Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 625: A Massive Debt

Han Yu focused again.

The first move mattered.

If he wanted Qing Luan to grow fully reliant on him and nurture her hatred in the right direction, he needed to clear away the threats around her. The biggest immediate danger was not the Qing clan nor the Lushan clan.

It was the debt.

A debt that ensured the Fen clan remnants remained on their knees.

"Tell me," Han Yu said at last. "How much do you owe in debt."

Fen Dugong lowered his head.

"We… owe twenty thousand high grade spirit stones. That was remnant of the original amount when the clan fell apart. I assumed that with the sale of the estate it would be cleared. But…"

The old man hesitated, his wrinkled hands tightening around his cane.

"But some of our clan's people betrayed us. They pocketed the money from the sale and placed the debt in my name before running away."

Qing Luan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"They… did that to you? Their own elder?"

Fen Dugong let out a weak laugh.

"I suppose loyalty is a luxury. Perhaps they thought I was too weak to fight it. And in truth, they were right."

Han Yu tapped his finger lightly on the wooden table.

"How much of the debt has been paid off so far?"

Fen Dugong gave another laugh, this one more hollow.

"Paid? No, honored lord. It grew instead."

He swallowed as if the very words tasted bitter.

"It is now near forty thousand high grade spirit stones. That is because of the interest they charge. Every year it grows. Even with a hundred years left in my bones I could never pay it."

Qing Luan stared in horror.

"How can they do that? How have you survived paying this long?"

Fen Ziyue gave a trembling sigh.

"We have not survived. We have endured. And even that is too generous a word."

Her voice broke slightly.

"My husband was captured last year and sold off to repay part of the debt. They took him away. We only learned later that it barely covered a fraction. Since then it has only increased."

Qing Luan's throat tightened.

"I… I did not know."

Ziyue shook her head.

"How could you have known, Miss. You were kept safe in your clan. We did not send letters either. Not recently. There is no one left who could receive them."

She reached up to wipe her eyes.

"With the little money I make doing laundry and cleaning at the nearby inn, I earn a few silvers a month. That barely feeds us. Forget spirit stones."

Han Yu went quiet.

The number was too large. Much larger than he expected. Even if he emptied his entire current wealth, even if he pulled from all of Ju Fan's saved resources, he would not reach even half.

Paying the debt was not realistic.

Crushing the debt was.

Han Yu leaned back in the rickety chair.

"We deal with the debt first," he said.

Fen Dugong blinked in surprise. "Honored lord… you are willing to pay for us?"

His tone shifted, carrying more reverence than before. Almost worshipful.

Han Yu snorted.

"Who said anything about paying?"

Fen Dugong and Ziyue froze. Even Qing Luan looked confused.

Han Yu's voice grew sharper.

"If anyone should be paying, it is them. Not in stones. But in blood."

The words dripped with quiet cruelty.

Ziyue stiffened with fear. Fen Dugong felt a shiver crawl down his spine. Little Fen Mue whimpered and ducked behind his mother.

But Qing Luan…

Qing Luan's mouth curled into a twisted smile. One born from the simmering rage that needed release.

"Yes," she whispered. "They made us suffer. They ruined us. Let them suffer now."

Her voice was far colder than a child's should be.

Han Yu nodded slightly.

"Who collects this debt?"

Fen Dugong sighed.

"The collectors are only local enforcers. They are not the ones who profit. The real force behind it is the Birch Leaf Merchant Guild. A merchant power in the town."

Han Yu rubbed his chin.

"A merchant guild with the power to exploit and pressure an entire clan? Interesting."

Fen Dugong nodded.

"They have grown powerful in the last ten years. They own several businesses now. Their enforcers come regularly not just for us but others too. They are… ruthless." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Han Yu felt a spark of amusement.

Birch Leaf Merchants. A name that had never appeared in any of the information he knew so far.

Which meant something else.

He glanced at Qing Luan.

"There is a very high chance they are being supported by another clan. And considering everything we have learned, the most likely supporter is the Lushan clan."

Qing Luan's hatred roared to life again.

"Lushan Clan."

Her fists clenched hard enough that her nails dug into her skin.

"Then let us go. Let us go now. Let us find them and take back what they took."

She took a step forward, eyes blazing.

"What do we need to do, honored disciple. Just say it?"

Han Yu lifted a hand, and she immediately stopped moving.

"We need information," he said calmly.

"Before I kill someone, I need to know who deserves to die, and who will give me the best reason to kill them."

Qing Luan's breath hitched with excitement.

"So we investigate them."

"Yes," Han Yu said. "We learn their connections, their wealth, their methods. Every small piece of corruption is a useful blade."

He tapped the table again.

"And then we decide whether to uproot them quietly or burn them publicly."

Fen Dugong spoke in a small voice.

"They have a main store near the center of the town. Another on the south side. There is also a manager named Sun Bai who collects debts personally. He is a Qi refining cultivator with several guards."

Han Yu's eyes narrowed.

"Good. That will do for a start."

He stood.

"But before anything else, we must prepare."

He turned toward Qing Luan.

"You want revenge but it'll have to be precise."

Qing Luan straightened immediately, eyes bright like embers.