Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

Hong Lang raised an eyebrow. Although he had heard of the Chang Le Gang's reputation, he never expected that this inconspicuous little gang would secretly engage in loan sharking.

"Senior Brother Chen, what's the maximum amount of silver the Chang Le Gang can lend? What kind of collateral is required?" Hong Lang asked.

"For a martial artist like Junior Brother Hong who has reached the Blood Refining Realm, the price will be no less than twenty taels. No collateral is needed; just sign an IOU."

Hong Lang glanced sideways, amazed that such a small gang of just a few people could lend out so much silver without any collateral.

An ordinary farming family's annual expenses amount to no more than five taels of silver.

Indeed, the gambling industry is incredibly profitable!

Hong Lang pressed further, "How is the interest calculated?"

"One coin of interest per tael of silver per day."

Hong Lang nodded. Calculated this way, the annual interest rate of over 30% was quite fair compared to those usurious loans that compounded interest and drove people to bankruptcy.

After entering the Blood Refining Realm, his need for meat increased, and coupled with the side effects of [Dragon Essence and Tiger Ferocity], Hong Lang didn't have much silver left. He decided to go and meet this Chief Cao.

When the time came to 5 PM, the people in the martial arts school dispersed, and Hong Lang followed Chen Nuo to the gambling den.

As the two walked along the road, Chen Nuo introduced, "The leader of the Chang Le Gang is surnamed Cao, and his given name is Jin. He is an orphan who has been fighting on the streets since he was a child. With his hard fists, he has carved out a place for himself in Qingxi Town."

His cultivation level was also at the beginner stage of the Blood Refining Realm, and his fist and foot techniques were extremely powerful. People gave him the nickname "Heroic Fist Cao Jin."

As Chen Nuo spoke, a hint of regret appeared on his face: "Chief Cao is a very righteous person. As long as someone asks him for help, he will do his best to help them as long as it does not violate morality."

"It's a pity that the Chang Le Gang never easily accepts outsiders, otherwise I would have already submitted my pledge of allegiance and joined them."

As Hong Lang listened, he thought to himself: This Cao Jin is a godfather-level figure!

Before long, the two arrived at the entrance of the gambling den.

The gambling den faces the street, and a wooden sign hangs above the door with four large characters: Chang Le Gambling Den.

A burly man stood at the entrance, a head taller than Hong Lang, estimated to be two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back.

Chen Nuo stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "Third Master, I've brought a friend to see Chief Cao."

The man looked Hong Lang up and down a few times. He saw that Hong Lang was strong and wiry. Although he was dressed simply, his tall and upright figure was still evident. He was obviously a martial arts expert.

He said in a muffled voice, "Go in, the leader is inside."

Chen Nuo introduced to Hong Lang in a low voice: "This is Wang Yan, the third leader of the Chang Le Gang, nicknamed King Kong."

As soon as the two stepped into the gambling den, a noisy atmosphere hit them.

The gambling den was small, about the size of two ordinary rooms in a house. There were four gambling tables inside, and each table was crowded with people.

The sound of dice hitting porcelain bowls, the curses of gamblers, and the smell of sweat filled the small space.

The two walked through the noisy crowd and arrived at a wooden door at the innermost part of the gambling den.

Chen Nuo raised his hand, about to knock on the door, when a hoarse, angry roar suddenly came from inside the cubicle.

"Big Brother, we can't just let this go! We can't let Fourth Brother and the others die for nothing! We'll fight those bastards from the White Deer Gang!"

Immediately afterwards, a deep voice rang out: "I'll think about it some more. Fourth Brother and the others won't have died in vain. I will make those people from the White Deer Gang pay the price!"

Once the room quieted down, Chen Nuo knocked on the door: "Chief, this is Chen Nuo from Cangfeng Martial Arts School, bringing a friend to see you."

"Enter!"

Chen Nuo pushed open the door, and Hong Lang followed him inside.

