Chapter 206: Lu Wu's Troubles
Lu Wu's side of the story unfolds.
Initially, when he heard about Kong Yi's situation, he was quite anxious, even expecting to get beaten up.
After all, only by enduring beatings could he become stronger and gain a sense of security.
But amidst his anxiety, Lu Wu couldn't let fear consume him.
Besides, didn't he have Dudu by his side? Spending time with Dudu would alleviate his fear of Kong Yi, especially since Kong Yi couldn't harm Dudu within the Legacy Ground. Moreover, Li Kai was also on his side.
His Uncle Li was no pushover; his Big Bear was almost at the Lord level, and with further advancement, he'd be a Master-level expert. Having him as a guardian gave Lu Wu a sense of security.
So, shortly after Jiang Yuesheng's departure, Lu Wu adjusted his mindset.
He focused on what needed to be done.
Having just emerged from the dungeon, Lu Wu felt that the most pressing task was to review his gains from the dungeon.
Yes, that's what he thought, and that's what he did.
First, in terms of strength enhancement:
"My Little Skeleton and Little Goldfish have both reached Leader 2-Star, and I've achieved a Professional rank.
The rest of my teammates are also at the Leader rank.
As for Dudu, she's reached Professional, Tuan Tuan is Leader 1-Star, and Greenie is almost there but is already Elite 3-Star.
Lao Lin is similar to Dudu, but his dog is a bit behind at only Elite 1-Star.
The system has also been upgraded, and I can now see the attributes of Summoned Beasts within a 20-meter radius, including those of Professional Summoners."
Next, regarding items:
There wasn't much to report in this area, except that Lu Wu obtained an Outreach Token.
"By the way, I initially spent nearly 10,000 points on items for sacrifice, but now they're not needed. Also, the Little Skeleton's phone has detailed photos of several Altars, which can be used for future research."
As he took stock of his gains, especially realizing he had saved nearly 10,000 points, Lu Wu's mood significantly improved.
After reviewing his rewards, Lu Wu turned his attention to planning his next steps.
Lu Wu contemplated and listed the tasks he needed to accomplish:
"One is to research the Little Skeleton and its companions, and the other is the task Rich Lady assigned to me.
Additionally, there's the matter of the 50,000 points Jiang Beifeng owes me, and the Boneless Wild Pig training program."
"Among these tasks, the latter two are minor; the important ones are the first two."
Although Rich Lady's task was imposed on Lu Wu, he felt that she had treated him well during their time together.
Consequently, he took her assignment seriously.
After listing these tasks, Lu Wu began to work, prioritizing Rich Lady's task while considering the Little Skeleton's evolution as a secondary focus. He started planning for the upcoming period.
"Rich Lady's task is to become the Team Captain of Jiangnan University's team and participate in next year's University League.
This will likely involve two steps. First, I need to figure out how to become the captain.
Should I use force to achieve this? Or is there another way? I'll need to find out."
Lu Wu didn't intend to figure this out by himself. After all, he had a sidekick for such tasks.
He contacted Zhao Kaiding and consulted him on the matter.
The information he received was surprising; the task was unexpectedly simple.
Lu Wu had assumed he'd need to go through countless trials to defeat the current captain and become the team leader, but to his surprise, Zhao Kaiding immediately offered a solution.
"This is a minor issue. Leave it to me, Zhao Kaiding. I'll tell you, I have some influence at Jiangnan University. Such a small matter is easy for me; I can get it done in no time!"
Lu Wu believed Zhao Kaiding's confident words.
He trusted that the matter was settled and stopped worrying about becoming the team leader. Instead, he began preparing for the tasks that would follow.
Meanwhile, Lu Wu, being an active individual, decided to make use of this idle time.
He recalled having two minor tasks pending.
Lu Wu planned to address these tasks.
He made a call to Zhang Wentao, instructing the Fucheng side to make preparations. Then, he turned to his computer and re-uploaded the initial version of the Boneless Wild Pig training program.
The system indicated that the program was under review.
Lu Wu, familiar with the process, didn't worry about the review.
During the review period, Lu Wu called Jiang Beifeng to inquire about the 50,000 points.
After the competition, Lu Wu had been busy with the Legacy Ground matters, and the debt of 50,000 points had been outstanding for over two weeks. Lu Wu felt it was time to collect.
The call connected, and Lu Wu immediately confronted Jiang Beifeng: "Hello, Jiang Beifeng, you mentioned that you'd provide the 50,000 points within a week, but it's been half a month with no news. Are you planning to default on this debt?"
"Let me tell you, we signed an agreement on the intranet, and you can't shirk this debt. If you don't pay up, I'll have to take legal action!"
The tone was particularly assertive!
However, when the person on the other end spoke, Li Wu was left dumbfounded.
