Chapter 54: A Sudden Surge in Wealth

After leaving the shooting range, Chen Meng was in high spirits. He carried his backpack, with the two pistols tucked neatly inside. Sitting on the city bus, his phone suddenly rang.

“Captain Han?” Chen Meng glanced at the caller ID—it was the number Han Hao had given him earlier.

Han Hao got straight to the point. “Chen Meng, I have something to tell you. We’ve identified the cultist who first tried to kill you. She’s an intern forensic examiner at the Law Enforcement Bureau, named Jiang Lan. After that fight, we never found her body, so she’s still alive. You should be careful in the coming days, though she’s most likely already fled Jiangzhou City.”

Chen Meng jolted at this news, startled. If Jiang Lan was still alive, she must hate him deeply and might actually seek revenge. Thinking of how he’d gone out alone several times in the past couple of days, he found himself cursing Han Hao for only now sharing this crucial information.

But Han Hao paid no mind and continued, “Do you have time tomorrow afternoon? I’ll come to your school to take your statement and close Wang Jie’s case. Also, the bureau has finalized the reward for your actions in eliminating the cultist and protecting Shu Beibei. There are three options, and you can choose the one you prefer.”

“A reward? Three options?” Chen Meng’s face lit up with joy, instantly forgetting about Jiang Lan. “Captain Han, can’t you give me a hint first?”

Han Hao considered it. “I heard your grades aren’t great. One of the options is guaranteed admission to Jiangzhou University. You might want to pick that one.”

Guaranteed admission to Jiangzhou University? Chen Meng was stunned. He hadn’t realized such a thing was possible. If he chose that, he wouldn’t even need to take the college entrance exam. But his goal was Jiangdu University! And who told Han Hao his grades were poor? That was utter nonsense.

Han Hao clearly had no time to elaborate. “I’ll explain everything to your teachers when I arrive at your school tomorrow. Just make sure you don’t skip class in the afternoon.”

Chen Meng sighed inwardly. Han Hao really was all business. Even though he was the star pupil of Han Hao’s old friend, he couldn’t spare a few extra words.

Not in a hurry to go home, Chen Meng returned to school first, intending to study a while before heading back. The classroom lights were still on.

Upon entering, he saw Tang Wenjing buried in her books. Hearing the door, she looked up.

“Still here?” Chen Meng asked, glancing at the two freshly bought hand-grabbed pancakes in his hand. He offered one to Tang Wenjing. “Want one?”

She hesitated at the greasy bag, but accepted it. “Thank you,” she said softly. Then, as if remembering something, she added, “On Friday, the dean came to check attendance. Even though Ma Yiqun covered for you, the dean still took note of your absence. Judging by his look, he’ll probably give you a hard time tomorrow—maybe even make an example of you.”

“Make an example of me? For what?”

“For not taking your studies seriously, using a leave of absence as an excuse to slack off. He loves to make a show of that,” Tang Wenjing smiled. “I bet he still thinks you’re a poor student and doesn’t believe your grades have improved. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare.”

Chen Meng nodded. That guy was always a snob. If you had good grades, he’d turn a blind eye even if you skipped class or were late. But if you were a struggling student, even a little tardiness would have him threatening to call your parents. Some parents would come and treat him politely, maybe give him a pack of cigarettes, and he’d drop the matter with a grin. Chen Meng wondered if other schools had teachers like this, but at theirs, the dean was universally disliked.

“Let him try to make trouble for me,” Chen Meng grinned. He’d killed a tier-two cultist with a divine body—why fear a mere high school dean?

Seeing his confidence, Tang Wenjing relaxed.

“Are you really aiming for Jiangdu University?” she suddenly asked, looking at him intently.

Chen Meng nodded, “I’m not joking. I’m definitely going to Jiangdu University. Weren’t you planning on that too? We probably won’t end up in the same class, but we’ll still be schoolmates.”

“Schoolmates?” Tang Wenjing murmured, but then grew serious. “Then you must get into Jiangdu University. Don’t break your promise.”

Chen Meng smiled—he was more than confident now.

That evening, upon arriving home, Chen Meng received a bank notification on his phone as soon as he reached the door.

150,000!

Staring at the figure, he swallowed in excitement.

He was about to call Mo Xiaoyi when she called him first.

“You got the money, right? The gold you brought weighed 12.49 kilograms, about 25 jin. But it was raw gold, like the last batch you gave me, so it needed refining. After testing the purity, the buyer offered 148,081. I got him to round it up to a clean 150,000,” Mo Xiaoyi explained.

The amount was actually more than Chen Meng had expected, and he was quite satisfied. He considered transferring 5,000 as a thank you, but Mo Xiaoyi spoke up again. “Don’t send me anything this time. I just got word from the school—I’m being considered for a promotion potion, partly because I gave you the old man’s address and helped lure the cultists out of Jiangzhou, reducing the damage they could do. Honestly, I was surprised. It seemed like such a minor thing.”

At this, Chen Meng fell silent. Mo Xiaoyi had indeed sent him the address, which was both important and not. “Maybe it’s because I told Han Hao that the old man’s son was Hong Qing. Since Mo Xiaoyi is his student, the bureau probably wanted to do her a favor. Even the reward for me likely has something to do with that,” Chen Meng mused. But it was all good news for him—having the old man as a backer meant he no longer had to worry about the bureau.

After congratulating Mo Xiaoyi, he hung up.

Back at home, after enjoying his mother’s chicken soup, he immediately went to his room to tally his assets.

He’d spent almost all his previous money, leaving only 7,400. Now, with 150,000 more, his total reached 157,400. He’d never had so much before, and the sudden windfall filled him with glee.

If he converted all this money into knowledge points, it would be enough to completely finish the remaining sections on high school alchemy and forging.

He checked his stats:

Knowledge points: 29
Pages turned: University-level Runes (0/1998), High School Alchemy (602/909), High School Forging (0/712)
Analysis progress: Ghost Step Lotus (6%)

Ghost Step Lotus had gained a percent, likely from the previous fight with Jiang Lan.

He didn’t rush to spend all his points on alchemy. Instead, he decided to keep some in reserve—there might be other uses for them.

He read for a while, but without Shu Beibei beside him as before, he couldn’t quite get used to it.

Soon, morning arrived.

Chen Meng called Ma Yiqun early to ask him to request another leave of absence, while he went out to spend his money and convert it into knowledge points.

Otherwise, he’d never be ready for the forging test that afternoon.