Sacred Demon Spirit Coins

The wind at noon was howling.

A commotion came from the window of the General Affairs Office at Saint Orchid Academy.

"You're picking a fight on purpose, aren't you? How could my Demon Spirit Coins possibly be fake? I bought this whole outfit with them. If they were fake, why didn't the shopkeeper tell me?" Chang Ping was extremely agitated.

He had more than the two thousand Demon Spirit Coins on the table. There were also two hundred thousand in his Space Ring! If they were all fake, wouldn't he be broke again?

The staff member picked up the top bill and held it up for Chang Ping to see, pointing at the flame emblem in its lower-right corner. "See this mark? These are Demon Spirit Coins privately issued by the Sacred Family. They can only be used at shops run by their family."

"Did you buy your clothes in the Western District?"

Chang Ping nodded.

"That settles it! These Sacred Demon Spirit Coins of yours have no legal standing. They can only be used in the Western District, not here in the Northern District." The staff member put the fake bill back on the pile, then pulled an almost identical bill from his pocket.

"Look closely. The real bill has a snowflake in the lower-right corner. It's official currency issued by the City Lord's Mansion and can be used throughout the entire Glory City."

Chang Ping took the bill and stared at it with his round, bear-like eyes, turning it over and over as he examined it.

"Hey, hey, that's my money! Why are you stuffing it into your pocket? If you want money, go earn it yourself. Don't try to take mine!" The staff member hurriedly stopped him. He hadn't earned his money by having it fall from the sky; he couldn't just give it away.

Chang Ping smiled awkwardly and handed the money back.

"Sir, since I can spend these coins too, could I trade them for your real ones?"

"No!" the staff member refused. "The Western District is too far from here. Even by carriage, it takes at least two hours to get there, and I don't want to waste my time. Besides, everything sold there is ridiculously expensive. If I trade with you, I'll be losing money."

"I'll give you two of mine for one of yours!" Chang Ping held up two thick fingers, as big as carrots.

"Not trading!" The staff member shook his head again.

"Three!" Chang Ping refused to believe he couldn't make the deal.

"I'll think about it." The staff member was starting to feel tempted.

"Four!" Chang Ping raised his offer again.

"How much do you want to trade?" Vice Dean Ye Sheng had already spoken to him. He couldn't make things too difficult for Chang Ping. He might as well take the deal while it was good.

"I have two hundred thousand. I want to trade all of it."

Chang Ping took out his Space Ring and dumped all the fake bills inside onto the table.

He would be living in the Northern District for the next little while and wouldn't be going to the Western District, so he had no use for the fake bills for now. Besides, the Space Ring had limited capacity, and the bills took up a lot of room.

Besides, he'd seized the money from someone else. Even if he traded ten of his bills for one, he wouldn't feel bad about it.

The staff member rubbed his eyes and asked skeptically, "Where'd you get so many fake bills? You didn't draw them yourself, did you?"

"You give me too much credit. If I had that kind of skill, why would I come to Saint Orchid Academy? I'd be sitting at home, living off someone else." Chang Ping urged him, "Stop stalling and trade already. I still have to pay my tuition and get to class. Wasting time is wasting life, understand?"

"School just started, and I haven't been paid yet. I don't have that much money." The staff member turned out all his pockets. He had only a little more than three thousand Demon Spirit Coins, barely enough to cover Chang Ping's tuition.

"Even if I had been paid, I still wouldn't have enough to trade for all your fake bills." The staff member's eyes shifted, and he smiled ingratiatingly as he suggested, "If you trust me, I can help you exchange them with the other instructors."

"I don't trust you!" Chang Ping crossed his arms over his chest and snorted. "You'll have to write me an IOU for seventy thousand Demon Spirit Coins."

The staff member froze. "Uh... wasn't it fifty thousand?"

"Fifty thousand would be if you could pay me in cash right this second, not make some empty promise like this. Asking for only seventy thousand is already fair of me. With your connections and network, I'm sure you can trade these two hundred thousand Sacred Demon Spirit Coins for at least that much. You'll still make a profit."

Chang Ping held up a fist. He figured the staff member could trade the bills for at least one hundred thousand Demon Spirit Coins, making at least thirty thousand in profit.

No matter how expensive the goods in the Western District were, they couldn't possibly cost twice as much as goods in the other districts. Even at a two-for-one rate, plenty of people would be lining up to trade with him.

"Fine." Anyone working in the General Affairs Office at Saint Orchid Academy couldn't be a fool. The staff member readily agreed.

Chang Ping seized the opportunity and had him pay his tuition, insisting that the amount not be included in the IOU.

For the sake of the thirty thousand Demon Spirit Coins, the staff member let Chang Ping get away with it.

"Give me the rest of your money too. I don't have a single coin on me, so I can't afford lunch." Chang Ping was pushing his luck.

"Saint Orchid Academy provides free meals. You won't starve!" The staff member glared at Chang Ping and said irritably, "Whether you can exchange these Sacred Demon Spirit Coins at all is still up in the air. Know when to quit, and don't push your luck!"

Chang Ping grinned.

The staff member stopped paying attention to him and bent over his desk to write the IOU.

"Sir, are the free meals limited? I have a big appetite. I might not be full after one serving."

"There's no limit! Eat as much as you want. Just don't eat until you burst," the staff member replied without looking up.

He took the ink pad from the drawer and pressed a fingerprint beside the name on the IOU, then handed it to Chang Ping.

"Beautiful handwriting." Chang Ping glanced over the IOU and, finding nothing ambiguous in its wording, casually put it in his Space Ring.

The staff member snorted, closed the ink pad, and put it back in the drawer. Then he took out a wooden plaque.

Holding a pen with a sheep-horn handle, he dipped it into some silver ink and drew several mysterious patterns on both sides of the plaque.

After about a quarter of an hour, he finished and handed the plaque to Chang Ping. "This is your identity plaque. You'll need it to enter and leave the academy. Keep it safe and don't lose it. The first one is free, but I'll charge you if you need a second."

"Don't worry, I won't lose it! I'm famous for having a good memory." Chang Ping put the plaque in his Space Ring. "Go ahead and get back to work, sir. See you. Oh, right, I'm in the Beginner Warrior Class. Once you've exchanged the money, come find me in class."

"Find you? No need!" the staff member snorted. Chang Ping was young, but he sure had a big ego. "If you still want your money, come to the General Affairs Office in a week. No exceptions!"

"Works for me!" Chang Ping pursed his lips, tilted his head, and shrugged.

After leaving the General Affairs Office, Chang Ping headed straight for the Beginner Warrior Class.

"I'm finally going to see Ning'er. I'm so excited!"

His heart was pounding like a startled deer.

"Class should've already started. I'd better hurry!" Chang Ping strode along at a brisk pace, like a rutting bear.

"Ning'er, your husband's here!"