40: I want to be a salted fish

As a routine flow in male-oriented novels.

Bai Yuhan's life basically revolved around two points—revenge and improving his strength.

The former won't be mentioned much. Those who understand, understand.

As for the latter, improving his strength, he naturally had to start with money, treasures, and high-quality beasts.

Like the death elementary school student who had murder cases wherever he went, as long as there were good things, Bai Yuhan's figure would appear.

This not only cleverly pushed the plot according to the original book's design but also because Bai Yuhan, in order to pursue strength and break through early for revenge, went to various places.

Moreover, cultivating contract beasts was very expensive, and Bai Yuhan was poor.

And the one he cultivated was the devouring gold giant beast — the dragon race.

Therefore, even if it was just a piece of meat the size of a toothpick, if he could get his hands on it, Bai Yuhan wouldn't give up.

Even in the middle and late stages of the novel, Bai Yuhan remained a delicate poor guy.

The expensive heavenly treasures were either fed to his contract beast or exchanged with others for heavenly treasures suitable for his contract beast. On the surface, the man looked bright and powerful, but his bank account was ringing with poverty... That's him.

"So, I remember... every time there was a competition with a substantial reward, Bai Yuhan would participate."

"To maintain a low-key style and avoid attracting attention, he would deliberately pretend to be exhausted, win fifty-fifty, or pretend to be lucky, and finally take first place in the competition..."

"For this, it even aroused suspicions from some people with ulterior motives, causing many incidents. In one instance, the enemy even set a trap based on this..."

But as the male lead, Bai Yuhan naturally could handle those things.

Song Yu looked at Bai Yuhan on the side who had already raised his hand to concede, feeling dumbfounded and limp. "I clearly remember in the book, in this school competition, Bai Yuhan is the first place..."

You know, the school had already sent out notifications for this competition.

Any student who achieved first place in the grade in the next few months of wilderness training could receive a monthly subsidy of 200,000, which could be used to purchase various supplies to improve their strength.

"So why is it like this now?"

Song Yu felt a river of sadness flowing backward. She watched the boiled duck fly away.

Clearly, the last match, which she could have scored zero points, had turned into a bonus event.

Song Yu, with a poker face, looked at Zhou Ting, who was excitedly giving her congratulations, and began to suspect... whether the novel world had discovered the secret of her plan to act mediocre and laid-back, and was conspiring to push her into the plot's killing scheme?

"Otherwise, how can such a ridiculous thing happen?"

"Mind you, I'm still the divorced supporting character! How could the male lead lose to the divorced supporting character? And voluntarily concede at that?"

"This must be a malicious intent aim at me!"

 

*****

 

The girl's burning and resentful gaze remained fixed on the back of her own head.

Bai Yuhan, with his keen senses, almost doubted that if sight had a temperature, his head would be smoking right now.

Bai Yuhan squinted his eyes, raised his hand to scratch his slightly longer hair, which had been busy with recent training.

His cold, white finger joints were distinct, and against the black hair and cold skin, there was a sharp contrast, slightly dazzling under the intense indoor lighting.

Bai Yuhan paused, calmly lowered his left hand, and walked leisurely towards the area below the platform.

"Eh? I didn't expect you to concede in this match..."

Seeing his brother come down, Han Zhou casually embraced Bai Yuhan's shoulder, sighing with a hint of regret, "Ah, what a pity, losing this match. You probably won't be able to enter the top 10 of the whole grade and get the school subsidy."

Bai Yuhan nodded, walked out of the crowd, and calmly said, "Victory and defeat are common in the military. The battle with Wang Wu consumed too much energy."

"Ah, it's really a pity. I thought you could break out for the school subsidy this time. After all, that money is not small, enough for you to cultivate Little Black for some time..."

Han Zhou patted Bai Yuhan's shoulder, lamented with regret, and rubbed his chin, saying, "Speaking of which, in the past, every time you encountered a competition related to cultivation resources, you were particularly motivated and could always break out."

"I thought you could break out like in the past street wild matches, finally bursting out and defeating your opponent..."

Since they didn't have money to go to the gym competition field and other expensive places, Bai Yuhan and Han Zhou often mingled in street match arenas. These arenas not only had physical battles and contract beast battles but also frequently hosted various small gambling events to entertain the onlookers.

However, words unintentional, listeners intentional.

"Hmm...?" Bai Yuhan was startled for a moment, and his heart skipped a beat, subconsciously recalling scenes of several times he won in street match arenas due to tight finances...

