Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Eighty-Four: Wang Xiaoyu, Let’s Have a Fight!

Wang Jue was never the quiet type to begin with, and Monkey was a master of witty conversation. The atmosphere in the van was lively all the way home. Perhaps it was because the vehicle was overloaded that a journey normally taking just over ten minutes stretched into more than twenty.

Standing at the entrance of his residential complex, Wang Jue watched Monkey's van disappear from sight before turning to head inside. After a few steps, he paused, remembering the money he’d earned today. He turned toward the nearby ATM and withdrew forty thousand in cash.

Carrying such a large sum late at night made Wang Jue uneasy. So, passing by the supermarket, he ducked in, bought some snacks, and asked for an extra bag to conceal the money before heading home.

By the time Wang Jue got back, it was already past ten. His mother, Liu Wenjing, who was just clearing the dinner table, paused and asked, “Son, do you want something to eat? If you do, I can make you something.”

“No need, Mom. I already ate,” Wang Jue replied, setting the bag down as he changed his shoes. “By the way, is Xiaoyun asleep?”

“She’s already in bed,” his mother nodded, glancing curiously at the bag. “What’s in there?”

“Nothing much, just some snacks,” Wang Jue replied, slipping off his shoes. He picked up the bag, pulled out a smaller one, and handed it to his mother. “Here, Mom, this is for you.”

“What is it?” she asked, a bit puzzled. She opened it, and when she saw what was inside, she jumped in shock. “Heavens, Jue, where did you get so much money?”

Just as Wang Jue was about to explain, his father, Wang Jianbin, heard the commotion and walked in. “Wife, what’s this about money?”

Without a word, his mother handed over the bag stuffed with cash. His father, equally puzzled, opened it, and was stunned. “Forty thousand? Son, where did you get all this?”

Without thinking, Wang Jue made up an excuse. “Didn’t I tell you before? The school offers subsidies. I made a breakthrough in my cultivation a few days ago, so I applied for it. I just got the money today.”

His father’s face lit up. “You made another breakthrough so soon?”

His mother shot her husband a look, then anxiously pulled Wang Jue aside. “Son, cultivation is so hard—tell me the truth, are you feeling unwell anywhere? If you are, I’ll take you to the doctor.”

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Wang Jue smiled. “I’m perfectly fine. Even my teacher praised me for my hard work when I picked up the money today.”

His parents exchanged glances, sensing something odd, but never believing their son would lie to them.

To make his story more convincing, Wang Jue looked around, grabbed a chopstick from the table, then, thinking one was too few, picked up both pairs his parents had just used. His parents watched on, curious as to what he was up to.

Then, with a slight squeeze between his index and middle fingers, Wang Jue snapped all four chopsticks in half with a crisp crack. Truth be told, he felt no pain at all from the effort.

His mother’s face darkened instantly upon seeing her son break their chopsticks. Unfortunately, in his eagerness to show off, Wang Jue didn’t notice and proudly displayed the broken sticks. “See? My strength now…”

Before he could finish, his mother exploded like a volcano, grabbing his ear. “You troublemaker! Couldn’t you just say so? Why break our chopsticks? Don’t you know they cost money? How are we supposed to eat breakfast tomorrow?”

Wang Jue was left speechless.

His father stared blankly at the handful of broken chopsticks, hesitated, then looked at his wife as if to say, “Honey, is this really the main issue here?”

Catching his son’s pleading look, Wang Jianbin pretended not to see. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, but he knew if he spoke up now, he could forget about sharing a bed with his wife tonight. Sleep on the sofa for his son’s sake? Not a chance. Sleeping beside his wife was far more appealing.

In the end, Wang Jue barely managed to escape his mother’s clutches. Since his younger sister was already asleep, he carried his large bag of snacks into his room.

Lying on his bed, he couldn’t help but grin. “This world really is more exciting than Earth…” He found himself growing more and more fond of it.

The night passed quietly.

The next day was Sunday. Since Wang Jue and Lan Yiyi had eliminated the Black Dragon Gang, the loan shark issue plaguing his aunt’s family had simply faded away. Over the past few days, both his uncle and his father’s broken legs had nearly healed.

With their injuries mended, it was time to get back to work. Wang Jue wasn’t sure about his uncle, but he assumed the family restaurant would reopen. As for his parents’ noodle shop, they had been chomping at the bit after so many days closed. They’d left early for the shop, but made sure to leave breakfast for Wang Jue and his sister, Wang Xiaoyu.

