"Don't doubt me. I, Xie Haiyang, am a professional broker. My mission is to make sure every client walks in worried and leaves satisfied. You can ask around about my reputation—anywhere in Ethereal Dao College, lower campus or upper campus. My name, Xie Haiyang, is the brand."
As he spoke, Xie Haiyang ran a hand over his gelled hair, which shone under the sunlight like polished metal. His eyes were sharp, his smile warm and inviting as he stood at the entrance of Wang Baole's cave dwelling.
The confidence in his voice, the way he casually mentioned the Dean and the department head, and then talked about demolishing a cave dwelling—this wasn't something an ordinary student would dare claim. Every cave dwelling was protected by formations set by the college. They were owned by the departments, not the students; residents had no right to alter them.
Yet Xie Haiyang spoke as if taking the whole place apart was no big deal.
His words made Liu Daobin and the others suck in a breath. His bragging was outrageous. Artifacts personally crafted by the Dean were legendary enough, but even the department head's snuff bottle—made from Blacksteel Silver Sand refined to 90% purity—was already the stuff of rumors.
That snuff bottle's story was all over the spirit-net. Wang Baole just hadn't paid attention before; he'd been too busy cultivating the Taixu Devouring Sutra to care.
Now, hearing Xie Haiyang talk, watching everyone else's stunned faces, Wang Baole grew curious. He awkwardly twisted his massive body, forced open the spirit-net, and searched the conditions for getting an artifact crafted by the Dean, as well as the value of that Blacksteel Silver Sand snuff bottle.
One look—
His eyes went wide.
His previously hopeless mood lit up with renewed excitement. Shifting as much as his bulk allowed, he stared toward the entrance.
"You can really tear down this cave dwelling?!"
Hearing the disbelief in Wang Baole's voice, Xie Haiyang stayed perfectly calm. He touched his hair again and smiled faintly.
"Others might not be able to. But remember this: in Ethereal Dao College, if I, Xie Haiyang, say something can't be done… it means no one can do it."
"Of course, tearing down a cave dwelling is a big job. It'll take time—and at least ten thousand spirit stones. I'm not price-gouging you; it's just the cost. I have to pay someone to disable the formation, then smooth things over with the Armament Department head, and on top of that, handle compensation. All that takes at least three months."
He raised three fingers, explaining seriously.
"So expensive?"Du Min and Liu Daobin both inhaled sharply. Ten thousand spirit stones was a small fortune anywhere.
But Wang Baole's concern wasn't the money. It was the three months.
He needed to get out and lose weight. Three months trapped inside? He almost lost it.
"Three months is way too long!" he groaned.
While he was panicking, Xie Haiyang bent down and studied him through the entrance, as if evaluating just how fat Wang Baole really was. After a moment, he clicked his tongue.
"Brother, I've got to hand it to you. I've seen people eat themselves fat. But eating yourself this fat and getting stuck inside your own cave dwelling? That's a first in my career."
Wang Baole's nose almost twisted with rage. If this guy could solve the problem, fine. But if he couldn't and was just here to roast him, Wang Baole swore that after he became Class Monitor, he'd teach Xie Haiyang what happened to people who ran their mouths.
"Honestly, there's no need to demolish the cave," Xie Haiyang went on, smiling as if he hadn't just insulted him. "I'm a broker. I don't make people take the hard way when there's an easier, cheaper solution. The simplest method is this: if you get thinner, you can walk out on your own."
"This method saves time and costs way less than tearing the cave down. Only five hundred spirit stones. How about it?"
"You have a way to make me lose weight?"Wang Baole's eyes lit up. If it meant losing weight, forget five hundred—he'd pay even more without blinking.
"Classmate, let me remind you again: don't doubt my ability. As long as you have money, there is nothing I can't do. If you don't slim down, I'll refund you double."
Xie Haiyang's tone was light, but dripping with confidence.
Wang Baole was decisive by nature. He immediately agreed—but insisted he would only pay after he lost weight.
Xie Haiyang accepted. In his mind, nobody in the academy would dare stiff him, so he was in a very good mood when he left, after working out the details with Wang Baole.
Seeing that things might actually be resolved, Liu Daobin and the others gave the cave one last strange look. Knowing that Wang Baole had to be feeling miserable, they took their leave.
The Little White Rabbit, Xiaoya, didn't want to go, but Du Min pulled her along. Before leaving, Xiaoya comforted Wang Baole gently, which moved him deeply.
"Xiaoya," he called out, "once I slim down, I'll definitely come visit you!"
After everyone was gone, Wang Baole lay there in his cramped cave like an oversized pangolin stuck in a tunnel, feeling a wave of self-pity creep in.
By habit, he reached for snacks—only to find that… he couldn't reach them.
That made him feel even worse.
"Why is it so hard… just to become Class Monitor…"
"I have to hang on. I can't give up. The biographies of high officials all say: when Heaven gives someone a great task, it first makes their life miserable…"
Fortunately, Wang Baole was naturally optimistic. After a round of self-encouragement, he set his jaw.
