“We can lend money to the Cultivators in the sect, but we’ll charge interest, eight percent a year.”
Bai Machi didn’t understand Qian Duoduo’s explanation. “Why would they borrow our money?”
“Because they’ve got difficulties they can’t overcome,” Qian Duoduo said vaguely, not knowing much about the Immortal Cultivation World.
Wang Dahei, however, nodded. “Hmm, that makes sense. To advance, to win the major and minor competitions, to complete missions and survive, some people need to buy Medicinal Pills, some buy Magical Artifacts, some buy Talismans. They all need money. You think everyone is like us, unmotivated, intentionally stuck at Qi Condensation Level 3.”
Yi Xiaoyun frowned. “But our pockets are cleaner than our faces; we don’t have any money. Even if someone wanted to borrow, we wouldn’t have any to lend.”
Qian Duoduo shook his head. “We don’t need to have money. We just need the Gold Vault’s credit.”
“Tell me more…” Wang Dahei grabbed Qian Duoduo’s hand.
“As long as someone deposits money, we tell them that if they agree to let us manage their money, they not only don’t have to pay the two percent storage fee, but they can also get four percent interest. The premise is that their money is lent out.”
Lei Jiashu interjected from the side. “It sounds a bit confusing. Give an example, Junior Brother.”
“For example, if Senior Brother deposits ten thousand gold coins and agrees to let us manage his money. We lend out his ten thousand gold coins for one year, get eight hundred in interest, give four hundred to Senior Brother, two hundred to the sect for storage fees, and we still have two hundred net profit.”
“Borrowing a chicken to lay eggs, borrowing money to generate interest,” Yi Xiaoyun clapped his hands.
Lei Jiashu’s mouth dropped open. “Just by turning it over once, we earn two hundred? That’s almost my monthly Cultivation fee.”
“Let’s do it! Let’s do it! Let’s do it!” The other Senior Brothers all nodded.
With money, they could change from two dishes to four. Who would object?
“What if no one borrows our money?” Wang Dahei asked calmly.
“Then we just charge the normal two percent storage fee. He won’t lose anything either.”
Wang Dahei slapped his thigh. “Right. We won’t lose anything either. The sect won’t lose anything either.”
He turned to ask the other Senior Brothers. “What Junior Brother said seems to be the case, what do you all think?”
The other Senior Brothers all looked at him. “Senior Brother, you make the decision, we’ll all listen to you.”
Wang Dahei’s chest rose and fell, his eyes sweeping over everyone’s faces one by one. “Then we’ll try it, steadily, with safety first. To be honest, I also want to eat a few more dishes.”
“I’ll get the first batch of funds,” Qian Duoduo said, taking out the ten thousand gold coins he got from Kang Shenjun.
The hope of more dishes put fire wheels on the feet of the nine Senior and Junior Brothers, and cleaning the Gold Vault was two hours faster than usual.
After finishing their work, everyone waited in the hall for someone to come in and deposit money.
Nine pairs of eyes eagerly stared at the main door, like a pack of hungry wolves hunting on the prairie in the dark.
Finally, an orange figure slowly walked in.
“Inner Sect Disciple.” Qian Duoduo and his Senior Brothers exchanged glances, their eyes shining brightly.
Wang Dahei stepped forward. “Hello, Senior Brother.”
“Deposit money. Ten thousand gold coins.” This Inner Sect Senior Brother ignored his enthusiasm, his face long and sour.
“Senior Brother, the storage fee for depositing money for one year is two percent. However, we have a new service; if you agree to let us manage it and lend this money to others, Senior Brother not only doesn’t have to pay the storage fee but can also get four percent interest.” Wang Dahei smiled amiably, his eyes narrowed into slits.
“Lend it to others? What if they don’t return it? What if they die? Are you responsible for giving me the money?” The Inner Sect Senior Brother reprimanded. “Hurry up, I need to leave the sect.”
“Alright, alright, alright.” Wang Dahei’s warm face met with an icy backside, his smile immediately froze, sweat appeared on his forehead, and he took the token and money bag.
Qian Duoduo and the Senior Brothers stepped forward, counted the gold coins, the light in their eyes doused by ice water, extinguished completely.
After depositing the money, Wang Dahei returned the Inner Sect Senior Brother’s token with a fawning smile, holding it with both hands.
Snatching the token, the Inner Sect Senior Brother glared at Wang Dahei, turned and left the Gold Vault. Before exiting the door, he threw out a sentence, “Walk the straight path, don’t think about swindling money. The sect’s rules are strict.”
Although the figure had gone far, a cool breeze still drifted through the Gold Vault.
