Lan Fen pulled him away as the snake's corpse crashed in front of them.
Chen Haoran slumped to the ground breathing heavily. He had put his all into the blow and while he had never been so depleted of qi before it was circulating through his body faster than ever. It seemed he had knocked loosed the bottleneck he had been stuck when he knocked loose the snake's head.
Covered in blood and exhausted Chen Haoran started laughing.
He could be strong too.
———————
Lan Fen had gone over to dig out her buried treasure after directing him to where the Tree Sitting Python's core was. Chen Haoran climbed the tree carefully, remembering his earlier disaster, and jumped onto the body of the snake. Death had done nothing to loosen the vice grip it had on the trunk and it held fast despite his added weight. Using his sword to cut open its torso he steeled himself before plunging his arm into its body.
Sure he blew its head off but some things just felt weird.
Thankfully it didn't take long for Chen Haoran to pull out a palm-sized core, green like the snake's eyes. He dropped down with his prize just as Lan Fen pulled out what looked like a sackcloth bag from the dirt.
"I thought you said you stashed your savings here. Did the snake eat it?" The way Lan Fen was talking about it before he was expecting more than just a sack.
In lieu of a response, Lan Fen shoved the entire length of her arm down the sack. A sack that could not possibly fit it.
"It's bigger on the inside!" For all that Chen Haoran had literal superpowers, there was still something magical about seeing the impossible before his very eyes.
"It is a storage bag," she said. Lan Fen rooted around a bit before pulling out what looked like a glowing golden green topaz. The crystal must have been important because he could see Lan Fen's vicious smile as her face shined under the light. Satisfied she put the crystal away. "It is something I came across by luck-" She paused. "…and violence."
"It's so cool!" He couldn't contain his excitement, while his Gifting power also stored things in what he assumed was its own space he could only take them out, not put them back. What would the inside of folded space even look like?
Lan Fen held her hand beneath the storage bag and upended it. Chen Haoran caught glimpses of silver and pills before they disappeared into Lan Fen's hand. How could he forget? Lan Fen already had an inventory space that was way better than the bag. She shook the storage bag a few more times and presented it to him. "For you," she said.
"Thank you!" It was useless to her anyway so why wouldn't he accept? He opened the bag and found the inside lined with soft fur and much deeper than it had any right to be. He stuck his hand in and marveled. While he played around with the bag Chen Haoran couldn't help but feel the irony of Lan Fen giving him a gift.
"A gift for a gift then, here," he said and handed her the snake core.
"It is the spoils of your victory," she said. "Keep it."
Chen Haoran shrugged. "I got it for you, please accept it."
Lan Fen narrowed her eyes at him but relented and took the snake core.
Received Hundred-Fold: Ninth Layer Qi Realm Dragon-Blooded Tree Sitting Python Core
Chen Haoran frowned as he read the notification. Dragon blood didn't sound bad but it wasn't what he was hoping for. Was the difference between the Qi realm and Liquid Meridian greater than a hundred times or was it some restriction of the power?
"Lan Fen if the snake was at the Liquid Meridian realm would we have still had a chance?" he said.
Lan Fen looked deadly serious as she answered. "None whatsoever. Do not be fooled by how easily you have been crossing layers to fight, what separates the realms of cultivation is not a step but a chasm. The strongest of one realm is only fit to be slaughtered by the weakest of the next."
If that was the case then it made sense that an upgrade a hundred times better wasn't enough to improve a realm. But there was another issue with what Lan Fen said…
"Doesn't the Lan family have Liquid Meridian realms?" If so how the hell was she expecting to get revenge?
"The Patriarch, my grandfather, sits at the Ninth Layer of the Liquid Meridian realm. Beneath the City Lord, he is the strongest in Clearsprings City." Lan Fen sounded bitter as she told him. As the leader, her grandfather probably allowed everything that happened to her so he wasn't surprised.
"So what? Are you planning to cultivate to the Liquid Meridian realm and beat the shit out of him?" he said.
Lan Fen laughed but her amusement was dark and she looked as if she were signing a death warrant with her next words.
"His fate is sealed. What we have done here today is retrieve the first nail."
Chapter 14: This Young Master Has A Plan
Chen Haoran eased himself into the warm bath and felt all the aches and pains of the day wash away with the rose-scented water. Chen Haoran would give it to his predecessor, he certainly knew how to take care of himself. The bathroom was quite literally a bath room in that it was dedicated to a circular pool that by itself was bigger than any bathroom he used back on Earth. Covered in cyan glazed tiles and heated by some kind of heat-emitting crystal buried beneath it all he needed now was a proper spa and he'd be set. The servants had laid out an assortment of soaps, oils, and soft towels before they left. Originally there had been maids who would wait on him while he bathed and washed his body for him. He had put a stop to that right quick to save himself from any embarrassing moments and to spare the maids of the clear discomfort they felt.
All the servants here deserved a raise.
They hadn't stayed in the mountains after getting Lan Fen's stash. Thankfully the journey out was much easier than the one in, Lan Fen finally using her radar-like sensing for the greater good rather than throwing him into pig hell. Unfortunately, they had to leave the Tree Sitting Pythons corpse behind. He would have liked to give Lan Fen the corpse as well, but its sheer size made hiding it impossible, and the fewer people who knew what they were doing in the wilderness, the better.
Better for Lan Fen that is.
