Chapter 133 (Patreon)

Drinks. Drunk. Moment. Had. Tip. Twenty Percent. Chen Haoran and Xie Jin walked down the stairs to the bottom floor, followed by the incessant praise of their server.

“You almost made my heart stop, you little shit,” Chen Haoran said.

“Thank you. I did it intentionally.”

“You ruined the mood is what you did.”

“Ruined the mood? Let me tell you what would ruin the mood. If one day, a hundred years from now, I think back fondly on the memory of our meeting, and I have to remember it was done in a random bar with alcohol worth less than a gold tael in Reservoir Town of all places, I’m going to cry. If we’re going to swear brotherhood, we’re going to do it right, with better alcohol, and a better vista, and so, I can give you an actual return gift. It’s going to be a ceremony, damn it.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever you say,” Chen Haoran said past his annoyance for Xie Jin scaring him like that. He was relieved. Xie Jin wasn’t refusing. He was just being dramatic. In terms of getting a new slot for his Gifting Power, it could be considered a loss, but Chen Haoran still wasn’t sold on making Xie Jin a connection anyway. Employees were the way to go. However, he’d have to figure out how to avoid the golden light being depleted. Perhaps a term of service? Or maybe he’d have to find someone who’d only be interested in working for a short time. His thoughts turned to his second Gifting Slot, and in his mind’s eye, he could see it surrounded by a golden aurora. It had almost completely recovered from the depletion caused by his stunt with Lin Nine. Presumably, now it would only keep going though he didn’t know if the golden light would have any other effects other than keeping his Gifting Power running. Was it even fuel? He didn’t think so. If he were spending golden light to create his Gifting Rewards, then he would have seen it before now.

The doors ahead of them opened, and in walked another group of cultivators—two Fourth-Layer Liquid Meridian Realms followed by three Qi Realm servants. In the interest of breaking their bad track record of getting into fights in dining establishments, he and Xie Jin stepped to the side and let the group pass them.

One of the Liquid Meridians. A young-looking man side-eyed them as he passed. Glazing over Chen Haoran and settling on Xie Jin, his gaze falling on the white bones around his forearms. He shook his head and nudged his companion. “They really will let anyone in here—” He stopped dead in his tracks. The Liquid Meridian looked down at the arm that had been thrust in front of his chest. He raised his head and glared at Chen Haoran. “Excuse you.”

His companion. A wizened man, perhaps an older relative, looked over sharply. “Is there an issue?”

“Brother,” Xie Jin warned.

“Are you telling me to stop?” Chen Haoran asked him, ignoring the Liquid Meridian in front of him, much to his consternation.

“No, I’m saying we don’t know his background. You can’t be too forceful.”

“Ah, right. No need for a repeat of last time.” He looked over to the suddenly nervous server backed up against the wall. “My good man. Do you recognize this bastard?”

“How dare you!” The Liquid Meridian exploded with rage and swiped his arm at Chen Haoran’s head. Before the hand, there was a large crack, and the Liquid Meridian flew away and crumbled into a heap. Chen Haoran left his fist in the air where he’d clocked the cultivator in the jaw and waited for the server’s answer.

“Th-the Qi Family,” the server stuttered. “Their patriarch is an Eighth-Layer Liquid Meridian.”

“Only Eighth-Layer?” Chen Haoran asked.

“Bastard! What do you think you’re doing?” The elder Liquid Meridian roared and was inside Chen Haoran’s guard in an instant. His fists fell like heavy iron hammers on Chen Haoran’s chest. In the span of three seconds, he’d struck Chen Haoran a hundred times, each blow creating a heavy thump as if a giant drum were being played. Before he could hit him with punch 101, Chen Haoran’s hand came down on the man’s shoulder. It audibly popped, and he was sent to his knees, cracking the floor beneath them. He looked up at Chen Haoran in horror.

Chen Haoran paid him no mind, however, as the little shit he’d sent flying before picked himself up and rushed over. “Unhand my uncle, you beast!”

“Will you die if you can’t open your mouth?” Chen Haoran asked him.

The younger Liquid Meridian growled and feinted to the side, aiming a sharp hook at Chen Haoran’s temple. Just before his fist landed, it burst into flames. The vicious look in the little shits eyes were replaced with bug-eyed shock as Chen Haoran clamped his hand around his throat and shook him around like a rag.

Xie Jin let out a low whistle while the Qi Realm servants watched Chen Haoran with pale-faced fear.

“Three minutes, pretty impressive, Brother,” Xie Jin said.

“Is it?” Chen Haoran asked. He shook the younger Liquid Meridian again and judged the resistance of his qi. “Mortal-Rank?” He squeezed the elder Liquid Meridian’s shoulder while the man did his best impression of a statue. “This guy too? This is my first time seeing such weak Liquid Meridians.”

“That’s because the Liquid Meridians you’ve met before were all unreasonably strong,” Xie Jin pointed out. “These guys are more typical cultivators.”

Typical, Xie Jin said, and yet if Chen Haoran were still a Qi Realm, he would have had to be afraid for his life if he incurred their ire. Now though he was… what was it again? One Profound-Rank Layer was worth two Mortal-Rank Layers, and one Earth-Rank was worth two Profound-Rank. So he was essentially a whole four Layers of strength above these guys.

“Young Master,” the elder Liquid Meridian said. “Please accept our sincere apologies if we offended you in any way.”

