82: Chapter 82 Interest on Interest

The five of them were shoved by the ghost guards and fell to the ground.

Niu Fei's tears instantly welled up: "Brother Wu!"

"Wu Xi!" Qiu Chuanxing also shouted, his voice filled with irrepressible excitement, "You finally came to save us!"

Jiang Jiye's eyes turned red, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. Ling Muxue raised an eyebrow, the smile on her face deepening slightly.

Jiang Yuehong looked up, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes, stole a timid glance at Wu Xi, and quickly lowered her head again.

Wu Xi stood at the entrance of the public hall, dressed in black, holding an abacus in his hand. His face was expressionless as he waved his hand gently toward them.

The gesture was light, yet it seemed to possess magic. The five of them instantly quieted down.

"What? Have you figured it out? Are you going to let them go?"

"Let them go?" King Xianlian acted as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, slamming his hand onto the table.

The teacup on the table jumped, and tea splashed all over the floor, "When did I ever say I would let them go?"

Wu Xi's gaze swept over the five people on the ground and finally landed on King Xianlian: "Then why did you bring them up here?"

"I brought them up here to let them see for themselves what kind of thing you, their so-called friend, really are!"

King Xianlian stood up abruptly, pointed at Wu Xi, and roared at the five of them, "Look at this! You have been kidnapped by me for five days, and he hasn't been in a rush to save you."

"Instead, he ran here to settle accounts and demand money from me! He doesn't care about your lives at all; he only cares about money!"

As his voice fell, all five were stunned.

Niu Fei scratched his head, a look of confusion on his face: "Settle accounts? What accounts?"

"What else could it be?" King Xianlian sneered, "He says you owe him money! Eight hundred eighty-seven taels, five mace, and twenty-five wen! Not a single coin less! Tell me, when have you ever owed him that much money?"

The five of them looked at each other; they certainly had never owed Wu Xi money.

"King Xianlian, there is no need for you to sow discord." Wu Xi's voice was very calm, "I am settling accounts with you precisely to save them. If I didn't settle accounts with you, would you obediently let them go?"

"Of course not!" King Xianlian laughed heartily, his belly fat shaking, "But now, I have changed my mind."

"Don't you want money? Fine." King Xianlian waved his hand, "I will keep these five people."

Wu Xi raised an eyebrow: "You will pay for them?"

"That's right." King Xianlian said smugly, "Didn't you just calculate it? They owe you a total of eight hundred eighty-seven taels, five mace, and twenty-five wen. I will pay it for them. However, I cannot give you this money for nothing."

"What do you want?" Wu Xi asked.

"It's simple." King Xianlian leaned forward, the smile on his face becoming even more greasy, "Since I have paid their debt, they are now my people."

"From now on, they are mine in life and my ghosts in death. Everything they have belongs to me, including their bodies, their Souls, and the fruits of their labor."

"Didn't you calculate earlier that they can earn ten taels of silver a day?" King Xianlian counted on his fingers, "Then from now on, all the money they earn every day belongs to me."

"Until they die. I have calculated that even if the five of them live for another fifty years, they can earn me over a hundred thousand taels of silver. Spending eight hundred-odd taels to buy their entire lives is simply too good a deal!"

After finishing, he threw his head back and laughed. The ghost guards in the hall also roared with laughter.

"The King is wise!" "This move is brilliant!" "Let's see how that brat acts arrogant now!"

The laughter shook the roof of the public hall, and the faces of the five instantly turned pale.

Niu Fei's fists clenched, cracking audibly, his knuckles turning white. Qiu Chuanxing stood up abruptly but was jerked by the iron chains, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

Jiang Jiye's tears finally couldn't be held back, falling down as she covered her mouth to keep from crying out.

Ling Muxue's gaze turned cold; she looked at King Xianlian, the corners of her mouth curling into an icy arc.

Jiang Yuehong's body trembled even more violently; she buried her head deeper, her fingernails digging deep into her flesh.

"Good idea. Truly a good idea." Wu Xi said with a smile, "King Xianlian, you are indeed worthy of the name King Xianlian; this level of shamelessness truly makes me feel inferior."

King Xianlian's expression darkened: "What are you laughing at?"

Wu Xi's smile suddenly faded: "However, you seem to have forgotten one thing."

"What have I forgotten?" King Xianlian asked instinctively.

"You forgot that what they owe me is not eight hundred eighty-seven taels, five mace, and twenty-five wen." Wu Xi said indifferently, "That was only the cost for five days."

