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

Chapter 16 Temporary Roommate
Summer weather is as unpredictable as a cunning demon. When Han Jie and Meng Qingtong got off the high-speed train, there were only a few thick clouds in the sky. As soon as they left the exit, raindrops the size of soybeans rushed down to earth like refugees.

Meng Qingtong took out an umbrella from her backpack, opened it, turned her head to look at the height difference between herself and Han Jie, pouted unconvinced, and raised the umbrella higher.

Han Jie disliked rainy days. Seeing that Meng Qingtong's shoulder, exposed under the umbrella, was already soaked by the rain, he disliked it even more. He secretly made a mental gesture, quickly reciting an incantation, trying to dispel those annoying clouds.

However, a feeling of fullness and stuffiness filled his consciousness, reminding him once again that he should not consider higher-level spiritual techniques for the time being.

Just as he was wondering whether to unleash his inner sword to cleave the rain clouds, Meng Qingtong pulled him along and ran towards the taxi stand, laughing as she said, "Why are you arguing with God here? Let's go."

Suiyin City is, after all, just a satellite city. It is not large, and its scale is not much larger than that of a district in Dongding City. Its economic scale is far smaller.

However, more than a decade ago, a very valuable mineral vein was discovered in Suiyin, which could produce excellent base materials for artificially cultivated spirit stones. This made a group of local tyrants very rich, and consequently, the prices here were not much lower than in Dongding.

Small towns have few guesthouses to begin with, and most are located near tourist attractions. Meng Qingtong searched high and low, but the locations that were suitable for the price were not in good locations, and the prices for the locations that were in good locations were sky-high. There were places that were suitable for both, but there was only one: a three-bedroom, one-bathroom, one-living room apartment with a usable kitchen, air conditioning, broadband internet, and cellular network access. She was able to rent it at a reasonable price because the landlord was in the same industry as her.

"Anyway, I can't find another guesthouse. So..." She stood in the living room, awkwardly tugging at her ponytail a couple of times, "The bedroom with the balcony is mine, it's convenient for drying clothes. You can choose either of the other two. If you don't have anything else to do, you can rest first. I'm going to buy groceries. We'll start paying interest at noon today."

She grabbed her umbrella and walked towards the door, turning back in the entryway to ask, "Can we open the door after we've eaten?"

Han Jie sank into the soft sofa, squinted, and nodded.

After relaxing, he focused his mind and began to review the secret techniques of Sanxing Guayue Mountain.

This was the first time he had ever used it. In the past, he had looked down on this kind of shortcut that relied on external forces to achieve instant success. Unexpectedly, in a world where spiritual energy was scarce, this thorny shortcut had become the only way.

After her divine sense accelerated the simulation of the specific process four times in her sea of ​​consciousness, Meng Qingtong returned.

Amidst the wind, rain, lightning, and thunder, she was reluctant to activate a protective talisman and relied solely on her old, not-so-big umbrella. She also carried a large bag of groceries, leaving her soaked and disheveled, with even the ends of her swaying ponytail dripping water.

She tossed her things into the kitchen, took a change of clothes from her backpack, and went into the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she said from inside, "How long will it take to open the hole? I'm going to schedule a time with Liu Song. He said if it rains heavily tonight, he'll have the driver pick us up. He asked around what time."

"It's up to you. If you can hold back, then go faster. If you can't, then go slower."

She thought for a moment and asked, "How quickly can it be done?"

“One hour… about two hours, I guess.” Han Jie glanced at the wall clock. In his judgment, one hour in his understanding was not exactly the same as two hours in this world. He didn’t understand where the difference came from, but he vaguely felt that being able to perceive this difference was a remarkable talent.

Less than twenty minutes later, Meng Qingtong finished washing up, changed into loose-fitting home clothes, wrapped a towel around her head, and hurriedly went into the kitchen.

Noticing her barely concealed awkwardness and nervousness, Han Jie suddenly realized that they would be living together in this house for the next few days. Even in this modern era with its very open-minded attitudes, "cohabitation" is still a situation that deserves attention.

No wonder she chose a separate bedroom with a balcony right away.

Han Jie felt a little self-deprecating, never expecting that he would be secretly guarded against by a girl who was less than a fraction of his age.

It's not entirely Meng Qingtong's fault. Firstly, one should always be wary of others, and a young girl traveling alone should naturally be aware of her safety. It's likely that the seven or eight spirit arrays she carries are all seals. Secondly, he is now in the appearance and body of a reckless young man, and it's true that he can't be as free of distractions as before.

Putting everything else aside, the moment she walked in, soaking wet, Han Jie subconsciously glanced at her a few more times.

This was completely unfamiliar territory for him, and he didn't even know to what extent he needed to restrain himself so as not to offend his partner.