"Are you Li Wu?"
It was a middle-aged man's voice, polite and courteous, but it wasn't North Jiang Wind's.
Li Wu felt something was amiss.
"What? Isn't this North Jiang Wind's phone? Where is he?"
"Oh, it's like this. This number belongs to the Admissions Office of Jiangnan University. Mr. North Jiang Wind has resigned, so the university has reclaimed the number.
Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the new Admissions Officer at Jiangnan University..."
Li Wu interrupted before the man could finish.
"I'm not interested in who you are, and I don't care about North Jiang Wind. I just want to know, North Jiang Wind represented your Jiangnan University in a wager with me. When do you intend to repay the five thousand points you owe me?"
"I was about to discuss this very matter with you."
The middle-aged man on the phone remained polite, but his words caused Li Wu's brows to furrow.
In a 16919 book, a look at the wrong version!
"It's like this. Our Jiangbei University is a reputable institution, and we strictly prohibit gambling among our faculty and students.
Therefore, from any perspective, Mr. North Jiang Wind had no qualifications and could not represent our Jiangbei University in a wager with you.
He was dismissed from Jiangnan University due to gambling-related matters!"
"Are you saying that Jiangnan University intends to shirk this debt?"
Li Wu was clearly displeased.
But the man on the other end maintained his smile, "I'm sorry, but Jiangnan University does not condone gambling and will not respond to any gambling-related matters.
If you have any disputes with Mr. North Jiang Wind in this regard, please settle it privately.
Additionally, as a teacher, I'd like to remind you to cherish life and stay away from gambling. You are..."
"Click!"
Li Wu hung up the phone, his face stern.
"Unbelievable! I didn't expect Jiangnan University to be so shameless, blatantly reneging on their debt.
Seeing their arrogant attitude, I estimate that even if I wanted to contact North Jiang Wind now, I couldn't get in touch with him."
Li Wu was seething with anger.
After all, five thousand points was not a small sum!
Don't be fooled by Li Wu's previous quick and substantial earnings; it was all thanks to the platform provided by the High School League.
Moreover, it was because the Jiangnan team had been dominated by an external squad for several years, and Li Wu's victory allowed the Jiangnan team to breathe a sigh of relief.
It could be said that Li Wu's previous windfall was due to a combination of genius, opportunity, and talent.
Even so, Li Wu had only earned a little over twenty thousand points.
Now, with these five thousand points slipping through his fingers, could Li Wu swallow this humiliation?
"I must get this money back!"
Li Wu was determined not to let this go.
However, just as Li Wu was pondering how to reclaim the money, the intranet's review results for the White Bone Boar breeding program caught his attention.
Li Wu picked up the phone, intending to inform Zhang Wentao, but he suddenly noticed something amiss in the review results.
"What's going on? It's not approved?"
After examining the review results closely, Li Wu's eyes narrowed.
He immediately opened the email to read it, and his expression grew even more grim.
The email was brief, and the essential part was just one sentence:
"Your White Bone Boar Broth program has been rejected due to significant similarities with an existing program!"
"How is that possible? There's no other program like mine in the White Bone Boar breeding program section. How could it be similar?"
Li Wu, with a dark expression, opened the White Bone Boar section.
He was stunned by what he saw.
There was an additional breeding program, named White Bone Boar Broth.
Li Wu had a hunch about what had happened.
"Could this be the work of someone from the Jiangbei Breeding Center? Would they do something so blatant?"
Indeed, they had!
Li Wu purchased the White Bone Boar Broth program and read it carefully.
After reading it, Li Wu felt his entire worldview had been refreshed.
This was a blatant copy of his program.
It was no longer a matter of plagiarism; it was a direct copy-paste job.
At most, they had made some modifications they considered clever after translating it.
"Could they be so brazen and mindless?"
Li Wu didn't think the Jiangnan University Jiangbei Breeding Center would resort to such tactics.
There were many ways to undermine him, and they didn't need to use such a disgusting method.
Yet, this was the reality; they had done it!
This made Li Wu particularly frustrated.
And the day's misfortunes didn't end there.
It seemed like Li Wu was having a string of bad luck, with one upsetting event following another.
Before Li Wu could recover from Jiangnan University's debt evasion and the plagiarism of his breeding program, Zhao Kai Ming, who had just confidently assured him about the team leader matter, called.
Li Wu thought he might finally hear some good news, but Zhao Kai Ming's first words were, "Li Wu, maybe we should put the team leader matter on hold for this year?"
Upon hearing this, Li Wu's temper nearly exploded!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 207: Li Wu's Counterattack
Li Wu struggled to calm himself down and asked, "What's going on?"
Zhao Kai Ming hesitated, "Well, I just discussed the team leader position with Old Zhang, and everything was settled. But then Old Li intervened, and the deal fell through."
