Chapter 156: Ah Zhen Opens a Factory, Zhang Yu Works

Chapter 156: Ah Zhen Opens a Factory, Zhang Yu Takes a Job

Song Xu was a top scholar at White Dragon High School.

He was also, in Mo Tianyi’s tongue, the boss—the founder of the Poor Geniuses Alliance.

Moreover, his family hailed from the Song clan, one of the sixteen great families of Songyang City.

Yet Song Xu saw no contradiction, for who declares that a bearer of Song blood cannot be poor?

It seemed that in every generation of the Song clan many were cast out, forced to labor and repay debts, and after a few generations their descendants inevitably fell into poverty.

Legend had it that Song Xu’s great‑grandfather could still kneel before the heads of the Song household, yet in his own generation even the friends of Song Hailong had vanished.

To most outsiders they were unaware that Song Xu’s ancestors were also of the noble Song lineage, assuming merely a shared surname.

Fortunately, his family understood the need to wield the power of blood‑line bonds; each generation blew their parents’ gold, invested in themselves, and scaled the lofty peaks of the immortal path.

As a certain Song elder once said, it is better to blame one’s family than to lament the world.

Song Xu’s grandfather embodied that counsel, blowing gold, gaining admission to university, becoming a company employee, and single‑handedly supporting his entire household—becoming the exemplar in Song Xu’s eyes.

Song Xu’s father fell short by a hair; though he too blew his parents’ gold, he squandered it on gambling instead of self‑investment, draining the family’s bond in one breath.

When he learned that his grandfather’s pension had been entirely spent, the house sold off by his father, and every asset lost in wagers…

Song Xu felt as if he were on a massive slide, while his father, ahead of him, left a foul mess, and Song Xu could only watch in despair as he careened downward.

The sole consolation came when his father intended to pawn Song Xu as well, to tap the bond once more; Song Xu beat him to it, mortgaging his father to the Song household and earning his first pot of gold.

Then Song Xu liquidated the final inheritance his grandfather had left.

“Grandfather, there’s no time to wait for the cemetery or your corpse to appreciate.”

“Now I need you to exert your last remaining warmth.”

“Please, from the heavens, bless your grandson, bless my fierce progress on the immortal path, and grant me admission to a fine university.”

Excavate Palm, Level‑3 Surge! Grandfather

Raise me from the earth!

After selling his grandfather’s burial plot and corpse, Song Xu secured his second pot of gold.

Alas, it was already the last plot of graveyard and solitary corpse his family possessed.

No matter how scrupulously Song Xu budgeted, he knew the money would not last until his high‑school graduation.

Fortunately, a life‑altering opportunity soon presented itself.

He encountered a being called the Evil God.

…

Spirit Realm, before the Hall of Inquiry.

Disguised, Song Xu came here this time on business concerning Zhang Yu.

“If if behind this Zhang Yu truly lurks an Evil God, then hunting it will let me augment my potential once more…”

“Then securing a place among the Top Ten in the future becomes a certainty.”

As the thought flickered in Song Xu’s mind, Mo Tianyi’s voice rang out: “Boss, what is the purpose of seeking Zhang Yu this time?”

Song Xu replied calmly: “My investigation shows that these two’s rapid growth over the past six months stems from a certain cause.”

“If I can uncover that cause, my chances of entering the Top Ten next year will be far stronger.”

Hearing this, Mo Tianyi nodded in secret; since it concerned whether the boss could enter the Top Ten, he vowed to give his utmost aid, even forgoing overtime pay to work gratis in the Hall, even if the company discovered his leakage of client data, he would stay the course.

Song Xu continued to watch the footage Mo Tianyi streamed.

…

Security guards and swarms of workers clashed, and Yu Xinghan, caught amid it, seemed as tiny as a single drop in the ocean.

Fists, clubs, swords and spears surged from all directions; his martial prowess could only keep him from being completely overwhelmed.

Yet the Celestial Martial Heart Technique ran ever smoother amid such battlefield chaos.

Meanwhile, a broadcast crackled from the factory gates.

A female voice shouted: “Give it your all! Whether you kill or wound, the factory will compensate you! Medical expenses are covered in full!”

Hearing this, Yu Xinghan felt a surge of exhilaration; his inner method roared to life, and he unleashed the Celestial Martial Heart Technique strike after strike, repelling several workers in succession.

“No need to hold back.”

“No need to consider compensation.”

“And no need to worry about medical costs… just fight to your heart’s content!”

In that instant Yu Xinghan felt his spirit surge, battle‑lust soaring, his whole body erupting with relentless power, and he moved on the battlefield as if a fish in water.

…

Mo Tianyi explained: “The illusion makes them temporarily forget all of reality, immersing wholly in the present scenario; the more their thoughts align with the method, the stronger its effect.”

“It’s like Yu Xinghan cultivating the Celestial Martial Heart Technique on battlefield to elevate his Dao‑heart, a result many times greater than practicing in reality…”

Song Xu nodded casually and asked, “What of the other two?”

