Hong Li rushes to me again as the auction ends.

“Honoured Customer,” he says, bowing, and my eyebrows climb at the new term of address. “Please, if you would follow me, so we can finalize the arrangements.”

“Sure,” I say, rising.

Meng Yi rises too, but then she staggers, looking faint for a brief moment.

I reach out and steady her.

“I’m okay,” she says before I can ask about her wellbeing. And though she looks as unflappable as ever, I can feel it touching her, the slight looseness in her muscles, like she’s physically exhausted.

A flash of irritation at the pricks who did this to her rises again, but even as mad as I am at those guys, and as aware as I am that this is their fault, a simple understanding of this matter isn’t lost to me: this only happened because Meng Yi’s weak.

While the peasant rank cultivators who caused her to go into qi shock today were jerks throwing around their power, I had been the one who caused it yesterday, and it had been a complete accident.

Meng Yi is weak. That is an undeniable truth.

Yes, I understand that it’s only this bad because she’s still in Ignition phase, but if I give her a beast rank technique, she might as well stay in Ignition.

Tang Shui’s son was in the second layer of Sprouting, and yet he’d broken his hand slapping me. Beast rank is trash. Meng Yi needs a better method.

And yet, I can’t get her a better method.

I can’t afford one.

I think it was my first day here when Meng Yi had told me that all the wealth of my personal estate, barring the Path of The Glowing Noon manual, was only sufficient to get a month’s access to a peasant rank method manual. And, according to Meng Yi, my estate is worth millions.

Of course, I could make that money. Probably in a few weeks, if I leverage my rolling power. But that would require me to sell high ranking items. And the problem with selling high ranking items, is that people tend to wonder where you get those high ranking items.

It would be like someone back on Earth going around selling fully functioning human organs or something. They’re just not the kind of things that you casually get your hands on.

The only option I have, is to get a lower rank method manual, roll for it, and give Meng Yi the reward if it’s something good.

Well, it had been the plan until I realised that with how publicly I got the manual, there’s no way I could get away with giving Meng Yi a higher rank method now, regardless of what I roll.

Meng Yi, Xiuying, and I, follow Hong Li out of the pavilion and into a large, solid tent erected behind it.

Everyone within the well-lit tent is peasant rank and Sprouting phase, and I notice that four of the six cultivators waiting there are dressed in the same blue outfits that the accountants from the Greater Wealth Company who came to my house a few days back, had on.

In fact, I’m pretty sure one of these four is among the three who came to my house.

Arranged before the cultivators, are my five purchases from The Auction.

“We understand that Tang Shui of Verdant Plains will be paying for your purchases today,” Hong Li says, in that way people do when they’re both asking, telling, and confirming, all while trying to be polite.

I nod. “Yes, he will.”

Hong Li smiles happily and bows. “In that case, Honoured Customer, all that remains is where you want us to deliver your purchases,” he says.

I look at the items lined up on the table, each one in a sturdy wooden box emanating beast rank qi.

The boxes all look the same, and purely out of curiosity, I ask, “Which one is the manual?”

Hong Li opens the box in the centre. “This one, Honoured Customer.”

I stare at the beast rank manual within, the most ordinary looking of all the cultivation manuals I’ve seen, white pages with black writing. It looks like any ordinary book from Earth.

I sense it’s qi. Weak, light. Damn near sad.

I hold back a sigh. I can’t give Meng Yi this.

Unfortunately though, as soon as we leave this place with that manual, I have to, not unless I want to arouse some serious suspi… my thoughts grind to a halt.

Wait… if I leave with that manual, then Meng Yi has to use it, right?

But what if I don’t leave with it?

A brilliant, brilliant idea speed boiling to fruition in my mind, I reach for the beast rank manual.

Picking it up, I worry for a moment that my rolling power won’t work as it doesn’t let me roll for things that I don’t own.

But this shouldn’t count as something I don’t own. It might not be paid for yet, but it’s certainly been bought. By me.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

A little hesitant all the same, I try with some trepidation, and the appearance of the familiar prelude to my power’s activation, is a massive relief.

1 – 500 (Beast Rank)

501 – 800 (Peasant Rank)

801 – 950 (Sage Rank)

951 – 999 (Noble Rank)

1000 (Divine Rank)

Roll: Yes || No

Please be a good roll. Please be a good roll. I chant in mental prayer before deciding, ‘Yes’.

Rolling…

501 (Peasant Rank)

Reward: Path of The Crystal Web Cultivation Method Manual

A slow, happy smile stretches across my face at the result of my roll, and casually, I return the manual to its box.

It’s not the sage rank I’d hoped for, but perfection is the enemy of good enough.

“Say, um, that doctor… the one who helped Meng Yi. What’s his name again? Doctor Gu Chi, right?”

Hong Li blinks at the non sequitur. “Yes, Honoured Customer. It is.”

“Good. Give him the manual. Tell him it’s a token of my appreciation for helping Meng Yi,” I say.

That declaration gets the expected response from everyone. Wide eyes, shocked stares, a “what the fuck?” from Xiuying, and an audible sigh from Meng Yi.

“Um…” Hong Li looks like he doesn’t quite know how to begin. “Young Master Xian—” oh, back to that, are we? “—do you mean the method manual?”

Smiling calmly at the man, I say, “Yes, that manual. The one right there that says Path of the Spider. That I bought a few minutes ago for eight million gold. I need you to give it to Gu Chi and tell him it’s a token of my appreciation for helping Meng Yi.”

