"Daoist Jia's talents are truly a role model for us all!"
Upon hearing Jia Ren's words, Yang Bingzhi was astounded. He had never thought such a maneuver was possible.
Heavenly River Square had long been a bloodsucker, devouring the wealth of countless Loose Cultivators. The malevolent forces, headed by Heavenly River Square, had brought about a pest disaster, causing significant losses to Spirit Farmers, who harbored deep hatred for them. They sought to administer justice on behalf of the heavens and to steal from the rich to remedy their own poverty.
"We must act quickly. If we're even a step late and the Five Elements Sect makes a move, we won't have a chance." Jia Ren didn't want any unexpected incidents to derail the plan, so he issued a reminder. Intelligence was time-sensitive; if it was late, it would be useless.
"Don't worry," Yang Bingzhi replied, "I'll do my best to find people within an Hour at most."
He dared not delay and hurried towards the Grand Wilderness Mountain at top speed.
Jia Ren was in no rush to leave the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, continuing to enjoy his Spiritual Tea and pastries while improving his Proficiency Level in his leisure time.
Yang Bingzhi's efficiency was far greater than Jia Ren had imagined. In half an Hour, over a hundred Spirit Farmers had gathered outside the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, their faces filled with unconcealable excitement. People naturally love a free ride, and few were exceptions. The malevolent forces headed by Heavenly River Square had caused the Spirit Farmers heavy losses, and they couldn't miss this rare opportunity to recoup them.
One Spirit Farmer said, "Daoist Jia, Bingzhi mentioned you're skilled at pest removal; we'll have to rely heavily on you."
Yang Bingzhi had already advertised Jia Ren's services. Jia Ren didn't even need to show up in person, as many Spirit Farmers were already vying for his help with pest removal. The most important factor was his price, which seemed remarkably fair compared to the exorbitant rates of the unscrupulous Pest Removal Teams.
"Let's set out quickly!" another urged. "If we're late, there won't be any Spirit Stones to borrow!"
Everyone was there to earn Spirit Stones and didn't want to waste time, so they headed straight for Heavenly River Square immediately.
Heavenly River Square conducted extensive business, with casinos in the Inner City and in the Outer City districts to the south, east, north, and west, occupying a vast area of land. In the Market, where every inch of land was precious as gold, the annual rent for that land alone was no small sum.
Just as the Si Hour struck, the West City District branch of Heavenly River Square had already gathered a considerable number of gamblers. Those who lost walked away dejected or headed to Heavenly River Square's underground moneylenders to borrow. Those who won found their good fortune was only temporary, as they soon lost it all again at Heavenly River Square's gambling tables.
Winning was merely a process; losing was the inevitable result.
Countless Cultivators had gambled away their fortunes at Heavenly River Square. Even so, numerous gamblers, their eyes bloodshot from losses, still came daily, continuously pouring Spirit Stones into Heavenly River Square's coffers.
"All of you want to borrow Spirit Stones?"
The first to receive them was a clerk. She was completely flabbergasted to see more than a hundred Cultivators arriving together to borrow Spirit Stones; it was her first time witnessing such a sight.
The Steward, hearing the news, arrived with a beaming smile once he realized all the Cultivators were Spirit Farmers. Heavenly River Square was well aware of the severe losses caused by the pest disaster; it was only a matter of time before the Spirit Farmers came to them for loans. Still, over a hundred Spirit Farmers seeking loans at once was unexpected.
"How much can we borrow? Make it quick!" one farmer urged.
"The fields are waiting for Spirit Stones for pest removal!" another added.
The Five Elements Sect could arrive at Heavenly River Square at any moment. Efficiency was paramount; being even a step too slow meant no Spirit Stones to borrow.
The Steward said reassuringly, "Everyone, there's no need to rush. Heavenly River Square will offer different borrowing limits based on the strength of our fellow Cultivators."
"The limit for the Second Level of Qi Refinement is five Spirit Stones."
"The limit for the Third Level of Qi Refinement is ten Spirit Stones."
"The limit for the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement is thirty Spirit Stones."
"The limit for the Fifth Level of Qi Refinement is fifty Spirit Stones."
"Array Masters, Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, and Talisman Makers have higher limits. If you have valuable collateral, the limit will also be increased."
The greater one's strength, the stronger their ability to earn Spirit Stones, and thus, the higher their borrowing limit. Thirty Spirit Stones was the limit for the Fourth Level of Qi Refinement; mastering one of the Four Arts of Cultivation allowed for an even higher borrowing limit.
Heavenly River Square wasn't a charity endlessly distributing wealth; they also had to consider one's ability to repay. Without the ability to repay, a loan could easily become bad debt. The Spirit Farmers had always stayed in the Grand Wilderness Mountain and had fixed Spirit Field rents, making them reliable debtors. This was also why Heavenly River Square wanted to develop its loan business with Spirit Farmers.
