Author's Note: For those interested, there are now five advanced chapters (we're on chapter 44) and a poll about drawing that we will be requesting in the future for this story on my on P-atreon, which you can read and vote for just $5.
I also finished the first volume of my other story, "Welcome to the Alternate Multiverse Chat Group."
So if you can, please go to my profile and check it out.
Remove the spaces and dash: p-atreon/ Krakenian01
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Third Person P.O.V
"Really? They did that to babies?" Lanruo seemed genuinely shocked and a little horrified by what Leek had told her.
"Well, yes, as I told you before, for Saiyans, strength was everything, so years ago, if a baby was born with too low power, then it was sent as an infiltrator to another kingdom so that when it grew up, it would lose control and destroy them from within or take power, that way, when the others came to collect him, they would simply join the Saiyan to their ranks. Sure, there were some who didn't like the idea, but the king was the strongest and his word was law." Leek shrugged, but when he saw Lanruo, he noticed that she was looking at him closely.
"Stop looking at me like that; that kind of thing happened a long time ago, I'm not an infiltrator. Why would I tell you that piece of information if I were?"
"Okay." In the end, Lanruo decided to stop teasing Leek, and the two moved on to another topic.
"By the way, what's this person you told me about like? That Chen Linjian?" the Saiyan asked, curious to know what the person they would meet would be like.
"Um." The pink-haired girl placed a finger on her chin and wore a thoughtful expression for a few seconds before speaking. "If I had to summarize him in a few words, I'd say he's a born leader." She nodded to herself, confirming her description.
"You could say he's my childhood friend, and now that I think about it, he's the same age as you, 15; he's also the son of the patriarch of the Divine Family, Chen Zhenlong, so he's the heir to the position of patriarch, he's a fair person too, and always looking for talented people to take on as his subordinates." Lanruo summarized her friend's status and character as best she could.
Leek seemed genuinely surprised before speaking. "Well, that sounds pretty impressive." He said sincerely. In Leek's opinion, a description like the one Lanruo had just given sounded like that of a protagonist from a fantasy novel.
And when she heard the Saiyan's words, Lanruo pouted, seeming a little dissatisfied. "Is that all you have to say?" She sulked.
"Huh?" Leek was genuinely confused.
"Aren't you going to show even a little bit of jealousy? I just told you he's my childhood friend, that he's incredibly rich, with a status very few in Glory City could match, and that he has a good character"
Leek blinked a few times before a very small laugh escaped him. "Pfft." The Saiyan quickly covered his mouth, trying to contain himself, especially given the look Lanruo was now giving him, but he could only last two seconds before laughing outright. "Hahaha, are you serious, Lanruo? Hahaha"
The girl in question puffed out her cheeks and frowned before hitting Leek with her fists, though of course, it wasn't hard enough to do anything more than stop him from laughing.
"Of course I'm not jealous." Leek said, wiping away an imaginary tear.
"And it only takes a moment to think about why I shouldn't be, Lanruo. We haven't known each other that long, but I think I have a good understanding of your character; you're probably the most straightforward girl I've ever met, if you were interested in someone, you wouldn't hesitate to declare it openly, right? That, added to what your father said about not having a fiancé or being married, and the way you've treated me, tells me you haven't had a relationship before, not even a light one that goes beyond flirting a little with people, or am I wrong?" The Saiyan said with a smile, as if daring her to say otherwise.
Lanruo, for her part, was wide-eyed in surprise, she remembered the time he'd discovered she was planning something when she'd separated to give Xiao Ning'er and Leek time to talk.
But this time it had been even more shocking because the Saiyan had just given a precise summary of their situation, and she really hadn't expected something like this.
"I'm sure there are guys interested in you, but I'd bet this Chen Linjian isn't one of them. Otherwise, considering his status, I'm sure there's some marriage agreement your father would have mentioned, and if you were interested in him, when we meet, you would have stuck to him like a koala or tried to hide his existence and deny any kind of relationship. So, being the person you are, the fact that you not only mention him and reveal that he's your childhood friend, but also take me to his house, is proof enough to say that there's been nothing between you two." The Saiyan summarized his thoughts.