After researching some theories and experiences on how to get along with girls, Han Jie considered it for a moment and asked, "Qing Tong, do you need any help?"

A confident reply came from behind the closed kitchen door: "Just wait to eat. It's that simple, I can do it with ease."

After waiting for a few minutes, Han Jie couldn't resist sending a wisp of his divine sense over to secretly see what she looked like.

After all, he didn't cook for the sake of satisfying his appetite. He just wanted to be in a place that reminded him of home, and to see something that reminded him of home.

Stripped of all the layers of "genius cultivator," "avenger," "candidate for ascension," etc., what lies hidden deep within his soul is simply a child who lost his home at the age of six and therefore longs for it all the more.

Unexpectedly, what he saw was very different from what he had heard.

Meng Qingtong's phone was leaning against the wall inside the cutting board, displaying the recipe.

She was preparing the food according to the recipe, weighing each ingredient, cutting the vegetables and meat exactly as shown in the picture, and even arranging them perfectly.

Looking at her furrowed brows and serious gaze, her arms were so tense that the muscles bulged out, showing no trace of the ease with which she could "do it with ease".

"Come and see if you want, the door's unlocked." She smashed a clove of garlic with a knife and said irritably, "I'm just a little nervous because I don't make many and I'm afraid I won't do them well. It's not like I can't do it, why are you afraid of me watching?"

Sure enough, she noticed even such a small spying attempt. Han Jie smiled, got up, went over, opened the kitchen door, and stood there watching.

Meng Qingtong turned her head, blushing slightly, "You're really standing here watching?"

"It would be impolite to refuse such a kind invitation." Speaking to her, Han Jie no longer needed to worry about anything, feeling exceptionally relaxed and even a bit playful.

"Whatever." Meng Qingtong turned her head away, no longer looking at him. Her small, soft ear, visible beside her damp hair, changed color slightly. "Anyway, in less than a week, you won't be able to see me like this anymore."

"Oh?"

"By then, I'll definitely have mastered the skills of a master chef, and my wok-flipping skills will be comparable to those of a master chef with ten years of experience." She joked, but her expression remained focused and serious, as if she wanted to count every grain of salt she sprinkled.

"Just do whatever you like, I'm not picky," Han Jie said softly, leaning against the doorframe.

"That won't do. It's not for myself, so I can't just make do." Meng Qingtong didn't even look up, adjusted the gas stove, and started cooking.

After watching her for a while, Han Jie said softly, "In the past, when my mother cooked, I would always squat by the stove and help add firewood and blow on the fire."

"Back then, you were called Sanwang, right?" She smiled and wrinkled her nose. "Your nickname could be Wangwangwang."

As she called, she twisted her waist, just like wagging her tail. "There was indeed a yellow dog at home back then," Han Jie said casually. "Unfortunately, I can't remember its name."

Meng Qingtong glanced at the menu, and while unpacking a newly bought bag of vinegar, casually said, "It's best not to get a dog for now, the landlord will object. Besides, it's expensive and troublesome. If you're feeling lonely, I'll chat with you on the telepathic channel before bed. Tsk, if I come up with more service options, maybe I can pay back my principal too?"

He didn't care to begin with, and simply said, "It's up to you. As long as you think it's enough."

"No, senior, you can't really act like an innocent young man. If you meet a scheming and beautiful older woman, she'll take advantage of you and leave you alone."

Han Jie laughed and said, "You can keep an eye on things for me; consider it another service you provide."

She turned her head slightly, her lips twitching in a half-smile, and said softly, "Alright, I'll take responsibility for this. I promise you won't be taken advantage of. After all, you're the senior I dug out of the mountains with my own hands."

She specifically looked up recipes and bought a lot of ingredients, but in the end, what she served were all very ordinary home-style dishes.

Knowing that Han Jie wasn't very familiar with modern food, she introduced each item one by one, and finally said, "Hmm... I've got almost all the flavors. After I cook a few meals like this for you, I'll know what kind of food you like."

He picked up a piece of bamboo shoot and cured meat with his chopsticks, chewed it carefully, and mumbled, "No need to go to such lengths all the time, keep it simple."

"You tell me first whether it tastes good or not. Which part is good, and which part is not?"

He had no choice but to taste each dish first, and after commenting, he said, "They're all good, but you can use less chili in the future."

"Oh." Meng Qingtong nodded, took out her phone and wrote it down in her notes. "That makes things easier. You can accept anything except spicy food. It'll be easier to change things up later, so you don't get tired of it and make it harder for me to pay off my debt."

As we sat across from each other eating and chatting occasionally, the minute hand on the watch had unknowingly completed a full circle.

Having finished eating long ago, Meng Qingtong saw that there was hardly anything left on the table, and the rice in the rice cooker was completely emptied. She finally breathed a sigh of relief and said in a tone that didn't sound impatient, "Shouldn't we be able to start now?"