Even as he luxuriated in a bath a gnawing worry snaked its way from his head to his chest. Lan Fen was his ally. Recent actions had only cemented that relationship, but his biggest reliance would always be his Gifting power and Lan Fen was putting that in jeopardy. Not intentionally of course but outside of giving her an initial boost and a safe space Lan Fen didn't need that much from him once she got back on her feet. Normally it would be something he'd celebrate but seeing how his power required him to be a sugar daddy he was only left in a bind.
His Gifting power would work best with someone who would accept everything Chen Haoran gave them or someone who desperately needed everything they could get and Lan Fen was neither. She was proud and wouldn't accept gifts so easily, her noble upbringing meant she would look down her nose at anything ordinary, and her competence was quickly making his support irrelevant.
Chen Haoran sighed. If he was already having issues now then once Lan Fen recovered her cultivation he really would have nothing to offer. He considered revealing his Gifting power to her, it wasn't an idle thought. Lan Fen had seen enough at this point that she knew he had something and probably had some ideas as to what. If he told her then he wouldn't have to worry about whether or not she'd accept his gifts. Would they still be gifts at that point though?
As far as Chen Haoran could tell the Gifting power triggered when he took something he owned and gave it to Lan Fen so that she owned it. If she was only taking the gifts so that he could get a better reward through the power would she really think she owned what he gave her? Would the power? Did what she think even matter? Benefactor's Everlasting Hundred Blessings Charitable Prosperity was a pain in the ass to parse out the meaning of at first but he felt he had a good idea of it after actually using the power. The word 'Charitable' was the issue, he sure as hell knew he wasn't being charitable with his gifts, but would Lan Fen knowing that be a problem? If instead of being gifts from him to her they became transactions between them would that cause a problem with the power?
Lan Fen was his only channel to acquire rewards and ever since he connected to her he hadn't been able to remove her or add another. If anything happened to affect that he was screwed, he couldn't risk the golden goose just because the eggs were getting harder to get. Lan Fen refusing the gifts he gave her was still better than potentially losing the Gifting power by trying to cheese its functions.
Cheesing its rewards on the other hand.
Chen Haoran stood up, fully pruned from the water, and reached for a towel.
He had another job for Manager Lin.
———————
Manager Lin had seen better days. His clothes were crumpled and his cap askew. Dark bags hung heavy under his eyes and exhaustion weighed on his shoulders. Even the goatee he was proud of was frayed. All the running around Chen Haoran had him doing to purchase cultivation supplements and his obsessive suspicion of Lan Fen keeping him up at night had left Manager Lin worse for wear.
Chen Haoran by contrast was freshly cleansed and quite literally smelling like roses. He practically had a skip in his step as he walked to the treasury.
"How goes the purchasing?" he said. Cultivation supplements were one of the few things he could offer Lan Fen after all. That they were still delayed was unacceptable.
"My deepest apologies Young Master," Manager Lin tiredly said. "I really cannot acquire any more than I have though. The Lan family has bought up the rest of the available supply. Lan Yao has also inquired why we have purchased so much."
"Do you know why they bought so much?" The Lan family was full of cultivators so it wasn't surprising on the face of it that they buy a large number of cultivation supplements. What was interesting was that they bought so much at one time. Especially when they already had their own channels to acquire resources. Was it in response to Manager Lin's actions?
"No, Young Master. I have not heard anything out of the ordinary regarding the Lan family."
Something secret then. Lan Fen would definitely know about it.
"Regardless," Chen Haoran said as they approached the treasury door and he pulled out the key. "I have a different job for you now."
Manager Lin sucked in a harsh breath when Chen Haoran opened the door and revealed a golden room. Sturdy and finely lacquered chests were haphazardly stacked and strewn about treasury with gold taels spilling out of them. Some of the antique furniture inside had even been crushed under the weight of the chests when Chen Haoran had carelessly dumped them earlier.
"There are 150 thousand gold taels here. I want them all converted into silver by tomorrow," Chen Haoran said.
"Tomorrow!"
For all Chen Haoran's wealth, he was poor in things that would interest Lan Fen. He had no high-level monster cores, no artifacts, barely any medicines and martial techniques. What he did have was money, and what she had were expenses. While it might change in the future right now she couldn't refuse a bunch of money dropping into her lap.
"Oh and give everyone in the manor a raise while you're at it."
——————
Lan Fen raised a sharp eyebrow as a team of invigorated servants brought chests full of silver taels into the guestroom that had been turned into her storage. Manager Lin was ostensibly supervising but was dead on his feet as he swayed and stared at nothing with glazed eyes. Chen Haoran could see the question in Lan Fen's eyes when she looked at him.
"It's for your revenge," he said. That it would also pad his bank account, he kept to himself.
"How much silver is this?"
"1.5 million taels." He thanked whoever was responsible for monetary policy that the exchange rate around here was ten silver taels to one gold.
"That's quite a lot," Lan Fen hummed to herself.
"Is it too big?" He hadn't cashed in all the gold to avoid drawing attention but he might as well have if this was still too much.
"It's not a number beyond the other families. It may be suspicious to anyone who has an idea of your finances, however."
And anyone who paid enough attention to his finances like that were already watching him anyway.
Received Hundred-Fold: 150 million Gold Taels
Chen Haoran felt power course through him. The legendary fuck you money ascended him to a higher realm where he looked down on the poor ants around him.
Lan Fen's elbow bumped him out of his fantasy as she took her leave. Chen Haoran still felt euphoric but they had a place to be after all and he followed after her.
