Despite her concerns, the chess club's first meeting was quite promising. May couldn't deny Peng Chen's merits, as he created a good atmosphere and was the backbone of the entire club. Even though there weren't enough chessboards, everyone had a good time.

  “An intriguing game... But is this your big financial venture?” asked someone standing behind May. “I'm slightly disappointed in you.”

  Turning around, she noticed Yifan Wu looking at her with a broad smile.

  May glanced at Peng, who just shrugged, indicating that he hadn't invited him.

  “This is just the beginning,” she replied coolly. “But as you can see, even at the very beginning, I'm doing quite well.”

  The boy wasn't looking at her, but at the other people who were currently playing a game of chess. He seemed to be deep in thought.

  “You may be right, but I'm still disappointed in you. How can I put it... I expected something more spectacular.”

  May rolled her eyes. What was he looking for here? Did he come just to make fun of her?

  However, she didn't let it bother her too much and put on a brave face. She smiled broadly and decided not to show her irritation at his presence.

  “Since you're already here... Would you like to play and learn the rules?” she asked with pretended politeness. “Of course, if you think you can handle it... This game requires quite a bit of logical thinking, after all.”

  Hearing her words, he laughed. Some of the eyes in the room turned toward them.

  “What an idiotic provocation. I see you haven't become any less arrogant,” he replied. “Logical thinking? What nonsense! Your game is a waste of time that could be spent on cultivation!”

  His voice echoed through the room. It was hard not to hear him in such a small space.

  Ah, so that's what this is about? He came here to sabotage the club, and thus my business? He probably doesn't want me to succeed. But I'm sorry... Your actions are insufficient!

  “If you can't understand the rules, it may seem ridiculous,” May replied calmly. “Chess requires calmness and forward thinking, just like cultivation.”

  The boy was about to reply, but before he could open his mouth, Peng Chen grabbed him by the shoulder. He also guessed Yifan's purpose for coming and had no intention of letting him carry out his plan.

  “Brother Yifan, you'll have to forgive me, but this is a private club for those with invitations only...” he said with a smirk, and some in the room chuckled. For some reason, cultivators loved to see others humiliated. “Therefore, out of courtesy, I will ask you to leave.”

  “Oh?” Yifan asked irritably. He clearly had no intention of leaving without a fight. He wanted chaos to reign, as it would be problematic for May. “You think I don't have the right status for this club...? How arrogant and shameless of you to inform me of this.”

  “I didn't say that, but the fact is that you came uninvited, which is presumptuous,” Peng replied. “Brother Yifan, why don't you save yourself the embarrassment and leave politely, will you?"

  Yifan sensed the stares on him and realized that no one was on his side. He cursed quietly to himself and left in defeat. He wasn't stupid and knew that causing more trouble would not be beneficial to him.

  He felt ashamed, which only strengthened his hatred for Peng and May.

  “What a pathetic creature...” Peng said quietly to May now that Yifan Wu had left and the situation in the room had calmed down.

  “That's not the end of our problems with him,” May replied.

  After all, Yifan was still a child, and a particularly unruly one at that. The humiliation of losing the fight with May was surely still weighing heavily on his heart. And now he had been humiliated here in front of many influential students.

  May expected that this would only reopen an old wound and that Yifan would soon go on the offensive. However, she was ready for that. She doubted that the child would be able to cause her too much trouble.

  Despite her humble origins, May had gained some influence in recent years. If she ran into trouble, she had a few people she could turn to for help. Yifan Wu was not completely immune to her. May also had ways to attack.

  The rest of the club meeting continued peacefully. It ended about two hours later, and May received an order for another thirteen boards! The high price did not deter these rich kids. They were paying not only for quality, but also for the opportunity to establish a relationship with May Shang and Peng Chen, two geniuses with a bright future.

  May was happy that she would soon start earning her first money from Forest Pearl Carpentry. After all, they were spending too much money on her not to benefit from it.

  The beginnings were modest but promising. For the time being, she wanted the company to focus on boards, but she had a few ideas for other wooden products that were not popular here. Her next ideas were puzzles: all she had to do was draw a picture by hand on a flat, rectangular piece of wood, then cut it into small pieces. However, this required hiring artists.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Her other ideas included klotski, jenga, and mikado. All of these were games made of wood, unknown in this region. Her first company was a toy company!

  May noticed in her childhood that the children's toy industry was underdeveloped. Poor children usually played with sticks found in the forest and imagined they were swords. Only the richer ones had carved wooden swords.

  Toys and games were almost non-existent here. And those that did exist were generally not very creative. Children preferred to build dams with rocks in the river or play physical games. While this was fun, it meant that potential was untapped.

  She won't make millions from it, but every penny counts. Especially for the future, when she will need funds for more serious ventures.

  “I consider today's club meeting a success!” Peng Chen said enthusiastically. “I had a lot of fun playing with everyone!”

  “I agree, it was fun, but a large part of that is thanks to you. I'm afraid that without you, the atmosphere wouldn't have been as good.”

