Chapter 799: The Jiang of Jiangcheng! The Nan of Nanhai! (Bonus Chapter)
Lan couldn’t believe her ears when Jiangnan said he wasn’t going to kill her. Her grimy little face was full of shock.
*He stole my precious beans, and he’s not even angry?*
(⸝⸝◔‸◔ิ⸝⸝)
“Then… what are you doing at my place?”
Jiangnan stiffened. He couldn’t exactly say he was here to hide from trouble, could he?
He put on a look of profound mystery.
“Ahem… I mean no harm.”
“Would you like to come with me? You can live in a big house, eat your fill at every meal, and never have to steal to survive again.”
Lan’s eyes grew terrified, and she kept shrinking back.
“You say you mean no harm, but I bet you’re trying to kidnap me!”
“There are plenty of traffickers like you in the city. I’m not going with you. I have my own home. I don’t want to live in a big house!”
Her big eyes were full of vigilance and wariness.
If she didn’t have any street smarts, she wouldn’t have survived in a place like Nightless City at her age.
Jiangnan: (ꐦ⌒_⌒;)
“Do I really look that much like a trafficker?”
“To be honest, your ability is spatial-type — it’s very rare. I have it too.”
“I want to take you… I mean, bring you back, train you to be stronger, so you can make a living with your own skills.”
Lan’s expression wavered, but she immediately shook her head again.
“No! I’m not going. I can take care of myself. When I save up enough money, I’ll buy spirit beads to use!”
“I’ll level up eventually, and then I’ll go down into the abyss and kill spirit beasts to earn more beads!”
“I don’t need your help. Let go of me! Let go!”
Lan struggled continuously, her face full of resistance.
Having grown up in the rough-and-tumble of Nightless City, she had seen too many dark sides. Countless times she’d been tricked, beaten, and watched homeless children taken away by adults, never to be seen again…
Lan didn’t trust anyone but herself.
Jiangnan spoke patiently, “But it’s dangerous for you to keep living like this.”
“If two spatial-type users get close enough, they can sense each other’s spatial fluctuations.”
“If another spatial-type user finds you, they might not be as kind as I am.”
Lan shook her head like a rattle-drum. “None of your business! I’m fine on my own. I’m not going with you!”
Her eyes reddened as she struggled, looking like she was about to cry but holding back with all her might.
After all, she was just a kid, barely in her teens.
Jiangnan sighed helplessly. If Lan didn’t want to go, he couldn’t force her. What would that make him?
Seeing that she was about to cry, Jiangnan didn’t know what to do. He quickly retracted the void chains.
Lan shook off the restraints, jumped off the hammock, squeezed her eyes shut, and bolted.
Jiangnan rolled his eyes. He flicked out a spatial wormhole, grabbed Lan, and put her back on the hammock.
“Here. A silver-grade spirit bead. Do you want it? If you do, listen to what I have to say.”
(･᷄ὢ･᷅)つ°(¥ꇴ¥๐)
Lan’s eyes immediately filled with the image of the spirit bead.
“Are you really giving it to me?”
Jiangnan generously stuffed it into her arms.
Lan held the bead in her hands, rubbed it against her clothes, and looked at it like a child who had just received a new toy, cherishing it.
“Thank you. Then I’ll listen to what you have to say.”
Jiangnan: (≖̫≖)
*Hehehe… Got you, didn’t I?*
“I won’t force you to come with me. But I have some stuff I don’t need anymore, so I’ll give it to you.”
“You want to get stronger, right? I’ll help you.”
With that, he opened his alternate dimension and pulled out a box full of spirit beads.
They were mostly silver- and gold-grade beads — probably seven or eight pounds’ worth.
As his own level increased, these beads had gradually become useless to him.
“Here, these are for leveling up.”
Then he pulled out a box of cash and two big gold bricks. “These are for your daily expenses.”
He also took out ten detoxifying fruits and handed them to Lan.
“Eat these. They’ll help you cultivate faster.”
“Hmm… you’re a little girl, right? Mila has some clothes she doesn’t wear anymore — I’ll give you some of those too.”
“As for self-defense… a dagger should work. You’re small, so big weapons would be inconvenient.”
“I won’t give you anything too good — don’t flaunt your wealth, or it might bring you danger. You probably understand all that.”
Jiangnan had thought it through thoroughly. He pulled out a mountain of supplies from his alternate dimension.
If all this stuff were converted into money, it would be an astronomical figure.
But seeing all these things only made Lan more afraid. She kept backing away until she was in a corner, hiding under a cardboard box.
Her big eyes peered through the holes in the box, staring at the supplies.
Her gaze was fixed on a big teddy bear inside.
She wanted it, but she didn’t dare take it.
Jiangnan smiled warmly. “Why are you hiding over there? Come here.”