"I'm going to change into a bigger cave dwelling one day!!"
Over the next few days, he kept fantasizing about the scenes of his future as Class Monitor. Every time he indulged in the vision, his excitement made the wait feel worth it.
Three days later, at dusk—
Xie Haiyang finally returned.
He looked exactly the same as before: medium height, sharp features, hair slicked back and gleaming in the sunset like polished obsidian. Even from a distance, Wang Baole could spot that over-the-top shine.
"Brother Xie!"The moment he saw him, Wang Baole shouted excitedly. His voice boomed out from within the cave.
Xie Haiyang stepped closer, bent down, took a look inside, then flashed his usual enthusiastic smile.
"Brother, I've spent the past few days working on your problem. I came up with several plans, and finally picked one that's absolutely foolproof."
As he spoke, he took a small jade bottle from his robes. After glancing around to make sure no one else was nearby, he squatted down and lowered his voice.
"This time, I went all the way to the underground black market in Ethereal City… and got you a Reaper Pill."
Seeing how mysterious he was being, Wang Baole's confidence in him rose a little. But the name itself made him pause.
"Reaper… what?"
He'd never heard of it before.
"It's normal you haven't. The Reaper Pill is a banned drug," Xie Haiyang explained quietly. "It was accidentally created by a madman in the Alchemy Department. The reason it's called the Reaper Pill is because taking it is said to feel like experiencing death itself. There's even an unofficial 'dark list' in the Alchemy Department that records those who've dared to take it. Since the pill was created, the person who took the most only managed three pills before they couldn't handle it."
He spoke with absolute seriousness, then finished with a firm guarantee.
"If you can endure it, this pill will definitely make you thin. That much, I guarantee."
Wang Baole thought it over. The name alone sounded terrifying, but after some hesitation, he secretly contacted Xiaoya and Du Min for information, then awkwardly pulled up the spirit-net to look it up himself.
What he found nearly scared him half to death.
The descriptions were horrifying.
Some said it was "true death"—that it could strip a person down to skin and bones in an instant. Others claimed that taking it was the same as challenging one's own life.
Every post, no matter how it started, ended with the same warning: never take the Reaper Pill.
But the more people were told not to do something, the more others wanted to try it…
After a long internal struggle, desperate to lose weight, Wang Baole clenched his teeth.
"Give it here. I'll take it!"
"Now that's what I call guts."Xie Haiyang gave him a thumbs-up.
"But I can't give you all of them at once. We'll go one pill at a time, since you haven't paid me yet. I can't just let you die on me. You take one, see how it goes, then we'll decide if you take a second."
Considerate, in his own way.
He put on a special pair of gloves, then carefully tapped one pill into his palm and passed it into the cave.
Wang Baole took it and examined it. The Reaper Pill was a deep, blood-red color, looking anything but ordinary. He sniffed it, compared it with what he'd read online, and confirmed it matched the description perfectly.
He drew in a deep breath—
Then popped it into his mouth, crunching it loudly a few times before swallowing.
"Not bad. Tastes pretty good."
He smacked his lips. He'd eaten it too fast to savor it properly, but the lingering flavor was better than most snacks.
"Give me another."
Having gone several days without snacks, Wang Baole's cravings flared instantly.
"Eh?"Xie Haiyang blinked. He had always kept up a "mysterious expert" persona in front of Wang Baole, but now even he looked stunned. He glanced down at the bottle, then back at the giant stuck in the cave.
After a moment's hesitation, he cautiously passed over a second pill.
Wang Baole swallowed it.
Then asked for the next one.
"You… feel anything?" Xie Haiyang asked, unable to hold back.
"Not really. Just tastes good. Give me a few more."
Wang Baole licked his lips. The pill left a spicy aftertaste and a warm feeling in his stomach.
Xie Haiyang felt his worldview start to crack.
Dazed, he mechanically handed over three more pills.
By the time he came to his senses, he jolted in horror—just in time to see Wang Baole crunch them down and swallow them all.
"Dear heavens—you… you've taken five of them!!"
Now utterly shaken, he couldn't help shouting.
Inside the cave, Wang Baole did feel hotter than before, but beyond that… nothing. No dramatic effect, no collapsing, no screams.
He was immediately dissatisfied.
"Don't tell me these are fake? You hyped them up so much. And you said the most anyone ever took was three pills. I've already eaten five and I feel nothing!"
He felt cheated.
Sweat beaded on Xie Haiyang's forehead. There were still five pills left in the bottle. He'd been absolutely sure they were genuine… but now, even he was starting to doubt.
"Did someone actually dare scam me…?"
"You should try one yourself. Then you'll know," Wang Baole grumbled.
Xie Haiyang, too, had a ruthless streak. Being scammed was something he could not tolerate. Anger surged in his chest. Gritting his teeth, he tipped out one pill and popped it into his mouth.
The moment it touched his tongue—
His eyes flew wide open. His mind exploded like thunder…