Chapter 204: An’an’s Plea, Zhang Yu’s Plan
Yue Jincheng and Si Zhouyu watched the bill grow with their every breath, a growing ache in their hearts.
On the other side, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen strolled along a tree-lined path in the preserve. Looking out at the endless forest before them, they felt a gradual sense of peace.
Breathing from his oxygen tank, Zhang Yu remarked with some emotion, “The first time I came here, I didn’t bring an oxygen tank and had to be careful with every breath, afraid of wasting even a second. I never got a chance to properly appreciate the scenery.”
Bai Zhenzhen nodded slightly. Gazing at the quiet, distant forest under the moonlight as she ambled along the path, she felt a rare sense of relaxation in her spirit.
Bai Zhenzhen suddenly recalled that it had been a very, very long time since she had last taken a aimless walk like this, neither cultivating nor studying.
And it was this feeling of walking with Zhang Yu, without needing to do anything at all, that made Bai Zhenzhen feel incredibly relaxed.
“If only there were a day when we didn’t have to study or cultivate, when we could just zone out or walk as we pleased, wasting as much time as we wanted… that would be nice.”
But at this thought, Bai Zhenzhen let out a soft sigh; she knew all too well how difficult it was to achieve such a thing in Kunxu.
The pressure of the Foundation Establishment exam followed her like a shadow.
Yun Jing’s overwhelming strength was a needle pricking at her heart. Every time she thought that the young master from the Immortal Capital might still be hard at work, she found it impossible to completely relax.
But Bai Zhenzhen truly felt exhausted, a weariness that had been growing since she started high school. The foreseeable future would only become more tiring year after year, sometimes leaving her with the illusion of being unable to breathe.
Sigh, I should at least take this chance to relax a little…
Just then, Bai Zhenzhen heard the whistling of fists cutting through the air. She turned her head to see that Zhang Yu had started cultivating again.
You son of a gun, still grinding away… Bai Zhenzhen opened her mouth, but ultimately let out a helpless sigh and began her own training.
She lamented inwardly, Sigh, I suppose this is the fate of a high school student. To avoid being eliminated, dedicating all your time and energy is the most basic requirement.
Beside her, Zhang Yu felt the chill in his mind recede and cursed inwardly, This idiotic ritual really won’t give me a single chance to relax.
However, although the two seized the time to cultivate, they dared not absorb the surrounding spiritual energy here in the preserve, terrified of bankrupting their already impoverished selves.
On the other side, Yue Jincheng and Si Zhouyu frowned as they watched the pair begin to cultivate.
“Why are they cultivating here?” Yue Jincheng said through gritted teeth. “I’m almost out of money to cover the charges.”
Si Zhouyu sighed beside him and said, “Hand me the phone.”
“This is the company’s employee loan channel. You can borrow some money from here for now.”
Yue Jincheng was surprised. “Our company has an employee loan channel?”
“What’s so strange about that?” Si Zhouyu smiled. “What company doesn’t? ‘Focusing on employee financial services so employees can enjoy their raises early’ is the company slogan.”
“Haven’t you always wanted a raise?” Si Zhouyu gestured with her chin toward the phone in Yue Jincheng’s hand. “Apply for a ‘salary advance experience’ here, and you can automatically borrow a portion of your salary each month.”
Yue Jincheng certainly had no interest in any ‘advance experience,’ but to continue tracking Zhang Yu now, he had no choice but to borrow money.
Though unwilling, Yue Jincheng ultimately gritted his teeth and borrowed a sum to tide him over.
He continued to watch Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen cultivate in the preserve. Just as Yue Jincheng was beginning to think that the two had come here specifically to cultivate and that today’s surveillance might be a waste of time, he saw them start moving again.
Before long, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen entered one of Red Pagoda’s breeding bases.
Inside the breeding base, the little panda An’an looked at the two arrivals in surprise. “Why are you here? And how did you get in by buying tickets directly without an appointment?”
Due to a lack of funds, it had been a long time since Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had come to leech off the breeding base’s spirit vein for cultivation.
Hearing An’an’s question now, Zhang Yu smiled slightly. “We’re not here to cultivate, just to look around.”
Bai Zhenzhen, however, stroked An’an’s head and asked, “An’an, have you lost weight?”
An’an gave them a few distracted replies, a worried expression never leaving her face.
Zhang Yu could naturally see that something was on An’an’s mind, but with his own considerable troubles, he had no energy to worry about others.
Finally, An’an couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Are you guys not going to come here to use the spirit vein anymore?”
“Please, will you come here to cultivate?”
Seeing An’an with her tail drooping, Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu exchanged a helpless glance. Having spent all their spare funds, where would they get the money to use a spirit vein?
