Immortal Freeloader 57 (Patreon)

Four days later, I was looking at another capital, this time belonging to Xanhum kingdom … which looked quite similar to Zaim kingdom for all intents and purposes. The general fashion and the architectural style were mostly the same, and so was the language. 

It felt weird, especially since both kingdoms were supposed to be separated for hundreds of years after some kind of empire had collapsed. I wasn’t a sociologist, but I still remembered some snippets from the Sociology classes I had attended, enough to know that some kind of cultural drift was to be expected. 

It was suspiciously absent. 

I wondered if it was the impact of the long-lived cultivators, or if something else was going on. However, as I approached the huge marble building, holding the token, I abandoned those thoughts and focused on the large signboard with only one name carved. 

Verdant. 

Aisnam’s family. 

It was an interesting choice for her to send me here considering her status with the family, but things were clearly even more complicated than I expected. Still, I had been watching the place, and everything I had seen showed me that there was only one cultivator, which gave me the courage to risk interacting with them. For that reason, I had hidden all the talismans and the brush before visiting the mansion. 

Particularly since I had an introductory letter, giving me an excuse to talk with whomever owed a favor to her. A token and a letter. 

Well, a modified letter. 

Forging a letter from a cultivator wasn’t easy when every brush was infused with a passive sensation of their own writing. Even with my calligraphy, I couldn’t do it casually for any cultivator. Ironically, the cultivators of the Verdant family were the only exception, as I knew several of their techniques to enable such a thing. 

Therefore, I made some subtle changes, modifying the request for healing to provide a safe house and keep me away from danger for a few months while giving the excuse that the medicine took a while to be prepared, while she dealt with the troubles she was facing. 

As for why she was trying to keep me safe, there was no mention of it, but the underlying tone was clear. A romantic entanglement. Was that risky? Yes, particularly since it might have some implications on her already complicated family situation … but it was the best I could come up with. 

It felt like the best option, giving me the ability to play it by the ear. I deliberately didn’t ask for anything else, not wanting to block the path of System returns.  

All of it, I dared because of the recipient of the letter. Another woman from the Verdant family. According to the gossip, she had served as a healer for fifty years, which meant she was probably in her seventies at a minimum. Maybe even older than a hundred. 

I was betting that, as a cultivator that stuck in the mortal kingdom for years, she would be more inclined to see the story from Aisnam’s perspective than the inappropriate nature of it. 

After all, defining her situation here as serving was a bit of a misnomer, of course. As a cultivator, she lived in a mansion, and even the king couldn’t casually request her services. He could only send a convoy with significant expensive gifts — apparently, enough to strain the budget of the kingdom — every time they required her help. 

I had to admit, such a thing was clearly lucrative. 

As I walked closer, the guards looked at me. Two of them had been guarding the place, each clearly at the peak of the Connate realm. But, to my senses, their essence felt hollow. 

It looked like I wasn’t the only one who was using medicinal skills to hasten the cultivation of the people around me. More importantly, since they were assigned to door duty, it implied that there were several more Connate Realm artists guarding the place. 

“Halt. How dare you approach —” one of them started, only to stop when he noticed the token in my hand. He said nothing else as he took the letter and the token and disappeared inside. I waited at the gate, saying nothing. 

Ten minutes later, the guard returned. “Follow me,” he said. I did so, and stepped into the courtyard, humming in appreciation as I glanced around. A glimpse at the outer garden was enough to redefine the meaning of luxury. It was far more expensive than the palace complex of the Zaim kingdom, even when compared to the residence of the prince. 

However, I wondered if anything was as valuable as the large tree I had passed. Once I passed near, I noticed that it was actually producing Qi. The amount was very small, certainly not enough to cultivate properly, but considering how rare was to find Qi outside — even after my travel, the only place I was able to detect any was the Spring Palace — I had no doubt that it was incredibly valuable. 

As I was led deeper into the garden, I passed an occasional plant that was radiating a minute amount of Qi. However, as I led to a small, private garden, that finally changed. In that small, concealed garden, every single plant, including the grass, was radiating Qi, creating a far denser environment. 

The increased density was barely enough to rival the Spring Palace garden during the day. Even if I had a functioning Immortal Root and was able to capture every mote, it would have taken me weeks to gather a Strand of Qi. 

The guard brought me in front of an old woman, who looked even older than I expected. She looked in her eighties, which meant, she was even older. Considerably so, as even in the Qi Refinement Realm, true cultivation extended people’s lives significantly. 

She said nothing, but as she examined me, I could see a growing disdain on her face. It was an important input, as it implied that her distaste was less about the fact that I was Aisnam’s lover as I strongly implied in the forged letter, but the fact that I was a mere Skin Refinement martial artist. 

Or, a martial artist in general. 

She said nothing as some kind of weight slammed against me. I could feel her Qi pressing against me, invading my body. She was stronger than I expected. Easily the Fifth Realm of Qi Gathering, maybe even the sixth. She was trying to make me kneel. 

I could have probably resisted it with my own Qi cultivation, but instead, I kept my essence flaring to fight against it, using the purest Tiger Essence I could manage, but not relying on Black Tiger Onslaught, even using it to forcibly take a part of her attack. 

I wanted to experiment twofold. The first part of it was to test whether the purity of the essence mattered against Qi. It mattered somewhat, but not enough to actually fight against Qi on anything close to equal terms. 

Leaving me wondering why the System actually valued it that high. 

The second part of it was to see if I could use it to trigger the System. 

She didn’t keep it for long, and not because she was feeling merciful. I could see that, using the pressure had strained her significantly. She tried to hide it, but I caught it nonetheless. 

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 50; Insult Bonus - 150 (Capped)]

[200x Return - 23 Qi Strands]

The experiment was a success. For the second time, I had managed to use the benefit of the Insult feature, and this time, with a far bigger benefit. 

“Not bad,” she grumbled, frustrated, though I could see the disgust in her gaze fading. It looked like, by resisting the pressure of a Seventh Stage Qi Gathering cultivator's pressure, I earned her respect. “So, boy, tell me. Who are you?” 

I wanted to curse. I didn’t want her respect. At least, not that quickly. I was very happy with the Insult I received. 

“Just a lucky traveler wanting to save an unfortunate flower from the stumps of uncaring giants,” I said, delivering that with determination, but also with perfect cadence. It looked like she cared about her garden, so I used a flower metaphor. 

Of course, that also implied that I knew I was tangled with the Queen rather than a servant like she tried to make me think, but since the letter had no details about that failed disguise, I didn’t want to complicate the situation further. 

“Not bad,” she said. “You need to wait for a few weeks, as I’m just a healer, not an alchemist. Purchasing a pill that could help her is not a simple affair,” she said. 

“As you wish, exalted cultivator,” I said, bowing slightly. Reluctant, yet respectful. From what I could read from her body language, it was clear that the insult was a one-time thing. 

Leaving Pity as the next best option. 

After all, I didn’t plan on staying here and enjoying the grass.