Chapter 168: Gentle Breeze Brushes the Spirit Tree

When Mingyue Palace was eradicated by that black-clothed Hedao cultivator, many other similar organizations were also uprooted alongside it. Li Fan had speculated at the time that these organizations didn't just appear by imitating Mingyue Palace after witnessing its thriving "Law-Crossing Grand Endeavor." Instead, they were already involved in lending businesses and only began to emulate Mingyue Palace after seeing its enormous annual profits.

If such organizations existed in Daoyuan State, they should naturally also be present in the Congyun Sea. To get rich quickly, one needs leverage. Li Fan intended to capitalize on the drastic fluctuations in the price of Spirit Mist Grass to make a significant profit, which naturally required the assistance of these lending organizations.

However, both previously and in this life, Li Fan had made extensive inquiries but failed to find any trace of them. Clearly, this organization operated with extreme caution. Therefore, Li Fan went to He Zheng-hao to sound him out. As expected, He Zheng-hao did not disappoint him.

"Fellow Daoist, before you go to Qingfeng Hall, you'd better reconsider," He Zheng-hao advised. "They won't lend you contribution points for free. You'll have to pay a high annual interest rate of eighteen percent. If you make a profit, that interest can be quickly paid off. But if you incur losses..." He Zheng-hao's eyelids twitched. "You might end up working for free for those guys for over a decade."

Li Fan cupped his hands. "I've noted your warning, Fellow Daoist. But please rest assured, I know what I'm doing. I won't trouble you further. Let's talk again next time." With that, Li Fan returned to Wanxian Island via a teleportation array.

He headed straight for Qingfeng Hall. He finally found it in a corner of Wanxian Island's outermost region. It was inconspicuous, indistinguishable from an ordinary small shop. Li Fan activated a Concealment Talisman and entered.

A rather disheveled-looking old man was sleeping on a lounge chair behind the counter. Even with a customer entering, he didn't open his eyes. He remained with his eyes closed, rocking in his chair. Following He Zheng-hao's instructions, Li Fan took out the dark green jade token.

"Thump, thump, thump." The old man tapped the counter three times. The dark green jade token emitted a faint glow, forming a doorway. Li Fan looked around for a moment, then stepped through the door. His figure vanished, and the green door-like image disappeared with him. As for the old man, his posture remained unchanged from beginning to end. It was as if no one had ever visited Qingfeng Hall.

The surroundings first plunged into darkness, then lit up again. Li Fan looked around and found himself under a large tree. The effect of the Concealment Talisman he had just activated was surprisingly dispelled instantly. The tree was lush, its leaves resembling jade, emitting a lustrous glow. However, on its trunk, a human face appeared.

It stared at Li Fan and asked, "Who introduced you, and what is your purpose here?" Li Fan faced the tree-face and clearly stated, "He Zheng-hao, the guardian of Liuli Island, introduced me. I want to borrow something from your Qingfeng Hall."

The tree-face's reaction seemed a bit slow. After Li Fan finished speaking, it took a long time for it to reply: "A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator can borrow up to thirty thousand contribution points. The annual interest is sixteen percent, and you can choose your repayment method. The maximum deferral period is no more than ten years." The tree-face slowly introduced Qingfeng Hall's services to Li Fan, sentence by sentence.

After it finished, Li Fan spoke with some dissatisfaction: "How can I only borrow thirty thousand contribution points in total? That's not nearly enough. I'm a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator at twenty-nine, with boundless prospects. Can't I get a bit more favorable treatment?"

The tree-face tried hard to widen its eyes, scrutinizing Li Fan. After observing for a while, it finally said, "You can borrow up to forty thousand contribution points." Li Fan grew somewhat impatient. "Only an extra ten thousand contribution points? That's too stingy!"

"When I was in Yuandao State, I was only a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, but I could borrow seventy to eighty thousand contribution points from Mingyue Palace in one go! How can your Qingfeng Hall be so much worse? Brother Tree, can you even make decisions? Or should we talk to someone who can?" Li Fan said nonchalantly, yet subtly glancing in a certain direction.

The branches above swayed on their own without wind, and the green leaves rustled softly. The tree-face stared blankly at Li Fan. Li Fan, fearless, stared back at the tree-face. After a long pause, the tree-face slowly spoke: "Fifty thousand, no more."

Li Fan put on a look of great regret, then said, "Oh, right. What I want to borrow isn't contribution points; it's Spirit Mist Grass. Can you lend that?" He blinked, staring at the tree-face.

The invisible wind seemed to intensify. The branches and leaves swayed even more violently. "Yes. For physical items, it's not calculated by interest, but by the quantity borrowed," the tree-face said grimly, in a muffled voice. "If returned within the first year, you must return 130% of the borrowed quantity. For the second year, it's 160%. For the third year, it's 200%. You can only borrow for a maximum of three years."

Li Fan was shocked, exclaiming, "That's so extortionate!" But seeing the tree-face's displeased expression, he immediately chose to keep quiet.

He then started to haggle again: "If I'm borrowing items, can I borrow a bit more?" The tree-face ignored Li Fan. Seeing this, Li Fan regretfully gave up.

"So, how many Spirit Mist Grass plants can I borrow now?" he asked. "Two thousand seven hundred plants," the tree-face said in a muffled voice. Li Fan mumbled a few words, unclear what he was saying.

"Alright! I'll borrow them! What are the procedures?" Li Fan seemed to have made up his mind. A green leaf slowly floated down from above, landing in front of Li Fan. As he took it into his hand, lines of information immediately appeared in his mind. It was precisely the terms Li Fan had just agreed upon with the tree-face. "If you agree, simply refine this green leaf with your spiritual power."

Li Fan nodded, then enveloped the green leaf with his spiritual power. The leaf was instantly refined, and a faint, almost invisible green leaf pattern appeared on the inner side of Li Fan's left arm. "Once the debt is repaid, the tree contract will disappear on its own. Please wait a moment, I will send the Spirit Mist Grass you borrowed." After the tree-face finished speaking, it vanished from the tree trunk, its whereabouts unknown.

Li Fan took this opportunity to look up and examine the large tree. The tree-face's strength felt strange to him. It was clearly much stronger than a Nascent Soul True Monarch, but significantly weaker than a Soul Transformation Immortal Lord. Moreover, there were no traces of array formations in this space; it seemed naturally formed. Li Fan observed his surroundings with great interest.

After a while, the tree-face reappeared. It opened its mouth and spat out a storage ring. "All the Spirit Mist Grass is inside. The transaction is complete, you may leave. Remember to repay your debt on time, otherwise..." Before Li Fan could speak, the tree-face expelled him from the space.

Under the large tree, wisps of green light converged, forming a hazy green figure. "Borrowing so much Spirit Mist Grass? Interesting," a clear female voice emanated from it. "Could it be that the price of Spirit Mist Grass will fall further? Ah Liu, keep an eye on things recently." The tree-face responded in a muffled voice, "Understood, Miss." "Miss, that guy was really annoying just now." The green figure chuckled softly. "He was indeed annoying. But then, which peer is this 'Mingyue Palace'? I've never heard of them."