So poor it stirred the soul

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

At the thought of this, Chen Ping could not help feeling a little wistful.

That girl Wang Dong really did have it rough.

Being one of three pieces of Tang Wutong was bad enough, but all the suffering and hardship fell to her, too.

Entering the boys' dormitory, sharing a double room, bathing in the dorm, and supporting Huo Gua every step of the way-she had certainly weathered her share of trials and dangers.

Then, just as her merits reached fulfillment, she was forcibly booted offline at light speed, and Tang Wutong took over to reap the rewards.

Of course, whether Wang Dong had it rough was her own business. Chen Ping was currently a clay idol crossing a river, barely able to save himself, and he certainly did not dare wade into that mess.

So, on his way to the cafeteria, Chen Ping made a point of checking the newly posted noticeboard first.

[Chen Ping, Freshman Class Nine.]

Seeing that he had been assigned to Freshman Class Nine, Chen Ping nodded to himself, then glanced at the homeroom teacher's name.

[Mu Jin, Freshman Class Nine]

Only then did the weight hanging over Chen Ping's heart finally fall away.

At least it was not Class One, where Zhou Yi taught. To Chen Ping, that was already a pretty good outcome.

To make sure he had not misremembered Zhou Yi's track record, Chen Ping had specifically asked Bei Bei and Xiao Ya, finally obtaining an exact figure.

Last year, nine out of ten students in Zhou Yi's class had been expelled for all sorts of baffling reasons.

That had been a third-year class-a third-year class that had survived the great waves sifting away the sand and three rounds of elimination at Shrek Academy!

None of the students who could remain at Shrek Academy until their third year were mediocre slackers. Yet even so, Zhou Yi had managed to expel ninety percent of them. It was absurd beyond belief.

No wonder people said it paid to have connections.

Just because Zhou Yi's husband was Fan Yu, she could torment students and ruin their futures however she pleased without suffering any consequences.

At most, she had been switched from blighting third-years to blighting first-years.

That was the biggest reason Chen Ping did not want to be assigned to Class One.

Even though being in Class One would let him ride the coattails of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, giving him a very high chance of taking first place in the freshman tournament, Chen Ping still resisted the idea.

If Tang San was Buddha Tang, then Zhou Yi was King Yama Zhou. In Chen Ping's eyes, falling into either one's hands would amount to much the same thing.

Having confirmed that he would have little to do with Zhou Yi, Chen Ping finally relaxed. He went straight into the cafeteria and paid Window Eight his usual few compliments, making its head chef chuckle with delight.

Then Chen Ping not only got both of today's dishes made from soul beast ingredients, but also secured a whole basin of Crystal White Jade Rice, every grain plump as a tiny pearl.

Although Chen Ping now had the right to order dishes from Window Eight for free, he could only order each dish once. They were not going to let him eat without limits.

That was why Chen Ping was so honey-tongued and had cultivated such good relationships with the chefs at Window Eight.

It was all to get a bigger helping of Crystal White Jade Rice.

Although he could not get seconds on the rice either, the chefs still had the final say over how much went into a single serving.

He set up the folding wooden stool and folding wooden table stored in his Storage Necklace inside the cafeteria.

Chen Ping had just sat down and rubbed his hands together, ready to feast, when he spotted a boy about his age crouching in a corner of the cafeteria, pitifully eating stir-fried greens and plain rice.

The boy eating in the corner had neat, short black hair, but he was far too thin. Chen Ping felt that any passing gust could blow him away.

"Are you a freshman too? If you didn't bring a stool and table, I've got some here. Come sit down and eat with me."

As he spoke, Chen Ping had already taken another folding stool he had prepared out of his Storage Necklace, unfolded it, and set it down.

"Oh, no need..."

The short-haired boy was about to refuse, but when he saw that Chen Ping had already set out the stool, he bashfully moved over.

Setting his bowl of rice and plate of greens at the corner of the table, the boy said sheepishly, "Thank you... I didn't know the academy cafeteria had no tables or chairs, or that we weren't allowed to take food outside."