Yi Xiaoyun slumped on the counter, saying dejectedly, “The hope of adding dishes is gone. Let’s just accept our fate.”
Wang Dahei waved his hand. “This doesn’t count. Didn’t you hear him? He was in a hurry to leave the sect; he didn’t have the time or the mood to listen to us. Besides, how can it succeed right away? Formations have to be learned one by one, and this business has to be tried one by one, right? You have to learn from me; you need a thick skin. If someone kicks your left cheek, offer your right cheek, as long as he’s willing to deposit and borrow money.”
Bai Machi stood up. “Next person who comes to deposit money, I’ll receive him. I don’t believe I can’t convince him!”
“Me, me, me…” Qian Duoduo and the Senior Brothers raised their hands one after another.
Even Senior Brother is willing to let people kick his face, let alone us Junior Brothers?
Qian Duoduo thought carefully about what that Inner Sect Disciple had just said. “That Senior Brother just now also made a good point. We need to think of a way to guarantee the borrowed money comes back. Otherwise, the people who deposit money won’t feel at ease. If money that’s lent out really isn’t returned, even if they kill us, we still can’t pay it back.”
“How about we have the people who borrow money sign a Soul contract with us?” Wang Dahei asked after thinking for a long time.
Bai Machi tapped his head and said, “If they sign a contract and are alive, the money will definitely be repaid. But what if they die? For example, if they leave the sect and don’t return, or get trapped in some Secret Realm for hundreds of years? Even with a contract, we can’t get the money back.”
“It’s best if the person borrowing money pledges something to us when they borrow it. And the value of the pledged item should be double the amount of the money. This way, we won’t be afraid of them having accidents, nor will we be afraid of them reneging,” Wang Dahei said, biting his fist.
Qian Duoduo’s eyes lit up. “This is good, it’s double insurance. The person who borrowed the money repays the principal and interest, and then we return the pledged item to him. If it’s not repaid by the due date, we’ll sell the pledged item, which also covers the principal and interest.”
Yi Xiaoyun nodded. “I think it works. We’re holding their item here, and we haven’t even charged them a storage fee.”
Lei Jiashu chuckled. “We’re backed by the Gold Vault, so borrowing and repaying money, and pledging items, are all very safe.”
Hearing this, Wang Dahei began to pace in the hall, his heavy footsteps making a “thump-thump-thump” sound.
Every step was like stepping on their hearts.
“Have you calculated it? Our entire sect, Five Immortal Mountains, nearly a million Cultivators, how much money can they have in their hands, how many treasures? Just what this Gold Vault holds is an astonishing number,” Senior Brother’s voice grew louder.
Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother each picked up an abacus and started calculating, making “pa-pa-pa” sounds.
Before, they only focused on cleaning; they had never calculated this account.
“Being rejected by one person, that’s not a problem. I don’t believe that among these million Cultivators, there are none who aren’t short on money, none who don’t want to borrow money? As long as their Cultivation can advance a level after borrowing money, eight percent interest is nothing,” Senior Brother grew more excited as he spoke, waving his plump hands.
Senior Brother’s words were like a key, unlocking their minds. Advancing one level in Cultivation means at least a hundred more per month, which is twelve hundred more per year. Paying a bit of interest is easy and pleasant, isn’t it?
Yi Xiaoyun raised his hand and said, “I just did a rough calculation, the gold coins in our Gold Vault are no less than thirty billion.”
“It should be higher than fifty billion,” Bai Machi said, still looking down and fiddling with the abacus.
“Not fifty billion, not thirty billion, just one hundred billion. Two percent of one hundred billion is two hundred million.”
Wang Dahei’s two large round eyes were like two large furnaces, spewing fire and light.
Two hundred million! At their Senior and Junior Brothers’ current Cultivation fees, without eating or drinking, they’d have to work for over six thousand years.
Qian Duoduo and the Senior Brothers were all petrified. But their hearts had already been ignited by Senior Brother’s fire and light.
Just then, Senior Brother reached into his pocket, pulled out a vibrating Jade Slip, and placed it on his forehead.
“Elder Bi wants to deposit money. Who will go and retrieve the money?” Senior Brother asked.
“I’ll go,” Qian Duoduo quickly stood out. His Senior Brothers had been busy all day, he needed to make some contribution.
“Junior Brother, convince Elder Bi to agree to lend out the money,” Senior Brother walked up to him and said in a deep voice.
His plump hand was like a black boulder, pressing down on Qian Duoduo’s shoulder.
Qian Duoduo stumbled, almost falling. This task was too arduous!