[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world":3,"chapter-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-89":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Survival Guide in a Mysterious World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2299058,4497,"Chapter 89: Dead City","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-89",89,"\u003Cp>Very well, if the price is low, then so be it; Tu Yu is about to seal off Yunmeng Marsh, and a few coins for one’s life aren’t worth Ning Zhe going back on his word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Shiwen pulled out five copper coins from his robe and handed them to Ning Zhe, saying, “Half upfront—you’ll receive the remaining five after you’ve fully explained your reasoning about the Wu Tong’s rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Agreed.” Ning Zhe nodded and took the copper coins from Lan Shiwen’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe’s current copper coin count: 9\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The God of Wealth’s rule isn’t simply spending money to buy life—it’s ‘trade.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ning Zhe threaded the five copper coins Lan Shiwen gave him onto a red string, he said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When a person meets the God of Wealth, the Wu Tong’s rule forces a transaction between mortal and deity—an unavoidable, irrevocable, non-credit transaction… From the moment you meet the God of Wealth, you have only two choices.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Buy, or sell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do you trade? Of course, life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The initial price is one. One human life costs one copper coin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You may use one copper coin to buy one life from the God of Wealth, or sell one life to Him for one copper coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either choice is acceptable, but you cannot refuse. The God of Wealth enforces compulsory trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The second transaction price is two. One human life costs two copper coins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Shi Yurou and Ji Yunying’s brother and sister met the God of Wealth for the second time, each paid two copper coins to buy one life. Combined with the one life they bought during their first meeting and the one life they were born with, each now holds three lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Ji Yunying was just killed once by Ning Zhe—he now has only two lives left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ning Zhe spoke, he quietly turned his gaze toward the distant Yunmeng Marsh; he could feel the God of Wealth moving toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He has come to complete the transaction left unfinished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I previously met the God of Wealth; He took two of my lives at once. Don’t ask where those two lives came from—I have nothing to say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the time, I didn’t fully understand the God of Wealth’s rules. After selling two lives, I fled immediately without taking the payment, so He has been chasing me—likely to deliver the owed payment for the lives I sold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was my first meeting with the God of Wealth—my first transaction with Him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now I will meet the God of Wealth again. If I receive two copper coins, that means the initial selling price is one: one life for one copper coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I receive only one copper coin, that means the initial selling price is 0.5: two lives for one copper coin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Ning Zhe looked at Lan Shiwen: “Pay the balance. I’m going to meet the God of Wealth now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good luck.” Lan Shiwen nodded and pulled the remaining five copper coins from his robe. Ning Zhe was about to face the Wu Tong directly—he had no grounds to object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky far away had darkened; the sun had set, and the brilliant evening clouds lost their luster—the “gate” was about to close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe was about to take the remaining five copper coins from Lan Shiwen and set off to meet the God of Wealth, when Lan Shiwen’s expression suddenly changed—his calm demeanor shattered instantly, replaced by extreme terror, his mouth slightly open, on the verge of letting out a piercing scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?” Ning Zhe frowned. Lan Shiwen’s fear vanished in an instant; Ascenders have strong emotional control, or they could never unravel rules and achieve ascension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even Lan Shiwen, so composed, had just lost control of his expression—imagine the magnitude of the shock he endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing. Just remembered something unpleasant.” Lan Shiwen’s face regained composure, though he looked uneasy. “I’m truly sorry, Ye Yao—I can’t give you the coins. I’m not trying to default; I really… really am sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I beg you, I implore you, Ye Yao—give me all the copper coins you have. I swear I’ll repay you double later… Please. I stake my reputation on it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other Ascenders use ghost aliases; only Lan Shiwen uses his real name online. His credit and reputation among Ascenders are excellent—if Ye Ziqian himself were here, he’d likely agree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ning Zhe didn’t know Lan Shiwen’s reputation. A vague, intangible reputation as collateral to snatch away precious life-coins? All he wanted to ask was:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Who the fuck are you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give me a reason to trust you,” Ning Zhe shook his head. “And settle the balance first before anything else—that’s basic contract integrity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Shiwen closed his eyes and took a deep breath: “Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He handed Ning Zhe the remaining five copper coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe’s current copper coin count: 14\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The God of Wealth is coming. Let’s move somewhere else to talk.” Lan Shiwen walked downstairs, calling to the three on the balcony: “Follow me—my car’s parked below.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Shiwen’s car was a garish purple “Caiwei GS,” commonly called a grocery cart or a woman’s car—compact, cute, brightly colored, with soft interior lines, popular among women; in fact, it was his girlfriend’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>=9+book_bar\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe sat in the front passenger seat, while Shi Yurou and Ji Yunying’s brother and sister sat together in the back. Lan Shiwen gripped the steering wheel, fastened his seatbelt, and shouted: “Hold on tight—I’m taking you into the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slammed the accelerator. Though the Caiwei’s design was feminine, its hardware was top-tier—it accelerated rapidly. Lan Shiwen floored it, smashing through the gate fence of Yunshan Villa, bursting out of the forest, and speeding along the lakeside ring road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s that? Never seen a woman’s car driven like this before?” Lan Shiwen joked half-heartedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ning Zhe didn’t think Lan Shiwen was the joking type—he suspected this was meant to mask his earlier moment of terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe thought for a moment, then said casually: “Hmm… I once raced a Wuling Hongguang on the national highway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you’re badass.” Lan Shiwen gave him a thumbs-up, then added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Normally, Ascenders never reveal their rules to others. But the situation is exceptional—I have no choice. If we let the God of Wealth wander freely, irreversible consequences will follow—nearly ten million people in Yun Capital may not survive even one-third… So now I’ll tell you the rule I’ve mastered: in a certain sense, it allows me to foresee the future.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…” Ning Zhe glanced sideways at the siblings in the backseat, frowning slightly—could such a thing be spoken aloud before ordinary people?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever. It’s not my rule anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Zhe raised his hand, signaling him to continue: “So what future did you foresee?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Shiwen bit his lip, his expression grave: “I saw the God of Wealth wandering through Yun Capital. With each transaction, His wealth snowballed until it grew large enough to buy the lives of all ten million people in the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yun Capital became a dead city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1171,"2026-06-20T06:29:21.893Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a4cb9aa56d1f56514bb46ca8d0d5df9cbaa13dbf9356616077b84f069bb190be","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-90","survival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-chapter-88",353,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurvival-guide-in-a-mysterious-world-cover.jpg"]