Chapter 12
The punk girl reached out and pinched, her eyes widening in surprise as she covered her mouth. “Oh my gosh, it really is a lump under the skin... So many of them! How can he even walk...?”
Is this guy serious?
Zhang Rui felt a bit embarrassed, instinctively averting his gaze as he mumbled, “Just because there are lumps doesn’t mean it’s bone cancer…”
“This is osteosarcoma,” Chen Huai'an chuckled. “You can look up information about osteosarcoma online and compare it with what I have… Anyway, it’s time for me to start climbing.”
Zhang Rui opened his mouth, wanting to say something more.
But Chen Huai'an was already moving forward, holding up the livestreaming rig.
“You’re being a bit excessive!” The punk girl, Su Xiaoqian, shot Zhang Rui a sideways glance. “Whether it’s osteosarcoma or not, his leg is definitely a problem. Given all that information, the chances of him lying are pretty low. Have a little compassion!”
“Yeah, little brother,” chimed in a middle-aged man nearby, nodding in agreement. “My father passed away from cancer, specifically osteosarcoma. Do you think I wouldn’t know if this kid has it? He’s climbing this mountain despite being seriously ill. Just standing here instead of lying in a hospital bed is already impressive.”
“Exactly,” another middle-aged man added. “Bone cancer can easily lead to fractures, so he should avoid high-intensity exercise. This kid coming to climb the mountain shows real courage and determination.”
Zhang Rui felt ashamed, scratching his neck and falling silent.
The four of them noticed that Chen Huai'an had walked far ahead and hurried to catch up.
“Streamer, that rig looks heavy. Want me to help you carry it?” Su Xiaoqian offered, feeling a bit guilty as she stepped forward.
But Chen Huai'an shook his head. “No need, I can adjust the angle myself. Plus, carrying the rig while climbing is part of my promise to the viewers.”
“Good job, little brother!” A middle-aged man gave him a thumbs-up, admiration written all over his face.
“Awesome!”
Everyone was encouraging Chen Huai'an.
Zhang Rui finally chimed in, “Hey man, sorry about that. I lost a game today and my head’s a bit foggy. I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
“It’s fine. I understand where everyone’s coming from; making money isn’t easy,” Chen Huai'an replied without looking back.
“Here, let me send you a gift as an apology.”
At this, Chen Huai'an immediately turned around, flashing a warm smile. “What are you going to send me?”
“Uh... I’ll send you a big rocket, the one that costs 2000 yuan.”
“Great, thank you! You’re a good person.”
Zhang Rui: “…”
He realized that the streamer really did have a disease, and he genuinely wanted to make money.
But it made sense; it was precisely because of his illness that he wanted to earn money for treatment, right?
Still, he couldn’t quite understand.
Wouldn’t all this exertion make Chen Huai'an’s cancer worse?
But since his family was well-off, if Chen Huai'an needed money, then he might as well send it.
Zhang Rui opened Chen Huai'an’s livestream, clicked to follow, and sent ten big rockets right off the bat.
【Wow, the boss is generous!】
【Isn’t this the real guy? I feel guilty now; looks like the streamer is really a cancer patient.】
【First time seeing this live, front row seat!】
【Sigh, it’s tough for the streamer. I’ll send something too. If it comes down to it, we won’t climb; we’ll just support you.】
…
The ten big rockets indeed triggered a chain reaction of gifts.
At the same time, more people began to enter the livestream.
The number of viewers was rapidly increasing.
As people saw the rain of gifts and the buzz around the “Late Stage Bone Cancer Five-Hour Climb Challenge,” many decided to stick around.
“Thanks to the boss for the ten big rockets!”
Chen Huai'an felt a surge of joy and immediately gave Zhang Rui a shot on camera.
The guy was a bit shy and turned red, quickly looking away.
After the platform took its cut, he would pocket around ten thousand yuan from those ten rockets.
This was the ‘Fortune Koi’ effect in action.
Indeed, the internet was a fast way to make money.
