Water elemental became a god, ultimately becoming the master of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers

Chapter 138 The Corpse Transformed into a Spirit, Ding Jia the Warrior

Inside the Guanghui Money Shop, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense and the soft clatter of abacus beads.

Chen Shunan looked at the densely written loan agreement, a deep look flashing in his eyes.

He had a vague feeling that Guanghui Money Shop was doing some shady business behind the scenes.

Perhaps worried that Chen Shunan would see through the trap in the loan agreement, Huo Ning would occasionally speak up to distract Chen Shunan.

Huo Ning said, "Brother Chen, I had to use all my persuasion to get the master to reluctantly agree. With this additional three thousand taels, I'll lend you a total of four thousand taels of silver, but the interest rate will be increased by four percent, which is six percent per month. The repayment period will remain the same as last time, and you must repay it in three months at most."

Huo Ning said in a low voice, "In other words, Brother Chen, you still have two months and a few days left... Please do not exceed the deadline, otherwise we will have to proceed according to the loan agreement."

Two more months?

Two months is enough for me to bankrupt your money exchange!

Chen Shunan was secretly pleased, thinking that his exposure of his late-stage second-rate strength, coupled with his three-stage martial arts training, had increased his 'commercial value' at Guanghui Money Shop.

Additional investment is possible.

"Okay, okay, thank you very much, Mr. Zhao. I will sign and affix my seal immediately."

Chen Shunan's face instantly lit up with eager joy, as if afraid the other party would change their mind. He snatched the inkpad and pressed his fingerprint down hard without hesitation.

A moment later, Chen Shunan, overjoyed, carrying silver notes and several hundred taels of cash, walked briskly out of the money shop and quickly blended into the crowd of people on the street.

After he left, Huo Ning and the old clerk behind the counter exchanged a glance. The fake warmth on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by a cunning sneer of triumph.

There are many pitfalls in loan agreements.

Various compound interest rates and different calculation methods mean that this debt of four thousand taels of silver can be repaid with interest compounded over two months, amounting to nearly six thousand taels!

Moreover, the debtor's wife, daughters, and property could only be sold to Guanghui Money Shop.

The price is still far below the market price.

Generally speaking, a second-rate expert earns around 30 taels of silver per month, while a true master earns significantly more, resulting in vastly different earning abilities.

But no matter how you calculate it, even for someone like Lu Jing, six thousand taels is not a small amount.

After all, the higher one's cultivation level, the greater the consumption of various resources, and a large sum of money is needed each month to maintain the stability of one's qi and blood and the physical body.

Trying to pull out a staggering six thousand taels of real gold and silver in one go is unlikely.

Not to mention second-rate martial artists like Chen Shunan.

Huo Ning slowly rolled up the loan agreement, carefully sealed it with sealing wax, and chuckled.

"Chen Shunan is finished."

A fine "Chonghe Martial Body" has already fallen into Zhao Guanghui's hands.

Even if Zhao Guangxi, the owner of Shuiwozi, stands up for Chen Shunan one day, or even takes him to court, all he needs to do is produce this loan agreement, and Zhao Guangxi will be speechless.

Huo Ning seemed to have thought of something again, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery.

"I almost forgot, there's another one involved, that guy named Cheng Bin has also fallen into the trap."

After saying that, Huo Ning suddenly stood up, carefully put the loan agreement on his body, gave the old magistrate a few instructions, and then went out through the back door, heading straight for the Zhao residence.

Zhao Guanghui instructed that after Chen Shunan signed the loan agreement, it must be handed over to him for safekeeping and not left in the money shop, in order to prevent any mistakes and theft by thieves.

……

After leaving Guanghui Money Exchange, Chen Shunan glanced at the sky and realized it was time for lunch. There happened to be a lamb intestine soup stall across from the money exchange, so he ordered a bowl of lamb soup with lots of offal and meat, along with various seasonings such as chili oil and chive blossoms. He didn't have any dietary restrictions and the soup was piled high with ingredients.

"Huh? Old Cheng?"

Chen Shunan was eating with sweat dripping from his nose when he saw a familiar figure emerge from behind the screen wall of the money exchange.

