Chapter 2: Spiritual Spring

"Men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving objects, please maintain some self-respect, Junior Sister."

Jiang Cheng brushed away Lin Yao's small hand and immediately took a step back to draw a clear line between them, then shook his sleeve as if he found it distasteful that Lin Yao had touched his clothes.

Lin Yao slightly widened her eyes in surprise, watching Jiang Cheng's smooth movements.

Ordinary male cultivators would spend countless spirit stones just to get closer to her, dreaming of a chance to bask in her fragrance.

How could Jiang Cheng seem to despise her?

This distant behavior of Jiang Cheng was something Lin Yao's proud heart found somewhat unacceptable.

He couldn't possibly be despising me! It's just his strategy of playing hard to get after a failed confession!

Since she had always been beautiful from a young age, Lin Yao never lacked suitors. She had seen all sorts of male cultivators and although she was young, her emotional experience far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Many male cultivators with a bit of self-respect or those with some tactics would play hard to get after a confession failed.

Having seen it many times, Lin Yao naturally developed a set of strategies to deal with it.

With just a little effort, she would be able to grasp the emotional limits of Jiang Cheng.

"Yao'er didn't say that there's no chance for Brother Jiang. With Brother Jiang's academic performance, getting into a key university would be a piece of cake. Yao'er plans to go to Qingxuan University, maybe Brother Jiang can consider it too. Once we're at university, if Yao'er is looking for a dao companion, I will certainly consider Brother Jiang first!"

After Lin Yao said this, she looked at Jiang Cheng with twinkling, expectant eyes.

She had absolute confidence in herself; no one could ever refuse her.

Offer petty favors?

Such low-level tricks wouldn't fool even a dog.

Having worked for over ten years, Jiang Cheng had seen too many such favors.

He now felt a physiological repulsion to this kind of "food."

It didn't matter if it was Jesus, God, The Almighty, or Li Yunlong; in short, Jiang Cheng no longer believed anyone's empty promises.

"Junior Sister Lin, do you still intend to write that statement or not?" Jiang Cheng's tone was filled with sincerity as he asked Lin Yao for the document.

Lin Yao, holding the paper and pen that Jiang Cheng had given her, stamped her foot in frustration.

"Oh! Brother Jiang!"

Lin Yao couldn't understand why her usual rhetoric didn't work on Jiang Cheng. Just a few days ago, she had used the same tactics on another male cultivator, completely charming him into a daze, so excited that he would've given his life for her right then and there.

"Brother Jiang, Yao'er has already said so much, don't you understand?" Lin Yao said, unwilling to give up.

She felt that Jiang Cheng must have misunderstood her intentions, otherwise there was no way to explain why he was ignoring her advances. There was simply no other explanation.

Jiang Cheng frowned at Lin Yao.

He also couldn't understand why it was so difficult for her to write a statement declaring they were "just friends."

Based on Lin Yao's role and characterization in the game, a woman who had been beautiful since childhood and who was high-spirited and proud would absolutely not have any romantic involvement with a "nobody" like Jiang Cheng. Moreover, she had no shortage of such fawning admirers.

So why wouldn't she just let go?

Jiang Cheng didn't understand, and he didn't intend to think about it.

Adults make friends based on mutual interests; if they get along, they chat, if not, they keep a respectful distance, with no waste of words.

"Junior Sister Lin, since you're not willing to write the statement, please return the paper and pen to me."

"Jiang Cheng! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you! I'm feeling so upset, and you're not even trying to comfort me! You care more about your lousy pen and statement! Are they more important than me!"

Lin Yao looked at Jiang Cheng with grief, her large eyes brimming with tears, ready to cry.

Naturally gorgeous and with the appearance of a pure young girl, when she appeared aggrieved, she truly looked like a pitiable sight that would break the heart of any onlooker.

Jiang Cheng thought to himself, isn't that obvious? Paper and pen are bought with money, and are officially mine to use as I please. How could you, a woman of the Demonic Tao, who only causes trouble, be compared with them?

Seeing that Jiang Cheng was silent for a long time with no response, Lin Yao finally wiped away her tears.

"Yao'er once thought that Brother Jiang was a reliable man, but I didn't expect that Brother Jiang doesn't care about Yao'er's feelings at all. Let it be, from now on, Yao'er has nothing more to say, and Brother Jiang won't believe her anyway. Brother Jiang, don't come looking for Yao'er in the future!"

Lin Yao trotted away from the park, and before leaving, she turned back to give Jiang Cheng one last look.

That expression was exactly like a lovestruck girl deeply wounded by her lover. It seemed that if only Jiang Cheng nodded, he could reconcile with the girl's affections and embrace her for her easy consolation.

Humph! I don't believe you can resist this!

