Chapter 43: Extortion

Volume One: Entering a New World

Jiang Luofu finished speaking and tossed a small pouch over. "Now, get back to class."

Zuan caught it and opened it. Inside, he found some herbs and a finger-sized ruby. He couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"

Jiang Luofu replied, "Resources for cultivation. The herbs are for bathing, and the Primeval Stone is for absorbing and refining energy." As if worried he might misunderstand, she paused, then quickly added, "Every student receives a portion, and this is all the Yellow Class gets."

"This is a Primeval Stone?" Zuan picked up the small stone and examined it. It looked almost identical to a ruby from his previous life.

"You've never seen one? Then how did you cultivate to your current level?" Jiang Luofu asked, surprised.

Zuan didn't want the keyboard's secret exposed, so he quickly changed the subject. "Didn't you say my talent is super-grade? That's more than enough for the Heavenly Class. Even if you won't let me attend, you should at least give me the cultivation resources of a Heavenly Class student!"

Jiang Luofu snorted. "Do you think it's that simple? The allocation of cultivation resources for every student in the academy is fixed. It's not something our academy decides; it's determined by the Imperial Ministry of the Grand Chamberlain. Records of every distribution are logged and reported to the imperial court. If you're not afraid of your talent being discovered, then by all means, take more."

"Never mind then." Zuan chuckled sheepishly. Anyway, with the keyboard as his cheat, there was no need to take such a big risk for a few Spirit Stones.

"Get out." Jiang Luofu was afraid that if she saw his lazy demeanor for another moment, she wouldn't be able to resist hitting him.

As Zuan left the principal's office, he recalled Jiang Luofu's long legs... *Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey*, no, he recalled her words. He mused that one trouble had just ended, and another began. Becoming a 'Tang Monk physique' was truly a bit of a hassle. He wondered if various female demons would start throwing themselves at him.

He returned to the classroom where he had parted ways with Wei Suo, finding it already packed with students. Hearing the commotion at the door, they all looked him over with curious gazes. They must have thought he was a new freshman, but it turned out he was a transfer student.

The teacher on the podium was an ordinary middle-aged man, so unremarkable that you wouldn't remember his face if he were thrown into a crowd. He had clearly been informed in advance, so he paused his lecture and announced, "This is our new classmate who joined us today. Everyone, please give him a warm welcome!"

"Welcome, new classmate!"

Sparse applause erupted from below the stage, each student drawing out their words weakly. For a moment, Zuan felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had returned to his middle school days. The atmosphere was incredibly familiar.

"New classmate, please come up and introduce yourself," the middle-aged teacher beckoned to him.

Zuan gave an 'oh,' walked onto the stage, said, "Zuan, male, enjoys females," and then started to walk off the stage.

Middle-aged teacher: "..."

*Is that it?*

Some girls below began to whisper:"Wow, he's so stylish, I like him.""He's really handsome!""But from what he said, he sounds like a playboy.""Can handsome guys *not* be playboys? Good men don't win women's hearts, bad ones do."

Unlike the girls' reactions, the boys stared at him with unfriendly gazes:"This guy is so arrogant. I just want to punch him when I look at him.""Where is he handsome? He's nowhere near as good-looking as me.""Why is another guy here? There are already too many monks and too little gruel in this class."

Zuan saw the hundreds of Rage points collected in the background and thought, *These new classmates are quite cute.*

"Here, here!"

From a distance, Zuan saw Wei Suo constantly waving to him. Zuan hesitated. He had originally wanted to find a beautiful deskmate, but after a quick glance from the podium, he hadn't seen anyone particularly attractive. Resigned, he walked over and sat next to Wei Suo.

Tap, tap, tap!

The middle-aged teacher tapped on the podium. "Alright, let's continue with the lesson. Hmm, where did we leave off just now?" He flipped through his book for a while, then exclaimed, "Ah, here it is! Let's continue..."

"Govern with punishment, fight with rewards and generous salaries, and use strategy. If the capital's excesses are corrected, then there will be no illicit markets in the capital. When goods are abundant and people are numerous, if farmers are lax and villains prevail, the nation will surely be weakened. If the people have surplus food, and are granted titles by their grain, it must be by their own effort, then diligence will not wane. A three-inch pipe without a proper fit cannot be filled. Bestowing official ranks and offering benefits without merit is like having no proper fit. A nation that bestows official ranks and titles based on merit—this is called achieving wisdom, fighting with might and courage, and such a nation will be invincible. When a nation bestows official ranks and titles based on merit, then governance appears simplified, words have clear meaning; this is called governing through governance, speaking through speaking, and using merit and titles. Therefore, the nation will be strong, and none under heaven can invade it. When troops are dispatched, they will surely capture, and what they capture, they will surely possess..."

Zuan's eyes glazed over as he listened. He understood every single word the teacher said, but put together, he had no idea what it meant.

"What in the world is he talking about?" Zuan looked at Wei Suo next to him, utterly bewildered.

"I don't understand it either," Wei Suo shook his head.

