What if I don't want to ascend to immortality?

Chapter 27 On the way home

"Yaya is such a sensible and good child, her only flaw is that she is too slow to react."

Han Jie looked at the scenery rushing past the train window and hummed in confusion, not understanding what Meng Qingtong meant by suddenly saying that.

Meng Qingtong said with a regretful look, "She was so busy shouting that she didn't even think to take a picture of you with her phone. I really wanted to see you blushing too."

"Boring." Han Jie turned and glared at her. "Your injury is completely healed, right?"

She immediately clutched her chest, then put on a pitiful look, "No, blush again so I can see, maybe that will make it better."

thump.

I got hit on the head again.

Meng Qingtong pouted and muttered, "You're almost turning me into a little idiot."

“It’s not smart of me not to knock on your head. Is the real name of the Great Magic Carpet really that important? Your soul hasn’t been in its most stable state these past few days, so why won’t you hand it over to me?”

"I..." Realizing that he would really get angry if she didn't give him a satisfactory answer, Meng Qingtong lowered her head and whispered, "I just can't bear to."

"Huh?" Han Jie was completely bewildered. "You can't bear to part with it?"

“Whether it’s wool or rug, the way it attacks is loneliness.” She glanced at him cautiously. “You’ve been alone for so long, I don’t want you to… fight it.”

Han Jie was taken aback, then sighed softly and said, "If I unleash my full hatred, destroying it is just a matter of a breath. Why do you need to worry?"

"No way. You'll definitely try to subdue it first and let me take its real name." Meng Qingtong shook her head. "Then I'll take care of the suffering. You just need to coolly and quickly take down the rest of the opponents."

"Is this also part of your debt repayment plan?" His tone was slightly displeased.

"Um...no." Meng Qingtong stubbornly replied, resting her chin on her hand. "Just consider it my leveling plan."

"Those kinds of demons and monsters can't hurt me at all." Han Jie adjusted his tone and said softly, "Don't worry about such things anymore."

"Oh." She gave a half-hearted reply, took out her phone to reply to Ya Ya's message, and changed the subject, "Yes, I've transferred your share. I've already deducted the tax, so you don't need to pay anymore."

She didn't need to remind him of that. Han Jie had traveled the world for so many years, never having served any human dynasty or paid rent; he had no such habit.

He glanced at his account balance casually, too lazy to bother with such mundane matters, and thinking of the orphanage, asked again, "Do you always give out 90%?"

Meng Qingtong nodded, "I don't need to spend anything myself. Most of the games I play are free."

"Isn't it said that free things are the most expensive?"

She scoffed, "I'm just taking advantage of the freebies to play for free. I won't spend any money or do ten-pulls. If I get a character I like, I'll be happy; if not, I won't beg for it. What's that called, 'being indifferent to desires makes one invincible'? Sigh... Did I use that right this time?"

"Hmm." Han Jie lowered his head, silently closed the game interface he had just finished drawing cards, and said, "I noticed you only kept Ya Ya's contact information. Do you particularly like children?"

"No, that's not it." She immediately widened her eyes and denied it. "I only like well-behaved, cute kids who don't cause trouble. Besides... what if Yaya needs after-sales service? Her dad was so generous with this job, I felt a little embarrassed. That real estate boss, Mr. Du, should really learn from him. He knows what a truly generous boss is."

No matter how ideal the goals of a job are, they will ultimately come down to actual compensation.

When the Ling'an Bureau personnel came to handle the follow-up, Liu Song confirmed the situation at home and was still terrified about the two evil spirits lurking there. After learning that Meng Qingtong had displayed her divine power and easily dealt with the two monsters, he was moved to tears by his wife and children, who were now much more normal, and insisted on giving them more rewards.

Meng Qingtong only wanted what she was entitled to, but the two sides ended up negotiating back and forth.

After consulting with experts from the Ling'an Bureau, Liu Song ultimately recommended the maximum reward within the suggested reward range for this level of exorcism request. After tax deduction, the Academy's External Affairs Department transferred a full 660,000 yuan to Meng Qingtong.

Moreover, he also donated three packs of high-quality talisman paper to the Second Academy in his personal capacity through online shopping, with a note thanking outstanding student Meng Qingtong—Dean Fang naturally tagged it under Meng Qingtong's student ID number.

After the morning's commission was completed, Meng Qingtong took out her phone to confirm receipt of payment on the train in the afternoon. The money was transferred directly to the fast-track channel, amounting to 297,000 yuan, a very accurate 90%.

Having lived two lives, Han Jie remains a pure spiritual cultivator who has little concept of money. As soon as the money arrived, he went to the mini-game he had been playing for a while last night and spent 200 consecutive draws. Suddenly, he felt that 330,000 didn't seem like much.