Cheng Bin looked wary, glanced around the street, and seeing no familiar faces, hurriedly left with his head down.

Chen Shunan noticed that Cheng Bin's waist pocket was bulging, as if he had just borrowed money and was carrying cash.

Seeing this, Chen Shunan sighed.

Cheng Bin has been acting strangely these past few days. He frequently takes leave and misses shifts, and you can hardly see him all day long.

Judging from his appearance today, he probably pawned his own house deed and borrowed money from a bank.

They've probably already prepared to flee with their mistresses, run away from their debts, and leave Wuqing County.

Chen Shunan was able to embezzle funds and extort money from warehouses, and then default on loans.

But others don't have that kind of ability.

He stared at the remaining soup in the bowl, hesitated for a moment, and finally put down his chopsticks.

"Fine, let's do it for the sake of our colleague relationship."

If someone is incapable and struggling to make ends meet, Chen Shunan naturally wouldn't want to interfere.

But now, with his skills improved to the point where he is considered one of the top martial arts practitioners in Wuqing County, Chen Shunan can no longer stand idly by and watch his friends and family suffer.

Especially Xiao Man, that slut, who actually slandered Chen Shun'an behind his back.

Isn't this an insult to someone's reputation?

The old man is innocent!
After putting down the empty porcelain bowl and tossing down a dozen or so copper coins, Chen Shunan quietly left the house and followed the hurried figure into the distance.

……

Outside the gate of the Zhao residence, a pair of stone lions stand majestically.

"Take care, Brother Huang."

"Brother Zhao, please don't see me off. We should get to know each other better in the future!"

"Haha, no problem, no problem!"

Zhao Guanghui personally escorted Huang Xing, the owner of Wanlong Mill, to the stone steps in front of the mansion gate.

The two men walked arm in arm, chatting and laughing, and after several rounds of polite refusals, the atmosphere was quite warm and friendly. Huang Xing stepped onto the sedan chair, waved goodbye, and departed with a smile.

Zhao Guanghui watched Huang Xing's sedan chair disappear at the end of the alley before turning back into the mansion. The moment he stepped over the threshold, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a blank expression.

"My boss."

A voice came from not far away, and Hong Junxian, dressed in a thin cotton jacket and trousers, came closer and tentatively asked,
"I wonder what brings Huang Xing here?"

Zhao Guanghui didn't hide anything and smiled gently.

"The people in the mortar said they were willing to help me compete for the position of head of the windlass, and even borrow elite troops to help me eliminate my great enemy, but they needed me to do some things for them... They're quite bold, they've actually reached into the water pit."

Hong Junxian's heart tightened, realizing he should report this to Chen Miaozhu immediately. His face remained impassive, but he managed a slight hint of doubt before speaking.

"These bullies never do anything without a profit; they probably have ulterior motives."

"of course."

Zhao Guanghui sneered, "A bunch of good-for-nothing dogs. They lost the battle for the big and small wells in the capital back then, and now they want to use this opportunity to make money... It's wishful thinking!"

Although Zhao Guanghui was also vying for the winch head and hated his younger brother Zhao Guangxi to the core, he also found the old man Chen Shunan increasingly unpleasant.

However, he had no intention of colluding with outsiders or using poisoning or assassination to eliminate Chen Shunan, Zhao Guangxi, and others.

Firstly, for Shuiwozi to become one of the four tyrants of the capital, the first thing it had to do was to maintain internal unity. Harming colleagues for personal gain was Shuiwozi's red line; anyone who crossed it would die.

Although Zhao Guanghui later became the owner of the water pit, he didn't have much of a sense of identity with the business.

But he knew that those old guys above the water pit were not to be trifled with. If they really got serious, crushing him wouldn't be much harder than crushing an insect.

Coward.

Secondly, Zhao Guangxi was Zhao Guanghui's own brother, his own family. How could he allow him to be humiliated by others... If he was to die, he could only die by his own hand.

"I've accepted the gifts and benefits, but I won't do a single thing for you!"

Zhao Guanghui scoffed.

