Chapter 200 - Are You Ready to Borrow Money?

Immortal Debt.

The term had arisen as the opposite of Hell King Debt, the name for predatory loans at usurious rates. Money lent without interest—money bestowed by immortals. Hence, Immortal Debt.

Naturally, I knew about it. Before my regression, a major incident involving Immortal Debt had occurred. The instant I heard the name, I thought to myself that those bastards had already been operating at this point. The Immortal Debt affair would not come to light until much later.

Go Wol explained Immortal Debt.

“It's a recent term for lending money without charging interest. It's spreading discreetly, mostly among young martial artists.”

Immortal Debt.

It was also a phrase that heralded atrocities even a devil would shake his head at.

“When I first heard in Guizhou that someone was lending young martial artists money without interest, I thought a wealthy man was simply showing goodwill. But then I heard about it in Chongqing, and again in Hubei. Of course, I would never have known if I weren't in the information business. It's spreading quite discreetly.”

And that was where Go Wol's suspicions began.

“Who would lend money without charging interest? And why specifically to young martial artists?”

He seemed to have already sensed that there was more to this.

“I looked into it and found that a mysterious organization called the Mutual Aid Society was making the loans.”

The name implied people helping one another, but their real name, revealed later, was the Dark Merchant Network.

“There was one particularly telling oddity.”

“What was it?”

“Apparently, the promissory notes have no repayment date.”

“No interest and no repayment date? Then the borrowers would feel less obligation and have no intention of paying it back.”

“Exactly. Some have started borrowing more without repaying what they already owe.”

It was a scheme to keep people borrowing more and more. They might all be bright young people, but they lacked the experience to contend with such carefully calculated treachery—a blade concealed behind a smile.

“They must have misunderstood. No repayment date doesn't mean they can put it off forever. It means the lender can come at any time and demand the principal back.”

What if the lenders suddenly appeared with all the accumulated promissory notes and demanded the entire principal at once?

The moment the borrowers said they couldn't pay, the friendly masks would come off. Depending on the victim's disposition and character, the lenders would resort to force or threaten to kill their family. They could appeal to a guilty conscience or coax them with kind words. By then, they would have investigated every weakness the victim had. And since the borrowers had freely taken money without paying a penny in interest, public opinion would favor the lenders.

“They use money to seize complete control of someone's life. They probably never intended to recover the money in the first place. They'll use it as leverage to make the borrowers do other things. The moment someone commits even one evil deed in exchange for having the debt forgiven, they're those bastards' slave for life.”

Go Wol looked at me with admiration.

There was no need to be so impressed. I hadn't figured it out because I was clever. It had actually happened. He was the impressive one for spotting this conspiracy instead of letting it slip past.

The bastards in the Dark Network would use those indebted young people to commit countless atrocities. Many innocent people would lose their lives as a result. Many of the young borrowers, unable to endure the suffering, would take their own lives.

Only after a great deal of time had passed would the truth emerge: the Dark Merchant Network had been behind it all, ruthlessly manipulating people through money.

At least when dealing with lenders of Hell King Debt, you knew to be cautious from the start. These people approached with smiling faces and sucked the young borrowers dry, right down to the marrow.

By the time they were declared enemies of the entire martial world, the Dark Network's chief and other leaders had already amassed enormous fortunes and disappeared. They were never caught.

“I'd like to find out just how much money they have to pull a scheme like this.”

I understood Go Wol's intent. We were short of funds, so he wanted to dispose of these villains and recover their money. Since he was personally spending my money to build the organization, he must have felt bad about it as well.

“Since we're running short, shall we get a little help from these immortals?”

His face brightened at my ready agreement.

“May I put the intelligence network into action?”

“This isn't my organization. It's yours. Use your judgment and act first. You can report to me afterward.”

I gave him full authority over his work and my absolute trust.

Go Wol bowed his head in gratitude.

“Show me what you can do.”

“Yes!”

This marked Go Wol's first move against an outside enemy.

He would work out the plan from here. All I had to do was throw punches on the stage he prepared. Wasn't this peace of mind precisely the privilege of a leader with a capable strategist?

