Words Strategize for the World

When Zhang Nianwei, dressed in a different outfit and looking beautiful, arrived at the entrance of the academy, Fang Wei and Fang Yue had already been waiting for quite a while.

Seeing Zhang Nianwei dressed up beautifully, Fang Wei thought to himself: No matter what world a woman is in, she always has to dress up nicely before going out, and she always has to wait a long time.

After leading Fang Wei and Fang Yue through several small streets, Zhang Nianwei arrived at the most bustling street in the prefectural city.

Upon arrival, Fang Wei discovered that the prosperity of the prefectural city exceeded his expectations.

Looking around, the streets were packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. The sounds of hawking, shouting, and the chatter of bargaining filled the air... it was incredibly lively.

Fang Yue couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so lively!"

"Haha, today is a sunny day, and it just so happens to be market day, how could it not be lively? We haven't had breakfast yet, come on, I'll take you to get something delicious."

After Zhang Nianwei finished speaking, she excitedly waved her hand, signaling Fang Wei and Fang Yue to follow her.

Zhang Nianwei led Fang Wei and the other two through the crowd, and soon they arrived at a food street.

It was clear that Zhang Nianwei was extremely familiar with the prefectural city.

"This is the most famous snack street in the city. It's on me today, so you two can eat as much as you want."

Fang Wei looked around and saw that the bustling street was filled with food, and it was indeed very well-stocked. There were all kinds of grilled skewers and meats, various kinds of noodles, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and all sorts of sweets and desserts...

The three of them ate non-stop until they were stuffed. The food on the snack street was indeed delicious; some of the snacks were even things Fang Wei had never tried before. It was a real feast for their taste buds.

After finishing their meal, the three of them went to a place that sold clothes, and Fang Wei and his companion gradually accumulated more and more items in their hands.

Fang Wei couldn't help but sigh once again: no matter what world it is, women just love to spend money on shopping.

When they had almost finished shopping, Zhang Nianwei looked at Fang Wei and his companion's clothes and started buying more clothes for them.

Fang Wei and Fang Yue are still wearing the clothes they brought from Jushui Village, which looks much shabby compared to Zhang Nianwei's.

Upon entering the store, Zhang Nianwei immediately asked the shop assistant to help Fang Wei and her companion choose clothes.

Fang Wei naturally didn't need Zhang Nianwei's help to buy clothes, so she said, "Neither of us needs it, let's go."

Zhang Nianwei said, "You two accompanied me shopping today, and everything is on me."

After listening, Fang Wei led Fang Yue out of the shop.

Zhang Nianwei was baffled and quickly chased after him, saying, "Fang Wei, why are you leaving? You're a refined gentleman now, you should occasionally go out to visit others, it's only right that you choose some clothes."

Fang Wei felt relieved, thinking that he still needed to visit Qu Yashi tomorrow to return the jade pendant and resolve Fang Yue's enrollment in Wentang.

Back at the store, Fang Wei and Fang Yue carefully selected several outfits. When it came time to pay, Fang Wei's chauvinistic tendencies kicked in, and he insisted on paying for everything himself.

However, Fang Wei underestimated the prices of luxury goods in this world; he didn't have enough money to pay for them.

Finally, amidst the waiter's disdainful gaze, Fang Wei and his companion left the shop in embarrassment. This left Fang Wei feeling quite depressed.

After buying and changing his clothes, a dejected Fang Wei prepared to return to the school dormitory. Moreover, Fang Wei had a new goal: to make money.

This world is prosperous, and money is very useful. If you want to build a career in the future, money is also essential.

Zhang Nianwei didn't sense Fang Wei's emotions and continued to happily look around.

After walking for a while, the three of them noticed a crowd gathered ahead. The crowd had formed a large circle, and the sound of gongs being struck could be heard intermittently. Seeing the crowd, Zhang Nianwei became very interested and pulled Fang Wei along, running towards the gathering.

When they finally squeezed their way to the front, they saw a large pot set up in the middle of the crowd, with a roaring fire burning underneath. Something was boiling inside, bubbling and churning incessantly. A man stood beside the pot carrying a gong, striking it with a mallet and shouting, "Come on, take a look! Look! They're scooping copper coins out of the oil!"

After saying this, the man struck the gong again and said, "I was fortunate enough to have a famous master when I was young, and I learned a unique skill called 'Bare-Handed Oil Pot Dish.' Now, I've been traveling the world and have come to Zhongyuan Prefecture, but I've run out of money. Therefore, I'll make a fool of myself and perform for everyone. I hope those of you with money will support me financially, and those of you without money will support me by simply showing your presence."

