“Among the Eight Ministries, the first one established by the immortals was the Ministry of Finance and Taxation, and its first great deity was Deity Yicai Haisheng.”

“The currency used across all levels and factions in Kunxu was issued by Deity Yicai Haisheng.”

“It can be said that among the Eight Ministries, finance and taxation hold the foremost position, and Deity Yicai Haisheng can even be called the God of Gods, the Supreme God, and is also revered as the God of Wealth.”

“However, the Ten Great Sects gradually discovered that merely controlling currency issuance was still insufficient.”

“They realized that controlling the scale and circulation of currency at all levels was essential to better govern Kunxu.”

“Any issues could trigger a major cosmic calamity, leading to repeated corporate wars, widespread devastation, countless suicides, the collapse of numerous wealthy families, and the downfall of countless companies.”

“After all, the immortals of the Ten Great Sects were not flawless or infallible. During their many years of governing Kunxu, several cosmic calamities occurred, throwing Kunxu into utter chaos and upheaval.”

“However, those True Immortals, who were beyond the reach of loans, exempt from social insurance, and even capable of issuing their own currency, consistently managed to avoid the impact of these cosmic calamities. They would always emerge after each calamity to reorder Kunxu.”

“Later, the immortals of the Ten Great Sects began instructing the Eight Righteous Deities to reclaim the world’s wealth.”

Fook Ji sighed with immense longing and envy at this point, “With one hand issuing money and the other retrieving it, the profits of all thirty-six levels of Kunxu are entirely within their grasp. The life and death, fortunes and misfortunes, poverty and wealth of billions of beings are determined by their single thought.”

Listening to Fook Ji’s long monologue, Bai Zhenzhen exhaled.

As a high school student, she didn’t grasp everything, but she understood one thing: making money, or rather, currency retrieval, was very important to the Righteous Deities.

Fook Ji said, “One of the annual assessment targets for every Righteous Deity is to make money, or rather, to retrieve a certain amount of currency.”

“So, if we give that Sixth-Rank Deity an opportunity to make money from the Zhou family, it will be a significant achievement for her.”

“But even a Righteous Deity cannot act arbitrarily, let alone one who is only a Sixth-Rank Deity.”

“Therefore, what we need to do is give her an opportunity, create a leverage point, and she will naturally target the Zhou family.”

Several hours later, just as Zhang Yu and the other two were making their plans, their anticipated enemies made the first move.

Zhang Yu’s phone vibrated; it was a message from Yun Ni, the patrol captain of Songyang City.

Yun Ni: “The higher-ups suddenly want to investigate redundant staff. If you and Bai Zhenzhen don’t want to be removed from your Divine Assistant positions, you’ll need to report to work daily starting next week.”

Zhang Yu slightly raised an eyebrow. If he had to report to work every day, where would he find the time to cultivate and earn money?

However, Zhang Yu was reluctant to give up his outsourced Divine Assistant position easily, so he immediately asked, “Is there any way to avoid reporting to work?”

Yun Ni: “No, there isn’t. The investigation is very strict this time, and I can’t cover for you.”

Fook Ji prompted from the side, “Ask her if she knows the reason behind this.”

After Zhang Yu’s inquiry, Yun Ni replied with just one character: “Zhou.”

Zhang Yu understood. “So the Zhou family has made a move again?”

“First, the curriculum reform and extra tutoring at school, and now they want me to report to work?”

Zhang Yu felt that this was a step-by-step attempt to reduce his time for studying, cultivating, and earning money. If an ordinary student encountered such a situation, they would likely gradually lose their mental balance, see their grades drop, and their cultivation regress.

Bai Zhenzhen looked at Yun Ni’s response and snorted coldly, “What exactly does this Zhou family want? They’re not attacking directly, just sickening us step by step?”

Fook Ji thoughtfully said, “They are putting pressure on you.”

Zhang Yu said, “In any case, we can’t just obediently report to work. Since the Zhou family can influence the higher echelons of the patrol team, going to work would only put us in their rhythm and make us targets repeatedly.”

“We must stick to our own rhythm and use the existing information asymmetry to deal with the Zhou family.”

After Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen took the overnight train and returned to school the next morning.

After Zhang Yu activated the power of the detection ritual within him several times for testing, he once again sensed the camera that had been secretly monitoring him earlier.

“As expected, they resumed monitoring us shortly after we returned, didn’t they?”

However, neither Zhang Yu nor Bai Zhenzhen showed any reaction, pretending not to notice the surveillance. They continued their normal routine of classes, cultivation, exercise, and supplementary lessons at school.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a nearby building.

A young man was observing Zhang Yu’s life at school through a camera.

The young man had handsome features and was just under 1.9 meters tall, considered short among cultivators, yet he exuded an intrinsic aura of fierce bravery.

The young man’s name was Yue Jincheng, a new employee who had been with Wanxing Group’s security force for less than a year.

When he was first assigned to monitor Zhang Yu, he was very serious and diligent, not missing a single movement Zhang Yu made. He meticulously reviewed every second of the surveillance footage, hoping to earn merits, get promoted and a raise, and become a security captain soon.