When we finished our conversation and returned to the room, silence greeted us. The Fist Demon and the Wind Heaven Cult Leader were drinking tea without a word. The awkwardness was suffocating.

“What were you talking about?”

The Wind Heaven Cult Leader answered my question.

“I asked him to take good care of our Second Young Master.”

“Even though you're always cursing me behind my back?”

“Don't you have to keep thriving if I'm to keep cursing you?”

“Fair point.”

The Wind Heaven Cult Leader seemed to be in much better spirits. Seeing how cheerful he was, I glanced at Go Wol. He looked just as puzzled as I was.

The reason became clear that night.

I was inside the space the Wind Heaven Cult Leader had created through the Art of Space-Time Transposition. When I asked to speak with him for a moment, he had performed the art. A field stretched beneath a blue sky, a beautiful, refreshing vista.

“Master!”

“Master?”

“Have you forgotten? Didn't we agree that, here at least, I would regard you as my master?”

The Wind Heaven Cult Leader was the one who had taught me the Art of Space-Time Transposition. We had once discussed my treating him as my master, at least within this space.

“Ah! So we did.”

Instead of looking pleased, he lamented.

“What's wrong?”

He sighed before answering.

“Since it's you, I'll be honest. When you said the Fist Demon had become your master, I was truly delighted. Not because the two of you had become master and disciple, but because I thought, 'So you've stripped the Fist Demon of everything too.' I'd been depressed because I felt I was the only one you'd cleaned out.”

The Wind Heaven Cult Leader was probably the only person who could say something like that so openly.

“But now that I think about it, I'm your master too, aren't I? It wasn't the Fist Demon who got cleaned out first. It was me. Me!”

I couldn't help laughing at his self-reproach.

“Are you mocking me?”

“Mocking you? You're my master.”

“Fine. Mock me all you like.”

“Cult Leader.”

“What is it?”

I gazed at him for a moment, then spoke from the heart.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For staying by my side. For staying by Go Wol's side.”

“What's gotten into you all of a sudden? I have no money!”

What had gotten into me? Something I'd been trying to practice in all my relationships lately. Something just as important as seeing people for who they truly were.

Speaking up.

Don't hold back. Say it when it comes to mind instead of putting it off. That was what I was doing now.

“Thank you. Truly.”

As I expressed my heartfelt gratitude once more, something deepened in the Wind Heaven Cult Leader's eyes.

“I'm doing well. You don't have to fuss over me like this.”

“No, I intend to. I'm only human, so I'll make mistakes. If I ever neglect you, keep cursing me. 'Don't treat me as some cult leader from your past! Don't treat me like a fish you've already caught!' Keep cursing me.”

A breeze fluttered the hems of our clothes.

Watching the grasses surrender to the wind and lie down as one, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader asked,

“Go Wol told you to look after me, didn't he?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you youngsters fuss so much over an old man? It wounds my pride.”

“Strategist Go said he still dreams of the days when he was shackled. He said it's terribly difficult for anyone to escape their past. And that it must be the same for you.”

“He should worry about himself. Listen, Second Young Master. Look after your strategist instead of me. He's been having a hard time lately.”

“Couldn't you look after him yourself?”

At that, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader suddenly revealed what was on his mind.

“This was Go Wol's favorite place. He loved the field and sky here. But ever since he became your strategist, I've been reluctant to bring him here.”

“Why?”

After a pause, he answered.

“I'm afraid. I'm afraid he'll come here and think, 'Was I so oppressed back then that I yearned for this false world?'”

I understood his concern. Yes, the past was stubbornly difficult to shake off.

“Bring Strategist Go here.”

“Bring him here?”

“His memories of this place won't disappear just because he doesn't visit. Do you think someone as intelligent as he is would forget this place simply by staying away?”

“!”

“If anything, he'll have to come here to forget.”

WHOOOOSH.

Was it a reflection of the Wind Heaven Cult Leader's feelings? A stronger wind swept through.

“I'll be going now.”

Even after I left, he remained inside the Art of Space-Time Transposition for a long time.