Besides, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were getting closer to the 100-unit limit of Qi Refinement for their magic power and didn’t need the spirit vein as much anymore. If they had money, they would definitely buy a cultivation technique first.
Seeing the silence of Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu, An’an’s head drooped in dejection.
Bai Zhenzhen couldn’t help but ask, “Is Xiong Wenwu in some kind of trouble?”
An’an said softly, “Red Pagoda High School started a body tempering experimental class, but besides good grades, you also have to pay a registration fee to get in. Wenwu doesn’t have enough money, and his grades have started to slip recently.”
“I want to raise some money for him, but my salary is too low.”
“If you’re willing to use the spirit vein, you don’t have to help him with tutoring. Just giving some money would be enough.”
Bai Zhenzhen glanced at Zhang Yu and said, “Should we introduce Yu Xinghan? He should need to use a spirit vein, right?”
“He has to spend money to cultivate at a spirit vein anyway, doesn’t he? It would be better to come here; it might even be cheaper.”
Zhang Yu stroked his chin. He had become more familiar with Yu Xinghan these past few days and understood many of the boy’s methods.
If he comes here to use the spirit vein, he’ll be able to pocket the price difference. He’d definitely be willing, and he’d be sure to keep it a secret.
So Zhang Yu nodded and turned to An’an. “We can’t come, but we can introduce a rich person. Would that work?”
An’an’s eyes widened, and her furry head nodded repeatedly.
Zhang Yu said, “Then it’s settled. I’ll contact him for you later.”
Having casually solved An’an’s problem, Zhang Yu then asked, “Do you have surveillance monitors we can look at?”
And so, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen went to the monitoring room, where they could instantly see every corner of the breeding base.
“Hmm.” Zhang Yu quickly found Yue Jincheng and Si Zhouyu on the screen. “Let’s see when these two came in.”
An’an was also surprised. This breeding base was old and remote, and it was rare to see a single tourist in ten days or half a month. Yet today, besides Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, two others had come.
Under An’an’s operation, the surveillance footage quickly rewound.
Watching the changing images on the screen, Zhang Yu thought, They came in shortly after we did?
In that case, it’s highly probable these two are the ones following us.
Beside him, Bai Zhenzhen said, “These two look completely unfamiliar. They might have the ability to change their body shape and facial features.”
As someone who could also alter his form, Zhang Yu had naturally anticipated this.
“But while appearances can be changed, the method of payment for the tickets cannot.”
“The moment these two bought tickets to enter the breeding base, their accounts were recorded.”
He thought to himself, According to the plan, I’ll lead them around a bit more later, drain more of their money, and mess with their composure.
Speaking of which… they should have a lot of footage of us cultivating by now. I’ll give them something big to see in a moment, and then I’ll report them for stealing martial arts techniques…
Zhang Yu glanced at the Thunderclap Talisman on his phone, ready to be activated.
This talisman, a gift from Zhang Pianpian, could sound a thunderous alarm, summoning the patrol team’s armed forces to enforce the law within a minute.
Zhang Yu had already coordinated with Patrol Captain Yun Ni and could activate it at any moment.
This was the leverage Zhang Yu, Fu Ji, and Bai Zhenzhen had decided to find against Deng Bingding.
Although Deng Bingding is only a sixth-rank World Roaming God, to the powerful families of Songyang City, her status is already quite high.
But a higher status doesn’t mean she can do as she pleases. On the contrary, because of her high rank, she has no direct authority over the powerful families here in Songyang City. She has the power but no means to exert it.
But if I can catch these two followers, and if they secretly record me practicing the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen that I learned for the Foundation Establishment exam, then Deng Bingding can use the confidentiality of exam candidate information as a pretext to extend her reach into Songyang City…
However, Zhang Yu also understood that plans rarely survive contact with reality. While this was their general strategy, they would need to adapt to any unforeseen circumstances.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen said their goodbyes to An’an and prepared to leave the breeding base.
Zhang Yu led Bai Zhenzhen out of the monitoring room and back along the path they had come. They soon came face to face with Yue Jincheng and Si Zhouyu, who had been looking for them.
Yue Jincheng and Si Zhouyu feigned the appearance of ordinary tourists looking at the demon-kin in the study rooms, but all their attention was focused on Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
Following carefully behind the pair, Yue Jincheng glanced at his bill again, a flicker of impatience and agitation in his eyes.
If this keeps up, I’ll run out of the money I borrowed.
Besides, who knows if they’ll even make a move today? What if these two are just out for a stroll…
As a recent university graduate, Yue Jincheng already had to repay an upbringing loan and a university loan, on top of buying alchemical enhancers to maintain his cultivation; he didn’t have much money to begin with.
The thought that he might spend all his money today for nothing brought a flash of irritability to his eyes.
Should he borrow more?
His salary wasn’t increasing, but his debts were skyrocketing?