Chapter 699: In Debt (3)

In the Qingyuan Sect, Fang Qingyuan was receiving a Golden Core Cultivator. This person was none other than Han Guangyi, one of the few remaining Golden Core Cultivators of the Pill Alliance.

In this war, of the Pill Alliance’s original few Golden Core Cultivators, only Vice Sect Leader Elder Han Yan, this Elder Han Guangyi, and a Patriarch from another clan were left.

As for the Golden Core reinforcements invited from the Outer Sea, there were originally four, but one had fallen, leaving three as well.

These four had not known each other originally. They became sworn brothers because they banded together for mutual support, changing their names to cut ties with their past. The group was now led by Elder Ying, followed by Ying Zhong and Ying Ji.

As for why Uncle Ying was not among them, he had perished in a fierce battle. Thus, there was no longer an Uncle Ying, a fact that was truly lamentable.

Among the several of them, Uncle Ying’s combat prowess was actually the greatest. It was only because of his younger age, as they were all in the Golden Core Realm, that he was ranked third.

Han Guangyi had come to find Fang Qingyuan about the supplies the Qingyuan Sect had transported to the Pill Alliance over the years. To be frank, the Pill Alliance now owed the Qingyuan Sect a vast number of Spirit Stones. The prolonged war had consumed a staggering amount of Spirit Stones and resources—the saying “war is fought with money” was no exaggeration. Now, the Pill Alliance’s Storage Room was so barren, you could race mice in it.

Having no money meant having no confidence; this saying applied to almost any situation. For the sake of Spirit Stones, even though Han Guangyi, a Golden Core Cultivator, was over a hundred years older than Fang Qingyuan, he could only adopt a very humble posture, hoping Fang Qingyuan would grant him an extension.

“I don’t normally involve myself in the sect’s affairs anymore, but since you’ve come to ask in person, I must certainly grant you this courtesy, Brother. How about this? I’ll call a sect Steward over to clarify the details, and then we can discuss the matter of payment.”

What Fang Qingyuan said was perfectly reasonable, and Han Guangyi could only nod in agreement. But when Fang Qingyuan called Jiang Tianfang over and asked about the details of the Pill Alliance’s debt, the expressions on both their faces grew a little awkward.

“Reporting to the Old Ancestor, the Pill Alliance’s total debt over the years has reached 183,487 Top-grade Spirit Stones. Of this sum, our own debt to other supplying sects… totals more than one hundred fifty thousand. On top of that, there are profits to be shared with other factions.”

These “other factions” referred to sects like the Yan Gui Sect, but it was not appropriate to state this explicitly, so Jiang Tianfang could only allude to it.

Fang Qingyuan’s brows furrowed when he heard the total. This money didn’t belong entirely to the Qingyuan Sect; any sect that participated in the endeavor was entitled to a share. In truth, the bulk of the payment for the goods wasn’t owed to the Qingyuan Sect, but to the major merchant houses of the Qi Yun Mainland.

The Qingyuan Sect would buy materials from them, process them, or sometimes just resell them directly. At the beginning, the Pill Alliance could still manage and was prompt with their payments. But as the war dragged on and the Pill Alliance became besieged on Danqing Mountain, their production naturally ceased. They could only live off their savings, and as a result, they eventually couldn’t make their payments anymore.

Later, in a desperate attempt to hold on, the Pill Alliance began promising exorbitant profits. For a Talisman from Qi Yun worth one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, the Pill Alliance was willing to pay one thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones upon delivery to Danqing Mountain.

Such high profits were something the Qi Yun merchants couldn’t bear to pass up, so they allowed the Pill Alliance to run up a tab. But now, from the look of things with Han Guangyi, he was preparing to renegotiate the terms of this massive debt.

This was a classic case of ‘you were after my interest, but I was after your principal.’ The only question was, given the Pill Alliance’s current power, did they dare say no to Fang Qingyuan?

“Brother Han, you heard it yourself. Our Qingyuan Sect is only earning a small fee for our trouble. The bulk of this sum is the principal owed to the Qi Yun merchants. Even if I wanted to grant you a delay, how could I possibly answer to them?”

Han Guangyi shook his head. “Everyone knows your Qingyuan Sect is the model of how to quietly get rich. Besides us, the Pill Alliance, can you honestly say you haven’t sold supplies to the Spirit Wood Alliance and the Thick Earth Sharp Gold Alliance? You’re playing both sides! We’re out here fighting for our lives, and you’re back here raking in the cash. After ten years, it’s like our entire foundation has been transferred over to your Qingyuan Sect.”

Han Guangyi’s tone was hostile, his heart clearly filled with pent-up anger. And why wouldn’t it be? Who wouldn’t be furious in this situation? But anger was one thing; the debt still had to be paid.

But the Pill Alliance was broke. So how were they supposed to repay this enormous debt?