City of Brilliance sat on a vast plain in a valley of the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, covering an area comparable to that of a large city.
The city had a population of several hundred thousand. If each person produced 1 kg of garbage per day, the whole city would produce hundreds of tons of trash every day.
Without regular cleanup, it wouldn't be long before the streets and alleys of City of Brilliance were piled high with garbage and reeking to high heaven.
Therefore, a garbage disposal plant was essential.
Although garbage collectors earned high wages, their social standing was extremely low.
People despised them even more than beggars. After all, no one liked stinking laborers who scooped up human waste.
Before enrolling, Xian Wu had worked at a garbage disposal plant.
However, he wasn't responsible for scooping up human waste. He only handled construction debris, discarded lumber, and the like.
Discarded lumber could be cut into firewood and sold to residents who needed it for heating and cooking.
The climate in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range was extremely harsh, and the cold season was exceptionally long.
Even though it was already early summer, the snow and ice still hadn't melted, and the wind remained bone-chilling.
As a result, the residents had a great demand for firewood.
Using the Demon Left Hand to cut discarded lumber was even faster than using a chainsaw, and it was far more efficient than using adzes, chisels, axes, or saws.
"Xian Wu, Zhang Ming, there's still some time before noon. How about we look around the academy?" Zhu Jun Xiang suddenly suggested.
The beds had been made and the floor swept. The three of them had nothing to do, so they could only sit on the beds and stare at one another.
"Let's go. I'm bored anyway." Zhang Ming hopped off the bed.
He despised Xian Wu, whose character was rotten, from the bottom of his heart. If he got the chance, he'd definitely make him look bad.
Zhu Jun Xiang looked at Xian Wu and asked, "What about you, Xian Wu?"
"I'm not going!" Xian Wu replied curtly. He was still bare-assed. What would he go for? To make a fool of himself?
Zhang Ming seized the opportunity to sneer. "Don't bother with this ungrateful loser, Lao Zhu. Let's go."
Xian Wu had never bothered responding to the farting of flies.
After the two left, he locked the door, took off his shoes, then hopped around as he pulled off his ruined pants to see if he could mend them.
"Ah... The waistband's mostly ruined. I can't even turn them into shorts." Xian Wu sighed.
He went to the window and used the Demon Left Hand to break the ruined pants down into carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, then clapped his hands.
Clap, clap, clap...
Actually, Xian Wu felt that his ability was rather... limited.
Although instantly decomposing everything gave him an unstoppable attack, he had to touch his opponent first.
It might work against martial artists, but it was useless against Spirit Masters who could use "spells."
Before he could touch them, they'd burn him to death with fire or stab him to death with ice spikes.
Besides, when he decomposed something, he broke it down all the way to the atomic level. That was no different from destroying it completely.
If only he didn't have to decompose things so thoroughly.
For example, instead of breaking the ruined pants down into carbon ash, he could break them down into individual strands of hemp thread and recycle them.
Perhaps once his Soul Force increased, he'd be able to control how thoroughly he decomposed things.
One point of Soul Force was simply too little—practically the same as none at all.
Xian Wu stared at the Demon Left Hand, feeling that it might not be a blessing but a curse.
He reached into the inner pocket of his cloak with his right hand and took out his Demon Spirit Coins to count them. He had just about enough to buy a pair of pants.
There was a bustling shopping street outside the academy gates. It sold everything, cheap or expensive, so there ought to be a shop selling pants.
Hidden beneath his cloak, he was wearing nothing but a pair of red underwear, but no one knew he was otherwise naked.
"Hey, Brother Wu, wait up."
As he hurried past the Xuan dormitory area, someone called out to Xian Wu.
He hadn't wanted to respond, but the other person stuck to him like a leech.
Xian Wu was a little confused. He and Lu Piao had only met once and weren't close at all. Why was this kid clinging to him?
"I've got something to do!" Xian Wu quickened his pace.
Lu Piao jogged after him and asked ingratiatingly, "What is it? Can I help?"
"I'm going to take care of something on Academy Street," Xian Wu said without elaborating.
"What a coincidence! My roommate and I are going to Academy Street too. Don't walk so fast—come with us!"
Only after hearing Lu Piao did Xian Wu notice that someone else was following him.
He had orange hair tied in a little braid, and he looked... well... kind of stupid.
"This is my roommate, Nie Li." Lu Piao hooked an arm around Nie Li's neck and introduced him with a grin.
"H-hello, Brother Wu..." Nie Li seemed a little shy, and a little starstruck.
What the hell was there to admire? He hadn't deliberately taken off his pants in front of that little girl!
Wait. Xian Wu narrowed his eyes. He thought Lu Piao and Nie Li had an unusual relationship. Had Lu Piao done that to Nie Li?
After all, the Xuan dormitory area only had double rooms.
"Hello," Xian Wu replied politely. Even if they had done that, it had nothing to do with him.
"Let's hurry. I'm in a rush."
He didn't want to get too involved with other people.
If anyone discovered the Demon Left Hand, he'd definitely be locked up and dissected for research.
There were no human rights in a feudal society. What's more, he was an orphan with no parents, so people would have even fewer qualms about persecuting him.
"Brother Wu, why are you wearing a cloak?"
"It's cold."
"Brother Wu, why does your cloak have so many patches?"
"I'm poor."
"Brother Wu, why did you take off your pants in front of Xiao Ning'er? Was it to satisfy your perverted desires?"
"Get lost."
All along the way, Nie Li kept firing off questions. Xian Wu felt as if his brain was about to boil.
He really wanted to grab Nie Li by the throat with his left hand.
They left through the imposing academy gates and arrived on Academy Street.
It was the start of the school term, and the vendors were calling out one after another.
"Wind Snow Gauntlet, bronze quality, fifty thousand Demon Spirit Coins apiece!"
"Candied hawthorns!"
"Newly arrived golden puppies, one hundred Demon Spirit Coins each. Even if you're not buying, come take a look!"
"Newly refined Soul Gathering Pills from the Alchemist Guild, two hundred Demon Spirit Coins each. Ten in total, first come, first served. Available until sold out!"
"Teacher Bobo's latest work, The Arrogant Little Demoness, is on sale! Come and buy it!"
"Wow, it's so lively!" Lu Piao exclaimed, holding his head in both hands.
Xian Wu looked away from the bookstall, cleared his throat, and continued looking around for a tailor's shop.
He had never been to this part of Academy Street before and wasn't familiar with it.
Nie Li glanced at the candied hawthorns, quickly looked away, and swallowed.
Although the Sky Mark Family was an aristocratic family, it was one of the more down-and-out ones.
His monthly allowance was only fifty Demon Spirit Coins, so naturally he couldn't buy whatever he wanted.
Besides, he wanted to save the money to buy treats for Little Yu'er when he went home for the holidays.
"Here, have one, Nie Li. My treat!" Somehow, Lu Piao had three candied hawthorns in his hands.
"Brother Wu, this one's for you!"
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