The calm early morning breeze drifted across the scarlet bean garden, causing the scarlet bean plants to sway gently. Standing in the midst of the scarlet bean garden was an astonished Rowan staring at the floating window in front of him.
---[ Members ]---
You (Sect Leader)
Shengxi Yuan (First Sect Member)
"Huh?? How?" Rowan asked, clearly confused.
He could still recall the enraged expression on Shengxi Yuan's face when she learned the name of his sect. It was a look filled with extreme disgust, anger, and hatred—so intense that not even in his wildest dreams would he have imagined someone with such a reaction eventually joining his sect, especially given its current state.
"What made her change her mind?" Rowan wondered aloud.
Was it out of pity? Did she discover something that caused her to rethink her decision, or had she simply decided…?
The more Rowan pondered this, the deeper his confusion grew.
He even consulted the system, yet as usual it remained silent, further spiking the frustration he felt at that moment.
"Well, who cares why she joined?" Rowan shrugged. "Because she joined, I've been able to unlock the true sect building system and can now focus properly on rebuilding the sect and correcting its bad reputation—so there's no need to fuss about why she joined."
With that affirmation, Rowan smiled and clenched his fist, determination boiling in his eyes.
But the moment was short-lived, for Rowan soon spotted three men dressed in sky-blue robes with a golden bull insignia embedded on the chest pocket area of their robes.
"Golden bull loan house!!" Rowan shivered uncontrollably as he recognized the insignia at first sight.
The three men wearing the golden bull insignia strolled casually into the scarlet bean garden, their faces displaying no emotion as their eyes quickly zeroed in on Rowan's.
When their eyes locked with his, they glared coldly, sending shivers down Rowan's spine.
"I told you guys he wouldn't dare run off with our money," one of them muttered to his colleagues, releasing a relieved sigh.
"No one has ever had the guts to run off with our money—even sect masters from renowned sects, who have borrowed millions in gold coins, wouldn't dare because of our vast network of debt collectors spread across the continent," another replied, adding, "But this guy is the sect leader of the most useless sect in the world, if he dares escape, the little reputation remaining of his sect will vanish the moment we are finished with him."
"Your customer didn't run off with the money, but can he actually pay it back?" the last one asked.
The first speaker's expression briefly showed worry at the question before he quickly returned to his composed demeanor.
The three continued strolling casually toward Rowan, their eyes locked on him, unshaken and unmoving.
'Fuck!! I don't even have a single gold coin to my name right now, how on earth am I going to pay back fifty thousand? I'm finished! What should I do?'
Rowan's mind raced as he watched the three men drawing ever closer. From their increasing proximity, he could already feel their threatening aura pressing down on him, growing stronger with every step they took.
The sensation was hard to describe—it felt as though he were caught between a burning furnace and a chilling ice wall.
Running away had become one option, but how could Rowan—a fat, non-cultivator—possibly escape from three seasoned cultivators? It would be as absurd as a tortoise attempting to outrun a cheetah.
With no other options available, Rowan stood his ground and awaited their arrival.
His fate at that moment would depend entirely on the outcome of their conversation.
"Good morning, honourable Golden Bull men. I hope you're enjoying this splendid morning," Rowan greeted them with a wide smile on his face as they arrived.
The three Golden Bull debt collectors nodded, pride evident in every gesture.
"You spotted us from afar and didn't entertain the foolish notion of running away, that is impressive," the one in the middle replied.
'Of course I wanted to run—after all, which debtor wouldn't be tempted to flee from debt collectors?' Rowan seethed inwardly, though he maintained a calm smile as he replied, "Which fool would ever think of running from the great Golden Bull debt collectors?"
They chuckled briefly at his response before instantly returning to a serious tone. Moments later, the one in the middle spoke up, "You took a loan from our loan house a week ago and promised to repay it unfailingly by yesterday, yet we haven't heard from you. We've come this morning to learn why you decided to disrespect our loan house in such a manner."
"Disrespect the Golden Bull Loan House? I wouldn't dare," Rowan responded evenly.
"Then why the delay? Have you forgotten our deal?" they pressed.
The deal in question was that Rowan would give away the scarlet bean garden and every other property registered in the name of the Scarlet Bean Sect. Of course, Rowan would never forget such an arrangement—it was his only lifeline in this world.
"I haven't forgotten our deal, but there was some miscalculation and miscommunication on my end, hence the delay," he explained.
"What."
The debt collectors glared coldly at Rowan and unleashed threatening auras that forced him to take several steps backward, overcome by the fear and oppression radiating from them. Sweat trickled down his face even in the cool hours of the morning.
'They're pissed off now, I'm finished!' Rowan thought inwardly, as even breathing became a struggle under the weight of their oppressive presence.
They did not cease emanating their aura for the next three minutes, determined to show Rowan just how strong they were and to warn him against any further disrespect or disobedience.
During those three tense minutes, Rowan calculated his next words, desperate to appease the angry debt collectors.
"What sort of miscalculation and miscommunication? Explain," the debt collectors demanded after momentarily holding back their auras.
Rowan gasped to regain his breath before answering.
"How about this..." he began, speaking for the next two minutes as he explained his predicament and proposed a new deal.
"Give me one more week, and I'll repay seventy-five thousand gold coins instead of fifty thousand—how does that sound?" Rowan suggested earnestly.
The debt collectors exchanged looks.
One of them clapped his hands, and a visible, transparent energy bubble enveloped the three of them.
Rowan watched as they began discussing among themselves, clearly debating whether to accept his new proposal.
Their discussion continued for about two minutes before the energy bubble dissipated.
They turned to Rowan with their usual cold expressions and recited their new agreement.
"Eighty thousand gold coins, and you have only five days to pay. Default, and the Golden Bull Loan House will ruin everything you cherish before claiming your miserable life. That is the only deal we will accept."
Rowan was baffled by the steep increase in interest, yet he had no choice but to force a smile and accept.
The debt collectors snorted and proceeded to threaten him for about thirty seconds before turning their backs and strolling out of the scarlet bean garden.
"Greedy bastards," Rowan muttered once they were a bit further away.
To his horror, they halted and tilted their heads toward him. "Did you say something?" they demanded.
'Fuck, I made the mistake of underestimating the perceptiveness of cultivators once again.'
"No, great sires, it must be just the wind," he replied.
They stared at him for an extra ten seconds, snorted, and then left.
Rowan heaved a loud, relieved sigh.
"Now I need to find a way to pay back that huge amount of money, clear the bad reputation of the sect, and recruit new members! Ahhh!" Rowan groaned as a splitting headache began to form.
The tasks at hand overwhelmed him greatly given their hellish difficulty and the little amount of time available to complete them.
But as though the heavens understood his plight...
[ You've 1 unread message ]
"Open."
DING
[ Congratulations, Shengxi Yuan has.... ]