He had an auction to clear out after all.
Chapter 15: This Young Master Bought The Auction
It was a new moon that hung in the sky and the night was pitch black. With all the secrecy involved in this auction, Chen Haoran wouldn't have been surprised if the organizers deliberately chose to host it today with that in mind.
Lan Fen had the carriage drop them off in one of the seedier shopping lanes. They donned large figure obscuring black robes and full-face black masks. Lan Fen then had him follow her on a complicated path that saw them cut through dark streets and narrow alleys back down the way they had come on the carriage and into a wealthier district. They finally stopped at what he assumed was the home of a merchant where two more figures in black were waiting for them with another carriage. Lan Fen handed them the purple token and the figures silently bid them to enter the carriage.
Seated inside the boxlike carriage Chen Haoran had no idea where they were being taken. He had thought Lan Fen wanted to be low-key to avoid news getting back to the Lan family. He was now realizing that when she said 'exclusive' she meant hidden and when she said 'special' she probably meant highly illegal.
"How safe is this?" he whispered. He had been planning to spend a boatload of money and it would suck pretty hard if he got shanked because of it.
"The Golden Lily Association takes the security of their auctions and the privacy of their guests very seriously. They earn the premium they demand."
Oh good, professionals. At least he wouldn't be forced to do a line of magical coke if they thought he was an undercover cop. They'd just kill him.
That carriage suddenly stopped and the door was opened. Chen Haoran and Lan Fen shared a look and he stepped out first. They were in a large unlit tent he felt grass as he stepped so they were still outside as far as he knew. Thankfully his cultivation boosted his night vision enough that he could still somewhat see but this wasn't a place he'd like to get trapped in. Another black-robed figure directed them down an equally unlit tarp-covered path until they reached the entrance to a manor of some kind. The Golden Lily Association clearly didn't want anyone to see the exterior of the location.
The inside of the manor was just as dark as the rest of their journey had been so far and barren of any furniture or decoration. Large bolts of black cloth covered the walls, the floor, and anything that might be used to identify the location.
They were led into what Chen Haoran figured to be a large meeting hall or ballroom. A simple stage had been erected in the center and about thirty-odd curtain-covered booths were arrayed before it. The black-robed figure brought them to a booth in the center and left them as they entered. Inside Chen, Haoran was tempted to ask if he was at the wrong kind of secret meetup because of the magic glowing purple circle on the floor with a blue stone at its center.
"It is safe to speak now," Lan Fen said. "That is a Silencing formation, no sound will leave this booth."
There were two rather simple-looking chairs placed before another smaller formation circle centered around a tall stand upon which sat a polished crystal orb. A screen of sheer silk let them see the stage but the other booths were strategically placed so that he couldn't see their fronts.
"What are they even selling here that it needs this much secrecy?"
"Smuggled goods," Lan Fen said. "With the Emperor's ban on foreign trade buyers have had to turn to the black market. The Golden Lily Association exclusively deals in high ticket items so their markups are particularly large."
There was movement on the stage. As was becoming a theme it was another black-robed figure who seemed to materialize out of the shadows.
"Welcome honored guests to our humble fair," the man said in a cold, almost robotic tone. "Our first item is an ingot of Scarlet Iron Essence." Another robed servant brought up a burning red metal and displayed it for all to see. "The price starts at 5 thousand gold taels with bidding in increments of 100 taels."
The abrupt start to the auction caught Chen Haoran off guard and he was left flailing around for an idea of how to bid. The auctioneer had already started rattling off price increases but no verbal bids were called out in the otherwise silent auction hall.
Lan Fen pointed at the crystal ball. "Insert your qi into there and it will place your bid."
Chen Haoran did as she said and at some unseen prompting, the auctioneer raised the price to 5600 taels. There was a spell of silence before he said, "Sold."
"Congratulations on a successful bid," Lan Fen said.
"They make it pretty convenient."
"Only the Golden Lily Association knows who bids. Once the auction is over you can pay for your purchases."
There went the last of his inhibitions. Chen Haoran rested his hand on the crystal buying ball and settled in to enjoy the show.
"I'll have to ask that you accept everything in advance Lan Fen, tonight will be a doozy."
——————
"Wintersteel Scale Armor. 8 thousand gold taels, sold."
"Profound rank Golden Refinement Pills. 15 thousand gold taels, sold."
"Liquid Meridian Realm Stone Elephant Ivory. 30 thousand gold taels, sold."
Lan Fen was right, this auction did have a serious price tag. Everything the Golden Lily Association brought out cost thousands of taels in gold. Chen Haoran was sure that his fellow bidders comprised the absolute elite of Clearsprings City and brought with considerable wealth to bid on these items.
Not that it mattered to him.
"Swiftwind Scimitars, sold."
"Heavy Crystal Sand, sold."
"Moon Moth Silk, sold."
Chen Haoran rested his head in the palm of his hand. He was honestly getting a bit bored. Sure spending money without care was a heady feeling but it's not like he knew the value of anything he was buying. There was no slamming down a last-ditch bid by a competitor, no shocked whispering at him claiming yet another expensive goodie all to himself. No awe at him making the richest people in Clearsrpings city look like chumps and turning their most exclusive auction into his personal catalog. In the end, it was safer this way he wouldn't have minded some excitement though.
Maybe he let killing the Tree Sitting Python get to his head.
He could always rely on Lan Fen at least. Though he couldn't see her face she had bodily turned to him in what he knew was astonishment as his streak kept going.
