Unknowingly, another two days have passed.
These past two days have been rather uneventful.
Ren Zhong’s only annoyance comes from his combat tutor, Ma Xiaoling.
She is becoming increasingly cocky, always unable to resist the urge to enter the stock market.
Ren Zhong has been trying hard to pull her back, which has been quite a struggle.
Ma Xiaoling’s personality is clearly the type that once she’s made up her mind, she throws caution to the wind and acts recklessly.
Right now, Ren Zhong can still hold her back with the reputation of being a god-like stock diviner, but he feels it won’t be long before she quietly enters the market on her own, buying a few shares to test the waters, and then starts to pay the tuition fee.
She’s already pestering Ren Zhong for explicit stock recommendations.
Having fallen from grace, Ren Gushen dares not comment on the market carelessly and repeatedly refuses, only saying that true stock trading experts only teach methods and never easily recommend stocks.
Even if they must recommend a stock, they would never provide a clear timing, at most discussing the fundamentals of a particular company they favor, suggesting that the stock looks promising, and stating, "I’ve already entered the market, whether you want to follow and when, decide for yourself."
As for when to exit, I can’t give you an exact date, but I will inform you as soon as I exit.
Teaching a man to fish is better than giving him a fish; stock trading is always about being responsible for oneself, and no one else has the right or should make decisions for your wealth.
Although you are naturally gifted, you’re only just beginning, and to achieve good work, one must first sharpen their tools. Study more and never be hasty.
While paying tuition in stock trading is inevitable, it’s always best to pay as little as possible.
Hearing this, Ma Xiaoling quieted down and then proposed investing in Ren Zhong’s "private fund."
Ren Zhong refused again, stating he had once more washed his hands of all stock dealings.
"I’ve made too many moves recently. Although the amounts were small, I’ve still entered the market against regulations and have already received warnings from the relevant departments of the Association."
Only then did Ma Xiaoling finally settle down.
At a quarter past ten in the evening, Ren Zhong parked the Floating Motorboat on a small hill outside the west gate of the small town.
The night wind was very cool, brushing against the Exoskeleton and producing a gentle rustling sound as it passed through the metal gaps.
Ren Zhong sat on a giant stone at the hilltop, hugging his knees, gazing into the distance.
In five minutes, Wang Zhaofu would appear over there.
By today, Fatty Wang had finally gathered all the items on the list and was about to deliver them as promised.
Seeing two beams of light piercing the night sky from beyond the distant horizon, Ren Zhong nodded slightly and looked down at the time on his wrist watch.
After long efforts, he was getting closer and closer to obtaining the power to break through the wall of sighs, nearly within reach.
He still remembered when he had just recently awakened and died for the first time under the hands of the Hunter, sitting in this same manner beside the Frozen Storage.
A cold feeling enveloped his body, and emotions such as despair, fear, confusion, and incomprehension overwhelmed him at that time.
Back then, he didn’t even know if there were humans on this planet.
He was worried that, like Matt Damon in the ancient movie "Martian," he’d end up living alone on a desolate planet.
Unexpectedly, 48 days later, he not only reintegrated into society but also became a figure with power over thousands in a small town.
Although Ren Zhong was still quite weak, if he truly laid down his beliefs, he could immediately lead a life akin to that of an ancient landlord, with riches, fine clothes, and a harem of concubines.
All this gave him a feeling of disorienting timescape and left him filled with emotion.
Since three days ago, the gears had started turning again.
The timeline belonging to him personally began to irreversibly flow forward once more.
He could no longer return to that day; past regrets could not be remedied.
Ren Zhong looked up at the dual moons.
With the Source Star blocking them, the edges of the one large and one small dual moons displayed two varying degrees of crescent shapes, as if a mischievous child had taken a bite out of them.
As long as there are moons, there will always be waxing and waning phases.
The wisdom of the ancients is always admirable.
The moon waxes and wanes, and people experience joy and sorrow; such matters have been difficult to perfect since ancient times.
Mr. Su Dongpo was true to his word.
Ren Zhong sighed gently, lowering his head to look beside him.
Under the dim light of the dual moons, in the crevices of the rocks and soil nearby, a white dandelion covered in silvery frost swayed in the wind.
In a Source Star dominated by blue-toned plants, white plants are rare, akin to blue roses on Earth.
Looking at this fragile-stemmed dandelion, swaying precariously as if about to break at any moment, an image subconsciously returned to Ren Zhong’s mind.