But aside from drawing those meaningless, just pretty cartoon figurines to try and understand the masses, he doesn't know how to spend his money for the time being.

How about we buy Meng Qingtong a motorcycle first?

Perhaps sensing something, Meng Qingtong finished her tasks on her phone, put her game character into idle mode, and turned to say, "Han Jie, not every commission will be as lucky as this one, with a generous client. So when you have extra money, you should save some and not spend it recklessly. Nobody knows what unexpected expenses you'll face tomorrow, so having more savings will keep you from panicking."

Do you have a lot of savings?

"Not much, but not a small amount either." She immediately beamed and proudly opened the fixed deposit interface, "Look, look, I bought so many talisman materials and still managed to save so much money. Aren't I amazing?"

Han Jie glanced at it; it was less than the share he had just received. He wondered what she was thinking.

He shook his head, but still raised his hand and ruffled her hair. "Yes, yes, you're really great."

"No sincerity," she muttered, nudging his palm with her head before retreating to her seat.

"Does the genius girl from the Second Affiliated Hospital need more praise?"

She nodded, looking serious. "Sincere praise from a good partner is just as important to me as the commission fee."

She emphasized the word "partner" with extra force, indicating that she was still resentful about the fact that no one had been willing to help her before.

"You really are amazing." Han Jie leaned over and looked at her, praising her sincerely.

"Thank you." Meng Qingtong smiled, wrinkled her small nose at him, and said, "Order whatever you want to eat tonight. As long as the recipe is on your phone, I'll recreate it for you."

"Anything you do is fine." He was too embarrassed to say that he simply enjoyed watching someone bustling around in the kitchen for him. Besides, Meng Qingtong's cooking skills were excellent from the start, she improved rapidly, and she was very dedicated, almost never making the same dish twice in a row. He believed that even the most picky person would have nothing to say about it. And he wasn't picky at all.

After chatting for a while, Han Jie asked about his next plans.

Meng Qingtong thought for a moment and said, "There aren't any suitable commissions for the time being. Perfect timing. Let's go find Qiao Mu and investigate Sister Lin's matter as soon as possible. But I have to go back to the academy tomorrow. My leave for commissions can't exceed one week, so I need to extend it. By the way, bring over the dried sweet potatoes that Dean Fang wanted. Oh, by the way, would you like to come with me to visit the Second Academy? I think it's prettier than the First and Third Academies, and there's a Guanding Tower, which will be convenient for you to observe."

"Not for now," Han Jie explained softly. "I'm not fully familiar with the area yet, and I don't want to rush in."

"Okay, I'll come back at noon."

"No need. It's fine to skip a meal." Han Jie didn't want her to travel back and forth, so he simply said, "I plan to go out for a walk tomorrow and see Dongding City. Just don't miss dinner tonight."

"Alright. Oh, don't just enter the areas marked in red on the map; those require Ling An's permission. I know you're strong, but it's always better to avoid trouble, right?"

"Yes. I know what I'm doing."

“Actually, aside from when I’m running quests, I spend most of my time attending classes at the academy. Once you’re fully integrated into this world and no longer worried about revealing secrets, would you… um…” Meng Qingtong hesitated for a few seconds, then whispered, “Would you like to try attending classes at the academy as well?”

"Oh?" This suggestion was quite interesting. Han Jie raised an eyebrow. "What else do you think I could learn?"

She quickly waved her hand, "That's not what I meant. What I meant was, instead of staying home and cultivating, or wandering around aimlessly while I'm in class, why don't you ask Dean Fang to help you get a student registration? There are many benefits, listen to me..."

She started calculating seriously on her fingers, "Look, with your level of genius, you can definitely be granted special permission to be a free student like me, choosing and attending any courses you want. As long as you can produce good grades in the end, no one will check your attendance, so it won't affect you at all."

"With your abilities, you can pass the final assessment any year if you want to graduate. If I work hard, I can graduate with you next year. Then Dean Fang can easily help you with a small favor, and you'll have a legitimate spiritualist status that you won't have to worry about being investigated. It will make things much easier after you graduate."

"Besides, the shabby house we're renting doesn't offer any amenities, but it's a different story at the academy. For one thing, the best spiritual vein branching off from Dongding is located beneath the Second Academy. If you cultivate within the academy, your efficiency will definitely be higher; you'll at least get twice the results with half the effort, right?"

"It's more efficient," Han Jie couldn't help but correct, then smiled and said, "I'll consider it. After all, I also need a public identity."

"Right, right, becoming a graduate of the Second Academy makes many things much easier." Meng Qingtong suddenly remembered something, took out her phone, and said, "Oh right, I almost forgot something important. Do you still remember your cave dwelling?"

