At Purple Cloud High School, a photo was displayed on Le Mulan’s phone screen.

In the photo, Zhang Yu stood at the entrance of a stationery shop, beaming as he gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

Beneath the photo was a caption: “Gaofeng Stationery—best shop outside Songyang High’s gates! Owner’s super friendly, prices are great. Highly recommended!”

Two slender fingers pinched and zoomed in on the screen until Zhang Yu’s smiling face filled it completely.

After a while, with a flick of her fingers, a new set of photos appeared.

The first one showed Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen taking a selfie at the gates of White Dragon High, arms around each other.

The second showed Bai Zhenzhen hugging an enormous drink bottle, brimming with energy drinks.

In the third, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen sat back-to-back, surrounded by empty energy drink bottles, while Song Hailong could be seen at the edge of the frame, looking deadpan.

The caption read: “Back at White Dragon High again. Their energy drinks are super potent and super tasty! I always grab a few buckets when I’m here. I’m a monthly subscriber—DM me if you want in!”

Her slender fingers once again zoomed in on Zhang Yu’s face photo by photo, pausing each time before swiping to the next.

This next batch wasn’t of people—it was Songyang City’s nightscape, shot from atop a building in the suburbs.

At the center stood the towering Central Tower, piercing the sky like a stairway to heaven. Not far away was the under-construction Oasis Tower. Neon-lit skyscrapers surrounded them, gradually giving way to the darker city outskirts. From light to shadow, it outlined Songyang’s nighttime silhouette.

The caption read: “4 a.m. in Songyang. You can choose to coast for 3 years, or grind for 3. If you coast now, you might suffer for the next hundred. But if you grind hard and get into college, make it to Foundation, then you’ll just suffer for the next two hundred.”

A soft chuckle echoed in the room as Le Mulan continued scrolling through Zhang Yu’s posts—until a message popped up at the top of her screen.

Lian Tianji: “The sacred number one? Are you kidding me? You want me to buy something from Zhang Yu???”

Le Mulan’s fingers danced rapidly over the screen in reply.

Le Mulan: “Not kidding. I’m begging you. I’ll pay extra.”

Transfer: 2000

Transfer of 2000 accepted.

Lian Tianji: “This isn’t about money. And you could just go ask him yourself—why drag me into this?”

Le Mulan: “If you won’t do it, I’ll step on your head every day on the way to class.”

Lian Tianji: “Delivery or hand-off in person?”

Seeing his reply, Le Mulan nodded slightly. “Told you—sometimes you just have to be assertive with classmates who score lower.”

She returned to Zhang Yu’s profile.

“Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, those two broke kids really are glued at the hip.”

But she didn’t particularly mind. She just happened to think it while flipping through his feed.

Lit by the glow of her phone, Le Mulan’s lips slowly curled into a satisfied smile.

“All that effort these past few days wasn’t wasted. Looking at Zhang Yu’s photos now, I barely feel anything anymore.”

“Next up is getting used to his clothes.”

“Once that’s handled, I should be fine seeing him in person too.”

In her heart, Le Mulan silently vowed: soon, I’ll be able to face that broke boy Zhang Yu head-on—and finally conquer this weakness of mine.

…

Cafeteria.

Bai Zhenzhen couldn’t stop replaying the message Lian Tianji had just sent to Zhang Yu.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu placed a newly bought meal in front of her, already thinking about how to talk to Ah-Zhen about illegal tutoring.

He didn’t notice the peculiar look Bai Zhenzhen kept giving him.

After they finished eating, Zhang Yu said, “Ah-Zhen, come with me to the rooftop. There’s something I want to tell you.”

So the two of them went up.

This was one of their secret training bases on campus. Over the past days, they had poured sweat into this spot and witnessed each other’s growth.

This time, as they arrived, Zhang Yu started, “Ah-Zhen, I’ve got something to tell you. You’ve probably noticed I’ve been making a bit of money lately?”

Not just noticed—I literally saw the messages from your clients, damn it!

Bai Zhenzhen’s face turned slightly grim. A wave of anxiety surged inside her. “Is he about to tell me his secret income stream? The one with Lian Tianji?”

She knew that every year, under the pressure of financial desperation, some students took that path.

Some people looked down on those who sold themselves for cultivation, thinking broke kids had no business chasing immortality. Others admired them for having an iron will on the Immortal Path.

But she never imagined Zhang Yu would walk that road—let alone with Lian Tianji.

“Damn, Yuzi, you’re really leaving me in the dust.”

“And if you’re gonna do that stuff, why Lian Tianji? He only made quarterfinals in the martial arts tournament. He’s not even worthy of you!”