Seeing that the short-haired boy did not even dare take up a little extra space on the table, Chen Ping shook his head.

"It's fine. The first time I came here, I ate squatting in a corner too. Just remember for next time."

"We've got to help each other out when we're away from home. I'm a freshman here this year too. My name's Chen Ping. Another friend means another road open to you."

As he spoke, Chen Ping poured his bowl of Braised Ironhide Savage Pig Meat and his Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent Soup into his rice, then quietly began eating.

The short-haired boy ate quickly. In fact, it was obvious that he was deliberately speeding up.

He was probably worried that if Chen Ping finished before him, he would trouble Chen Ping by making him wait.

But as he ate, the short-haired boy also secretly studied Chen Ping.

He had arrived a little earlier than Chen Ping and naturally had seen the prices at Window Eight. Those dishes, whose prices started in Gold Soul Coins, were completely beyond his means.

Yet for some reason, as though it were a pauper's instinct, a wordless understanding between paupers...

The black-haired boy had a very strong feeling that this fellow student, who could afford the dishes at Window Eight, was a pauper just like him.

Beneath the other boy's newly changed white school uniform was a short-sleeved shirt that had been washed so many times its worn-out look could no longer be washed away.

The gemstone on the Storage Ring on his hand was only about the size of a grain of rice. Outside, it would be worth just a few Gold Soul Coins.

If there was any difference between them, perhaps it was that he still felt uncomfortable about his own poverty, especially after coming to Shrek and seeing the stark contrast with the other, smartly dressed students.

Whereas this fellow student seemed so poor that... it stirred the soul?

Still, how exactly had this fellow student earned enough money to afford Window Eight? Or did he have some other way?

Chen Ping had no idea what the boy eating across from him was thinking. Otherwise, he would have snatched up his table and left.

What do you mean, so poor it stirred the soul?

I didn't want to be this poor either! What was I supposed to do?

It was me as a person who stirred the soul, not my poverty!

Only after polishing off the entire basin of rice did Chen Ping wipe his mouth, still wanting more. He also glanced at the black-haired boy, who had eaten only a bowl of plain rice and a plate of greens.

Truthfully, Chen Ping was tempted to ask whether the boy wanted to buy some medicine.

Medicines like Mighty Tonic were hard to sell, but he also had a potion that sped up metabolism and increased appetite.

Selling Premium Buddha Jumps Over the Wall meant targeting the high-end market, but selling supplements at slim margins in large quantities was another source of income, was it not?

But looking at how constrained the boy seemed even while eating plain rice and a few greens...

Recommending an appetite-boosting supplement to him did not seem particularly appropriate yet.

At the very least, he would have to wait until the boy had fully cleared the hurdle of feeding himself and no longer worried about his next meal. Only then would pitching supplements lead to sales.

"Thank you, Brother Chen. My name is Huo Yuhao. In a little while, I might try selling grilled fish outside the academy. When that happens, I'll treat you for free."

The boy wiped his mouth and spoke to Chen Ping with gratitude written all over his face.

Chen Ping, meanwhile, stared wide-eyed at this impossibly skinny boy.

This was Huo Yuhao?

Huo Yuhao was this skinny?

Come to think of it, had Huo Yuhao really still gotten into Shrek without a recommendation letter from the Tang Sect?

With his thoughts scattering in every direction, Chen Ping still had absolutely no idea.

Before long, Huo Yuhao would become the first customer to purchase his various supplements.

But what he bought would not be supplements that accelerated cultivation. Instead, they would be supplements to strengthen his foundations, replenish his vitality, and nourish his body-the very things Huo Yuhao should, in theory, have needed least.

And even though Chen Ping had not been assigned to Zhou Yi's class, he would ultimately, inevitably find himself standing against her.

Chen Ping believed that his familiarity with the plot would let him avoid every event tied to its explosive turning points and grow stronger without drawing attention. But when had the world ever let things go so perfectly according to anyone's wishes?

From the moment Chen Ping entered Shrek and used it as a platform for his own growth, he had already become someone on the fringes of the swirling winds, liable to be swept into the storm at any moment.