As soon as the man finished speaking, an uproar erupted. Various expressions of surprise, astonishment, worry, and even encouragement arose from the crowd, but ultimately, everyone was eager to witness this incredible feat of wading into a vat of boiling oil with bare hands.

Fang Wei could tell at a glance that this was a swindler, but he couldn't guarantee that the people here wouldn't understand. Zhang Nianwei, who was beside him, got even more excited, urging the men to hurry up and take money out of her pocket.

Fang Wei thought Zhang Nianwei would take out some change, but to his surprise, Zhang Nianwei took out a banknote.

Fang Wei immediately grabbed Zhang Nianwei and said, "This is a scammer, don't give them any money."

When Zhang Nianwei heard Fang Wei say that he was a liar, she quickly asked, "How do you know he's a liar?"

Fang Wei put Zhang Nianwei down and said, "Don't worry about how I know, just don't give me any money."

Looking around, Zhang Nianwei saw that most people were taking out money, so she asked, "Are you sure it's a scam?"

"I'm sure."

Fang Wei thought Zhang Nianwei would put the money away, but to his surprise, Zhang Nianwei stepped out of the crowd, pointed at the man, and said, "He's a swindler, don't believe him..."

The man, seeing someone causing trouble, was furious. Before the crowd could react, he banged a gong and said to Zhang Nianwei, "Young lady, this skill of mine was passed down from my master and has been tested countless times. Since you say I'm a fraud, then please tell me how I've done it?"

"This..." Zhang Nianwei didn't even know the man was a liar, so how could she say that? She only stood up to accuse the man because she heard Fang Wei say that the man was a liar and the people around them were taking out their money. She couldn't bear to see everyone being cheated.

Fang Wei was also in a bind, never expecting Zhang Nianwei to stand up and publicly criticize him.

Those around were shocked to hear that the man was a liar. But when the man questioned Zhang Nianwei, and she couldn't give a coherent explanation, the crowd began to blame her.

Having never seen anything like this before, Zhang Nianwei blushed and said, "My friend said you're a liar, so you are a liar."

"Since you've decided I'm a fraud, then please give me a try and demonstrate how to boil oil with your bare hands." This man had been traveling the world for many years and was certainly not someone to be trifled with.

Zhang Nianwei looked at the oil pan, which was bubbling and boiling continuously, which startled her so much that she took a step back.

Fang Wei couldn't stand it any longer. The man was clearly a swindler, taking advantage of others' lack of knowledge. But Zhang Nianwei was his friend; how could he let him bully her?

Fang Wei then stepped out of the crowd, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am this young lady's friend. Since you claim to have mastered the skill of wading through boiling oil unarmed, I happen to have also learned a unique technique from my master: wading through a volcano. How about we have a contest?"

When the man heard Fang Wei say this, and seeing that Fang Wei was very young, he thought that Fang Wei was just a young man who was ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth and was trying to win the girl's heart by showing off.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's have a contest and see if your ability to descend into a volcano is better than mine in boiling oil."

When Zhang Nianwei heard that Fang Wei wanted to compete with the man in boiling oil, she was horrified and said, "Fang Wei, no! That's a boiling oil pot, you'll get burned!"

Fang Yue rushed out anxiously, saying, "Fang Wei, please don't! Let's leave this place!"

The surrounding crowd became instantly interested when they saw someone wanting to compete with the man in boiling oil. They didn't mind the excitement and kept urging the two to have the competition.

Fang Wei gestured to Zhang Nianwei and Fang Yue to reassure them.

Seeing that Fang Wei showed no fear, the man became somewhat uneasy and said, "Young man, I can tell you're from a wealthy family. This cauldron of boiling oil is no joke. I'll pretend you're ignorant and get out of here."

The surrounding crowd thought the man had given up and booed him.

Fang Wei remained unmoved, and a chorus of boos erupted around him, leaving the man utterly humiliated.

The man glared and hardened his heart. If the boy really dared to go into the boiling oil, he would just run away.

"Very well, in that case, young man, please demonstrate your skills in descending the volcano."

As soon as the man finished speaking, the crowd cheered.

Some people were secretly worried for Fang Wei.

Zhang Nianwei and Fang Yue were extremely anxious. The bubbling oil in the pan was clearly not an easy thing to handle.

Zhang Nianwei, in particular, was so anxious that tears were almost falling. If Fang Wei's hand were burned, wouldn't that be the same as harming him?