"Sold."
"Sold."
"Sold."
Lan Fen pointedly looked the other way.
"If you see anything you want let me know," he said. "I'll get it for you."
"When you're going to buy the whole auction anyway?"
"Why do you sound so scandalized? Isn't this what you wanted?" Lan Fen made a disgusted sound and he smiled at finally being the unfathomable character for once.
"I'm mostly seeing processed and non-perishable goods here. Are the places their smuggled from far away?" Of course, those were also some of the easiest types of goods to smuggle no matter the distance but he figured all the superpowers around here would allow for some kind of preservation at least.
"It is not an insignificant distance but living spiritual herbs do get traded as well. If you're interested in any then perhaps you should write to the Chen family."
"Please, the less I have to interact with them the better off I'll be."
"Pure Redwood Tree Heart." Chen Haoran jumped as the auctioneer opened a display case and revealed a golden green crystal that looked exactly like what Lan Fen had pulled from her buried storage bag.
"Don't bid on this one," Lan Fen asked him.
"I thought you said this auction was for smuggled goods?"
"Who said it was not?"
"Why are you selling it though-" He stopped himself. Not why she was selling it but- "Who do you want to buy it?" In the background the bidding for the crystal was intense, the auctioneer practically a machine gun with how fast he spit out the bids.
"The Lan family."
Chen Haoran wasn't surprised they were here too but that didn't explain why Lan Fen wanted them to buy it.
"And how are you going to guarantee they'll get it? It seems like plenty of people want it right now."
"The Lan family can't afford to lose. The Patriarch is a particularly greedy man after all." He could hear the dark smile in Lan Fen's voice as she spoke.
"800 thousand Gold taels," the auctioneer said. "Sold."
"How is selling the Lan Family that crystal supposed to hurt them?"
"All I need is for the Tree Heart to be seen-" Lan Fen whipped her head to the back of the booth. "Incoming. Peak Liquid Meridian realm."
"Threat?" Chen Haoran felt cold and cast out his sense only for it to be blocked within the booth. At that moment the fabric of the black curtains were more stifling than if he had been locked in a steel box
"It should be the supervisor in charge of this auction." So it was definitely because of him but they shouldn't be coming to shank him… yet. Still, he gripped the crystal ball tightly as he waited.
The entrance to the booth parted open and the cultivator stepped inside. Chen Haoran immediately bit back a curse and clutched his head as searing pain flashed through it. The obscured Golden Lily supervisor was short in stature but in presence, Chen Haoran had just gazed at something greater in size than the Tree Sitting Python and paid the price for it.
Lan Fen steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. "I do not recall the Golden Lily Association ever so rudely intruding on its customers like this." Lan Fen sounded as if every word was a sword to cut the Liquid Meridian realm cultivator.
"I apologize for my rude entrance," the woman said, sounding absolutely unapologetic. "This is also an unusual situation for us however so I beg for your understanding."
"Speak."
"I am just here to confirm beforehand that you can, in fact, afford all these purchases."
"As if the Golden Lily token is given to anyone who can't," Lan Fen mockingly responded.
"I am just here to remind you that per the Golden Lily Association's policies all payments must be made immediately and in full at the end of the auction."
So the Golden Lily Association suspected they were trying to pull a fast one on them. Chen Haoran had the feeling that if their answer to her question was anything less than satisfactory they'd be the next ones displayed on that stage. Good thing money questions only needed money answers.
He waved his hand and the space between them and the supervisor was filled with chests. There was a sharp snap as the weight of the gold taels crushed the silencing array and the energy within it burst out with a force that toppled the gold taels like a tidal wave into the stronger cultivator.
For her part, she reacted quickly, a rush of liquid energy leaving her hands and catching the falling gold while simultaneously erecting a field around the booth to isolate the sound.
Blessed silence.
"Paid immediately and in full," Chen Haoran said. Rubbing his head. "Get out."
Chapter 16: This Young Master's Mood is Spoiled
To her credit, the Golden Lily Association supervisor did indeed get out. The gold quickly disappeared into a storage bag at her waist and she summoned a subordinate to repair the Silencing formation before finally leaving them in peace.
The auction had not stopped despite the drama in their booth but Chen Haoran certainly was in no mood to continue. Lan Fen instead took over the bidding while he slumped in his chair. His head felt like someone had stared into the sun for hours, concentrated that pain into a bullet, and launched it straight into his skull. Lan Fen wasn't kidding when she said the difference between realms was immense.
"100 Mortal Rank Qi Assembly Pills, sold."
"I wonder if that courage of yours is born from your ignorance or a natural confidence," Lan Fen said.
"What?"
"Few would dare treat a stronger cultivator so flippantly the way you did. Nor would any dangle a such rare treasure in front of them while doing so. "
"Get to your point," he said. He was already dealing with a blistering headache, he wasn't in the mood to puzzle her words out.
"A spatial treasure is a rare item even for higher level cultivators to own. Not to mention the immense wealth you've shown off with only a Qi realm cultivation base. I have seen people tempted by less."
"Plenty of rich people come here don't they? The Golden Lily Association wouldn't have a business if they robbed their customers like that."
"In the face of enough benefits, all that matters is a cultivator's willingness to take the risk. You were lucky that what she saw wasn't enough for her to damage the reputation of the Golden Lily Association."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said, waving her off.
