Chapter 6: Reunion with an Old Friend

"You, come over here."
"Ah... alright, alright..."
Seeing Ye Cheng beckon him, Zhao Wuji braced himself for death. Someone so young, yet already a master who had broken through the Profound Realm in this age of declining spiritual energy—he was not someone Zhao Wuji could afford to offend. Perhaps he even belonged to one of the legendary sects.
With anxiety gnawing at his heart, Zhao Wuji walked up to Ye Cheng.
Ye Cheng didn’t even spare him a glance; his eyes remained fixed on the street corner where his sister had disappeared.
"You, too, have two paths to choose from."
Ye Cheng turned to look at Zhao Wuji.
With just that one look, an overwhelming pressure crashed down upon Zhao Wuji, impossible to resist.
"First, you can end up like that idiot lying on the ground."
"Dead."
At the utterance of that word, Zhao Wuji’s eyes flew wide, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Please, senior, spare my life! I, Zhao Wuji, am willing to be your loyal dog for the rest of my days!"
Bang, bang, bang!
Without a hint of hesitation, he kowtowed three times, the force splitting the skin on his forehead and drawing blood.
"You’re a clever man. I like dealing with clever people."
Ye Cheng nodded in satisfaction, then drew a small box of pills from his pocket.
The strong scent of medicinal herbs wafted out, and a faint spiritual energy could even be sensed up close.
"What is this...?"
"Swallow it. Don’t waste my time."
The pressure descended again, wild and fierce as a storm. If he didn’t take the pill... the consequences would be worse than death.
"I’ll do it! I’ll do it!"
Gritting his teeth, Zhao Wuji swallowed the black pill in one gulp.
"From now on, come to me for the antidote at the end of every month."
"Otherwise, the spirit worms inside will devour your organs, leaving nothing behind."
Terror gripped Zhao Wuji. He had never imagined the young man before him would be so ruthless.
"Yes, sir..."
"If you want to be a dog, you must have a dog’s awareness."
Ye Cheng smiled and patted Zhao Wuji’s shoulder.
"How strong is your influence around here?"
Zhao Wuji hesitated for a moment.

"To answer senior, I have three martial arts schools in Linjiang District and have dealings with many minor powers."
"Minor powers?"
Ye Cheng raised an eyebrow, and Zhao Wuji was seized by a sudden, inexplicable fear, quickly explaining further.
"Though my own standing in River City isn’t much, I know a lot of influential people! I can connect you with them, and their wealth and reach far exceed that of Wang Yongsheng just now!"
"Oh?"
Ye Cheng, who had already written Zhao Wuji off as useless, suddenly reconsidered. If this old fool really did know some of the city’s movers and shakers, then perhaps he was still of use—a reason to spare him.
"Very well. Transfer me some money, and you can go."
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji felt as if he’d been granted amnesty. He hurriedly took out his phone and transferred a million to Ye Cheng.
For a martial arts grandmaster like him, such a sum was nothing but a drop in the ocean.
He even went to a nearby electronics store to buy Ye Cheng a new phone and laptop, hoping to show his loyalty.
Night had fallen. Going to the hospital now would not be wise, so Ye Cheng decided to find a hotel for the night and set out in the morning.
After so many years, River City’s streets had changed beyond recognition.
"I wonder how those old roommates of mine are faring now."
Ye Cheng chuckled to himself with a hint of self-mockery.
He had gone up the mountain in his junior year, and now, six years after graduation, it was likely that his former classmates had already left River City.
"Things change, and people with them."
As he walked down the street, a man’s voice suddenly called out from behind.
"Ye Cheng?!"
Ye Cheng frowned and turned around, only to see a familiar face.
Cai Wei—one of his university roommates! And they’d once got along fairly well.
"It really is you, Ye Cheng! Where have you been all these years?"
Recognizing his old friend, Ye Cheng offered a friendly smile.
"Oh? Ye Cheng, that campus heartthrob from back in the day? How did you end up looking like this—hahaha!"
Another man’s voice came from behind Cai Wei.
Ye Cheng looked closely and saw a face he despised.
"Ouyang Duan?"
"Ha! Well, well! You still recognize me after all these years, Ye Cheng. But judging from your appearance, you haven’t done too well for yourself."
Ouyang Duan had been the student council president, and among those who targeted Ye Cheng, he was the most despicable.
It was he who started the rumors about Ye Cheng dating several campus beauties at once.
Worse still, Ouyang Duan had once harbored indecent thoughts toward Ye Cheng’s sister, Ye Mengxue—something Ye Cheng could never forgive.

But seven years had passed, and Ye Cheng had no desire to revisit these petty matters.
Seeing that Cai Wei was now friendly with Ouyang Duan, Ye Cheng lost any interest in catching up. He gave a casual greeting and prepared to leave.
"Hey, don’t go, Ye Cheng."
Just then, Ouyang Duan stepped in front of him.
Wearing a polite smile, he extended his right hand, as if to shake.
"Ye Cheng, I was young and foolish back then. Years have passed—you’re not still holding a grudge, are you?"
Looking at Ouyang Duan’s insincere smile, Ye Cheng’s face grew cold, but he nonetheless reached out.
But at that moment, Ouyang Duan abruptly withdrew his hand and, with a flourish, produced a business card from his breast pocket, leaving Ye Cheng’s hand awkwardly suspended in the air.
Deciding it wasn’t worth quarreling with an ant, Ye Cheng calmly withdrew his hand.
But Ouyang Duan, unwilling to waste this chance for revenge, forced the card into Ye Cheng’s hand.
"I’ve started a company recently—it’s about to go public. But looking at you now... tsk, tsk, tsk."
He ostentatiously waved his hand in front of his nose, as if implying Ye Cheng’s very presence was offensive.
"Here’s the deal, Ye Cheng. Since we’re old classmates, my company just opened a new department and we’re in need of a janitor. It’s not the most dignified job, but it at least pays more than begging, right?"
He finished his words, laden with mockery, and added:
"Oh, and we value cleanliness at my company, so please be sure to scrub the toilets thoroughly, alright?"
A wicked grin stretched across Ouyang Duan’s face—he had never felt so triumphant in his life.
Back in university, Ye Cheng had been more handsome than he, better in his studies, and more popular with the women.
Even abusing his power as student council president to torment Ye Cheng hadn’t satisfied his thirst for revenge.
Seven years had gone by, and now the former campus idol looked like a vagrant—what could be more satisfying than crushing an old rival underfoot, flaunting his power every day?
But what he didn’t expect was for Ye Cheng to tear the business card into tiny shreds.
"Sorry, I’m busy."
Ye Cheng stuffed the fragments into Ouyang Duan’s hand and turned to leave.
Ouyang Duan was stunned. He hadn’t imagined that, even having fallen so low, Ye Cheng would dare speak to him like this.
A surge of rage rose in his chest.
"Ye Cheng! Even a janitor has more dignity than a beggar! How dare you talk to Mr. Ouyang like that!"
Having kept quiet until now, Cai Wei suddenly jumped in.