Kai Ming felt embarrassed, almost apologetic. He started by throwing someone under the bus, and then proceeded to explain the situation to Li Wu.
In short, the team leader position for next year's University League was already promised to someone else.
It wasn't a case of backdoor favoritism.
If anything, Li Wu was the one who benefited from such practices.
Li Wu was determined to become the team leader of Jiangnan University, while the promised leader was someone the university begged to take the role.
After all, Jiangnan University had been struggling recently.
For several consecutive years, their rankings in the University League were abysmal, causing the university's overall ranking to plummet.
On top of that, the university was facing financial issues.
If Jiangnan University couldn't perform well in next year's league and secure more resources, they might be swallowed up by Northern Jiang after the year was over.
So, to protect Jiangnan, Vice Chancellor Li Ming Rui pulled all the strings he could and spent a lot of effort to find someone he believed could help the university in next year's competition.
How could they possibly give up the position just because Li Wu wanted it? Furthermore, although they had confidence in Li Wu, it was still about his future. Li Wu hadn't even enrolled yet, and they couldn't possibly entrust such an important role and task to him.
"So, Old Li's suggestion is for you to gain experience for a year, and the team leader position will be yours next year!"
Zhao Kai Ming carefully explained everything.
Meanwhile, Li Wu had already calmed down by the time he finished listening.
"Alright, I understand the situation," he said.
In fact, if Zhao Kai Ming hadn't initially guaranteed that he could handle it, the matter would have been simple for Li Wu.
It was just an obstacle in Li Wu's path to becoming the team leader of Jiangnan University.
Li Wu was prepared for such hurdles, and removing them was a straightforward task.
However, for now, the team leader position had to be put on hold.
At the very least, he would have to wait until the start of school to meet this obstacle face-to-face.
With some time before the semester began, Li Wu decided to use it to tackle the issues of debt evasion and plagiarism.
Hanging up the call with Zhao Kai Ming, Li Wu rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
These two matters seemed troublesome, but Li Wu knew they were actually quite simple to resolve.
He had numerous ways to deal with them.
However, his mood wasn't the best, so he chose the most satisfying method for himself.
...
As Li Wu pondered his approach, far away in the Northern Jiang Vocational Cultivation Center, someone was in high spirits.
His name was Shi Ying, the director responsible for verifying cultivation programs at the center.
His job was lucrative, and with courage and meticulousness, he often found opportunities for promotion and wealth within his work.
Recently, he had seized an opportunity to make a small fortune, and perhaps even greater prospects awaited him.
Some time ago, an order came from above to suppress a cultivator from Jiangnan, and the task fell into Shi Ying's hands.
As an exceptional bureaucrat, Shi Ying might not excel at everything, but when it came to suppressing others, he had his methods.
Coincidentally, the targeted cultivator had submitted a cultivation program, so Shi Ying immediately took it and left it untouched, intending to cause trouble.
Initially, Shi Ying only wanted to pressure the cultivator, but to his surprise, they remained calm. Even when their program was withheld, they didn't react, and when Shi Ying tried to provoke them, they didn't take the bait."
Eventually, when the program was returned, they didn't rush to resubmit it, giving Shi Ying another chance to suppress them.
This made Shi Ying, who already felt he wasn't doing enough to suppress the target, very uncomfortable.
So, he changed tactics and found an amateur cultivator to submit the program first.
Shi Ying quickly approved it, claiming the program's reward before the original cultivator could react.
This was a disgusting move and a severe violation of regulations.
But Shi Ying didn't care.
On one hand, he was suppressing the target as instructed by a higher-up.
Moreover, he had used a proxy, so any investigation wouldn't lead back to him.
Furthermore, seeking justice for such a cultivation program was extremely complicated. Even if the cultivator complained to the Vocational Center headquarters, without sufficient evidence, it would only lead to a drawn-out dispute.
Even if they had enough evidence to bring him down, it wouldn't matter. Shi Ying would take all the blame, as it wasn't a significant issue, and headquarters left the matter for the Northern Jiang side to handle.
Shi Ying was serving the bigwigs of Northern Jiang, so the final outcome would likely be a subtle promotion.
He had already thought this through.
Whether the cultivator chose to endure silently or make a fuss, it wouldn't affect Shi Ying. It might even provide him with an opportunity to climb higher.
So, Shi Ying secretly hoped that Li Wu would blow this matter out of proportion, giving him a chance to prove his loyalty to the big shots.
And this very idea of Shi Ying's was not lost on the big shots he was working for.
They intentionally turned a blind eye to Shi Ying's actions, even subtly encouraging him from behind the scenes.
The reason was simple: they wanted to bully Li Wu.
