Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Ascending to Qingyun Sect**

“On the day of the hike up Tianmen Mountain, a professional mountaineer will accompany you. Besides yourself, we’ve invited five celebrity guests of varying fame. You will attend as a mysterious guest for this program. If you agree, please add me on WeChat, and I’ll send over the electronic contract right away.”

“Agreed! Absolutely! I love the mystery! Hehe!”

Chen Huai'an grinned wickedly.

After hanging up, he felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him.

He glanced at Li Qingran, who was sitting cross-legged in the game, deeply focused on her cultivation. A whirlwind of emotions stirred within him.

Despite having spent a lot of money on this game, which seemed utterly insane, without the motivation and opportunity it provided, he would never have amassed five hundred thousand. The two gimmicks—“Close-up of the Mirage at Lishan” and “Late-stage Cancer Challenge at Lishan”—couldn’t have made him famous on their own. It was only when they merged, coinciding with his injury at Lishan, that he gained the terrifying popularity he now enjoyed. This was precisely why a variety show sought him out, offering a high price for his participation.

Cause and effect, truly marvelous!

After signing the electronic contract, he submitted his bank account details.

Seeing the additional five hundred thousand in his account, a flicker of hope surged within Chen Huai'an.

Who wants to die when they can live?!

A hundred thousand is just a drop in the bucket against cancer, but five hundred thousand might just offer a glimmer of opportunity, right?

He quickly dressed and took a taxi to the hospital where he had previously undergone tests.

The attending physician followed the standard procedure for a puncture re-examination.

In the diagnosis room, Chen Huai'an and the doctor silently stared at the X-ray on the computer screen, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

“You really just went to climb Lishan? And then you broke a bone?”

The doctor turned to him, his face grim, brows furrowed.

“Yeah, that’s all I did.” Chen Huai'an felt a chill at the doctor’s expression.

Then he heard the doctor sigh.

“This is the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this.” He pointed at the X-ray, his tone filled with disbelief. “In less than a month, your cancer cells have spread from your leg and pancreas to your entire body, even starting to form tumors in your brain… Under normal circumstances, this kind of rapid spread is impossible. You need to understand that cancer cells require nutrients to proliferate. It’s as if they’ve received a massive influx of nutrients in a very short time, leading to explosive growth! It’s simply unheard of.”

Chen Huai'an was at a loss for words. “So, in the end, there’s no cure?”

The attending physician looked at him with a complex expression and sighed. “Young man, didn’t you say you earned five hundred thousand? You should enjoy life for the time you have left. As long as you don’t break the law, do whatever makes you happy. Just make sure to smile every day…”

---

Chen Huai'an returned to the hotel, feeling helpless. It was already past nine in the evening.

“Sigh, making money doesn’t help when this illness can’t be cured with cash.” He opened the game and saw Li Qingran had stopped meditating, staring blankly out the window at the moonlight.

She must be worried about tomorrow’s developments.

But she didn’t need to fret.

Because now, with five hundred thousand in his bank account, that was a fortune in the game. There were so many things he could do—an elixir like the Xianpin Hunyuan Putian Dan only costs a hundred thousand. With five hundred thousand, he might even be able to buy the life of a Yuanying cultivator!

“If only I could spend money to buy my own life,” Chen Huai'an shook his head. Unfortunately, his life wasn’t a game, and no one would deliver miraculous items to change his fate outside of it.

Tomorrow, Li Qingran would return to Qingyun Sect.

And he would head to Tianmen Mountain to record the show.

“Changing my fate is something I have to do myself. At least now I have five hundred thousand to do many things I never dared to dream of before. In a way, isn’t this a form of changing my fate?”

Lying on his bed, he stared at the ceiling, talking to himself.

His previously anxious mindset calmed instantly.

Things couldn’t get any worse.

So every step from here on out would be a stroke of good fortune.

“Sigh, with nothing else to do for now, I might as well give that black cat a shot.”

He finally remembered there was another life in the room and pulled the black cat out of the shoebox.

The black cat had just been sleeping, and now, placed on the sofa, it looked dazed. But it quickly reacted, letting out a pitiful “meow” in a hoarse voice, then limping a couple of steps on the sofa before turning back to Chen Huai'an with another “meow.”

Could Chen Huai'an take that?

He stared at the limping black cat, stroking his chin in thought. “What kind of acupuncture technique should I use? The opening meridian technique worked well before, though it seemed risky. But since it’s already limping, what’s the worst that could happen? Besides, my luck can’t be that bad.”

The black cat was also pondering.

【Hehe, am I adorable? Hurry up and give me that shot, so I can heal and have a better chance at your treasures… Hehe!】

“Then I’ll go with the opening meridian technique. Let’s gamble a bit!” Chen Huai'an took out a silver needle and began his work on the black cat.

Half an hour later, the black cat stared at its now useless right leg, lost in thought.

【Hiss—! This isn’t right…】

【Could it be this guy doesn’t know acupuncture? But my leg was fine before!】

It had only pretended to be lame, but now it was truly so.

A large, expressionless face loomed into view.

“You and I are fated.”

Chen Huai'an masked his guilt with a serious expression. He could tell the black cat’s right leg had completely lost sensation, like a wooden stick, stiff and unyielding.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll take responsibility. From now on, you shall be called ‘Baji.’ In our human world, naming a pet signifies taking it under your wing. You’ll grow up healthy, and whatever I eat, you eat too. No picky eating allowed…”

As he rambled on, he placed the bewildered Baji back into the shoebox and closed the lid, thinking that a little cat wouldn’t understand anything. He’d figure out the opening meridian technique and fix its leg later.

Then he leaned on his cane and went downstairs to buy some steamed buns.

Now that he had money, he’d treat himself to a chicken leg along with the buns.

The door slammed shut.

The shoebox on the table shook violently.

【Ahhh! My leg!!!】

【Damn human kid, just wait! Don’t let me find a chance to deal with you!】

At noon, Chen Huai'an had already fallen asleep, while his phone on the table continued running the electronic girlfriend game.

As the clock struck twelve, a game notification popped up:

【You have 72 days left to live.】

“Did you hear? That Li Qingran is returning to the sect!”

“Li Qingran? Who’s that…”

“The one who injured the little sister from Chixiao Peak. They say it was intentional. Ugh, that’s pretty serious. How can she dare to come back?”

“Who cares if it was intentional? In the sect competition, who doesn’t get hurt? Is Chixiao Peak that sensitive?”

“Enough talk, Li Qingran is here!”

The disciples turned their gazes toward the entrance of Qingyun Sect.

Unbeknownst to them, a slender figure had appeared there. Dressed in a pale blue Daoist robe, her black hair tied back with a white ribbon, she held a moon-white flying sword in her right hand. As the morning breeze blew, two strands of hair fluttered gently, and the corners of her robe and the sword tassel danced in the wind.

Her pace wasn’t hurried, yet in no time, she had reached the plaza in front of the sect hall.

“Is that Li Qingran?”

“Uh, everyone says Mu Baishuang is beautiful, and Li Qingran is jealous of her for taking her place at Chixiao Peak… But now, it seems Li Qingran is much prettier than Mu Baishuang…”

“Ha, Li Qingran has always been prettier than Mu Baishuang. I felt it was a pity when she was expelled from the sect.”

Li Qingran stood in the plaza, lifting her gaze to meet the various eyes around her.

With a total of twelve hundred cultivators in Qingyun Sect, she could clearly hear their buzzing discussions.

She had no idea what they were saying.

It probably wasn’t anything good…

“Li Qingran, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She tightened her grip on the Su Xian sword, the scabbard icy to the touch.

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