Just then, led by the guards, Huo Ning jogged over quickly.

Huo Ning, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy, respectfully handed over a scroll of documents sealed with wax.

"Master, Chen Shunan's loan agreement is here, and Cheng Bin's and the others' have also been brought along."

Zhao Guanghui didn't even glance at the loan agreements from Cheng Bin and the others; he simply took Chen Shunan's, scanned the bright red fingerprints on it, and nodded in satisfaction.
"That was well done. Get some rest early tonight. I'll send a Dingjia warrior to your door to bestow a spirit upon you, granting you longevity as a reward!"

"Thank you so much, boss! Thank you so much, boss!"

Upon hearing this, Huo Ning was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly, almost unable to contain himself.

Only a portion of the upper and middle management of Guanghui Bank knew that Zhao Guanghui possessed an unfathomable method of conjuring spirits from corpses, using the bodies of martial artists as embryos and their internal energy as the source, to conjure up individual Dingjia warriors.

Demon slaying, communicating with spirits, traveling by day, stealing messages, tracking, summoning spirits...

omnipotent.

"Dingjia Warrior? What is that?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Junxian looked puzzled.

Zhao Guanghui had no interest in explaining. He dismissed the crowd, put his hands behind his back, and strolled alone toward the vast garden deep within the mansion.

The Zhao family mansion occupies a large area of ​​nearly fifty acres, with stone lions and ornamental columns outside the main gate, as well as a stone archway and other grand buildings.

The interior is filled with houses of all sizes, crisscrossing paths, winding corridors, and a complex layout.

Without someone familiar to guide you, it is very easy to lose your way.

The large garden, in particular, was a forbidden area of ​​the Zhao family mansion. Even Madam Zhao was not allowed to enter without Zhao Guanghui's permission.

Upon seeing Zhao Guanghui's figure, they walked into the depths of the garden, which was hidden by vines and bamboo groves.

Hong Junxian walked towards the training ground in an ordinary manner, but when he reached a secluded corner where no one could see him...

His aura suddenly changed, his inner strength was secretly circulating, and his complexion instantly turned sallow and ancient. His muscles tightened and relaxed, as if he had lost some weight out of thinner than before.

All the outward energy and spirit were drawn back into the dantian, and the whole person became like a withered tree or stubborn rock, no longer noticeable.

Then Hong Junxian turned his feet and leaped lightly, like a wisp of smoke, heading straight for the Grand Garden.

Hong Junxian's abilities are roughly equal to Zhao Guanghui's.

However, Hong Junxian had another opportunity in his early years. He accidentally obtained a book called "Yin Fu Cang Xuan Gong" in the desert, which can store all the internal essence, energy and spirit, as well as the external muscles and bones, in the dantian.

Even martial artists who are one or two minor realms higher than him would find it extremely difficult to detect.

The garden is lush with vegetation, layered with artificial hills, and quiet with its waterside pavilions.

Hong Junxian pushed his Hidden Mystery Technique to its limit, his breath almost completely cut off, and he moved like a ghost among the strange flowers and rocks, searching for something.

However, after circling around the area, they couldn't find any trace of Zhao Guanghui, as if he had vanished into thin air.

"Strange, where did he go? Zhao Guanghui is hiding a big secret."

Hong Junxian felt a chill run down his spine and dared not linger. Seeing that he had gained nothing, he decisively left and returned to the front yard.

He wiped his face and regained his old, vigorous, and energetic appearance.

Not long after Hong Junxian left, a few withered leaves suddenly rustled in a crevice of the artificial rockery in a corner deep in the garden.

As the leaves fell, a tiny head, no bigger than a fingertip, suddenly popped out from below.

The head gradually rose, first the neck, then the body, and then the two feet.

It was a tiny figure, only a little over an inch long, dressed like an ordinary martial artist.

Its facial features were blurred, except for a pair of bulging eyes with cloudy pupils, exuding a chilling aura.

The little man silently turned to the direction where Hong Junxian had disappeared, stood still for a moment, and then, as a gust of cold wind swept by, he vanished like a phantom, as if he had never appeared at all.

(End of this chapter)