The Jiangbei side had ample reasons to pick on Li Wu. On a smaller scale, they blamed Li Wu for Team 001's failure to make it to the top eight, and on a larger scale, they believed Li Wu had interfered with Jiangnan University's plans.
Furthermore, Li Wu's recent acquisition of a stepmother added fuel to the fire.
But the primary reason was Li Wu's innate talent.
Since Li Wu's emergence, his information had been in the hands of the Jiangbei leadership.
A year ago, Li Wu was just a poor student.
His academic performance always hovered around the passing line, but after summoning the Little Skeleton, it was as if a light bulb had turned on in his head.
Within just six months, he had reached the level of a professional cultivator.
Li Wu's breeding programs for goblins and little skeletons impressed cultivators in the field, but what was even more astonishing was that he seemed to have already mastered the evolution plan for little skeletons. The Jiangnan side had been verifying this very plan all this time.
Once this verification was successful, the Jiangnan side would likely take the opportunity to promote Li Wu to the position of a master cultivator.
This was something the Jiangbei side did not want to see.
Therefore, they had to suppress Li Wu.
They didn't aim to completely crush Li Wu but to ensure he would be ineffective for the next year.
To achieve this, the Jiangbei side prepared a comprehensive plan specifically for Li Wu.
What Li Wu saw now was just the first step.
In the office of the Jiangbei person in charge, Jiangbei Feng, who had been removed from his position, revealed his entire plan to the principal of Jiangbei University and the head of the Jiangbei Cultivation Center, Lin Huai.
"According to the information we received, Li Wu has already returned from the Heritage Ground.
He just called to demand payment, and at most, it will take a day, or perhaps he has already discovered the plagiarism.
Based on my understanding of him, he has an extremely small heart.
First, Jiangbei avoided payment, and now this incident happened. With his personality, he will definitely not let it go.
So he will definitely make a big fuss, as big as he can.
And I have already prepared a plan for him here, just waiting for him to make a scene."
Jiangbei Feng paused for a moment, and the principal, Lin Huai, was a good straight man, quickly asking, "What plan?"
Jiangbei Feng smiled, his mouth curling up.
"You tell me, if someone tells you that a teenager has become a master-level cultivator in just one year, wouldn't you be surprised and a little suspicious?"
"What do you mean?" Lin Huai caught on.
Jiangbei Feng lifted his chin, "I don't mean anything. I just want to provide a possibility to the public.
Is it possible that this genius persona is fake?
Is it possible that many of his research works are plagiarized?
Did he use someone's influence to take credit for others' work?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Huai couldn't help but gasp.
Jiangbei Feng's move was not just a simple threat.
Jiangbei Feng wanted Li Wu to make a big fuss about the plagiarism, and then he would follow up with his own actions.
He would gather evidence and manipulate public opinion.
He would turn the tables and throw the blame back on Li Wu.
Rumors are easy to spread, but clarifying them is not so simple.
And Li Wu is just a teenager, his character not yet fully formed. If he is seriously injured by these rumors and unable to clarify them, he may never recover and be destroyed by this incident.
"Based on my understanding of him, rumors won't destroy him, but they will make him suffer.
In the short term, he won't be able to move on from this incident.
The most important thing is that with these rumors as a foundation, even if the Jiangnan side verifies the evolution plan for the Little Skeleton Mage after some time, we will have an excuse to prevent Li Wu from becoming a master.
As long as we can delay it for a year or two, by then, Jiangnan will have become a part of us in Jiangbei, and Li Wu's achievements will not only have no impact on us but will make us even stronger.
Jiangbei Feng's tactics are as dirty as ever.
After dirtying the high school league, he is now dirtying Li Wu.
However, as dirty as these tactics are, the big shots in Jiangbei still like them.
Lin Huai immediately agreed, giving Jiangbei Feng full authority over this matter.
And this was exactly what Jiangbei Feng wanted.
He had messed up the high school league in Jiangnan, losing 50,000 points, which caused many in Jiangbei to have opinions about him.
He even lost his original position as the director of admissions.
But temporary setbacks don't matter.
As long as Jiangbei Feng can handle this matter, he can not only make up for his previous mistakes but also move forward.
Thinking about it, Jiangbei Feng couldn't help but feel a little excited.
Just as Jiangbei Feng was getting excited, his phone rang. He picked it up, and his expression changed, cursing, "Damn you, Li Wu..."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 208: Shameless Woman
Debt avoidance and plagiarism.
Facing these two issues, Li Wu decided to tackle the debt problem first.
The 50,000 points had been dragging on for so long, and he couldn't let them continue to delay any further.
There were two ways to resolve this 50,000-point issue.
One was to find North Jiang Wind and demand payment from him in person.
This method was the most difficult and unrewarding. Even if North Jiang Wind was hard to find, it would still be challenging to get the money, so Li Wu chose to ignore this option.