“Couldn’t you have at least picked a real top scorer? Heck, even Song Hailong would’ve been better—no, wait, that guy’s got freak-level physical strength. The medical bills would be terrifying.”

“If it was Le Mulan paying you, I could stomach it more, honestly!”

Her thoughts flashed like lightning, but Bai Zhenzhen quickly pulled herself together.

She tried to keep her expression neutral. “So, what you want to say… it’s about how you’ve been making money lately?”

Zhang Yu nodded. “Yeah. I’ve got a gig that’s been earning pretty well. It’s in the outer suburbs—I’ve been there a bunch of times, feels safe enough…”

Bai Zhenzhen’s face twisted like a squashed gourd. “He’s trying to drag me in too?”

She realized she was nowhere near prepared for this. Her first instinct was outright refusal.

Still, her gaze at Zhang Yu softened with a bit of admiration.

“Your grades are already better than mine, and after class you’re still out grinding for extra cultivation funds… Going to Lian Tianji for ‘tutoring’... I’ll admit it—my Dao Heart isn’t as strong as yours. You win this one.”

She took a deep breath and patted Zhang Yu on the shoulder. “Thanks, brother. But you keep this golden gig to yourself. I’m not there yet.”

“And hey, Lian Tianji’s physical strength isn’t low either. Don’t get yourself hurt—you’ll end up needing a clinic.”

Zhang Yu blinked. “What does this have to do with Lian Tianji?”

Bai Zhenzhen sighed, turning her head. “I saw the message he sent you at lunch. Totally by accident.”

“But don’t worry, I locked your screen right after. Only I saw it—Qian Shen, Zhao Tianxing, none of them know.”

“I’ll keep your secret safe.”

Zhang Yu pulled out his phone, scowling at the message. He nearly hurled it into the wall.

“That bastard! I treated him like a friend—and he’s pulling this crap?!”

Then he looked at Bai Zhenzhen’s expression and quickly added, “Nothing happened between us! I swear!”

He showed her their chat history. “See? Completely innocent.”

Bai Zhenzhen let out a sigh of relief. Then curiosity struck. “But why does Lian Tianji want your used clothes?”

“How the hell should I know?” Zhang Yu growled, starting to type back. “I’ll ask him his price. Depending on the number, I’ll decide how to reply.”

Bit by bit, Zhang Yu was adapting to Kunxu’s logic—where every response depended on the digits attached.

Bai Zhenzhen peered at the screen.

Zhang Yu: What’s your offer?

Lian Tianji: Any old shirt you’ve worn. Two thousand.

Bai Zhenzhen chimed in, “Reply with five thousand.”

A moment later, Lian Tianji agreed.

Bai Zhenzhen burst out laughing. “Haha! That easy to make five grand?”

Zhang Yu still looked uncomfortable. “But what the hell does he want with my shirt?”

Bai Zhenzhen patted him again. “It’s five thousand for a shirt, who cares what he does with it?”

Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up. “Right, I almost forgot what I brought you up here for. I wanted to show you a way to make some cash.”

At that moment, the Evil God Plushie nestled quietly on his chest, camouflaged as black prayer beads, spoke directly into his mind.

“Zhang Yu, I warned you. In this business, the number one rule is trust no one. Even your own kid might sell you out. You sure you want to tell this girl?”

Zhang Yu didn’t hesitate. “Ah-Zhen, have you heard of the black market tutoring scene?”

After his explanation, Bai Zhenzhen finally understood that Zhang Yu’s new income came from tutoring.

Her expression turned complicated.

Good news: my boy didn’t sell himself.

Bad news: he joined a gang. Doing something even riskier than robbery.

As a broke top scorer from a prestigious school, Bai Zhenzhen had always respected copyright, and corporate authority had been drilled into her from birth.

So when she heard Zhang Yu was trying to rope her into gang activity, she got nervous. “Isn’t this dangerous? If the company catches us, won’t they enslave us forever?”

Zhang Yu explained, “I was worried too, but turns out the Dark Tutoring Syndicate pays taxes and worships gods—totally legit. As a part-timer, you just teach. No need to fight or kill.”

“And the pay’s insane. I make 6500 an hour.”

He paused, then sighed. “And honestly, here in Kunxu… for broke folks like us, making money the legal way is nearly impossible. Only in the black market tutoring world can we earn a decent income—maybe even score high enough to get into the Ten Great Academies.”

At the number 6500, Bai Zhenzhen’s heart skipped a beat. She instantly understood why people joined gangs.

And when she heard Zhang Yu’s final words, she nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, for broke kids like us, if we’re not doing high-risk work with a knife in our teeth… how else are we supposed to climb?”

She nodded firmly. “Alright. I trust you. Just tell me what to do.”