"How much does your Chief Disciple want to borrow?"

Shen Xiuyong picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and looked at Yu Bao’Er.

Yu Bao’Er blinked, recalling Chen Qing’s instructions, and obediently relayed, "The Chief Disciple said... as much as you can lend. The more, the better."

"PFFT—"

Shen Xiuyong nearly spat out a mouthful of tea.

He set down his teacup, shot an irritated glare at Yu Bao’Er, glanced at the letter in his hand, and finally shook his head in resignation. "This kid... He’s really got some nerve! ’The more, the better’? Does he think I’m a bank vault?"

Yu Bao’Er kept her head down and said nothing.

Shen Xiuyong finally took out a stack of silver notes, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Twenty thousand taels! Tell your Chief Disciple that this is what Old Shen scraped together by tightening my belt! Tell him to be frugal with it! And remember, have him write me an IOU! In his own hand!"

"Yes! Thank you, Elder Shen! I’ll be sure to pass it on!"

Yu Bao’Er took the silver notes, her little face beaming with joy. After bowing again, she quickly ran out.

Watching her retreating figure, Shen Xiuyong winced and smacked his lips. "Chen Qing, oh, Chen Qing, you brat, don’t you dare let Old Shen lose everything..."

....

「In a small garden outside Nie Shanshan’s residence at the Gui Water Institute.」

Nie Shanshan was sitting at a stone table with Zhu Ping, sipping tea and chatting idly.

Zhu Ping, with her lively personality, was chattering away.

A female disciple from the Gui Water Institute hurried over and respectfully presented an elegant letter. "Senior Sister Nie, the Chief Disciple of Cyan Wood Institute, Chen Qing, sent someone to deliver this. He specified that you should open it personally."

"Chen Qing?"

A trace of surprise appeared on Nie Shanshan’s cool and distant face.

Other than seeing him from a distance during the great celebration, she’d had almost no interaction with Chen Qing.

’Why would he write me a letter?’

At the side, Zhu Ping’s eyes instantly lit up like a bee that had just sniffed out nectar. The flames of gossip roared to life within her.

She immediately leaned closer to Nie Shanshan, lowered her voice, and said with a teasing smile, "Ooh~ Shanshan! That new Chief Disciple from the Cyan Wood Institute? He wrote you a letter? Quick, open it and see! Could it be..."

Scenes of a talented scholar and a beautiful maiden, a marriage alliance between chief disciples, were already playing out in her mind.

Teased by her friend, Nie Shanshan frowned slightly and shot her an exasperated look. "What nonsense are you talking about!"

Although confused, she still did as suggested and opened the envelope.

However, when she saw the few concise and clear lines on the letter, her cool eyes couldn’t help but widen slightly, and the astonishment on her face deepened.

The content of the letter was largely the same as the one sent to Shen Xiuyong. Chen Qing earnestly stated that he urgently needed a large sum of funds for an emergency. He hoped that Senior Sister Nie, for the sake of their fellowship as sect members, would lend a hand if she could. He would be eternally grateful and would definitely repay her in the future.

Nie Shanshan was speechless for a moment, feeling that the situation was truly... unexpected.

She handed the letter directly to the curious Zhu Ping, who was craning her neck beside her.

Zhu Ping eagerly took the letter. As her eyes swept over it, the excitement and teasing expression on her face instantly froze, replaced by incredulous shock. "Huh? This is... about borrowing money?"

She looked up, glancing from the letter to Nie Shanshan and back, as if to confirm she wasn’t seeing things. "He... He wrote you a letter... just to borrow money?!"

Nie Shanshan picked up her teacup, took a sip to suppress the sense of absurdity she felt, and regained her usual composure.

She pondered for a moment before speaking, "Since he’s asked, and he is the new Chief Disciple, it wouldn’t be right to refuse him outright, as we are fellow sect members."

Zhu Ping, still reeling from the massive gap between her expectations and reality, stammered, "Then... then how much are you lending him? He sure has the guts to ask!"

She grumbled inwardly: ’What kind of new courtship method is this? First, borrow an astronomical amount of silver? That’s a bit too hardcore!’

’Is he trying to tie Shanshan down with debt?’

Nie Shanshan set down her teacup, having already made a decision. "I’m not exactly flush with funds myself, but lending him thirty thousand taels to tide him over shouldn’t be a problem."

....

Yu Bao’Er clutched the remaining letters, but her steps felt as if they were filled with lead.

The next place she had to go made her heart pound with anxiety—the Internal Affairs Hall.

In the solemn main hall of the Internal Affairs Hall, Elder Sang Yanping was sipping fragrant tea with two other Elders, discussing trivial matters concerning the Sect’s resource allocation.

Behind Elder Sang stood his most capable Direct Disciple.

Yu Bao’Er hesitated at the entrance for a good while before mustering the courage to ask the Guard Disciple to announce her.

After receiving permission, she took a deep breath and scurried inside. Immediately, three scrutinizing gazes fell upon her, making her scalp tingle.

"Disciple Yu Bao’Er pays her respects to Elder Sang, Elder Wang, and Elder Li."

Her head bowed even lower as she respectfully presented Chen Qing’s letters with both hands. "By... by order of the Cyan Wood Institute’s Chief Disciple, Chen Qing, I present these letters. Please... please, may the three Elders open them personally."

Sang Yanping gave a slight nod. The disciple behind him stepped forward, took the letter addressed for Elder Sang to open personally, and passed it to him.

Elder Wang and Elder Li, also puzzled, each took the envelopes bearing their own surnames.

The three Elders broke the wax seals almost simultaneously.

As their eyes scanned the contents of their respective letters—a request to borrow money—the air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.

A peculiar expression appeared on Sang Yanping’s face.

The notoriously money-loving Elder Wang beside him felt his face twitch. "Bor... borrow money?! That brat Chen Qing... is asking *me* to lend him money?!"

His voice rose, filled with disbelief. "Does he think I run a bank?!"

Elder Li was relatively milder, but the astonishment on his face was just as apparent. He stroked his beard and shook his head repeatedly. "This... this is truly... unheard of. A new Chief Disciple... begging from the Elders?"

He looked at Sang Yanping. "Brother Sang, what do you make of this...?"

Sang Yanping’s face returned to a superficial calm, but the trace of amusement deep in his eyes only grew stronger.