It's not like he had wanted to show off the storage function of his power in front of the cultivator. It had just been the most expedient way to get the cause of the splitting pain in his head to leave. Although shutting her up and sending her off did fill him with vicious satisfaction. He supposed Lan Fen wasn't wrong though, the same anonymity that gave him his courage could be used against him as well.
"You got any pain medicine with you? Looking at her with my sense fucked my head something fierce."
"Perhaps your fearlessness convinced her as well," Lan Fen mused. She passed him a small green pill. "It is a good experience. It was your first time gazing upon a higher realm unprepared. You will adjust to it in the future."
He ate the pill and a fresh minty sensation swept away the majority of the pain in his head.
"Was that how it was for you?" he asked, feeling refreshed.
"Yes," Lan Fen said, suddenly subdued. "That is how it was for me."
On stage, the auction was wrapping up as the last cloth-covered item was brought on a silver platter. The auctioneer pulled off the covering to reveal a pot within which a bone white lotus was planted.
"Our final product is a Stygian Lotus. Price starts at 5 million gold taels with bidding in increments of 100 thousand taels."
"Is that thing any good?" Chen Haoran said, changing the topic.
"Quite good," Lan Fen said, cocking her head to the side. She placed another bid and added to a price that was quickly approaching 6 million taels. "Consuming it makes one's meridians more robust and increases the toughness of the body."
"How does that even work? Eating it wouldn't turn you into steel or something right?" As much as cultivator qi magic had astounded him recently he couldn't imagine something outright improving the human body like that without some kind of physical alteration.
"It wouldn't," Lan Fen said, but the denial was more like a reflexive response than one of surety her tone however slowly became more confident as she spoke. "Our qi already increases our body's natural durability. The Stygian Lotus only alters the body to more easily accept that enhancement."
"Must be some enhancement if it's this expensive," Chen Haoran said. He was looking forward to what the Stygian Lotus would turn into with the reward boost.
"Nothing so exaggerated, at least it will not put you on the same defensive level as a monster or a proper armor. I suspect they're bidding more for its effects on their body's meridians. A cultivator will part with much if it meant permanently increasing their cultivation ability."
The bids came in slower now but the price still broke the 7 million mark. Lan Fen steadily bid without worry until the others finally gave up with a price of 7.9 million gold taels.
"Sold," said the auctioneer. "This concludes the auction."
——————
The Golden Lily Association was just as secretive with handling the transaction as they were with everything else about the auction. First, they had been led to an empty room and left alone to leave the amount owed. Then they were led to another empty room. After the money had been confirmed the Golden Lily Association brought in box after box of purchases and neatly laid them out before leaving them alone once again.
Lan Fen, through her superior sensing ability, quickly confirmed the contents.
"Are you sure?" she said.
"Go ahead," he replied.
Lan Fen looked back at him several times as if waiting for Chen Haoran to change his mind but eventually waved her hand over the boxes one by one and transferred them into her inventory.
Chen Haoran wished his Gifting power had some kind of notification sound he could hum along to as the reward messages burned into existence.
Received Hundred-Fold: Profound Rank Wintersteel Essence Plate Armor
Received Hundred-Fold: Earth Rank Golden Transmutation Pills
Received Hundred-Fold: Liquid Meridian Earth Mammoth Ivory
Received Hundred-Fold: Profound Rank Qi Congregation Pills
Received Hundred-Fold: 10 thousand-year-old Stygian Lotus
There were only twenty items offered at this auction; minus Lan Fen's Pure Red Redwood Tree Heart he was walking away with 19 rewards, with the lowest being Profound Rank. Now he just needed to figure out what they do.
They were led out to the tent and were just about to board the carriage when another Golden Lily Cultivator stopped them.
"Honored Customers." It was the auctioneer, his voice just as robotic and impersonal as it was on stage. Chen Haoran stretched out his sense and felt for his level. Qi realm Eighth-Layer.
"What business do you have with us?" Lan Fen asked coldly.
The auctioneer slightly bowed and presented a purple metal token embossed with a golden lily. An invitation token. Under the flower, the word Gold was carved into the metal.
"This token is given to our highest spenders, with it you are granted more benefits and can participate in the higher level auctions offered by the Association and our partners," the auctioneer bowed and presented the token to Chen Haoran with both hands. "We of the Golden Lily Association are grateful for your business and look forward to working with you again in the future."
Chen Haoran shared a look with Lan Fen. He'd be shocked if the supervisor had nothing to do with this. Whether it was presented in good faith was the issue. Lan nodded at him. Without saying anything Chen Haoran took the token and they immediately walked into the carriage. The auctioneer clasped his hands behind and bowed behind them.
Lan Fen didn't speak at all when they left. Only telling him to follow once they reached where the Golden Lily Association originally picked them up. Chen Haoran kept pace with her through a different equally confusing route until they met up with their carriage, pre-arranged to wait for them in an empty plaza.
It wasn't until they were seated and on their way back to the estate that Lan Fen pulled off her mask. "Clear."
"Did you think they were going to follow us?"
"We are weak and wealthy. That they chose not to strike at the venue is credit to their cautiousness. That they chose not to strike at all is credit to our fortune."
"I really messed up back there then," he said. He regretted it, super migraine or not he should have controlled himself better.
"We had painted a target for ourselves regardless," Lan Fen said. "Your performance in front of the supervisor may have been what let us get away without incident. She may have assumed you have a greater background from your behavior."
"So we got lucky," he said.
"We did," she agreed.