"I remember. But it wasn't really a cave dwelling, just a temporary place to stay." Come to think of it, he felt that the small house where he had stayed for just one night felt more like home.

It's just a bit too small. He plans to learn how to save money and buy a bigger one as soon as possible.

We definitely need a good kitchen; the range hood in this one seems to be broken.

"The Relics Protection Association has already appraised the entire cave today. It's a top-tier item among top-tier items. Dean Fang applied for an extra bonus for me, which should arrive in a few days along with the base bonus. I think it's your cave, so it should be returned to you." She seemed a little embarrassed. "Of course, the value of this money is definitely not comparable to the spirit crystals, spirit gold, and spirit marrow you left behind, but... something is better than nothing, right?"

"You can take the reward for the cave you dug with all your hard work." Han Jie didn't care. Whether it was money or spirit stones, they were just external things. His partner was obviously more in need than him, so he might as well give them to her.

Meng Qingtong immediately refused seriously, "How can that be? If I didn't know you and had no clue about the owner of the cave, I could accept it without any guilt. But now that you, the senior owner, are sitting right next to me and are being so kind to me, the one who dug up your house, how could I not give you the money?"

Han Jie was about to push it to her, but then he changed his mind and asked, "About how much?"

"I don't know how much of the extra bonus I can get yet. I've calculated the basic bonus, though. After all, it's a top-tier relic. Even if they're short on funds, there should be at least two million. There's no upper limit; it depends on the research value of the spirit runes inside."

"The total is at least two million..." Han Jie picked up his phone and fell into deep thought.

“Yes, this is a large sum of money, no joke. If you don’t know how to use it, you can simply buy it as a large-denomination certificate of deposit at Jiuding Bank, or I can ask a friend to recommend some relatively stable investment channels for you. Of course, with housing prices soaring now, you can also buy a house in a slightly out-of-town area and sell it when the price goes up.”

He raised his hand, interrupting Meng Qingtong's enthusiastic recommendation, and turned his head to say, "If I tell you the key to analyzing the spirit patterns in that cave, and also give you two special refining methods for spirit marrow, and you hand them over to that association, wouldn't you get a bigger bonus?"

Meng Qingtong blinked, her expression instantly shifting from looking at a kind, lovely, and respectable senior to looking at a god of wealth. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke: "Can you still produce something like that?"

Han Jie chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Over 1,800 years ago, I could probably redraw those spirit patterns with my eyes closed. As for spirit essence, it's something I don't care about at all; I've already figured it out long ago."

"Then...you send it to me?"

He nodded, channeled his divine sense into the document, and transmitted it directly with encryption.

"You're... treating money like dirt." Meng Qingtong seemed a little taken aback, patted her chest, and said softly, "When you look for a wife in the future, you'd better find one who knows how to manage money. This thing... never mind, I'll send it to the protection association right now, I don't need to look at it anymore."

"Why don't you take a look? I was planning to give it to you anyway."

"I'm afraid of getting greedy," Meng Qingtong said seriously. "When I don't have the confidence to control myself, I never challenge desires. What isn't mine, I don't want, I can't even think about. Besides, giving it to the Protection Association and transferring it to the Spirit Science Academy is a good thing that benefits the world."

She rambled on and on, as if trying to convince herself, afraid of having any regrets. No sooner had she posted it than she completely deleted the entire document.

Han Jie smiled slightly before revealing his true purpose, saying, "Qing Tong, don't you think my kitchen looks rather shabby?"

He enjoyed watching this girl patiently cook in the kitchen, suppressing her impatience. And it was only natural to pay a price for something you love.

This time, Meng Qingtong didn't realize his intention and said somewhat shyly, "I know that house is really terrible. I just liked that it was close by and I could move in the same day. Now you have quite a few options, if you want to change, see what kind you need and I'll help you look around."

Han Jie nodded and said, "Then help me take a look. I need a bigger one, closer to that Second Hospital, with a good kitchen. As for bedrooms... either have more, or you can see if there are two apartments across the hall."

"Huh?" Meng Qingtong realized something was wrong. "Two sets?"

“I’ve decided to listen to you and start managing my finances by becoming a landlord.” Han Jie considered the money-making methods he could use and felt that there was no need to treat buying a house as a long-term problem. “Since we’re partners, I’ve decided to make you my first tenant. So, for your convenience when cooking, the closer you are to me, the better. As for the rent, you can decide what to pay.”

Meng Qingtong stared at him, her face flushing, and then couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Senior Han, what have you been watching online again? It seems like you've gone astray..."

Han Jie picked up his phone, took a picture of her, and said with a smile, "Not bad, this time it's your turn to blush."

(End of this chapter)