"What class is this then?" Zuan wondered to himself. *He used to be a university student, for crying out loud. How had he become illiterate here?*

"I think it's a criminal law class," Wei Suo explained. "This teacher is named Zhang San. He has a nickname, 'Outlaw,' because he's skilled at exploiting legal loopholes. He's actually a Legal Officer under the County Lieutenant, here on a temporary assignment to teach some legal courses. You know, with our talent level, cultivation is pretty hopeless, so we mainly focus on these practical subjects to secure a future."

Zuan had more or less learned about the world's official hierarchy and its correlation with power levels. The City Lord of Moonlit City was a seventh-rank powerhouse. Under the City Lord were the County Administrator and the County Lieutenant, essentially the city's second and third-in-command, both at fifth-rank cultivation. The County Lieutenant, in turn, oversaw six departments: Military, Law, Scholar, Merit, Household, and Granary, each responsible for different areas of administration, and all six department heads were at third-rank cultivation.

Of course, this was because Moonlit City was a major city, so officials at all levels generally had higher cultivation. In some medium-sized cities, the City Lord might only be fifth-rank, and the County Administrator and County Lieutenant only third-rank. In smaller towns, even the City Lord might only be fourth-rank.

Teacher Zhang San, the 'Outlaw' on the podium, was indeed a Legal Officer under Moonlit City's County Lieutenant. He handled official duties during weekdays and came to teach at Moonlit Academy in his spare time. Zuan was no stranger to this. In universities in his previous life, many adjunct professors operated similarly; teaching was merely their side job.

"So, how was Principal Jiang? Quite something, right?" Wei Suo asked, winking, his smugness as if he were showing off his own girlfriend.

Recalling the soft, warm, jade-like sensation that had lingered on his fingers, Zuan unconsciously replied, "Indeed, quite something."

"What kind of stockings was she wearing today?" Wei Suo's eyes were filled with fanaticism.

Zuan couldn't help but move a little further away from him. "Black stockings, I think."

"As expected of my goddess, oh!" Wei Suo let out an extremely shameful moan, as if merely hearing about it had brought him immense satisfaction.

Zuan looked disgusted. *This guy is really a pervert.*

Just then, a whooshing sound cut through the air, and Wei Suo cried out in pain, a large bump already forming on his forehead. Zuan noticed the piece of chalk on the floor. He hadn't realized that teachers, no matter the world, were all masters of this 'finger flick' technique. In his previous life, it would just sting for a bit, but in this world, teachers were powerful cultivators, and a moment of carelessness could be fatal.

Teacher Zhang San on the podium had a grim expression. "Student, you answer this question."

Wei Suo looked bewildered. "What question?"

Zuan secretly gave him a thumbs-up under the desk. *A true warrior dares to face a bleak life.*

Teacher Zhang San roared, "If you don't know, then go stand at the back and listen carefully!"

Wei Suo hurriedly scurried to the back, looking as obedient as could be. Zuan quickly sat up straight, but internally he was cursing. In his old life, teachers asking questions was the most nerve-wracking part of class for students. *What sin had he committed that he had to endure such torment again after transmigrating to another world?*

Finally, the class ended, much to his relief. Zuan lay sprawled across his desk, utterly resigned, wondering when such days would ever end.

Suddenly, the light in the classroom seemed to dim. He opened his eyes and found a large, corpulent man with a beefy face standing by his desk, looking down at him.

"Is there something you need?" Zuan asked, completely unenthusiastically. If it had been a beautiful woman, he wouldn't have minded chatting for a while, but this dead weight of a fatty? No thanks.

"I'll be waiting for you in the small grove," the big fatty said coldly, then turned and walked out, followed by a few lackey-like companions.

"Who's that guy? Is he crazy?" Zuan had no interest in dealing with him.

Wei Suo had just returned from the back and, hearing Zuan's words, quickly whispered, "Shh, keep your voice down! That guy is Man Yu, the class boss. He's very fierce."

"He beat you up?" Seeing Wei Suo's fearful expression, Zuan couldn't help but chuckle.

Wei Suo gave an awkward smile. "I advise you to go. At most, you'll just have to hand over your Primeval Stone for cultivation. Otherwise, if you get beaten up, it'll be miserable."

Zuan's spirits immediately lifted. "That guy extorts Primeval Stones?"

Wei Suo nodded. "Yeah, they extorted the Primeval Stone I just received from me. Don't worry too much about it. Anyway, with our talent, we're not going down the cultivation path, so Primeval Stones aren't of much use to us. Why bother offending that guy?"

"But I heard Primeval Stones are quite valuable," Zuan asked.

"That's true," Wei Suo replied. "I heard a single Primeval Stone is worth at least ten taels of gold on the black market, but these things are virtually priceless. Who would be willing to sell them?"

Zuan's eyes lit up immediately. *If we're talking about this, I'm wide awake!* Ten taels of gold, that's 180,000 RMB. After being in this world for so long, he still preferred converting currency to familiar units to get a better grasp of the value. He was currently troubled by a lack of money. If he could get a few more Primeval Stones, wouldn't his problem be solved?

Thinking this, he couldn't hide his excitement. He leaped up and chased out of the classroom.

Upon arriving at the small grove the other party had designated, he found the area secluded and sparsely populated. Clearly, the location had been chosen after careful consideration.

"Quite sensible of you," the big fatty named Man Yu said when he saw Zuan approach, holding out a plump hand. "Hand over the resources you received today, and from now on, I'll look out for you."