Weapon System 9: Discovering the Method to Decode the Sun (1)

After his first successful monster-catching, Zhang Yidao's business was indeed booming. For three consecutive days, people sought him out to deal with spirits. Over those three days, Zhang Mingjing also received red packets, totaling six thousand yuan.

On the fourth morning, as they were having breakfast, Xiaonü Xia suddenly said to him, "Now that you’re earning money, you can start paying for your board and lodging."

Zhang Mingjing nearly spat out his soy milk. He protested, "What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean? Don’t you understand even this much?" Zhang Yidao chided him.

"How much do I have to pay?"

"Fifteen thousand yuan a month," Xiaonü Xia replied calmly.

Hearing that, Zhang Mingjing was furious. He jumped up from his chair and shouted, "This is robbery!"

Without missing a beat, Zhang Yidao and Xiaonü Xia began breaking down the costs. Xiaonü Xia explained, "In neighborhoods like ours, a furnished studio like yours rents for at least three thousand a month."

Zhang Yidao added, "A housekeeper would cost at least six thousand a month. Xiaonü Xia cooks, does your laundry, cleans, and takes meticulous care of you—charging you five thousand is more than reasonable."

"Food expenses: twenty for breakfast, thirty for each other meal. We’ll give you a discount, call it two thousand a month."

"Transportation: we take taxis every day, which adds up to about six thousand a month, but we’ll only charge you two thousand."

"Then there are all sorts of supplies and materials for rituals, which you need to contribute a thousand for each month."

"And Zhang Yidao showed you the ropes, so it’s only right to honor him with two thousand a month as well."

"In total, fifteen thousand per month—absolutely no overcharging," Xiaonü Xia concluded.

Zhang Mingjing couldn’t accept this. He argued loudly, "If I have to pay for rent and food, then I’ll just move out. Renting a place outside wouldn't cost me nearly as much!"

Xiaonü Xia was instantly incensed. "You wastrel! Letting good things benefit outsiders? How could you even say that?"

Zhang Yidao was offended too. "We haven’t even asked you for monthly support yet, and you still dare talk about moving out?"

Zhang Mingjing thought, "This is blatant exploitation! Not only would I be working for nothing, I might end up owing them money. Outrageous!"

Angry and silent, he returned to his room. A short while later, he came out with his backpack, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Zhang Yidao immediately asked.

"Back to school. I quit!" Zhang Mingjing made to storm out, but Zhang Yidao suddenly called, "Wait!"

He exchanged a look with Xiaonü Xia, and his voice softened considerably. "Sit down for a moment. Xiaonü Xia and I just discussed it—we realize you’re just starting out, and making money isn’t easy. So you can save up for a while; we’ll postpone the board and lodging fees for now."

As soon as Zhang Yidao finished, Xiaonü Xia kicked him under the table.

Zhang Mingjing had already caught on to their little acts and thought, "Trying to outsmart me? I’ve got you both figured out."

The real reason Zhang Yidao and Xiaonü Xia wanted Zhang Mingjing to hand over his money was to save it for him, but in his eyes, money meant freedom. How could he hand it over and let them control him?

Business had only improved for Zhang Yidao because of Zhang Mingjing’s help. The moment Zhang Mingjing threatened to quit, Zhang Yidao was nervous—this would affect many future deals.

Zhang Mingjing was counting on that, which was why he pretended to return to school—sure enough, it worked.

Xiaonü Xia, however, remained unconvinced. She was determined to limit Zhang Mingjing’s financial freedom, firmly believing that men only go astray when they have money. So she said, "You still haven’t installed the pet assistant for Yuhua and Chengxian, have you?"

"Mhm," Zhang Mingjing had already guessed her intention.

Sure enough, Xiaonü Xia continued, "Then give me the money back. After much thought, Zhang Yidao and I have decided not to install it for them just yet."

"Why not?"

"No particular reason. We just changed our minds. Hand it over."