* * *

The next day, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader was once again inside the Art of Space-Time Transposition. The same place, with a different person. Go Wol stood where Geom Mugeuk had stood.

“It's been a while since you were here, hasn't it?”

Go Wol nodded glumly. Watching his expression, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader asked,

“What's wrong?”

“What do you think? Coming here reminds me of the past. There isn't a single good memory, is there?”

Actually hearing those words from Go Wol hurt the Wind Heaven Cult Leader.

“Why did you bring me here? To tell me I'm still wearing your invisible shackles?”

Go Wol's cold response flustered him.

“No. I just thought, since it's been so long...”

“Let me out.”

“All right.”

Just as he was about to release the Art of Space-Time Transposition, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader bristled. Thinking it over had made his anger surge.

“Hey! Why are you getting so deadly serious and angry? Do our old memories mean nothing? I've apologized over and over for what I did back then! Do you have to be this harsh? I just wanted to—”

He faltered. What exactly did he want to do with Go Wol? Reminisce? Had he brought him here because Geom Mugeuk told him to? Or because he wanted to hear Go Wol say everything was all right now? Damn it! He should never have opened this place.

That was when Go Wol's gentle voice reached him.

“Cult Leader. You were worried I'd act the way I just did, weren't you?”

Startled, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader looked up. The angry Go Wol of a moment ago was gone; he was his usual self again. The cult leader realized he had been acting deliberately.

“What kind of person do you think I am, to worry about that? You've known me for so long, and you still don't know me?”

“Honestly, the longer I look, the less I understand. I don't understand you, and I don't understand myself either.”

Go Wol looked around as he spoke.

“I wanted to come here. I've never been happier than when I was here. I'm traveling through the Central Plains now, but I liked standing here with you more. So I've been waiting for you to suggest coming here.”

The Wind Heaven Cult Leader burst out shouting.

“What kind of crazy nonsense is that? Take it back right now! You prefer this paltry, fabricated world? Are you out of your mind? This place is just... Forget it! Forget it, I said! What am I supposed to do if you prefer this shitty place that was barely a chance to breathe in that miserable life? Is that all your life amounts to now? If you're that unhappy, to hell with the intelligence network! Forget the Second Young Master and everything else. Quit it all!”

At the fire in the Wind Heaven Cult Leader's eyes, fierce emotion welled up within Go Wol. To have even one person like this in his life—what more could he wish for?

“Ahhh! This feels wonderful!”

Go Wol began running through the field as he had in the old days. Then he lay down in the grass, his arms and legs spread wide.

“This is nice.”

“What's so nice about it?”

“You finally sound like that foul-tempered cult leader again. You let off some steam today, didn't you?”

“Let off steam? All the anger I'd let go of has piled right back up.”

Despite his words, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader looked more at ease than he had before entering the Art of Space-Time Transposition.

Go Wol sat up.

“Cult Leader, let's go. I'm busy.”

“Stay a little longer. Rest some more. Forget that work for a while. Forget the Second Young Master too.”

Go Wol turned his gaze toward the sky again.

“It really is better. The sky here, I mean.”

For this moment, at least, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader felt the same way. But he said something quite different.

“I'll never open this place again. Look and roll around to your heart's content.”

* * *

While Go Wol laid his plans concerning the Mutual Aid Society, I trained with the Fist Demon.

This time was truly precious. At last, we had begun sparring with our fist arts.

Thunderbolt Asura Fist against Thunderbolt Asura Fist.

The Fist Demon had now begun teaching me through physical combat.

Now that he was officially my master, simply fighting each other was out of the question. But we could spar with the Thunderbolt Asura Fist as much as we liked.

Even if I eventually won, I would be defeating him with his own martial art, so there was little to worry about.

A few days later, Go Wol produced results sooner than expected. He had succeeded in establishing contact with the Mutual Aid Society.

“Are you ready to borrow money from the immortals?”

I beamed at him. I intended to give those bastards exactly what they had done to those young people. Those fiends—I would wipe out every last one of them.

“Shall we go and see just how much money our esteemed immortals have?”