He opted for the second method—finding someone else to collect the debt.
Li Wu and North Jiang Wind's wager was signed under the witness of the Intranet.
Now that this situation had occurred, Li Wu could ask the Intranet to collect this debt.
Both Li Wu and North Jiang Wind were aware of this.
However, they both knew that while it was one thing to talk about it, it was another to actually do it.
Although the Intranet was responsible for helping with debt collection, which was one of its major services, it required a process and some time.
What North Jiang Wind wanted was precisely this time, or rather, a process.
Indeed, he had calculated even this into his plan.
From start to finish, he never intended to genuinely avoid the debt. It was impossible to evade this debt, after all, as the wager agreement was signed under the witness of the Intranet.
But this situation could be manipulated.
From the beginning of the debt avoidance, his goal was to provoke Li Wu's emotions and anger him first.
The Intranet's debt collection process was slow and bureaucratic, but it also allowed for some maneuvering. With a few simple actions, Li Wu could be easily agitated.
When Li Wu reached his limit and decided to use extreme measures, North Jiang Wind would immediately repay the points.
This would directly push Li Wu's mental state to the brink of explosion.
This would make North Jiang Wind's subsequent actions much easier.
However, North Jiang Wind overlooked one thing.
He didn't anticipate that Li Wu's debt avoidance, plagiarism, and the team leader's issues would all come together.
With everything happening at once, Li Wu's temper was instantly ignited, so he resorted to extreme measures from the start.
Li Wu's extreme approach was straightforward—he still sought a solution through the Intranet.
He directly ordered 50,000 points worth of items on the Intranet and, at the time of payment, presented the wager agreement with North Jiang Wind for the transaction.
Yes, this agreement could be used for the transaction.
Since the wager agreement was signed under the witness of the Intranet, it was valid.
After the Intranet's review, this agreement was worth 50,000 points within the Intranet.
However, if they traded directly with the Intranet, it would only be calculated at 95% of the agreement's value.
In other words, the Intranet would deduct 2,500 points.
This was not a small amount, and normally, Li Wu might have hesitated for a moment.
But at that moment, it was just 2,500 points.
He paid it without hesitation!
Then, the debt that North Jiang Wind had avoided was transferred from Li Wu's account to the Intranet's.
The Intranet's efficiency was indeed impressive. As soon as the transaction was complete, they immediately notified North Jiang Wind.
"Attention, your wager agreement with 'I Want to Be the Sea King' has been officially taken over by the Intranet.
Your account has been frozen, and your assets will be liquidated. Please settle the 50,000-point debt within three days, or additional fees will be incurred. Furthermore, the Intranet will auction your assets."
Reading this message, North Jiang Wind's expression turned grim.
"2,500 points, huh? Li Wu is ruthless, just throwing away that amount."
Clearly, North Jiang Wind was well-informed about this.
He just hadn't expected Li Wu, a notoriously frugal person, to discard 2,500 points so easily.
"It seems my understanding of him isn't thorough enough!"
However, North Jiang Wind quickly regained his composure.
This matter was just a minor incident for him, not a significant issue.
"Avoiding this debt was intended to infuriate him. Seeing his current state, the debt avoidance plan has failed, so I can focus more on the upcoming plans."
From beginning to end, North Jiang Wind never took the Intranet's debt collection seriously.
Although the Intranet's debt collection was notoriously aggressive and ruthless, and the consequences of not repaying were well-known, it didn't concern North Jiang Wind.
The 50,000 points would be provided by North Jiang.
He just needed to focus on handling Li Wu.
However, when it came to dealing with Li Wu.
Initially, North Jiang Wind felt some pressure.
After all, that kid was exceptionally shrewd and talented, and now he seemed to have the support of a rich lady.
If he bullied him now, there would undoubtedly be retaliation in the future.
But even so, North Jiang Wind decided to proceed.
On one hand, he couldn't accept losing to Li Wu the last time. He had prepared everything meticulously, and Li Wu had only won by cheating, which North Jiang Wind couldn't stand.
On the other hand, and most importantly, this matter was personally ordered by that person.
If he handled this well, he might gain the support of that person, and North Jiang Wind could rise to great heights.
With both resentment and personal gain in mind, North Jiang Wind couldn't think of any reason not to target Li Wu.
"Come on, let's stir things up and have some real fun!
This time, I will definitely make you suffer!"
North Jiang Wind was determined. He believed he wouldn't lose to Li Wu twice!
With this confidence, North Jiang Wind embarked on his busy work.
Lu Wu was determined to be prepared, especially after witnessing Li Wu's recent behavior. He knew that Li Wu was capable of causing a significant stir, and once he started, there was no stopping him.
