Chapter 466: Chapter 422, Private Loans
Bai Jin helplessly said, "Junior brother, let me be honest with you! This loan is inevitable.
Let’s do this! I’ll set aside my old face and go talk to Gu Liang, ask her to push back the repayment date and lower the interest rate for you, but I can’t guarantee she’ll agree."
Mile bowed graciously and said thankfully, "Thank you, senior brother, you are really too kind. If not for you, I really wouldn’t know what to do!"
"Ah~ We call each other brothers, who else would I help if not you!
Junior brother, after you return to Buddhism, you should also think of ways to raise money!"
Mile, with a pained expression, said, "Not to hide from you, senior brother, I really have no idea how to earn Merit." He looked at Bai Jin enviously, his senior brother was really rich! If his identity wasn’t so special, he would’ve kidnapped him.
Bai Jin thought for a moment and said, "Here’s a suggestion for you."
Mile’s eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Please enlighten me, senior brother."
"This time, as Buddhism is established, Buddhist Disciples received some Merit. You can persuade Buddhist Disciples to come to Heaven and Earth Human Bank, exchange their Merit for Merit Coins, I will take a cut from the fees as a commission for you, which would also be an income for you."
Mile’s eyes brightened again, asking, "Senior brother, how much is this commission?"
"Three layers of the transaction fees, that’s the maximum adjustment I can offer. If it were higher, Gu Liang definitely wouldn’t allow it."
Mile felt moved and immediately stood up, bowing as he gratefully said, "Thank you, senior brother!"
Bai Jin also stood up, patted Mile on the shoulder encouragingly, "Why so formal? We are now in the same boat, needing to work together and progress.
After you go back, there’s much more you can do, like taking a loan from the bank, then lending it to Buddhist Disciples at a higher interest rate than the bank’s, that way you’d make a profit."
Mile, puzzled, said, "Senior brother, they could just take a loan directly from the bank, why would they take a higher interest loan from me? Am I supposed to force them to take loans?"
"Junior brother, you are mistaken. Bank loans are very strict, they require not only a guarantor but also collateral.
Your Buddhist community is poor and many disciples don’t have collateral, thus you can offer unsecured loans, even at interest rates several times higher than the banks’, of course, you also have to bear a certain risk."
Mile’s eyes lit up, indeed senior brother is senior brother, there’s quite a profit to be made here!
Immediately he bowed again and gratefully said, "Thank you for the guidance, senior brother."
After Mile left, Womb of the Earth Bodhisattva, Medicine Buddha, Mahasthamaprapta, and Great Sun Tathagata also quietly came and went.
...
"Bodhisattva, need a loan? No collateral required."
"Arhat, need a loan? Merit Money blessed by Maitreya Buddha."
"Buddha, need a loan? Pure Merit Gold Coins from the Underworld, interest lower than theirs."
Monks quietly moved around the Spiritual Mountain, each eyeing the other fiercely, like fire and water.
Within the Great Leiyin Temple, Duo Bao Tathagata sat in the primary seat.
Anan and Kashyapa hurriedly walked in, stood below in the great hall, bowed in unison, humbly and respectfully saying, "Disciples pay homage to The Buddha, wishing The Buddha an eternal golden body, revered in all Three Realms!"
The Buddha opened his eyes slightly, looking at Anan and Kashyapa below, a realization rose in his heart, realizing what it feels like to have two sycophants around, no wonder Bai Jin could earn the master’s favor, master, I feel your joy now!
The Buddha’s grand and solemn voice resounded, "Anan, Kashyapa, why do you come?"
Anan respectfully said, "My Lord Buddha, recently in Spiritual Mountain Buddhism, a sudden surge of private loans emerged, promoting slogans such as ’no collateral, no guarantee, quick disbursement’, attracting a large number of Buddhist Disciples to borrow."
Kashyapa added, "Buddha, it is said that the interest rates on these loans are very high. Rather than let these chaotic private loans run rampant, it would be better to take over the lending business at Great Leiyin Temple and manage it uniformly. Allow Great Leiyin Temple to lend and raise Merit for Buddhism."
The grand voice of the Buddha resonated again, "I am already aware, no need to meddle further; it does not harm the overall situation of Buddhism, let them be!"
Both Anan and Kashyapa showed a flash of disappointment in their eyes, and respectfully responded, "Yes!"
The Buddha rose from the Lotus Platform, stating, "Follow me to Pilan Palace."
Anan and Kashyapa respectfully replied, "Yes!"
The two followed behind the Buddha, walking toward the outside; the Buddha stepped out of the temple, with lotuses blossoming under every step, creating a scene of auspicious marvel. Wherever he passed, thousands of Buddhas paid their respects.
The three were high in the sky and descended before a remote temple.
The temple doors immediately opened wide, and a frail woman walked out from inside, exuding an aura of ’no entry to the living’, her appearance shadowy and forbidding.
The old woman bowed in greeting, her voice hoarse as she said, "Pilanpo pays respect to the Buddha!"
The Buddha smiled and said, "Bodhisattva Pilanpo, you are an Ancient Bodhisattva of our Buddhism, having contributed hard labor, no need for too many pleasantries, rise!"
Bodhisattva Pilanpo stood up and asked directly, "Has the Buddha’s Dharma chariot arrived here for a significant matter?"
The Buddha answered with a smile, "One of your disciples and I share a karmic connection."
The expression of Bodhisattva Pilanpo flickered, and then she regained her calm, saying, "It’s their honor to be favored by the Buddha!"
She gestured with her hand and said, "Please come inside, Buddha. I will call my disciples to gather here."
The Buddha nodded slightly and followed Bodhisattva Pilanpo inside.
...
In a world of deathly stillness above a desert, waves of scorching heat rose with a buzzing sound—an intense flapping.
Within the desert, explosive forces sent pillars of sand bursting skyward.
An enormous Eight-winged Golden Cicada appeared from the void, its eight wings like blades tearing through the space, resembling a fearsome Demon God from ancient times.
Boom—a pitch-black scorpion’s tail burst out from within the desert, shooting out like a steel Long Spear, aiming at the Eight-winged Golden Cicada.
The Eight-winged Golden Cicada suddenly shot out its mouthparts, clanging against the scorpion tail, sparks flying. The desert roared like raging waves, and a huge scorpion leaped out from the sand, retracting its extended tail behind its body.
The vast scorpion looked up at the Eight-winged Golden Cicada in the sky, its body uncontrollably stepping back in deep dread.
The scorpion looked up pleadingly and said, "Golden Cicada, could you spare my life? I am willing to honor you alone."
The massive Golden Cicada cackled strangely and said, "Poison Scorpion, 48,000 insects remain, only you and I are left. Do you still harbor such naive fantasies?
To escape this world of Poisonous Gu, one of us must die. Only the King of Ten Thousand Gu who gathers the strength of 48,000 insects has the right to leave this world." The Eight Wings vibrated, sending eight blades of Golden Light Blade slicing towards the Poison Scorpion below.
The Poison Scorpion violently straightened up, hissing furiously, expelling a stream of dark green poison mist from its mouth. The poison mist transformed into thousands of tiny poisonous scorpions, swarming upwards.