7 After classes

Afternoon. The classes in the Holy Orchid Institute finally ended. Fighter Apprentice Class students walked through the halls and the courtyards of the Institute, with some of them going outside onto the bustling streets of Glory City.

Nie Li, Lu Piao and Du Ze walked together, chatting.

"Damn, Nie Li, just what the hell did you pull off in class?" Lu Piao scolded. "Now both Shen Xiu and Shen Yue will be on your ass. Hehe, it even rhymed!"

Nie Li smirked in amusement, Lu Piao seemed like he really enjoyed his speech back then when he teased Ye Ziyun, but now the same lazy Lu Piao was actually scolding him. Nie Li found it quite ironic, but he didn't put this matter to heart and brushed it off - Lu Piao liked to complan. Nie Li looked at Lu Piao and said, "They can't do anything to me, don't worry about them."

Du Ze sighed, looking at Nie Li. He said solemnly, "Nie Li, thank you for trying to speak up for commoners back then, but by insulting the teacher you only make things more difficult. Shen Yue and Shen Xiu are from the Sacred Family. If I could really make connections with Shen Yue then it could be great for my future. I don't want to get into a difficult situation by associating with you, so please don't do that kind of stuff again."

In the end, what Nie Li said in class was shameless boasting of an idiot. Du Ze felt quite embarrassed as he recalled it. Furthermore, Du Ze didn't even interact with Nie Li before today, so they couldn't be considered friends.

Hearing Du Ze's words, Nie Li was speechless. But then he laughed and patted Du Ze's shoulder. "Du Ze, you don't need to become a dog of the Sacred Family. Just trust me. With my help, as long as you don't give up, I will help you to become the strongest Demon Spiritualist!"

In his previous life Du Ze and Lu Piao shared life and death with him. They had fought and saved his life many times and now that he's back he'll naturally help Du Ze and Lu Piao to fulfill their dreams.

"Give Up? Never!" Du Ze firmly said. He will become stronger to change his family's fate; in this matter, he'll never give up. "But Nie Li, how are you so confident? Could you know a secret method to increase soul force?"

He was very curious, from what he knows there's no shortcut in training soul force. Just why is Nie Li so confident?

"First we'll need some money," Nie Li said, while gazing at Ye Ziyun who was chatting with a few girls. However, the numerous people from the Alchemist Association running around the market with huge bags full of herbs got his attention. Just what is going on?

"Look, it's Shen Yue!" Lu Piao directed Shen Yue's location with his chin.

Nie Li looked towards that direction and saw Shen Yue approaching Ye Ziyun who chatted with a few girls from the Fighter Apprentice Class.

"Ziyun!" Shen Yue called out, slightly smiling.

Ye Ziyun and the two girls turned to Shen Yue, as he walked up to them.

"Hey. Sorry for interrupting your chat. Mind if I join you?" Shen Yue looked at the two girls with a gentle smile, asking.

"Hello, Shen Yue!"

"No, not a problem!"

The girls giggled and smiled flirtatiously at Shen Yue, their eyes brightening up.

Ye Ziyun gently wrinkled her brows.

"The classes have just ended, so you probably didn't eat yet. The school cafeteria is packed right now, so how about we go to a restaurant and chat there? My treat," Shen Yue said with a smile.

"Sounds lovely!"

"Thank you, Shen Yue!"

The two girls accepted Shen Yue's offer before Ye Ziyun had a chance to say anything.

At this moment, Ye Ziyun thought of leaving for the City Lord's mansion. However, she inwardly felt too lonely and wanted to chat with her classmates some more. Since Shen Yue didn't seem to be too bad and he even invited the two girls as well, and since Xiao Ning Er also rejected and ignored her today, a while later, Ye Ziyun made up her mind and walked away together with the three of them.

While walking away with Ye Ziyun, Shen Yue sent a glance toward Nie Li, and lightly smirked.

The reason why Shen Yue approached Ye Ziyun in the first place was mostly to put up a show of being the same Ziyun-chasing Shen Yue in front of Nie Li, and he also wanted to check how Nie Li is doing with his own eyes. Even if Ye Ziyun blew him off, it didn't matter; but unexpectedly, she actually joined Shen Yue and the two girls, surprising him a little; it was all too easy.