"I…" Lanruo didn't know what to say, so she stood with her mouth open for a few seconds before sighing in defeat.
She had to admit it, just as Leek had said, they hadn't known each other for long, but he already had a clear idea of her personality. "You're right. I admit I was a little interested in him a couple of years ago, but it was just a passing thing, and I'm sure he hasn't the slightest romantically interest in me; in fact, I've never seen him show interest in any girl, and in his own words, he's more focused on building his own power bases and connections beyond the support of his father and family." Lanruo shared what she knew.
Leek simply nodded, but his eyes took on a dangerous glint when he saw they were a few meters away from passing an alley, so he spoke in a nonchalant tone. "Besides that, there's another reason I'm sure I don't need to be jealous. Do you want to know what it is?"
"Huh?" Lanruo made a confused sound just as they passed the alley, and Leek responded by grabbing her hand and pulling her.
"W-!!"
The girl hadn't finished her question when her back hit the alley wall, and Leek's hand landed next to her face, trapping her in a classic kabedon.
The pink-haired girl didn't know what was happening, but when she saw the eyes with irises as black as the void staring directly at her, she felt like a bolt of lightning had run through her body.
Her heart rate quickened, her pupils dilated, her cheeks turned red, and she felt her legs go a little weak.
Leek smiled, but it wasn't a warm or friendly smile, and Lanruo knew this very well, because she'd seen it before.
It was the same look and smile she had that night when she'd pressured him until he counterattacked and stole her first kiss.
"The main reason why I don't need to be jealous is very simple, I already decided that you're mine, so that's what's going to happen; you were the one who tried to seduce me from the day I arrived at your house, and you pushed until you got it, that night on the roof of that building I decided to throw all the subtleties, blushes and stutters out the window. I still don't have it 100% mastered, but like I said, I'm not going to beat around the bush, you wanted my attention, now you have it, besides that." He said, putting a finger on the girl's chin and lifting it up, noticing that her eyes seemed glassy, and like an almost imperceptible fog surrounded her body, but Leek didn't focus on this, and instead brought his face closer to hers until their cheeks touched and spoke in her ear.
"Let's be honest, it's obvious you're really smitten with me, even more so when I'm so direct, isn't it?" He finished, pulling back so he could see her face.
And it was just like that time on the rooftop, her expression was the definition of yearning; it was obvious she was responding positively to his more dominant behavior.
Leek assumed that the saying about direct girls mostly having a lot of offense but little defense was pretty accurate, at least with Lanruo.
And without another word, Leek leaned his face toward hers again, but this time not to whisper in her ear.
The time for words was over; now it was time for actions.
On the main street, people continued on their way, none of them paying attention to the couple hugging tightly in the alley, their faces pressed against each other.
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Third Person P.O.V
Some Time Later
Standing at the entrance to the inner garden of his family's mansion, Chen Linjian looked at Lanruo, who, upon entering, smiled and greeted him. "It's good to see you're okay, Linjian." She said.
Chen Linjian nodded back with a smile before noticing the girl's companion.
When there were other people around, Lanruo usually greeted him more formally and respectfully. After all, she respected him, and he was the heir to one of the three major families.
But when it was just the two of them, she knew he could be much more casual, because she knew that Chen Linjian was the type of person who, although he normally abided by the rules, preferred the relaxed and friendly atmosphere among those around him.
And the fact that Lanruo directly used his name in a casual greeting in front of someone else showed that she quite trusted the young man accompanying her.
Chen Lijian didn't need anything beyond this brief exchange to understand, so he moved on to the next topic he was most curious about, or would have if the spiky-haired young man hadn't spoken before him.
