Immortality Starts With Generosity

The token flashed gold a few more times before the message disappeared, and the metal surface became blank once more.

The Golden Lily Association.

He hadn’t given much thought the night they’d given him the token. He didn’t expect he’d ever go to another of their auctions. Where would he have even gone to find out about them? Lan Fen received her token and knowledge of the auction through her connections, something he severely lacked. He held the token up to the light and observed it with his sense. It seemed his massive spending that night had done him a favor. He was sure the token Lan Fen had nearly gotten him killed for wasn’t as advanced as this one.

It didn’t tell him exactly where the auction would be held, but he was sure that information would come later. This message was more like the Golden Lily Association telling its customers to get their wallets ready. Chen Haoran wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t interested either. The last Golden Lily auction he attended with Lan Fen could be considered foundational to his current success. Hell, he’d probably be dead without it. His armor, his weapon, the Stygian Lotus to improve his durability, the mammoth tusk he used to kill a Liquid Meridian. All of those the auction provided.

“Too bad I’m broke now.”

Tens of thousands of Gold taels could be considered a fortune to other cultivators, but for Chen Haoran, it was chump change compared to what he carried before. He reached into his storage bag and pulled out a gold tael that he had exchanged for from a moneylender, passing it to Phelps, who by now had finished eating. Phelps looked curiously at the tael, sniffing it and passing it around between his claws before eventually losing interest and dropping it to the floor.

Chen Haoran sighed. There’d be no buying out the whole auction like he did last time. He wanted to attend this auction. Even if he couldn’t have the same insane gains he did before the treasures offered, there would be a cut above what he’d find normally. Especially considering Daqing was a much more powerful and wealthy place than Clearsprings City.

He picked up the dropped tael and patted Phelps’s head. “If only you were as greedy as you were gluttonous.”contemporary romance

Phelps squealed, and he could feel the sloth’s qi thrumming beneath his hand. He’d be due for another advance soon.

“What did the White Tyrant say my power made me? An up-jumped merchant, was it?

If he couldn’t give Phelps the money directly, then he’d just have to add a few more steps to the process.

The Ever Spring Pavilion was a shop dealing in pills and herbs. The interior reminded Chen Haoran of a spice market. A myriad of different scents filled the air and spiced it with a unique flavor of subtle spiciness and minty freshness. Sacks overflowing with spirit grasses and fruits were stacked on top of each other next to tables displaying potted flowers and other delicate herbs. Bushels of drying plants and moss hung from the ceiling.

“Welcome to the Ever Spring Pavilion, sir.” The attendant bowed as Chen Haoran entered. She smiled brightly, with the picture-perfect customer service shine. She didn’t even blink twice at Phelps hanging off his back. “How may I help you today.”

He mentally praised her performance. He always respected seeing a fellow professional in action. “I was told I had a discount here. ”

With his current means, he wouldn’t pass up any chance at a deal. He was lucky the Ever Spring Pavilion was exactly the store he was looking for.

“Excuse me?” The attendant looked rightfully confused; fortunately, the passerby who had offered him a discount for complimenting the business was in the store today and noticed them.

“Greetings!” The man was a bit on the rounder side, with a thick black mustache that wormed across his face like a hairy caterpillar. He waved off the attendant. “I’ll handle it from here.”

“Am I still getting that discount?” Chen Haoran asked. He stretched out his sense toward the man, Ninth-Layer.

“How could you not?” The man bowed with a flourish. “My name is Chanchu, the humble owner of this establishment. My word is as good as the gold I trade. How can we assist you today?”

“I’m looking for cultivation supplements.”

“Of course! Right this way, sir.”

Chanchu cheerfully led him across the sales floor and up some stairs to the second floor. It was much quieter up here, with only two other cultivators, one of whom worked for the store. There were no sacks or clutter up here. Every table and display were evenly spaced, and each plant had a little sign with its name written in neat letters placed in front of them. Unlike the bottom floor, there were also a few pills laid out as well.

Chen Haoran casually walked between the displays with his hands behind him. He picked up a small pot with a tiny purple flower growing in it and held it up to Phelps. “What do you think?”

Phelps sniffed it once and gagged.

“That’s a no, then.”