Upon seeing all that, Nie Li squeezed his fists. Although he knew that what Ye Ziyun wanted right now was only friendship, seeing Ye Ziyun with another man, even going out to eat lunch with him, made his stomach turn in jealousy.

[You received +1 System Point!]

"Nie Li, it looks like you're game over," Lu Piao shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

Nie Li laughed, his expression turning to one of determination. "No worries. Ye Ziyun will be my woman!"

Du Ze spread out his hands. Shaking his head, he looked at Nie Li. "Nie Li, Shen Yue is someone handsome, talented and rich, what can you compete against him with?"

Nie Li scoffed. In the previous life Nie Li was Ye Ziyun's only man. His affection for Ye Ziyun is not something that someone like Shen Yue could understand.

"Hehe, Ziyun wouldn't care about someone like Shen Yue!" Nie Li spoke with a laugh, his gaze tracing Ye Ziyun's leaving figure, at the same time with the corner of his eye he noticed Xiao Ning Er starting to walk away in another direction.

"Nie Li, I recommend you to give up, focus on training instead," Du Ze persuaded Nie Li seriously, if Nie Li really fell for Ye Ziyun, he would only get hurt.

Nie Li looked at Du Ze. In the past life, Nie Li was indeed unable to stop himself from loving Ye Ziyun, when he heard that Shen Yue and Ye Ziyun got engaged, he was heartbroken. But in this life, if he's still as useless as a scrap of wood, he might as well commit suicide.

"Don't worry, I know well that the things I want to do can definitely be accomplished!" Nie Li spoke with confidence.

Listening to Nie Li's words, Du Ze and Lu Piao staggered for a moment. They were unable to imagine where Nie Li got such confidence. Seeing Nie Li's expression, they had a feeling that Nie Li can accomplish anything he says. They couldn't help but be influenced by Nie Li's mood.

…

Ye Ziyun and two girls entered a high-class restaurant for nobles under Shen Yue's lead.

The four of them soon sat down at a table and Shen Yue prompted them to make their orders, with the two girls ordering fancy dishes that they have never had a chance to taste in their lives, looking very excited.

At this moment the two girls giggled and were so focused on chatting with Shen Yue that Ye Ziyun couldn't have a proper conversation with them anymore. She only lightly smiled and stayed silent at the side, while the two girls flirted with Shen Yue.

A waiter soon poured tea for the four of them, while the two girls kept coaxing Shen Yue and babbling on and on.

"Ziyun, you were close friends with Xiao Ning Er in the past, right?" Shen Yue suddenly asked, looking at Ye Ziyun.

Hearing Shen Yue's words, Ye Ziyun was startled and her expression slightly drooped, sadness filling her lavender eyes.

"Yeah, we were…." Ye Ziyun softly said.

It's true, Xiao Ning Er and her were playmates when they were small. Ye Ziyun has always been cherishing the bear pouch that was given to her by Xiao Ning'er; that was her most precious memory when she was a child, because in her heart, Xiao Ning'er was her only friend.

It wasn't until later that Xiao Ning'er suddenly stopped coming over to the City Lord's Mansion.

Ye Ziyun really missed those childhood times. The only reason she requested to be in the Fighter Apprentice Class was because of Xiao Ning'er, but Xiao Ning'er gave her a cold shoulder when she approached her today.

Ye Ziyun still remembered the words that Xiao Ning'er told her in the past: We are people of two different worlds. You're like a princess that lives in the City Lord's Mansion, and I am only an ordinary girl. There's a gap between us that can never be crossed.

"Hmmm." Shen Yue hummed thoughtfully, looking at her.

"Ziyun, you were friends with Xiao Ning Er?" The two girls were surprised that the cold and aloof Xiao Ning Er actually had friends. They have been with Xiao Ning Er in class for eight months and Xiao Ning Er didn't even talk with anyone, let alone had a friend.

"I guess you had a falling out," Shen Yue said. After a while, he continued, "Xiao Ning Er is engaged to my half-brother Shen Fei and that guy is a real scum. From what I understand it seems like she is working really hard to not become his plaything, so she might not even have time for friendship."

