To be honest, Lin Yao had only watched that movie plus a few extras before.
He hadn't really read the manga.
And even what he had read, he'd basically forgotten.
At most, he'd seen a few half-baked breakdowns from content creators while scrolling short videos—fragmented information at best.
But after listening to Wu Qiuyu's detailed explanation,
an idea formed in Lin Yao's mind almost instantly.
If he wanted to make real money, he'd start with Ba Xian.
Ba Xian—don't disappoint me.
Those twenty million Jing Kun promised you—
you'd better already have them in hand.
As long as things followed the movie's plot,
Ba Xian would soon be taken out by Chan Ho-nam.
At that point—
Pure profit.
That was right.
Lin Yao wasn't thinking about repaying the debt.
He was thinking about borrowing more—borrowing again from Ba Xian.
Even if things didn't go exactly according to the plot,
when payday came, he'd make Ba Xian disappear from the world anyway.
This old leech was as good as done.
Even the Jade Emperor himself couldn't save him.
…
The next day, Ba Xian showed up in person.
Dressed in a black tank top that showed off his bulging muscles,
he brought six lackeys with him—plus a gaudily dressed woman—and stormed in.
"Hey! Who the hell is Lin Yao?!"
Ba Xian shouted as he walked into the territory.
"Brother Ba Xian, right? Come in, sit down.
I acknowledge the debt—we can talk it through."
Lin Yao greeted him with a smile.
Hearing that, Ba Xian felt slightly thrown off.
Wasn't Se Yao supposed to be ruthless?
The guy who crushed five hundred members of Hung Yi
and wiped out East Point Street overnight?
Why did he seem… friendly?
Could it be he was afraid of Tung Sing?
Very possible.
Hung Yi was trash.
The East Point Yi Gang was trash too.
But Tung Sing was different—
one of Hong Kong's six major triads.
That name alone filled Ba Xian with pride.
Originally, he'd come ready for a fight.
After all—money lenders were the real bosses.
Fat Wah was dead, which meant Lin Yao could just play tai chi with him forever.
If talking failed, violence was inevitable.
But unexpectedly—things were going smoothly.
"Since you admit the debt, then pay up."
Ba Xian swaggered in, dragging a stool over and plopping down hard.
The chair nearly collapsed.
Judging by his build, the man had to weigh at least two hundred jin.
"Not so fast," Lin Yao said calmly.
"Brother Ba Xian, I just took over the hall. I don't have cash on hand yet."
"No money? Then what the hell are we talking for?!"
Ba Xian jumped to his feet.
His men immediately tensed up.
Outside on the street, more of his people were already waiting.
"Easy," Lin Yao said with the same smile.
"Let me finish."
"Fine. Let's hear it."
Ba Xian sat back down and casually pulled one of his lackeys in front of him—
half for swagger, half as a human shield.
"I admit the debt," Lin Yao said.
"But right now, I'm short on cash."
"A debt unpaid is a sin against heaven!"
"If you don't have money, don't waste my time!
You think Tung Sing is easy to bully?!"
Before Lin Yao could finish speaking,
a yellow-haired lackey beside Ba Xian suddenly flared up.
He stepped forward, finger nearly poking Lin Yao in the nose.
Lin Yao's smile didn't fade.
But his hand moved so fast it was almost invisible.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out.
The yellow-haired thug didn't even have time to react before his body flew backward like he'd been hit by a sledgehammer.
He slammed into a metal filing cabinet, bounced off, and skidded across the floor five or six meters.
Face twisted, he lay there unable to get up, blood seeping from his mouth.
The office fell dead silent.
Ba Xian's hand, which had been resting on his lackey's waist, froze mid-air.
The next second, he shoved the man aside and sprang up from his chair.
His massive body sent the chair sliding back half a meter.
He stared at Lin Yao, eyes wide with shock.
That speed.
That power.
No normal person could do that.
"Brother Ba Xian, don't be nervous."
Lin Yao still smiled.
"Your little brother doesn't know manners.
Yelling at me in front of you makes it look like you don't discipline your men."
"I was just helping you teach him some rules."
His gaze slowly swept over the remaining five lackeys.
All five instinctively stepped back.
Their earlier arrogance vanished instantly.
"And you?" Lin Yao asked calmly.
His voice was gentle—
yet carried a suffocating pressure.
"If you're unhappy, no need to come one by one.
You can all come at me together."
They looked at each other.
No one moved.
In the end, all eyes turned to Ba Xian.
No one wanted to end up like Yellow Hair.
Ba Xian swallowed hard, his fat face twitching.
Only now did he realize—
Lin Yao hadn't been polite out of fear.
He simply didn't care.
Forcing down his panic, Ba Xian growled:
"Lin… Lin Yao, what exactly are you trying to pull?
You want to dodge the debt and throw punches?"
"Tung Sing isn't afraid of you and Wo Shing!"
Lin Yao ignored him.
Instead, he reached behind him and pulled out a neatly prepared document.
Slap.
He dropped it on the table and pushed it forward.
"The deed to Brother Wah's villa.
You can read, right? Take a look."
He tapped the cover lightly, smiling with a hint of amusement.
"Let me say it again.
The two million Fat Wah owed you—I acknowledge it."
"This deed is now collateral. Enough to cover it, right?"
Ba Xian's eyes lit up instantly.
He grabbed the deed, flipped through it, checked the seals and signatures.
All legit.
That villa was worth at least five million.
As collateral, it was rock solid.
But before he could finish celebrating,
Lin Yao continued:
"I just took over the hall. I need to pay my brothers and grease some wheels.
Cash is tight."
Lin Yao leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice.
"So—I want to borrow another ten million from you."
"Interest at nine borrowed, fifteen repaid.
Three months."
"If you're willing, the deed stays with you as collateral."
"The original two million doesn't need to be repaid yet.
Once this money turns over, I'll return everything—principal and interest."
Ba Xian's grip on the deed tightened.
The excitement faded, replaced by calculation.
Borrow nine, repay fifteen.
The interest was insanely tempting.
And with the deed in hand, Lin Yao couldn't run.
Still—Ba Xian wasn't stupid.
"Nine for fifteen?" he said warily.
"What kind of business gives returns that high? Don't bullshit me."
"If you don't want to lend, that's fine," Lin Yao said casually.
He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping the desk.
"The two million I owe—I admit it.
But I have no cash now, so I'll repay slowly."
"One or two hundred thousand a month.
When it's fully paid? Who knows."
"If your Tung Sing brothers laugh at you for not even being able to collect a debt—
that's on you."
Ba Xian froze.
He stared at the deed on the table, conflicted.
Lend the money—
and he'd earn a massive return, backed by solid collateral.
Don't lend—
and all he'd have was a piece of paper and endless delays.
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