Going home!
With the Star-Pointing Season concluded, Xu Jin had not only succeeded in Star Pointing but also entered the Middle Court as he had wished, so he must go home for a visit.
First to bring good news, second to make an appearance, and third to figure out a way to resolve the most urgent debts at home to avoid escalating issues.
Bringing good news was simple.
Knowing that he had not only succeeded in Star Pointing but also cured his Innate heart disease would most likely make Xu Dajiang cry with joy, and his sister Xu Jiang would certainly leap with happiness.
Making an appearance was Xu Jin's own idea.
In this world, succeeding in Star Pointing was considered a threshold of rank.
In a family, so long as one person succeeded in Star Pointing, their future would promise comparatively high income and social status, making it unlikely for neighbors and ruffians to oppress them lightly.
What troubled Xu Jin now was the issue of his family's debts.
The bottle of Mental Awakening Pills that Xu Dajiang had brought eight days ago cost fifty taels of silver.
Xu Jin still did not know how Xu Dajiang had managed to obtain it, but it was certainly not through borrowing from friends and relatives; they did not have such capable friends or relatives.
Xu Dajiang's channel for obtaining it was probably borrowing usury from a bank or a gang.
The former was better; although the interest was high, at least they were only after the money.
The latter was a different matter.
Therefore, Xu Jin wanted to resolve this family hazard as soon as possible.
At Jinshan Taoist Institute's Middle Court, after completing the corresponding menial tasks, there was a monthly salary of ten taels of silver, and they would distribute two Mental Awakening Pills as Cultivation resources every month, totaling twenty taels of silver.
In Jinshan County, that was considered a high income.
This was also the reason Xu Jin had previously sought to join the Taoist Institute's Middle Court at all costs.
However, the family's debt was a pressing matter.
A high-interest usury of fifty taels, even if borrowed from a bank, returning it at a rate of nine for thirteen was considered a merciful rate.
Thus, the fifty taels borrowed by Xu Dajiang might cost 72 or more to repay.
And that was a conservative estimate.
The last time he borrowed one hundred taels from Ning Yuchan to buy pills for cultivation, he still had six taels and four maces left, in addition to one Blood Replenishing Pill—the total of his assets.
To pay off this debt, Xu Jin would have to save for four months at the Middle Court.
Even with accumulating interest, it might take five to six months.
Saving for five to six months wasn't the issue, the fear was something unexpected happening in the meantime.
Xu Jin still wanted to repay this debt as soon as possible, to be worry-free.
But where could he conjure up silver from thin air?
After much thought, Xu Jin came up with a plan.
Without ruthlessness, you can't stand firm.
With thin skin, you'll have no money to spend!
Having already borrowed once, Instructor Ning would probably lend a second time, right?
Xu Jin was a man of action; once he thought of it, he acted.
At worst, if he failed to borrow money, what was there to fear!
"Xu Jin?"
Ning Yuchan was a bit surprised by Xu Jin's return visit and didn't quite understand what he was looking for her for.
"Instructor, I have a question that I want to ask for advice?"
"Sure, tell me." Ning Yuchan was quite willing to help these disciples with their doubts and confusion.
"Instructor, every disciple in the Institute must choose a menial task; I would like to ask which one offers the best monetary prospects?" Xu Jin asked.
"Menial tasks? What kind of prospects could they possibly have?" Ning Yuchan was puzzled.
"Er, no, Instructor, I mean to ask, which menial task would enable me to earn the most silver?" Xu Jin clarified.
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuchan immediately understood Xu Jin's meaning: he was short on silver and wanted to know which menial task could earn him some extra silver.
"Theoretically, each menial task has the potential to earn additional income.
Among the Six Arts, if you choose tasks related to Slaughter and tracking, catching bandits and chasing fugitives offer rewards and bounties, and the amount depends on luck.
With Forging, the early stages are laborious and quite taxing on the physique, but if one achieves skillfulness, it is possible that after a decade or so, wealth will roll in," Ning Yuchan explained.
"Instructor, I'm thinking short-term; I'm very short on silver right now," Xu Jin said with a wry smile.
"In the short term, that would be Medicine Inquiry and Sea Exploration.
"Especially since our Jinshan County is nestled against the mountains and threaded by a great river, the current affairs of Medicine Inquiry and Sea Exploration involve trekking into mountains and diving into water to search for various medicinal herbs and rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures imbued with Star Power. Your gains will depend on your personal luck," Ning Yuchan said.