"What do you mean?" King Xianlian was stunned.

Wu Xi's fingers lightly brushed over the abacus beads, making a crisp sound, "I forgot to tell you earlier. According to our rules, for overdue payments, the daily interest is ten percent. Compound interest, compounding until you pay it off in full."

"You just said that you want to pay their debt, keep them, and make them work to earn money for you, right?" Wu Xi said, "No problem. However, from today on, this debt is transferred to you. You must pay not only the principal but also the interest. Ten percent daily, compound interest."

He picked up the abacus, his fingers moving rapidly.

Clatter-clatter, clatter-clatter.

The sound of the abacus beads colliding was like a death knell, striking everyone's heart beat by beat.

"The principal is eight hundred eighty-seven taels, five mace, and twenty-five wen." Wu Xi said while working the abacus, "The interest for the first day is eighty-eight taels, seven mace, five candareens, two li, and five hao; the total principal and interest is nine hundred seventy-six taels, two mace, seven candareens, seven li, and five hao."

"The interest for the second day is ninety-seven taels, six mace, two candareens, seven li, and seven point five hao; the total principal and interest is one thousand seventy-three taels, nine mace, zero candareens, five li, and two point five hao."

"The third day... The fourth day..."

"After a month, what was the total principal and interest again?" Wu Xi looked up at King Xianlian, a brilliant smile on his face, "Oh, about a hundred thousand taels or so."

"If you keep them for fifty years, then this amount..." Wu Xi paused, his smile becoming even brighter, "I'm afraid even if we sold you, it wouldn't be enough to pay it off."

"So, King Xianlian, are you sure you want to pay their debt and keep them?"

"You... you are running a usurious loan! It's illegal!" King Xianlian finally realized, pointing at Wu Xi and stuttering.

"Illegal?" Wu Xi laughed, "I am merely learning from you."

"You use eight hundred-odd taels of silver to buy their entire lives; is that not illegal?" Wu Xi took a step forward, his eyes cold, "If you think it is unreasonable, that is fine too."

"Release them now, and pay me the eight hundred eighty-seven taels, five mace, and twenty-five wen calculated earlier, and we will be square. Otherwise, this debt will hang over your head forever, for generations upon generations, endlessly."

"I... I..." King Xianlian trembled with rage.

"Good, good, good!"

King Xianlian suddenly burst into laughter.

"Wu Xi, you are good! You are really too good!"

"I have truly fallen into your hands today." King Xianlian said, "However, do you think you can win against me just like this?"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped his own face.

Slap!

A crisp sound.

Only to see the greasy skin on King Xianlian's face, which, like a mask, slowly peeled off.

Sticky liquid flowed down his face, emitting a pungent, fishy stench.

A hideous and terrifying face appeared before everyone, with a green complexion and fangs, blood-red light glowing in its eyes.

On its forehead grew a pitch-black horn, covered in strange, eerie runes.

Two long fangs protruded from its mouth, with fresh blood still dripping from them.

So, that greasy face from earlier was actually a fake mask!

"Do you think I am called King Xianlian because I was born with a greasy face?" King Xianlian sneered, "Wrong! I am called King Xianlian because I love wearing this fake face and watching people be played around by me!"

"Watching them go from hope to despair, from trust to betrayal—that expression is simply wonderful!"

He reached behind his back and drew a massive ghost-head saber, its blade pitch-black and taller than a person.

"Reason with me? Settle accounts with me?" King Xianlian brandished the ghost-head saber and roared, "On Shameless Mountain, fists are the only truth! Whoever's saber is faster, they have the final say!"

"Today, I will kill you, this ignorant brat!"

"And then I will skin those five living people one by one to have with my wine!"

"Let's see who dares to settle accounts with me again!"

As he spoke, he stomped his feet hard on the ground.

Boom!

He charged toward Wu Xi, wielding the ghost-head saber and turning into a whirlwind of black.

The ghost-head saber, carrying a whistling wind, slashed toward Wu Xi's head; the air was torn apart by the Saber Qi, emitting a piercing shriek.

The ghost guards in the hall saw that the King was genuinely enraged and were terrified, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

They knew that once King Xianlian put on this true face and picked up this ghost-head saber, he would become incomparably ferocious, recognizing no kin.

"Run! The King has gone mad again! Escape! If you're late, you'll lose your life!" The ghost guards screamed as they fled in all directions.

The public hall, which had been packed with people just a moment ago, was left with only Wu Xi, King Xianlian, and the five people locked in iron chains on the ground.