The girl selling goods at the market had never seen money before.

Bai Jinxuan's face was gloomy, her hands trembled, and the joy of making money vanished at this moment.

She wouldn't be so angry if it were just being secretly photographed, because the cloak would prevent her from revealing her identity.

What angered her most was that this scoundrel used her as a target, making a fortune by posting videos, while she didn't get a single penny.

You are simply looking for death!

"What's wrong, Xiaoxuan? You look so pale."

A girl's soft voice sounded in my ear.

Following the sound, I saw a cute girl wearing a white shirt and a black uniform over it. She reached out her slender hand to stroke the back of her pleated skirt, and sat down next to me with her knees together.

Her sky-blue eyes blinked, her pink lips pursed, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, as if she had an endless smile.

Seeing her, Bai Jinxuan's anger subsided considerably. She pouted, propped her elbow on the table, and clenched her fist to support her cheek as she complained, "It's just that the world is so cruel. I was doing a part-time job, and some despicable guy was profiting off my hard-earned money! Yao Yao, tell me, how can there be such people!"

Seeing her angry expression, a hint of sadness flashed in Murong Yao's eyes.

She and Bai Jinxuan were neighbors and childhood playmates. Their parents had a life-or-death friendship and often visited each other. So, when her parents went for a walk, she would stay with Bai Jinxuan.

At that time, Bai Jinxuan was very quiet, always holding a book and never saying a word. Coupled with her strikingly long, silvery-white hair, she looked like a fairy descended from a fairy tale, captivating many children.

Murong Yao longed for it very much.

It wasn't until they were eight years old, when Bai Jinxuan's parents were murdered on the fifth basement level, and one group of people after another impatiently knocked on her door, surrounded her, and demanded that she personally handle various procedures, that Murong Yao realized that Bai Shen wasn't so divine after all, and that she too had moments of confusion.

Since then, Bai Jinxuan has become a completely different person.

As she began to live independently, her facial expressions gradually became more varied, but the image of her quietly reading books was no longer seen. She was always absent-minded in class, and later even wanted to drop out of school to mine in the underground city.

To persuade her, Murong Yao's parents talked for a long time. In the end, Yao's father slammed his hand on the table and paid all of Bai Jinxuan's tuition fees in one go. Only then did she start studying obediently and never mention dropping out of school again...

"Yaoyao, can you hear me? What are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Huh!? No... nothing..."

Murong Yao quickly waved her hand and turned her face to the side, not letting Bai Jinxuan see her panicked face.

However, the more they refused to let her see, the more Bai Jinxuan wanted to see. She leaned close to the other person with a mischievous grin.

"Such a red face! Yao Yao has grown up so much. I wonder which lucky boy she's gotten..."

"No, no! What are you thinking!"

Honestly, I feel like Bai Jinxuan has been acting really strange lately. She wasn't like this before!

Could it be that there's something wrong with the part-time job I'm doing?

Previously, some students in the school signed contracts with shops in the red-light district in order to make quick money. Even worse, some people, after tasting the taste of money, sold their personal freedom, dropped out of school, took out loans, and bought transgender drugs to become prostitutes.

Back then, when netizens heard "5," they would mutter, "There's a very radiant actress there."

This has a huge impact on the school's reputation, which is why the school now strictly prohibits such activities, and anyone doing red-light part-time work will be forced to withdraw from the school.

Could what Xiaoxuan meant by 'being exploited' be...?

No, no, no, no! That kind of part-time job is absolutely out of the question!

Murong Yao's face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed, but even so, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm down.

"Xiaoxuan, don't work part-time at those kinds of places anymore. If you're really short of money, we'll figure something out together."

"what?"

Murong Yao, who had been amused by her own cute expression, suddenly spoke so seriously, which completely baffled Bai Jinxuan.

What's wrong with working part-time? Why can't I work part-time? What am I supposed to eat if I don't work part-time... Oh, I'll eat at Murong's house, then it's fine.

No, there are still things to consider. She can't just live off the Murong family forever, can she? A woman born into this world shouldn't live a life of subservience forever!

