12dz Chapter 4 Whoring for free
Chapter 4 Whoring for free
Zhou Qiuyuan's ingrained mindset led him to focus solely on making money, forgetting a shortcut: usury!
Usury is an ancient business, with a long history and enduring popularity. Throughout history, countless people have been torn apart, killed, and their families destroyed because of usury.
No one will support my lofty ambitions; I will take out a loan to ascend to the Western Paradise.
Zhou Qiuyuan didn't care about the compounding interest of the loan sharks. After all, the dream would only last for one day, and the effects of the dream would have nothing to do with him in reality.
In this way, one can find out the results of the spiritual awakening without spending a penny.
Blackswamp City is home to all sorts of people, and most moneylenders are affiliated with gangs, running shady businesses such as brothels and gambling dens throughout the city, like rats in the dark, scattered throughout the streets and alleys.
Zhou Qiuyuan returned to the familiar Xicheng District. He walked along the main street and entered an alleyway filled with the scent of brothels. The signs along the street were all names of brothels such as Zuihonglou and Xunlefang.
The Drunken Red Mansion has few customers in the morning; most are patrons who have had a night of passion and are afraid of running into acquaintances, so they leave with their faces covered.
"Young master, come in and have some fun!"
Both upstairs and downstairs, there were glamorous women covered in makeup beckoning to him with their fingers and speaking provocatively.
Zhou Qiuyuan glanced past the woman with a wanton and unrestrained manner, and looked up at the beautiful woman in a red dress on the third floor who had a cool and aloof demeanor and was looking down at the street.
The courtesan of the Drunken Red Mansion casually glanced at Zhou Qiuyuan. She had no interest in the poor young man with his faded clothes, as the cost of a night of passion was far beyond what a poor person could afford.
Zhou Qiuyuan suddenly had a bold idea: Hmm, it seems that I can use the dream of the future to get the courtesan for free.
In the future, the sensory experience and sensations of dreams will be indistinguishable from the real world, and money spent in dreams will not affect the real world.
In this way, he enjoyed himself in his dream while still having money in reality.
This means that you have start-up capital, and by continuously cycling between having money in reality and spending it in your dreams, you can truly achieve the goal of partying every night without spending a single penny and enjoying the company of all the courtesans in the city.
The most ingenious way is to do it this way... without harming the body and eliminating all potential risks.
I want to cultivate immortality!!!
Evil thoughts, do not even think of disturbing my Daoist heart!
On the path of cultivation, a single step behind leads to endless delays.
Before embarking on the path of cultivation, Zhou Qiuyuan dared not relax for even a day.
"Please come in, sir." The madam greeted Zhou Qiuyuan with a smile as he stood at the door.
"Excuse me, where can I get a loan?"
The madam guessed that the young man was short of money and was still thinking about going upstairs to have some fun, and her smile widened.
How the money came about is not important; what matters is how it was spent at the Drunken Dream Mansion.
"The Green Snake Gang's headquarters is not far away. I am willing to take you there, young master."
"No need! Just point out the general location." Zhou Qiuyuan seemed to remember something and declined the offer.
This place is not far from the tenement. Once someone he knows sees him with the madam, by tonight everyone in the tenement will know that he borrowed money to visit brothels.
Even in a dream, he didn't want to be burdened with a bad reputation for no reason, which could cause changes to his plans.
Having learned of the intelligence, Zhou Qiuyuan was unwilling to linger there and quickly left.
The madam, standing behind him, reminded him, "Remember to mention the name 'Drunken Red Pavilion,' and you can get a discount."
Following the directions given by the other party, Zhou Qiuyuan arrived at a house.
Standing outside the courtyard was a burly man holding a broadsword. Seemingly sensing the newcomer's gaze, his icy eyes swept over him like steel blades.
Just then, a familiar figure emerged from the courtyard. It was Cao San, whom he had just met yesterday. His gaze was filled with suspicion: "A-Yuan, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you want to join the Green Snake Gang?"
Zhou Qiuyuan looked at Cao San with the same puzzlement and said, "Weren't you learning a trade from your uncle? How did you end up in the Green Snake Gang?"
The Cao family has three sons, and they face great financial pressure. Cao San learned the craft of making paper figures and horses from a cousin at a young age.
He studied for two years but failed to become a master, and complained that the wages were too low. Some time ago, he decided to find another way to make a living.
Unexpectedly, he actually joined the Green Snake Gang.
These words struck a nerve with Cao San, who couldn't help but complain: "That old scoundrel! I've worked for him for two years, and not only do I not get paid, but he doesn't even give me enough bread to eat! I'm not serving him anymore!"
