Chapter 302

Chapter 302: The Greatest Creditor of Haotu Sect

For the new outer disciples of Haotu Sect, the first month after entering the sect means no morning classes, no participation in sect tasks, and no trips to practice spells at Ziwang and Lingxin Peaks. If you become lax because of these exemptions, just wait for the classes to start and see how others will surpass you!

Competition within the sect has always been fierce, with nearly forty thousand outer disciples eyeing each other like hungry wolves, all putting in their best efforts to adapt to the atmosphere of Haotu Sect. Seven or eight of them feel resentful and unhappy.

They want to see what makes the one hundred twenty-eight disciples who directly entered the inner sect so special. Among these, twenty-three turned out to be personal disciples, and they have no need to hide their feelings of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Li Hui also kept himself busy, but his focus lay in a different direction.

First, he gathered information. Haotu Sect had endless tasks every day, and the elders and true disciples needed to meditate and practice; they had no time to search for cultivation resources. Depending on the difficulty of the task, they would pay Sect Points and require disciples to search for them.

Through investigations by Song Zining, he listed all the needs of the sect’s elders and true disciples, and Li Hui started frantically searching through the storeroom. Having a Master who liked to hoard items made it easy to earn Sect Points without hesitation.

During this process, he became acquainted with many rare items, and his knowledge rose like water level.

On the fifth day, Li Hui laughed heartily, “I finally found it! Borrowing is all about connections. Elder Xu Mao published a task to find the Earthly Commander’s palm, and Master has just the one stored here. He once borrowed the Dripping Gold Crystal from Master, so in Master’s tone, he can write a letter to offer the Earthly Commander’s palm in exchange for a Golden Jade Peach. Naturally, the loan is void now! Old brothers, let’s deepen our bonds along the way.”

Li Maocai was in seclusion, but he could still think clearly; otherwise, how would he have gone to Xuanwu Great Hall to take on disciples? So writing the letter was not a problem.

In just two hours, the Earthly Commander’s palm was placed on Elder Xu Mao’s desk. Looking at the note written by his disciple, the old fellow sneered, “The dead come back to bargain—he thinks he can trade a loan note and a palm for a Golden Jade Peach. Good calculation.”

One of his disciples said, “Master, you won’t agree to him, will you? Li Maocai still has ten years left. No, maybe he won’t last that long; if he can’t break through…”

“Fool! What if he breaks through? Right now, Li Maocai is at his most dangerous. He has so many properties he doesn’t manage, worried that while he is in seclusion, someone might seize the opportunity to take over. He finally accepted a disciple this time. If we continue to obstruct him, he will flip out immediately.”

“Hmph, he’s been holding on for so many years and still hasn’t died. He’s trying to pop out to trade for a peach, definitely because of the new disciple he took in.” The disciple frowned.

Xu Mao pondered for a moment and said, “Let him have it for now. We’ll monitor the situation and watch his new disciple closely. The sect leader’s wife has always wanted the Water Moon Mirror Sky, which may not be outside the sect leader’s wishes. If it weren’t for the special nature of the Mirror Lake faction, it wouldn’t have been delayed until today.”

The disciples’ faces darkened further, their fists clenched, as they also desired Golden Jade Peaches!

Li Hui remained unaware of Xu Mao and his disciples’ reactions. He took out three loan documents written on jade tablets and mimicked Master Li Maocai’s tone and handwriting to write the letter.

The study was filled with many notes he could reference, and imitating the writing style was very easy for a talisman maker skilled at crafting thousands of talismans. After stamping it with his Master’s seal, the task was accomplished.

“Zining, deliver this letter to the banks of Xianheng, Tianyou, and Xining. These three banks have branches within the sect. Ask their main managers to help gather Mixed-colored Miao Jade— the more, the better. Those shops, wineries, and mountain residences should stir up the money they owe each year,” Li Hui instructed. Having worked as an accountant before, he knew that mobilizing such large sums of money wasn’t easy. Hence, he used the excuse of paying off personal debts to expedite his request.

Those in charge of the properties were unreliable. After many years, there were bound to be many tricks to evade accounting audits, and each step needed to be managed carefully!

Li Hui had a treasure cabinet of his own, serving as a treasury that could hold countless Miao Jade, so he didn’t need anyone to manage his money. Whatever he could grab, he would secure quickly. In his bold mindset, being wasteful shouldn’t be like his Master, but should reach new heights and standards.

Continuing to clear out the inventory to offset the sect tasks for more Sect Points, Elder Xu Mao sent a Golden Jade Peach his way.

With the ninth Golden Jade Peach in hand, Li Hui felt greatly encouraged and set his sights on an elder named Tian Maosheng.

Reusing the same old trick, he planned to use something Tian desperately needed as a bargaining chip, then bring up the loan matter, mentioning the new disciples while complaining that the old brothers hadn’t come to congratulate him on the new recruit, blaming his frequent seclusions. The plan was to appeal to Tian’s sympathy and trade for another peach.

In a deep cave, “Smack!” Tian Maosheng slammed the table, breaking it into pieces.

“What an outrageous reason! How audacious was Li Maocai back in the day? If it weren’t for the sect leader pressing him down, Haotu Sect would have turned upside down! Now with half his neck buried in the dirt, he still dares to bring up the loan. That was forced upon me by him; what a disgrace! Wasn’t it just breaking a sect rule? Only the Mirror Lake faction treats Chicken Feathers as commands!”

Having calmed himself after a moment of venting, Tian Maosheng suddenly changed his expression and muttered to himself, “Wait, there must be a deeper meaning in his actions—is he about to break through? Or is he already seeing hope? No, we can’t be careless! That old fellow was once so arrogant; if he succeeds…”

Succeeding again proved his suspicious nature good! If he wasn’t so suspicious, Li Hui wouldn’t have obtained the tenth Golden Jade Peach. However, he remained unaware of this.

Claiming debts is a skill; as long as the other party has something to offer, it can evolve into an exchange or transaction. After achieving success with both elders, the new disciples of the Mirror Lake faction became even bolder! The entire sect began to panic.

“Old man! Isn’t he in seclusion? Why is he meddling in our Earth Refining faction? If he can’t get the Golden Jade Peach, he actually demands we repay his so-called loan with artifact fragments and treasures—he’s belittling us! Who doesn’t know how those loan notes from the Mirror Lake faction work?”

“Damn it, the Mirror Lake faction is being too outrageous. Back then, I only pressured one female cultivator…”

“Outrageous Li Maocai! He still remembers that incident from two hundred years ago. How did I let him seize my weak spot back then?”

Li Hui observed that his Master showed no response, indicating an agreement to the debt collection. So, why hold back? He might as well dig up those loan notes from hundreds of years ago and let them bask in the sun.

It doesn’t matter if ancestors are buried in the earth; there’s a saying, ‘A son must repay his father’s debts.’ When you fall, you must rise again, even if it means shedding tears to pay off debts.

In just ten days, Li Hui received eight Golden Jade Peaches, making it a total of sixteen when added to the eight from the storeroom. He had already gathered half of the thirty-three he needed and thought he might approach the Golden Jade Peach Tree soon, though as a newcomer to Haotu Sect, there was no need to rush.

Of course, collecting Sect Points could also pay off debts, and it came with a twenty percent discount, causing the numbers on his command token to soar quickly.

As night fell, a handsome accountant snapped his abacus with “crack, crack” sounds, laughing, “Being a personal disciple is delightful—look at me mastering the Haotu Sect!”