Lan said timidly, “Is… is all this really for me?”
Jiangnan laughed. “Why else would I take it out? Put it in your alternate dimension so no one can steal it from you.”
Lan cautiously moved closer, reached out a small hand, and grabbed the teddy bear’s arm.
(๐◔‸◔ิ๐) “Do I need to do anything for you? I can work for you, or even be your employee. I know how to do a lot of things…”
Jiangnan wiped his nose. *With all these treasures, she grabbed the teddy bear?*
(๑ŏᴗŏ) “You don’t have to do anything. I just need you to take good care of yourself.”
Lan stared at Jiangnan blankly, her big eyes reddening.
It seemed like, for as long as she could remember, no one had ever been this good to her.
Was he… was he really a good person?
He wouldn’t hurt her?
Lan pressed her palms together, closed her eyes tightly, and bowed to Jiangnan.
(｡°˃᷄﹏˂᷅)人: “Thank you.”
Every kindness she encountered was worth treating seriously and remembering in her heart.
Jiangnan chuckled. “Now you know I’m a good guy, right? Come with me. Just trust me this once. I’m worried you can’t take care of yourself.”
Lan’s big eyes were full of hesitation. She looked at Jiangnan, but in the end, she shook her head.
“I know you’re a good person, but I don’t want to leave Nightless City.”
“I’ve been here since I was little. If I leave, what if Mom and Dad come back and can’t find me?”
“Maybe they had some urgent business and had to leave me here, or maybe there was some other reason…”
“Lan has to wait here. I’m not leaving.”
Jiangnan’s body stiffened. His nose tingled, and he turned his head away sharply, his heart clenching.
*She doesn’t want to go with me because of this…*
When he was little, Jiangnan had hoped the same thing. Maybe every child without parents had that hope at some point.
But as they grew up, the fantasy eventually shattered.
He no longer expected it. He had passed that age of fantasy.
Jiangnan wanted to tell Lan, “You won’t find them. It’s just an unrealistic dream.”
But that would be too cruel for her. Perhaps that dream was the only reason she had held on until now.
Rubbing his eyes, Jiangnan turned back with a bright smile and tidied Lan’s hair.
“Alright. Then wait here. Until your mom and dad come for you, you have to take good care of yourself.”
“Make good use of the things I gave you. Don’t steal from others anymore, okay?”
Lan nodded heavily.
Jiangnan hesitated for a moment, then said, “If… and I mean if, one day you lose hope in everything here…”
“Then come find me, alright?”
Lan bit her lower lip and softly hummed in agreement.
Jiangnan stood up. “If you run into any danger or anything you can’t handle, go to the Dandelions. They’re my people.”
“I’ll inform them later.”
“Also, for the next few days, don’t go outside and don’t use your ability.”
“Stay put in the sewer until everything calms down. Got it?”
(•̥́﹏•̀⸝⸝) “Lan remembers. Big brother, are you leaving now?”
“What’s… what’s your name?”
Jiangnan gave a bright smile, and a blade of grass popped out of his head with a *pop*.
“Jiangnan. The Jiang of Jiangcheng, the Nan of Nanhai!”
With that, he teleported away and vanished.
Lan stared blankly at the now-quiet sewer, then looked at the pile of treasures she had never seen in her life.
She hugged the teddy bear tight, buried her face deep in it, and her shoulders trembled softly.
“Thank you…”
---
Teleporting all the way back to the camp, Jiangnan saw a large spiritual cloud gathering above the base.
Surprised, he rushed into the building. “What’s going on? Who broke through?”
Zhong Yingxue and Xia Yao both had pleased expressions. “It’s Wu Liang! He finally reached platinum!”
Jiangnan was overjoyed. Just then, Wu Liang burst out of his room, his face flushed red with excitement.
When he saw Jiangnan, he rushed over and gave him a huge bear hug.
Jiangnan said cheerfully, “Nice one, bro! I only left for half an hour, and you leveled up? You didn’t even call me?”
Wu Liang leaned close to Jiangnan’s ear and whispered, “I did it to survive.”
“If I didn’t hit platinum now, I might not make it through tonight.”
“I’m not confident I can handle the fight with Miaomiao tonight without being platinum.”
Jiangnan’s smile froze.
*Bro, you’re really ruthless.*
Dating has already become a matter of life and death?
But remembering Wu Liang’s disastrous first date with Miaomiao, Jiangnan shuddered.
*Indeed, great fortune comes from great danger.*
He pulled Wu Liang aside and secretly handed him a bottle of Force 2.0 and some little leeks.
Wu Liang immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He finally felt like he had a chance.
“Brother, win tonight’s battle. I’ve got your back.”
“Nan Ge, just watch my moves!”