First Pot of Gold

"Little Jiang, eat well and study hard. Us aunties are leaving."

"Remember, if you have any difficulties, come find us. If anyone bullies you, we'll definitely stand up for you!"

"I understand. Thank you, Aunties!"

Jiang Ran smiled as he saw the group of elderly aunties out.

These aunties were key members of the Pingjiang City Women's and Children's Association. The moment they heard about Jiang Ran's tragic circumstances, they had come to offer their condolences.

Mostly because Tao Dapeng had added fuel to the flames, making the whole matter sound far more miserable than it was.

Something about being tortured by demonic cultivators for seven days and seven nights, something about going half a month without food, and something about being taken to the police station and interrogated for three days.

Good grief. Jiang Ran's file clearly stated that he was an orphan with no parents to begin with, pitiful beyond measure. Within the association, he had already been a priority care recipient, and now he had suffered one tragic and unfair ordeal after another.

The elderly aunties from the association were all worked up. If they had not seen that Jiang Ran's complexion was still fairly good, they might have marched straight to the Pingjiang No. 3 Public Security Bureau to demand an explanation.

No matter what, their concern was genuine.

A warmth rose in Jiang Ran's heart.

"Dapeng, come inside. Let's talk."

The aunties had not come empty-handed. They had brought plenty of condolence gifts, and the middle of the already small room was nearly piled full.

"That really is a lot of stuff..."

The two brothers unpacked everything together, and Jiang Ran could not help smiling.

This world also had the custom of giving fruit and food as gifts, but these were no ordinary fruits and vegetables. Every item was a "spirit fruit" containing spiritual qi.

Five bottles of Blood-Nourishing Supplement, three crates of fruit, two bottles of Qi-Gathering Powder, a bag of Pearl Spirit Rice... They had even left a full three thousand Tianlu Coins!

Every single thing was good stuff!

Just as he had been thinking of it, it arrived. Wasn't this his first pot of gold?

Three thousand alone could buy three Spirit Stones, and the other medicines, fruits, and supplements were worth a considerable sum as well.

"The aunties really are good people."

"Hehe, hurry up and praise me!" Tao Dapeng looked even happier than Jiang Ran. "Officer Su at the station told me you were all right. I went to the association right away, and sure enough, I hadn't gone for nothing."

"Old Jiang, shouldn't you treat me to a meal?"

"Sure..." Jiang Ran looked up with a smile.

Though it had not been said outright, no one besides Tao Dapeng knew that Jiang Ran had shown up and been taken away by the police for investigation. For Tao Dapeng to receive the news so quickly could only mean one thing: he had not made this friend in vain.

If Tao Dapeng had not truly cared about him, why would he have gone to the police station every day to wait for news?

He had to treat him. This meal was a must!

After packing everything away, the two headed in perfect tacit agreement for the food street behind Pingjiang No. 1 High School.

There was no need to discuss what to eat. It had to be chicken stew!

The chicken stew restaurant behind No. 1 High School was famously delicious.

They used carefully selected nine-hundred-and-twelve-day-old Azure-Feather Spirit Chickens, cooked with a variety of spirit vegetables... For high school students, it was an absolute first-rate delicacy.

This kind of spirit food, rich in spiritual qi, was highly beneficial to cultivation, so naturally it was not cheap. One meal cost more than three hundred Tianlu Coins.

Under normal circumstances, Jiang Ran could not afford a meal like this.

A child living on government welfare could barely even complete the school's most basic cultivation assignments. How could he possibly afford such food?

Come to think of it, he had only been able to frequent this chicken stew restaurant because of Tao Dapeng.

"Boss, the usual. One chicken, four bowls of rice!"

Tao Dapeng's family was fairly well-off. His father was the director of a cardboard factory and had made quite a bit of money in recent years through the "talisman paper" business.

To protect Jiang Ran's "self-esteem," Tao Dapeng often came up with all sorts of excuses to bring him out for meals.

For example, being punished by a teacher today and feeling terrible, so they had to come out for something good.

Or perhaps a goddess had looked at him one extra time today, putting him in such a good mood that they had to eat something good too.

