Chapter 29: A Turn of Fortune

“So that’s how it is.” Lin Li nodded, pondered for a moment, and then asked curiously, “Is that classmate of yours who runs the flower shop a man or a woman?”

Su Yue was just about to set down her water cup, but her movements paused upon hearing Lin Li's question.

Her large, watery eyes shimmered with light, and the corners of her mouth curled upward again as she thought to herself, *Has this blockhead finally come to his senses?*

“A woman, and a very pretty one at that! She doesn't even have a boyfriend yet! Do you want me to introduce you?” Su Yue said with a smile.

*I don't have time to date right now. The journey to becoming a powerful cultivator has only just taken its first step; I can't let romantic entanglements trip me up...*

*Besides, I'm penniless right now. Dating costs money. I'd rather use that spare cash to pay my electricity bill or buy spirit stones to increase my cultivation.*

“No, I appreciate the thought, but dating isn't something I'm considering right now,” Lin Li said, shaking his head.

“She’s really beautiful, you know! And she has a great figure. Are you sure you won't reconsider?” Su Yue urged with a chuckle.

“...” Lin Li remained silent, merely shaking his head to indicate his firm stance.

Satisfied with Lin Li's response, Su Yue watched him finish his second peach. She then reached out, picked another peach from the fruit platter, and handed it to him.

“That’s enough, I can't eat any more.”

Lin Li waved his hands dismissively. He had eaten enough for dinner, and with two more fresh, juicy peaches now in his stomach, he truly had no more room left.

“I bought a bit too many of these peaches. When you leave later, I'll pack some for you to take home.”

Seeing that Lin Li really couldn't eat any more, Su Yue placed the peach back into the platter and spoke.

*That would be wonderful...* Hearing Su Yue offer to let him take some peaches home, Lin Li—who was currently penniless and completely out of resources—felt his eyes light up. He looked at Su Yue with profound gratitude.

…………

*Click.*

*Thud.*

At nine o'clock at night, Lin Li opened his door and stepped into the pitch-black room.

He took off his shoes, placed them in the shoe cabinet, and walked into the living room in his indoor slippers.

He turned on his fully charged phone and used its light to take the bag of peaches out, placing them into the empty fruit platter.

*Wait, why am I using my phone for light? Using it like this is such a waste of electricity!!!*

Lin Li gave himself a mental reprimand, then locked his phone screen. He raised his left hand, and a faint golden spiritual light bloomed at his fingertips.

*Poof.*

An orange-red fireball, about the size of an egg, appeared at Lin Li's fingertip.

Using the orange-red glow of the small fireball, Lin Li placed all the peaches Su Yue had given him into the platter. He then extinguished the fireball and sat on the sofa, looking around.

Without the orange-red light of the fireball, the room was only dimly lit by the yellowish glow of the streetlights filtering through the window, providing a bit of light near the corner of the balcony.

“Sigh... a cultivator like me, who can't even afford the electricity bill, might be one of a kind in this world.”

Lin Li had originally planned to go to a rental company tomorrow to rent a second-hand car for transportation.

But now, the two exotic beasts he had entrusted to the "U-Speed Recycling" company hadn't been sold yet. With not a single cent in his account, even eating had become a problem; renting a car was out of the question.

In the dark living room, Lin Li sighed in distress. He considered whether he should ask Su Yue to borrow a few hundred yuan for emergencies.

However, as soon as the thought of borrowing money from Su Yue surfaced, he immediately rejected it.

It wasn't that Lin Li was too proud to ask, but rather that if he did, given their relationship, she would certainly lend it to him.

But there was one problem: if he asked for money, Su Yue would undoubtedly ask why he was short on cash.

After all, Su Yue knew he had a million yuan in savings. Logically, he shouldn't need to borrow anything from her.

How would he explain it to her under her persistent questioning?

Lin Li could never let anyone know about his "Golden Finger."

“Sigh... luckily Su Yue gave me a bag of peaches just now. These should keep me going for a day or two.”

Slumping onto the sofa, Lin Li sighed. He decided that he would live on peaches for the next couple of days.

Given his current predicament, his plan to go into the wild to hunt exotic beasts would have to be temporarily shelved.

One needs to be well-fed to have the strength to hunt. With nothing but peaches, he wouldn't have the energy to go out into the wild.

Furthermore, being penniless meant he couldn't even afford a bus fare. Was he expected to run from his residential complex to the wilderness on foot?

...

*Ding-dong.*

The room was pitch black and there was nothing to do. Just as Lin Li was preparing to head to the bedroom to sleep, the phone in his pocket vibrated and made a sound.

Lying listlessly on the sofa, Lin Li reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.

“Huh?”

Lin Li, who had been feeling lethargic and uninterested, suddenly felt a surge of energy when he unlocked the screen and saw a notification from the "U-Speed Recycling" app.

Opening the app, Lin Li immediately saw that his previously "processing" order had been completed.

He clicked on the order details and skimmed through them quickly. Then, Lin Li burst into laughter. “Haha! I have money! I'm finally no longer a penniless pauper!”

The "U-Speed Recycling" company had sold the two exotic beasts Lin Li hunted to a hotel for a total of 25,300 yuan.

If he did the math, he would find that the two beasts weighed over three hundred pounds in total. The average price per pound was significantly cheaper than the exotic meat he had previously bought at the market.

However, this price was within Lin Li's expectations. The shops at the market sold at retail prices, whereas "U-Speed Recycling" sold to clients at wholesale prices after collecting the beasts from him.

After deducting slaughtering fees, logistics, and other expenses, the overall price was quite fair.

He clicked "Withdraw," and in less than ten seconds, 25,000 yuan was transferred to his bank card.

The remaining 300 yuan was automatically deducted during the withdrawal because he hadn't paid for the unmanned transport drone earlier.

…………

(End of Chapter)