What? Actually, I don't have a part-time job; I sell goods in the dungeon!

That's even more dangerous!

After their parents died, Yao's parents left the underground city, found jobs on the surface, took good care of their child, and lived a peaceful life. Of course, beneath this peace, there was an undercurrent of turmoil.

The matter of the underground city cannot be mentioned at all. The Murong family is like that; they are very sensitive. If they knew that they went to the underground city every day, they would probably be so worried that they would get sick. Yao Yao would also be unable to concentrate on her studies.

As for the divine artifact, it's even more important not to talk about it. Once it's mentioned, the Murong family will never have a good life.

Bai Jinxuan's mind raced, and under Murong Yao's almost pleading gaze, she sensed something strange.

Yao Yao doesn't know I'm in the underground city, why is she so panicked?

"Are you overthinking this again? I'm doing a legitimate part-time job."

Is it really a legitimate part-time job?

"Of course, it's a serious one."

"Then what was that blood-soaked bun you just mentioned?"

"My newly opened shop was ripped off by a jerk."

Murong Yao chuckled, her expression relaxing considerably.

Bai Jinxuan: ?

"If we're not sisters, what are you laughing at? Did you instruct them to do this? I never knew you were like this, Yao Yao."

"That's not what I meant, it's just... anyway... Xiaoxuan, it's so good that you didn't do anything bad. By the way, where do you own your shop? Can I come and take a look?"

"The black market," Bai Jinxuan said in a low voice.

"A black market?!"

Murong Yao opened her mouth wide, and her voice suddenly rose several decibels.

The surrounding classmates cast questioning glances at her. Seeing this, she laughed it off and then grabbed Bai Jinxuan's shoulder with one hand, as if she were about to pin her against the wall.

"Why did you open a shop in the black market? It's dirty and chaotic there, and there are thugs looting and vandalizing it. You're a girl, you have no say there. What if you get targeted?"

"Actually, the black market isn't as bad as you think."

"So you're saying you don't deny the chaos in the black market, right? You know it's dangerous there, and if you die, I... Anyway, you're not allowed to go to that kind of place again."

Her earnest yet aggrieved expression left Bai Jinxuan feeling quite helpless.

Yao Yao is serious.

In fact, Bai Jinxuan knew from the beginning that telling her the truth would lead to this result, but there was no other way. If she didn't tell her, she probably wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long.

They always say they're doing part-time work, but when asked where they're doing it or where the money comes from, they don't know and won't say anything. This only makes the Murong family more worried.

Instead of keeping it a secret, it would be better to win Yao Yao over first. After all, I do have a stall slot in the black market, and anyone who pays can set up a stall there.

That way, Yao Yao won't suspect that I'm killing monsters in the dungeon.

Thinking of this, Bai Jinxuan showed a gentle expression, reached out and gently covered the back of Murong Yao's hand that was on her thigh, and then took out her phone from the drawer.

"Yaoyao, look at this."

"I won't look. I won't agree to anything you show me... 2?"

Seeing Murong Yao standing there like a puppet, her eyes glazed over, Bai Jinxuan snorted triumphantly.

"Isn't it great?"

"Impressive, indeed..." she gesticulated incoherently, "but...where did you get so much money?"

"Hey, it's a secret."

The thought of 2 yuan in savings made Murong Yao fall silent for a moment.

She knew that if a high school student took normal steps, such as working as a waiter in a restaurant or dressing up as a teddy bear at an amusement park, it might not be possible to save this much money in three months, not to mention that Bai Jinxuan had to pay off her loan every month.

"You borrowed money from loan sharks...?"

"What are you talking about? This is the hard-earned money I made bit by bit by selling goods, and my credit score makes it very difficult to get a loan again."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yao immediately felt sad.

Although they were as close as sisters, Bai Jinxuan never asked others for help when it came to money. She had a sense of pride and self-respect, and she always solved problems on her own.

As for herself, she could do nothing but encourage her with words, ignore the sword of Damocles hanging over her head, and treat her as a sister who had no difficulties.

