Chapter 295: Can You Handle My Interest?

TL: FoodieMonster007

That was the one thing Jo Yang hated hearing most, especially from someone who took out a King Yama Loan. People usually said it when they looked down on them, but even if the whole world said it, the one person who absolutely should not was the very person who came to borrow from the King Yama Loan.

"If you have a demonic practitioner, I'm telling you to bring him out," Geom Mugeuk provoked him again.

In that moment, Geom Mugeuk read the emotions in Jo Yang's eyes and expression.

If I could just do what I really want!

He must have someone he trusts in the Demonic Cult. Is it the head of the Jiangxi Branch? Or another demonic being? Speak! Who is it that you trust?

However, Jo Yang had dealt with all sorts of debtors for a long time and was no pushover. He had a firm conviction when it came to tormenting his opponents.

The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult? What's the point of bringing in swordsmen to beat up a guy who spouts such ridiculous bluffs? Violence or threats aren't what plunges slippery bastards like him into hell. It's gifting them the suffocating reality of having to work their entire lives just to pay back the money, with no other choice.

"Since you have the Demonic Cult Leader as your father, I suppose you can afford to be so bold."

It was a sarcastic remark, but Geom Mugeuk took it at face value.

"The guts of you people who went to see Father are even more impressive."

"Are you really going to insist until the end that you're the son of the Demonic Cult Leader?"

"That's right. I am the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. I've made myself clear, so don't say anything foolish later. Don't ask how you could have believed it, or if I would have believed it in your shoes. I'll tell you this plainly. If it were me, I would have believed it. Because my life is precious."

Of course, Jo Yang didn't believe him. He had visited today after receiving a message from their investigator. This guy was the most shameless bastard in history to impersonate the Demonic Cult Leader's son.

"Very well, our dear Young Cult Leader."

"So you finally believe me."

"Starting tomorrow, I will send someone to collect the interest every day."

"Every day? Don't you normally collect it once a month?"

"The rules have changed."

From tomorrow, this detestable bastard's life would change from one of shamelessness to one of hardship.

"Can you just change it so recklessly?"

"It's written in the loan agreement. It says we can change the method of collecting interest as we see fit."

Geom Mugeuk confirmed the clause, written in letters the size of sleep dust in the loan agreement, and shook his head.

"Did you lend money to an ant? This is really too much."

"We're just following the established rules. You should have read it carefully before signing."

The toxic clauses were hidden in a truly breathtaking way. This was how moneylenders sucked the marrow from the bones of the poor.

"You're the so-called Young Cult Leader, so wouldn't you be able to pay back this amount in no time if you just put your mind to it?"

"Can you really handle my interest?"

Jo Yang smiled faintly at that. "Have you ever seen anyone who hates money?"

The next day, while Geom Mugeuk ate at the inn, a fierce-looking man strode up and abruptly held out his hand.

"I'm here to collect the interest."

Geom Mugeuk lifted his head and saw the same man who had collected money from Pyeon Jung. He was the same bastard who had beaten Pyeon Jung before his wife and children, and even held a throwing knife to his child's throat.

A few nearby customers put down their chopsticks, quietly paid, and left. Those who remained averted their gazes. This alone showed what kind of man he was and how he usually behaved.

"My nickname is Mad Dog. So you'd better know what to do from now on. When you see me coming from a distance, have the interest ready. Got it?"

This Mad Dog, who knew how to torment people and enjoyed it, was the ordeal Jo Yang had sent.

Geom Mugeuk looked up at him and asked, "But aren't you afraid, when your opponent is a martial artist wearing a sword like this?"

Mad Dog carried a sword, but he was not a martial artist with inner arts.

"Why? You think you can draw that sword and kill me just because you're some martial artist? Go on, try it! The moment you do, you and your family are finished. You think our organization will let you live? We start by tearing the family to shreds."

Geom Mugeuk smiled, undermining the intimidation attempt. "Then you won't even be able to start."

Mad Dog's expression hardened until his face truly resembled a vicious dog's. "They said you were a bastard lost in the delusion of being the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. I guess it's true."

Mad Dog threw Geom Mugeuk's bowl of food to the floor, shattering it. A tense atmosphere filled the air, as if a fight could break out at any moment.

The inn's owner and waiters, who were watching, wore pitiful expressions. They knew better than anyone that no matter how kind and diligent a person was, once they got entangled with a moneylender, they could never return to their original life, and of all people, Mad Dog was in charge? The bastard had rampaged so much that there wasn't a single person in the village who hadn't been beaten by him.