After all, in today’s world, there were more and more university students on Kunxu’s second level. It was extremely difficult for someone from the first level like him to remain on the second level.

Consequently, more and more university graduates were returning to their hometowns immediately after graduation, leading to an increasing number of university graduates in Songyang City each year and making jobs increasingly difficult to find.

Yue Jincheng deeply cherished this hard-won job. Since joining, he had lived at the company day and night, paying for his own meals and overnight lodging fees. He followed his superiors diligently, never missing an opportunity for overtime.

When he received this monitoring assignment, he was initially full of ambition. However, the more he monitored Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, the more helpless he felt.

Especially watching their day-to-day lives, Yue Jincheng felt his own time and life were constantly being eroded.

Unconsciously, he found that his work hours seemed to pass more slowly, and he checked his phone more and more frequently.

As he watched Zhang Yu cultivating his body through the lens, Yue Jincheng secretly sighed, “At least you’re still cultivating. What am I doing, just watching you cultivate all day?”

After several hours of such tedious observation, Yue Jincheng finally couldn’t help but speak into his walkie-talkie, “Senior Si, just waiting like this isn’t going to work.”

“Shouldn’t we be more proactive?”

On the other side of the rooftop, a woman was listening while monitoring Bai Zhenzhen.

It was Si Zhouyu, who had previously followed Bai Zhenzhen while she delivered food.

Hearing Yue Jincheng’s words, Si Zhouyu frowned, “What do you want to do?”

Yue Jincheng said, “Whether it’s Zhang Yu or Bai Zhenzhen, no matter how capable, they’re still just two high school students.”

“With our abilities, dealing with them, whether by stealing their phones or sneaking into their apartments, would be effortless.”

“Then we would know all their secrets.”

Although Si Zhouyu had similar thoughts and also felt that dealing with two high school students with their cultivation levels would be easy, as a veteran employee who hadn’t received a promotion or raise in twenty years, she understood that while she desired a promotion, it was crucial not to deviate from the tasks assigned by company leadership.

Si Zhouyu immediately said, “The leader’s arrangements have deeper meaning. Don’t be foolish.”

Yue Jincheng frowned, glanced at Si Zhouyu who was still listening, and a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes.

He already had a low opinion of Si Zhouyu, a senior who hadn’t been promoted in over 20 years. After learning a few days ago that she only had an associate’s degree, he looked down on her even more.

After all, he, Yue Jincheng, was a legitimate graduate of one of the 72 lower schools, which meant he was a true university student.

As for Jinzhou College, where Si Zhouyu graduated, did it even deserve to be called a university?

“I can’t waste my precious time dawdling every day like her.”

“In a year or two, my rank will definitely surpass hers.”

Time passed quickly amidst Yue Jincheng’s tedious surveillance.

That evening, watching Zhang Yu walk toward the subway station after school, Yue Jincheng was slightly taken aback: “This kid usually runs home to save money, doesn’t he? Why is he willing to take the subway this time?”

Yue Jincheng had no choice but to follow Zhang Yu onto the subway, changing lines repeatedly.

However, as an employee at the peak of Qi refinement, and assigned to track and monitor opponents, he naturally possessed unique methods.

His figure shifted, muscles twisting, and with the aid of clothes in his backpack, he changed his appearance every time he approached Zhang Yu.

After circling around on the subway, Yue Jincheng followed Zhang Yu to a subway station in the suburbs.

Watching the other party run towards the distant suburbs, Yue Jincheng’s spirits suddenly lifted as he followed behind.

“Could it be that this kid is finally making a move today?”

“It’s also my time to earn some merit.”

Just as he was wondering whether to notify Si Zhouyu, who was monitoring Bai Zhenzhen on the other side, he received a message from her.

It turned out Bai Zhenzhen had also taken the subway to the suburbs.

Soon after, Yue Jincheng and Si Zhouyu met up, both feeling somewhat energized as they watched Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, who were still moving quickly not far ahead.

Half an hour later, seeing Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen buy tickets and enter a protected area, both of them frowned.

Yue Jincheng couldn’t help but ask, “Should we go in?”

Si Zhouyu replied, “Of course. We have to follow them to see who they’re meeting.”

Yue Jincheng looked at the protected area’s expense list with a pained expression and said, “The company will reimburse us, right?”

Si Zhouyu: “Of course.”

But she secretly thought, “It’s hard to say when they’ll reimburse us. I just hope Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen can bring me some surprises this time.”

However, shortly after they entered the protected area and found Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen again, they discovered that both had put on oxygen masks.

“This is… could it be the package they received at school today?” Si Zhouyu exclaimed in surprise. “It seems they were well prepared.”

Yue Jincheng watched Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen breathing from oxygen tanks, then looked at himself and Si Zhouyu heavily breathing the protected area’s air, and a sudden ominous feeling arose in his heart.

“I hope these two won’t stay here long.”

But clearly, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, equipped with oxygen tanks, had no intention of leaving immediately.

Yue Jincheng and Si Zhouyu could only follow the two, watching their expense records steadily increase with every breath they took, making their hearts bleed.