Fortunately, Bai Jinxuan is truly remarkable; her abilities match her pride. It's just that she can be a bit extreme in her actions, even venturing headlong into places like the black market. For such a beautiful and young girl...

Murong Yao clenched her fists quietly, her nails digging deep into her flesh.

.

After a few deep breaths, her expression gradually relaxed.

Things should be viewed on the bright side. Bai Jinxuan's academic performance is too poor, and she will have a hard time getting into university. If she can't find a job after graduation and is short of money, she may end up like those students who are expelled, gritting her teeth and running to the red-light district. That is a result that Murong Yao does not want to see at all. Just thinking about it makes her feel cold all over.

Compared to this, the black market is barely acceptable...

After weighing the pros and cons, Murong Yao finally nodded: "Then your loan repayments should be much easier these next few months, right?"

"Okay, Yao Yao, you have to keep this a secret for me. As a reward, when I become successful someday, I'll make you my personal maid, and you'll earn 10 a month!"

Do you believe I am Qin Shi Huang?

"I don't believe it, Qin Shi Huang had a little ponytail."

"Pfft..."

After the two continued chatting for a while, the school bell rang.

A burly man walked up to the lectern, and the entire classroom fell silent instantly.

Zhang Hu, the homeroom teacher of Class 1, Grade 1, and also the grade's dean of martial arts studies, possesses a level 4 martial arts skill, which is top-tier in a public school where the average level is 3.

He immediately showed off his impressive track record.

"In this joint exam, only one person from our class made it into the top three in the grade, and that is Murong Yao, who ranked first in the grade in liberal arts and seventh in the joint exam."

Upon hearing this, the students instinctively trembled; they knew the tiger was about to unleash its fury.

As expected, after praising Murong Yao, Zhang Hu began to roar.

"What are you all good for?! I told you to practice more! Did you even practice?! In martial arts, if you don't practice for a day, you'll all fall behind! Even Murong Yao got 535 points in martial arts, and what about you?! A bunch of science students, you're not even as good as a girl!"

"What are you all sitting there for?! All science students, go run 100 laps around the track! All arts students who scored below 550, come out and run 20 laps too!"

Amidst this furious roar, the poor students of Class 1 walked out of the classroom dejectedly like drowned rats, including Bai Jinxuan, who had just seen her report card.

History: 48/50

Chinese Language Studies: 97/100

Magic Power: 400/600

Martial Arts: 380/600

Liberal arts students' grades don't include martial arts, so her total score was 545, just 5 points short of being able to study in the classroom with Murong Yao.

Sigh, 20 laps.

Bai Jinxuan, dressed in sportswear, ran forward step by step with a long face.

For science students who specialize in martial arts, 20 laps is nothing, but Bai Jinxuan is a liberal arts student. She doesn't train her physical strength or drink any potions. Her physical condition is almost no different from that of an ordinary person. She even sneaked into the underground city.

You're not qualified to know, are you? To become an explorer, you first need to pass a martial arts or magic exam. Once you're approved, the Explorers' Guild will issue you an exploration certificate.

The rating of this exploration certificate is a person's hard skill. For example, Zhang Hu is a level 4 explorer, who can go deep into the 4th level of the dungeon.

As for Bai Jinxuan, she didn't have an exploration permit at all. The reason she was able to go to the underground city was purely thanks to the artifact in her hand.

Is teleportation possible? Can other people do it?

If only we could use such amazing gadgets for running!

She was lost in thought as she watched the boy sprinting ahead of her.

Although none of the science students in the class made it into the top three in the grade in this joint exam, they are still Zhang Hu's students, and several of them have already passed the first-level martial arts test and are qualified to go to the dungeon.

Their superhuman physical strength allowed them to run like the wind, running 30 laps in one go without even panting. They were about to finish 35 laps when Bai Jinxuan had only run two.

At this moment, the boy in the lead suddenly stopped and took out two bottles of medicine from his pocket.

[Strengthening Potion]