"Hello, my name is Leek. Lanruo told me about you, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Leek extended his hand to the young man in front of him, who seemed a little surprised by the greeting, but after a few seconds, he smiled and extended his hand as well.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Chen Linjian." The heir to the Divine family decided to respond in the same way he had been greeted, so they both shook hands.
After that, the young man asked his question. "So, what brings you both to my house today?"
"I need a favor." Lanruo clasped her hands and smiled. "Actually, I wanted to ask you to sell me a crimson blazing lotus; it's a somewhat urgent matter"
Chen Linjian raised an eyebrow, curious about the request, he knew the properties of the crimson blazing lotus. It was the raw material for various by-products, bath salts, incense, creams, oils, and the like. But all of these by-products had one thing in common: they were primarily used to help relax the body, improve sleep, or even as a type of liquor that some families used during weddings.
And since Lanruo had personally come to ask for it as a favor, Linjian assumed it was for her personal use, or for…
The young heir turned his gaze to Leek and decided to ask. "I assume the crimson blazing lotus is for you?"
Leek nodded, his expression showing no hesitation. "Lanruo told me that her family had a recipe for a type of oil that could help me with a minor muscle pain I have, and this crimson flaming lotus was necessary to prepare it"
Chen Linjian nodded. "Yes, the crimson blazing lotus is definitely a good raw material for making muscle pain medicine, but Lanruo coming personally to ask for it… I don't want to pry too much, but may I ask what kind of relationship you two have?"
Chen Linjian knew Lanruo well. Ever since she was younger, the girl had been quite flirtatious with boys she was interested in, he had seen it more than once, but her coming forward to ask him for a favor on someone else's behalf was something new, so this time he was genuinely curious.
And when Leek heard her question, he gave himself a thumbs-up in his mind; this was the question he had been waiting for.
After he and Lanruo left the alley, they chatted about Chen Linjian and the Divine Family as they walked, and a small improvised plan had taken shape.
According to Lanruo herself, Chen Linjian was definitely someone they could trust enough to tell him the truth before Ye Zong's announcement party in 10 days, so the two agreed to do exactly that, all with the intention that Leek, as the future patriarch of a new family, could forge a good relationship with the heir of one of the three major families.
That way, even the Sacred Family wouldn't dare cause him trouble in the future, as he would have the support of not only the Snow Wind Family, but also the Divine Family.
"Leek is my fiancé, and also the future patriarch of a new noble family." Lanruo said, crossing her arms and smiling a little proudly.
Chen Linjian stood still for a few seconds before blinking in confusion and asking, "Really?" As if he couldn't believe it.
Lanruo nodded a few times before speaking. "Actually, I'd like to tell you some information that the city lord will share with the rest of the families of Glory City in about 10 days. Do you have some time to listen to me?" She asked, already knowing her friend's answer.
Chen Linjian, for his part, always attentive not only to talented people but also to information that could help him strengthen his foundation for when he ascended to the position of patriarch; changed his expression to a more serious one and invited Lanruo and Leek to sit down and have a drink with him so they could tell him everything more calmly.
#####
Third Person P.O.V
A couple of days later
Nie Li sat cross-legged in the library of the Holy Orchid Institute, mentally reciting the Heavenly God Tactics technique.
His mood today was particularly good, after all, the first batch of new pills made with the recipes his "master" had provided had gone on sale today.
So, after sunset, an employee of the Alchemy Association would approach to give him his share of today's profits, but that wasn't all.
Thanks to the increased price of Purple Haze Grass, they ended up selling it all today at a price of 200 coins per pound, which gave them just over 500,000 spirit coins.
And since this might seem like a lot, but Nie Li knew that if he compared it to the profits that would come from the elixir sales, then those 500,000 would be little more than pocket change.
So he decided to put this money to good use, spending it to buy some of the elixirs that he himself introduced to the market, and using his new authority as a master alchemist to maximize profits.
