Me! Ye Li! Hand Over the Money!

On Yunjin Street, Ye Li looked at Peng Ke, who was wearing a warm smile.

Although the man's attitude was incredibly friendly, Ye Li did not underestimate him.

This man's blood and qi were no less than his own; he had already stepped into the Body Tempering Realm.

Considering his status as an ordinary gang member, being able to squeeze out the time and money for cultivation while living on a monthly allowance of three taels meant he was either exceptionally resourceful or possessed an astonishing will.

Therefore, Ye Li spoke politely, "Then I'll be counting on Brother Peng's support in the future. As a newly promoted core disciple, I'm still ignorant of the gang's rules and will need your guidance."

Seeing Ye Li's excellent attitude, Peng Ke felt a weight lift from his heart.

It seemed this genius wasn't the type to look down on others; he wouldn't have to worry about how to get along with him after all.

As a veteran who had spent over a decade in the gang, he had seen plenty of core disciples who, upon breaking through, became arrogant and treated the lower-level members like dirt, prone to beating and scolding them at the slightest provocation.

He had even been thinking that if this genius had a foul temper, he would apply for a transfer to another street to avoid trouble!

Thinking of this, his smile became even more sincere. "Don't worry, don't worry! If you have any questions in the future, just come and ask me. I guarantee I'll explain everything clearly to you!"

"Alright, you go on with your business."

Feng Yue waved his hand at Peng Ke, his attitude incredibly casual.

The gang's hierarchy was strict, and the gap between ordinary and core disciples was massive.

The former were expendable resources, while the latter were the future!

A core disciple could kill an ordinary member at will and, at most, receive a light reprimand; they would still dare to do it again next time!

Even though they were both in the Body Tempering Realm, Peng Ke still had to bow respectfully when he saw Feng Yue.

Seeing Feng Yue's impatience, Peng Ke understood and cupped his hands. "Then I won't disturb you two any further. If you need anything, just give the word."

Watching Peng Ke's retreating back, Feng Yue offered a piece of advice:

"These old foxes are the best at climbing the ladder, but having them handle certain tasks makes things much easier. You have plenty of potential, so he wouldn't dare to play you false!"

"I understand," Ye Li nodded.

"I've brought you up to speed on everything you need to know. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Feng Yue raised an eyebrow. "If you have any questions, ask them quickly. I still have to get back to the gang and keep an eye on those brats!"

Ye Li pondered for a moment before asking, "What does our gang actually do? What kind of industries do we have in total?"

"Why are you asking about that?" Feng Yue gave Ye Li a strange look.

"Basically, we have a hand in all the businesses, big and small, in the east and south of Guangming City: security, armed escorts, gambling dens, land deeds, brothels, trade, usury, selling goods..."

Feng Yue listed a long string of ventures. As a hegemon of Guangming City, after decades of development, the Azure Dragon Gang had infiltrated both the underworld and the legitimate business world!

Or rather, if you wanted to do business in Guangming, you had to deal with the Azure Dragon Gang and let them have a slice of the pie!

Ye Li listened carefully to Feng Yue's explanation and quickly picked up on a term. "What's the deal with this usury? What's the annual interest rate?"

"About fifty percent, I suppose," Feng Yue said simply, causing Ye Li to gasp. "That much? A 50% annual rate!"

One had to know that the Great Xia regulations stipulated that monthly interest could not exceed 3% (an annual rate of 42.58%), so this was clearly illegal... Oh, wait, this was a gang; that was fine then.

"Why are you so shocked?" Feng Yue said, speechless.

"This is nothing! The Poison Wolf Gang in the North City charges 30% monthly interest on their 'King of Hell' debts. Compared to them, we're practically running a charity!"

"We still have to worry about whether those who borrow money can pay it back. Many people want to borrow but don't even have the connections to do so."

Hearing about the Poison Wolf Gang, Ye Li realized that they really were no different from a charity.

After all, as the two titans of Guangming, the Azure Dragon Gang focused on the legitimate side of things while dipping their fingers into everything, whereas the Poison Wolf Gang occupied the most chaotic West City and engaged in everything, including human trafficking.

