Chapter 131: New Pharmaceutical Channels, an Immortal Resonance Endorsement
Following the address Le Mulan had given him, Zhang Yu arrived at an apartment building outside Purple Cloud High School.
The building had an antique charm, with classically styled outer walls and a grand entrance of carved beams and painted rafters. The entire structure seemed to glow under the setting sun, as if draped in a brilliant golden veil, appearing both understated and magnificent.
Zhang Yu felt that the apartment he used to live in was a pigsty by comparison.
The moment he stood before the entrance, the glass doors slid open automatically, and a voice drifted out, “Mr. Zhang, your check-in information has been registered. Please follow the guide to your room.”
Following the purple, glowing arrows on the floor, Zhang Yu made his way to Room 101.
As the door opened on its own, a cleansing mist sprayed him from head to toe the moment he stepped inside.
He then saw Le Mulan sitting cross-legged on a cushion, silently performing a breathing exercise.
“You’re here?”
As Zhang Yu entered, Le Mulan slowly rose to her feet. She still wore her thick school uniform on her upper body, but her trousers had been shed at some point, replaced by a pair of athletic shorts that revealed a pair of long, straight, and fair legs.
“My pants were going to tear anyway, so I took them off first. You don’t mind, do you?”
Zhang Yu looked down helplessly and said, “No, do as you please.”
Le Mulan picked up a nearby apartment key card and held it out to Zhang Yu.
“From now on, this place is for you and Bai Zhenzhen to live in. Just pay 2,000 a month. Internet, electricity, and water are all included.”
“But I have one condition. When I come here to train with you, Bai Zhenzhen cannot be in the room without my permission.”
I’m not… ready to engage in close combat with both of them at the same time just yet, Le Mulan thought.
Zhang Yu frowned and said, “You have to give me a heads-up before you come, right? You can’t just show up whenever you want. What if we’re busy?”
Le Mulan nodded. “Of course. I’ll schedule a time with you each week. I can try to arrange it for when Bai Zhenzhen isn’t around.”
With that, she placed the key card in Zhang Yu’s hand and added, “Let’s begin.”
…
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Le Mulan emerged from her private bathroom, having already showered and changed into a new school uniform.
She sat on the windowsill, rubbing her slightly bruised legs.
Then, she took out a Dao heart buffer and inhaled from it, a comfortable expression spreading across her face.
She was in a good mood today; after all, having completed her training with Zhang Yu, she felt her psychological mysophobia had been significantly reduced.
Furthermore, her physical control had improved from wrestling with him.
This Zhang Yu really is talented when it comes to the physical body.
After he graduates from university, he could probably become a decent body tempering coach.
Le Mulan turned her head, looking curiously at Zhang Yu, who was mopping the floor.
While Zhang Yu was mopping, Fu Ji reminded him, “Don’t forget to bottle the potion. Bai Zhenzhen has been bugging you about it several times.”
Nearby, Le Mulan watched Zhang Yu stare hesitantly at a water bottle, and she seemed to understand something.
“You can’t accept this kind of potion? Can’t get over the mental block?”
Le Mulan spoke in the tone of an experienced senior, “You’ll get used to it.”
“A person must learn to proactively adapt to their environment.”
“Right now, you can’t get over it mentally. You think it’s disgusting, you think it’s dirty, but after a few more times, you’ll slowly adapt.”
Zhang Yu frowned at her words. “I’m already trying my best to adapt to this rotten place.”
Looking at the sweat—which smelled fragrant, looked sweet, and would probably taste good—Zhang Yu sighed. “But there are some things in this rotten place I’d rather not adapt to.”
Le Mulan tilted her head and said, “Then spend money. Money can change the environment. If you buy your own alchemical enhancers, you won’t have to drink this.”
Zhang Yu walked up to Le Mulan and smiled. “Then do you have a channel for buying them? Could you sell some to me for cheaper?”
Le Mulan said coolly, “Money can solve it now… but one day, you’ll encounter a problem that money can’t solve immediately.”
The image of her defeat to Zhang Yu in the martial arts competition flashed through her mind, and she said with a hint of helplessness, “When that time comes, you’ll have no choice but to adapt on your own.”
Zhang Yu chuckled and said, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Le Mulan stared intently at Zhang Yu, as if seeing her former self, who wanted to solve everything with money, who only wanted to use money to create a barrier against ‘poverty.’
But the Zhang Yu before her was a different kind of poor person.
Le Mulan suddenly laughed, pulled on her pants, and walked towards the door. “Fine. Just send me a message on your phone with what drugs you want.”
“I’ll have someone sell them to you at a 20 percent discount.”
Zhang Yu asked, “Is the quality as good as what you use? Oh, and do you have neural fillers? Any Crimson Marrow Primordial Pills?”
Le Mulan had already walked out of the room.
As the door closed, only her cool voice lingered.
“Just as good. They should have them.”
The thought of being able to buy Crimson Marrow Primordial Pills at a 20 percent discount sent a jolt of joy through Zhang Yu.
To cultivate his body tempering technique, the Crimson Marrow Primordial Qi, he needed to spend 300,000 a month on those pills.
“A twenty percent discount will save me 60,000!”
Over an hour later, Bai Zhenzhen arrived at the room.
She first touched the body tempering equipment, then looked around the bathroom, tested the soundproofing of the quiet room, and then checked the list of room services like laundry, cleaning, and meal delivery.
The meal delivery service even offered cheap synthetic food, allowing them to eat whenever they felt hungry.
After looking everything over, Bai Zhenzhen said with a delighted surprise, “Damn, the conditions here are amazing! And we can cultivate anytime. Is it really only 2,000 a month?”