Lin Yao noticed the astonishment on Jiang Cheng's face, convinced that he must be regretting his decision now. Based on her understanding of male cultivators, Jiang Cheng would definitely come to her home to apologize within three days!

Lin Yao couldn't wait to see Jiang Cheng abandon his pride, kneeling and begging her to change her mind!

By then, she wasn't planning to forgive Jiang Cheng easily.

She wanted to tease Jiang Cheng properly, to see him desperate and frustrated!

"At least return my pen before you go."

Jiang Cheng said weakly, watching Lin Yao's retreating figure.

The pen was a birthday gift from his frugal parents and was quite valuable.

"But using a pen in exchange for keeping the enchantress far from oneself isn't a loss, right?"

Jiang Cheng could only comfort himself in this way.

The family conditions of "Supporting Role Jiang Cheng" were not bad.

His parents were merchants with a company that required them to travel for business, so they neglected Jiang Cheng's upbringing.

Since middle school, Jiang Cheng had lived at his aunt and uncle's house in Wuyue City, along with a cousin named Sun Yuan.

Jiang Cheng's parents were hardly ever seen, but they never skimped on his living expenses.

However, most of it was taken by his aunt and uncle to improve their own lifestyle. Even his cousin Sun Yuan had the reputation of being a "Rich Second Generation."

The money that finally ended up in Jiang Cheng's hands was only enough for his pocket money.

This family situation was not much different from Lu Mingfei, the protagonist of "Dragon Clan."

Supporting Role Jiang Cheng's personality was also very similar to Lu Mingfei's.

Listless, self-deprecating, lacking love, and introverted.

The radiant Lin Yao would casually "suck up" to him without offering any real benefits, and he had unsurprisingly become Lin Yao's most loyal follower.

It was both tragic and pitiful.

However, all of these were in the past. Jiang Cheng, now a planner, did not intend to be any kind of follower. Since he had transmigrated into the world of "Immortal Gods," he wanted to live a life worth living.

As a proud planner, if he couldn't even figure out the game, he would really end up being the child of those in the art department who draw risqué pictures.

Whether he succeeded in his career was one thing, but being the child of the art department was something Jiang Cheng absolutely did not want!

To rebuild the glory of a planner, Jiang Cheng felt it was his unquestionable duty!

The early morning in Wuyue City was somewhat chilly, and Jiang Cheng walked on the road back home.

The supermarket by the road was not yet open, but many breakfast shops and convenience stores had started their business early.

The modern world of "Immortal Gods" was a little different from that of Earth.

The biggest difference was actually the absence of the internet.

So there were no smartphones or shared bikes.

To keep in touch with his classmates, Jiang Cheng used a kind of "Reusable Type Communication Talisman" magical treasure.

The talisman within this magical treasure could be used repeatedly to achieve functions similar to making calls and sending text messages. However, using this magical treasure even once was not cheap, so it was not used often if there was no need.

Walking on the street, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but compare everything he now saw with what he remembered from the game.

The buildings in reality definitely had more details, but overall, they weren't much different. Shops that existed in the game would appear in corresponding spots in reality.

If Jiang Cheng remembered correctly, at the next intersection, he would see Wuyue City's landmark building—the Wuyue Spiritual Spring Factory.

We don't produce Spiritual Liquid, we're just nature's porters.

That was the iconic advertisement of Wuyue Spiritual Liquid.

The Spiritual Liquid industry was also one of the pillar industries of Wuyue City.

Spiritual Liquid helped to enhance one's cultivation level; in this world, it was as valuable as oil.

Wuyue City became nationally famous because an earthquake had revealed a Spiritual Spring.

At the intersection, Jiang Cheng stood still, stunned.

In front of him was a wasteland, with no sight of any Spiritual Spring Factory.

Jiang Cheng instinctively searched his memory, and indeed, there was nothing about the "Spiritual Spring" in the original host's recollection.

Could it be that this world was actually different from the game?

Or maybe...

Jiang Cheng suddenly had a bold guess.

The appearance of the Spiritual Spring in Wuyue City was due to a minor earthquake.

Typical small earthquakes wouldn't affect the houses built by cultivators, so the only consequence of this earthquake was bringing a Spiritual Spring to Wuyue City.

If Wuyue City hadn't experienced an earthquake, naturally there would be no Spiritual Spring.

But once an earthquake occurred and the Spiritual Spring emerged...

Jiang Cheng had no thoughts of monopolizing the Spiritual Spring.

His focus was on the houses near the Spiritual Spring!

The Spiritual Spring would definitely be controlled by the officials of Wuyue, but the overflowing spiritual energy couldn't be contained.

Once the Spiritual Spring appeared, the value of the nearby houses would skyrocket!

The housing prices could quintuple or even increase tenfold in a short period!