Mo Tianyi apologized: “The master of this illusion is Yu Xinghan; I cannot arbitrarily shift the viewpoint.” “But if you keep watching, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen will surely appear.”

Meanwhile, a great battle within the illusion temporarily ceased.

Yu Xinghan hurried back to the factory to rest, where he saw the boss himself come forward with words of consolation.

Bai Zhenzhen shook Yu Xinghan’s hand and said, “Well done; next month you’ll get a raise.”

“Come, accompany me on a factory inspection.”

“There are many workers inside still defiant; later you’ll help me give them a stern lesson.”

Watching this, Song Xu asked curiously, “Is this Bai Zhenzhen the boss? What method does she practice?”

Mo Tianyi replied, “She follows the Cold Soul Ice‑Heart Technique, a method especially suited for investors.”

“It strips away distractions, steadies the spirit, maintaining perpetual calm and composure, allowing one to calculate gains and losses from a detached, icy perspective.”

“Many stock traders cultivate this method to aid their investments.”

“It seems they want her as a boss to keep an icy heart amid internal and external pressures, thereby deepening her grasp of the Cold Soul Ice‑Heart Technique and strengthening her Dao‑heart…”

Song Xu nodded slightly, yet he also knew that the Cold Soul Ice‑Heart Technique was originally forged not for investments or stocks.

“It is a method purely for combat, especially assassination.”

“The principle is to keep one’s heart as clear as ice before and after striking, unshaken even if the heavens collapse, ignoring worldly clamor, concentrating the entire spirit on the present duel, and assessing the battle’s profit and loss from an observer’s stance.”

“Yet compared to battlefield assassinations, running a factory brings fog, deceit, pressures from all directions, and emotional turbulence from shifting circumstances; calculating profit and loss there is far more intricate than any combat.”

“If one can retain an icy heart amid such complexity and still calmly weigh gains and losses, one’s comprehension of the Cold Soul Ice‑Heart Technique will deepen, and the forging of the Dao‑heart will be exceptionally potent.”

Song Xu knew that the deeper a practitioner’s understanding of a method, the more their thoughts aligned, the greater its efficacy, and the swifter the ascent of the Dao‑heart.

“Ha, this training scene is indeed perfectly fitting.”

Meanwhile, within the factory, Bai Zhenzhen already escorted Yu Xinghan, patrolling the premises and suppressing any dissenting workers.

…

On the factory's assembly line.

Zhang Yu's complexion was pallid, his body frail, and he labored on the line with a breathless, feeble vigor.

Years of relentless conveyor work had left him not only weak, but also stricken with a lung disease that made each breath feel like a dagger to his heart.

Under the operation of the lingering bovine body‑mind technique, the pain in his flesh was somewhat veiled, yet it remained insufficient...

"Why?"

"I am... why must I work here?"

"I remember now— for wages, for money to treat my illness..."

When that sliver of hope flickered in his mind, a faint light seemed to kindle in Zhang Yu's eyes, and the lingering bovine technique surged more intensely, gradually pressing the agony from his body.

At that moment a woman's voice rang out: "The company's performance is poor; now is the time for us to share the company's fate. Starting this month, salaries will be cut by twenty percent..."

Zhang Yu turned his head; the speaker was the aloof‑looking boss, Bai Zhenzhen.

With the news of the pay cut, the hope that had just risen in his heart began to wane, and the injuries he had suppressed flared up anew.

"Think… think, is there any other way?"

"At least let me rest a few days to recover, grant me a short leave..."

As Zhang Yu mulled over this, a nearby worker addressed Bai Zhenzhen: "Boss, the New Year is approaching; I haven't seen my parents in years. May I have a few days off..."

Bai Zhenzhen's face was as cold as ice; no emotion could be read in her eyes, only a calm mind calculating profit, data, and revenue.

She patted the employee's shoulder and said, "Your parents want to see you for the New Year? No—call them over, and we can all work overtime together at the factory during the holidays."

Another worker spoke up: "Boss, a relative in my family has passed away..."

Bai Zhenzhen replied lightly, "Even if someone dies at home, the corpse must first be dealt with. Arrange your work, then attend to personal matters."

A shadow crossed Zhang Yu's mind as he wondered whether he could draw an advance on his wages.

A different employee added, "Boss, salaries have been delayed for months; can we receive this month's pay?"

Bai Zhenzhen smiled, her eyes icy as she said, "The factory has indeed run into some trouble lately; paying on time is a bit difficult."

"But as your employer, I understand how hard it is for you to labor."

"So I have borrowed money using your ID cards; this month we will definitely pay salaries on schedule. Just remember to repay the loan on time."

Zhang Yu's heart sank again, the ember of hope drifting toward extinction, and the pain that the inner method had once suppressed surged ever more fiercely through his body.

Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen's thoughts flowed ever smoother; stripped of all feeling, she calmly tallied every gain and loss, extracting every possible profit, feeling the cold‑heart technique pulse ever more fluidly.

(End of Chapter)