DEM Chapter 2: Starting with Dual Cultivation? How Intriguing!

"Even with me grabbing your neck, you still insist on swallowing that last bite of dragon fruit, huh? Hah, Su, you’re something else!"

Looking at Su Yuan’s resolute expression, Chu Lanxi shook his head helplessly.

"Forget it, it’s just a box of post-meal fruit. If you want to eat it, go ahead."

With that, Chu Lanxi let go of Su Yuan and headed to the fridge to scavenge for food.

Su Yuan wiped his mouth, a bit embarrassed. "You might not believe this, but I was actually conducting an experiment critical to the future of the cultivation world! Your delivery made an indelible contribution!"

"But don’t worry, your delivery won’t have sacrificed in vain. I’ll definitely make it up to you in a couple of days."

Chu Lanxi didn’t even turn around, just let out a soft hum. "So, my delivery’s sacrifice was pretty meaningful, huh?"

Seeing that Chu Lanxi wasn’t pressing the issue further, Su Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his attention to the system panel in front of him, his once-dead heart reigniting with excitement!

Well, damn, just sneaking a delivery counts as seizing someone’s opportunity? Hah, system, you’re something else!

But something felt off. Why was the system’s definition of a villain so casual?

Was it bugged?

Su Yuan thought it over but couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation. He couldn’t help but poke his head out to look at Chu Lanxi, who was doing stretches in the living room after drinking some milk, and asked, "Lanxi, what’s your definition of an opportunity?"

"An opportunity, huh…"

Chu Lanxi pondered for a moment before answering, "It depends on the era. Cultivators’ definitions of opportunities naturally vary. In our time, spiritual plants and fruits are mass-produced. Even ordinary people can occasionally afford a meal of them."

"For example, that dragon fruit you ate earlier would’ve been considered a low-grade spiritual fruit in the ancient cultivation world. In that ignorant, unproductive era, it would’ve counted as an opportunity."

"In an even harsher, famine-ridden chaotic era, a single meal or a piece of meat could be an opportunity that countless people would flock to."

Hearing this, Su Yuan had an epiphany.

Could it be that the system was indeed bugged?

Did it mistakenly assume he was in a resource-scarce ancient era, where cultivation was akin to a lawless underworld?

By that logic, stealing a box of low-grade spiritual fruit could indeed count as seizing an opportunity.

If so, he could simply repeat the act of sneaking Chu Lanxi’s deliveries to max out the task progress.

But…

Chu Lanxi mostly ate at the school cafeteria. Ordering takeout late at night was rare. Relying on his to hit the ten-opportunity quota would probably take a month.

That wouldn’t do! With the college entrance exam just over two hundred days away, spending a whole month on the first system task, how could he conquer the exam?

Besides, if he kept eating Chu Lanxi’s deliveries, he’d probably get beaten to a pulp.

Su Yuan decided he couldn’t keep fleecing the same sheep.

He needed to expand the flock.

After thinking for a while, Su Yuan suddenly had an idea. He immediately contacted the restaurant manager from the job group, saying he had something come up and quit the temporary server gig.

Then, Su Yuan opened the Kangaroo Crowdsourcing app on his phone, studied the delivery terms, and gave a satisfied smile.

Just as he remembered: if a delivery got spilled, lost, or sent to the wrong place, the meal’s cost was only half-price, and he’d still earn the full delivery fee.

By cleverly exploiting this rule, he could easily complete the system task.

Losing nine meals in one day might be excessive and risk a platform warning, but losing nine meals over three days? Perfectly reasonable.

After all, cultivators delivered at lightning speed, easily handling two to three hundred orders a day. A one-percent loss rate was reasonable! Very reasonable!

With the Spiritual Energy Resurgence Memorial Day granting three days off, he could deliver for three straight days, conveniently solving his meal needs in the process.

"I’m practically a genius! Who else could be the modern era’s villain? Heh heh heh!"

Thinking about the impending system reward, Su Yuan’s lips curled into a wild grin, and he couldn’t help but hum softly.

In the living room, Chu Lanxi glanced at Su Yuan’s maniacal expression and tilted his head curiously.

The next morning, Su Yuan skipped breakfast, went downstairs, scanned a shared flying sword, and started taking orders on the Kangaroo Crowdsourcing app.

He had a monthly pass for the shared flying sword, allowing unlimited rides for thirty days, free for up to sixty minutes per ride.

By locking and unlocking the sword every sixty minutes, he avoided any charges.

This was basic knowledge for a poor high school student.

Very practical.

Using this method, Su Yuan had spent days practicing sword-riding on a shared flying sword, making him an elite delivery guy who could outrun seventy percent of security guards.

Five minutes later, as dawn barely broke, Su Yuan got his first order.

It was a breakfast order: a bag with soy milk and two spiritual meat buns, steaming and oh-so-tempting.

Not far from the breakfast shop, Su Yuan stared at the delivery, rubbed his growling stomach, and sneered, "Want to reach your owner? Sorry, it’s your time to go!"