"Dapeng, thank you." Jiang Ran raised his cup, utterly sincere.

He had no family or friends in this world. This little fat fellow before him was already enough to warm his heart.

"Hah..." Tao Dapeng looked deeply wary. "Why are you being polite?"

"You brat, are you trying to make me pay?"

"Nothing like that..."

Their friendship had actually begun quite simply. They had become fellow sufferers after ranking at the bottom of the class together.

Jiang Ran ranked at the bottom because he had no money, while Tao Dapeng ranked at the bottom because he truly had no talent.

"Dapeng, how's the transfer situation? When are you leaving?"

If Jiang Ran remembered correctly, Tao Dapeng's father had prepared a large sum of money to send his son to study in Xiandu Changtai City. He had heard there was a suitable cultivation technique there.

Cultivation placed great importance on aptitude. Every child had their spirit root tested when they were very young.

Roughly thirty percent of children developed Low-Grade Spirit Roots, while even more had no spirit roots at all.

But that did not matter...

Because as long as one had money, one could buy a spirit root.

The state possessed highly mature and comprehensive spirit root cultivation technology. Every major hospital in Pingjiang City could perform Spirit Root Transplant Surgery.

For less than ten thousand, one could have a brand-new Low-Grade Spirit Root installed.

These surgically transplanted Low-Grade Spirit Roots had no side effects whatsoever and were incredibly cost-effective!

The Low-Grade Spirit Root within Jiang Ran's body had been acquired the same way.

Of course, he was a welfare recipient with a red card, so his Spirit Root Transplant Surgery had been free.

Tao Dapeng's family was not lacking in money, so getting a spirit root surgery should have been easy for him.

Forget Low-Grade Spirit Roots—even Mid-Grade Spirit Roots or Superior Spirit Roots were well within their means.

But unfortunately, that path would not work.

Tao Dapeng had a special constitution. None of the common Five-Element Spirit Roots on the market could match him. The Tao Family had tried more than a hundred times, yet failed to find a compatible spirit root.

In the end, Tao Dapeng had become Jiang Ran's fellow sufferer.

But the kid had a good mindset and had never been discouraged.

"Mm..." Tao Dapeng had his mouth stuffed with meat. "Not going."

"Not going?"

"Not going!"

At that, Tao Dapeng perked up.

"My dad found me a new spirit root. I heard it's the rarest kind, with a compatibility rate over ninety percent."

"Haha, classmate Little Jiang, I'll be surpassing you very soon!"

"A new spirit root..." Jiang Ran's heart stirred.

Having money really was good. You could even pick spirit roots however you pleased.

"Then congratulations. Once you make it big, don't forget to take your brother flying with you." He offered his heartfelt blessing.

If his good brother really inherited the family business one day, surely he would get at least a sip of the soup.

"By the way, what kind of spirit root did Uncle find for you this time? It sounds so impressive. Don't tell me it's a Superior Spirit Root?" Jiang Ran was a little curious.

"I don't know. I asked my dad, but it probably isn't a Superior Spirit Root."

Tao Dapeng shook his head and continued tearing into the chicken leg.

"Whatever it is, I don't really care. As long as it works, that's enough."

"That's true..."

Spirit roots were also an extremely important part of cultivation resources.

Low-Grade Spirit Roots were the most widespread. At ten thousand each, everyone could afford one.

Mid-Grade Spirit Roots were far more expensive. Their sky-high price of over a million did not even guarantee compatibility; Superior Spirit Roots, meanwhile, easily cost tens of millions or more, making them luxury goods for the vast majority.

"I heard there are even more powerful spirit roots above Superior Spirit Roots." Jiang Ran's eyes held a thoughtful glint.

"A Superior Spirit Root cultivates at least ten times faster than a Low-Grade Spirit Root. Those legendary spirit roots are even harder to imagine."

"Unfortunately, with my current circumstances, all I can do is dream."

"Money. Everything requires money..."

Jiang Ran's desire for money and Spirit Stones grew ever stronger.

A bright, gleaming road to ascension lay before him. He had to fight for it—he had to seize it!