After all, the members of the association had a special discount to buy their products, although of course, each one had a limited amount of elixirs that they could buy with this discount.
But this rule didn't apply to Nie Li, what the Alchemist Association wanted most was to forge a mutually agreeable relationship with both him and his teacher.
Therefore, the limits other teachers had were waived for Nie Li, not only did they allow him to purchase as many elixirs as he wanted, but they also promised that from then on, they would have a free batch ready for him to take every week as an act of goodwill.
"Phew, well, I think that's enough for now, I'll go stretch my legs for a moment." He said to his group of friends, who were enthusiastically practicing.
Their mood, which was already good while they were practicing their powerful cultivation techniques, was now even more so after taking the expensive and powerful elixirs.
Everyone was confident that they would have no problem excelling in the next test, and due to the friendly competition Lu Piao and Du Ze had, the fire of enthusiasm was ignited in the others, which made them practice even harder.
"No problem." Du Ze said.
"Just don't get lost there." Lu Piao added.
"Take your time." Zhang Ming nodded with his eyes closed, while Wei Nan and Zhu Xiangjun just nodded.
And with that, Nie Li walked through the library's corridors; he had just submitted a new "discovery" regarding inscription patterns yesterday, so he no longer had to worry about that matter, this, added to his upcoming fortune, Nie Li could confidently say that the only thing he had to worry about for the time being was practicing to increase his soul force.
Well, there was actually one more thing occupying Nie Li's thoughts, and just as he saw her as he turned down one of the corridors, he called out the name that had marked his past life.
"Ziyun." He called out when he saw her sitting there, flipping through a book.
"Ah." The call seemed to snap her out of her thoughts, and when she looked up, she saw him and returned the greeting politely. "Nie Li, good morning"
"Are you studying another inscription pattern? If you have any questions, I'm always here to give you the answer; I assure you that no matter the topic, I'm well-versed in everything you can think of"
"No, this is just a book of ancient tales. I don't have much time to study inscription patterns right now." The girl shook her head a few times. "But I wanted to thank you for your help earlier, and about the Ice Blizzard Pattern, it ended up being a Silver-rank one. I was planning to come here earlier to tell you about it, but I've been a bit busy these past few days"
"You don't need to worry, I'm glad I could help you." Nie Li nodded, not really caring about the matter of inscription patterns. Right now, he was just happy to be able to chat with Ye Ziyun, but of course, this didn't stop him from moving on to the next topic.
"By the way, did you bring the unused Soul Crystal I mentioned last time?"
Nie Li's true goal this time wasn't just to converse with Ye Ziyun, but also to strengthen her in the same way he was doing with his friends, so that in the future she would have enough strength to ensure her own safety.
"Yes, this is it." The girl took the crystal out of her ring and stretched her hand towards Nie Li, as if trying to give it to him.
"No, no." Nie Li raised his hands as he shook his head. "I didn't ask you to bring it for me, please put some of your soul force into it." He asked with a hint of expectation in his eyes.
"Ah, my soul force?" Ye Ziyun hesitated for a moment.
Her father hadn't said it explicitly, mainly because people didn't go around asking others to show their cultivation levels, but she knew better than to reveal Leek's existence or the training she was undergoing to anyone, at least not until her father announced the existence of the black-haired young man to the rest of the city.
"Is something wrong?" Nie Li seemed a little confused by the doubt in Ziyun's eyes.
He didn't understand why she would hesitate to use the crystal; after all, from her perspective, she would only show him how much soul force she had.
Of course, that wasn't the case. What he wanted to know was the form of Ziyun's soul and attribute, but no one in Glory City knew about that, so he didn't understand what the problem could be.
Ye Ziyun thought about it for a moment and ultimately decided to do what Nie Li asked, she didn't know why he wanted to see how much soulforce she had, but he had helped her and interceded for the commoners in class, so in her opinion, he wasn't a bad person.
So, she decided to trust that when she asked him, he would keep the secret.