"Of course, there's always a chance that he might suddenly act irrationally or that someone might intervene to stop him. So, we should also be prepared on our end. If Li Wu doesn't make a fuss, we'll help him create one!"
......
Meanwhile, at Jiangnan University.
Li Wu wasn't idle after resolving the debt issue. He turned his attention to addressing the plagiarism.
He thoroughly examined the book, and there was no mistake; it was an exact copy!
Similar to Jiangbei Wind, Li Wu focused most of his energy on tackling the plagiarism issue. Initially, Li Wu intended to make a big deal out of it.
He even had a plan to ensure Jiangbei couldn't escape the consequences.
However, before taking action, Li Wu suddenly remembered the words of his Rich Lady.
Yes, right before entering the dungeon, when he was about to remove Team 003, the Rich Lady had given him some advice.
She had told him to remain calm when facing problems, to think carefully before acting, and to avoid extreme or eccentric behavior.
After all, the Rich Lady was quite graceful.
So, Li Wu did take her words to heart to some extent.
Before taking action, he decided to calm himself down and review the situation.
The more he thought about it, the more Li Wu couldn't understand why Jiangbei would do such a thing.
Why would they target him, a kind, upright, handsome, and harmless little cultivator?
What had he done to offend them? To figure this out, Li Wu specifically contacted Zhang Wentao.
Zhang Wentao was equally baffled and couldn't comprehend why such a situation had arisen.
Logically speaking, even if there was a rivalry between Jiangnan and Jiangbei Universities, it shouldn't involve Li Wu.
Such a genius, cherished wherever he went, who would have the time to bully him for no reason? Moreover, they shouldn't underestimate the power of his Rich Lady.
"Could it be that someone in the Jiangbei Vocational Center, tempted by money, is behind this? And the leadership of the Jiangbei Vocational Center is completely unaware of this?"
After discussing with Li Wu for a while, Zhang Wentao offered a hypothesis.
As soon as he heard this, Li Wu immediately understood why Jiangnan had been so severely oppressed by Jiangbei.
The problem lay with the leadership.
The leaders at Jiangnan University were too upright and honest.
How could the leadership at Jiangbei not be aware of such a situation? Not only had Li Wu's proposal been suppressed for over half a month, but when he entered the dungeon, they had already submitted their cultivation plan ahead of him.
This couldn't be the act of a single person.
It was clearly an organized, planned, and premeditated move aimed directly at you, Li Wu!"
But no matter how much Li Wu thought about it, he couldn't understand why someone as handsome as him would be targeted.
Unable to comprehend it, Li Wu decided not to think about it anymore.
"Let's probe further first."
"Uncle Zhang, please use your name to demand an explanation from Jiangbei. Tell them that if they withdraw their cultivation plan and have the responsible staff apologize to me, I'll let this matter go.
If they don't agree, we'll follow the procedure! Oh, and remember to record everything!"
"Okay!"
Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed after rejecting Li Wu's request to become the team leader, Zhang Wentao immediately took action.
Whatever Li Wu asked, he did.
Meanwhile, Li Wu accessed the intranet to gather information about Jiangnan and Jiangbei.
He knew that Zhang Wentao would likely fail in his endeavor, and the other party wouldn't let things go so easily.
If Li Wu were in their position, he wouldn't take such actions against an outstanding, kind, likable, and promising cultivator so lightly.
But once he took action, it wouldn't be so simple.
There must be more to it.
However, Li Wu didn't even know why they were targeting him, let alone guess their motives.
Therefore, Li Wu decided to investigate Jiangbei's situation on the intranet, focusing on the relationship between Jiangbei and Jiangnan.
After much contemplation, Li Wu concluded that Jiangbei's actions could be attributed to a few reasons.
Either they disliked him, or they disliked Jiangnan University, or they disliked his mother.
Of these, Li Wu found the third reason the least plausible.
However, after reviewing the situation between Jiangbei and Jiangnan over the past few years on the intranet, Li Wu began to suspect that the third reason might be the case.
After some hesitation, Li Wu made a call to his Rich Lady.
On the phone, Li Wu directly told her about his encounter, and as he spoke, he could sense her anger.
It was an anger with a clear target.
She even cursed several times, "Shameless!"
At that moment, Li Wu understood. He had wondered why anyone would bully him, and it turned out it was because of his Rich Lady.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Wu shared his plan to resolve the issue.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Rich Lady immediately became delighted.
"Excellent! Go ahead and take action! Let that shameless woman know my might!"
"This is my plan. Why do you care, Rich Lady?" Li Wu rolled his eyes, his face filled with disdain. But as the words reached his lips, he changed his tone, thumping his chest, "Leave it to me! If anyone dares to bully my wet nurse, I'll make them understand the meaning of 'regret'!"
