Volume One, Chapter 75: Fierce Firepower.

“Sorry, sir, all the rooms have been booked. Perhaps you could try another hotel,” the attendant said politely.

“No, that won’t do. My friend is already asleep—if we move now, he’ll catch a cold. How about this: I can sign up for a membership at your hotel, even pay the annual fee,” Jiang Chen replied.

He still had a little money left in his pocket, borrowed from someone else. His own funds were managed by the Nether Hall, and he wasn’t allowed to keep too much cash on hand.

“It’s just… I’m not lying to you, sir. Our rooms really are fully booked. Even if some end up unused tonight, we can’t just give them away,” the attendant insisted.

Jiang Chen nodded helplessly, preparing to carry Jiang Ning away.

“Attendant, give him my room 501. I happen to have two rooms tonight,” came a hearty laugh from behind. Jiang Chen turned and saw a man with a prosperous air and a small mustache.

“Thank you so much. Please tell me how much, and I’ll pay you back,” Jiang Chen said sincerely.

The man, Jiang Shengli, wore an expression that said he understood everything. “Don’t mention it, young man. Use whatever you need inside. Big brother here will cover it for you.”

Jiang Chen felt a bit embarrassed. “Ah, brother, I can’t possibly accept this. I’m already using your room, and you don’t even want any money? That’s too much.”

Jiang Shengli caught sight of the girl in Jiang Chen’s arms and raised an eyebrow. “It’s fine, I understand. I was young once, too—full of energy. Go on, do what you need to do. Don’t feel pressured.”

Jiang Chen thought to himself: what pressure could there be, with a beautiful woman in his arms? But did this brother misunderstand something? He’d only brought Jiang Ning here to sleep—just to sleep, nothing more. Was there a hidden meaning in what he’d said?

“Brother, she’s just my friend. She drank too much, so I brought her here. There’s nothing else between us,” Jiang Chen explained.

Jiang Shengli grinned. “I get it. It all starts with being friends. Don’t worry, after some time, you won’t be just friends.”

Jiang Chen was left speechless—how did this get more confusing the more he tried to explain?

“Well… brother, I’ll head up now,” Jiang Chen said.

Jiang Shengli waved him off. “Go ahead, but take it easy tonight—keep it down, yeah?”

Having met such a kind soul, Jiang Chen had no choice but to take Jiang Ning upstairs.

Inside the room, Jiang Ning’s cheeks were flushed. Jiang Chen wondered what was wrong, but in the next instant—

“Ugh—” Jiang Ning rushed to the toilet and began to vomit.

Jiang Chen had cared for drunk people before and knew what to do. He boiled a cup of water and waited until she’d retched so much that even bile came up. Yet she still seemed lost and dazed.

He helped her onto the bed. Jiang Ning, eyes wide open, looked around the unfamiliar room. “Brother Jiang Chen, where are we?”

“This… this is a hotel room a kind man let us use for free,” Jiang Chen answered honestly.

Jiang Ning let out a cry and abruptly sat up. “Ah! This is a hotel! Why did you bring me to a place like this?”

Jiang Chen sighed inwardly. “It’s not that I wanted to bring you here. You drank too much, and if I hadn’t brought you, you’d have been in real danger tonight. Do you understand?”

He explained everything that had just happened, and only then did Jiang Ning realize what she’d been through.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Though she was drunk, she wasn’t completely gone. She could recall bits of what Jiang Chen had said, and as she pieced it together, the entire night came back to her.

“Thank you, Brother Jiang Chen. If it hadn’t been for you, if my father found out what could have happened… he’d be devastated.”

Jiang Ning shuddered at the thought of her aging father losing his mind if she’d been harmed.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen had been there to save her.

“It’s nothing. Next time, be careful who you trust. Don’t believe just anyone. If I hadn’t been here tonight, think how bad things could’ve gotten.” Jiang Chen’s warning had its effect—Jiang Ning’s face fell, making Jiang Chen chuckle.

“Don’t worry, I’ll never go out with people like that again. I’ll be much more careful choosing friends from now on.” As a woman, she understood all too well just how dangerous tonight had been.

Jiang Chen nodded thoughtfully. “Alright, as long as you understand.”

Jiang Ning closed her eyes but could not fall asleep. Jiang Chen sat nearby, meditating. After a while, Jiang Ning asked timidly, “I can’t sleep.”

“Can’t sleep? What should I do about that?” Jiang Chen replied.

Since entering the world of cultivation, he’d never had trouble sleeping. Every day he was so exhausted that all he needed to do was close his eyes, and he’d be out—never had insomnia.

Jiang Ning traced circles on the bed with her finger. “At home, my bed always rocks gently. If the bed doesn’t move, I can’t sleep.”

Jiang Chen thought to himself, typical child of a wealthy family. Before he was ten, he slept on an ordinary bed; after ten, he rarely even had a bed. Once he began cultivating, he usually slept in caves or on cliffs. More often than not, to avoid wild beasts, he’d sleep in trees. During his days of wandering, he’d even slept under a bridge—he’d long grown used to making the earth his bed and the sky his blanket.

Sitting up, Jiang Chen pinched her cheek, found it unsatisfying, and pinched her a second time before asking, “So what will help you sleep? Should I take you home now?”

Jiang Ning grinned. “No need! See, this bed is a waterbed. If you rock it a little, it’ll move, too.”

Only then did Jiang Chen notice that the bed really was a waterbed.

“If I rock it, you’ll be able to sleep?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright then. Close your eyes.”

“Okay!”

Helpless, Jiang Chen became a human cradle, rocking the bed gently.

The bed creaked loudly with every motion, as if its joints were loose. The noise was quite obvious, but not enough to disturb the other guests.

But Jiang Shengli in the next room, 502, was in for a rough night.

At first, Jiang Shengli thought the noise would last an hour at most. But two hours passed, and it still hadn’t stopped—even for a moment. Not even a short break.

Then three hours, four, five… Jiang Shengli was astonished. Was the young man really that energetic? Even with special supplements, no one could keep it up all night.

He sighed in admiration, “Young people really are something else—such stamina!”