Chapter 2

A capable person can easily make money; Lin Dong never doubted this statement.

Because he was one of those capable people.

Like finding bargains in jade.

For ordinary people, it was almost impossible. Those in the business were all extremely shrewd, but for cultivators, it was as simple as reaching out a hand, or even simpler... If Lin Dong wanted to, he could take out a small trinket from his storage ring, and it would probably be enough to last him a lifetime, but he was reluctant. To exchange money for the treasures in his hand? No way, those were the stepping stones to the world of cultivation, the happy bridge to rekindle his relationship with Fairy Ethereal, not a single one could be missing!

"Huh?" Lin Dong, who hadn't even had lunch yet, was about to take the bus to Jade Street to look for bargains when he noticed a few suspicious individuals at the bus stop.

Someone pretended to board the bus.

They kept pushing.

Others used umbrellas and newspapers to cover their actions.

In the short time it took to board the bus, a small, quick-handed individual had several successful thefts, reaping a good harvest. While cutting open the pocket of a balding man, he also managed to cut the gold necklace of a nearby overweight woman.

His movements were incredibly fast.

Apart from his accomplices, no one else noticed.

Thieves, they existed everywhere. The former Lin Dong had once mustered the courage to catch a couple of them and hand them over, but later found that these guys came out of prison faster than he did, so he couldn't really do anything and eventually pretended to be blind. But today was different. Today, Lin Dong was a bit short on cash, and those guys actually glared at him with a clear warning.

What the hell!

Do you still think I'm that guy who gets nervous and heart palpitations from catching a petty thief?

"Friends share their wealth. I'm broke today and haven't had lunch. I'm too lazy to walk far, so you guys can lend me some money, right?" Lin Dong remembered that in the first year after his穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "transmigration" or "reincarnation"), people on the street often asked him for money, saying that friends should share their wealth.

Back then, Lin Dong was in a tough spot.

He couldn't refuse.

This situation only improved slightly in the third year after his transmigration. Sometimes, when others borrowed money from Lin Dong, he could also borrow from them. By the fifth and sixth years, almost no one on the street asked Lin Dong for money; instead, it was usually Lin Dong who borrowed from others. By the eighth and ninth years, some small sects, especially those without powerful backing, had also established a friendship with Lin Dong based on mutual financial support. As long as Lin Dong asked, they would always agree.

The only exception was Fairy Ethereal.

At first, Lin Dong thought she was a junior sister and, relying on his status as a senior brother, planned to borrow some money from her. But she sent him flying with a single palm strike.

Perhaps due to his ancestors' good deeds, Lin Dong later had several fortuitous encounters with her. Observing her closely, he found that although she had explosive combat power and a high status in the cultivation world, her personality was very nice, just a bit too quiet. She always went about alone, which made Lin Dong feel sorry for her. He thought that if he could have such a companion in life, he would have no other desires.

To catch up with the girl in his heart, Lin Dong decided to abandon his lazy past and strive hard to become a worthy cultivator who could soar with her.

On the day he returned from transmigration, he mustered the courage to sneak into the Nine Prisons Forbidden Area and steal the secret techniques of Fairy Ethereal's sect.

After succeeding, he was too excited.

But when he tried to escape, he took a wrong turn.

The girl was bathing under a waterfall.

No, she was practicing... So she sent him flying with a single palm strike. This was truly a tragic misunderstanding!

"Looking for trouble? What are you trying to be a hero on Dongshan? Do you want to die?" The moment they saw someone standing up, whether on the bus or covering at the station, they all pounced, surrounding Lin Dong. Their eyes were like hyenas seeing flesh.

"I'm a very easy-going person. If you have more, lend me more; if not, a few tens of thousands will do. If that's not possible, a few thousand will also work." Lin Dong indicated that his demands were not high.

He knew these scoundrels didn't have much money.

All the money had to be handed over.

But his kindness was not rewarded. A burly man, probably the lookout, rushed from behind the platform and punched with a fist as big as a pot: "Lend my ass!" He wasn't a skilled fighter, but his punch was large and powerful. If it were the old Lin Dong, he might not have withstood even one punch. Unfortunately, ambushes were useless against cultivators, even for Lin Dong, who had just returned and lost his cultivation.

No one in the crowd saw Lin Dong's movements. They only saw a blur, and when they could see clearly again, the burly man was on all fours, kneeling on the ground in a very awkward position.

Lin Dong stood behind him, one foot on the burly man's knee, the other knee pressing on his spine.

He bent down, reached out, and pressed on the big head.

His movements were simple and efficient.

