Immortality Starts With Investment

”Phew…”

Ye Chen let out a long, satisfied breath, his energy brimming with vigor. He gently set aside the master and grandmaster who lay before and behind him. Then he lifted Fan Qinghe from above his head and carefully lowered her.

Stretching lazily, Ye Chen rolled his shoulders. This time was different from the previous ceremony. This pure, unadulterated version truly let him experience what it meant for specialists to excel in their craft.

But a full week had passed. It was time to end things. In truth, he should have left after the last time. He had deliberately stayed an extra week, however, because he wanted to present the captured Saint King to Fan Qinghe as a gift. Now that the matter was settled, he could go find his fiancée and bestow her with origin, allowing her to achieve perfect completion as well.

The expressions on Fan Qinghe and the other two women were all languid with post-satisfaction bliss. A faint, lingering contentment glowed between their brows, along with a trace of wanting more. They helped Ye Chen adjust the flow of his immortal power, their voices soft and coquettish as they wheedled: ”Holy Son… won’t you stay a few more days? I still have one more secret technique I’d like to use to thank you properly.”

Ye Chen felt their tender affection, yet his refusal was crisp and decisive: ”I’ve delayed long enough. It’s time for me to leave.”

When rejecting someone, one must be firm and resolute. When agreeing to something, however, it was better not to sound too eager.

Fan Qinghe gradually emerged from the sweet haze of honey production. The memory resurfaced—the look of deep regret in the Ancestor’s eyes when she spoke of her dwindling lifespan…

Finally, she could hold back no longer. With utmost caution, she spoke: ”Holy Son… that ginseng fruit… were you planning to give it away?”

At her words, the master and grandmaster both stiffened. They had been thinking the exact same thing. But they were already freeloading off Fan Qinghe’s favor. Without her, they wouldn’t even have had the chance to taste the edge of things. They didn’t dare speak up again and risk earning Ye Chen’s disgust. If he stopped inviting them next time… that really would be unbearable for the rest of their lives.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow at the question.

”I was planning to give it to an elder from a holy land. She helped me greatly in the past. Now she has only about a hundred years left…”

Fan Qinghe’s anxious heart sank. She immediately fell silent.

Yet Ye Chen seemed to sense something. He pulled her gently into his arms and asked in a soft, caring voice: ”Why bring up the ginseng fruit all of a sudden? What’s wrong? You’re only a little over a hundred years old. Your master and grandmaster should still have many years before their great longevity limit approaches.”

Only when Ye Chen asked directly did Fan Qinghe dare to speak again, her voice small and hesitant: ”It’s… It’s the Ancestor. She still looks radiant and full of vitality on the surface, but that’s only because of our cultivation method. In reality… she can only hold on for three more years at most… But…”

By the end, Fan Qinghe couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. Ever since she met Ye Chen, she had taken and taken—food, resources, even her cultivation had been forcibly pushed up by him. She had no face left to ask for more. Why should her Ancestor keep demanding things from Ye Chen?

Ye Chen’s expression grew serious.

Fan Qinghe’s heart jolted. She hurriedly waved her hands: ”I’m not asking on behalf of the Ancestor for the ginseng fruit… The ginseng fruit belongs to you, Holy Son. Of course, it should go to the senior who once helped you.”

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Ye Chen said nothing.

Fan Qinghe grew more and more anxious, her heart filled with unease.

But the next moment, Ye Chen looked at her with tender pity.

”There’s no need for that between you and me. What I love most about you is your kindness—something completely different from the other women out there. It would be far too cruel to force you to watch your Ancestor approach her end with your own eyes. This ginseng fruit… I’ll give it to your Ancestor, for your sake.”

With those words, Ye Chen directly took out a jade box. The box was translucent, revealing a pure white fruit inside that looked exactly like a tiny infant. The three women present all sucked in a sharp breath.

Ye Chen had actually given away the ginseng fruit just like that. It was clear—even to them—that the fruit held great importance to him. Yet after only a brief hesitation, he had taken it out.

Fan Qinghe’s eyes instantly reddened. She hurriedly waved her hands in refusal.

”Holy Son, I don’t want it… I really don’t… I’m not worthy of you treating me this well…”

The Heavenly Desire Sect had always carried a terrible reputation. As its Divine Maiden, the rumors swirling around her outside were especially unsavory. After all, who would believe the old saying about emerging from the mud unstained?

Yet Ye Chen treated her with such extraordinary kindness. Simply because he couldn’t bear to see her suffer, he was willing to part with a life-extending treasure meant for an elder. It was too heavy a burden…

Ye Chen smiled gently.

”You are worthy of every beautiful thing in this world.”

Hearing those words, the self-doubt that had lingered in Fan Qinghe’s heart shattered. She buried her face in his chest and burst into loud, unrestrained sobs. The Holy Son… truly loved her so much.

…

A long while later—whether more had happened in between or not— The four finally emerged from the cave abode. With a casual wave of his hand, Ye Chen had the sealed Saint King brought forward. A flicker of anticipation crossed his face as he spoke: ”Qinghe, since you’ve already condensed your first Desolate Seal. Then this person is yours to keep.”

The Saint King’s eyes widened in shock. She had assumed Ye Chen spared her life because he intended to use her himself. Keeping her imprisoned for so many days—perhaps it was some twisted game of torment followed by intimacy? But she had clearly thought too much. The Heavenly Emperor’s heir actually planned to give her away to another woman? And not just any woman—a mere Third Heaven cultivator from a second-rate sect?

Worse still, that sect was the Heavenly Desire Sect. Any proper female cultivator would turn pale at the name, filled with instinctive disgust. This was an enormous humiliation. Yet she remained completely sealed, unable even to speak.

Fan Qinghe, meanwhile, expressed her gratitude with deep sincerity. The Holy Son truly treated her too well. First, the ginseng fruit, now a Saint King servant. When the day finally came that the Holy Son was willing to fully accept her, she would use every technique she knew to satisfy him completely—to repay this endless grace. If the Holy Son loved honey, then she would let him have his fill—every single day, willingly and happily.

”Thank you, Holy Son…”

With those words, under Ye Chen’s gentle urging and the Saint King’s furious, resistant glare, Fan Qinghe planted the Desolate Seal she had worked so hard to condense. In an instant, the seal took root deep within the Saint King’s divine soul and began its transformation.

The woman’s mind—previously roaring with rejection, rage, humiliation, and murderous intent—Suddenly went blank. Her pupils turned vacant.

A long time passed. When the transformation finally completed, clarity returned to her eyes. But now, when she looked at Fan Qinghe, only regret and deep reverence remained. With a soft sigh, the Saint King lowered her head.

”Greetings… Master.”

Joy bloomed across the faces of Fan Qinghe and the other two women. With the ginseng fruit, their Ancestor could live another three hundred and sixty years. And now they had a Saint King-level servant as well. The Heavenly Desire Sect’s strength had risen dramatically. It was now qualified to contend for first-rate status.

Yet the excitement passed quickly. After all, with the Heavenly Emperor’s heir as their backer—and given how deeply he doted on Fan Qinghe—even holy lands wouldn’t dare provoke the Heavenly Desire Sect. In such circumstances, the sect’s own strength had become largely irrelevant.

Fan Qinghe bowed once more, her heart overflowing with gratitude.

”Thank you, Holy Son…”

Ye Chen merely waved his hand calmly. At that moment, the long-awaited system prompt finally sounded in his mind. It actually worked?

Ye Chen immediately turned inward with excitement to check the system. But when he read the content clearly, the corners of his mouth twitched, and his brows furrowed slightly…

”This system does not support any form of human trafficking…”