"Getting lucky kind of sucks. I should've been strong enough to punch her in the face."
Lan Fen smiled. Her Golden eyes looked as if they were shining in the dark. "I agree."
"What do you plan to do now?" Chen Haoran asked.
"I plan to start punching people in the face."
Chapter 17: This Young Master Uses A Steroid
The spoils of the auction were put to good use. Lan Fen secluded herself in isolated cultivation training again. Before she went Chen Haoran handed over the Earth Rank Golden Transmutation pill to her. It wasn't a hard decision, the Golden Refinement pill the reward was based on was only useful for a metal element spirit root to use. They weren't anything too special, just qi training pills that a metal affinity could use more efficiently. The only thing notable about them was that they were made from different materials than those used in the same type of pills produced in the empire which meant Lan Fen didn't have as much resistance to their effects and thus could benefit more.
The Golden Transmutation Pill served the same purpose, just at a higher level. When he had given it to her Lan Fen had solemnly sworn that she would return with a cultivation of the Fourth-Layer.
No pressure.
Chen Haoran couldn't waste time. Lan Fen not needing any more gifts was a secondary concern compared to the type of shit she'd be able to get up to once her cultivation was recovered. He also needed to advance.
That was how he found himself in his secluded little training field looking at his little bone white Stygian Lotus. There weren't any major physical differences between the lotus he saw at the auction and the lotus in front of him. It looked a little larger at least. Its presence though was on another level. A dense bitter scent emanated from the otherwise innocuous plant, heavy enough that he had to cycle his qi so that breathing would be less uncomfortable.
That flower was a bit of a mystery to Chen Haoran as to why the Gifting power affected it the way it did. Other items when upgraded a hundredfold became similar higher ranked treasures. Mortal to Profound, Profound to Earth, etc. The Tree Sitting Python's core and the Stone Elephant's Ivory not increasing in realm at all could be explained by the cultivation levels being greater than what the boost could upgrade. Even then they still became a different type of monster. The Stygian Lotus meanwhile only seemed to upgrade in age it was stronger for sure but otherwise wasn't any different.
Was the 10 thousand-year-old lotus really that different compared to the 100-year-old one? Or was whatever plant on a higher level too far for a mere hundredfold boost to reach? It was something he had to pay attention to once he got his hands on higher-level items to gift in the future.
Right now he had a lotus to eat.
Chen Haoran had uprooted and carefully cleaned the flower. Upgraded it may have been but dirt was still dirt. He hesitated before putting the plant in his mouth. Lan Fen had said natural treasures like this were best eaten straight but it wasn't like it was just one or two mouthfuls. Chen Haoran turned the flower to and fro, looking for a good place to start, before settling on the roots.
The Stygian Lotus was just as heavy to eat as it was to smell. Its fragrance clogged his throat and made his eyes water. Chen Haoran had to cycle his qi to finally force the flower down. He could practically feel the lump make its way down to his stomach and quickly sat down and began circulating his qi.
The plant mass met his qi and transformed into black, water-like energy that flooded throughout his whole body. The torrent filled every meridian, every vein and artery, every hidden nook and cranny that his body possessed. Chen Haoran cried out in pain as everywhere the water passed felt like it was being scraped away by a metal knife. It cut into his bones, it carved under his skin, it was in his eyes. His eyes! He was bathed from the inside out with water made of razor blades and even as he was cursing every god and metaphysical force he could name relief came quickly.
In the vacuum left by the black water's scouring his qi returned in force filling his limbs and organs and all those unnoticeable spaces opened by the Stygian Lotus. He had felt, faintly, that there was qi in his body outside of his meridians before but now he could see it. It settled in like a steel wall and supported every cell of his being. With the new strength, he focused on circulating his qi and directed what was left of the Stygian Lotus's energy to spread evenly throughout his body. The sun hung high in the sky when the black water was finally exhausted and Chen Haoran fell onto his back.
The sky was beautiful.
Catching his breath he sat up again and removed his sweat-stained shirt to check his body. Thanks to his qi he was already pretty fit before but the Stygian Lotus's surgical knife cut out clearly defined lines and muscles. The muscle definition was a little off-putting honestly, forget skipping leg day, he looked like he skipped everything. He didn't notice any other physical changes though so he chalked that up as a win. There was just one more test.
Chen Haoran picked up the Mysterious Watersteel Sword and cautiously pricked his finger.
Nothing.
Thus emboldened he began putting more pressure on it, even using his cultivation-enhanced strength, until the skin finally broke and blood beaded up. He'd have to fight to see how strong his defense really was but he was already happy with the current result.
He wrinkled his nose as the slight sting of pain brought him back to reality and reminded him that, yes, he had other senses and yes this training ground stunk to high heaven.
He was going to need another bath.
———————
A week had passed and the stench that sunk into his favorite training ground had yet to disappear so Chen Haoran relocated to the newly repaired inner courtyard training field to practice the Yellow Dragon River Refinement.
He breathed in deeply and saw flashes of the Yellow Dragon swimming through his meridians. He popped another Qi Congregation pill into his mouth to feed it. It was the third one he had eaten in the 2 hours he had been cultivating. 2 hours of straight cultivation. When he first started practicing it was in sprints, there was only so much qi he could absorb from the environment and supplements before his meridians started feeling sore and he was forced to stop. A large chunk of the time he devoted to cultivating was wasted on waiting in this way.
