Cultivation Without Money — Chapter 59: The Strongest Freshman

Bang!

Zhou Chechen slammed his palm down hard on the office desk, killing intent surging from his eyes like something tangible.

He spoke one word at a time: "Zhang Pianpian. That woman treats Songyang as if it were nothing!"

After being so thoroughly cowed by Zhang Pianpian today, he felt he could already see the gloating in the eyes of those juniors and classmates, could already feel his authority dealt a severe blow.

Zhou Chechen abruptly turned to face the student council president, Chu Chengxuan, and demanded: "President, are you just going to watch this woman run wild at Songyang?"

Chu Chengxuan, one eye on the textbook in his hand to squeeze in some studying, replied offhandedly: "As for this Zhang Pianpian... unknown origins, mysterious wealth, and stark raving mad to boot—why provoke her?"

"In a little over half a year she'll be entering university. Then the higher-ranked seniors up there will deal with her."

Seeing his counterpart still absorbed in his books, Zhou Chechen understood that the Chu Chengxuan of today had his head full of exams, university admissions, and interview prep—with no mind at all to spare for wading into a clash over him with that madwoman Zhang Pianpian.

Still, at his words, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Chechen's eyes: "Half a year, is it?"

"Then I'll wait those six months, and take care of Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen after that."

But at this moment, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were, in Zhou Chechen's eyes, nothing more than corpses already in their graves, sheltered under Zhang Pianpian's wings—the moment the six months were up, he would be merciless with them.

What Zhou Chechen was truly fixated on now was still Zhang Pianpian.

With boundless hatred and humiliation churning in his heart, he thought: *The university has ten years. By then, the gap of a single year of seniority won't be nearly as wide as it is in high school.*

*Zhang Pianpian, I truly, truly hope... you hold out until I pass the exam and catch up with you.*

...

Outside Songyang High.

Inside a private room of a teahouse.

Zhang Pianpian glanced around and said: "It's fine. We can talk freely here for now. There are a few things I need to relay to you two."

"Big Sis!" Zhang Yu grabbed Zhang Pianpian excitedly: "You really are my own sister! Having a big sister is wonderful!"

Just then, a bang sounded.

Zhang Pianpian turned to look, only to find Bai Zhenzhen already kneeling on the floor.

Bai Zhenzhen said solemnly: "To have received such great favor today, if Sister does not despise me, Zhen is willing to kneel and call you adoptive mother. From this day forth I will obey your every word."

Zhang Yu said: "Wait... she's my sister."

Bai Zhenzhen: "It's fine, Little Yu, I'm not fussy about that. From now on I'll call her my adoptive mother, and you can call me Mom."

Even as Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu argued, Zhang Pianpian said coolly: "The bank balance was fake."

What?!

Seeing the two whip their heads around, Zhang Pianpian swept her fingertip again and cast another charm—but this time the bank balance above her head only read two hundred fifty thousand.

She explained calmly: "That Intimidation Charm I cast earlier was a charm I modified myself, one that can display a fake bank balance."

Zhang Yu was shocked inwardly: *Charms can be modified like that? They can show a fake savings balance? Why have I never heard of this in Dao-Arts class? Were these charms not handed down from the Eight Great Orthodox Gods to be used exactly as they are?*

From *my sister is a millionaire* to *my sister is pretending to be a millionaire*, Zhang Yu's spirits fell all at once.

Looking at the two dumbstruck faces, Zhang Pianpian continued: "Remember this—to take on the rich, you have to understand what the rich are like."

"The rich rely on money, so they understand money's power best, they're the easiest to be driven by money, and the easiest to be cowed by money. This is what it means to control money with money."

"And the very foundation of these methods is information. To obtain information, to alter information, to intercept information... all of that depends on masterful charms."

"Charms are the most formidable technique you can learn in high school. Remember that: charms are the most useful and the most powerful! No Dao art, no martial art is as useful as a charm..."

Watching Zhang Pianpian earnestly start singing the praises of charms, Zhang Yu could practically see the words "all hail charms" floating over her head.

Though the two and a half billion in the inheritance had shrunk to two hundred fifty thousand, Bai Zhenzhen still flung her arms warmly around Zhang Pianpian, cooing: "Mom, so what do we do next?"

The Zhang Yu at her side, watching Bai Zhenzhen's sweet demeanor, felt his hair stand on end—as if he were witnessing a thousand-year-old corpse stir back to life.

Zhang Pianpian said coolly: "There's still half a year until the college entrance exam. After it ends, I'll be heading to university on the Second Layer of Kunxu."

"In other words, the time I can shelter you two is only half a year."

"Six months from now, without my protection, the Songyang High student council will definitely move against you."

