Getting Paid

Qiu?

"What is that thing?" someone asked, confused.

Xu Ming said, "Qiu might be unfamiliar to everyone, but it has another name: Qiu Dragon."

"Dragon?" Everyone was immediately shocked.

The Qiu Dragon was actually related to the dragons in myths and legends.

"A Qiu Dragon is not a dragon; it's a large snake with horns. This creature didn't originally exist. It's an Extraordinary Creature that invaded our world from another after the Skyfall Event. That Qiu was found in a dangerous area of a city and was jointly hunted by a group of Cultivators. Its corpse was sold to a pharmaceutical company. Cultivation Pods are produced by dissecting and researching the corpses of various Extraordinary Creatures," Xu Ming explained.

"There are quite a few similar things. If you have confidence in your strength, you can try entering the dangerous areas. If you can capture or hunt an Extraordinary Creature alive, you can earn a substantial income."

Zhang Gao waved his hands repeatedly, "Forget it. With our physiques, going into the dangerous areas would just be feeding the creatures. We wouldn't even be enough to fill their teeth. I'll honestly just be a Guide and work to earn money. Li Yi, you agree, right?"

Li Yi, however, said, "Working is just a transition. Have you ever seen a worker get rich? If I had the ability, I'd definitely go to the dangerous areas to capture an Extraordinary Creature. Success would mean enough money to last a lifetime. If there wasn't enough profit, do you think that Qiu Dragon would have become a component for Cultivation Pods?"

"Those Cultivators at the forefront aren't fools. They'd only risk hunting a Qiu Dragon if there was a profit to be made."

Xu Ming nodded, "Exactly. In the face of immense profit, even powerful Cultivators are willing to risk their lives for dangerous endeavors."

"Alright, everyone, let's eat first. The cafeteria has a rich variety of food. If you don't want to waste a lot of time eating, we also provide Nutrient Solution. However, you can only drink it in the cafeteria and cannot take it away."

The crowd saw that the cafeteria on this floor was already filled with all sorts of exquisite dishes: plenty of steaks, fresh raw fish, large pots of meat broth, and piles of fruits and vegetables.

These could all provide Cultivators with abundant nutrition.

"Since there's food, I'm definitely eating," Zhang Gao said. "Nutrient Solution is only suitable for use during Cultivation. It's better to eat food when not cultivating."

"Why is that? Isn't Nutrient Solution more convenient?" Li Yi asked.

Zhang Gao immediately explained, "It's because our bodies as Cultivators are undergoing transformation and evolution. Abundant food can activate our digestive and absorptive abilities. If we consume Nutrient Solution long-term, our gastrointestinal functions will gradually weaken and eventually won't keep up with the speed of our body's evolution, leaving hidden dangers. Since we spend most of our time cultivating, we have few opportunities to exercise our digestive and absorptive abilities. Therefore, we should eat whenever we can."

"So that's how it is." Li Yi suddenly realized, having learned another piece of cultivation knowledge.

"Thank you for your explanation. In that case, I'll choose to eat as well."

Zhang Gao immediately smiled and continued, "Li Yi, when you eat, it's best to choose meat like steak and chicken or duck. If possible, try to eat them with the bones. This will be more effective for exercising our digestive system."

"Indeed, some beasts in nature can even digest large bones. As Cultivators, we are constantly evolving, and our bodily functions will eventually surpass any beast in nature. Therefore, we will eventually master the ability to digest bones as well. Necessary exercise is indispensable. Alright, enough talk, let's start eating." Another Cultivator nearby chimed in with agreement.

Soon, the group began to grab food frantically and then found seats to eat.

Li Yi was not polite either, casually taking all sorts of delicacies. He wanted to feast this time, as he usually couldn't bear to eat many of these things. Now that he had the chance, he naturally had to eat his fill.

"Li Yi, what happened before was a misunderstanding. I sincerely apologize to you here. I hope you don't take it to heart. If you need help with anything in the future, I will definitely assist you."

At this moment, a Cultivator carrying his meal tray walked over and apologized solemnly.

His name was Lu Jue. He didn't want to offend a promising Cultivator over such a small matter, and he wasn't the instigator. Therefore, he wanted to use this mealtime to resolve the misunderstanding.

If this misunderstanding wasn't resolved promptly, future conflicts could truly turn them into enemies.

After all, the circle of Cultivators in Tianchang City wasn't that large; they would inevitably run into each other again.

