Immortality Starts With Investment

After a full hour, the skin on Ye Chen’s left hand finally returned to its normal hue.

An Miaoli exhaled in relief, gently releasing his hand. The Nether Toxin in Ye Chen’s body wasn’t as severe as she’d feared, likely due to his extraordinary physique. This was undoubtedly good news. At this rate, she could fully purge the toxin within three days.

Without a word, An Miaoli’s slender, jade-like fingers grasped Ye Chen’s wrist, continuing to clear the toxin from it.

As for Ye Chen’s earlier refusal, she didn’t take it to heart. She understood him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—it was that he chose not to.

How could someone like Ye Chen, who could say, ”My love for you has nothing to do with you,” ever exploit her gratitude? He was well aware of her inner conflict, her hesitation about their aunt-nephew dynamic. He must have worried that if anything happened, she’d struggle to face An Yuyi.

So, despite his own desires, he’d rejected her without hesitation, unwilling to let her feel the slightest grievance.

But An Miaoli’s heart was filled with a wry smile. Ye Chen had risked his life diving into the Netherwater Pool just to help her cultivate a technique. In his critical moment, he’d valued the Wind-Thunder Wings more than his own life, urging her to secure them even as he teetered on the brink of collapse. And even under a misunderstanding, he’d taken the initiative to refuse her.

His love for her was so profound—how could she remain unmoved?

You love me. How could it have nothing to do with me?

An Miaoli gazed at Ye Chen, now unconscious, his face a mix of pain and faint comfort. She sighed softly, increasing her spiritual energy output, hoping to dispel the Nether Toxin quickly and ease his suffering.

The toxin was stubborn, and the secret technique drained her spiritual energy heavily. Soon, beads of sweat glistened on her flawless face.

…

In the blink of an eye, a day and a half passed.

During this time, Ye Chen woke briefly a few times before slipping back into unconsciousness. Though he had survived the Netherwater Pool and secured the Wind-Thunder Wings, the ordeal had clearly taken a toll on his vitality.

His head and face had regained their normal color, bringing a smile to An Miaoli’s face. Without hesitation, she continued purging the toxin, moving to his feet and legs.

As time slowly ticked by, another two days elapsed. The Nether Toxin in Ye Chen’s body dwindled, now lingering only in his core, where his skin remained bluish-black.

For the first time, An Miaoli hesitated, her expression wavering. But as she looked at the still-unconscious Ye Chen, she bit her lip.

Ye Chen had risked his life in the Netherwater Pool for her. How could she hesitate to help him purge the toxin? Not only did she owe him for his help, but his status alone warranted her aid. He was the male cultivator An Yuyi fancied, and An Miaoli was determined to support their potential future as partners. In that sense, she was his elder.

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If she ignored the remaining toxin and let it linger or spread, wouldn’t that harm An Yuyi? As an elder, she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. For An Yuyi’s sake, the toxin had to be fully purged. As for herself, she only needed a clear conscience.

With that resolve, An Miaoli reached out, continuing to channel her secret technique. She closed her eyes, avoiding looking directly. But soon, her pupils contracted, and she couldn’t help but steal a glance.

With her disciplined mind, however, she wasn’t fazed. She quickly closed her eyes again, her expression neutral, and resumed purging the toxin with steady focus.

…

Half an hour later, Ye Chen stirred awake as the toxin’s hold weakened. He let out a contented sigh, then looked at An Miaoli with an embarrassed expression. ”Sorry, Senior An, I didn’t mean to…”

An Miaoli’s face remained calm, the red mark on her brow faintly glowing. ”It’s fine. You’re the male cultivator Yuyi likes, which makes you my junior. It’s my duty to save you. These small matters don’t affect the bigger picture. Besides, in another half hour, the toxin in your body will be completely purged.”

But as she spoke, she sensed a stir under her hand and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Ye Chen, overcome with shame, closed his eyes.

Seeing his reaction, An Miaoli didn’t press the issue. She understood it wasn’t intentional. With a composed expression, she continued channeling her secret technique to purge the remaining toxin.

…

After more than an hour, Ye Chen’s body finally returned to normal.

An Miaoli glanced at her jade-like hand, gently cleansing it with a pulse of spiritual energy. Her aura was noticeably weaker. Even for a late Golden Core cultivator like her, channeling the secret technique for three days to purge the Nether Toxin had pushed her beyond her limits.

Ye Chen, his face full of embarrassment, offered his thanks. ”Thank you, Senior An! I’ve caused you so much trouble and even offended you. I’m truly sorry.”

An Miaoli shook her head calmly. ”I’m the one who should thank you. The Wind-Thunder Wings are incredibly valuable to me. Once refined, they’ll boost my speed by sixty percent. Even after I break through to the Nascent Soul stage, I’ll still benefit greatly, far surpassing my peers in speed and gaining a significant advantage. Wind-Thunder Jiaos are extremely rare. If we hadn’t caught it this time, it would’ve fled elsewhere. So, don’t overthink it. As for the… mishaps, they’re not your fault. I’m your elder and Yuyi’s aunt—I couldn’t just watch your immortal path be ruined. A clear conscience is enough.”

Right, a clear conscience. Ye Chen nodded, liking the sound of that.

As for hunting the demon beast and obtaining the Wind-Thunder Wings, neither felt any burden. It was commonplace in the cultivation world. In ancient times, when humans were weak, they were preyed upon and treated as livestock by myriad races. If not for the rise of human prodigies who fought back generation after generation, humanity would have gone extinct.

Now that humans had risen to dominate this world, should they treat races with whom they had blood feuds with courtesy? Demons ate humans without fault; humans refining demons was equally justified. Survival of the fittest had been the unchanging truth of the cultivation world since time immemorial.

…

The Wind-Thunder Wings were so vital to An Miaoli, and Ye Chen had endured the Nether Toxin to secure them. This made him increasingly eager to see what reward would come.

”The matter’s settled, and I’m fully recovered,” Ye Chen said. ”Senior An, once you’ve stored the Wind-Thunder Wings, let’s head back.”

An Miaoli nodded, her expression composed as she raised a hand to store the mountain-like wings in her storage ring.

But her heart was far less calm than her face suggested. After all, Ye Chen had risked his life to bring back those wings. She didn’t know what secret technique he’d used to defeat the Wind-Thunder Jiao and tear off its wings underwater, but his sincerity was crystal clear to her.

As An Miaoli stored the wings, a system prompt finally sounded in Ye Chen’s mind:

”Congratulations, Host, for successfully gifting the item…”

”Gift: Late Golden Core Wind-Thunder Wings!”

”Processing a two-hundred-fold feedback…”

”Detected significant emotional fluctuation in the recipient…”

”Triggering top-notch critical hit…”

”Reward: Kun Peng Wings!”

A top-notch critical hit? The second one?

Ye Chen’s eyes widened. When he saw the reward details, a flash of joy crossed his face. This trip had been more than worth it.