Eternal Beast Taming Family

Hearing such favorable loan terms, Zhu Yingchen hesitated. He asked softly:

"How will you repay it? How much interest will it be?"

Mengling could see the unease in his heart, so she smiled and spoke.

"For students like you, as long as all loans are repaid within the next hundred years after graduation, we will not charge any interest."

After a century, interest will be charged at 3% of the principal for the first ten years, and an additional 1% interest will be charged annually thereafter.

The fact that there was a 100-year interest-free window of opportunity surprised Zhu Yingchen somewhat, but this policy was indeed quite good for him.

After graduating from Thousand Spirits Academy, given the current employment trends of Thousand Spirits students in the two dynasties, earning these loans is a piece of cake.

But he had one last question: "What if I die during the loan period?"

"Death cancels all debts," Mengling replied directly.

Zhu Yingchen breathed a sigh of relief and then signed the loan agreement with Mengling.

Even after Zhu Yingchen regained consciousness, he was still somewhat dazed, realizing that he had just done something that could affect his future destiny without his grandfather and father's knowledge.

He was still lost in thought when he heard his father's voice coming from outside the house.

"Ying Chen, your grandfather wants to speak with you."

Zhu Yingchen snapped out of his daze and quickly replied, "Coming right away."

A few minutes later, in the main hall of a traditional courtyard house in the countryside, Zhu Yingchen met his grandfather, Zhu Fengtian.

Seeing his only beloved grandson enter, now at the Extraordinary Rank, a hint of sigh flashed in the eyes of Zhu Fengtian, who at eighty years old was still full of energy.

"Yingchen, how have you been these past few days?"

Zhu Yingchen gave a very ambiguous answer, "Same as before, nothing special."

Hearing his answer, Zhu Fengtian nodded slightly, ignoring the slight resistance in his grandson's tone, and continued speaking to himself:

"After the New Year, you'll attend classes for a while longer, and then you can graduate from the academy."

Then our family will contract a few hundred more acres of land. With your talent, you'll definitely be able to make this business a great success.

After that, you will settle down, start a family, and carry on the Zhu family line. The main family has had only one son per generation for three generations; we cannot let the line end with you.

Hearing these words, Zhu Yingchen felt his head was about to explode. Sometimes he even wondered if his father could have more children, would he have more freedom in his life?

Zhu Yingchen looked at the hope for the future in his grandfather's eyes, his gaze darkened, and then he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Sir, I have already applied for a student loan. After the New Year, I will go directly to Qianling Academy to register."

Upon hearing Zhu Yingchen's words, the light in Zhu Fengtian's eyes shattered instantly. He looked at Zhu Yingchen in disbelief, at this obedient child who had always been so well-behaved.

"What...what did you say?"

He slammed his hand on the table. "You actually chose to take out a loan to leave home? I don't agree with that. You always think the outside world is so great, but you completely ignore the hidden dangers."

Yes, Qianling Academy is the highest institution of learning. The emperors of our two dynasties once studied there. Those who graduated from there either became the lords of a city or held important positions in the capital.

But now that both dynasties are in turmoil, the first to die are all the important figures. Grandpa doesn't ask you to achieve great feats; he only hopes that you will live well and carry on the Zhu family tradition.

Hearing his grandfather's words, Zhu Yingchen fell silent. The wider the world one encounters, the greater the risks one faces.

Grandpa's idea wasn't wrong. Timber City was an ordinary little town, but that also meant it would be very stable and unaffected by storms.

He may understand, but that doesn't mean he'll actually follow the arrangement. He doesn't want to live a life with no end in sight.

"What's the difference between living like that and being dead? If I didn't have the chance, so be it. But now the opportunity is right in front of me, and I won't give it up."

This was the first time Zhu Yingchen had so resolutely confronted his grandfather's authority in the family.

Looking at Zhu Yingchen's resolute expression, Zhu Fengtian was somewhat dazed. Their Zhu family had only been living a good life for a few years, so why was this child dissatisfied with such a life?

Zhu Yingchen's father, Zhu Xiaoquan, rushed in from outside. He didn't notice the almost frozen atmosphere in the main hall, and spoke in a flustered tone...

"Father, the city lord has arrived."

Upon hearing this news, Zhu Fengtian snapped out of his daze, still reeling from his grandson's disrespectful words, and looked at his son. "What did you say?"

"The city lord, along with several officials, is currently outside our gate?"

A hint of panic flashed in Zhu Fengtian's eyes. Although the Zhu family was now relatively wealthy, the opportunity to meet the city lord was still extremely rare.

The Zhu family has always been law-abiding, so why would they suddenly disturb the city lord?

Without time to think it through, he hurriedly led Zhu Xiaoquan out the door.

Zhu Yingchen, who was left inside, blinked. He was about to kneel down and beg his grandfather, but the sudden appearance of the city lord disrupted his plans.

However, he was also worried that the city lord might have something to blame the Zhu family for, so he hurriedly followed behind and went out the door.

By the time Zhu Yingchen arrived outside, his grandfather and the others should have already exchanged a few words with the city lord, and a group of people had gathered around them at a distance.

The man with the long beard and square face, surrounded by a group of officials, was the city lord. These students from the academy had seen the city lord a few times before, since he was always invited to attend major events or the start of the new semester.

However, the city lord seemed to be quite amiable when he spoke to his grandfather, so his visit today should not be anything bad.

As soon as Zhu Yingchen stepped out of the courtyard gate, Zhu Fengtian led the city lord and his officials into the courtyard.

As the city lord passed by Zhu Yingchen, he stopped and looked over with a smile.

"This must be Zhu Yingchen, the student specially recruited by Qianling Academy."

Zhu Yingchen was slightly taken aback, not expecting that the city lord knew so much about him.

Zhu Fengtian quickly replied, "Lord City Lord, you know so much. This is my child, but he will stop going after the New Year and come back to inherit the family business."

Upon hearing Zhu Fengtian's words, the city lord's eyes widened in surprise, revealing an astonishment that seemed out of character.

"I was wondering what would make a student take out a loan in the Dream Realm because they couldn't attend Thousand Spirits Academy. Turns out, it was their family holding them back!"

Hearing the city lord's words, which clearly carried a hint of displeasure, Zhu Fengtian was somewhat bewildered. Wasn't going to school his own business? Why was it worth getting angry at this city lord?