“If you offended me?” Chen Haoran asked. He shook the little shit for emphasis. “You did offend me. Did you think you could say whatever you wanted about my friend like that?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please forgive me, foolish nephew, for his words.”

Chen Haoran looked over at Xie Jin. “What do you think? How do you want to do this?”

Xie Jin looked amused. “Seeing that I’ve already gotten such a good show, I’ll take an apology and call it even.”

Chen Haoran shook the little shit again. His hands clenched around Chen Haoran’s grip in an effort to escape as he gasped for air. Chen Haoran thought he was overreacting a bit. Even if he was weak, he was still a Liquid Meridian. A little choking wouldn’t hurt him that much. “Well?” He lowered him to the floor. “Will you apologize?”

The young Liquid Meridian, Qi-whatever, looked at Chen Haoran. “I’m sorry.”

Chen Haoran wrenched his head toward Xie Jin. “Not me, him.”

“My father will—”

Chen Haoran slammed his face through the floor. “That’s not what I want to hear.”

The young Liquid Meridian struggled, his face twisting into something ugly. His uncle’s eyes went wide. “Don’t—!”

Red liquid qi spilled from him in a flood before anyone could react and just as quickly collapsed and receded back into his body. Yellow liquid qi covered Chen Haoran’s hand and carried a dragon’s roar through the rude cultivator’s body. The young Liquid Meridian coughed up a wad of blood and looked much more afraid than he was before.

He bowed his head to Xie Jin. “I’m sorry.”

Chen Haoran released them. The young man fell to the floor and didn’t get up. His uncle didn’t move any further than to clutch his dislocated shoulder.

“For the record,” Chen Haoran said. “If he didn’t try to fight first, I would have been a lot more reasonable about this.”

Xie Jin snorted. “You think he would have apologized without a beating?”

Chen Haoran considered it. “No, you’re right. Oh well, I don’t feel so bad anymore.” He looked down at the uncle. “If you somehow track me down to have your Patriarch try to get revenge or something, I’m going to be very mad. You understand?”

The uncle nodded so quickly that it seemed his head would fly off. “Yes, yes. We wouldn’t dare dream of it. We are completely at fault.”

“Right. Skedaddle.”

“Thank you for your mercy, sir.” The uncle bowed, then had the servants pick up his rude nephew, and together they scurried out of the bar.

Chen Haoran cracked his neck. “Won’t lie. That felt kinda good.” He pulled out a roll of gold taels from his storage bag and handed them to the shivering server. “For the damages. Take some as a tip as well. I appreciate the service.”

“Th-thank you, sir.” The server took the money with trembling hands and retreated further into the bar. Chen Haoran took stock of three senses that locked onto him while he was fighting, then proceeded to ignore them once he made sure they were Liquid Meridian Realms. Probably bouncers hired by the bar. That they didn’t come out to stop him was evidence enough of their level.

“You didn’t need to do that,” Xie Jin said as they walked out the door. “We could have just ignored them. It’s not like the words of bastards like them can bother me.”

“Well, I didn’t want to ignore it,” Chen Haoran said. “What did I tell you before? I don’t want people to think that’s an acceptable thing to say, and for once, I had the power to do something about it.”

“Thank you, Brother Chen.”

“Plus, I already saw what level of force I’m allowed to use before the guards get involved. We won’t get into any trouble.”

Right as he said that, the crowd parted like an ocean, and from them came a running group of red-clothed Garrison soldiers. Chen Haoran and Xie Jin froze as the group headed by two Liquid Meridian Realms approached them just as Chen Haoran was about to pull out his secret Heaven-Rank Bribery technique, the guards passed by them with nary a glance and rushed further down the street.

“Not going to get in trouble, huh?” Xie Jin drawled as they watched the guards leave.

“Shut up. They weren’t coming for us.”

“I just want you to recognize how much you were tempting fate there.” Xie Jin frowned and cast a curious glance down the street. “I wonder what they were rushing to.”

“Another fight, maybe?” Chen Haoran guessed.

“Impossible,” Xie Jin said. “Since when are the guards ever on time when you actually need them?”

“Well…. fair enough.” He couldn’t really argue with that logic.

“I’m gonna go check it out,” Xie Jin said.

“Xie Jin? Are you crazy? Xie Jin!”

Helpless in the face of Xie Jin’s curiosity Chen Haoran instead switched to cursing him out with every word for dumb under the sun. The patrol didn’t go that far ahead. They ran into a dining pavilion. Chen Haoran frowned as he recognized it was the same one the group of Liquid Meridians from earlier went into. His worries were confirmed a moment later when liquid qi exploded through the roof of the pavilion. The streets instantly became a cacophony of screams and movement as the pedestrians scrambled away from the pavilion under a hail of splintered wood and shingles. Within the pavilion, cultivators broke through the windows to escape while more patrons ran out the doors like mad beasts. The street instantly became a chaotic ocean of bodies and qi, and it was only thanks to the anchor that was Chen Haoran’s cultivation that he and Xie Jin didn’t get swept up in it.

With Chen Haoran covering him, Xie Jin ignored the fleeing people and honed in like a hawk at the patrons fleeing the dining pavilion. He grabbed one running woman. “What’s going on in there?” She babbled something incoherent, and Xie Jin released her and grabbed another instead. After a few more fruitless attempts, along with weathering some slapping from the more panicked cultivators, he eventually grabbed a waitress who had the answers he was looking for.

“A ruin,” she said, breathless. “They found a ruin in the jungle.”