Chapter 18

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Lin Zhendong hurriedly extinguished the fire. He looked at the messy living room and shook his head helplessly.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and a strong voice sounded, “Dongdong, what are you doing? The thick smoke even set off the fire alarm!”

“Grandpa Li!” Lin Zhendong quickly responded. Just as he was about to open the door, he quickly put the box of gold coins into his storage space.

The door opened, and a skinny old man with white hair walked in. He glanced around and knocked on Lin Zhendong’s head.

“You fool! I’ve warned you not to cultivate at home since you were young. You have to go to an open space or a special cultivation room to cultivate. Look, you’re cultivating a fire-type cultivation technique, right? Look at what you’ve done to your house!”

“Yes, yes, Grandpa Li. I won’t dare to do it again. I couldn’t hold it in for a moment before.” Lin Zhendong scratched his head in embarrassment.

The old man took his walkie-talkie and said, “It’s okay. The fire alarm has been lifted.”

Then, he patted Lin Zhendong’s head. “Although you’re already employed, you’re still preparing for the exam. Your task now is to focus on preparing for the exam and getting good results. Otherwise, your aunties will lose all their faces because of you, and people will gossip behind your back! ”

Lin Zhendong’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at Grandpa Li and saw the expression in his eyes. He nodded and said, “Got it. Don’t worry, Grandpa Li. I’ll definitely shock everyone with my results for the college entrance examination!”

Grandpa Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “It’s good that you have this confidence. This way, your aunties won’t be in a difficult position, and no one can talk behind your back. Alright, pay attention and focus on preparing for the exam.” He patted Lin Zhendong’s shoulder and left with his hands behind his back.

Lin Zhendong watched Grandpa Li leave before closing the door.

Lin Zhendong knew what Grandpa Li meant by his words. Wasn’t it because his aunties had given him a three-month leave, which invited gossip and rumors?

Of course, they only gossiped behind his back, and it did not spread.

Lin Zhendong was a third-year student, so he could stop the rumors by saying he was taking leave.

After all, no one could guarantee that their juniors would enter the job at 18. They also needed to prepare for the exam.

With Lin Zhendong as an example, it would be easier for whoever came later.

Therefore, this matter was nothing.

However, Lin Zhendong realized that everyone in the district department was not as kind as he had imagined.

Otherwise, such gossip wouldn’t have fallen into Grandpa Li’s ears.

However, after thinking about it carefully, he understood that this was a matter of course.

Every workplace had its factions. When Lin Zhendong joined the company, he was in his aunties’ faction.

The people who were eyeing the positions of his aunties treated him as an enemy.

In the past, Lin Zhendong had no conflict of interest with the people in the workplace because he was his aunties’ relative. Of course, everyone would show a friendly attitude toward him.

After all, they could bluff and not tell the truth.

However, after Lin Zhendong joined the workplace, he immediately chose a side. He could not help but get involved in the factional strife.

Hence, the others did not need to be nice to him. It was because he had become their colleague, and there was a possibility of a conflict of interest.

Although Lin Zhendong understood this logic, he was still a little unhappy.

He had always thought that the district department was his base.

Now, it seemed he had only received the support of a faction in the district department.

Shaking his head and letting out a sigh of relief, Lin Zhendong began to clean up the place with renewed vigor.

Was there a choice in this matter? He had no choice. Even if his aunties did not allow him to take sides, he had to take their side. They were family after all.

As for getting good results in the college entrance examination to bring glory to his aunties?

Lin Zhendong revealed a proud smile.

Ever since he was 12 years old and was implanted with that strange chip, [eidetic memory] became his basic skill.

That was because no one in the entire district department was the same age as him. In the entire school, he was the only one at his age in the district department. He did not dare to be arrogant, so he suppressed his results and did not dare to rush to first place.

Of course, it was also because he didn’t want to be known by the teacher and be dragged to participate in all kinds of competitions all day long, so he didn’t have time to go to find treasures.

Otherwise, humph, humph, he would impress everyone!

Therefore, the college entrance exam preparation and taking three months off was just a way for him to slack off and obtain the last bit of free time.

After all, there was no need to prepare for the exam at all. All the knowledge from high school was imprinted in his mind. He remembered all of it.

Well, the only thing he wasn’t confident about was mathematics.

It wasn’t something that could be learned by imprinting textbooks into one’s mind.

He still had to do more exercises and imprint all of them in his mind to be safe.

However, there was only one subject to study, so there was plenty of time.