Clearly, he was always cautious when betting, and each time, he would wait for some time before placing bets again, yet he was still remembered by someone.

His gaze fixed on Han Zhou's face for a moment, Bai Yuhan calmly withdrew his gaze and glanced deeply at a long-haired girl with a high ponytail not far away. She had no expression on her face, and her seaweed-like long hair covered half of her face, revealing only a fair side profile and a delicate chin, making her look even more mysterious.

"Having money to make is definitely motivating. You also know that my financial situation is not very good."

Bai Yuhan's face remained unchanged. "But even if I do my best, the results of some matches still cannot be changed. Wang Wu and I have similar strengths. We both used all our strength in that last battle."

Bai Yuhan lifted his eyelids seemingly casually and added, "Before, in street matches, I would only bet on myself if I had a winning rate of at least sixty-five percent. Winning some money is normal."

To prevent fake matches, participants in street matches were not allowed to bet on the opponent winning. So, he never thought about losing to the opponent in that way.

Moreover, pretending to fail with tears and snot was a bit too difficult for him.

But he could still keep a low profile in the arena.

Anyway, he could earn back what the school gave during the wilderness period.

Bai Yuhan pursed his lips, thinking silently. He slowly withdrew his gaze from Song Yu, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He already had a new plan in mind.

 

*****

 

There was a high probability that Song Yu would never know that her words to Qiuqiu this morning had made the male lead, who already liked to be a 'Guo King,' even more 'Guo.' She lowered her head in despair, her head hanging down like a potted plant that had been drained of water, and mushrooms seemed to be growing on her head.

So, by the time of the evening cultural test...

Song Yu had probably given up on life, her left hand supporting her head, right hand holding a pencil, haphazardly scribbling on the answer sheet.

Fill in the blanks randomly...

Essay questions, just talk nonsense.

Of course...

Even if she answered seriously, looking at this test paper with 36 pages of questions from seven subjects mixed together, she frowned.

"Uh..." Song Yu wrinkled her nose.

Well, without relying on the original host's knowledge of cultural courses.

She probably could answer correctly in one out of every twenty questions.

After all, other classmates had been studying diligently for twelve years in primary, middle, and high school.

She, a person who had crossed into another world only three months ago, thought it was a joke to beat others with her cultural achievements.

Song Yu silently put down her answer sheet.

She wasn't a genius with a photographic memory.

For an ordinary person like her, it would be supernatural to win over others with academic achievements.

"My peak of knowledge was in the last year of high school in my previous life..."

Song Yu paused for a moment, "I wonder what the requirements are for the cultural exam for performing arts students in this world. In my previous life, it seemed to be a total of 750 points, and 280 for the undergraduate exam?"

She remembered in her previous life, in the last month of the college entrance examination, her home tutor took her to review for a month and she was admitted.

In this life, she had some memories from the original host, and she didn't plan to aim for the top universities. Presumably, she only needed to participate in the art exam in the next semester with simple review.

Crisis averted...

Song Yu relaxed all over, slumping on the table like a little seal lying on the ground.

With the command of the proctor teacher on the platform, one by one, the answer sheets and test papers were collected by the teachers.

The answer sheets were stuffed into the computer scanning machine by one proctor, while the essay papers were taken to the office downstairs by another proctor for centralized scoring and registration.

The entire marking process was very fast, taking less than half an hour. All the scores were transmitted to the computer and printed out.

Sure enough...

Song Yu lowered her head and looked at the report card in her hand, silently leaving behind tears of regret in her heart.

Class Ranking - NO: 28, Song Yu, Total Score: 227 points.

 

*****

 

Class Ranking - NO: 56, Zhou Xiaoming, Total Score: 187 points.

Wuwuwu, only 40 points difference, only 40 points!

If only she could thick-skinnedly concede in the second round of the test that Teacher Zhang gave her the chance to take. If she could, she would be able to sit comfortably in the classroom next week!

Losing her dreams, turning into a salted fish.

Song Yu's eyes were hollow, and even the plum candy in her mouth didn't taste good anymore.

She just felt tired in her heart, as if the future in front of her was already filled with endless troubles.

Unfortunately, more than twenty classmates who didn't pass were still looking at the top 55 students with envy.

Among them, some people occasionally cast pitiful glances at Song Yu, making her feel uneasy.

Song Yu: "..."

