Immortality Starts With Generosity

Naturally, they ran even further after seeing a pillar of light pierce the sky.

“What was that?” Chen Haoran breathlessly wondered. It was a rhetorical question. The fact that the Auctioneer was most likely the one responsible for the pillar of light was obvious.

Jiang Lei answered him regardless. “It looks like the Golden Lily Association Supervisor stopped holding back.”

Chen Haoran couldn’t contain his shock. “That whole fight in the Auction Hall wasn’t even them being serious?”

“It’s wrong to say they weren’t being serious,” Jiang Lei said. “But they weren’t going at it with their full force either. The city would be put at risk if they used too much power. It’s a bit shocking that the Supervisor would go this far. The Empire doesn’t take that sort of behavior lightly.” He looked at Chen Haoran with curious eyes. “Though I can guess why he may have done so. The Garrison Commanders will have no time to look for us while they’re chasing him.”

Chen Haoran felt uncomfortable. Another favor from the Auctioneer to help him escape. On top of giving him a Heaven-rank technique. Chen Haoran wasn’t foolish enough to believe he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart. There was a price for these actions, and he could only wait in fear for the day the Auctioneer came to collect. He touched the technique book and felt the golden lightning arc between his fingers. It was only a visual effect. Not a smidgen of the qi made it into his body. Was there less lightning than before? Or was it a figment of his desperately wishful imagination?

Even if he covered up the book, he wouldn’t feel safe until he could finally take it off and hide it. He had something worth of mountain of gold stuck to his chest, and he could practically feel that weight now. It was something even Crystal Transformations competed for. For the cultivation realms below that, there was no doubt they’d swarm him like sharks if they caught a whiff of it. He couldn’t trust anyone he met so long as the book stayed stuck to him. He glanced between Jiang Lei and Wang Xiao.

Especially not the one’s around him now.

Jiang Lei’s goals were more valuable to him than a 30-thousand-year-old Moonflower, but were they more valuable than a Heaven-Rank technique?

It was a question Chen Haoran didn’t want to be answered anytime soon. He had until the Auctioneer’s qi dissipated to come up with a plan. There was only one.

He had to advance.

Chen Haoran felt the book slipping beneath his hand, so he readjusted his grip to hold it firmly. Even with the danger that came with it, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited at the chance to learn the Seven-Colored Steps of the Rainbow Stairs. There was also the chance he could gift it—

Chen Haoran abruptly frowned.

The book… slipped?

He slowly lowered his gaze to the book and his hand holding it by the spine. He pulled his hand away from the chest, and the book came free. Not a single spark of golden lightning was to be seen. He tripped over a root and stumbled.

Wang Xiao looked over and sneered. “Watch your step.” His superiority satisfied, he turned and ignored Chen Haoran… only to whip his head back in the next second and stare with wide eyes. “What—?”

Jiang Lei looked back at them upon hearing the commotion, and when he saw Chen Haoran holding the book, he stopped dead. His feet skidded through the dirt and smashed clean through a tree root.

Everyone stopped.

Phelps leaned over Chen Haoran’s shoulder and sniffed the book.

“Looks like the Auctioneer isn’t a complete asshole,” Chen Haoran weakly laughed. He was so full of shit he didn’t even believe his own words. He held the book toward Jiang Lei. “Wanna learn it?”contemporary romance

Jiang Lei did a double-take. “What?”

Chen Haoran shook the book. “I mean, it looks like the restriction is gone.” He opened the book and thumbed through a few pages. Both Jiang Lei and Wang Xiao flinched. Wang Xiao looked like he was about to rush over and rip the book out of his hands. “Yep, looks free to read now.”

“You…” Jiang Lei’s voice was filled with confusion. “You do know what that is? Correct? That’s a Heaven-Rank technique you were given, and you’re just letting me read it?”

Chen Haoran shrugged. “It’s knowledge. It’s not like the words will disappear after you read them.” At least, he hoped that wasn’t the case. Then again, would it have really been that valuable if only one person could use it? Whatever the case, he wouldn’t regret it even if it were a one-time use. “I don’t see the harm in sharing it.”

He saw a lot of harm if he didn’t, though.

Jiang Lei seemed to struggle for words. “Are… are you sure?”

“Yes,” Chen Haoran said. “I’m sure.” He paused, then looked at Wang Xiao. “Not you, though.”

“What!” Wang Xiao said, outraged.

“You still haven’t apologized to Phelps,” Chen Haoran said. “Plus, you’re a dick. I only share with my friends.”

