[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-no-money-what-cultivation":3,"chapter-no-money-what-cultivation-no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-96":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","No Money, What Cultivation?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},163445,323,"Chapter 96","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-96",96,"\u003Cp>On the screen of Le Mulang's phone at Ziyun High School, a photo was displayed at that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The photo showed Zhang Yu standing in front of a grocery store with a smile, giving a thumbs up toward the camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The text below the photo read: \"Peak Stationery Shop—the best stationery shop in front of Songyang High School. The owner is super nice, and the products are great value for money. Highly recommend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two slender fingers stretched across the screen, zooming in on the photo so Zhang Yu's figure filled the entire phone screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, with a flick of her fingers, a new set of photos emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the first photo, it showed Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen arm in arm, taking a selfie in front of the main gate of White Dragon High School.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second photo showed Bai Zhenzhen holding an oversized drink bottle filled with energy drinks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third photo showed Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen sitting back-to-back, surrounded by a circle of drink bottles, while a speechless Song Hailong was at the edge of the photo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The text below read: \"Here at White Dragon High School again. The energy drinks here are really potent and tasty. Every time I come, I bring back several big jugs. I'm a White Dragon monthly subscriber—anyone wanting to buy, just contact me directly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, the slender fingers zoomed in on each photo of Zhang Yu, and only after a long pause did she swipe to the next set of photos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This set of photos captured the night view of Songyang City, seemingly taken from a building in the suburbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The center of the frame was the towering Central Tower, soaring into the sky as if reaching the heavens. Nearby was the under-construction Oasis Tower, surrounded by various skyscrapers twinkling with neon lights, and then the outer suburban areas—from bright to dark, outlining the night scene of Songyang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The text below read: \"At four in the morning in Songyang, you can choose to slack off for three years, or you can work hard for three years. If you slack for three years, you might have to suffer for over a hundred years later. But if you work hard for three years and eventually get into a university and successfully establish your foundation, then you'll have to suffer for another two hundred years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a light laugh, the slender fingers continued scrolling down Zhang Yu's Moments, but just then, a message popped up at the top of the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lian Tianji: \"Holy #1, are you kidding me? You want me to go buy what from Zhang Yu???\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slender fingers quickly tapped on the phone screen, starting a reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Le Mulang: \"I'm not kidding. Please, I can give you more money.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Transfer 2000\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Transfer 2000 accepted\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lian Tianji: \"It's not about the money. And you could just ask him yourself—why do you want me to go?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Le Mulang: \"If you don't want to, I'll step on your head to class every day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lian Tianji: \"Need delivery or do I bring it in person?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Lian Tianji's reply on the screen, Le Mulang nodded slightly. \"Sure enough, being tougher works better when talking to classmates with lower grades than mine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going back to browsing Zhang Yu's Moments, Le Mulang murmured, \"Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen—those two poor people really are inseparable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she didn't really care; it was just a passing thought while scrolling through Zhang Yu's Moments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the glow of the phone screen, Le Mulang, who kept flipping through Zhang Yu's photos, gradually showed a satisfied smile at the corner of her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The hard work these past few days hasn't been wasted. Now, looking at Zhang Yu's photos barely affects me anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Next, I just have to wait for Lian Tianji to bring over Zhang Yu's clothes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Once I get used to the clothes too, I shouldn't feel so uncomfortable when I run into Zhang Yu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Le Mulang thought to herself, that would be the time to face the poor Zhang Yu head-on and completely overcome the weakness in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the cafeteria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen's mind was still replaying the message Lian Tianji had just sent to Zhang Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu set the newly bought meal in front of Bai Zhenzhen, while his own mind was occupied with thoughts of discussing illegal tutoring with Ah Zhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't notice that Bai Zhenzhen's gaze toward him always held a hint of oddness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eating, Zhang Yu said to Bai Zhenzhen, \"Ah Zhen, come with me to the rooftop—I have something to talk to you about.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the two went to the rooftop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of their secret training spots on campus. Over the past several days, the two had left countless drops of hard-earned sweat here, witnessing each other's growth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back here today, Zhang Yu spoke first: \"Ah Zhen, I have something to say to you. You can tell I've been making some money lately, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only can I tell, I also damn well saw the message your customer sent you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen listened to Zhang Yu’s words, and her face instantly turned slightly bitter; her heart even skipped a beat: “Could it be that Yu’zi is going to tell me the secret to how he’s been making money lately? The secret involving him and Lian Tianji?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen knew that every year, some high school students took that path under financial pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for these students who willingly sold themselves in pursuit of the Dao of Immortals, some looked down on them, thinking, “How can poor people cultivate immortals?” while others admired them, feeling they possessed a resolute Dao heart in the pursuit of immortality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Bai Zhenzhen never expected that Zhang Yu would also take that path, and even go so far as to stand before Lian Tianji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu’zi, you’ve gone way too far—I can’t catch up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And if you were going to do it, why did you have to pick Lian Tianji? He only made it to the top eight in the martial arts tournament; he’s not even worthy of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Couldn’t you find some real academic elites? Even if you picked Song Hailong, that would be okay… no, Song Hailong’s physical strength is too high; the medical expenses might not even be enough to compensate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it were Le Mulán paying the money, even I—your mom—could accept it more!” Though her thoughts flashed like lightning for a moment, Bai Zhenzhen quickly regained her composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tried her best to control her expression and slowly said, “So what you want to talk about… is about how you’ve been making money recently?