Earlier, when Mingyue Palace had been uprooted by that black-robed Dao Integration cultivator, many other similar organizations had been dragged down with it.
At the time, Li Fan had speculated that these organizations might not have sprung up purely in imitation of Mingyue Palace's thriving Dharma-transmission enterprise. Rather, they were likely already engaged in lending-related businesses to begin with, and had only been unable to resist copying the model once they saw the colossal annual profits Mingyue Palace generated.
If Daoyuan Province had them, the Congyun Sea naturally ought to have similar outfits as well.
To get rich overnight, how could one do without leverage?
Li Fan planned to exploit the massive price swings of Spirit Mist Grass to make a killing, which naturally required the assistance of these lending syndicates.
Yet whether in his previous lives or this one, despite inquiring across many channels, Li Fan had never managed to locate any trace of them.
Evidently, this outfit operated with extreme caution.
And so Li Fan had gone to sound out He Zhenghao.
Sure enough, He Zhenghao had not disappointed him.
"Before you head to Qingfeng Hall, Fellow Daoist, you had best think it over again."
"They won't lend you contribution points for nothing. You must pay a steep annual interest rate of eighteen percent."
"If you turn a profit, that's well and good; you can pay off the interest in short order. But if you take a loss..."
He Zhenghao's eyelids twitched. "I'm afraid you'll have to work for those fellows for free for over a decade."
Li Fan cupped his hands. "I have noted your advice, Fellow Daoist. But rest assured, I know what I am doing."
"I won't disturb you any longer. We will catch up again next time."
With that, Li Fan took the teleportation array back to Wanxian Island and headed straight for Qingfeng Hall.
He finally located it in a corner of Wanxian Island's outermost ring.
It was utterly unremarkable, appearing no different from any ordinary small shop.
Li Fan activated a Form-Concealing Talisman and walked inside.
A rather scruffy-looking old man lay sleeping on a reclining chair behind the counter. Even when a customer entered, he did not so much as open his eyes, continuing to rock his chair with his eyes closed.
Following He Zhenghao's instructions, Li Fan took out the dark green jade medallion.
Tap, tap, tap.
The old man rapped three times on the counter.
The dark green medallion emitted a faint light, shaping into a doorway.
Li Fan looked around for a moment, then stepped through the door.
His figure vanished, and the green apparition of the door disappeared along with him.
As for the old man, he had not shifted his posture from start to finish, as if no one had ever visited Qingfeng Hall at all.
Surroundings plunged into darkness first, then brightened once more.
Li Fan looked around and found himself standing beneath a massive tree.
Moreover, the effect of the Form-Concealing Talisman he had just activated was unexpectedly undone in an instant.
Its branches were dense with foliage, each leaf resembling emerald jade, giving off a lustrous glow.
Upon the tree trunk, however, a human face emerged.
It stared at Li Fan and asked, "Who introduced you, and what is your business here?"
Facing the tree's face, Li Fan answered clearly, "I was introduced by Island Warden He Zhenghao of Liuli Island. I wish to borrow something from your Qingfeng Hall."
The tree face's reaction seemed somewhat sluggish.
A long while passed after Li Fan finished speaking before it gave a reply: "A late Foundation Establishment cultivator may borrow a maximum of thirty thousand contribution points."
"Annual interest is sixteen percent, with your choice of repayment method."
"The term may not exceed ten years."
...
Line by line, the tree face slowly explained Qingfeng Hall's services to Li Fan.
When it finished, Li Fan spoke with a touch of dissatisfaction: "Why can I only borrow thirty thousand contribution points in total? That's nowhere near enough."
"I'm a late Foundation Establishment cultivator at twenty-nine years old, with boundless prospects. Can't you give me a bit more preferential treatment?"
The tree face strained to widen its eyes, scrutinizing Li Fan intently.
After observing him for a while, it finally said, "You may borrow up to forty thousand contribution points."
Li Fan grew somewhat impatient. "Only ten thousand more? That's far too stingy!"
"Back when I was in Yuandao Province, I was only at mid-Foundation Establishment, yet I could borrow seventy to eighty thousand contribution points all at once from Mingyue Palace!"
"How is your Qingfeng Hall so far behind?"
"Brother Tree, do you call the shots here? Why don't you get someone who can make decisions so we can talk?"
Li Fan spoke blithely, yet subtly shifted his gaze toward a certain direction.
Above him, the tree branches swayed without any wind, the emerald leaves rustling softly as they swayed.
The tree face stared blankly at Li Fan.
Li Fan was equally fearless, glaring right back at the tree face.
After a long silence, the tree face finally spoke slowly: "Fifty thousand. Not a point more."
Li Fan wore a look of deep regret, then added, "Oh, right. What I want to borrow isn't contribution points—it's Spirit Mist Grass. Can you lend that?" He blinked and stared at the tree face.
The invisible wind seemed to pick up.
The branches and leaves shook even more violently.
"We can. For borrowing goods, the cost is not calculated by monetary interest, but by the quantity borrowed," the tree face said sullenly in a muffled voice.
"If returned within the first year, the quantity to be repaid is one hundred and thirty percent of the borrowed amount."
"For the second year, one hundred and sixty percent."
"For the third year, two hundred percent."
"You may borrow for three years at most."
Hearing this, Li Fan blanched in shock. "That predatory?"
Yet seeing the tree face's unfriendly expression, he promptly shut his mouth.
Then he began bargaining again: "If it's goods, could you lend me a bit more?"
The tree face paid him no heed.
Seeing this, Li Fan could only regretfully drop the matter.
"Then how many stalks of Spirit Mist Grass can I borrow right now?" he asked.
"Two thousand seven hundred stalks," the tree face replied in a dull rumble.
Li Fan muttered something under his breath, though his words were indistinct.
"Fine! I'll borrow them! What paperwork do we need to do?" Li Fan seemed to have made up his mind.
A green leaf drifted down slowly from above, coming to rest before Li Fan.
Taking it into his hand, streams of information immediately surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
It was precisely the terms he had just agreed upon with the tree face.
"If you agree, simply refine this green leaf with your spiritual energy."
Li Fan nodded and enveloped the green leaf with his spiritual energy.
In an instant, the leaf was refined, and an almost imperceptible green leaf pattern appeared on the inner side of Li Fan's left arm.
"Once the debt is paid in full, the tree contract will disperse on its own."
"Wait a moment. I will bring the Spirit Mist Grass you borrowed."
Having spoken, the tree face faded from the trunk, gone to parts unknown.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Fan looked up and studied the giant tree.
The strength of that tree face felt rather peculiar to him.
It was clearly much stronger than a Nascent Soul True Monarch, yet considerably weaker than a Soul Formation Immortal Lord.
Furthermore, there were no traces of formations in this space; it seemed naturally formed.
Li Fan observed his surroundings with great interest.
After a while, the tree face reappeared.
Opening its mouth, it spat out a storage ring.
"The Spirit Mist Grass is all inside."
"The transaction is complete. You may leave."
"Remember to repay your debt on time, or else..."
Before Li Fan could utter a word, the tree face expelled him from the space.
Beneath the great tree, wisps of green light converged to form a hazy green figure.
"Borrowing so much Spirit Mist Grass? How intriguing."
A crisp female voice came from within.
"Could it be that the price of Spirit Mist Grass will drop even further?"
"A-Liu, keep an eye on things lately."
The tree face answered in a muffled rumble, "Understood, Miss."
"Miss, that fellow just now was truly obnoxious."
The green figure let out a soft chuckle. "He was rather annoying."
"Still, what sort of competitor is Mingyue Palace? How come I've never heard of them?"
Chapter 168