C14 Chasing after the Debtor

After exiting the neighborhood, Ye Fann and Huang Xinying had no choice but to check into a hotel.

No sooner had he shut the door than Huang Xiaoshan's call came through: "Master, I have to be honest with you. Our funding from above has dried up. They notified us months ago that we need to be self-sufficient."

Ye Fann shot to his feet. "Self-sufficient? Are you kidding me?"

On the other end of the line, Huang Xiaoshan let out a sigh. "No joke. Since you took Netherworld with you, the higher-ups have been clamping down on us. There's even talk of disbanding Netherworld and integrating everyone into the official ranks. You get what I'm saying, right?"

Ye Fann understood all too well. Netherworld operated outside the official system, a thorn in the side of many, and a potentially lethal one at that.

The day he took over Netherworld, his master had cautioned him: countless people worldwide wanted to extract that thorn. Especially in recent years, as legal systems improved, unsanctioned armed groups were vanishing one by one, leaving Netherworld as one of the last standing. His foremost duty, therefore, was to keep Netherworld afloat by any means necessary. Growth wasn't the goal; survival was.

"Master? Master, are you listening?"

Ye Fann snapped back to the present. "Yes, I'm listening. Go on."

"So, your request for four million yuan is a no-go. Should I just cover it for you, consider it a loan?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

"Hey, you..."

"And forget about the 500,000 too. I'll figure something out."

The line went dead.

Huang Xiaoshan was left bewildered. "What the...? Who turns down money?"

Beside her, Huang Shasha, with a furrowed brow, fixed her gaze on Xiaoshan for a few seconds before asking, "You know he's strapped for cash. Why not just tell him the funds were approved and front him the money? Wouldn't that..."

"Why should I?" Xiaoshan cut her off sharply. "What era are we living in where people do good deeds anonymously? If I'm doing him a favor, he's going to know about it. Only fools help in silence. Hmph."

Huang Shasha paused, then shook her head with a chuckle. She decided to let it go; meddling in the affairs of a master and disciple wasn't her concern.

One refused to accept money, while the other wouldn't give it unless everyone knew—both were eccentrics, truly fitting for the same sect.

At the hotel, Ye Fann lit a cigarette and stepped out onto the balcony, gazing at the night sky with a mix of contemplation and resignation.

"Master, I think it's time for the truth. Our funding has been cut off for months now. We've been told to be self-sufficient."

Reflecting on Huang Xiaoshan's words, he recognized this as a test from the higher-ups.

If he actually borrowed money from Huang Xiaoshan, he feared that the Netherworld would either disband or undergo drastic changes. Either way, it would effectively cease to exist.

He just had to hold on a little longer. If he could weather this storm, everything would be alright.

The next morning, Ye Fann dropped Huang Xinying off at her company and, with some reluctance, made his way back to the Huang family home.

The door was ajar, and a crowd had gathered in the living room.

Wang Ying was in the midst of a tirade, spitting angrily, "Get out! You're invading private property, do you understand? Leave now!"

A bald man with a cigarette dangling from his lips handed her a document and produced a red booklet. "Ma'am, look closely. This is the mortgage loan contract your son signed with us, and here's the deed. He's mortgaged your rundown houses for a loan."

"It's all there in black and white. If you don't pay up today, I'm sorry, but I'll have to take this contract and deed to the court. Just so you know, I have connections there. Within three days, court officials will be here to enforce the order. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Wang Ying was dumbfounded, and Huang Shihao beside her was completely bewildered.

Huang Yong had mortgaged the house for a loan?

"No, that can't be," Wang Ying denied, standing up abruptly. She pointed accusingly at Ye Fann, who had just pushed his way to the front. "He's the culprit. He stole the deed and impersonated our Huang Yong to secure the loan, didn't he?"

Ye Fann was utterly bewildered. "I just got here and already I'm being accused of something huge."

Huang Yong burst in, pointing fingers. "It's definitely him. Look closely. Was I the one who took out the loan? No, it was him! He stole the deed and impersonated me to get the loan!"

Ye Fann, with a resigned expression, simply smiled without a word.

The bald man gave Ye Fann a quick look, then turned his attention to Huang Yong with a hint of amusement. "Pretending to be you? And who the hell is he? I signed the contract with you myself and I've never even laid eyes on this guy. And now you're telling me someone's impersonating you?"

In a panic, Huang Yong dropped to his knees before Wang Ying, his face the picture of misery. "Mom, Mom, you have to believe me. I didn't take out any loan..."

With a loud clang, the bald man slammed a dagger into the wooden coffee table. "Cut the crap. Today, you've got two choices: pay up or get out of this house. Make your decision."

Wang Ying, pale with fury, clenched her teeth and pointed at Ye Fann once more. "Go to him. He's the one you should be talking to."

"Damn it, who is he for me to go after? Your son's name is on this contract. Are you acting blind now?"

Wang Ying, seething with anger, stormed over, yanked Ye Fann closer, and shoved the contract into his hands. "You've been mooching off us for years. Our family's in this mess because of you. You're going to fix this today!"

The bald man and his crew were taken aback.

Ye Fann scanned the contract. It wasn't a standard loan, but the interest was fair, the signatures were all there, complete with Huang Yong's thumbprint. The contract was legally binding; the debt had to be paid.

Three hundred thousand. Definitely not the same as the previous million in gambling debts.

"Where did the money go?" Ye Fann asked, turning to Huang Yong.

Huang Yong, through clenched teeth, replied, "You... you're the one who took out the loan in my name. How should I know..."

In a swift move, Ye Fann snatched the dagger from the coffee table and held it to Huang Yong's throat. "Answer my questions properly. If you're planning on hitting the streets, don't you dare drag your family down with you!"

"Ye Fann, what the hell are you doing?" Wang Ying bellowed, charging forward to wrest the knife from Ye Fann's grasp.

"So, you expect to handle this mess yourselves today, is that it?" Ye Fann's voice was icy.

Wang Ying came to an abrupt halt.

Huang Yong was trembling uncontrollably, a sheen of cold sweat coating his forehead.

"Where did the loan money go?" Ye Fann demanded.

Huang Yong, pale as a ghost, stuttered out the truth, "I... I have a friend in business. She..."

"Is this friend male or female?"

"Female, female."

"Your girlfriend?"

"No... not yet, but it's heading that way, soon."

Ye Fann locked eyes with Huang Yong. "Heading that way, soon? Then you'd better call her and have her come up with the money to pay off this loan."

"She's in the red with her business, no money to speak of," Huang Yong said with unexpected briskness.

"Why even bother grilling him?" Wang Ying interjected, her voice laced with urgency and rage. "Look at the state we're in, Ye Fann. Instead of finding a solution, you're here threatening a kid with a knife? Xinying must have been blind to marry you!"