Borrowing Money

"I don't have any money right now."

Guo Jinchuan's expression turned unsightly, his tone carrying a hint of desperation: "Give me another half a month, and I'll have the money. I'll definitely pay you back with interest then!"

"Please, just give me a few more days."

"Heh, half a month?"

Tu Chuan let out a wicked laugh: "Guo Jinchuan, do you really take us for three-year-olds?"

"It took quite a bit of effort for us to track you down into Emerald Cloud Valley."

"Now that we've finally found you, you want us to grant you more time?"

"Today, it's either the money or one of your legs!"

Having said that, the two cast a glance at Shen Mu, their eyes filled with threats, as if warning him not to meddle in affairs that didn't concern him.

Shen Mu remained silent, merely stepping back without a word to signal that he would not be participating in this matter.

Guo Jinchuan's face turned deathly pale, and he trembled as he said: "Even if you break my leg, I still don't have the money to pay you back."

"I told you, in half a month I will naturally have the money. Even if you beat me to death right now, I don't have it."

Tu Chuan sneered coldly: "When you borrowed the money, you swore on your life that you would pay it back within a month."

"Now you're telling us that even if we beat you to death, you have no money?"

"Do you think our Money Gang runs a charity? That you can just borrow as you please and refuse to pay it back?"

Money Gang?

Shen Mu couldn't help but be startled. So these two fellows were from the Money Gang.

As far as he knew, money lending was one of the businesses under the Money Gang, and for that purpose, they specifically trained a group of martial artists to collect debts.

Presumably, these two were the ones specifically tasked with debt collection for the Money Gang.

Cao Xingyang sneered: "Guo Jinchuan, we've already been to your home. Your sister is quite a beauty. Since you can't pay, why not let your sister work at the Fragrant Shadow Pavilion for a while? I'm sure it won't take half a month to pay off your debt with interest. How about that?"

Guo Jinchuan's expression changed drastically, and he said in a deep voice: "I'm the one who borrowed the money; what does that have to do with my sister? If you dare to do anything to her, I, Guo Jinchuan, will fight you to the death."

"Fight?"

Tu Chuan looked at him with contempt and shook his head: "Guo Jinchuan, you're just an ordinary member of the Firewood Gang. Even your gang leader, Chai Song, wouldn't dare claim he could do anything to our Money Gang. Who do you think you are?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tu Chuan lunged forward. In an instant, he was right in front of Guo Jinchuan, throwing a punch.

Guo Jinchuan clearly hadn't expected Tu Chuan to strike so suddenly, and his face shifted in alarm.

However, it was already too late for him to dodge, and he could only throw a punch in a hurried attempt to block.

"Bang!"

Their fists collided, erupting with a dull thud.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of breaking bone echoed through the air.

"Ah!"

Guo Jinchuan's right arm couldn't withstand the overwhelming force of the blow. It fractured on the spot, and he let out a shrill scream of agony as he was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the ground.

Before Guo Jinchuan could even scramble to his feet, Tu Chuan stepped forward again, pinning his head firmly into the mud with his foot and grinding it down repeatedly.

"Ah! Spare me, please spare me! I'll pay, I'll pay!"

Guo Jinchuan's face was covered in blood as he struggled to beg for mercy.

"Hmph, you're only at the third level of Boiling Blood, yet you dare to trade blows with me? You truly are a fool who doesn't know when to die."

Tu Chuan looked down at him from above and said coldly: "Remember to use your brain before you speak next time, or I'm afraid I really won't be able to stop myself from slaughtering you."

"Three days. I'll give you three days. If I don't see the silver by then, your sister goes to the Fragrant Shadow Pavilion to entertain guests until your debt is paid in full!"

"Let's go!"

Tu Chuan lifted his foot, and he and Cao Xingyang turned and walked toward the valley entrance.

"Brother Guo, are you alright?"

Only after the two had gone far away did Shen Mu step forward to help him up.