Wang Jue slept in, only getting up after nine. After washing up, he went to the living room, took a corn on the cob, and enjoyed the rare peace.

Just then, his sister Wang Xiaoyu, who’d also slept late, emerged from her room and plopped down across from him, staring without a word.

Wang Jue glanced at her once, then again, and finally frowned, hesitantly offering her the corn. “Here, if you want it, take it.”

“I don’t want it!” Wang Xiaoyu scowled, pushing it away.

Wang Jue raised an eyebrow. “You don’t? Then what are you staring at me for?”

“Don’t play dumb. Pay me back my money,” she snapped. “Or, a profit share will do.”

Wang Jue froze, vaguely remembering something. He’d thought his sister would forget about it. Apparently, she hadn’t.

With interest, Wang Jue said, “Well, well, you even remember to ask for dividends? Looks like you’ve done your homework.”

“Of course,” Wang Xiaoyu replied triumphantly, holding out her hand. “Don’t even think about fooling me. Come on, cough up my share!”

Wang Jue continued nibbling the corn. “Since you’ve done your homework, you should know investments carry risks. Dividends only come from profits. If there’s no profit, there’s no dividend. Isn’t that right?”

“Huh…?” Wang Xiaoyu faltered. That almost made sense. Her momentum weakened, but she put on a brave face. “I don’t care! I’m not investing anymore. Just give me my capital back!”

“Can’t do,” Wang Jue replied lazily, sipping his porridge. “I’ve already lost it all.”

Wang Xiaoyu was furious. She grabbed his collar. “Wang Jue, say that again!”

Her outburst nearly made Wang Jue choke. After coughing, he pried her hand off, exasperated. “Why do you always have to imitate Mom’s lioness roar? Your money’s in the cabinet. Go check yourself and let me eat, or I’ll give you a beating.”

“Hmph…” Wang Xiaoyu huffed, half skeptical, but went to the cabinet. As soon as she opened it and saw the bags of snacks, her eyes lit up. She forgot her anger, dragged all the snacks out, piled them in front of herself, and hugged them with delight, occasionally rubbing her head against them.

Wang Jue, watching this, couldn’t help but comment, “Honestly, can’t you show a little ambition?”

“You don’t get it,” Wang Xiaoyu replied without looking up.

Wang Jue was left speechless.

Resisting the urge to discipline his sister, Wang Jue happily enjoyed his breakfast. Compared to him, Wang Xiaoyu was positively ecstatic, cuddling her snacks and, turning to him with a beaming smile, asked, “Brother, is this my dividend?”

“That’s everything—principal and interest. We’re even,” Wang Jue grinned, pausing mid-bite.

Wang Xiaoyu blinked, her smile vanishing as she quickly pulled out her phone to check prices.

“What are you doing?” Wang Jue asked, puzzled.

“Checking market value.”

Wang Jue was at a loss for words.

After a while, Wang Xiaoyu looked up, triumphant. “Wang Jue, here’s your chance to come clean. Don’t let me down.”

After a long silence, Wang Jue put down his half-finished corn. “Tell you what, Wang Xiaoyu, let’s have a fight. If you win, I’ll tell you.”

Seeing the dangerous glint in his eyes, Wang Xiaoyu immediately whipped out her phone and dialed, “Mom, my brother says he’s going to beat me up! He’s being super mean! And he called you a tigress!”

Wang Jue nearly spat out his porridge. When did I ever say that?

It took a while to calm the little troublemaker down.

At last, he sat quietly on the sofa, considering his plan for further improvement. With his new secret technique—Heaven-Sundering—his strength had increased considerably, and he felt more confident about heading to Blood Wolf Valley. First, slaying beasts would earn him Star Source points; second, materials from the wolves could be sold for money; third, money was indispensable everywhere.

He thought about many things, but something nagged at him, as if he’d forgotten something important.

Suddenly, he smacked his forehead. “I nearly forgot about the spirit herb.”

Last night, he’d been busy proving his strength to his family, and this morning he’d been occupied teasing Wang Xiaoyu. In all the commotion, he’d forgotten about the herb in his room. He wondered how old it was, and how much it might be worth.

With that, Wang Jue quickly pulled Monkey’s business card from his pocket and read the address aloud, “Block One, Commercial Street No. 110, First Apothecary, Old Huang.”

“First, huh? That’s a bold name. If they dare call themselves that, it must be something special.”