"And there's something else."

"You both need to understand—the reason I can cover for you right now is that they believe I'm one of the same rich people as themselves."

"They think you two have been signed by me, think you won't be gunning for the Top Ten."

"The moment they find out you're aiming for the Top Ten, they won't care about my protection anymore, and the methods they use will be a hundred times fiercer than now."

"So..."

As she spoke, Zhang Pianpian looked directly into Bai Zhenzhen's eyes, as if trying to see through every thought in her heart.

"What's your plan?"

"Wait to die? Or make full preparations to flee Songyang City? Or risk smashing yourself to pieces to aim for the Top Ten?"

Bai Zhenzhen met Zhang Pianpian's gaze without flinching, and her expression turned serious: "I want to get into a top university in the Top Ten."

Zhang Pianpian then looked at Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu said: "Sis, stop being cryptic. A-Zhen and I have wills of steel—we're dead set on getting into the Top Ten."

"Just tell us what we need to do."

Zhang Pianpian gave a slight nod, then continued: "Your strength is far too weak."

Seeing their resentful, unconvinced expressions, Zhang Pianpian said coolly: "To get into the Top Ten as paupers, your current strength is nowhere near enough—let alone cracking the measures the rich have put up to block you."

"First, become the strongest freshman in Songyang City."

"Once the two of you have swept the first two places in every remaining Grade One competition and become the strongest freshmen at Songyang, then I'll tell you what to do next."

At this, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen's hearts both jolted.

Every remaining Grade One competition?

That meant they had to outdo every freshman across all three elite schools—and every other school—in Dao heart, physical strength, martial arts, and Dao arts?

Especially the Dao-Arts competition... that one seemed practically designed to crush the poor.

Still, luckily the Dao-Arts competition came near the very end of Grade One, and the closest competition next was in martial arts, where the two of them each held some advantage.

Next, Zhang Pianpian had Bai Zhenzhen sign an intern contract with the Songyang City Patrol Team, fully confirming her status as a patrol team member, before letting the two of them leave.

But Bai Zhenzhen lingered where she stood, rubbing her hands together over and over, a face full of embarrassment.

"Um... well, uh..."

Zhang Pianpian asked, puzzled: "What?"

Bai Zhenzhen hooked her index finger and pointed from a distance at Zhang Yu, who was idly toying with a registry book, smiling all sweetly: "That registry book... do interns get one?"

Zhang Pianpian shook her head: "The Patrol Department isn't extravagant enough to issue registry books to interns."

"Oh, and—the relationship between me and Zhang Yu, don't tell anyone."

"Also, Mom and Dad were already settled by me into a safe village. No need to worry about them."

At this, Zhang Yu's figure paused for a moment, then he nodded.

Finally, telling Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu to hurry back and focus on studying and training, Zhang Pianpian watched their receding figures from a distance, then made a phone call.

A woman's voice came from the other end: "Hello? Pian-Bao? What's up?"

Zhang Pianpian: "Lend me some money."

Curious, the other party asked: "Aren't you saving up to buy a Heaven-grade spiritual root? Borrowing from me—does that mean you've nearly got it all together?"

Zhang Pianpian explained: "I ran into something today, spent some money contacting the gods. I'm not going to make this month's loan interest."

The other party grew even more curious: "Oh? Something that made you commune with the gods?"

Zhang Pianpian said flatly: "I gave that kid a hand. I'd originally thought his temperament had promise, that he could rise above an ordinary life, and hadn't planned to go this far."

"But..."

Zhang Pianpian's gaze swept across Zhang Yu's head.

Songyang City Patrol Team, outsourced employee (expand for details)

And as Zhang Pianpian's focus settled on the "???" she received only a single reply: unknown latent potential, impossible to define.

Zhang Pianpian then turned her gaze to Bai Zhenzhen.

Songyang City Patrol Team intern (expand for details)

And as Zhang Pianpian's fingertip swept again and again, after a string of two charms, a new word appeared in front of "Songyang City Patrol Team intern" above Bai Zhenzhen's head.

Unknown new-type spiritual root: hidden evolution type, no data available yet.

With each sweep of Zhang Pianpian's fingertip, flashes of light rippled over the registry book floating at her side.

And when the charms were complete, both the "???" above Zhang Yu's head and the "unknown new-type spiritual root" above Bai Zhenzhen's had vanished completely, hidden away for good.

Meanwhile, Zhang Pianpian went on over the phone: "They turned out better than I imagined."

"Perhaps... they can keep pace with me."

On the other end of the line, the woman said in surprise: "Oh? In all my years I've never heard you give anyone such high praise. I'm more and more looking forward to meeting them."