Chapter 1093 - 914: Raising the Stakes

When Fan Qingfeng heard, he burst out, "How many times do I have to tell you, not enough people died in the Battle of Great Pardon, the Heavenly Domain is severely overstaffed. Once things stabilize here, many people will be kicked out, and naturally, the Heavenly Court won't allocate stipends for these people. Who will fill this huge gap for the Sect then? Shi Chun is not spending his own money, he can be as generous as he wants, but why compare with him, someone so destitute yet still putting on airs?"

The Carefree Sect isn't necessarily unable to afford this amount, the issue is that no place is monolithic, especially within such an enormous Sect, shelling out two billion from one's own pocket raises quite a few objections.

The most crucial thing is, he has to bring up the matter himself when returning to the Sect, and speaking out carries pressure. How do you expect him to broach the subject?

Dongguo Shou, feeling somewhat awkward from being scolded, could only express mild regret, "I just think, the money was spent, and being scolded makes it unjustified."

Fan Qingfeng resolutely stated, "Anyway, you're used to being scolded, so these minor reprimands don't bother you."

"..." Dongguo Shou was speechless, what else could he say?

Several days later, Manxi finally returned to the Heavenly Domain, bringing back over two hundred billion, and gave her subordinates their full stipend for the next five years upfront.

Truly, having a powerful background makes a difference; such enormous wealth that ordinary monks dream about can be obtained by simply venturing out for a few days.

When the news reached Fan Qingfeng, he no longer enjoyed his tea and was pacing the Xuan Pavilion deep in thought. He knew very well that since Manxi's backers had poured in vast resources, the competition this time would undoubtedly be fought to the end.

Soon after, Dongguo Shou came with bad news, "Elder, Manxi went insane, not only did she repay the full stipend for five years upfront, she's also following Dingnan, Dingxi, and Dingbei Mansion, starting to prepay partial stipends for five years later, each person two thousand gold per month."

"..." This time, Fan Qingfeng was stunned.

Having just shifted the pressure onto Manxi, now Manxi turned around and threw it back, soon they would be the only ones not issuing that money, and bearing the sole stigma wasn't easy.

Thus he tossed out the words, "I'm heading back to the Sect," and left in a hurry.

It was two days before he returned, and though his expression wasn't pleasant, he still managed to get Dongguo Shou a deferment on repayments.

Relieved, Dongguo Shou urgently announced the decision to prepay stipends for five years before the wave of criticism hit.

Finally, within the Heavenly Domain, things were balanced.

However, the people of Heavenly Domain Central and Dingdong Mansion were thanking Shi Chun, claiming Shi Chun applied pressure on the dog officials above them, securing them good benefits.

Neither group acknowledged it as the goodwill of Manxi and Dongguo Shou.

As for this, Feng Chi didn't use the news to disturb Shi Chun's secluded cultivation.

Until Young Master Nan hurriedly arrived, finally disturbing the secluded Shi Chun.

The two sat beside each other, and with no outsiders around, Shi Chun asked, "You seem troubled, what's wrong?"

Young Master Nan picked up the tea but didn't drink, instead setting it back on the table, speaking seriously, "There's been a complication with borrowing money, I want to hear your thoughts."

Shi Chun: "Complication? What do you mean?"

Young Master Nan said, "Over a trillion truly isn't a small number, the scale is too large. After going over the Gong family's related industries, I realized an issue. If we use Wuyu Inn's industries to broadly mortgage and borrow money, it could easily trace back to your affairs in Dingxi and Dingbei Mansions. If the Gong family becomes slightly cautious, there's a high probability they might halt the remaining funds midway. Thus, we must spread it across various places and individuals. I switched tactics, first talked with some partners, intending for them to use their own industries to mortgage and borrow money. This way, if one tan gold was borrowed, they could get two or even three tan gold without me worrying about it, relying entirely on their own capabilities. Then, they would lend the money to you and me."

After listening, Shi Chun pondered, "That could work, but the direction in which they borrow must be from the few families I specify. If they go beyond that scope, don't bring me the accounts for clearance."

Young Master Nan: "Of course, the agreements in the loan documents will specify this. The issue now is their appetite might be somewhat large. Frankly, we weren't planning on them helping for nothing, they would be more dedicated and motivated with incentives, but now their demands are a bit much, requiring your approval."

Shi Chun responded, "How much do they want?"

Young Master Nan sighed, "For every billion they borrow, they'll only give you and me seven hundred million, but you and I still have to repay the billion. The deadline for concluding the Heavenly Domain's five-party dispute is a little over a year, and they demand repayment before the end, meaning the repayment period is only a bit over a year. If we can't repay, you won't be able to hold the Commander position you secured with billions, nor be able to maintain Dingxi and Dingbei Mansions where you invested heavily; they'll inevitably cause trouble. At that time, your competitors' backing will undoubtedly seize the opportunity to fan the flames."

Shi Chun, after brief contemplation, slowly said, "So in a year, they not only wish to draw substantial profit from the loan but also seek to, as partners of Wuyu Inn, earn significantly from participating in the construction of Dingxi and Dingbei Mansions."

Young Master Nan smiled bitterly, "Indeed, if the incentives aren't substantial, it's difficult to get them to take such a risk for this task. But then again, if someone else asked them to do this and offered incentives, they might not agree considering the risk involved. To some extent, they do have faith in Brother Chun's capabilities; many speak highly of how amidst the siege by Nanshan's elite on Yanfu Continent, you managed to bring out substantial funds."