Guo Jinchuan was in a wretched state; his right arm was broken, his face was marked with a muddy footprint, and his mouth was filled with dirt.

"I'm fine."

Guo Jinchuan shook his head, spat out the dirt, and stared at the retreating backs of Tu Chuan and his companion with venomous eyes.

"Brother Shen, do you have any silver on you right now? Could you lend me some?"

Guo Jinchuan withdrew his gaze and continued: "Don't worry, I'll have the silver in half a month, and I'll pay you back with interest then."

Shen Mu's face twitched upon hearing this.

This guy had been coming to see him every day, specifically trying to deepen their friendship—could it be that he was doing it all just to borrow money?

"Brother Guo, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I don't have any money on me either."

Shen Mu politely declined, not even mentioning how much money he had, choosing instead to refuse outright.

He knew well that once a borrower opens their mouth, they will climb up the pole like a snake; the moment you reveal how much you have, they will say they will borrow that much first and find others to make up the rest.

At that point, would he lend it or not?

Rather than putting himself in a difficult position, stating plainly that he had no money was the best approach.

Upon hearing this, Guo Jinchuan said with unconcealed reluctance, "Brother Shen, when we caught the Origin Cicada, everyone received seventy taels of silver. It has only been two months; have you already spent it all?"

Shen Mu seemed to have anticipated this and explained, "Brother Guo, you may not know, but the reason I was able to reach the second stage of Boiling Blood in just two months is primarily because I bought fifteen Blood Qi Pills to boost my blood qi..."

Hearing Shen Mu say this, Guo Jinchuan could not help but give him a deep, searching look.

He knew that Shen Mu was saying this simply because he did not want to lend him money.

Coming from an ordinary background, how could Shen Mu possibly be willing to spend money on Blood Qi Pills to boost his blood qi?

If he truly had the money to buy Blood Qi Pills, why would he need to train so diligently every single day?

Before this, he had harbored the same idea as Zhou Xuan: to secretly strike at Shen Mu and rob him of his silver.

In fact, his plan had been to make his move tonight.

With his cultivation at the third stage of Boiling Blood, dealing with Shen Mu at the second stage should have been child's play.

Especially now that most of the Guardians in the valley were away, even if Shen Mu wanted to call for help, no one could assist him; as for Luo Tao, who was only at the first stage of Boiling Blood, he was ignored entirely.

Yet, what he never expected was that the arrival of Tu Chuan and Cao Xingyang would disrupt his plans.

Now, with his right hand fractured, it would take at least a month for him to recover.

And Tu Chuan had only given him three days to scrape together the silver...

Meeting Guo Jinchuan's meaningful gaze, Shen Mu's heart skipped a beat, and a dark thought rose in his mind.

Could this guy have been getting close to him with the intention of robbing him?

Thinking it over carefully, Shen Mu kept his expression neutral, though he was already certain of it in his heart.

Guo Jinchuan had come for his silver!

His observation of Shen Mu's training over the past few days had been to gauge his current strength.

With the second stage of Boiling Blood that he had displayed, he would be no match for him...

In this world, what way of making money could be faster than robbery?

At this moment, Shen Mu felt a sense of relief.

The fact that Tu Chuan and Cao Xingyang had shown up unexpectedly had effectively resolved a crisis for him.

Otherwise, if Guo Jinchuan had attacked him, even if he managed to kill him in self-defense, it would have brought a mountain of trouble upon himself.

With so few Guardians currently in Emerald Cloud Valley, if Guo Jinchuan were to accidentally go missing, there would be no need for an investigation; the finger would point directly at him...

Especially since this guy was currently penniless and drowning in debt; even if he slaughtered him, he wouldn't gain a single benefit.

"Brother Shen, it is getting late, and my right arm is fractured. Could you accompany me to the medical clinic in Cloud Dragon County?"

Guo Jinchuan asked.