Even with my instructions as clear as they are, Hong Li still looks like he has trouble believing my words.

Can’t say I blame him; it is a pretty insane request after all.

“Qigang,” Xiuying says, and I turn to her. “What are you doing?” she asks softly. “I thought the manual was for…” her confused gaze shifts to Meng Yi and back to me.

“What?” I scoff, affecting my most rich boy attitude. “You thought I would give Meng Yi a beast rank method? Of course not. I have something better lined up for her.” I shoot Meng Yi a big, happy smile. “I just know she’ll love it.”

My Manager closes her eyes and sucks in a slow deep breath, a placid little smile on her face.

Oh look, she’s gone to her happy place.

Well, don’t you worry, Meng Yi, I’ll still be here when you come back.

Turning back to the confused… everyone else, I say, “So, yeah, you’ll take the manual to Doctor Gu Chi, and bring everything else to my home. Any questions?”

—❈—

The Auction itself hadn’t lasted half an hour, which means that it’s still morning by the time we’re done, and even though I’d rather see more of Silver Springs than go sit back in my manor, Meng Yi’s sub-optimal state puts a pin in that plan.

I suggest we take a rickshaw, so she can rest, but the woman flatly refuses, stating that she’s well enough to use her own two feet.

Recognizing that I’ve already won one major victory over her today, and not wanting to push it, I acquiesce.

As we walk, we talk about little, unimportant things, but naturally, it doesn’t take long for us to touch on something more worthwhile.

“So you’ve mastered the technique? In less than two full days?” I ask Xiuying with surprise and some admiration.

Xiuying laughs, amused, yes, but also a little bashful at my reaction. “I haven’t mastered it. Not even close. I’m just on the first layer,” she says.

“The first layer?”

“Yeah.” She nods. “Techniques have their own layers too, one to five. It’s basically like Weaving phase,” she adds. “One is a beginner, and five is mastery.”

I frown at her words, surprised and a little curious, because I have three techniques, and I never noticed any of them having layers.

“Is it different for techniques inherent to cultivation methods?” I ask. “Because, I never noticed any layers with my techniques.”

Xiuying is nodding even before I finish. “It’s different. Those kinds of techniques move with the layers of your cultivation as you go through Weaving phase. It’s why you now have full control of all your techniques even though I’m pretty sure you never trained them.”

“I didn’t,” I concur.

Xiuying nods like she expected that answer.

“So, what does the first layer of the technique get you?” I ask.

“I can use it,” she says, “but it takes time, and a lot of qi. Maybe one in five parts of my qi.”

My eyes widen. “That much?”

Xiuying shrugs. “It’s a sage rank technique,” she says like that explains it all. And, to be fair, it kind of does.

With her cultivation at peasant rank, using a sage rank technique must be like trying to run a laptop on a smartphone battery, or something.

“But the qi cost will go down though, right? As you… advance in the technique,” I ask.

Xiuying nods. “Definitely,” she says, looking excited. Likely picturing a future where she’s mastered the technique.

I try to picture it too, only to realise that I have no idea how the technique even works.

“What is it like?” I ask.

Xiuying doesn’t need me to tell her to know what ‘it’ is.

A big smile splits her face as her eyes light up with a wild mix of emotions.

“It’s fucking awesome,” she says. “It’s like knowing exactly where to put my feet to get where I need to. Like every step is ordained by the universe. Like my arrival is inevitable.” Her gaze grows distant as she speaks.

“Um… okay?” I say, a little weirded out by the almost religious way she’d answered such a simple question.

It’s especially weird because, for me, techniques are simple things that I just use. There’s no deep mystical connection with the universe, or inevitability of my arrival. It’s a qi technique not an infinity stone.

That said though, I don’t think Xiuying is full of it. After all, our techniques are different, our cultivation methods are different, our personalities and histories are very different.

It stands to reason that our experiences with techniques could be different too.

Xiuying laughs, not missing my reaction.

“I know it sounds weird,” she admits. “I probably wouldn’t get it if someone explained it to me.”

“Good to know, because I didn’t get it,” I say.

“I could show you,” she offers. “Tomorrow.”

I eye her with some suspicion. “Fishing for another spar?” I ask and Xiuying rolls her eyes.

“No need,” she says cockily. “Already proved I’m better.”

“Oh. Okay, so it’s like that, huh? We’re just going to pretend now that I wasn’t going easy on you?” I ask.

Xiuying huffs haughtily. “Respectable men don’t make up excuses, Qigang,” she says, though her smile takes any heat from the words. “It was a fair match, and you lost. I’m better. Accept it.”

“You know what? Let’s have that spar tomorrow,” I say. “I’ll punch you into space.”

Xiuying begins to fire a comeback at me when Meng Yi, quiet all this time, trips against her own feet.

Having been watching for exactly this, I catch her before she even has time to stumble.

I look at my manager, skin paler than usual, forehead shiny with a bit of sweat, the slightest tremor in her muscles.

“Will you ride a rickshaw now?” I ask her gently.

Meng Yi sighs, then she nods.

It doesn’t take us long to find an available one, though the one we see only has space for two.

Xiuying takes this as her cue to leave, citing that she has errands to run anyway.

On the ride back home, Meng Yi tries to sit straight as she always does, but soon she sags, and when I gently pull her into my side, she lets herself lean on me after a moment.

We take the ride largely in silence, but for the slight squeaking of the wheels, and the huff of the rickshaw puller’s breath.