With the new durability the Stygian Lotus had given him, his meridians could accept far more qi before he started feeling the pressure. Lan Fen was right when she said the benefits to the meridians were more valuable than the general defensive boost. However far away he currently was from the Sixth-Layer with his marathon-like practice he was sure to reach it sooner rather than later. Of course, Chen Haoran's Stygian Lotus was on a whole other level compared to the one at the auction. He couldn't even begin to imagine the astronomical price tag it would have.
This was only the cultivation method. He hadn't even tried practicing the Canyon Carving Sword yet but he could already imagine the possibilities. He could probably boost the technique's power even further by cycling the qi through his meridians faster. Or maybe he could concentrate his qi into a single point before exploding it outward. Chen Haoran was adrift in the possibilities when he was rudely interrupted.
"Please forgive me for the intrusion Young Master but there is a matter that requires your attention," Manager Lin said.
He looked healthier and better rested than before. The dark circles under his eyes weren't nearly so visible and his goatee was groomed and waxed into shape. He looked presentable. Chen Haoran should find more work to bury him with.
"You're not forgiven. What is it?"
"The stipend from the main family is here."
"So late? Weren't we expecting it at the beginning of the month?" Not that he cared about whatever paltry sum the Chen family saw fit to give him but it was still something he could've given to Lan Fen.
"They were delayed for some reason," Manger Lin said. He looked uneasy and grabbed at his goatee. "A manager from the family came with it and would like to speak to you."
"Is he important?"
"Yes, Young Master."
"Tell him to fuck off then." He didn't want to deal with the Chen family and he certainly wasn't going to deal with their direct employees. If he was lucky his attitude would piss off the Chen family enough that they'd cut his stipend and decrease the chance of him meeting them even further. Maybe he could get double exiled?
"You wound me with your harsh words, Young Master Chen," said the Liquid Meridian realm cultivator behind him.
Chapter 18: This Young Master Needs A Break
Chen Haoran always had bad reflexes when something startled him.
This time he didn't have the cold bite of an assassin's knife stopping him.
In one motion he unsheathed the Mysterious Watersteel Sword and swung. Qi pulsed in his meridians. A stampede of energy forcing the blue light of the Canyon Carving Sword forward. It was a blow no less powerful than the one that blew off the head of the Ninth-Layer Tree Sitting Python.
Manager Lin let out a startled cry as dust choked the air. Two long trenches spread out from the point of impact and ruined the training field once again. Chen Haoran planted his feet firmly to avoid flying back from the force of the point-blank blow. His sword hung in the air.
Or rather, it could go no further.
The dust cleared and revealed the Liquid Meridian cultivator. One hand behind his back the other covered in liquid shadow pinching his sword. A small monk-like man with a bald head and a face thick with laugh lines. To his sides were trenches, behind him untouched earth.
Chen Haoran had not cut through.
"I see your strength has improved Young Master Chen, the Patriarch will be most pleased to hear of it." The Chen family Manager was smiling as he spoke. As if Chen Haoran hadn't attempted to bisect him.
The situation was bad. His strongest blow was absorbed. The stronger cultivator in front of him knew the previous Young Master. Lan Fen was in isolated training. He was alone. They would expose him.
Awareness.
Chen Haoran breathed. The Chen family manager let go of his sword and he sheathed it.
"You wanted to speak to me?" he said. Chen Haoran spoke casually. As if he hadn't attempted to bisect the man in front of him.
The man's smile grew even wider. "Yes, Young Master Chen. First I would like to apologize for the delay in your living expenses. There was an issue with the accounting and the parties involved have since been punished."
If the delay wasn't intentional Chen Haoran would eat his sword. A Liquid Meridian realm coming to deliver the Young Master's stipend was not normal. Not if Manager Lin's earlier reaction was anything to go by.
"I am also here to convey the family's congratulations on your marriage. They were all very surprised to hear of it."
A manager of the Chen family came where none had done so before. They had noticed something. They knew about the marriage. Someone was reporting to them. The stipend was deliberately delayed. They knew about the gold taels.
The Young Master was weak and a known layabout. The Chen family hadn't had any contact with him in years. It didn't make sense for them to have a spy monitoring him. Especially if the rumors he was sent here to avoid embarrassing them were true. Someone had brought Chen Haoran's situation to the Chen family's attention. Someone who was able to observe him. Who knew about Lan Fen and the gold. Someone credible enough that the Chen family would send a Liquid Meridian realm to follow up.
Manager Lin.
That fucker.
Said fucker rose coughing from where he had ducked for cover and dusted his robes off. He didn't know whether to blame Lan Fen or himself for not watching Manager Lin more carefully. The Chen family never contacted the Young Master, it didn't mean they were out of contact.
Manager Lin rushed over. "My apologies Manager Song, I was just about to escort the young master over," he said.
Chen Haoran snorted.
"I must be the one to apologize. I'm afraid I was a bit too overeager to see the Young Master again," the now-named Manager Song said. "I do have some more to report shall we retire to a more comfortable setting?"
————————
They relocated to his office. Manager Lin and Manager Song were standing before his desk. He hadn't offered them a seat nor was he going to. While Manager Lin had no choice as his servant, Manager Song playing along instead of seating himself surprised him.
"Let's hear the rest of this report then," Chen Haoran said. Leaning his head against his palm.
"Is your Lady Wife not going to join us?"
"She's busy," he said, curt.