Ye Ziyun looked up at Shen Yue. Was that why Xiao Ning Er rejected her? Then what should she do? How could she help her?

"We also heard rumors that Xiao Ning Er doesn't like Shen Fei, but he wouldn't be that bad, would he?" Shen Fei was someone handsome, talented and rich, having a very noble background, so in the mind of the two girls Xiao Ning Er was being too picky, even if Shen Fei was a bit of a playboy.

Shen Yue only let out a sigh. He smiled, looking at Ye Ziyun. "Ziyun, I can tell that you want to be friends with Xiao Ning Er again. I make no promises, but I'll see what I can do. "

Ye Ziyun was startled. "What? How did you know?"

Shen Yue smiled mysteriously. "You're my childhood friend, so of course I know your heart well."

Ye Ziyun looked at Shen Yue. She felt a little happy when he called her a childhood friend in such a casual manner. In truth, the two of them interacted and played together when they were young, but saying that they were friends was a bit too much; they didn't know each other well.

"Shen Yue, Ye Ziyun and you are childhood friends?" one of the girls in a green silk dress asked. She was the prettier one and she felt a threat from Ye Ziyun,wondering what kind of relationship they really had.

"We're both from Major families and we're in the same age group, so we interacted and played a bit when growing up," Shen Yue said vaguely. "Maybe saying that we're childhood friends is a bit much, but in my heart Ziyun is my dear friend." Shen Yue laughed.

Hearing Shen Yue's words and noticing his friendly gaze, Ye Ziyun's cheeks blushed red in embarrassment. If Shen Yue said that inside his heart she was his sweetheart, then she would scoff and ignore it, but she couldn't help but be moved when Shen Yue called her his dear friend.

The dishes were soon served. After eating and casually chatting with Ye Ziyun and the two girls, Shen Yue paid the bill, bid his farewell and went his own way.

"See you, Shen Yue!"

"Bye, Shen Yue!"

The two girls threw Shen Yue flirtatious gazes, and Ye Ziyun also bid her farewell, while Shen Yue lightly nodded and walked away first. Fortunately, John received Shen Yue's memories of being a stuck-up entitled prick his entire life, so he could handle such pressure and attention to a degree.

Just as the girls and Shen Yue parted ways, six sixteen to seventeen year old teenagers approached Shen Yue.

"Boss Shen Yue." A sixteen year old teenager cupped his fists in a greeting, and so did the other five. He was slightly tall and slim, having sharp facial contours; he wore rather luxurious clothing and looked quite attractive. His name was Lang Guanyu.

Shen Yue glanced at the six of them.

These six were Shen Yue's followers from the official Fighter Classes. They were three 1 -star Bronze rank and three 2-star Bronze rank Fighters, having pretty strong physiques. They were all teenagers older than Shen Yue by 2-3 years, coming from poor families, some of them related to the Sacred Family.

Although their ages are higher than Shen Yue's, they all listen to Shen Yue's orders as if he's their master. And that's because Shen Yue is a young master of the Sacred Family and a genius Demon Spiritualist, his background and talent is far better than theirs. By listening to Shen Yue they could get a bit of money from him every month. And after they grow up, they would become the warrior attendant of Shen Yue! As a Fighter taking refuge in a noble Demon Spiritualist is the best choice; the alternatives are all much worse.

Even though they are Shen Yue's underlings, Shen Yue knows that they are not the typical dumb minions of a young master from novels. They are normal people with normal intelligence and unique personalities. Even though it was the first day of Shen Yue's classes in the Fighter Apprentice Class and that's when John transmigrated, those guys have been Shen Yue's followers for some time now, which was great! Nie Li has his own group of friends and Shen Yue would have his own six minions.

"How is it?" Shen Yue asked, looking at Lang Gyuanyu. Lang Guanyu was the teenager that spoke up, usually acting as a boss among Shen Yue's minions, having the most noble background.

Shen Yue previously approached his minions at the official Fighter Class when the classes just ended to make them keep watch on Nie Li's group and the training ground.

