Chapter 251
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Chapter 251: Debt Collection
The young beauty, delicate as pastry, wielded her sword to cut down foolish men. Though no heads fell, their vitality withered in secret!
When Wang Chen was at the Yunyang Sect, he always thought that those cultivators sweating profusely in the Fragrant Pavilion must have had their heads kicked by a donkey!
For just a little pleasure, they not only had to spend their hard-earned spirit stones but also served as furnace cauldrons for the female cultivators of the Harmony Sect, using their own essence to aid in their cultivation.
How utterly foolish!
Now, the claws of the Harmony Sect’s female cultivators had even reached Dongwu Town.
Although Wang Chen had never met Xin Han, he held considerable respect for this Purple Palace master.
Xin Han had governed Dongwu Town for many years, managing the loose cultivator town with great order. Despite his recent closed-door cultivation, which kept him away from worldly matters, the town’s daily operations had not faced any issues.
Xin Han’s presence provided thousands of loose cultivators and their families with stability and hope.
In fact, given Xin Han’s cultivation level, he could have easily joined a sect to enjoy a life of luxury, where resources would far exceed what the outer regions could offer.
Yet, he chose to remain here.
In Wang Chen’s eyes, among the countless loose cultivators in the outer regions, Xin Han stood out as a significant figure!
But even heroes find it hard to resist the charms of beautiful women.
So much had happened in just a few days, and the future of Dongwu Town was now shrouded in uncertainty!
Wang Chen sat in the tea house until noon before finally heading home.
As he approached the alley, he heard a loud commotion of cries and shouts echoing from within.
Hmm?
Wang Chen quickened his pace.
He saw a crowd gathered in front of his neighbor Uncle Zhu’s house, most of whom were close neighbors.
On the ground lay a young man, curled up and shielding his head as two burly men kicked and punched him relentlessly.
Uncle Zhu and his wife were beside themselves, wailing and crying, but they were being held back by others.
A burly, rugged-looking cultivator sneered coldly at the couple, saying, “It’s only natural to repay debts. Your son owes us five hundred spirit stones from the gambling house. Bring the spirit stones, and we’ll release him immediately!”
Wang Chen recognized the young man on the ground, beaten to a pulp, as Zhu Xiaohu, Uncle Zhu’s only son.
He couldn’t help but feel a pang of shock.
In Wang Chen’s memory, Zhu Xiaohu had always been an honest boy.
He had reached the third level of Qi Training in his cultivation.
He usually worked diligently in a workshop and never caused any trouble.
Uncle Zhu took great pride in his son, and recently, he and his wife had been discussing finding a suitable marriage match for him.
Who could have imagined that Zhu Xiaohu would visit the gambling house and rack up a debt of five hundred spirit stones?
Aunt Zhu cried out, “We don’t have that many spirit stones!”
She looked towards her neighbors for help, but everyone averted their gaze.
Loose cultivators never have it easy. Living in the town, they spend spirit stones day in and day out on the essentials of life—firewood, rice, oil, salt, vinegar, and tea. Everyone’s life is generally tight and frugal.
Zhu Xiaohu didn’t owe just five or fifty spirit stones; he owed a staggering five hundred.
Even if everyone pooled their resources, they couldn’t gather that much.
And if these spirit stones were lent out, they’d likely vanish like meat buns thrown to a dog—gone without a trace!
Most importantly, even if they helped Zhu Xiaohu out of this mess, what’s to stop him from gambling again?
It wasn’t that people were heartless; it was simply that this situation was beyond help.
The burly cultivator sneered, “No? Then we’ll take your house as repayment.”
Uncle Zhu’s house was larger than Wang Chen’s and was undoubtedly worth more than five hundred spirit stones.
Hearing this, Uncle Zhu and his wife’s faces turned pale.
This house was their life’s savings, their haven in the outer regions. They had planned to pass it down through generations as a legacy for their descendants.
They couldn’t bear the thought of losing it to repay a gambling debt.
“Ah!”
Zhu Xiaohu, lying on the ground, took a brutal kick from the burly cultivator and slid forward across the dirt.
The crowd of onlookers quickly parted, and he ended up right in front of Wang Chen.
Seeing Wang Chen, Aunt Zhu’s eyes lit up as if she had found a lifeline: “Wang Chen, please help us! I’ll even kowtow to you—he’s my only son!”
With that, she dropped to her knees!
If anyone in this alley could come up with five hundred spirit stones, it would undoubtedly be Wang Chen.
Aunt Zhu didn’t know Wang Chen’s true wealth, but she knew he often sold charms at the marketplace, earning a tidy sum!
Wang Chen stepped aside, sighing, “Aunt, I’m afraid I can’t help you with this.”
Five hundred spirit stones? He could easily produce that amount.
But why should he?
They weren’t family, and the debt was from gambling—a gambler is beyond saving!
“Wang Chen!”
The burly cultivator bared his teeth at Wang Chen, “We meet again. Let’s settle Zhong Xing’an’s debt another time, shall we?”
Wang Chen smiled faintly.
He hadn’t expected to get dragged into this mess.
Counting today, this was the third time he’d crossed paths with this burly cultivator.
The first time, the man had tried to pin the previous homeowner’s debt on Wang Chen.
Then, after Wang Chen made a name for himself in Dongwu Town, the man had come crawling back to apologize.
Now, he was back to his old arrogant self!
Either he had the adaptability of a chameleon or some newfound backing that made him dismiss Wang Chen entirely.
The burly cultivator stomped on Zhu Xiaohu once more before turning to Uncle Zhu and his wife, “You have two days to move out. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow to take the house!”
“Let’s go!”
With that, he swaggered off with his gang in tow.
As he left, he shot Wang Chen a challenging glare!
Wang Chen’s expression remained unreadable.
To the onlookers, his calm demeanor seemed like fear.
His neighbor, Chen Qi, sidled up to him and whispered, “Wang Chen, I’ve heard the Sanjiang Association has allied with Lord Jin Snake Jun, the city lord’s brother-in-law. You really shouldn’t provoke them now.”
After a pause, he added, “If you have spirit stones, just count yourself unfortunate and let it go.”
Wang Chen smiled faintly. “I understand.”
Chen Qi wasn’t a bad person—just overly cautious and deeply afraid of gang members.
“Good, you understand.”
Chen Qi relaxed, “Consider it a loss to avoid disaster. Cultivation is hard enough; staying safe is what matters most.”
Meanwhile, Uncle Zhu and his wife helped their son back home.
Even after they closed the door, their mournful sobs could still be heard.
Without their house, the family of three would have no haven in Dongwu Town.
Their very survival was now in jeopardy!
The neighbors sighed and returned to their homes, and Wang Chen did the same.
He reached up and wiped his face.
The Thousand Transformations mask clung tightly to his skin, indistinguishable from real flesh—it even radiated warmth.
But in the next moment, Wang Chen’s appearance began to shift.
His lips turned as red as vermilion, his eyes as dark as lacquer, his face as smooth as jade—he now bore the visage of a strikingly handsome man!
