Chapter 246: Unbearable
Wang Yin thought to himself, If a man won’t even fight for his own interests, how can he be expected to fight—to seize—for the company?
“If Zhang Yu were just as meek, just as timid and fearful, so scared that he wouldn’t even dare ask me a single question when something happened to someone close to him, then his accomplishments in this life would be limited.”
Wang Yin knew with perfect clarity that in Kunxu, you had to dare to fight, dare to seize, for any chance to get ahead.
If the dogs under his command were all meek, how could he set them loose to bite anyone?
But reckless biting and wanton audacity wouldn’t do either.
“He can’t have his spirit ground down until he loses all his courage.”
“But nor can he be ignorant of the rules, biting wildly without my command.”
“This time, I will grind Zhang Yu’s temperament, teach him that the company’s interests are a bottom line that must not be touched.”
Wang Yin planned to put some pressure on him, then find some benefits to give him after a while, properly cultivating this promising talent so he would be of use when brought to the upper echelons in the future.
Time ambled on, and in the blink of an eye, it was September.
As Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen officially became third-year students, a new class of first-years appeared at Songyang High School.
Watching the many new students matriculate, Zhang Yu felt as if he were seeing his former self—just as poor, just as weak, and just as anxious.
He glanced down at the number in his bank account: 43 million.
His savings had not grown this month; in fact, after his expenses and debt repayments over the past month, they had even shrunk by a portion.
This was because this month’s money… Mr. Wang had not sent it yet.
Zhang Yu understood that Mr. Wang was clearly waiting for him to go and apologize.
If he wanted to continue receiving money from Mr. Wang, he would likely have to play by the other’s rules and obediently be his dog.
What if he went to True Person Starfire and chose Myriad Laws University?
Then he would have to give up the four million per month from Mr. Wang, a total fortune of tens of millions.
At this moment, regardless of whether Zhang Yu circulated the Hall of Gold and Jade Heart Art or the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art in his mind, neither was very effective.
It was as if two different paths lay before him, yet he wanted to choose neither.
Zhang Yu thought back to when he had first arrived in Kunxu, dreaming countless times of escaping poverty and becoming a rich man who didn’t have to worry about loan interest.
But now, holding 43 million, he found that the difficulties he faced were still the same as in the past.
Either endure constant hardship, or endure a little less and become a rich man’s dog.
Zhang Yu could only remind himself over and over.
You must endure, Zhang Yu.
Just like you endured Zhou Chechen and Lan Ling before.
With my talent, as long as I endure, the day will surely come when I am strong enough.
Just then, his phone vibrated. Zhang Yu saw it was a message from Chi He, the general manager of Oasis Group, inviting him and Bai Zhenzhen to a party that evening.
At the party, as soon as Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen arrived, they were welcomed in by Mr. Wang, who kept them by his side, plying them with alchemical enhancers and alcohol.
He then led them before a massive pool of blood and, pointing to the lifelike reliefs of people on its outer wall, introduced it, “This is a Qi and Blood Pool built upon the foundation of eighteen experts at the peak of Qi Refinement.”
“The qi and blood in the pool are one with their bodies, circulated by these eighteen people’s cultivation techniques at every moment.”
“A person need only soak within it to be naturally moved by the qi and blood, as if these eighteen people were circulating it for you. Just soaking in it is equivalent to arduous ascetic training day and night.”
“If you complete your Foundation Establishment in this pool in the future, you will be able to raise your physical body’s strength to level 12 or higher the moment you enter the realm, saving at least a year of hard work.”
Looking at the human figures on the outer wall, their chests still rising and falling, their hearts still beating, Zhang Yu did not feel as uncomfortable as he had the first time he saw the living clothes racks.
After all, having spent this period of time with Mr. Wang, he had more or less come to understand the artistic and Immortal Dao style of the Netherworld Palace faction.
It was basically a mad dash toward being the greatest ‘devil incarnate’ imaginable. There was nothing you couldn’t think of that they wouldn’t do.
Although Zhang Yu still did not particularly like this style, he at least did not let it show on his face.
What shocked Zhang Yu more now was, This must all be incredibly valuable.
For Wang Yin to give such an expensive gift…
Besides the artistic and Immortal Dao style of the Netherworld Palace, Zhang Yu was also gradually coming to understand Wang Yin’s way of doing things.
For the other party to give him something so precious when he had not apologized… a bad premonition instantly arose in Zhang Yu’s heart.
After introducing the Qi and Blood Pool, Mr. Wang patted Bai Zhenzhen’s shoulder and said with a doting expression, “Zhen, there is something I must tell you.”
He stroked Bai Zhenzhen’s hair and said with some regret, “A distinguished guest from above has taken a great interest in your physical body and offered a high price to buy it.”
“Although this business came up suddenly, the price will absolutely not disappoint you, so I took the liberty of agreeing for you.”
“Zhen, it’s time to change your body.”
Hearing Mr. Wang’s words, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were stunned, as if bolts of lightning had exploded in their minds.
Mr. Wang slowly caressed Bai Zhenzhen’s head as if looking at his most beloved pet and said, “Don’t you worry, after you change your body, I won’t treat you unfairly.”
“With this Qi and Blood Pool here, I will help you choose another powerful body, and you will be able to recover your physical cultivation very quickly.”