Chanchu followed behind with visible confusion as Chen Haoran held up every flower and herb for Phelps to judge. He was professional enough not to say anything, however. There were a few interesting specimens on sale. A tall vine that sprouted what looked like golden strawberries. A Sunken Glory vine buried under soil in a glass case. Its flowers far paler than the one he gave to Sister Jia. There were fruits that rattled like maracas when shaken and vicious plants with metal leaves. Looking inside a smoking pot revealed a patch of moss that belched up smoke and embers like a tiny volcano. There was even a six-foot-tall pitcher plant in the corner that apparently created a qi-rich nutrient solution from the insects it devoured.

The pills were far less visually interesting by comparison, but Chen Haoran wouldn’t let that fool him. They were the more valuable by far. Some of them he recognized and had used before himself back in Clearsprings City others, he had only their names to go on, to varying degrees of usefulness. He could glean only so much from names like Unyielding Dragon and 1 Thousand and One Nights.

“What are the effects of these pills?” Chen Haoran asked, pointing at the purple and pink pills with the opaque names.

Chanchu huffed a laugh. It sounded a bit awkward to his ears. “Those are… aids for nightly stamina.”

Chen Haoran retracted his finger. “Quite the interesting selection you have here,” he commented.

“Thank you for the kind words, sir.”

“Is this all you have in stock?”

“These are for display. Just let us know how much you’d like to purchase, and I’ll have it brought right away.”

“Perfect. Let’s start small, then.” Chen Haoran pointed at a few supplements that Phelps had drooled over. “This, that, and those. I want 20 thousand gold taels worth.”

Chanchu paused. The other two cultivators who’d been in the middle of a deal also glanced over. An arched brow and a flex of qi from Chen Haoran had them quickly back to minding their own business.

“Perhaps we should continue this in a private room, sir.”

Chen Haoran was stewing over a cup of steaming tea. Had he made a mistake? 20 thousand taels would be a lot in Clearsprings, but this was Daqing. With the level of wealth and cultivators in the city, such a purchase shouldn’t be too out there. Or maybe it was because the store was smaller. He didn’t see too many people shopping here.

Chen Haoran sighed.

“Is there an issue, honored customer?” Chanchu’s term of address had quickly changed as he led him into a well-furnished and comfortable room and had attendants gather his order.

“Just wondering if there was a problem with my order.”

Chanchu bolted from his seat. “None at all, sir!” He halted himself and nervously rubbed his hands together. “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough materials to complete your order today.”

Chen Haoran waved him off. “Just add a few antidote and cultivation pills to make up the difference.”

“Right away, sir!”

Phelps had been given his own chair and a plate of snacks to chew on. Chen Haoran’s evaluation of Chanchu went up a few notches. The merchant was quick to identify what was important for his customers.

“I have a question for you,” Chen Haoran said.

“By all means, honored customer.”

“What are the uses of Blue Shadow Fruits and Blood Nut Seeds?” He’d thought to ask when he saw the Sunken Glory vine. Xie Jin hadn’t explained what they were to him when they found them… granted that might have something to do with him instantly feeding them to Phelps.

Chanchu blinked. “Well… Blue Shadow Fruits are mostly used mixtures to hide one’s presence or erase tracks. Blood Nut Seeds are used in body training or physique-enhancing pills.”

“Oh? They sound valuable.”

“If you have any to sell, I’d gladly purchase them.”

Chen Haoran propped up his head on his hand and silently regarded the merchant. Chanchu wasn’t fazed at all and respectfully lowered his gaze.

“What’s the oldest plant in your store?” Chen Haoran finally asked.

Chanchu puffed up with pride. Eager to brag and, perhaps, sell. “We have a 300-year-old Moonflower. It’s the Ever Spring Pavilion’s pride and joy. I normally only take it out during full moons and celebrations.”

Well, he did need the money.

“How much will you give me for this, then?” He reached into his storage bag and summoned six spheres to his hand. When he pulled the 400-year-old Blood Nut Seeds out, the perfumed scent of the private room was drowned out with a heavy, almost metallic smell.

Chanchu’s eyes bugged out.

Chen Haoran placed the Blood Nut Seeds on the table and laced his fingers together.

“I still want that discount, by the way.”

done.co