After saying this, Li Wu hung up the phone, feeling delighted, and went to prepare.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 209: Ironclad Cow Milk
On Li Wu's side, shortly after receiving the go-ahead from the Rich Lady, Zhang Wentao called him. It was clear that the negotiation had yielded results.
"Well? What did they say?" Li Wu asked.
"Principal Lin said he would investigate thoroughly, and if it's true, he will definitely give you an explanation," Zhang Wentao replied.
"A very standard official response!" Li Wu scoffed.
Zhang Wentao rolled his eyes and continued working on his task while saying, "Please remind me every three hours, sir. I'm busy here."
"Alright!" Zhang Wentao agreed.
At this moment, he felt more like Li Wu's personal secretary than the principal of Jiangnan University. Nonetheless, he nodded and went back to work.
Meanwhile, Li Wu hung up the call and continued his work in the cultivation room. Only he knew what he was busy with.
On the other side, in Northern Jiang.
Ever since Zhang Wentao's first negotiation attempt, Lin Huai had summoned North Jiang Wind to brief him on the situation.
"I'm quite surprised. Instead of causing a scene, they chose to negotiate first," Lin Huai remarked.
North Jiang Wind had prepared extensively for this moment. He had anticipated every possible reaction from Li Wu and was ready with solutions, including the possibility of negotiations.
Thus, North Jiang Wind maintained his confident demeanor.
"It seems someone has managed to keep his temper in check. No worries, keep pressuring him, and he'll eventually lose his cool," North Jiang Wind assured.
"Next, Zhang Wentao will definitely continue the negotiations. I'm putting you in charge of this matter, and someone is watching. Make sure you handle it gracefully!"
"You can trust me with this! I'll make sure it's done flawlessly!" North Jiang Wind assured the leader. He couldn't admit weakness, so he confidently promised to take care of the situation, also mentioning the matter of the five thousand points.
"Don't worry about this. I'll handle it, and you won't have to pay those five thousand points yourself," Lin Huai said. As a leader, he might not excel in everything, but he was quick to issue a check.
Whether it was an empty promise or not, North Jiang Wind didn't care at the moment. He had a dirty job to do, and Lin Huai had agreed to it during their wager. The five thousand points would be covered by Northern Jiang Vocational Cultivation Center without a doubt.
So, after mentioning it, North Jiang Wind went off to work.
Soon, three hours passed.
Zhang Wentao called again, and this time, North Jiang Wind answered.
"Principal Zhang, this is North Jiang Wind, Director of Northern Jiang Vocational Cultivation Center. Regarding the plagiarism incident you reported, we have thoroughly investigated and found that you might have some misunderstandings. Our center began validating the Boneless Wild Pig Broth program a month ago, so there's no plagiarism involved with Li Wu's work.
If we were to be particular, Li Wu's work has more signs of plagiarism.
But we won't dwell on these details. We just hope Li Wu can mend his ways."
Zhang Wentao was stunned by North Jiang Wind's audacity. He never expected them to stoop this low.
As he was about to argue, North Jiang Wind cut him off.
"I understand that emotionally, you might not accept this outcome.
But rest assured, we can provide you with the evidence and information if needed.
Furthermore, if you're still dissatisfied after reviewing the evidence, you can follow the official procedure!" North Jiang Wind said and hung up.
His words left not only Zhang Wentao but also Shi Ying, who was beside him, speechless.
"Um, what if Jiangnan University wants to see the evidence?" Shi Ying asked.
"That's simple. You can provide evidence of an offline program submission and the validation process. It's not that complicated."
"We can do that, but there will be many loopholes."
"Just do it! Stop talking and bring me the evidence when you're done!" North Jiang Wind demanded. He wanted evidence that would make Li Wu angry, full of flaws, to treat him like a fool.
Without such evidence, how could they provoke Li Wu? As for the evidence being debunked later, it didn't matter.
After all, the whole point was to set up for the upcoming plan.
Even if plagiarism was hard to prove, what's the worry? There's always Shi Ying as a scapegoat if needed. They could just kick him out later.
It wouldn't affect North Jiang Wind, nor would it have any significant impact on Northern Jiang Vocational Cultivation Center.
Jiangnan University and Northern Jiang had been at odds for so long that people would see it as another clash between the two. The worst outcome would be Shi Ying's removal, which wouldn't greatly affect Northern Jiang.
Soon enough, Shi Ying produced the 'evidence'.
North Jiang Wind carefully reviewed it and made modifications to the 'evidence'.
Once he was satisfied with its potency, he sent it over to Jiangnan University.
"I can't believe this. If Li Wu sees this evidence and doesn't lose his temper, just wait for him to blow up." North Jiang Wind said.
As the 'evidence' reached Jiangnan University, even before Li Wu could react, Zhang Wentao exploded in anger.