“You’ll just have to endure a little hardship this time, but I will definitely cultivate you with all my might in the future. I will never treat you unfairly.”
Mr. Wang consoled her, “Once you enter Netherworld University, you’ll know that changing bodies is a commonplace matter, not a big deal at all.”
Looking at Mr. Wang’s gaze, which held no trace of malice, and feeling the matter-of-fact tone in his words, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen could both sense the earnestness in his speech.
He truly intended to sell Bai Zhenzhen, and he truly believed he was doing it for her own good, that he was not wronging her, that he had already paid a sufficient price, and furthermore, that changing a body was nothing.
Just as Bai Zhenzhen’s body began to tremble with nervousness, Zhang Yu firmly grasped her hand.
Zhang Yu smiled at Mr. Wang and said, “No problem, Mr. Wang. I agree on Zhen’s behalf.”
“But could you give us a few days to prepare?”
Seeing their calm demeanor, Wang Yin nodded slightly. “Then you may go.”
They walked out of the Oasis Building. On the entire way back to the apartment, they held hands but neither spoke a word.
It wasn’t until they stepped inside the apartment that Bai Zhenzhen finally broke the silence.
She squeezed Zhang Yu’s hand, pulling him around to face her, and said, “Yu-boy, don’t do anything reckless.”
“I’ll give you my True Spiritual Root. If I have to change my body, then so be it.”
“As long as my spiritual root is still here, changing my body is nothing. Just as Mr. Wang said, I’ll train it back quickly…”
Zhang Yu said flatly, “And what if you can’t train it back? What if you can’t recover within the two terms of our third year? What if the new body isn’t suitable? Or incompatible with your spirit?”
Zhang Yu shook his head. “Zhen, I’ve already figured it out…”
Bai Zhenzhen said helplessly, “Then what do you want to do? Fight Mr. Wang? Never mind how much money and how many people Oasis Group has, we can’t even beat Mr. Wang’s semi-automatic Talisman Tome! How can we fight?”
Bai Zhenzhen possessed exceptional combat experience and the observational abilities granted by her True Spiritual Root.
It was precisely because of this that she had run countless simulations of a possible battle with Wang Yin, and the result was always zero.
A zero percent chance of victory.
This was a conclusion drawn from her countless life-or-death struggles and desperate battles of the past.
Zhang Yu said slowly, “Zhen, I wanted to endure, too.”
“When he stirred up chaos in Songyang City, I endured.”
“When he messed with the first layer, I endured that too.”
“When Old Zhao was sold, I still endured.”
“I just thought that as long as I kept enduring, as long as I had money and my strength increased, I wouldn’t have to endure in the future.”
“But he never, ever should have… planned to sell you, too!”
Layers of icy light appeared in Zhang Yu’s eyes, and a dense battle intent began to gather in his mind.
“Zhen, I really wanted to endure. But this damn Kunxu, this damn world, this damn company, these damn rich people… they keep pushing us, pushing us to the point where even endurance is impossible.”
“So I’ve figured it out.”
In the visualization in Zhang Yu’s mind, the Crippled Ox, which had been silent for a long time, seemed to slowly open its eyes.
“To Mr. Wang, as long as someone offers a high enough price, he will definitely sell us.”
“This is Oasis Group, this is the Netherworld Palace, this, damn it all, is Kunxu.”
“To them, we don’t even count as pets; we are just a part of their property.”
“Telling us before selling, giving some compensation, setting a high price—to them, that is already a great act of mercy.”
At this moment, Zhang Yu’s face looked incomparably cold and incomparably calm. The sharp edge that had gradually dulled with his comfortable life seemed to return to him in this instant.
“But the reverse is also true.”
“Someone offers him a high enough price, and he sells us.”
“Someone offers us a high enough price, and we can sell him too.”
Zhang Yu said coldly, “This, damn it all, is Kunxu.”
Fu Ji, hearing this, suddenly burst into loud laughter. “Well said, kid. Your understanding of Kunxu has deepened by another layer.”
She knew that Zhang Yu would not possibly abandon Bai Zhenzhen, and that saying what she had in the past would only antagonize him. So, she decided not to persuade him and instead planned to help him strategize.
Beside them, Bai Zhenzhen’s gaze flickered as she listened to Zhang Yu.
If she could avoid having her body sold, why would Bai Zhenzhen be willing to switch to another?
At this moment, seeing Zhang Yu’s serious expression, she could already feel his determination, feel his will.
“Yu-boy, I understand what you mean.”
“I… don’t want to sell my body either.”
She let out a breath, and the sword intent in her eyes gradually condensed. “Then we won’t endure.”
“The worst that can happen is a fight to the death.”
“In any case, for us poor folk to carve out a path in this world, desperate struggles are always unavoidable.”
“We have indeed been living too comfortably these past six months.”
“Tell me, what do you plan to do?”
Fu Ji reminded him, “From your last conversation with True Person Starfire and Deng Bingding, the sects above are using righteous gods and that Golden Core True Person to deal with Oasis Group.”
“You’ll have to borrow their power.”
Zhang Yu opened his phone’s contact list and found Deng Bingding.
He contacted her directly and opened by asking, “How do you plan to deal with him?”
Deng Bingding’s heart stirred slightly. Has… the time come?