On the podium, the class teacher, Zhou Tao, cheerfully reminded the students ranked in the top 55 of the total class score about the precautions for the upcoming practical training in the wilderness area next week.

Zhou Tao loudly said, "Next Monday, we will go to the wilderness area for the first time, led by the school, to the Qingshan Wilderness Area near Jianghuai City with the lowest danger level. But before going to the wilderness area, I suggest that students with contract beasts below level 2, and whose strength is insufficient, try to gather a group of 10 people in these two days!"

"Otherwise, if you want to enter the wilderness area individually, you can only go to the rental service and incur significant expenses."

"The contract beasts from the rental service are constrained by the laws of the beast space due to the long absence from the contract owner. They need to return to the rental service every seven days, which is very troublesome."

"So, personally, I suggest that you can form teams, whether with our classmates or students from other classes... This way, you can better train your survival skills in the wilderness area."

"But whether it's renting contract beasts or forming teams, you need to discuss it with your parents and sign a life and death guarantee before going... hand it in to me next Monday."

Zhou Tao shook the two sheets of white paper in his hand, picked one and continued, "And this form reminds you of the outdoor living supplies, try to equip them, but it's not mandatory. It's just a suggestion from the school. Take a look when you go home."

Song Yu, feeling powerless, slumped on the desk, looking dully at the "349th Class of Senior Three, Wilderness Training Notice" and the dense procurement list passed down from the front...

Backpack, sleeping bag, matches, Mitsubishi dagger, fishhook with fishing line, compass, small medical first aid kit...

Song Yu carefully flipped through the purchase list that covered half a page, looking at all the survival equipment she had never used before. Then she looked at the life and death guarantee named "Notice" and her expression wilted.

Alright, alright...

Since she couldn't escape the fate of going to the wilderness area, let her live in the wilderness then.

Life is really too hard!

Song Yu sighed, feeling sentimental, and drank a bottle of cola in despair.

Burp~

However, no matter what, she had to seriously write a 'Wilderness Survival Plan.' She couldn't afford any more mistakes like these days.

After all, in the book, the original host was killed during the first wilderness training, and she didn't dare to joke with her own life.

"After all, even a salted fish has to have its life... If I die, I can only become fish ashes."

Song Yu sighed, went back home, briefly told her parents that she would go to the wilderness area for training next Monday, and then trotted upstairs to lock herself in her room. She opened the computer, browsed through posts about the Qingshan Wilderness Area in Jianghuai City, and what preparations were best made before going to the wilderness area.

Posts related to wilderness areas from all over the country were endless on the internet, and there was even an official wilderness area forum.

The official forum was divided into different regional sections according to provinces and cities across the country.

When Song Yu clicked on the Qingshan Wilderness Area forum, the homepage also pinned the newly appeared wilderness areas worldwide this year, making everyone vigilant.

"Direct search, Jiangnan Province, Jianghuai City, Qingshan Wilderness Area..."

Song Yu pressed the enter key, and soon a large amount of information appeared on the forum webpage.

—Inquiry: What should a novice pay attention to when going to the Qingshan Wilderness Area for the first time?

—Can someone identify this beast? This is a photo I took last time in the Qingshan Wilderness Area.

—Points to note for novices going to the Qingshan Wilderness Area.

 

*****

 

Song Yu found several posts she needed, opened them, took out her small notebook, humbly buried her head, and wrote down the relevant points she needed.

Among them, "Points to note for novices going to the Qingshan Wilderness Area" became the focus of her note-taking.

"Everyone knows that the current wilderness area was once the former Crack Secret Realm, but due to the fusion of spatial cracks and the Blue Star, it formed a new regional sector. The Qingshan Wilderness Area is the former Qingshan Secret Realm from three hundred years ago!"

"At that time, the danger level of the Qingshan Secret Realm was only one star, so after the Qingshan Secret Realm merged with the Blue Star, it was quickly taken over by the Jianghuai City beast tamers and became the best choice for the annual first practical training of senior three students in Jianghuai City!"

"However, due to the two-star Qingyu Secret Realm next to the Qingshan Wilderness Area eighty years ago, which also experienced fusion with the Blue Star, the boundary line between the Qingshan Wilderness Area and the Qingyu Wilderness Area merged."

"Therefore, the first thing for new students entering the Qingshan Wilderness Area is to pay attention—do not go deep into the northwest area!!! Do not go deep into the northwest area!!"