[Villain Task: Seize Others’ Opportunities (In Progress)]

[Task Progress: 2/10]

But Su Yuan still had professional ethics. After quickly devouring the delivery and confirming the task progress increased, he contacted the customer for a refund, had them reorder, and prioritized their delivery, ensuring no inconvenience.

When picking future “lost” deliveries, he’d choose ones that could be quickly prepared, like pre-made dishes, fruits, or supermarket deli items.

Noon rush.

"Want to end up in your owner’s stomach? Sorry, it’s your time to go!"

Evening rush.

"Who should be my dinner? So hard to choose. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe—guess it’s you!"

By midnight, Su Yuan dragged his exhausted body home.

From dawn till now, he’d delivered over two hundred seventy orders. To earn more, he’d set his delivery range to twenty kilometers, and even riding a flying sword, he was worn out!

Not to mention dodging security guards in high-end neighborhoods or office buildings—those were straight-up death races!

But his earnings were substantial.

Each delivery earned him about three yuan on average, plus customer tips, netting him nearly twelve hundred yuan in a day.

Even after deducting the cost of three “lost” meals, he cleared eleven hundred!

Plus, his opportunity-seizing task was nearly halfway done. Two more days, and he’d see the task reward!

Thinking of this, Su Yuan’s exhaustion vanished, and he felt ready to tackle another hundred deliveries!

What’s a natural-born workhorse, huh? (leans back tactically)

Chu Lanxi, lounging on the couch watching TV, greeted Su Yuan as he returned, "Working all day today? Don’t you usually work half a day and cultivate the other half during holidays?"

Su Yuan replied casually, "Making extra cash during the break."

His priority was securing the system reward and testing what this “Brahma Pure Demon Heart” could do. Everything else could wait.

Just as Su Yuan was about to head to his room to rest, another whooshing sound came from outside.

Su Yuan expertly opened the window to see a clearly inexperienced delivery guy rushing in, flustered. He handed over the delivery without even saying “enjoy your meal” before being nabbed by Security Uncle Wang.

"Uncle Wang, busy as ever?"

Su Yuan greeted the dutiful security guard.

Old Wang nodded at Su Yuan, grabbed the delivery guy by the collar, and turned to leave, muttering while rubbing his sore back, "These rule-breaking delivery guys just keep coming. Can’t get a moment’s peace all night."

Su Yuan could only smile.

In neighborhoods or companies that didn’t allow deliveries inside, there were usually delivery lockers at the entrance. Most of the time, you could just drop the order there and go.

But some customers were too lazy to go downstairs, so they’d note to deliver to their door, promising tips if you made it safely, but if you got caught, it was on you.

That’s why Su Yuan got so many tips.

Getting caught wasn’t a big deal, just a scolding and a slight delay in delivering other orders.

A fair trade, really.

Besides, if delivery guys didn’t keep coming like reckless heroes, how would security guards prove their importance?

As Su Yuan mused about the symbiotic relationship between delivery guys and security guards, a ding-dong suddenly sounded, followed by the system’s familiar mechanical voice.

[You’ve faced a demonic senior who suppresses an entire region!]

Su Yuan: "???"

[This demonic senior has dominated a demonic domain for thirteen years, blocking the paths of countless righteous prodigies, earning a fearsome reputation! Those yellow-robed cultivation talents tremble at his presence, a sign of the rise of demons and the fall of the righteous!]

Su Yuan was silent for a long time before slowly muttering, “What the hell?”

A demonic senior? Was the system talking about Security Uncle Wang? Blocking delivery guys from entering counted as obstructing righteous prodigies?

[But even heroes grow old. This demonic senior is gradually feeling his strength wane and, in a moment of candor, revealed his desire to take on a successor!]

[Villain Task Triggered]

[Task: Take a Demon as Master (In Progress)]

[With your restrained demonic heart and innocent appearance, you should apprentice under this demonic senior, outwardly respectful while secretly harboring ambition. Absorb his lifetime of knowledge and master his method of suppressing the righteous!]

[Task Progress: 10%]

[Task Reward: Randomly upgrades one of your martial arts or techniques to perfection]

Who’s harboring ambition? Your whole family’s harboring ambition!

Su Yuan mentally cursed the system, but seeing the task reward, his heart couldn’t help but pound.

Compared to the vague “Brahma Pure Demon Heart” from the newbie task, this sudden task’s reward was clear as day!

Skill upgrade!

Visibly awesome!

And from the 10% task progress, it seemed the system wanted him to learn Uncle Wang’s “path-blocking” technique—likely that slick pitchfork move against delivery guys.

Since he’d often seen Uncle Wang use it, he’d already made some progress.

As for the apprenticeship requirement…

Based on his understanding of the system, he probably didn’t need a formal master-disciple ceremony. Just learning the craft from Uncle Wang would likely count.

How to get Uncle Wang to teach him everything?

Easy—join the property’s security team!

At this thought, Su Yuan couldn’t help but sigh.

Who would’ve thought, at such a young age, he’d already be a dual cultivator of delivery and security!

[NEXT CHAPTER]