In the first chapters of the novel, Nie Li, Du Ze and Lu Piao used special poison smeared on crossbow bolts to hunt 1-star Bronze rank demon beasts Horned Sheep in the Institute's training ground for eight days and nights, selling their parts and earning sixteen thousand demon spirit coins.

Nie Li then used the money earned to buy clear soul crystals to test the innate talent of the three of them and of three other commoner students to choose the most suitable cultivation techniques for all of them. After that, Nie Li planned to use the remaining ten thousand to buy as much Purple Haze Grass as possible, release information on its usage to the Alchemist Association via a letter and then resell his stock once the price increases. However, because of Shen Yue's interference things are bound to derail from the flow of the novel.

Lang Guanyu reported, "The three that you made us watch brought crossbows and entered the training ground. We came here to report to Boss immediately after they entered."

"Mmm, that's good," Shen Yue hummed. It seemed that Nie Li and the bunch were hunting horned sheep just like in the novel which was perfect. "Good job, this is for you guys."

Shen Yue extended his hand and six ten-thousand demon spirit coins cards appeared in it, presenting them to Lang Guanyu. Looking at the six of them, he said, "I take good care of my men. As long as you follow me and work hard, your future will be bright!"

Upon seeing the ten thousand demon spirit coins bills, the six of them were all shocked. For a Bronze rank Fighter, if one worked for an entire day, getting 20-30 demon spirit coins could be considered a lot! But they were just 1-star and 2-star Bronze ranks, and they can't even work for an entire day, because they are students. To save up ten thousand was something that they would need multiple years for!

Every month they would receive a little bit of money from Shen Yue, but they never expect to receive so much for a small errand.

Lang Guanyu and the others all bowed down deeply in reverence, saying, "Thank you, Boss! We will follow you!"

"Every day I want you to secretly spy and see if these three go to the training ground after school or somewhere else. I'm especially interested in that red-headed kid Nie Li. But be careful of being noticed by him! He has incredibly sharp senses like a Silver rank expert," Shen Yue instructed.

Shen Yue then nodded indifferently and then told them to go train. Inwardly he felt like a real young master, sending his minions to spy on the main character's movements.

When the six of his minions left, Shen Yue let out a sigh of relief. 'So Nie Li is hunting horned sheep in the end, that's good.'

But what Shen Yue didn't know was that Nie Li's good money making options were actually very limited. Even with his frightening knowledge, for either refining elixirs, creating inscription scrolls or inscribing weapons - Nie Li needed higher soul force or higher starting capital to buy the necessary tools, or he needed connections.

There were also other things that Nie Li could do like healing nobles, but then there was no guarantee that people would actually pay him for it properly, as he is just a poor kid with no strength and no background; and it also had risks.

Shen Yue naturally knew that Nie Li would have some suspicions regarding the commotion that the Alchemist Association caused, but he also hoped that Nie Li would avoid the Association rather than hand himself in - Shen Yue considered it to be a logical move from Nie Li's point of view and with very limited information. If Nie Li went to the Association and displayed his talent, then it would be incredibly suspicious due to his age, so he would be noticed by the mysterious person that caused this commotion.

Going into the unknown without any information was simply stupid, as Nie Li wasn't able to guess the power or threat level of that person. Once again, Shen Yue only hoped that Nie Li uses common sense, as otherwise it would be quite annoying for him.

'But now that Nie Li entered the training ground I need to be careful about one thing. Now there is a chance that Nie Li would run into Ning Er,' Shen Yue thought to himself worriedly.

Although in the novel it was only during the eighth night at midnight that Nie Li encountered Xiao Ning Er, Shen Yue was wary of Nie Li's luck. Perhaps Shen Yue was paranoid, but if Nie Li the Protagonist encounters Xiao Ning Er the Second Heroine and makes her fall in love with him before Shen Yue even had a chance to meet her, then Shen Yue would probably spit out blood in anger like a true young master.

With a dark face, Shen Yue walked straight to the Winged Dragon family mansion, his gaze ice cold. He won't let Nie Li steal his favorite girl! Instead, he will directly approach Xiao Ning Er during the afternoon before she even enters the training ground!