Being forced to grow like a pig? But I'm immune to the consequences!

Liu Xuezheng frowned, looking troubled and distressed: "Uncle Zhao, this has put me in a difficult position. The rules have been set, everyone has paid, but your family is the only one not paying. What will others think? You should understand the principle that it's not scarcity that's a problem, but inequality."

"I...I know..." Uncle Zhao's wrinkles deepened, almost burying his eyes, "But...but there's really no other way..."

Liu Xuezheng's eyes darted around, and he leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, "Uncle Zhao, I heard... that Brother Zhao Yuan was highly regarded when he was in the inner city, wasn't he? Didn't he leave you two... anything of value?" He paused, his tone slightly suggestive, "Some things, if kept hidden away, are just dead objects. It's better to take them out and use them to solve the immediate problem than to give people something to gossip about, isn't it?"

Uncle Zhao looked up abruptly, a flash of grief and indignation in his eyes, quickly masked by a deeper helplessness. He shook his head, his voice even hoarser: "Chief Liu, after A Yuan left, I struggled to raise Xiao Qi. Everything that could be exchanged for money... was sold off long ago. Now, besides our eating utensils, all that's left in this house is the two of us..."

Liu Xuezheng's face turned completely cold, all traces of his previous feigned politeness vanishing. He stood up, looking down at the hunched old man, his tone icy and businesslike: "Uncle Zhao, rules are rules. You must pay this money. Otherwise, I can't explain to the villagers who have already paid, and this community... probably can't tolerate those who break the rules."

He paused, then changed the subject, his tone becoming almost condescending: "However... considering your advanced age and how difficult it must be for you to raise your grandson, I have a solution that satisfies both of you. I can cover the cost for you this time."

Zhao Bo suddenly looked at him, his eyes showing no joy, only a deeper wariness.

Liu Xuezheng seemed oblivious, continuing his monologue in a light, yet chilling voice: "Uncle Zhao, you're getting on in years, and you've enjoyed your blessings in your youth. Next time the inner city issues a call for volunteers from the outer city to help clear out the monsters outside, just volunteer. It's a dangerous mission, but the contribution points are high. However…" He glanced at little Zhao Qi, who was hiding behind Uncle Zhao, looking at him timidly, "Little Qi is still too young to use these contribution points. I'll hold onto them for you temporarily, which will offset the cost of this advance. Do you think that's fair?"

After saying that, without waiting for Uncle Zhao's response, he raised his hand and patted the old man's thin shoulder heavily, as if he had accomplished some great act of kindness, and then turned and left.

Inside the shack, only Uncle Zhao's stiff figure remained, along with boundless desolation. Years ago, when his son Zhao Yuan was selected for the inner city based on his talent, earning tax breaks for the settlement, he never asked anyone for a single penny. Now…

……

Soon after, Liu Xuezheng arrived at the Xu family's house with a bulging bag of money wrapped in a thick envelope. The Yan family members were already waiting there, their faces beaming with anticipation.

"That's a total of 19,600 yuan." Liu Xuezheng poured the money from the envelope onto the table, several thick stacks, exuding the smell of ink mixed with countless people's sweat. He skillfully divided the money into three piles. "As agreed before, the Xu family and the Yan family will each take 8,000. As for the remaining 3,600 yuan..." He drawled, "it will be used as public savings funds for the settlement, in case of emergencies."

Upon seeing the two thick stacks of banknotes pushed in front of them, the eyes of the Xu and Yan families lit up instantly, and they couldn't stop smiling. For outsiders, this was undoubtedly a dizzying sum of money!

Looking at their smiling faces, Liu Xuezheng felt even more satisfied. He knew all too well where those so-called public savings funds would ultimately go.

For a moment, the room was filled with unspoken, enthusiastic joy.

……

On the other side, in a relatively secluded corner of the gathering place.

Wu Sheng was meticulously practicing yoga. His movements were calm and precise, his breathing long and even, completely out of place amidst the surrounding ruins and noise. Xu Wenbo's potential threat, the seemingly insurmountable gap between Yangon's inner and outer cities, the side effects of the potential-enhancing drugs... all of these were like invisible whips, constantly lashing at him, leaving him no room for complacency. The more he knew, the stronger the sense of powerlessness often became. If it weren't for the extraordinary existence of the primordial core within him, giving him a sliver of confidence, this constant pursuit of crisis would be enough to drive a person mad.

[Wu Sheng]: Vitality 18/19 (18/23)

[Body Tempering Level 7: 157/640]

"In about half a month, I should be able to break through to the seventh level of Body Tempering. At that time..."

He slowly came to a stop and calmed his breathing.

Just then, footsteps approached, and Arif walked closer.

"Chief." Wu Sheng nodded in greeting.

Arif looked at Wu Sheng, his eyes filled with undisguised envy and感慨: "Seeing you cultivate, I feel both admiration and a pang of envy. Back then, I was also lucky enough to pass the initial selection, but unfortunately, my talent was too poor. I only managed to reach the second level of Body Tempering. It's true that I've been tied up with various matters these past few years and haven't been able to cultivate wholeheartedly, but my lack of talent is ultimately the main reason. I've wasted so much time and am still stuck at the third level. Unlike you guys... you've reached the fourth level of Body Tempering in a month. There's really no comparison between people."

Wu Sheng didn't pick up on the topic. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Chief, I've always had some questions. What is the true purpose of the nobles in the inner city spending resources to cultivate us? What is it like outside Yangon? Are there other cities? And what is this world we live in... really like?"

Upon hearing this, Arif's expression of emotion gradually faded, replaced by a complex silence. After a long while, he gave a bitter laugh, a laugh tinged with deep helplessness:

"These are the questions you asked... To be honest, I sometimes think about them when the night is quiet. But..." He shook his head, his tone desolate, "Because of my identity, status, and... this damned life, I've never dared to think about them deeply, much less have the ability or courage to explore them. So, I can't answer your questions."

He then shifted his tone, returning to the relatively safe reality: "However, the official reason for the inner city training you is mostly related to the monsters outside the city. Every so often, the inner city organizes people to go out and exterminate them. The noble lords are precious, so naturally, the main force for this dirty and dangerous work is you trained warriors."

Wu Sheng nodded. Arif's words made sense, but this was probably only the most superficial reason. The deeper truth must be shrouded in mystery.

Just then, his gaze shifted slightly, and he caught sight of two figures, an old man and a young boy, slowly approaching from the direction of the entrance to the settlement in the distance. The old man was holding the child's hand, looking around the settlement as if searching for something.

In this gathering place, the two figures with black hair and black eyes, just like Wu Sheng, stood out.