Time passed quickly as they chatted. The wind outside had died down without them noticing.
The temperature began to return to normal, and people were reappearing on the streets.
Shen Nianxiang finished cleaning, put on his dark grey City Defense uniform, and told Li Chuan, “You can stay here if you want, but you’ll have to pay rent. Say, 100 All-Heavens coins a month.”
Li Chuan quickly waved his hands. “No, no, I’ll stay in the assigned dorm.”
Shen Nianxiang nodded. “I heard the Fuyou Academy dorms are free. Save your money and try to pay me back the 1000 as soon as you can.”
He was putting on his helmet when Li Chuan bit his lip and called out, “Wait. I still have 200 coins left. I’ll pay you that now—the rest 800 I’ll give back as soon as I can.”
There were many things his three-year-old self hadn’t understood, but with his perfect memory, Li Chuan recalled it all. Now that he had matured, he understood much more.
When Shen Nianxiang had cooked for him, he had emptied the last of the cupboard. Li Chuan had seen him pour out the final grain of rice from the bin.
There were two place settings at the table—Shen Nianxiang had planned to eat with him. But seeing that Li Chuan needed energy, he’d gone without.
Shen Nianxiang had spent only 110 All-Heavens coins on the energy tonic. Charging 1000 sounded like a rip-off, but Li Chuan now understood that helping a complete stranger, emptying his own pantry, was an immeasurable kindness.
Even though he only had 200 coins left, he chose to give it to Shen Nianxiang, so he could reduce his debt a little more.
Shen Nianxiang hadn’t expected Li Chuan to be so kindhearted, and suddenly felt a little guilty.
He had gone all in to help Li Chuan because he thought the boy was some rich young master—he just wanted to squeeze some profit. It wasn’t out of kindness.
But Shen Nianxiang didn’t say any of that. He simply held out his All-Heavens Ring, indicating that Li Chuan could transfer the money.
Li Chuan lightly tapped his ring against Shen Nianxiang’s, transferring the remaining 200 coins.
All-Heavens Ring: [Transferred 200 All-Heavens coins to user Shen Aolan.]
“Shen Aolan?” Li Chuan looked at him in confusion.
“That’s my mother’s ring,” Shen Nianxiang explained. “I was born here and didn’t come through official channels, so they didn’t assign me my own ring. After my parents died, I inherited my mom’s. Since I never formally de-registered her account, it still shows her name.”
There was a faint bitterness hidden in his simple words.
After accepting the 200 coins, Shen Nianxiang pulled out an IOU, tore it up in front of Li Chuan, and smiled. “Your debt’s cleared.”
“But I still owe you 800,” Li Chuan said in confusion.
“What I gave you wasn’t worth that much to begin with. That 200 was already overcharging you. I was just taking advantage of your naivety—don’t take it seriously.”
Seeing that Li Chuan still wanted to argue, Shen Nianxiang quickly cut him off. “I’m going to be late for my shift!” He bolted out the door.
Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Li Chuan couldn’t help but laugh and silently admire him. Shen Nianxiang really was a good person.
Though he had no money now, and couldn’t trade intelligence points for coins, he decided to remember this kindness. He would repay it when he had the chance.
He locked up the place for Shen Nianxiang, stepped out of the neighborhood, confirmed his direction, and walked toward the Fuyou Academy office following the map Jiang Changming had shown him earlier.
Only now did Li Chuan truly feel what it was like to be healthy.
He had fallen ill at fifteen and had taken constant hormone injections since. His health had declined to the point that he’d taken the qualification exam in a wheelchair.
It had been a long time since he’d experienced the joy of running.
He started walking faster, then sprinting, and eventually leapt three meters high, running across rooftops.
The speed! The thrill of the wind in his ears!
While he was mid-run, an arrow shot down in front of him. Li Chuan skidded to a stop and saw a City Defense officer in a dark grey uniform aiming a bow at him.
“There are roads in the city—why are you running on rooftops?” the officer scolded.
“Am I not allowed to?” Li Chuan asked cautiously.
“If there’s an invasion, 90% come from the sky. To distinguish friend from foe, the city bans movement above two meters off the ground. Flying’s forbidden too.”
“I just got here. I didn’t know.” Li Chuan jumped down to explain.
The officer followed him down, pulled out a notepad, scribbled something, and handed it over. “Violation of airspace regulations. Fine: 50 All-Heavens coins.”
Li Chuan took the ticket and said miserably, “I just arrived. I have no money.”
“You have three months to pay. Go to the City Defense post,” the officer replied.
Li Chuan looked at the fine in dismay. He’d only been in the All-Heavens Realm for three hours and already owed a pile of money. Life here was impossible without cash!
Just as he stuffed the ticket into his pocket, a hand reached over from behind and snatched it away.
It was Shen Nianxiang.
He told the officer, “First-time offenders only get a verbal warning. You only deduct merit points on repeat offenses. Docking 50 coins right off is too harsh, Old Qian.”
Old Qian looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight and had a slick vibe. He asked, “You know this guy?”
“I do,” Shen Nianxiang said.
Old Qian grumbled but took back the ticket. “Fine. Just this once—for you. Don’t let it happen again.”
Li Chuan said, “You’ve helped me again.”
Shen Nianxiang replied, “I’m just following protocol. You’re heading to the Fuyou Academy office, right? I’ll take you there. No more running.”
“With what?” Li Chuan asked, curious about the transportation methods here.
“This.” Shen Nianxiang wheeled out a small electric scooter, its paint matching his uniform and emblazoned with the City Defense shield.
Li Chuan was slightly disappointed. “It’s a bit plainer than I expected. I thought there’d be cool airships or something.”
“There are, just not for City Defense. You’ll see soon enough. Hop on.”
Li Chuan climbed aboard, and the scooter proved faster than his running. In less than twenty minutes, he arrived at the gate of the Fuyou Academy office.