"All of you can borrow up to your maximum limits," the Steward announced.
All the Spirit Farmers could borrow up to their personal limits; the stronger they were, the more they could borrow.
Jia Ren was the only exception. During the peak of the Spirit Fish business, it was estimated he could have been treated like an Alchemist. But now... With the Bizarre Mist Maiden appearing in the Lake of Smoky Waves, the Spirit Fish business had completely dried up, and he was treated like any other Loose Cultivator.
Without a unique skill, one's life was constantly at risk. He could only borrow up to twenty Spirit Stones, merely two-thirds of his theoretical limit.
A bit of a pity! Jia Ren felt a slight twinge of regret. Still, fleecing even a little was better than nothing. After all... he had no intention of repaying those twenty Spirit Stones anyway.
Each person left their Spiritual Power imprint on Heavenly River Square's Tracing Disk, making it convenient for Heavenly River Square to track them down for debt collection at any time. Otherwise, after borrowing Spirit Stones, one could simply hide away deep in the mountains and forests. Heavenly River Square didn't have Three Heads and Six Arms; it would be very difficult to find anyone who disappeared. This was also why they were more willing to lend to Spirit Farmers—as the saying goes, the monk can run away, but the temple can't.
"You must report to us before leaving Great Wilderness City; otherwise, Heavenly River Square will consider it an act of fleeing from debt. I hope you all will conduct yourselves accordingly," the Steward warned.
The loan process went smoothly. The Spirit Farmers left with their newly acquired Spirit Stones, beaming with joy. However, a small portion of them wore gloomy expressions.
What if Heavenly River Square had strong backers and wasn't overthrown? What then?
Just as this thought arose in their minds, the sky lit up with the glow of flying swords. A group of Cultivators wearing the robes of the Law Enforcement Office arrived, riding their swords. Sword kinesis flight was a hallmark of Late Stage Qi-Refining cultivators, indicating the newcomers were all elites.
"Apprehend everyone related to Heavenly River Square!" commanded the leader of the newcomers.
A Formation array activated, sealing the area to prevent entry or exit and stopping Heavenly River Square's higher-ups from getting wind of the situation and escaping. The identity of every Loose Cultivator gathered there would be verified to ascertain if they were members of Heavenly River Square.
"Hm? Spirit Farmers?" The Chief of the Law Enforcement Office looked at the hundred-odd Spirit Farmers with surprise and uncertainty. He had initially thought they were there to cause trouble, but upon learning they had just taken out substantial loans from Heavenly River Square, his expression turned peculiar.
The Chief mused internally, Cause trouble? They would definitely be taken to the Law Enforcement Office and gain nothing. But borrowing... Truly clever! Using Heavenly River Square's Spirit Stones to cover the losses from the Spirit Field pest disaster... With Heavenly River Square falling, no one would pursue these debts. Even if someone took over Heavenly River Square later, these would just be bad debts. Whose idea was this?
His gaze fell on Yang Bingzhi, filled with appreciation. First, he discovered the pest disaster and reported it to the Five Elements Sect. Then, he managed to use the culprits' own Spirit Stones to compensate for the losses. Unparalleled wit! A true talent, worth cultivating!
The Spirit Farmers passed through smoothly. Only Jia Ren was questioned in detail by the Enforcement Team and was only released after they confirmed there were no issues with him.
Similar events unfolded in the Inner City and the four Outer City districts. All Cultivators related to Heavenly River Square were taken away, with no exceptions.
Everyone reached the consensus: Heavenly River Square was finished.
"Haha, we've all made a fortune! It's time to celebrate. I'm going to find some familiar female Cultivators for a long, overnight talk," one farmer chortled.
"The female Cultivators of Cloud Attire Pavilion are best known for their joyous skills. It's just that the Spirit Stones are a bit expensive—at least three per session—but today I'll indulge!" another chimed in.
"Daoist Jia, remember to come to my Spirit Field first to remove pests. Here's the deposit," a more practical farmer said.
The older Spirit Farmers were relatively more rational and didn't immediately squander their Spirit Stones on pleasure. They flocked to Jia Ren, each paying half the agreed-upon Spirit Stones as a deposit.
Jia Ren collected deposits from four families, each for twenty mu of land, totaling twenty Spirit Stones.
The other Spirit Farmers were full of regret, cursing themselves for being a step too slow. One person's pest removal ability was limited. Eighty mu of Spirit Fields would keep Jia Ren busy for a long time; by the time he could get to their fields, it would be too late.
In a short time, Jia Ren had an additional forty Spirit Stones in his possession: twenty from the loan and twenty from the deposits. He quickly hurried off to buy Evil Warding Talismans.