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu nodded and said, “Yeah, I have a way to make money, and I want to bring you along. The place is out in the suburbs. I’ve already been there many times, and it feels like there’s no problem…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen’s expression suddenly changed; her face scrunched up like a winter melon as she looked at Zhang Yu, thinking to herself, “Yu’zi wants to drag me into this track too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Bai Zhenzhen realized she was completely unprepared for this, and her first instinct was to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, a flicker of admiration couldn’t help but appear in her eyes as she looked at Zhang Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu’zi, your grades are already better than mine, and yet after school you’re still making money on another track, going to Lian Tianji for ‘tutoring,’ striving to accumulate resources for cultivation. I admit my Dao heart isn’t as strong as yours—you win this round.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took a deep breath, patted Zhang Yu on the shoulder, and said, “Thanks, bro, but really, no need. Enjoy such a good money-making opportunity for yourself; I’m not at that stage yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lian Tianji’s physical strength is also considerable—be careful not to get hurt and end up at the clinic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu asked in confusion, “What does this have to do with Lian Tianji?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen sighed softly, turned her head away with a helpless expression, and said, “The message Lian Tianji sent you at noon today—I accidentally saw it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But don’t worry, I turned off your phone screen. Only I saw it; Qian Shen, Zhao Tianxing, and the others don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll keep this secret for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu frowned and took out his phone. The moment he saw Lian Tianji’s message, he felt like smashing the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bastard! This bastard! I treated Lian Tianji as a friend, and he’s trying to take advantage of me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Zhang Yu thought about how Bai Zhenzhen had been acting just now and quickly explained, “Nothing happened between him and me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held up his phone screen, showing Bai Zhenzhen the chat record between him and Lian Tianji: “See, it’s all clean—nothing happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen subconsciously let out a sigh of relief, then curiously asked, “Then why does Lian Tianji want to buy clothes you’ve worn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The hell if I know what’s going on in his head?” Zhang Yu ferociously picked up his phone and started replying: “Let me first ask what price he’s offering, and I’ll decide my next reply based on the price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unconsciously, Zhang Yu had increasingly adapted to the lifestyle of Kunxu, developing the habit of reacting differently to different numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen also watched curiously from the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the phone screen, Zhang Yu: “What price?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lian Tianji: “Any piece of clothing you’ve worn will do. 2000 bucks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen said from the side, “Reply with 5000 and see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waiting a moment, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen saw Lian Tianji send back an agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen laughed from the side: “Haha, making 5000 that easily?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Yu still felt awkward: “What exactly does he want my clothes for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen patted Zhang Yu on the shoulder and said, “It’s 5000 bucks for one piece of your clothing—why do you care what he does with it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu’s eyes lit up: “Oh, right, I almost forgot what I was just telling you. Today I wanted to introduce a way to make money to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the doll that had been quietly clinging to Zhang Yu’s chest, pretending to be a black rosary bead, spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The doll’s voice entered Zhang Yu’s mind, warning, “Zhang Yu, I told you, in this line of work, the most important thing is that you can’t trust anyone. Even a son can sell out his own father. Are you sure you want to tell this woman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Yu said to Bai Zhenzhen without any hesitation: “A’zhen, have you heard of the Dark Tutoring Circle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Zhang Yu's explanation, Bai Zhenzhen finally understood that the money he had been making recently all came from tutoring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Bai Zhenzhen's expression turned complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good news: her son hadn't sold himself out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bad news: her son had joined a gang, doing work even more dangerous than robbery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zhenzhen, after all, was a genuinely poor top student from a key high school—not only did she respect copyright, but her reverence for corporations had been ingrained since childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, hearing that Zhang Yu wanted to bring her into the gang, she grew a bit nervous: \"Is this really not dangerous? If the company finds out, won't we be caught and forced to be work slaves for life?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yu explained, \"At first, I had the same worries as you, but after I went there, I found out that the Dark Study Gang is a正规 large gang that pays taxes according to the law and worships gods together. For part-timers, we only need to focus on teaching; we don't have to worry about fighting or killing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the pay is really good—I can earn 6500 per hour there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Zhang Yu paused, then added with some helplessness, \"And here in Kunxu... it's too hard for poor people like us to make money in legitimate industries. Only a place like the dark tutoring world can give us a relatively decent income and a bit more confidence to get into the Top 10 universities.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Bai Zhenzhen heard \"6500 per hour,\" her heart started racing, and she instantly understood why people joined gangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when she finally heard Zhang Yu's lament, she nodded in agreement and thought to herself, \"Yeah, for poor people like us, if we don't do some life-risking work... how can we climb up?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Bai Zhenzhen nodded firmly and said, \"Okay, I trust you. Just tell me what I need to do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>",2088,"2026-05-29T04:54:22.303Z","2026-06-01T04:29:11.989Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","3dace677982127bd22ceb44cdf1860b5bd9ce92ed54ec44f3ee07be74ebf7a6a","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-97","no-money-what-cultivation-chapter-95",711,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fno-money-what-cultivation-cover.jpg"]