"No problem." Ye Ziyun shook her head a few times and sent her energy toward the crystal, causing it to light up.
"Um, I see, soulforce... 167!!!" Nie Li's expression showed genuine surprise to the point that he forgot to check the girl's soulforce shape.
Nie Li remembered that when Shen Xiu announced Ye Ziyun's soulforce last time in class, she had been at 86, and now, after less than a month, she had gained over 80 points?
How was this possible? If he had given her one of his techniques, he would understand; increasing 80 points was almost trivial with most of the most powerful cultivation techniques he had, but doing it with one found in Glory City? He didn't believe it.
Besides, the pills that had come onto the market couldn't be the reason either, after all, they had started selling this morning, and Ye Ziyun had been in class since early morning like every day.
First, it was that girl, Xiao Ning'er, then there was that young man in the clearing, later was the situation with the Nightmare Demon Pot, and now Ye Ziyun.
What the heck was up with all these things that didn't happen during his first life?
"Um, please don't tell anyone about this, I'm not supposed to show my level until my father allows me to." Ye Ziyun pleaded.
Nie Li, hearing her pleading tone, snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ye Ziyun before nodding. "I promise, no one will find out about this, even if my life is in danger, I won't reveal it, but…"
The time traveler seemed a little uncomfortable, but after looking at the crystal again and confirming Ye Ziyun's soul form, he decided to ask. "Can you tell me how your cultivation has advanced so much since Shen Xiu announced it last time?"
"I'm… sorry, I can't tell you, it's a secret, but I know my father will announce it soon, so I'm sure the news will reach you." Ye Ziyun apologized.
"Don't worry, if it's a secret you were forbidden to tell, then it's my fault for asking." Nie Li waved his hand.
By the standards of the Divine Continent, and even more so, for Glory City, this leap in power was incredibly remarkable, so he understood why the city lord was keeping it a secret, although the fact that he would announce it soon was a little rare.
"What I wanted was to give you a new cultivation technique that will be much better than the one you have now; it matches your soul form and attribute." Nie Li decided to ignore all the things about the City Lord's announcement.
He didn't know anything about it for now, so he couldn't dwell on it, and he didn't want to pressure Ye Ziyun for answers, especially since, as she said, the City Lord would announce it in a few days anyway.
"New cultivation technique? Attribute? Soul form? What's that?" The girl seemed a little confused.
"Soul form and attribute are key elements in knowing which technique you should use, if you know your soul form and attribute, then it will be much easier to find a technique that's compatible with you." Nie Li, eager to show off his knowledge to Ye Ziyun, shared what he knew in terms anyone could understand.
"You… did you read that in a book?" Ye Ziyun had seen Nie Li show off his knowledge before, and everyone in her class knew he was the librarian and seemed to have a lot of knowledge from all the books he read, so this was her first guess.
"Hehehe." Nie Li, for his part, rubbed his nose with a finger and smiled. "That's right, all that time I spent reading had to be worth something, you have, you have the Ice Phoenix Soul Form and your attribute is Blizzard, the technique that suits you best is the Nine Revolving Ice Phoenix Technique, it's incredibly powerful, I'll tell you the chants now"
But just as the time traveler was about to begin, the girl raised her hand, asking him to stop before saying something Nie Li hadn't expected.
"I… I'm sorry, I can't accept it"
"What?"
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As always, Lanruo's character and her interactions with Leek are quite enjoyable to write. On Nie Li's side, some people asked for a bit of drama, so I hope you enjoyed the ending of this chapter if you were looking for that.
I must admit that writing the part about the conversation with Chen Linjian was more challenging than I expected, and I had to revise it several times while deciding how far to take it.
But I think this part is fine, it lays the groundwork for what Lanruo and Leek want to do, but it doesn't reveal their exact plan.
By the way, I'm still looking for recommendations for an artist to do the new cover for this story, because the few I've found haven't convinced me.