The room was small, with a table in the center, on which were several small dishes and a pot of wine.

A burly man dressed in black sat behind the table; this must be Cao Jin.

Beside him sat a man missing his left ear, his eyes filled with a fierce glint as he stared intently at the two of them.

Chen Nuo stepped forward and introduced, "Chief Cao, this is my junior brother Hong Lang, who is also a martial artist who has just entered the Blood Refining Realm. He came here today to borrow some silver from Chief Cao to tide him over."

Cao Jin looked up at Hong Lang, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Oh? Brother Hong is also at the Blood Refining Realm? May I ask how much silver Brother Hong wishes to borrow?"

Hong Lang cupped his hands in greeting: "I would like to borrow twenty taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, Cao Jin took out three silver ingots from his drawer and placed them on the table. He looked at Hong Lang and said, "Brother Hong, I have thirty taels of silver here. Are you interested?"

"I don't know what Chief Cao means, please explain clearly," Hong Lang said, puzzled.

Cao Jin said in a deep voice: "To be honest, the White Deer Gang has recently clashed with our Chang Le Gang. There were originally only two gangs in Qingxi Town. In the past, we relied on our own abilities to make a living and lived in peace."

But just half a month ago, a new Blood Refining Realm martial artist named Shen Da joined the White Deer Gang. Since then, the White Deer Gang has been frequently causing trouble for us. Yesterday, four of our brothers were killed by them.

He took a sip of wine and continued, "Brother Hong, if you are willing to help, I will give you these thirty taels of silver for free, without taking a single penny."

Upon hearing this, Hong Lang began to ponder. He possessed the attribute "Dragon Spirit and Tiger Might," meaning that although he was also at the entry level of the Blood Refining Realm, his blood and qi were far more robust than those of ordinary martial artists. Ordinary entry-level Blood Refining Realm practitioners would never be his match.

Moreover, thirty taels of silver is a huge sum of money, equivalent to the cost of chopping three hundred bundles of firewood.

With evil spirits lurking nearby, if we can get our hands on these thirty taels of silver, we'll have enough money to move to a more stable county town or settle in another county if things change in the future.

He was determined to get those thirty taels!

Seeing that Hong Lang was thinking, Cao Jin didn't say anything more and tossed thirty taels of silver to Hong Lang.

"Brother Hong, there's no need to worry. Consider this thirty taels of silver as my way of befriending you. Whether it works out or not is entirely up to you. I will never make things difficult for you." His tone was frank and natural.

Seeing Cao Jin's generosity, Hong Lang no longer hesitated. He accepted the silver and said loudly, "The White Deer Gang has committed many unjust acts. I am willing to lend Chief Cao a hand and eliminate this great scourge."

Cao Jin slammed his hand on the table and laughed heartily, "Good! Brother Hong is a man of few words!"

He pointed to the man next to him: "Brother Hong, this is Xia Ping, the second-in-command of my Chang Le Gang."

Xia Ping cupped his hands and said, "Brother Hong, I hope you will give me more guidance in the future."

His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were still cold, but there was a hint of kindness in them.

Hong Lang returned the greeting with clasped hands and said, "Chief Cao, Second Boss, when shall we make our move?"

"No rush. Let's wait until you've recovered enough before we make our move, so we can be absolutely certain of success," Cao Jin said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Hong Lang slowly stretched out his hands, holding a silver ingot in his palms.

Cao Jin and Xia Ping, puzzled, stared at him curiously.

Hong Lang clenched the silver ingot tightly in his hand, and the hard silver ingot was so hard that several deep finger marks were made from it.

"I underestimated Brother Hong!" Cao Jin raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Hong Lang to have such strength. This was definitely not the strength that an ordinary martial artist who had just entered the Blood Refining Realm should have.

He was secretly delighted: Du Lao Er, you old coffin-stuffer, this time I'm going to skin you alive!

"Chief Cao, speed is of the essence in war. Why don't we make our move tonight and catch him off guard!"