Therefore, under such circumstances, Lin Zhendong couldn’t focus on his revision and not fiddle with the [Wood Elemental Shadow] he had just obtained!

Therefore, Lin Zhendong hurriedly cleaned the house, threw the burnt furniture into the special garbage dump, took a few books, and ran out.

When he passed the gate, he even greeted Grandpa Li. “Grandpa Li, I’m going to school to revise! I might not be back for dinner. If Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen are back, please help me inform them.”

“Alright, that’s good. Focus on preparing for the exam! Get a good result to blind their eyes!” Grandpa Li immediately laughed so hard that his teeth could not be seen.

They were so respectful to Grandpa Li, the guard. He was Li Bin’s father, the neighbor upstairs, and a retired member of the district department. It was said that he was an important person when he was young.

In any case, there was no harm in being respectful to the guards of the national unit. Crouching tigers and hidden dragons were not enough to describe these old guards.

Lin Zhendong called a taxi and arrived at the West Coast Industrial Zone.

There was no other way. The east coast was too prosperous, and there was almost no space. If he wanted to cultivate, he had to come to the abandoned industrial zone on the west coast.

Lin Zhendong found a place to get off the car and wandered around. He found a quiet factory and entered an empty factory.

Looking at this spacious and empty place, Lin Zhendong nodded in satisfaction. He extended his palm, and a ball of black flames immediately wrapped around it.

With a flick of his wrist, the flames flew about ten meters away. With a thought, the cement ground cracked.

“The power is not bad, but the distance seems too close?”

“It didn’t consume much energy. One flame consumed about one percent of my energy. I’ll recover after taking a few breaths.”

“The energy in my body is so abundant. It’s related to the fact that I’ve eaten more than 20 treasures.”

“The only pity is that the chip has devoured half its energy. Moreover, I ate it randomly at that time. I didn’t care about the attributes. I just ate it if I could. Now that I think about it, it’s such a waste.” Lin Zhendong smacked his lips in pity.

However, there was no other way. At that time, he only wanted to obtain a skill. How could he care about so many things?

However, in the future, should he continue to eat wood-type treasures to increase the power of the [Wood Elemental Shadow], or should he eat other attributes?

After all, this black flame had nothing to do with the wood element.Lin Zhendong hurriedly extinguished the fire. He looked at the messy living room and shook his head helplessly.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and a strong voice sounded, “Dongdong, what are you doing? The thick smoke even set off the fire alarm!”

“Grandpa Li!” Lin Zhendong quickly responded. Just as he was about to open the door, he quickly put the box of gold coins into his storage space.

The door opened, and a skinny old man with white hair walked in. He glanced around and knocked on Lin Zhendong’s head.

“You fool! I’ve warned you not to cultivate at home since you were young. You have to go to an open space or a special cultivation room to cultivate. Look, you’re cultivating a fire-type cultivation technique, right? Look at what you’ve done to your house!”

“Yes, yes, Grandpa Li. I won’t dare to do it again. I couldn’t hold it in for a moment before.” Lin Zhendong scratched his head in embarrassment.

The old man took his walkie-talkie and said, “It’s okay. The fire alarm has been lifted.”

Then, he patted Lin Zhendong’s head. “Although you’re already employed, you’re still preparing for the exam. Your task now is to focus on preparing for the exam and getting good results. Otherwise, your aunties will lose all their faces because of you, and people will gossip behind your back! ”

Lin Zhendong’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at Grandpa Li and saw the expression in his eyes. He nodded and said, “Got it. Don’t worry, Grandpa Li. I’ll definitely shock everyone with my results for the college entrance examination!”

Grandpa Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “It’s good that you have this confidence. This way, your aunties won’t be in a difficult position, and no one can talk behind your back. Alright, pay attention and focus on preparing for the exam.” He patted Lin Zhendong’s shoulder and left with his hands behind his back.

Lin Zhendong watched Grandpa Li leave before closing the door.

Lin Zhendong knew what Grandpa Li meant by his words. Wasn’t it because his aunties had given him a three-month leave, which invited gossip and rumors?

Of course, they only gossiped behind his back, and it did not spread.

Lin Zhendong was a third-year student, so he could stop the rumors by saying he was taking leave.

After all, no one could guarantee that their juniors would enter the job at 18. They also needed to prepare for the exam.

With Lin Zhendong as an example, it would be easier for whoever came later.

Therefore, this matter was nothing.