Incredibly cool.

With a light twist of his hands, there was a crisp "crack" from the neck, and the burly man's eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground with a thud, completely silent...

"You killed him? Ah!" The few petty thieves who had rushed over to help were frozen in place.

They were almost scared out of their minds.

Brother, we're just thieves, stealing wallets. You don't need to kill, right? Besides, your technique is too proficient!

Lin Dong realized the onlookers were misunderstanding and quickly laughed it off: "Sorry, it's just a habit. I've always wanted to change, like being a good person on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Don't worry, his neck is fine. He'll be back to normal in three months, I promise."

He then gave what he thought was his most cool and friendly smile, but it only scared the others even more.

They almost wet their pants.

Regardless, he still needed to borrow money.

"Are you kidding? That's all you have? Does this show our deep friendship?" Lin Dong was very dissatisfied and severely criticized them: "You're too lazy. With such a good job, you don't work hard. How can the economy improve if you don't take your job seriously?"

He gathered the money from the almost crying thieves.

Skillfully put it in his pocket.

Seeing the small thief's almost crying face.

Lin Dong felt that being too strict wasn't good. Friends should be tolerant. Pointing out mistakes was important, but a bit of encouragement was also necessary.

So, he patted the small thief's shoulder: "I know it's hard for you. You work very hard, but in today's society, competition is fierce in every industry. If you don't work hard, you'll be eliminated. But don't be too discouraged. You're young, and there are many opportunities. Work hard!"

He then took a pair of sunglasses from another thief's pocket and coolly put them on his nose.

Whistling, he walked away.

Leaving behind a very cool back view.

"What happened?" The burly man, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly sat up, looking very confused.

"Are you, are you okay?" The small thief, mustering his courage, asked. The burly man looked normal, except his head was tilted.

"Nothing's wrong." The burly man, whose head was tilted to his right shoulder, rubbed his head: "My mind is a bit messy. What exactly happened? Why am I on the ground?"

"Doesn't your head hurt?" The small thief and his companions looked at each other. It seemed unscientific that his head could be tilted like that and he was fine.

"It doesn't hurt! Is something wrong?" The burly man had no memory of what happened.

Hearing this, even the onlookers were terrified.

The culprit, Lin Dong, whistled and got into a taxi heading to Jade Street. Today's harvest was not much, and Lin Dong felt he should continue to try harder, go to Jade Street, and find a friendly-looking boss to borrow from.

The taxi driver was the type who could chat even while peeing.

Very talkative.

Especially with Lin Dong, who generously handed over a hundred-dollar bill. With the money buff, the driver was even more forthcoming.

"The most famous is the century-old store 'Xiangqi.' If Xiangqi is second in Dongshan City, no one dares to claim first. Jade? The stone in their hall is said to be worth 100 million, a treasure of the store. It's huge, and there are very few like it in the country. But they deal in finished products. For jade gambling, you need to go to the stone street in Gaoping District. They process the stones there, and this place sells them, always like that, to share the risk. You want to buy a jade to please your girlfriend? That won't work. You need to find a friend. There are many tricks in the jade and jadeite business. If you're not careful, you'll be cheated. I have a friend who was a millionaire, very arrogant, talking like Bill Gates. But he was cheated by a partner, not much, really not much, just one time, and he lost everything, his house, his car, everything. Now, his kid can't even afford tutoring fees. Isn't that tragic?" The driver spoke animatedly, clearly finding it entertaining to see others suffer.

"I'll just take a look." Lin Dong put on a humble listening face.

"Be careful, don't rush. You need to understand the tricks. It's better to go alone. If you bring your girlfriend, and they start flattering her, you'll end up in a trap. If you do, just find me!" The driver gave Lin Dong a warm warning.

"Do you have a friend?" Lin Dong laughed.

"Of course, in this line of work, you have many friends. For a small purchase, you can decide on your own. But for something worth a million, it's embarrassing to ask for help. There are rules in this business. If you want to buy something top-notch, you need a friend to help, that's more reliable. For something around ten thousand, you can decide on your own, just be careful and make sure before you buy..." The driver patted his chest, indicating that if Lin Dong wanted to buy top-notch jade, worth a million or more, he could help.

"Thanks, brother." The hypocritical Lin Dong said he learned a lot today.

"Here's my card. If you need anything, just call me." The driver's service attitude was excellent, but he wasn't the mayor of Dongshan, or it would have been even better.

Getting off at Jade Street, Lin Dong looked up at the sky.

Clear blue sky.

Bright sunshine.

The weather was nice today, yes, a good day to talk about friendship.