Standing at the bustling street corner, Zhang Shaozhong watched the endless stream of cars and hurried pedestrians.

Looking at the two big shots next to me, who were looking around suspiciously as if everything was a trap, I felt like an unlucky guy carrying two ticking time bombs through the market.

"What's next...?"

Zhang Shaozhong scratched his head, feeling as congested as the morning road.

Ling Qingxue crossed her arms, her cool gaze sweeping over the colorful shop signs, finally settling on a dimly lit entrance with the words "Internet Cafe" written on it. Her brows furrowed.

"The atmosphere here is mixed and the light is dim; it is probably not a place where benevolent beings gather."

Night Enchantress seemed quite interested, and licked her lips:

"This looks interesting. It's like the entrance to our black market. Maybe we can find some good stuff?"

She started to walk inside as she spoke.

Zhang Shaozhong quickly grabbed her:

"Grandma! That's an internet cafe! A place to play games! Not a black market! If you two go in with your identities, they'll check your household registration in a heartbeat!"

He was really afraid that these two would see some fantasy game inside and start commenting on it, or even use the computer as a magic tool for research.

"A game? Is that what those juniors were talking about yesterday?"

Ling Qingxue's eyes widened with even more disdain as she recalled the internet-addicted teenagers in the restaurant.

"Playing with toys leads to the loss of ambition and the waste of time."

"Tch, boring."

Ye Meier pouted, losing interest.

Zhang Shaozhong had a splitting headache.

The most pressing issues are making money and obtaining residency, but neither of these is easy.

He touched the few hundred yuan he had left in his pocket and felt a poverty he had never experienced before.

He led the two of them around the town aimlessly, his eyes searching for information such as "job postings".

Unfortunately, such opportunities are rare in this small town.

I passed a fruit stand, and the vendor was calling out his wares:

"Fresh lychees! Selling cheap! Three pounds for ten yuan!"

Ling Qingxue's gaze was drawn to the bright red lychees, glistening with dew, and she paused slightly in her tracks.

She seemed to recognize the item, a subtle hint of nostalgia flashing in her eyes.

Night Enchantress, however, was more interested in the dark purple mulberries beside her:

"What are these small, dark fruits? They look like poison."

Looking into their eyes, Zhang Shaozhong's heart softened. He gritted his teeth, took out several tens of yuan, and bought three catties of lychees and one catty of mulberries.

"Here, have a taste, it's a local specialty."

He handed the bag over.

Ling Qingxue hesitated for a moment, then extended her slender fingers and peeled a lychee with great elegance, revealing the crystal-clear flesh inside, before carefully putting it into her mouth.

The sweet, icy juice burst in her mouth, causing her to squint slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and commented calmly:

"It's alright, but the spiritual energy is thin, not as good as... what we ate in previous years."

Ye Meier grabbed a handful of mulberries and stuffed them directly into her mouth, getting purple juice all over her hands and mouth, muttering:

"Mmm! This is so sweet! But after eating it, I feel like I've been poisoned!"

She didn't forget to deliberately grin at Ling Qingxue, showing off her purple teeth.

Ling Qingxue took a half step back in disgust:

"Vulgar and uncouth, an insult to culture."

Watching them bicker while honestly eating fruit, Zhang Shaozhong felt both amused and bittersweet.

These two once powerful figures are now... enjoying themselves over a little bit of ordinary fruit, isn't that a bit of fun?

After finishing the fruit, we continued wandering aimlessly.

I passed by a mobile phone store, where the latest smartphones were displayed in the window, and cool promotional videos were playing.

Night Enchantress was immediately captivated, pressing her face against the large glass window, her eyes shining:

"Wow! This black box is much nicer than yours! It even moves on its own! The little figures inside are having a really lively fight!"

Ling Qingxue also stopped to watch, her face still expressionless, but her eyes were full of inquiry:

"This object... seems more exquisite than the magical artifact you possess? How can it display such a dynamic and clear image? What kind of laws does it contain?"

Looking at the four-figure price tag, Zhang Shaozhong said with a pained expression:

"That's a new phone, it's really expensive! My old phone is still on installment!"

"installment?"

The two bigwigs heard a new term again.

Zhang Shaozhong painstakingly explained the tactics of modern consumerism.

Ling Qingxue frowned after hearing this:

"Living beyond one's means and borrowing from the future is a major taboo in spiritual practice, as it easily breeds inner demons."

Ye Meier, however, found it quite interesting:

"Oh? You can do it like that? Enjoy first, pay later? Sounds a bit like our Holy Church taking out high-interest loans! Except the interest rate seems a bit lower?"

Zhang Shaozhong: "..." This is supposed to be a comparison?!

Just as they were staring blankly at the shop window, a sales manager in a suit and with slicked-back hair walked out of the mobile phone store.

He was immediately attracted by Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier's looks and temperament, thinking they were potential big clients, and immediately greeted them with a big smile.

"Hey ladies, wanna check your phones? This is the latest model, super powerful, with unbeatable camera capabilities. It's perfect for you two ladies!"

He introduced the two bigwigs enthusiastically, but his eyes kept darting between them.

Ling Qingxue felt extremely uncomfortable under his overly enthusiastic and scrutinizing gaze. She glanced at him coldly and uttered two words:

"I won't buy it."

The sales manager, having been rebuffed, then turned his attention to Zhang Shaozhong, who seemed the most approachable.

"Hey handsome, want to buy one for your girlfriend? It's on sale right now, a great deal!"

Zhang Shaozhong waved his hand awkwardly:

"She's not my girlfriend... I can't afford her, I can't afford her..."

The sales manager's eyes darted around, and he came up with another plan. He lowered his voice and said to Zhang Shaozhong:

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!