"Young Cult Leader. What are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean? He broke the Young Cult Leader's rice bowl, so he must be punished. Now, if I give the signal, the Demon Supremes will appear from outside."

At the words Demon Supreme, not only Mad Dog but everyone in the inn flinched. The term carried a primal fear.

"Not there, look over there."

Mad Dog's gaze followed where Geom Mugeuk pointed. The inn's customers also looked in that direction.

"One, two…"

Geom Mugeuk started counting as if to give the signal. For a moment, Mad Dog tensed. Surely, they won't actually appear, right?

Just as the tension peaked, thick with the feeling that someone was about to appear, Geom Mugeuk shouted.

"Three!"

However, no one appeared. Everyone's eyes turned to Geom Mugeuk.

"Did you believe that? Do you think the noble Demon Supremes would come all this way to deal with scum like you?"

His tension broken, Mad Dog was dumbfounded. The fact that he had been nervous, even for a moment, made him furious. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of curses, Geom Mugeuk took some money from his robes.

"Here, here is the interest!"

Faced with this polite attitude, Mad Dog's urge to explode subsided. Still, he felt like he was being played.

This bastard, you're on my list now.

"Should've done that from the start. A young punk like you doesn't know how scary money is."

Geom Mugeuk dropped a coin onto Mad Dog's palm. It seemed to fall lightly.

HWAAAAANG.

"……"

The moment the coin landed, it became too heavy to bear. The coin crushed Mad Dog's hand, slamming it into the floor.

"Uwaaaaah!"

The impact shattered the bones in Mad Dog's hand. He tried to lift the coin with his other hand, but it wouldn't budge.

"It hurts, it hurts! Someone get this off me! Aaaaargh!"

His hand hurt terribly. The weight grew heavier and heavier, feeling as if it would bore a hole right through his palm.

"There's still interest left. Give me your other hand."

Mad Dog, prostrate on the floor, looked up at Geom Mugeuk. In that instant, he knew. A coin couldn't be this heavy. Geom Mugeuk must have used some kind of trick.

Mad Dog's voice trembled. "Please spare me."

The dog that had been so vicious just moments ago had turned into a puppy on the verge of tears.

"No way! You said you'd go to Father if I didn't pay the interest. Take it."

Mad Dog tried to flee, but the hand holding the coin pinned his body in place. An unknown force compelled his other hand forward.

"Ughhh! Please spare me!"

"What are you talking about? I'm telling you to take the interest."

Geom Mugeuk lightly placed a coin on the other hand.

HWAAAAANG!

"……"

This time, too, his hand could not bear the coin's weight and slammed into the floor. A louder scream erupted from Mad Dog's mouth.

With both palms pinned to the floor, Mad Dog was left in a state of deep prostration. The onlookers glanced at each other, unconcealable joy flashing across their faces. He was a man who had terrorized them far too much.

"Uuuuugh. It hurts so much."

Geom Mugeuk treated the screams as a side dish and tilted his cup. "That's right, you should know how scary money is."

Having heard the news, Jo Yang rushed to the inn with his swordsmen. He had expected the man wouldn't pay obediently, but he hadn't thought he would cause trouble on the very first day.

"If you all flock here to collect two coins, won't you be operating at a loss?"

Pretending not to hear Geom Mugeuk, Jo Yang kicked the unconscious Mad Dog to wake him.

"What are you doing?"

When Mad Dog regained consciousness, the coins on his palms had become light again.

"Ughhh. My hands hurt so much."

Jo Yang examined Mad Dog's hands. The bones in both were crushed, making a normal life impossible for him.

"Please treat my hands first."

"It's no use. You'll have to live as a cripple for the rest of your life."

At that, Mad Dog let out a monstrous scream.

Jo Yang mercilessly slapped Mad Dog across the face. "Snap out of it! What the hell happened? Were you hit with a rock? Or trampled?"

"The thing is, the coins were too heavy to hold."

"What are you talking about? Were you dreaming?"

He could understand being beaten up, but the claim that coins had become heavy was incomprehensible.

Jo Yang glared at Geom Mugeuk. "What kind of trick did you pull?"

"A trick? He came to collect the interest, so I just gave it to him. Then he started rolling on the floor by himself, making a huge fuss about how much it hurt."

Geom Mugeuk took it a step further. "Do you people also engage in blackmail and threats? Trying to extort money with an act like this? How much are you going to raise it from one hundred taels this time?"

