The First Pot of Gold

The next morning, early.

Xu Feng got up and boiled the last three eggs in the house.

Leaving two for Xiao Dan, he ate one himself and headed out with his belongings.

The morning light was faint.

A gentle glow had just begun to brush the horizon.

The shantytown was still sleeping in a quiet embrace.

The doors of the few households were tightly shut, and a drowsy stillness permeated the alleys.

Xu Feng took a deep breath, intending to enjoy the freshness of the morning air.

Instead, he was quickly overwhelmed by the stench wafting from the simple waste disposal unit, forcing him to quicken his pace.

The entire shantytown could be summed up in three words: "dirty, messy, and poor."

However, Sky Moon Martial University had shown "unique ingenuity."

In this seemingly unremarkable corner, they had carved out a "trading zone."

The intention was to attract wandering soldiers and lone martial artists from all directions.

Rumor had it that those with outstanding aptitude had a chance to be recruited by Sky Moon Martial University as external security personnel.

These details flashed through Xu Feng's mind as he carefully dodged the piles of trash and stagnant puddles along the road.

Dimension 13 had actually been mostly explored and controlled by Earth's humans.

The alien races here maintained a dynamic balance with humanity.

Because of this, they had been stationed here for three years; it was said that Sky Moon Martial University was exploring a large rare mineral deposit.

The entrance was located in the core area of the base.

Yet, it was jarring how the environment they lived in now seemed even worse than the urban-rural fringes of the eighties and nineties in Xu Feng's past-life memories.

Trash piled up like mountains along the roads and corners.

Clothes were hung out to dry haphazardly, and weeds grew unchecked.

All of this was completely at odds with the high-end status of a high-tech martial arts society.

Just as he passed by the water circulation filter, a woman's voice suddenly drifted over from the side of the pool.

"Did you hear? Something happened in the outer shantytown again last night; another person died."

"Sigh, the outskirts are truly fraught with danger. We need to save up resources quickly and move to the living quarters to be safe."

"We still need to step up our cultivation and become official garrison members. Then we can live there without spending money."

Xu Feng was listening when he was suddenly called out.

"Yo, isn't this Brother Xu? Going for a foot massage again? So early?"

A long-haired woman with bright eyes and white teeth, nearing thirty and dressed in work clothes, teased him with malicious intent.

This woman was named Liu Yu.

She came from a peripheral satellite city, and her older brother had been a security guard for Sky Moon Martial University.

He had died tragically while out on a mission the year before last, and now she lived alone in the shantytown.

Years ago, the siblings had lived next door to the original owner, making her Xu Feng's former neighbor of sorts.

Although this woman wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, she had a very alluring charm, which was why Xu Feng remembered her quite well.

"Hee hee..."

Several young women nearby heard this and lowered their heads to giggle.

Though they didn't hide it, there was a mix of shyness and disdain in their laughter.

Xu Feng gave a dry laugh and responded cautiously, "Haha, Little Liu, you're joking. I and foot massages are mortal enemies. I'm heading to the trading zone to buy some things today; I'm turning over a new leaf."

Seeing that Xu Feng showed no sign of anger or embarrassment, the woman raised an eyebrow and shook her head with a sigh.

She then added, "I remember you were doing repairs, right? If you could build a reputation for your repair skills, wouldn't making money be a piece of cake? Fix yourself up properly, and I'll introduce you to a little beauty. You're not young anymore; it's time to find a partner, isn't it? You can't just spend your whole life revolving around your daughter."

Hearing this sensitive topic, Xu Feng hurriedly waved his hands in embarrassment and said, "Ah, haha, we'll see, we'll see."

He then fled in a sorry state.

Watching Xu Feng's awkward retreat, the women laughed even harder.

The laughter was crisp and melodious, echoing through the morning air.

It wasn't until he had walked some distance away that Xu Feng suddenly burst into laughter.

It was as if he had encountered something truly delightful.

To be mocked for being a single dog even after coming to this other world—what the hell is this all about? Still, the women of the cultivation world really do have a unique charm.

Half an hour later.

Xu Feng finally arrived at the trading district.

But the moment he stepped inside, he froze.

Having come to this trading district for the first time, the chaos and bustle far exceeded his imagination.

Aside from a few permanent shops along the sides of the road, most of the area was filled with disorganized stalls.

These permanent shops were all operated by personnel from Sky Moon Martial University.

Outsiders couldn't get a foot in the door at all.

Countless internal staff members wove through the crowd, and Xu Feng even spotted quite a few official martial arts university students.

These young people were chatting and laughing, appearing exceptionally innocent and lively.

After broadening his horizons.

Xu Feng quickly found a shop named "Tianyue Used Equipment Recycling."