"This is outrageous! Northern Jiang has gone too far!
I won't let this slide! I must get justice for you!" Zhang Wentao exclaimed, picking up the phone to contact his old friend for help. But before he could make the call, Li Wu stopped him.
"Old Zhang, hold on a minute.
You see, they first throw out Jiangbei Wind's name, and then toss out this thing, just to provoke us. I reckon they're waiting for us to cause a scene."
"Are we just going to let this slide?"
Zhang Wentao couldn't swallow his pride.
But Li Wu seemed to think it was a good idea.
"Don't worry, I won't let this go."
In a moment of clarity, he realized the error in the latest version!
So, first, follow the standard procedure and report this incident to the headquarters of the Cultivation Center.
Then, use the channels of Jiangnan University to speak up about this matter. Additionally, mention that I have a way to prove that this plan is my creation, because I possess an optimized version of this very plan."
"What?"
Zhang Wentao was curious about Li Wu's intentions.
He asked, but Li Wu didn't reveal anything, only telling him to go ahead with the plan.
In the end, Zhang Wentao obediently followed Li Wu's instructions.
First, they filed a report about the plagiarism. Then, through the channels of Jiangnan University, they publicized that Li Wu's plan had been plagiarized by the Jiangbei Breeding Center.
As soon as the news spread in Jiangnan, it reached Jiangbei instantly.
Jiangbei Wind, upon seeing this, smirked.
"Just as I predicted, this kid has made a fuss, and he's making it a big deal."
"He's using the channels of Jiangnan University to prove his innocence to the world, isn't he?"
Jiangbei Wind wasn't particularly concerned about Li Wu proving his innocence.
Because his calculations regarding Li Wu went beyond the surface level of plagiarism.
From the start, Jiangbei Wind had a multi-layered plan for Li Wu.
The outer layer, the debt avoidance, was meant to infuriate Li Wu and provoke him. The second layer, the plagiarism, further enraged Li Wu and allowed the incident to ferment.
As long as the incident fermented, Jiangbei Wind's second layer of intentions would be achieved.
Whether Li Wu could prove his innocence or not, Jiangbei Wind wasn't overly concerned.
Ever since his last encounter with Li Wu, Jiangbei Wind had realized that to deal with Li Wu, he couldn't rely on Li Wu following his plans. He had to prepare for the best and worst-case scenarios.
Whether Li Wu proved his innocence or not didn't affect the subsequent plan.
"However, if Li Wu trips up in proving his innocence, the following plans will go much smoother."
With this thought in mind, Jiangbei Wind made a call.
He dialed a project team at the Jiangbei Vocational Cultivation Center.
In fact, Jiangbei Wind had anticipated this situation from the start.
So, he had made preparations early on.
Ten days ago, he established a project team in Jiangbei, gathering experts in the field of Boneless Wild Pig research. These experts had been studying Li Wu's plan for the past ten days.
All this was in preparation for this moment.
And Jiangbei Wind's timing was impeccable. When he made the call, the project team had just made a significant breakthrough.
Jiangbei Wind's call came just in time to hear the good news.
"Director Jiang, I have great news! We've made a huge breakthrough in our research.
We've found that Boneless Wild Pig Broth can be optimized. With the addition of just one ingredient, we can directly elevate the Black Iron quality Boneless Wild Pig to Bronze quality. And the entire plan only requires around 800 points worth of materials."
"What?"
Jiangbei Wind hadn't expected such news from a simple phone call, but he reacted swiftly. Realizing that the secret Li Wu held about the Boneless Wild Pig Broth, which the Jiangnan side had mentioned, he quickly asked, "What's the ingredient?"
"It's Ironclad Cow Milk!"
"Prepare the necessary materials immediately, and let's go see Principal Lin!"
Jiangbei Wind hung up and didn't head to Lin Huai right away. Instead, he made another call, instructing his subordinates to gather some information. Only then did he set off to meet Lin Huai.
Soon, Jiangbei Wind met with the relevant project leader and Lin Huai.
Coincidentally, just as the project leader handed over the materials for Lin Huai to review, Jiangbei Wind's phone rang.
"Director Jiang, I have the results you requested. Starting today, the Jiangnan Governor's Mansion has been purchasing Ironclad Cow Milk in large quantities. Currently, they've acquired thirty percent of the market's supply."
Hearing this, Jiangbei Wind's smirk widened.
"It seems making extra preparations wasn't a bad idea after all. Who would've thought I'd uncover their secret so easily?"
Meanwhile, Li Wu was also muttering to himself.
"I've practically spelled it out for them, there's no way Jiangbei can't figure it out. Hmm, with Jiangbei Wind's cunning, he'll definitely find out, but it might take some time. I can only hope they discover it soon."
(End of Chapter)