As Chen Huai'an watched the value of the gifts accumulate, he couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful.
Those taxi drivers, construction workers, and delivery guys worked all day and earned less than what a popular streamer could make in half an hour.
But he was putting in the effort too.
As he took each step up the stairs, sharp pain spread through him, and beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.
The voices of doubt and mockery in the livestream grew quieter.
Zhang Rui and the others silently followed behind Chen Huai'an, even though he was moving slowly. They watched his unsteady back, their throats tight, unable to utter a word.
Chen Huai'an was in pain.
Sweat soaked the protective talisman on his chest.
The faint fragrance became slightly stronger, lingering at the tip of his nose.
He couldn’t help but picture Li Qingran’s smiling face in his mind.
What was that girl doing right now?
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**Chapter 13: The Beast’s Call**
“What’s my senior doing at this time?”
Li Qingran rested her chin on her hands, gazing at the ceiling.
She could sense that Chen Huai'an was busy and didn’t have time to pay attention to her.
“A person like my senior must be fighting for all the cultivators in the Cangyun Realm, like exterminating great demons or something…”
As she thought this, her mind painted a picture of an elderly man with white hair, exuding an aura of immortality, wielding a flying sword to slay a great demon. The thought made her break into a silly smile.
If only…
If only my senior were my master.
“No, Li Qingran, don’t get carried away!”
She gave her head a light slap, a self-warning.
Today, her senior had given her twelve spirit crystals, maintaining a high-level gathering formation for six hours.
He had also quite forcefully raised her cultivation to the fifth level of Qi Refining.
Thanks to the recovery of her meridians and internal injuries, the leakage of spiritual energy from her dantian had slowed significantly.
However, her dantian was still shattered, like a basin with a hole in it, and spiritual energy would always leak out bit by bit.
“I need to find a way to fix my dantian and spiritual root.”
Li Qingran pondered. Although her senior was powerful, she couldn’t rely on him for everything.
If her senior was willing to help, that was his choice; she couldn’t actively seek help from him.
She already had a rough idea. The Qingyun Sect was definitely unreliable.
She needed to go to other sects, even if they were small ones.
Those smaller sects might have some ancient texts; perhaps she could get lucky and find a way to repair her dantian and spiritual root. If all else fails, she could leave the cultivation world and find a beautiful place to hide, slowly gathering clues about her enemies, or even return to the Southern Dynasty to become a female general?
As for seeking revenge on those senior brothers who were looking for her…
Li Qingran hadn’t thought about that.
She had never been a match for those few senior brothers, and now her chances were even slimmer.
It felt pathetic and cowardly, but that was the survival rule in the cultivation world.
She had previously wanted to give up on life; it didn’t matter to her.
But now, she wanted to live a little longer, to see the day when her senior finished his business and was willing to meet her, even if it was just to say a word.
She really wanted to thank her senior in person.
…
…
“Something’s off! Didn’t they say Li Qingran was thrown into a thatched hut?”
Song Jiaojiao frowned as she looked at the stone house at the foot of the mountain.
Cultivators had excellent eyesight, and she could tell that this stone house was newly built, which meant someone was helping Li Qingran.
But who could that person be?
The few direct disciples from Chixiao Peak?
It wasn’t impossible…
Although Mu Baishuang said those few hated Li Qingran to the core, what if they still had some lingering feelings and were giving her a bit of support?
If she killed Li Qingran, wouldn’t that be going against those direct disciples?
But she didn’t want to give up the Foundation Establishment Pill either.
Song Jiaojiao pondered for a moment and decided to test the waters.
She also wanted to see if those few had left any tricks near Li Qingran’s residence.
So she took out a half-zhang long red incense from her storage ring.
This incense was called ‘Beast’s Call.’ Its fragrance spread widely, hard for cultivators to detect, yet it could attract keen-sensed beasts. Normally, this was used to lure monsters during hunts, but at certain times, it could also serve as a deadly weapon.
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