[Healing: Low-tier skill. Double-click to learn. Consumes 50 faith points or mental energy to heal injuries.] [Divine Control: Double-click to use. Can be advanced. Consumes 1,000 faith points or a large amount of mental energy to make a target act according to your will. The higher the target's tier, the lower the success rate. Targets of the same tier can be controlled with 100% success. Consumes 1,000 faith points or a certain amount of mental energy per minute. For every tier the host is above or below the target, faith consumption per minute is halved or increased by 50%, respectively.]
"So powerful."
"With Divine Control, as long as I have enough faith, I can control anyone at my tier. Then I can do whatever I want."
Zeng Shen gave Healing a quick glance before the Divine Control talent card caught his attention.
He immediately learned it.
While he was at it, he learned Healing too.
When the RV stopped at the Spirit Gathering Building, Zeng Shen closed the lottery wheel and went upstairs to find Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong for dinner. They also spent some time discussing where to shoot their Hanfu videos to attract views and followers.
On the first day, Zeng Shen earned two hundred survival points at Li Yuqing's place, then began his usual day-long point grind.
He triggered no first-time rewards that day and earned only 2,210 survival points.
The second day.
After his routine sweep of the nearby area, Zeng Shen made a circuit through the south, north, and east of the city, earning 30 survival points before driving toward the west.
But instead of heading straight to the western docks, he went to a bank headquarters nearby to meet Liu Miao.
About twenty minutes later.
Zeng Shen sent Liu Miao a voice message.
"I'm almost there. Where are you?"
Liu Miao quickly replied with a voice message:
"I just got to the bank entrance. You're almost here? Then I'll wait for you before going in."
"Okay."
Zeng Shen ended the call and drove up to the bank entrance about thirty seconds later.
Liu Miao stood outside the bank in a tight, pale red dress that beautifully accentuated her tall, voluptuous figure, her jade-like curves carrying the ripe allure of a peach.
Below the hem, her long, shapely legs were wrapped in silky black stockings that gleamed enticingly in the sunlight.
"That kitty Liu definitely dressed up for this."
Muttering to himself, Zeng Shen parked in an empty space nearby and got out.
Liu Miao was a little surprised to see Zeng Shen step out of such an enormous Wuling RV.
She approached with a smile, naturally drawing close and linking her arm through his as she spoke with the warmth of an older girl from next door:
"Zeng Shen, your RV is so cool. A few years ago, I wanted to buy one like this too, so I could travel around our country's historic sites and scenic spots."
[Warning: The host has been restrained by a tier-three water deity. Break free and escape immediately to avoid sinking into a mire and becoming enslaved.]
Hearing the notification, Zeng Shen inwardly rolled his eyes.
Then.
In a show of defiance, he leaned against Liu Miao's proud, jade-like curves, savoring the softness of the mire before saying, "That sounds great. I've been thinking the same thing. Why don't we go together sometime?"
Liu Miao hadn't expected Zeng Shen to be even bolder than she was. Her cheeks reddened slightly, but she still smiled with the same neighborly warmth:
"Sure. Once my company gets through this crisis and I have some free time, I'll go sightseeing with you two and unwind-as long as your little girlfriend doesn't mind."
"Haha, it's a deal." Zeng Shen smiled. "Come on, Liu Miao. Let's go in and take care of business."
"All right."
Still naturally holding Zeng Shen's arm, Liu Miao walked inside with him. Meanwhile, in a van tucked into a corner not far away, a pair of eyes behind dark sunglasses watched them intently.
When Zeng Shen and Liu Miao entered the bank, the lobby manager, who clearly knew Liu Miao well, came straight over.
"You're here again, Liu Miao. It's not that I don't want to lend you money, but headquarters really doesn't have that much available to lend you right now," the lobby manager said.
Liu Miao nodded in understanding. "I know. But I think your head office president will definitely approve a loan for me this time."
As she spoke, Liu Miao kept her arm linked with Zeng Shen's and continued toward the president's office at the back of the bank.
As soon as they entered, a smartly dressed woman in a suit, who looked about fifty, raised her head slightly from her seat and greeted Liu Miao politely:
"Ms. Liu, when did you arrive? You should have let me know so I could come out to meet you."
Liu Miao brought Zeng Shen over and sat in the chairs before the president's desk. Without bothering with pleasantries, she handed over the folder she was carrying.
"President Li, I'll get straight to the point. I'd like to use this as security for a loan from your bank. Could you take a look and see if that's possible?"
President Li adjusted her glasses, her face betraying no unnecessary emotion, and slowly reached out to take the file and open it.
A look of surprise immediately crossed her face.
"A seven-hundred-million-yuan risk agreement, signed by Mr. Shi of Jinhai Jewelry, the largest jewelry company in the city. Who did he sign it with? Hmm? Who is Zeng Shen? I've never heard of him. This isn't fake, is it?"
"You must be joking, President," Liu Miao said. "The man beside me is Zeng Shen. He signed this agreement with Mr. Shi a few days ago. You can call to verify its authenticity."
President Li took a more serious look at Zeng Shen.
When she had seen Liu Miao come in holding his arm, she had assumed he was some pretty boy Liu Miao was keeping and hadn't bothered to look at him properly.
It turned out this casually dressed young man wasn't some kept boy at all. He seemed to be a powerful backer!
"All right. Please wait a moment," President Li said. She picked up her phone, found Shi Mingqiang on WeChat, and started a video call.
The Trade Tower.
Shi Mingqiang sat in his office, happily listening to his advisory team's suggestions on how to give the Green Dew Imperial Jade the greatest possible publicity and use it to earn a cool hundred million.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He reached over and answered.
President Li appeared on the screen.
"Hello, President Li. What can I do for you?"
"Here's the situation, Mr. Shi. Did you sign a seven-hundred-million-yuan risk agreement with a young man named Zeng Shen?"
The moment he heard the head office president of Zhaotou Bank ask that question, Shi Mingqiang's delight vanished.
He knew her call meant that his niece's husband was about to pledge his entire fortune as security for that woman, Liu Miao.
Shi Mingqiang took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. I signed a seven-hundred-million-yuan risk agreement with him, backed by everything I own."
"Mr. Shi, I'm now recording the audio and video of this call. He wants to use this agreement as security for Ms. Liu Miao. Do you consent?"
Shi Mingqiang desperately wanted to refuse, but at the thought of the Green Dew Imperial Jade's value, he answered decisively, "I consent. He can borrow however much that agreement can secure."
"All right, I understand. The conversation we just had will be uploaded to the loan documentation for this agreement. If you're sure there are no issues, I'll continue discussing it with them. I'll also send you an electronic document shortly for you to sign."
"Okay."
The president ended the call. A smile suddenly spread across her previously meticulous expression as she addressed Zeng Shen and Liu Miao:
"The agreement has been verified. It can indeed be used as security. How much would you like to borrow?"
"I'd like to borrow a hundred million. How much interest would I have to pay after a year?" Liu Miao asked.
"Eight percent. The principal and interest must be repaid in full after one year."
"What did you say?" Zeng Shen, who had remained silent until now, suddenly demanded loudly.
"Eight percent." The president sounded a little uncertain. After all, she had quoted a rate two percentage points too high.
"No, the next part," Zeng Shen said.
"The principal and interest must be repaid in full after one year."