The Honest Man and the Wealthy Dog

Shen Qian always claimed that if he hadn't devoted so much energy to martial studies, his liberal arts grades wouldn't be bad at all.

But deep down, he knew better.

At least when it came to academics, his talent was, at best, average.

Yet after spending the entire morning reading through the history of Huaxia, Shen Qian was surprised to find that he had already memorized most of the key points. A few more reviews, and he'd probably have it all down.

His brain seemed to be working better than before.

As for the reason…

Shen Qian touched his chest and pulled out a pendant. Hanging from it was a pitch-black, irregularly shaped stone, dark as ink. If one stared at it long enough, they could occasionally catch a faint glimmer of light flickering across its surface.

The Black Radiance Spirit Stone!

Spirit stones were known to nourish one's mental strength. But he had only been wearing this for a few days—could the effects really be this obvious?

Unable to pinpoint anything wrong, Shen Qian simply attributed it to his natural genius, believing that he had never truly applied himself to studying before.

After a full day of diving into the ocean of knowledge, the school day quickly came to an end at 5 PM.

With newfound hope for improving his academic scores, Shen Qian shouldered his backpack once more, determined to make the most of his time outside of physical training.

"Shen Qian!"

As he stepped out of the school gate, still reciting classical poetry from his literature textbook, he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Old Wang?"

Turning around, Shen Qian saw Wang Yangming peeking out from behind a tree, waving at him in a rather suspicious manner.

Frowning, Shen Qian walked over. "Why are you acting like a spy meeting his contact?"

"Sigh, I'm just trying to avoid running into Teacher Liu. My mom thought I was dying last night and immediately took the liberty of requesting a three-day leave for me. If Teacher Liu sees me up and about like this, she'll chop me to pieces." Wang Yangming pulled his cap down and sighed.

"You're fine now?" Shen Qian looked him over but didn't see any noticeable changes.

"Of course… Wait, why are you holding a literature textbook? Holy crap, you're even carrying your backpack?" Wang Yangming asked in surprise.

"Zhang Liangwei made me a study plan. He said I need to make full use of my time, even while walking and using the restroom. After all, we only have a little over two months left."

"You… You…" Wang Yangming was stunned for a moment, then his expression turned complicated. "So you've already given up on the martial arts exam? Is that why you gave me that amazing potion?"

"Did you take it? How was the effect?" Shen Qian asked eagerly.

Wang Yangming's eyes lit up with excitement. "Shen Qian, that potion you gave me was incredible! After enduring that inhuman pain, I had a physical test done at the hospital this morning. Guess what?"

"Mmmhmm, uh-huh… Less talking, more results," Shen Qian urged impatiently.

"Five kilograms! My strength increased by five kilograms overnight!"

Wang Yangming exclaimed, "I was stuck at the 109 kg threshold for the longest time. This morning, my test showed 114 kg! My speed also shot up… Shen Qian, for the first time, I feel like a top martial arts university is actually within reach!"

Five kilograms, huh?

Shen Qian mused, making a rough estimate in his head. The potion he gave Wang Yangming contained about one-fourth of the potency of a standard physique-enhancing elixir. After fully absorbing the effects, Wang Yangming might see another two or three kilograms of improvement.

"I remember you took a 'Body Tempering Elixir' before. How did that work for you?" Shen Qian asked.

"I took it when I graduated middle school. Over two or three months, my strength increased by about ten kilograms. But that was my first time taking it, so I won't ever see results like that again."

Wang Yangming was still in disbelief. "But your potion didn't clash with the previous one's effects at all, and it worked overnight. It's practically magic!"

"You probably still have residual medicinal power in your system. For the next week, don't slack off—train every day. You should see even more gains." Shen Qian advised.

Wang Yangming nodded, hesitated for a moment, then pulled Shen Qian aside into a secluded corner. He unzipped his backpack and pulled out two thick envelopes, shoving them into Shen Qian's hands.

"…What's this?" Shen Qian was taken aback.

"My parents wanted to invite you over for dinner, but I know you don't like that sort of thing, so I turned them down… These envelopes contain 50,000 yuan. It might not be enough, but if it isn't, just think of it as me owing you."

"I can't accept this. It wouldn't be right."

Although Shen Qian had considered many things, he had never planned to make money off Wang Yangming. He gave him the potion not only because they were close friends but also because he needed a test subject.

"If you don't take it, we're no longer friends."

Wang Yangming smiled bitterly before getting serious. "Your family isn't well-off either. My parents were originally going to spend 200,000 yuan on a premium enhancement potion for me. Compared to that, I already got a great deal."

"…Fine."

After thinking it over, Shen Qian realized Wang Yangming wasn't at a loss. Though his family wasn't exactly rich, 50,000 yuan wasn't going to break them. And right now, Shen Qian really could use the money.

"But why split it into two envelopes?" Shen Qian asked, puzzled.

"Cough." Wang Yangming looked a little guilty. "At first, I planned to give you only half and keep some for myself. But then I thought about how you gave me that amazing potion while choosing to focus on academics instead… How could I have the nerve to keep any of it?"

Seeing Wang Yangming's deeply moved expression, Shen Qian patted his shoulder, feeling sentimental.

Old Wang is still the same honest guy.

If he found out the total cost of the potion was only 3,000 yuan, would he still feel the same way?

Then again, that wild Schisandra plant didn't cost money, but it was still incredibly valuable. And the formula had intellectual property value—just like how he always insisted on reading officially licensed novels…

With that reasoning, Shen Qian felt perfectly at ease accepting the money.

"Old Wang, you're free now, right?" Pocketing the money, Shen Qian threw an arm around Wang Yangming's shoulders. "Let's hit the VR gaming center for an all-nighter."

"No way! I've seen the light! Last night, I did a lot of thinking—"

"You mean that essay you sent me?" Seeing Wang Yangming's righteous expression, Shen Qian pulled up his smart wristband and began reading in an impassioned voice: "Shen Qian, I feel so useless… I'm nothing but a complete failure—"

"Dear god, stop reading!" Wang Yangming, on the verge of social death, frantically covered Shen Qian's mouth.

"So, are you coming or not?"

"…I'm coming!" Wang Yangming gritted his teeth and added, "But you're rich now—you're paying!"