Jo Yang calmly asked the inn owner and waiters what had happened. They repeated exactly what Geom Mugeuk had said.

"When he gave him the coins, he started rolling on the floor saying it hurt."

It wasn't just one or two people who had seen it.

Jo Yang could tell Geom Mugeuk had pulled some trick with the coins. He had never heard of making coins so heavy that a person couldn't move.

"Do you know who we are, acting like this?"

When Jo Yang lowered his voice, Geom Mugeuk imitated him. "And do you know who I am?"

He quickly switched to a playful tone. "Ah, that's right, you do know, don't you? That I'm the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult."

Jo Yang's expression hardened. He had thought he was just a madman lost in delusion.

So he's a guy with a trick up his sleeve, is that it?

As the swordsmen were about to carry Mad Dog out, Geom Mugeuk picked up the coins that had fallen on the floor. "You have to take the interest."

Geom Mugeuk held out the two coins Mad Dog had dropped.

Having heard what happened, Jo Yang didn't dare extend his hand.

"It's the interest you love so much, isn't it? Aren't you going to take it?"

Many eyes were watching. If they returned like this, the moneylender's prestige would plummet. The head of the moneylenders, in particular, was a man who believed the business was over if they were looked down upon by a debtor. It was obvious that a thunderbolt of wrath would fall upon him.

Jo Yang gestured with his eyes to a swordsman beside him. The chosen man stepped forward reluctantly.

"Here, your interest is served!"

The moment Geom Mugeuk dropped the coin.

HWAAAAANG!

"……"

The swordsman's hand was also slammed into the floor. He too had failed to withstand the coin's weight.

"Uwaaaaaaaaargh!"

The swordsman shrieked as his bones shattered. Another swordsman rushed forward and tried to lift the coin, but it wouldn't budge.

Seeing this with his own eyes, Jo Yang was utterly shocked. He had never seen such a sight. This was no simple trick.

He was a master!

The swordsmen all drew their swords at once. It was not to avenge their comrade, but a reflexive action born of fear. Jo Yang raised a hand to stop them. When their opponent was such a master, mere moneylender swordsmen could not handle him.

Geom Mugeuk held out the remaining coin. "If you came to collect interest, you should take the money. Why are you drawing your swords?"

Jo Yang asked in a trembling voice, "What is your purpose in approaching us?"

There was no way a master like this would have borrowed money from them because he lacked ten taels.

"Purpose? I just borrowed the money because I needed it, didn't I? You were the one who increased the debt to one hundred taels, and you were the one who said you'd collect interest every day. If you hadn't changed the rules, we wouldn't even have met today."

Jo Yang couldn't refute it. He was clearly the one who had created this situation.

"Here, take your interest." Geom Mugeuk held out the remaining coin.

The first swordsman was still screaming, his hand pinned to the floor. No one else dared to step forward. Jo Yang looked back at his men, but they all avoided his gaze.

In the end, Jo Yang passed the buck to the collapsed swordsman. "He was the one who was supposed to take it, so give it to him."

"Let's do that."

Geom Mugeuk strode forward.

"Aaaaargh! Please! No!"

The coin dropped, and his other hand was also crushed. The screaming man passed out. Everyone was terrified by Geom Mugeuk's unhesitating and ruthless display.

"How would you lot, who just walk around extorting money with swords, ever understand? Money earned through labor is this heavy."

Jo Yang had a gut feeling that things had gone terribly wrong.

But this was not the end. Geom Mugeuk picked up the coin from the unconscious man's palm. "You said no one hates money, so why is everyone refusing to take it?"

Geom Mugeuk once again held the coin out to Jo Yang. "You have to take the interest."

The moment their eyes met, goosebumps erupted all over Jo Yang's body. He had dealt with all sorts of bastards, but he had never been this terrified.

"Hold out your hand."

Geom Mugeuk's attitude was completely different.

Jo Yang didn't dare disobey. The fear that he would die if he refused dominated him. Jo Yang's outstretched hand trembled violently.

The coin fell into Jo Yang's hand. He squeezed his eyes shut, but thankfully, it wasn't heavy this time.

Opening his eyes, Jo Yang spoke urgently. "We won't take the interest, or even the principal. Let's just consider it all paid off."

As he hurriedly turned to leave, Geom Mugeuk spoke coldly from behind him. "By whose authority."

When Jo Yang turned back, Geom Mugeuk had placed two new coins on the table.

"Come back for the interest tomorrow. If you don't, I'll come find you."