Chapter 772: The Ancestor Who Owes Money

He Lingchuan's brows twitched: "What is going on?"

At this moment, someone outside knocked lightly on the door to report.

Sect Master Xue had something to attend to, so he greeted He Lingchuan and left first.

The two people in the hall continued their conversation.

"When Qiu Hu was brought back to Other Rongshan, he was only three years old; Elder Zhao handed him over to be raised in White Village. To him, his only close relatives were Elder Zhao and his foster parents." Elder Dao sighed, "Elder Zhao has already passed away, and White Village was invaded by strange cicadas two months ago; there wasn't a single survivor, and Qiu Hu's foster parents were also..."

Also eaten by the strange cicadas.

"By the time he rushed over, the village was a mess, and he made a vow right there in White Village."

He Lingchuan thought for a long while before saying: "If I can eliminate the strange cicada plague, will Qiu Hu follow me?"

Elder Dao sat up straight: "Young Master He has a way?"

"I've just arrived in this noble land; how can I be sure now?" He had only arrived on his second day.

"This child Qiu Hu repays kindness and avenges grievances." Elder Dao also knew he was anxious, and said sincerely, "If you want him to suppress his temper and be honest under your command without causing trouble, you must bind him with kindness. To put it bluntly, this is a good opportunity."

The meaning was very clear: only if He Lingchuan avenged Qiu Hu would Qiu Hu follow him wholeheartedly.

"I will do my best." He Lingchuan agreed without hesitation, "By the way, I heard these strange cicadas came from the northeast?"

"The earliest reports came from villagers in the northeast territory of Other Rongshan; they should have entered from there, and wherever they passed, not a blade of grass grew." Elder Dao thought for a moment, "But according to observations by people in my sect, the growth rate of these monsters has actually slowed down over the past two months."

He Lingchuan frowned: "This is slow?"

It only took a few dozen breaths for the strange cicadas to go from birth to adulthood and eat people! "Two months ago, after they ate people, they immediately started producing in the ground; my Other Rongshan disciples observed that it took less than ten breaths from egg-laying to the larvae breaking through the soil!" Even Elder Dao, who was well-informed, felt this was too absurd, "How can any living creature reproduce at this speed!"

If they could really maintain such efficient production, that would be terrible! In less than half a year, the whole world would be occupied by strange cicadas.

He Lingchuan also said: "This should be the result of a mutation; my companion identified these as seventy-year cicadas. Originally, the cicada eggs and larvae had to stay underground for seventy years to mature and surface. Furthermore, seventy-year cicadas were originally vegetarians, and their size was nowhere near this large."

The growth of the seventy-year cicadas suddenly went from the slowest to the fastest, and their habits completely changed; they even ate people. There must be something strange at work in the middle.

Elder Dao continued: "However, after these two months, their reproduction speed has clearly slowed down; it now takes three to five hours from egg-laying to the larvae breaking through the soil."

"That means the factor causing their mutation is rapidly losing its effect."

Mutation, mutation, hmm, what would this word remind one of?

Elder Dao smiled bitterly: "For two months, Other Rongshan disciples have been exterminating strange cicadas everywhere; even as we speak, they are rushing about. *Sigh*, there is still no way to eradicate them. Wherever these monsters pass, neither people nor livestock survive, and the fields and trees wither. The people of Other Rongshan are all in danger, with no heart for farming, and even merchants from other places dare not come."

The frozen earth of early spring hasn't thawed yet; if the cicada plague continues to ravage, the subsequent spring plowing will be finished.

"I have a rough idea." He Lingchuan suddenly changed the subject, "By the way, I heard that the Other Rongshan Sect is a creditor of the Yuan Nation, and the Yuan Nation has borrowed a lot of money from you?"

This news was revealed to him by Li Qingge. When he heard it, he felt it was unexpected but reasonable.

In fact, this was also the reason he chose the Other Rongshan Sect to assist him.

This turn was a bit large, and Elder Dao was stunned for a moment before coming back to his senses: "Uh, yes, that is the case. For the past thirty or forty years, Other Rongshan and the Yuan Nation have been good neighbors, and Other Rongshan disciples have also served as officials in the Yuan Court. *Sigh*, the Yuan Nation has suffered constant natural and man-made disasters in recent years and has borrowed money from us many times. Last year, before they intercepted the Xunzhou Governor, they borrowed another two million taels of silver from our sect, as well as some grain."

"What is the total debt?"

"Oh, this matter was handled by my junior brother, so I don't know the exact number. However, it must be at least twenty million taels, right?"

Twenty million taels, the total debt the Yuan Nation owed the Other Rongshan Sect. He Lingchuan believed that with the Yuan Nation's style, they wouldn't have only borrowed money from the Other Rongshan Sect.

How much foreign debt did this country actually owe? "Have they paid it back?" No wonder before the Battle of Hanhe, the Yuan Court suddenly raised money and grain to support Zhao Pan's army.

The Other Rongshan Sect is very wealthy.

"Not yet." Elder Dao waved his hand, "The Yuan Nation is fighting on the western front and suppressing rebellions in the south, and they have sent people to beg for loans again and again. This time they prepared some collateral, but they were all rejected by the Sect Master."

"Collateral?"

"The Yuan Nation seems to want to use mines, pastures, and wharves as collateral; if they can't pay back the money, we will take these away." Elder Dao frowned, "I don't think the sect has any interest in that."

He Lingchuan sighed inwardly; borrowing money from abroad to fight a war, the Yuan Nation was truly impoverished.

"Young Master He, you ask this..." Elder Dao was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly remembered that He Lingchuan was going to the Yuan Nation later, "Is there any connection?"

"I am a person from the Yuan Nation."

Elder Dao was startled and looked him up and down a few more times.

"Why?"

"The Yuan Nation can still produce a figure like Young Master He; it seems its fate is not yet exhausted."

"The country is rotting; *sigh*." He Lingchuan stood up, "My two friends have done research on monsters; I will discuss it with them."

Zhu Xiuer didn't know where she had wandered off to; He Lingchuan found Dong Rui in a teahouse at the foot of the mountain.

Ever since he had a face to go out, this person had been enjoying tea and listening to storytelling, having a great time, and was even willing to tip. The Ghost Ape was sitting beside him eating fruit. In this winter, it wasn't easy for people to eat a pear, let alone a monkey.

But the Ghost Ape finished one in two or three bites and went to get the next one.

Others looked at the monkey twice, and seeing it was clean and didn't move around, they went back to drinking their tea. What was strange about a wealthy master keeping a bird or walking a monkey? The main point was "I have it, you don't."

The storyteller in front was keeping up with current events, talking about the recent cicada plague. But he also understood that when rendering horror, one must add a bit of hope; otherwise, the people in the teahouse would listen and feel gloomy, as if they were also facing death—would they still be willing to give him a tip?

So he praised the bravery and fearlessness of the Other Rongshan Sect disciples, cutting down insects like cutting vegetables. He took the recent battles and embellished them, talking about them at length.

He Lingchuan leaned over, grabbed the melon seeds on the table, and started chewing: "You're quite wealthy."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 773 =====