Im sorry, Xie Jin said. I had promised to help you get settled in Zumulu, but
Chen Haoran clasped his arm. Family cos first. Thank you, for everything. I can take it from here.
As soon as the sun rose over the horizon Xie Jin had been out the door and preparing to leave with Bao Si, despite seeming to dread her company. Sister Jia watched them bid farewell from the door.
Xie Jin sighed. If you need any help, look for Brother Ang when he returns. Ill be back as soon as I can.
Chen Haoran waved off his concern. Dont worry about it. He hooked a thumb toward himself. Im an expert when it cos to adjusting to unfamiliar places.
Xie Jin didnt seem to have much faith in that statent. He wasnt necessarily wrong. Chen Haoran was run out of the last unfamiliar place he found himself in. Those were extenuating circumstances, however.
Touching, Bao Si drawled. I dont an to interrupt your mont but we dont have all day.
Im already not looking forward to this, Xie Jin growled. He stalked over to his so-called fianc and lood over her. Or rather, tried to loom over. It was hard to do that when they were the sa height. If I find out youre lying to
Bao Si rolled her eyes. Please. I actually respect your grandfather.
Chen Haoran wasnt sure which was more ssed up. Xie Jin thinking that she would lie about his kin's health in order to drag him back ho or Bao Si for not directly denying it.
She saw him watching her and winked. Until next ti, Chen Haoran. Ill make sure to repay you for your gift.
Chen Haoran shivered.
Xie Jin pushed Bao Si away and down the road. Take care, Brother Chen.
Safe travels, Brother Jin.
Phelps squealed at Xie Jin. A goodbye, perhaps.
Chen Haoran watched them go until they rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight. When they were gone, he sighed and stretched his back. He scratched Phelpss chin and then marched the opposite way.
He had work to do.
What do you think, Young Master Chen. 2 thousand taels a month is quite a good price, wouldnt you say? The agent rubbed his hands together as he and Chen Haoran toured the house.
It was a secluded house on the northern side of the city, not particularly close to the river or the markets but those places were currently out of his budget. This place was larger than Sister Jias ho. Tall walls separated it from the road and gave its residents so privacy. The ho itself was toward the back, and the space between it and the walls had been turned into a simple dirt courtyard. A single willow tree grew in the corner and offered so shade from the hot southern sun.
It would do.
Ill pay in advance for the year, Chen Haoran said. He pulled out a wad of gold banknotes from his sleeves and counted and handed 24 thousand taels to the agent.
Wonderful, Young Master Chen! The agent accepted the taels with both hands and handed over the lease and key before bowing and leaving Chen Haoran to enjoy his new ho. He put Phelps on the ground, and the sloth happily floated around to explore the new scents.
After Xie Jin left, Chen Haoran went around and sold 20 thousand more taels worth of jewelry before, with Sister Jias directions, going to find an agent to rent a place to stay. He was planning on living in Stonebridge for a while, and an inn just wouldnt cut it, especially not for training.
He walked over to the tree, shrugging off his robe, and sat down.
Yellow River Dragon Refinent
The sounds of the city disappeared, and his sight was cast inward. Yellow Qi burbled through branching ridians, and a yellow dragon rose from the depths. It cast a single golden eye out, and Chen Haoran felt that, for a mont, it was looking directly at him. It quickly turned its gaze and began to dance through the flow of his qi. Rather than devour everything, it ca across however, it was picky and ignored most of the qi that Chen Haoran drew in with every breath.
Thanks to the Machu River, hed reached the limit of the Qi Realm and he could keenly feel the ceiling now. The qi he absorbed entered his body, but only the slightest amount was being converted. The rest were cycled out of his body by the flow of his qi. It wasnt the sa feeling as a bottleneck, his qi had been blocked, but it at least still converted. Beyond maintaining himself, there was no point in trying to cultivate now. It was a sha, there was more ambient qi in this courtyard than there had been in his whole mansion back in Clearsprings. He was once again left thinking the obvious.
He had to advance.
The dragon narrowed its eyes and roared. It descended through his ridians and settled in an area near his gut, where it began to coil. Song Yuelins face flashed in his mind, lit by the green glow of the Mourning Pool in the Clearsprings Mountain.
In the Qi realm, one concentrates the qi into a single point until a drop of liquid is created.
The dragon shrunk and began to glow brighter.
They shepherd that droplet through their ridians as it grows larger-
The dragon began to slowly drift, carried by the natural current of his qi around his body.
-becoming a stream, a river, a torrent, and finally-
Nothing.
The yellow dragon roared out its unwillingness as Chen Haorans qi faded to black, and he opened his eyes. He slamd his fist into the dirt. It had been too weak. Barely any different from the normal density of his qi. He needed to condense it more. It had to reach a critical mass and snowball on its own for him to properly make the jump to the Liquid ridian realm.
He closed his eyes and ditated.
The dragon roared once.
He failed.
The dragon roared twice.
He failed.
The dragon roared three tis.
He failed.
Much like his Harmonization training, his attempts at condensing his qi were slow going and made no observable progress. When he opened his eyes again, night had fallen, and Phelps was angrily squealing at him.
He sighed and picked up the annoyed sloth. Lets go eat.
The house's interior was thankfully furnished, although it lacked both the character of Sister Jias quaint ho and the opulence of his forr mansion. He settled Phelps at a low, rounded table, and dumped out a bushel of glowing moss on top of it.
Phelps gave him a look.
What?
Phelps squealed and slapped his claws on the table.
What, you want more or? Sudden inspiration took him as he looked at the moss strewn haphazardly across the table. He gathered the moss into a neat little pile and presented it to Phelps. How about now?
Phelps squealed.
Wrong answer. If not that though, then what? He cast a quick glance around the room. The kitchen wasnt far. He rushed over and rifled through the cabinets and pantry before finding what he sought. He brought over the ceramic plate and stacked the moss on top before placing it in front of Phelps again.
Phelps happily squealed and dug in.
Chen Haoran snorted. You learned so manners, huh? Or perhaps Phelps just liked the feeling of eating off a plate. He shook his head in exasperation, sat down next to his spoiled sloth, and pulled out his own al, so bread baked with berries that Sister Jia had given him before he left. It wasnt the heartiest of als, but so of the berries held so qi within them.
It looks like it's going to be a while before I can reach Liquid ridian realm, bud. He slumped over the table, watching Phelps eat. Chen Haoran patted the sloths head, but his ministrations were ignored in favor of eating. Thats not too bad on its own. I knew it would take a while. I just dont feel safe.
Could he fight a Liquid ridian with the White Tyrants Harmonization? He touched his scimitars hilt. If they stood still and let him cut their head off, maybe. He rose from the table and lit a few lamps to light the dark room. His hand ghosted across his neck, he could feel phantom fingers on it. Lan Fens knife-like digits. Elder Lan Qianbeis iron grip.
It didnt matter how high a rank his cultivation technique was, or what resources or skills he had. A Qi Realm wouldnt let him stop being pushed around by Song Yuelin. A Qi Realm couldnt save him from the clutches of Lan Qianbei. A Qi Realm certainly did nothing for him in front of Jiang Lei.
He needed to advance.
There was a spike of qi from his storage bag. A thin line of terror shot down Chen Haorans spine as he ripped the storage bag off his waist and yanked it open. He stopped. He slowly, carefully, reached into the bags expanded space and pulled out a tal purple token embossed with a golden lily. The word Gold was engraved into the token and now glowed the sa color as its nasake. He flipped the token around to see golden words appear on the blank tal surface.
One month. Stonebridge.
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