However, Lin Zhendong realized that everyone in the district department was not as kind as he had imagined.

Otherwise, such gossip wouldn’t have fallen into Grandpa Li’s ears.

However, after thinking about it carefully, he understood that this was a matter of course.

Every workplace had its factions. When Lin Zhendong joined the company, he was in his aunties’ faction.

The people who were eyeing the positions of his aunties treated him as an enemy.

In the past, Lin Zhendong had no conflict of interest with the people in the workplace because he was his aunties’ relative. Of course, everyone would show a friendly attitude toward him.

After all, they could bluff and not tell the truth.

However, after Lin Zhendong joined the workplace, he immediately chose a side. He could not help but get involved in the factional strife.

Hence, the others did not need to be nice to him. It was because he had become their colleague, and there was a possibility of a conflict of interest.

Although Lin Zhendong understood this logic, he was still a little unhappy.

He had always thought that the district department was his base.

Now, it seemed he had only received the support of a faction in the district department.

Shaking his head and letting out a sigh of relief, Lin Zhendong began to clean up the place with renewed vigor.

Was there a choice in this matter? He had no choice. Even if his aunties did not allow him to take sides, he had to take their side. They were family after all.

As for getting good results in the college entrance examination to bring glory to his aunties?

Lin Zhendong revealed a proud smile.

Ever since he was 12 years old and was implanted with that strange chip, [eidetic memory] became his basic skill.

That was because no one in the entire district department was the same age as him. In the entire school, he was the only one at his age in the district department. He did not dare to be arrogant, so he suppressed his results and did not dare to rush to first place.

Of course, it was also because he didn’t want to be known by the teacher and be dragged to participate in all kinds of competitions all day long, so he didn’t have time to go to find treasures.

Otherwise, humph, humph, he would impress everyone!

Therefore, the college entrance exam preparation and taking three months off was just a way for him to slack off and obtain the last bit of free time.

After all, there was no need to prepare for the exam at all. All the knowledge from high school was imprinted in his mind. He remembered all of it.

Well, the only thing he wasn’t confident about was mathematics.

It wasn’t something that could be learned by imprinting textbooks into one’s mind.

He still had to do more exercises and imprint all of them in his mind to be safe.

However, there was only one subject to study, so there was plenty of time.

Therefore, under such circumstances, Lin Zhendong couldn’t focus on his revision and not fiddle with the [Wood Elemental Shadow] he had just obtained!

Therefore, Lin Zhendong hurriedly cleaned the house, threw the burnt furniture into the special garbage dump, took a few books, and ran out.

When he passed the gate, he even greeted Grandpa Li. “Grandpa Li, I’m going to school to revise! I might not be back for dinner. If Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen are back, please help me inform them.”

“Alright, that’s good. Focus on preparing for the exam! Get a good result to blind their eyes!” Grandpa Li immediately laughed so hard that his teeth could not be seen.

They were so respectful to Grandpa Li, the guard. He was Li Bin’s father, the neighbor upstairs, and a retired member of the district department. It was said that he was an important person when he was young.

In any case, there was no harm in being respectful to the guards of the national unit. Crouching tigers and hidden dragons were not enough to describe these old guards.

Lin Zhendong called a taxi and arrived at the West Coast Industrial Zone.

There was no other way. The east coast was too prosperous, and there was almost no space. If he wanted to cultivate, he had to come to the abandoned industrial zone on the west coast.

Lin Zhendong found a place to get off the car and wandered around. He found a quiet factory and entered an empty factory.

Looking at this spacious and empty place, Lin Zhendong nodded in satisfaction. He extended his palm, and a ball of black flames immediately wrapped around it.

With a flick of his wrist, the flames flew about ten meters away. With a thought, the cement ground cracked.

“The power is not bad, but the distance seems too close?”

“It didn’t consume much energy. One flame consumed about one percent of my energy. I’ll recover after taking a few breaths.”

“The energy in my body is so abundant. It’s related to the fact that I’ve eaten more than 20 treasures.”

“The only pity is that the chip has devoured half its energy. Moreover, I ate it randomly at that time. I didn’t care about the attributes. I just ate it if I could. Now that I think about it, it’s such a waste.” Lin Zhendong smacked his lips in pity.

However, there was no other way. At that time, he only wanted to obtain a skill. How could he care about so many things?

However, in the future, should he continue to eat wood-type treasures to increase the power of the [Wood Elemental Shadow], or should he eat other attributes?

After all, this black flame had nothing to do with the wood element.

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