"Such a shame, I have heard stories of her beauty and great talent. Perhaps another time then." Credit where it was due Manager Song looked visibly disappointed that he didn't get to meet Lan Fen.
Was Lan Fen the focus of the investigation? With Manager Lin's suspicion toward her, it made sense that he would highlight her in his report. That was good, the more they thought of her as the reason for his changes the more wiggle room he'd have.
"From the top then." Manager Song cleared his throat. "Because business has been poor this year the family has been forced to trim the budget. Your stipend was on the chopping block and will be decreased going forward. I wonder what Young Master Chen thinks?"
Manager Lin audibly choked and looked as if he couldn't believe what Manager Song was saying. Chen Haoran ignored him and raced through the implications. Manager Song was fishing for information, but the indirectness was puzzling. Was this the attitude of the Chen family? Or was Chen Haoran's identity as the Young Master something that even Manager Song couldn't directly interrogate? Was he just fucking with him? Chen Haoran wouldn't put it past the man with what he had seen so far.
"We're actually very poor here. I must ask Manager Song to convey to the family our need for the money. Honestly, it would be better if they increased it."
Manager Lin looked at Chen Haoran this time. Mouth agape at the bullshit he was spewing.
"It would be a difficult sell but I will try for you Young Master. Although I do recommend supplementing your finances with an alternate income. Perhaps something local?"
"All the locals hate me, unfortunately. I haven't the faintest idea as to why though."
Manager Lin started coughing and even Manager Song raised a single bushy eyebrow. Chen Haoran had to admit it was a particularly audacious statement. So Manager Song, and by extension the Chen family, were aware of the Young Master's behavior all these years.
"It is their loss Young Master Chen is a dragon amongst men with immense potential after all." Manager Song's bullshitting was just as good as his own. "I will request more cultivation resources be added to your stipend to aid your growth."
"What growth? Keep it, anything you send is wasted on me."
"Do not sell yourself so short Young Master. If I hadn't defended myself I may have been injured with the power you showed."
If a papercut could even be called an injury.
"That was an accident," Chen Haoran blandly replied. "I'll make sure our finest healer sees to you before you leave."
Manager Song's pleasant smile didn't waver.
Manager Lin's head kept whipping back and forth as the exchange dragged on. Manager Song asked about his marriage, his friends, and the estate. Chen Haoran, without shame, blatantly lied with every answer. At any moment he was expecting Manager Song to dispense with the pretenses and pressure him directly. That moment never came as Manager Song wrapped up his 'report' and clasped his hands in a bow.
"That ends the report Young Master Chen. If you have a message you'd like me to send back to the Chen family I can take it now."
"No, you may go." Of course, Chen Haoran didn't believe for a second that this was over.
"I see," Manager Song said. He turned around to leave. Right before opening the door, he looked back at Chen Haoran. "If you'll forgive me for being impertinent Young Master Chen may I ask what your plans for the future are?"
Manager Song sounded honest when he asked the question. Chen Haoran considered his answer. It would be better to throw the Chen family a bone to chew on. If he let them keep digging around it could turn out worse for him.
"I'm planning on destroying the Lan family here in Clearsprings city," he said. "I don't know if the family will have any issue with that?"
"Young Master!?"
They both ignored Manager Lin's scandalized shout. Manager Song had a thoughtful expression on his face as he studied Chen Haoran. He could use Manager Song's answer to gauge the strength of the Chen Family as well as their attitude.
"Will you require assistance?" Manager Song asked.
He thought of Lan Fen. At the same time, he remembered seeing her in this same office. Head leaning on her palm. Looking down at a map only she could see. A general at rest.
"No," Chen Haoran said. Lips quirking. "It's well in hand."
"In that case so long as you don't involve the City Lord it's fine. I advise you to try and supplant the Lan family's industries rather than destroy them. It will be a good accomplishment to show the family."
Chen Haoran paused. Either Manager Song was more important than he thought. Or the Chen family was strong enough that a mere manager could casually condemn an entire family. Destroying the Lan family only rated a 'good accomplishment' how powerful was that?
"If that will be all Young Master then I'll take my leave," Manager Song said.
Right. There was still something he had to do.
"Take Manager Lin back with you."
"But why Young Master!?" In his shock Manager Lin pulled out a few hairs from his goatee.
"You're fired," he said. Chen Haoran didn't acknowledge his panicked servant. He watched Manager Song like a hawk.
"Manager Lin has been a loyal servant for many years there should be a reason at least for you to let him go." Manager Song finally looked serious.
"Manager Song-" Manager Lin looked grateful.
"I don't like his rat-like face." Chen Haoran interrupted and Manager Lin looked devastated instead. It wasn't like he would rely on Manager Lin after this. He only said that to see how his authority compared to a Liquid Meridian realm. Manager Song would reject the firing without cause. He had his answer.
"I see," Manager Song said. He nodded his head sagely and a blooming smile appeared on his face. "A rat-like face is unacceptable, Manger Lin must be removed immediately."
What?
"What!" Manager Lin shouted.
"The Young Master cannot be left without a manager, however," Manager Song continued. "Thus this humble servant shall serve at Young Master Chen's side instead."
"Wait a minute actually I like rats, Manager Li-"
"Manager Lin is to be sent back to the Chen family estate to fix his face," Manager Song said, overriding him. Two perfect rows of pearly white teeth were shining in Manager Song's beaming smile.
Chen Haoran wanted nothing more than to punch a hole in them.
"I look forward to working with you in the future, Young Master Chen."