Zhang Yu nodded and then explained Le Mulan’s condition.
“That’s a small matter. Is there a rental contract?”
Looking at the electronic contract Zhang Yu sent her, Bai Zhenzhen said with great anticipation, “Now we can apply for the inter-city travel permit. We’re one step closer to passing the Foundation Establishment exam.”
Zhang Yu nodded and remarked with emotion, “I thought we wouldn’t be able to live in a place like this until after we got into university.”
Then Zhang Yu told her about buying alchemical enhancers from Le Mulan at a discount.
Bai Zhenzhen nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. “Great! That woman uses only high-quality drugs. Being able to use her channels for supplies, and at a discount…”
At this thought, she couldn’t help but laugh, feeling that her and Zhang Yu’s chances of passing the Foundation Establishment exam had grown even greater.
A moment later, Bai Zhenzhen eagerly walked toward the quiet room.
“I’m going to try cultivating in here first.”
Zhang Yu, on the other hand, turned on the lights in the room one by one, intending to test the effect of cultivating the Great Sun Qi Sea at night with the lights on.
As the light shone on him, he immediately felt the Great Sun magic power in his body stir slightly. Although it wasn’t as intense as during the day, it still had about twenty to thirty percent of the effect.
Since Le Mulan is covering our electricity bill, should I buy some high-power lights?
…
After moving into the new apartment, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen spent their days moving between school, the apartment, and the Dark Learning Gang, constantly advancing toward their goal of passing the Foundation Establishment exam.
Several days passed like this.
On the Songyang City subway.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were leaning against each other; Bai Zhenzhen was practicing breathing exercises to absorb spiritual energy, while Zhang Yu circulated the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art in his mind.
Ever since raising his Great Sun Qi Sea to level 10, he had begun cultivating the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art.
Now, as he visualized it, a great ox with all four limbs broken, blind and deaf, seemed to be crawling forward in his mind, never stopping.
With this visualization, a sense of joy began to rise in Zhang Yu’s heart, as if no matter how bitter or tiring it was, as long as he could advance, as long as he could progress, that was enough.
Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art Level 5 (23/50)
This heart art, just like the Desolate Ox Soul-Suppressing Mantra, has a hidden condition: hope, Zhang Yu thought.
You must at least have a path forward to perfectly utilize this heart art.
More than ten minutes later, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen exited the subway station and walked up to a skyscraper in the city center.
Looking at the tower that soared into the clouds as if to pierce the sky, a slight smile appeared on Zhang Yu’s lips.
This was the Immortal Resonance Group’s office building in downtown Songyang City, a place he had visited before.
However, the last time he came here was to test cultivation techniques for odd jobs. This time, he was here as an endorser to shoot a commercial.
After registering at the front desk, they followed the directions to the shooting location.
As Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen stepped out of the elevator, they were greeted by a series of advertisement posters belonging to the Immortal Resonance Group.
A Fetal Muscle Enhancement Class, to help your baby be more confident after birth.
An Elderly Longevity Class, attend for a day, live for a day.
There was also a Health Insurance Buster Training Class, on how to bankrupt your opponent in three moves.
Looking at the posters here, Zhang Yu felt an even greater sense of the Immortal Resonance Group’s wealth and power, as well as the vast scope of its business.
Zhang Yu said, “The Immortal Resonance Group’s customer base is really broad.”
“Isn’t it?” Bai Zhenzhen said from the side. “Although their main business is said to be in education, they can educate everyone.”
“From fetal education to the elderly, don’t they just turn everyone into their customers?”
“Only the dead haven’t been educated by them yet, but I think that’s coming soon…”
As Bai Zhenzhen grumbled about the Immortal Resonance Group, the two of them unknowingly stopped in front of another poster, their gazes fixed on Zhang Pianpian in the image.
“Secret Scrolls of the True God of Talismans, the top choice of study material for Zhang Pianpian, the number one high school student in talismans in the Eastern District’s 12-city joint examination.”
“Co-authored by the Immortal Resonance Group and the Eight Ministries of Righteous Gods, featuring tens of thousands of talisman examples, guaranteeing every purchaser a divine spirit’s guidance. Standard edition 888,888, deluxe edition 1,888,888…”
Zhang Yu felt like his eyes were playing tricks on him. “Zhen, how many eights are there? I can’t even count them.”
“You can’t even count 880,000 and 1.88 million? The stench of poverty is all over you.” Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes shone as she looked at Zhang Pianpian in the poster, her voice filled with envy. “So godmother was also an endorser for the Immortal Resonance Group? I wonder what her endorsement fee was.”
Then she looked at the phrase ‘number one in talismans in the Eastern District’s 12-city joint examination’ and sighed in admiration, “The number one in talismans in the 12-city joint exam?”
Zhang Yu knew that the first layer of Kunxu contained countless cities. After all, with an area of over 20 million square kilometers, all of it land with no oceans, the number of cities far surpassed that of any country he knew from his previous life.
And this 12-city joint examination was an annual unified test held by the key high schools in 12 cities in the eastern part of Kunxu’s first layer. All participants were third-year high school students, making it something of a dress rehearsal for the college entrance exams.
“To get first place in talismans even in the 12-city joint examination.”
Zhang Yu grew even more curious. “How on earth did my sister get her talisman skills to this level? This must have cost a lot of money.”
So, while Bai Zhenzhen went to find their contact person, Zhang Yu pinched the prayer beads on his chest and whispered, “Do you know why her talisman skills are so high?”
“What did you mean last time by the Divine Dao?”