Chapter 69: Benefactor
Seeing my smirk, the young boy who had called me "benefactor" calmed down, and his shivering also ceased a little.
"I wanted to thank you for helping me that day. Even though you did not know who or what was the reason I was asking for money, you, without even asking, lent me your money that day." The young boy with silver-colored hair—which was quite rare in both the mortal and cultivation worlds—said the whole dialogue in a single breath, and by the end, he had to inhale more air to get his lungs moving.
I wanted to correct many parts of his sentences, but considering my situation, I remained silent and wanted to see how the situation would go with a peer who was also the same gender as me. Was meaningful silence better than meaningless talk?
I nodded for him to keep going. It seemed the boy did not know that I was mute. Well, it was pretty rare for cultivators to have diseases, or even if they did, they would slowly improve as they progressed in cultivation. From what I had gathered from reading different books on cultivation, a cultivator is able to regrow their broken limbs and fix any other ailments once they succeed in breaking through to the Gold Core Realm—a realm that is truly considered to be the real starting point for us cultivators. Only when a genius manages to reach and form his Gold Core would the sects be sure that the person was truly a genius.
There were many geniuses, but many fell before even reaching their full potential. This is why the cultivation world has set an unspoken rule: only geniuses who are able to form their Golden Core inside their Dantian would be viewed as potential threats by their enemies and potential elders by their respective sects or organizations.
The boy hesitated for a moment, his silver hair catching the midday sunlight, giving it a faint shimmer. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides before he took a deep breath and met my gaze once more.
"That day, I was desperate," he admitted, his voice quieter now, as if ashamed of his own helplessness. "I wasn't asking for money for myself… It was for my little sister."
A slight furrow formed between my brows as I listened.
"She was working outside the sect as a servant, trying to support herself after we lost our parents. But she got caught up in a debt she never took. Some people—" his fists tightened, nails pressing into his palms, "—they saw she was alone and tricked her. Then they demanded payment. I found out too late, and by then, the deadline was almost up."
His breathing grew unsteady, and I noticed his shoulders trembling slightly. He was trying to suppress his emotions, but his hands told a different story—shaking with barely contained frustration.
"I had nothing. No resources. No friends to help me. But I couldn't let them take her. I went around, begging for help, asking for even the smallest amount. But no one wanted to waste their stones on someone like me—a weak, talentless outer disciple. Some even laughed at me."
He swallowed hard, as if forcing back the bitterness lodged in his throat.
"But then… you just handed it over. No questions. No judgment." His lips curled into a faint, wry smile. "I thought you might be testing me or that you would demand something in return later. But you didn't. You just walked away."
I tilted my head slightly. That was because I truly hadn't cared at the time. Avoiding Mei Xueyin had been my priority, and giving away those stones was merely an excuse to keep moving.
But seeing the way his voice wavered, the way his eyes held a gratitude so deep it felt foreign even to him… I realized that, unknowingly, my casual act had changed something in his life.
"Because of you, I saved her." He exhaled shakily, as if finally letting go of something heavy. "I paid off the debt, got her out of that wretched place. She's safe now. Free."
I met his gaze, my expression unreadable. After a moment, I reached into my sleeve and pulled out a small notebook, lifting my pen to write.
'I didn't do it for gratitude.'
The boy blinked at my response, then let out a breathless chuckle. "Maybe not… but it doesn't change what it meant to me."
His shoulders squared, a hint of determination seeping into his voice. "I swore to myself that I would repay you. Not just in words, not just by returning the stones. One day, I'll be strong enough to stand beside you, benefactor. No matter what it takes."
I studied him for a long moment before writing another line on my notebook's page.
'Then don't just repay me. Repay yourself by becoming strong enough to never be in that situation again.'
His eyes widened, and for the first time since our conversation began, he truly looked at me—not just as a benefactor, but as someone he wanted to emulate.
A slow, understanding nod followed, his fists loosening as resolve settled within him.
I gave him a slight nod in return before turning away.
This world did not wait for the weak. The strong thrived, while the helpless were trampled underfoot. If he truly wished to repay me, then he would have to climb his own path—without waiting for another benefactor to lend him a hand.
...
I had continued walking around, eating some snacks along the way, as the continuous consumption of pills had ruined my taste buds.
Finally, after eating and tasting many different dishes at a teahouse—although I did not burp, as my Qi quickly refined the food that entered my stomach—the satisfied expression on my face did not lie.
After living as a mortal for seventeen years, it was not easy to switch to the ways of a cultivator. This could also be the reason why many young men and women were easily irritated, and fights broke out almost regularly in the outer sect. The problem and the solution were in front of them, I thought while seeing the fight going on outside between someone I knew and someone I did not.
The teahouse was literally in front of them. If they just came inside and filled their stomachs, their moods would have automatically improved.
Twilight was approaching. I had been out for the whole day today.
The commotion had started to grow bigger. Although I was unable to hear the words, seeing Wei Rong so angry that his face had turned red made it clear that someone had stepped on his tail.
"What are you doing here, eating alone?"
A voice sounded very close to my earlobe, forcing me to shiver for a second. But then I realized who it was and ground my jaws to hold back my shivering body.
The same scent that dulled men's senses wafted from behind him. And then, slowly, the smell traveled and settled as he sat down on the empty seat opposite mine.