"However, Sea Exploration has always been the specialty of the Tianyang Branch, and the Golden Sand River is their territory.
Our Jinshan Taoist Institute mainly focuses on Medicine Inquiry," Ning Yuchan added.
"So Instructor's suggestion is for me to choose the affairs related to Medicine Inquiry?" Xu Jin asked.
"Mhmm, roughly!
The duties related to Medicine Inquiry usually won't delay your cultivation, are relatively less dangerous, suit you with your current low cultivation level, offer a chance to practice practical combat ability, and it's easier to earn some extra cash. But it requires boldness and meticulousness, and you must memorize the pharmacopoeia and the 'Ten Thousand Star Strange Objects Record,'" Ning Yuchan said.
Xu Jin picked out a few keywords from her explanation: danger level, low cultivation level, practical combat.
Combined, these factors formed the best option as suggested by Ning Yuchan.
Heeding advice leads to a full belly.
"Instructor, I understand how to choose now.
Oh, right, Instructor, I came here today to ask for another favor," Xu Jin said.
"Speak!"
"Instructor, I would like to ask to borrow some silver again..."
Xu Jin had barely started speaking when Ning Yuchan's almond-shaped eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
She had never seen such a bold and thick-skinned disciple, coming to their teacher to borrow silver again.
And for the second time.
He hadn't even repaid the last loan!
And here he was asking again!
Xu Jin's face flushed with embarrassment, but he still braced himself to continue.
As the saying goes, persistent suitors frighten away shy girls; whether courting a woman or borrowing money, one needs thick skin to succeed.
"Instructor, the silver you lent me before was nearly all used up in my recent push to the Middle Court. I'm planning to visit home today, but because of the incident with the Mental Awakening Pill last time, I suspect my father might have taken out a loan at usury rates.
I can save up and repay this debt in three to four months staying at the Middle Court.
But as you know, those willing to lend at usury rates are not kind-hearted people. I want to ask to borrow some silver from you again to solve this problem and avoid any potential dangers to my family.
Then I can cultivate in peace and repay the silver I borrowed from you as soon as possible."
Although he was thick-skinned in coming to borrow silver, he still had to make a reasonable case.
Otherwise, it wasn't borrowing; it was scamming!
Ning Yuchan glared at Xu Jin with her wide almond-shaped eyes, and Xu Jin put on an innocent face, though he was inwardly feeling quite awkward.
Sure, he was definitely going to repay the debt, but to keep pestering someone for money was rather...
However, as they stared eye to eye, Xu Jin realized that Ning Yuchan was actually quite pretty, with delicate features that bore a unique heroic spirit, especially her pale skin and tall stature.
If it weren't for that large silver crutch, she would definitely be goddess-level.
Suddenly, Xu Jin grew curious about Ning Yuchan's leg.
Was it congenital, or had she suffered an injury later in life?
He thought about it, but Xu Jin didn't dare to ask.
He knew that a physical disability could be Ning Yuchan's most taboo subject, not to be touched lightly.
After staring intently at Xu Jin with large eyes for several dozen breaths, to show she wasn't feeling guilty, Ning Yuchan met his gaze directly. She suddenly realized something was inappropriate; they seemed to be too close.
Turning away, Ning Yuchan pulled out two one hundred tael silver notes from her bosom and slapped them onto the stone table in front of her, "If you can break through to the Fifth Layer of Dining Dawn within two months, I only want the principal back after a year.
If not, you'll owe me ten times the loan, including the previous one.
Do you dare to borrow?" Ning Yuchan stood up, with a commanding presence as she looked down at Xu Jin sitting on the stone bench.
"Why wouldn't I dare!"
Xu Jin only took a second to consider before he promptly accepted the wager, then swiftly grabbed the two one hundred tael silver notes, afraid that Ning Yuchan might change her mind.
"August 18th, Fifth Layer of Dining Dawn, any problem with that?"
"No problem, August 18th!"
After accepting and expressing his thanks, Xu Jin took his leave but stumbled as Ning Yuchan's words scared him just as he was leaving through the gate.
"You had better work hard to break through to the Fifth Layer of Dining Dawn, because if you can't pay back the three thousand taels of silver in a year, I will definitely sell you to a mine. Someone like you who succeeded in Star Pointing should fetch a good price!" Ning Yuchan infused her delicate voice with a threat!
Xu Jin left feeling ecstatic.
Two hundred taels of silver should solve the family's debt, right?
Should he bring a little surprise for his father and Jiang'er?