Li Yi paused, put down his chopsticks, and looked at him calmly. "I'm not someone who holds grudges. Since you've taken the initiative to apologize and are willing to resolve this misunderstanding, I'm happy to accept. We're all out here to earn money, not to make enemies. Besides, we don't have any deep-seated hatred for each other."

"Thank you."

Lu Jue took a deep breath, and his whole body relaxed. "I was swept up in it at the time. I didn't expect Wu Zhen to do that."

"What happened before is in the past. Let's eat," Li Yi nodded.

Only the strong are treated well; the weaker you are, the more you'll be bullied. He had understood this principle long ago.

"Li Yi, I also need to apologize to you. In that situation, I should have stepped forward instead of hiding in my room and ignoring it," Zhang Gao said, joining them at this point, sounding somewhat regretful.

Li Yi said, "It's not your fault. You don't need to apologize to me. I'm not blaming you."

He wouldn't resent Zhang Gao for not stepping in to help. After all, it was their first meeting, and they were strangers. Zhang Gao choosing self-preservation was normal. There weren't that many righteous people in the world willing to help.

"That's good. So, some misunderstandings should be resolved as soon as possible. It's better to have more friends than enemies when you're out and about. Anyway, let's not talk about it. Eat, eat." Zhang Gao smiled and then buried his head in his food.

Li Yi remained silent, continuing to eat and drink heartily.

Not far away, Zhao Xiaoxiao, who saw this scene, looked hesitant.

"Should I also apologize to Li Yi and clear up this misunderstanding?" she wondered, very conflicted.

"Will your apology do any good?"

At this moment, Wu Zhen, with a bruised and swollen face, walked over with a cold sneer. "You looked down on him from the start."

Zhao Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth. "I looked down on him at the start, but I didn't intend to bully him. Besides, is it wrong to be a little snobbish? I just misjudged him."

"The process doesn't matter. You played a part in this. Your feud with Li Yi is set. Rather than apologizing, it would be better to think of a way to get Li Yi fired. His cultivation is currently hindered by a lack of money. If he saves a large sum this time and uses this environment to cultivate, he'll become truly dangerous," Wu Zhen said, trying to pull Zhao Xiaoxiao to his side.

"If you want to deal with Li Yi, go ahead yourself. I won't be dragged down by you again," Zhao Xiaoxiao said angrily.

Just then, Supervisor Xu Ming, who had left earlier, returned, accompanied by two assistants, each carrying a box.

"Excuse me for interrupting your mealtime, but considering I have other work to do, I can only settle your first day's wages here."

"We're getting paid? That's great."

Suddenly, everyone stopped eating and gradually gathered around.

Xu Ming picked up a payslip and looked it over. "Zhang Gao, six hours of work, no interruptions to your guiding work, your total pay is fifty-four thousand."

Then, an assistant opened a box and quickly took out a stack of money to count. Soon, the fifty-four thousand salary was handed over to Zhang Gao.

Although fifty-four thousand yuan seemed like a lot, it was actually just a small stack. This was because the largest denomination currently in circulation was one thousand yuan, not the previous one hundred yuan.

But Zhang Gao was still very excited after receiving it, as this was the largest daily wage he had received since becoming a Guide.

"Zhao Xiaoxiao, six hours of work, no interruptions to your guiding work, salary fifty-four thousand," Xu Ming said, having his assistant distribute the pay.

Zhao Xiaoxiao took her salary, counted it, and then nodded before putting it away.

Lu Jue and another Cultivator also received their salaries afterward; they both got fifty-four thousand.

"Wu Zhen, six hours of work, but you woke up from meditation once midway, so according to the contract, your salary is halved, totaling twenty-seven thousand," Supervisor Xu Ming stated. "I hope you'll be more attentive next time."

"I'll be in better condition tomorrow," Wu Zhen replied, his expression somewhat grim. After taking his pay, he didn't leave immediately but glanced at Li Yi.

He wanted to know how much Li Yi had earned for six hours of guiding work.

After all, among the seven people, only he had signed the second contract, which had no base salary. His earnings depended entirely on how much Cosmic Energy he guided.

Li Yi was also curious at that moment, wondering how much he had actually earned.

Xu Ming glanced at the payslip and appeared somewhat surprised. He then said, "Li Yi, your work duration was six hours. During this period, you guided a total of two thousand two hundred units of Cosmic Energy, so your salary is two hundred and twenty thousand."

Two hundred and twenty thousand?

Upon hearing this, everyone else looked at Li Yi in astonishment.