"It's still more prestigious to follow the Green Snake Gang. You get two hundred coins as soon as you join, and the neighbors all give you face. You don't even have to pay for plain noodles at the stalls."
"If you do well in the Green Snake Gang, you can get extra rewards."
"Would you like to join the Green Snake Gang? Let's join forces and do something big!"
Zhou Qiuyuan decisively refused, saying, "You know my ambitions lie elsewhere. Currently, I'm still short of the funds needed for the Spirit Awakening, so I'd like to borrow some money from the Green Snake Gang..."
Cao San familiarly put his arm around Zhou Qiuyuan's shoulder and said with a smile, "It's easier to get things done if you have connections in the gang. If you need to borrow money, you can come to me. I have an insider discount. You and I have known each other for a long time, why would I cheat you?"
After saying that, Cao San pulled Zhou Qiuyuan into the Green Snake Gang's loan sharking hall.
The four men playing dominoes all turned to look at Zhou Qiuyuan, as if they were eyeing a lamb that had strayed into a pack of wolves.
After Cao San gave a detailed introduction, he revealed most of Zhou Qiuyuan's family situation.
The Zhou family was all poor and there was nothing to gain from them, except for the brother-in-law who ran a general store, who was considered a fat sheep.
"How much do you want to borrow?"
"Thirty thousand coins, not including the thirty thousand coins before deducting the commission."
"Black Swamp City has always followed the rule of nine out of 13. Out of respect for Cao San, I'll only charge you 2,500 coins as interest. You want to borrow a total of 32,500 coins, right?"
"What about a guarantor or collateral?"
No one in Black Swamp City owns land or property deeds, and they all live in rented houses. If the borrower and their entire family are evicted from the city, the Green Snake Gang risks not being able to recover their money.
If the borrower dies, the guarantor must repay the debt on the borrower's behalf.
The loan shark, not seeing the collateral, turned to look at Cao San.
Cao San hadn't been in the Green Snake Gang for long, and he knew very well how terrible it was to act as a guarantor for someone else. He quickly said to Zhou Qiuyuan, "You can ask your sister and brother-in-law to be your guarantors."
I never imagined that loan sharks would require guarantors.
Zhou Qiuyuan sighed and said, "Can I still borrow money without a guarantor and collateral?"
"The maximum is 10,000 coins, with a deduction of 1,000 coins as interest."
Too little!
They can only fleece a few more gangs.
Since it's impossible for gangs in Black Swamp City to share "big data on lending," this gives "Zhou the Debtor" room to move around freely.
"borrow!"
After Zhou Qiuyuan signed and sealed the document, he successfully received nine thousand coins.
As Cao San saw Zhou Qiuyuan off from the Green Snake Gang, he reminded him, "You must pay back the money, otherwise the Green Snake Gang will definitely capture you to test their medicine."
Since the Green Snake Gang dared to lend 10,000 coins without collateral, they must have a way of collecting the money.
"I'll return it tomorrow!"
Zhou Qiuyuan bid farewell to Cao San, took the still-warm money, and headed to other gangs in other districts of Black Swamp City.
Without an acquaintance to introduce him, the loan procedures were more complicated. He was busy until late afternoon and had a total of 27,000 cash on hand.
That damned interest rate! It cost me three thousand coins.
There's another gang in the southern part of Black Swamp, but it's a bit far away, and we need to verify the borrower's situation, which will take a lot of time going back and forth.
It's too late!
If the Qiling Hall closes, today's Qiling plan will have failed.
Zhou Qiuyuan went home to ask his father for money, but there was no guarantee that his secret wouldn't be exposed, so he had to think of another way.
……
Although small, Xicheng Chenji Grocery Store has everything you need. It caters to the poor, selling everyday items such as needles and thread, pots and pans.
Zhou Hui was guarding the shop when she saw her younger brother arrive, and she immediately understood his purpose.
"Erlang went to buy goods, and the family doesn't have more than ten thousand coins..."
"Father has raised money from other places, and now we only need to borrow three thousand coins."
In order to get the money, Zhou Qiuyuan had no choice but to tell a lie.
"We have some in the shop." Zhou Hui took out the money from the shop, but she was still short two hundred coins, so she borrowed another two hundred coins from a familiar neighbor next door.
Zhou Qiuyuan carried a heavy load of 30,000 coins in his arms, feeling as if he had been transported to another world.
The money has been raised.
Can the spiritual awakening be successful?