"Did you hear that? Did you hear what they were saying?"
With his back to them, Elder Zhong looked at Yu Sheng with a rather smug, shameless air. "Listen! All those military achievements of mine!"
"And you still swindled an old man out of his money. Doesn't that bother you?"
"Huh?"
"Do you suddenly feel guilty and want to give that money back to me?"
"I knew you were a kindhearted kid after all."
"Come on, come on."
Elder Zhong held out his index finger and thumb, rubbing them together lightly as he looked expectantly at Yu Sheng.
What a perfect assist!
Who knew what this brat's background was? He'd never even heard my name. Luckily, those fellows filled him in.
They hadn't even deliberately lowered their voices.
As a result, the two of them had heard their conversation perfectly clearly.
"But... this is money I earned myself."
"If I reported you, I could earn even more!"
Yu Sheng looked utterly serious and stubborn.
Elder Zhong was left utterly flustered.
Those bastards had built up such a moving atmosphere, enough to bring anyone to tears, and you fucking... still wouldn't budge?
Sure enough, he was never getting those three hundred yuan back.
For a moment, Elder Zhong's back stooped a little, making him look even more weathered, like an old man in his twilight years.
Helplessly, he returned to the crowd.
"Elder Zhong, are you feeling unwell?"
"Elder Zhong, sit down."
Everyone immediately grew anxious, struggling to get up and clear a space.
"Piss off, all of you. Why the hell are you crowding around me for no reason?"
"A bunch of brainless fools."
Elder Zhong snapped a couple of irritated curses, and they scattered dejectedly, not daring to say another word.
Zhong Yushu...
Among the Human Race, his name stood for glory.
But in the military camps...
He was the devil.
Most of the people here, and indeed most of those in the Veterans' Camps throughout the Human Race, had been soldiers under his command back in the day.
Some even boasted about things like...
"General Zhong only beat me once today!"
So while their respect for Elder Zhong ran bone-deep, they still instinctively ducked whenever he raised his hand.
"Little Liu... you've certainly taught a fine! Student!"
Elder Zhong looked at Liu Qingfeng and spoke in a cryptic, brooding tone.
Yu Sheng immediately lowered his head bashfully.
Liu Qingfeng, meanwhile, paused before quickly breaking into a delighted smile. "Thank you for the compliment, Elder Zhong. I'll keep working hard!"
For a moment, Elder Zhong's already stifled heart ached even more.
No wonder the Dark Pavilion people always liked to say that everyone from the Reserve Corps was a fucking idiot.
Were there really people who couldn't tell praise from criticism?
When the hell had this tradition started? Had I beaten them all stupid?
That couldn't be...
Holding his rice bowl, Elder Zhong's face darkened again.
"You useless bastards can't even cook rice properly. What good are you?"
"One trip to Demon-Suppressing Pass, and look what you've done to yourselves, missing arms and legs."
"What are you laughing at? You're the most fucking embarrassing one."
"You only lasted half a year on the wall and nearly got your head smashed in. You disgrace me!"
Seeing a middle-aged man still grinning foolishly, Elder Zhong didn't even consider holding back and immediately began berating him.
But even so, everyone kept smiling, paying it no mind.
Perhaps they were more afraid of the day when Elder Zhong would no longer come to scold them.
Throughout the meal, Elder Zhong barely took his eyes off Yu Sheng, biting down hard on every mouthful of food, as though he were eating not vegetables but those lost three hundred yuan.
Disrespectful little swindler, bullying an old man!
Of course, this only made everyone more convinced that Elder Zhong had a particular fondness for Yu Sheng.
Still, that was understandable.
After all, Yu Sheng was a young man of peerless genius.
"Actually, I think you could improve your business model."
After the meal, Yu Sheng looked at Elder Zhong and spoke earnestly.
Elder Zhong first glanced cautiously around. Only after confirming that nobody was paying attention did he snap irritably, "You little brat, I'm out of money. Go fleece someone else."
Yu Sheng slowly shook his head. "No, I was just thinking that you can't scale up this way."
"And you'll soon attract the Guard Bureau's attention. Besides... it's illegal!"
"You could replace the animated content on the discs with material promoting the Ink Pavilion's achievements and combating the Evil Cult, putting yourself on the right side."
"That way, nobody would report you after getting scammed."
"Alternatively, you could put a statement on the discs saying they're meant to raise awareness of fraud prevention and encourage students to be good and strive to become useful members of society."
"If possible, apply to the Ink Pavilion for a business license as well."
"Then hire some employees and spread them across different cities."
"Once you've made a name for yourself, establish a company, completely remove those kinds of... promotional pictures, and focus on teaching people how to avoid scams."
"That way, you can successfully go legitimate, and even become an ethical business."
Listening to Yu Sheng's simple statements, Elder Zhong froze on the spot, his mind racing.
On average, I can scam... no, sell five hundred yuan's worth a day.
With ten employees, that would be five thousand a day.
Deduct their wages...
And I wouldn't have to worry about getting arrested anymore. This... actually seemed pretty profitable.
For a moment, the way he looked at Yu Sheng changed. He leaned close to Yu Sheng's ear and muttered a few things, which Yu Sheng patiently answered.
Elder Zhong's eyes seemed to grow increasingly bright.
Whatever else might be said, when it came to making money, the little fellow before him seemed... exceptionally skilled.
He also kept citing Ink Pavilion laws, which he had studied thoroughly, ensuring every point fell within what the law allowed.
A bible.
This was a money-making bible.
If I'd had even one fucking person who knew how to make money around me back then, getting started wouldn't have been this hard.
"Kid, you haven't awakened yet?"
If Elder Zhong had previously focused only on money, now he was examining Yu Sheng seriously for the first time.
Yu Sheng nodded.
"How much longer?"
Elder Zhong asked again.
Yu Sheng gave it serious thought. "Within a week, probably."
Elder Zhong nodded. "A little slow, but it doesn't matter. How many markings?"
Yu Sheng silently looked at Elder Zhong and fell quiet.
He didn't like lying.
Not answering shouldn't count as deception, right?
Seeing his reaction, Elder Zhong snorted. "You're quite cautious. In the end, it's just one to nine markings."
"Even people with nine markings are a dime a dozen at the three great academies, let alone Ink Academy."
"You don't need to care too much about that."
"Nine markings are only a starting point."
As he spoke, Elder Zhong looked at Yu Sheng again and shook his head. "You're a fine little fellow otherwise, just a little too cold."
"You need to learn to trust the people around you more."
Before you continue