Compared to the Poison Wolf Gang, his own Azure Dragon Gang was truly as compassionate as a Buddha!

"Why do you want to know about this?" Feng Yue narrowed his eyes.

Ye Li gave a slightly embarrassed laugh.

"Do you know any brothers in the gang who handle usury? I want to borrow a few tens of thousands of taels of silver. Since we're all family, maybe the interest could be lower and the repayment period longer?"

Yes, Ye Li was already prepared to leverage his martial arts potential—he was going to borrow his way to the top!

Feng Yue's brows knitted together instantly. "Silver! Tens of thousands of taels? Do you think the gang prints money? Why are you messing with this?"

"I've been poor for too long. I can't afford Body Tempering Pill, and I want to take one every day."

Ye Li said as if it were only natural, "We're all brothers here; surely you aren't afraid I won't pay you back!"

Feng Yue didn't know how many times he had been rendered speechless today.

He never expected that the first thing this god-like genius Ye Li would do after becoming a core disciple was to ask him about the ins and outs of loan sharking.

But only Ye Li knew how terrifying he was, possessing an experience bar without any bottlenecks.

As long as he had enough medicinal pills, it would be a sign of laziness if he didn't break through to the Post-Heaven Realm within a year.

After seeing that even Lu Xiuyuan could take a Body Tempering Pill every day, Ye Li was ready to put his own brain to work.

He was a god-like genius, not a fool!

Genius only represents future potential; what others respect is the self of the future.

Only by converting potential into strength as early as possible is the right path.

With an interest rate of only 50%, by the time repayment is due, his combat power will have increased more than tenfold. This deal is not a loss at all!

After experiencing the bias of the Law Enforcement Hall and receiving pills from Wang Xian, Ye Li has deeply understood the nature of this world.

Those with strength and talent find everything convenient!

So...

An incense stick later, under the introduction of Feng Yue, Ye Li arrived at Wantong Textile, the place in the gang that handles usury.

"I! A genius! Want to borrow money!"

"Hiss..."

Ji Yu scratched his head as he looked at the smiling youth before him, then turned his head to look at Feng Yue and asked, "Old Feng, how much is this brother planning to borrow?"

"Borrow as much as you have!" Ye Li said decisively, then added with a smile, "Though the interest rate needs to be lower."

"Tsk..." Dealing with a core disciple of the gang for the first time, Ji Yu was also in a bit of a bind:

"According to market rates, at the early stage of Body Tempering, you can borrow at most five hundred taels, with an annual interest rate of 50%."

"Early stage of Body Tempering, then how much can be borrowed at the middle stage?" Ye Li asked curiously.

Ji Yu answered without a second thought: "At the middle stage, you can borrow 2,000!"

"However, seeing as you are one of our own brothers and have a stable monthly income of dozens of taels, even though you are only at the early stage, the limit can be raised to one thousand taels. As for the interest, I'll give you a discount: an annual rate of 30%, with interest paid monthly."

"No problem!" Ye Li agreed immediately!

Having established a genius persona and cultivated his credit score for so long, shouldn't he cash in heavily at this very moment?

His decisiveness, however, made Feng Yue, who was standing to the side, unable to sit still: "No, aren't you going to haggle? You're agreeing this easily?"

Ye Li looked at Feng Yue speechlessly. What was the old guy muttering about?

He only knew that once this money came through, he could reach the middle stage of Body Tempering in a little over a month. By then, he could borrow another sum, which would be enough for him to break through to the Post-Heaven Realm.

Once he reached the Post-Heaven Realm, became an elder, and held shares in the gang, wouldn't everything in the gang belong to him, Ye Li?

What was this talk of repaying money?

He borrowed the money based on his own ability; why should he pay it back?

Wasn't that just a benefit provided by the gang to support the cultivation of genius disciples?

Why would he need to repay any money?

Of course, although he had calculated everything perfectly in his mind, Ye Li could not show it on his face.

At the very least, before reaching the Post-Heaven Realm, he had to demonstrate a good willingness to repay.