  “Oh, come on, you don't have to praise me so much. The club's success is not my achievement, but yours,” he replied.

  May disagreed with him. She couldn't move people the way he could. Without Peng, the club would be half the size.

  “Well, perhaps that will do the trick,” May said. “I have something for you.”

  She handed him a chessboard. She got it from the system, so it was a little cheaper than handmade ones, but the differences were not noticeable. He deserved a small gift for his work. Besides, she wanted him to help her with the club in the future.

  “May, are you sure? I know these things are expensive, so I can...” He began awkwardly. He realized that May was doing this for money, so he didn't want to accept it from her.

  She interrupted him, not wanting him to worry about it. Spending a little money on allies was no problem.

  “It's a gift for you, you've helped me a lot,” she replied. “Besides, it would be strange if the vice president of the chess club didn't have his own chessboard... This way you can practice your skills a little.”

  Despite his initial reluctance to accept the gift, the boy finally smiled warmly and held the chessboard close to his body.

  He came from a wealthy clan, so he knew it was of high quality, with no defects in its workmanship. The small details in the pieces were amazing. “Thank you,” he said quietly.

  May didn't need thanks. He deserved to get that little gift.

  Suddenly, May realized that Peng was one of the few people she trusted. What's more, he had also taken part in the nightmare-inducing test. What if he was tormented by nightmares too? She decided to ask him about it in a way that wouldn't directly reveal her concerns.

  “Changing the subject...” May began. “Do you remember that test on Junlin Mountain? The one where they gave us nightmares...?”

  The boy looked at her curiously, wondering why she had suddenly brought up the subject.

  “It's hard to forget... I think it was meant to test our personalities or something? Hmm, they never gave us our results,” he said. “It's a shame, I wanted to find out what they learned about me...”

  “And you know... What exactly are these dreams?” she asked. “I heard from Elder An and the sect leader that some dead old evil was the source…”

  The boy thought for a moment, but then shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t know anything more about it… After all, it’s a secret of the sect, isn’t it? Apart from the Elder, no one else knows anything.”

  “Is that so? That's too bad...” May replied. Judging by his response, he didn't seem to have nightmares like May did. That meant she was the only one with this problem.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “I was just curious,” she replied dismissively. There was no point in talking to him about it any further if he didn't know anything more.

  The boy didn't seem convinced by her answer, but he wasn't going to pursue the subject.

  “Oh...” he said, as if he had suddenly remembered something. “But maybe my sister will know more...”

  “Zu?” May was surprised. She knew that Zu Chen liked books and learning, but she doubted that she would be able to find out anything about it there, as it was a secret of the sect that was certainly not written down on paper.

  The boy seemed frustrated and perhaps slightly regretted bringing up the subject.

  “You see... This whole thing with her stopping taking her pills and her change in behavior... She said something about the nightmare being the trigger. The spark that ignited something,” he said reluctantly.

  “Really?” May replied, wondering what she could have seen in her nightmare.

  Could it be that this nightmare had pushed her to murder her cousin...? Of course, it was still unconfirmed, but May was convinced of it, even though she had no evidence. However, if it was true, these nightmares could inspire crime and were probably much more dangerous than initially seemed.

  The whole thing was strange. Zu Chen theoretically refused to fight, but she was supposed to kill someone? However, once again, even May didn't understand her.

  Besides, according to her, she doesn't fight not because she thinks it's wrong... She has other reasons. She doesn't do it because she's a benevolent individual who detests violence. Quite the contrary. Whenever I spoke with her, I sensed something sinister about her.

  “I know she investigated the matter later and those nightmares... But she was reluctant to talk to me about it,” said the boy. “So I didn't press her either, after all, she was... You know how she was back then.”

  “Hmm...”

  In fact, talking to her about such sensitive topics at that time could have been difficult. Probably not talking to her about topics she wanted to avoid was a good choice on his part at the time.

  “But maybe she'll tell you something if you're interested? After all, she's in much better shape now.” He said uncertainly.

  She didn't particularly want to talk to Zu Chen, but she might know something. May felt that it might be necessary. She hadn't spoken to her in a long time and wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

  “I understand... Thanks, Peng.”

  She reluctantly decided to visit Zu Chen.

  She headed toward the place where she lived. She wasn't convinced about the idea, but she figured she had nothing to lose.

  She knocked gently on the door. This time it opened, and she saw Zu Chen behind it. She really did look better. Healthier and more lively than usual. May thought that this might also be thanks to the academy, where she was far away from her family.

  “May Shang...” Zu Chen began. “What brings you here?”

  “I wanted to see how you were doing and to talk…”

  “See how I am doing?” she repeated with disgust. “Who are you trying to fool? Tell me straight what you want, because I know you didn't come here for no reason.”

  She sighed, being read like an open book. She had no way to deny it, so she decided to make it clear.

  “During the ceremony, we took part in a test, Devil Hole, and I wanted to talk about the nightmares.”

  Zu Chen thought for a moment, then moved away from the door. “Come in.”