Han Jie picked up his phone, activated the spiritual runes with his spiritual power, and instantly entered a text using his divine sense. Then he opened the Jinghong app, encrypted it, and sent it to her, saying, "Take a look first, and memorize it as soon as possible. I'll get ready here, and then we can begin."

"What kind of incantation is this?" Meng Qingtong quickly went through it, then immediately frowned and said, "You're not secretly increasing the stakes again, are you?"

"The method that can help you maintain and expand your soul space. Memorize it first." Han Jie's expression became more serious. "If I'm ready and you haven't finished memorizing it by then, it will take a lot more of my effort in the future."

He had figured out the girl's weakness, and threatening her with the need for him to make more sacrifices was much more effective than other methods.

Sure enough, upon hearing that the favors would become increasingly heavy if not handled properly, Meng Qingtong's expression changed. She grabbed her phone and ran to the bedroom, still managing to turn back and say in the midst of her busy schedule, "You don't need to clean the table, just leave it here."

Han Jie, of course, wouldn't let a little girl obey his orders. He leisurely took the dishes and chopsticks on the table to the kitchen and began washing them without using any magic.

He had already completed the necessary preparations. Putting pressure on Meng Qingtong was to prevent her from noticing the cultivation techniques hidden within the incantations.

When she becomes self-reliant and can maintain the space in the future, she can conveniently pursue cultivation at the same time. If she suspects anything is amiss, she can simply say that this is how the cultivation method is supposed to be.

In any case, the final interpretation rests entirely with Han Jie, so what can she do?

The feeling of scheming to slip something into someone's arms wasn't bad at all. Han Jie casually brushed the water droplets off his palm, which disappeared completely. He sat back down on the sofa with a satisfied smile.

After waiting quietly for more than ten minutes, only half of the estimated half hour had passed when the bedroom door opened.

Standing there confidently, Meng Qingtong waved her phone and said with a smile, "I've memorized it. Do you want to check it, Teacher Han?"

"No need." Han Jie stood up and made room on the sofa. "Come lie down, let's begin."

"Huh? You washed the dishes?" Meng Qingtong looked at him helplessly. "Senior, I was paying off a debt and interest. It's not like we're a couple dividing the work, one cooking and the other washing the dishes. Don't do this again."

"I've been detached from worldly affairs for too long, just experiencing it for a bit." He replied casually. "Come here, I'll open two spiritual apertures for you first. You'll need to use the cultivation technique you just memorized. Remember, if you don't understand anything, come and ask me. This isn't the way of your era, so don't try to figure it out yourself. If you go astray in your cultivation, the favor you owe me will be even harder to repay."

"I know, I know, big creditor, I'll listen to you." Meng Qingtong muttered as she walked over and sat on the sofa. "Is there anything else I need to prepare? Is it okay to sit like this?"

"Lift up your clothes a little, show me your dantian," Han Jie gestured, then said, "or lie down. Also, you'd better find something to bite down on."

“All ready.” She pulled a gelatinous object from her pocket and shook it. “These are custom-made fighting mouthguards, several of them. I need to use them every night. They’re super durable and can withstand biting.”

Seeing her bite down, Han Jie put his phone aside and dialed a divine thought, saying, "If you can't hold back, let me know over here."

"Don't worry, I don't believe there's any pain in this world that I can't bear." She rolled up her clothes, revealing her tight, slender waist, then clasped her hands together and placed them under her ribs.

Han Jie put two fingers together and gently touched the area above her navel. Just as he was about to concentrate, a ripple of emotion suddenly stirred in his mind.

The slightly undulating outline of his abdominal muscles almost made him want to trace it.

He hadn't thought much of it when Meng Qingtong wore revealing short-sleeved shirts and shorts before; she even tied the hem of her shirt to show off a nice waist.

The air conditioning was on in the room, and she had changed into long-sleeved and long-legged loungewear. She lay down and only pulled up the hem of her clothes a little bit, but somehow it made him feel uneasy without realizing it.
"What's wrong? Am I in the wrong position?" Meng Qingtong was a little puzzled because she didn't experience the expected sharp pain.

"No, I'm coming." Han Jie steadied himself, concentrated his spiritual power at his fingertips, and without hesitation, pierced her soul like a fine needle.

"Hmm!"

She groaned softly, her fingers clenching tightly, yet she still managed a joking remark in her mind: "That's it?"

"Don't forget the location of the first spiritual aperture." Han Jie looked away, refusing to look at her face, which was already covered in fine sweat. He activated his cultivation technique, and his spiritual power surged in her soul. He then struck her hard with a chisel.

"Ugh—!"

A agonizing groan almost escaped into the rain outside...

(End of this chapter)