"But I’ve already placed the order and paid a ten-thousand deposit!" Zhang Mingjing replied without batting an eye.

"What?" Xiaonü Xia’s eyes widened.

At that moment, the real person said, "There’s a call for you."

Taking the opportunity, Zhang Mingjing ran off to answer the phone. After the call, he came back beaming, "Hurry up and eat. A big boss wants us at his factory to catch a spirit—he’s offering a hefty reward."

Then he said to Xiaonü Xia, "Xiaonü Xia, I’ve always respected your word. Don’t ruin your image in front of me this time!"

"Go, then!" Perhaps because it was a lucrative job, Xiaonü Xia let the matter drop.

Before they left, Zhang Yidao asked Zhang Mingjing, "Will your lightsaber work?"

"Of course!"

"Good. Use it today and amaze the mortals."

"Aren’t we not supposed to use supernatural powers in public?"

"This isn’t a supernatural power—it’s divine might."

"It’s the same thing. We’re not supposed to use it."

"My rule was not to use it carelessly. Now there’s a reason—understand?"

Zhang Mingjing shook his head, then nodded.

"Just follow my lead later," Zhang Yidao reminded him.

Soon, they arrived at a factory on the outskirts of town. There were three mutant cats in the warehouse.

"Three?!" Zhang Yidao, Xiaonü Xia, and Zhang Mingjing were all surprised.

"You didn’t mention this before!" Zhang Yidao complained to the boss.

The boss, Mr. Ma, seemed honest enough and chuckled, "The last two times I said there were three, no one dared come. So this time I… well, you know…"

"Let’s discuss this," Zhang Yidao said, pulling Xiaonü Xia and Zhang Mingjing aside.

"Zhang Mingjing, do you think you can handle three?" he asked.

"It’ll be tough."

"Then forget it. Too dangerous," Xiaonü Xia said, genuinely worried for her husband and son.

"Yeah… If it’s too risky, let’s not do it," Zhang Yidao agreed, uneasy.

"I want thirty percent," Zhang Mingjing suddenly said. He didn’t know why those words slipped out, but then thought, "Well, since I’ve said it, I might as well try to get more out of it."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Yidao and Xiaonü Xia stared at him in surprise.

Zhang Mingjing explained, "I’ll take the lead this time. You two stay behind and recite incantations. But I want thirty percent of the reward."

"What?!" Both were shocked.

Xiaonü Xia protested, "Are you crazy for money? There are three of them! It’s dangerous and you still want to be greedy? Absolutely not."

But Zhang Yidao thought, "If the boy is confident, this could be good training for him."

So he asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"If I use the flying sword, it should be fine."

Xiaonü Xia glared at both of them, exasperated. "You two are insane!"

But Zhang Yidao insisted, "Alright. Xiaonü Xia and I will support you from behind. Make it quick."

Xiaonü Xia shot a vicious look at Zhang Yidao.

He turned to Mr. Ma and said, "We’ve discussed it. Handling three at once will consume a lot of true energy. We won’t be able to take any other jobs for ten days or more. That’s a loss…"

"Master Zhang, you’re the most skilled in the city. As long as you help me, the reward isn’t an issue," Mr. Ma replied readily.

"Let’s agree on the fee first," Zhang Yidao said bluntly. "How much are you offering?"

"How much do you want?" Mr. Ma, ever the businessman, deflected the question.

Zhang Yidao glanced at Xiaonü Xia, then said, "One hundred and twenty thousand."

Hearing that, Zhang Mingjing was overjoyed. "If this goes through, I’ll get forty thousand!"

"Well…" Mr. Ma feigned difficulty, clearly trying to haggle.

But Zhang Yidao, an old hand at this, understood how superstitious clients thought. He immediately said, "If it’s too much trouble, Mr. Ma, we can discuss it another day," and made as if to leave.

Sure enough, Mr. Ma caved at once, grinning, "No, no, no, I’m not troubled at all. As soon as the job’s done, I’ll transfer the money to you."