He emphasized the word as he looked at Wang Xiao, but it wasn’t him he was speaking to. Wang Xiao had an ugly look on his face, and he looked toward Jiang Lei. Chen Haoran looked over as well. His hand hung relaxed next to the hilt of his scimitar.

“Friends.” Jiang Lei seemed to test the word. He smiled. “Yes. Thank you, my friend. But we’ll have to table this discussion until we make camp for the night.”

Wang Xiao scowled and ignored them. Chen Haoran very carefully did not sigh in relief. He was safe.

For now.

Chen Haoran didn’t know how far they ended up traveling, but with a Liquid Meridian clearing the way, they had few obstacles. He did notice, though, that compared to Xie Jin’s navigation skills, Jiang Lei was lacking and relied more on his cultivation to lead them through the jungle.

They eventually stopped and took shelter in the hollow of a large tree. Though, calling it a hollow was a bit misleading, seeing as how it was big enough for all of them to stand in and have their own corner. Jiang Lei and Wang Xiao pulled out their bed rolls as well as netting and poles that they set up over their rolls. Chen Haoran stared for a minute before a mosquito flew by his ear, and he realized their purpose. He cursed himself for not getting something to deal with bugs. When he traveled with Xie Jin, it hadn’t been an issue, his Gu kept any and all pests away while they rested. Hopefully, Jiang Lei had a spare, or he’d be pestered for the whole trip.

The mosquito landed on his wrist and tried to bite him. Its proboscis bent in half when it met his skin. Chen Haoran stared in wonder, then ended the bug’s misery.

“Do you need a net as well, Chen Haoran?” Jiang Lei asked.

“I think I’m fine,” Chen Haoran faintly said. “I’ll take one for Phelps, though.”

“How caring,” Jiang Lei said with a smile as he brought the net over. He helped set it up, and Chen Haoran had to bat away Phelps’s curious claws before he could tear the netting. Jiang Lei laughed before his eyes drifted to Chen Haoran’s storage bag. “About before…”

Chen Haoran pulled out the book before he could finish. “Do you mind looking at it together first?”

Jiang Lei laughed. “How could I?” He flopped to the ground, a move quite at odds with his otherwise elegant looks, and motioned Chen Haoran to sit next to him.

Phelps crawled up and rested his head on Chen Haoran’s thigh as he cracked open the book, and they reviewed its contents. While Wang Xiao didn’t come near them and seemed content to count the grooves in the tree bark, Chen Haoran could feel him peeking over every so often.

The Seven-Colored Steps of the Rainbow Stairs manual was a dense affair. It was part philosophy book, part medical textbook, and a large portion of it seemed dedicated to an epic story recounting the origin of the technique. All of it was essential reading to comprehend the necessary qi movements and visualization required to practice the technique. For the first look through, however, the most valuable paragraph to Chen Haoran was right in the beginning.

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Violet. Seven colors. Seven steps. One step beyond beasts. Four steps beyond men. Seven steps beyond the world. Master the Seven Meanings, and while men may see your first step, only Heaven will know your last.

Chen Haoran couldn’t help but shiver as his imagination spun him away to a future where he mastered the Seven-Colored Steps of the Rainbow Stairs in full. Even if it was just ostentatious boasting and the technique fell short of what the book promised, who was to say it wouldn’t become true if it became a hundred times better?

Jiang Lei sighed in awe. “Learning this is a complete transformation.”

“It won’t be easy, though,” Chen Haoran said. He struggled to try to learn the Scattering Petal Palm from scratch, and that was only Profound-Rank. A Heaven-Rank would be a whole other beast.

“It’s a good thing we can compare notes then,” Jiang Lei said, smiling.

Despite himself, Chen Haoran couldn’t help but like the sound of that.

Phelps hissed and slapped the ground with his claws.

Chen Haoran leaped to his feet in an instant. His hand went to his scimitar. He’d never heard that type of reaction before. His sense stretched out in all directions while Jiang Lei and Wang Xiao warily reached for their own weapons.

“Chen Haoran?” Jiang Lei cautiously even as he cast his eyes around.

Chen Haoran didn’t answer. He couldn’t sense anything. Phelps was still hissing at the entrance of the hollow. He focused entirely there and found nothing. Still, he didn’t relax. Something was bothering his sense. Like something small had gotten into his eye and irritated it.

There.

An amorphous blob of qi focused into sharp relief to his sense. He’d seen its like before.

“Gu!” Chen Haoran shouted. He pulled out his scimitar, and the hollow filled with cutting light. Jiang Chen and Wang Xiao shot toward the opening.

The tree above them twisted into life and fell atop their heads.

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