The words "Do not go deep into the northwest area" on the post were marked in bright red by the post owner, and multiple red exclamation marks were drawn heavily! Song Yu, looking at the map given by the post owner, quickly drew a simplified version on her notebook, and reverently circled it in red, making a big cross.

Very well, she would not go deep into the northwest area when she entered the Qingshan Wilderness Area.

First of all, you have to stay away from the northwest area, and under no circumstances should you go to the northwest area!

If I see a rat coming out of the northwest area, I'll take a detour!

Song Yu moved the mouse in her hand downward, carefully recording the information again.

"The beasts' instincts and the different living environments in various wilderness areas will automatically constrain the beasts in each area, making them almost never leave their own territory. However, exceptions may occur occasionally each year, so newcomers should not recklessly approach! Otherwise, if something happens, there is a high probability that you'll be delivering takeout to the beasts in the wilderness area!"

"The second point to note is that you must learn to make fire and cook for yourself! Whether it tastes good or not is not important; what matters is that you cook it yourself! Treatment for parasitic infections in the wilderness, ordinary healing contract beasts in hospitals cannot help. Hospital healing contract beasts can only assist you in treating external injuries. Once parasitic infection occurs, you senior three students will likely waste half a month to a month of training time in the hospital. This will directly result in your training volume falling behind your peers, affecting your future university entrance exams!"

"Every year, there are unlucky fellows who fall victim to parasitic infections in the Qingshan Wilderness Area. I only hope that those of you who have read this post will not be one of them!"

"Huh? Parasitic infection?" Song Yu's eyes lit up. Why not... she could give it a try later?

But what are the symptoms of parasitic infection?

She had never played the role of a parasitic infection patient before!

Undeniably, after reading this caution, Song Yu was immediately intrigued and quickly jotted down what she would investigate later.

She continued to scroll down the post from the poster...

"Apart from parasitic infections, the third point to note in the daily life of the wilderness area... 1. Since the wilderness area used to be a secret realm, even after the fusion of the secret realm and the Blue Star into one land, it still retained some characteristics of the secret realm. Therefore, the current temperature in the Qingshan Wilderness Area is slightly lower than that in the city of Jianghuai. Every time you go in, either bring your own warm clothing in advance or directly purchase it from the supply base next to the Qingshan Wilderness Area! Avoid wasting training time returning to the supply base after entering the wilderness area!"

"2. Familiarize yourself with the common medicinal herbs and mineral guides in the Qingshan Wilderness Area. There might be unexpected surprises!"

"3. Due to magnetic field issues, no ordinary communication devices such as phones can be used in the wilderness area. Therefore, before entering the wilderness area, you need to find the official rental of a powerful communication bracelet at the supply base! Avoid losing contact in the wilderness area!"

"4. Since the highest level of beasts in a one-star realm is usually advanced level 2, newcomers are advised to rent level 2 advanced contract beasts, at least level 2 intermediate! Try not to go for the cheap option of renting level 2 junior contract beasts! Otherwise, you might easily run into trouble!..."

As Song Yu read further down, from initially being on edge, she gradually relaxed.

"So, as long as I stay away from the northwest area, the highest level of beasts in the Qingshan Wilderness Area is advanced level 2?"

"Doesn't that mean as long as I don't encounter powerful contract owners, a level 3, Qiuqiu can stroll around in the Qingshan Wilderness Area?"

Song Yu's eyes brightened, and the corners of her mouth lifted. This is truly a case of when things seem desperate, a solution emerges!

"Although it's not easy to find food in the wilderness, I can just buy instant food!"

Song Yu shook off her dejected and hunched posture, raised her head and chest again, getting excited.

"As long as I don't come into contact with the male lead Bai Yuhan, avoid that second-grade spiritual fruit, and find the safest area to settle down, could this also be considered a rudimentary version of a forest trip? A forest vacation?"

Very good, very good, very nice!

Although in her past life as an actress, she was busy every day and rarely cooked, she still knew how to boil water.

At that time, she could directly buy ready-made food, as well as pre-made simple seasoning packs. Then she could find a safe place to nest for a while!

Perfect!

"Um... during this time, I estimate that I will also need to bring a solar charger for my phone..."

During such boring times, she could also watch movies and novels stored on her phone.

Diligently writing down key information like 'solar charger' and 'phone' on her small notebook, Song Yu continued to scroll down with a smiling face...

She couldn't become a beast tamer, even if she lay down and slept in the wilderness forest this time. So, she just needed to endure these few months, and by next year, she would be back on track!

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