"Boss, do you have any second-hand communicators?" Xu Feng asked calmly as soon as he entered.

"We do! What model are you looking for?"

The shop owner was a middle-aged man who looked to be about the same age as him.

Hearing that Xu Feng might be a potential customer, he immediately smiled and asked politely.

"Anything starting with the Weihua mate9 series will do. Let me take a look at them."

Xu Feng didn't rush to reveal his true intentions.

Before selling his goods, he had to understand the market price.

"Oh, I have the 940, 945, and 950 models here. Take a look; they're all ninety percent new, and the price is fair."

The shop owner placed the three communicators in front of Xu Feng.

"How much for this 940?" Xu Feng asked, picking up the same model he had in his own hand.

This communicator was definitely not ninety percent new; calling it seventy percent would be a stretch.

"This one? 1,800. Cheap, right? Those black-market goods outside go for over 2,000! I provide a quality guarantee here."

Xu Feng nodded. "This is more like seventy or eighty percent new, isn't it? Do you have anything better? The kind that's truly ninety percent new."

Hearing that Xu Feng seemed to know his stuff, the shop owner chuckled. "I do, they're practically brand new, but the price is a bit steep—it'll be 2,200."

Xu Feng nodded, then placed all three of his communicators in front of the owner. "Then take a look at these. How much would you pay to buy these three, which are in even better condition than this one?"

The shop owner gave Xu Feng a stunned look, his lips twitched, and his expression turned cold.

After inspecting them one by one, the owner frowned and said, "These have all been repaired, right? That means the price has to be discounted. Even though the condition is passable, I'll give you a thousand for each."

"One thousand eight hundred?" Xu Feng frowned in dissatisfaction.

"One thousand, not one thousand eight," the shop owner said irritably. "That's the recycling price."

With that, he flopped back into his chair and leaned back, his attitude extremely poor.

One thousand?

"Then do you have any broken communicators? How much for those?"

Xu Feng asked again.

The owner let out a scoff. "I have those too. They aren't expensive—a flat rate of six hundred."

Xu Feng's face darkened.

Damn it, so after all the effort I put into fixing one, I only make four hundred in labor, and you make a cool eight hundred just by flipping it?

"Alright, I'll take another look around." Xu Feng smiled politely and turned to leave.

Walking out of the shop, Xu Feng stood on the street feeling rather frustrated.

Things were even more troublesome than he had imagined.

He raised his hand to check the time on his communication bracelet; it was eight o'clock in the morning.

He had to be at work in an hour.

What should he do?

Set up his own stall?

He glanced at the various stalls along the road; although they were chaotic, they were certainly dazzling.

There were vendors selling second-hand weapons: alloy broadswords, sabers, throwing knives, and spears, though firearms were nowhere to be seen.

In addition, there were all kinds of electronic products and equipment, as well as various second-hand combat suits and tactical backpacks used by martial artists.

Beyond these, there were stalls selling vegetables, meat, rice, flour, cooking oil, and vitality potions.

In short, everything you could imagine regarding both the world of martial artists and the lives of ordinary people could be found here.

The prices varied, and the quality was uneven.

If he really had to set up a stall to sell these, he simply didn't have the spare time.

Unless.

Xu Feng wiped his face and took a deep breath.

"It's all for a living, no shame in that!"

Immediately, he hung the three communicators on his arm and shouted as he walked:

"One thousand five! Don't miss out as you pass by! Second-hand communicators, one thousand five each! Only three left! Closing up shop once these are gone! Last three!"

An hour later.

Xu Feng returned to his residence with a look of joy, carrying the two remaining communicators, a bag of rice, two jin of meat, and five jin of apples.

Although he hadn't managed to sell them all, it at least proved that his method was effective!

One thousand five wasn't much, but it was his first pot of gold!

With this money, he could buy another two or three damaged communicators.

He could use this to grow his business.

Moreover, he could use this to build a reputation, perhaps attracting more people to buy from him in the future.

Added to that was the promise he offered: "Materials at your own expense, permanent warranty."

He believed that life would get better.

He walked into the room, changed his clothes, and put the food away in the refrigerator.

Only then did Xu Feng lock the alloy door and hurry toward the base of Sky Moon Martial University.

It was nearly nine o'clock; it was time for work.

He had never been this tired before he transmigrated.

Now, he finally understood the lives of his colleagues who worked themselves to the bone every day, only to have most of their salaries go toward mortgage and car payments, all while having to take care of their children.

He thought of how they wore exhaustion on their faces every day, yet still had to force themselves to rush about, "full of fighting spirit."

Life is not easy; brothers and sisters, you have worked hard.

Brothers and sisters, please keep reading!