Chapter 8: Forcing the Debt Repayment
“Heh, today must be our lucky day, brothers!”
“This woman is truly a rare gem! With that face and body, she’d be a top star even among celebrities!”
“Forget the rest—just those legs alone, I could enjoy them for a whole year~”
“Only Brother Long could find someone this exquisite~”
“Incredible, simply incredible!”
A few lecherous villagers stared at Bai Qingyao’s body, swallowing hungrily.
Beside them, Bai Qingyao’s husband, Xiao Changgui, was so angry his face turned green, but he didn’t dare utter a word. He simply looked away, unwilling to witness his wife’s humiliation.
Yet Bai Qingyao, though her voice was sweet and soft, held her ground with steely resolve:
“Zhao Qinglong! What you’re doing is molesting a woman!”
“This is a crime!”
Zhao Qinglong sneered at her words, reaching out to lift her delicate chin, his eyes blazing with unrestrained lust.
“A crime?”
“In Peach Blossom Village, I, Zhao Qinglong, am the law!”
“And besides, if we’re talking about crimes, you’re the ones who broke the law first!”
As he spoke, Zhao Qinglong dug into his pocket and pulled out an IOU, brandishing it for all to see.
“Everyone, take a good look!”
“This is the IOU, all in black and white—Xiao Changgui borrowed money from me at the gambling den!”
“He hasn’t paid me any interest in ages, nor returned the principal. I’m just here to collect what’s owed!”
The gathered villagers murmured among themselves, shaking their heads and exchanging glances.
They looked at Xiao Changgui with reproach and at Bai Qingyao with nothing but pity.
Everyone in the village knew, Xiao Changgui was a decent man, good to his wife, except for one thing—he loved to gamble.
But in a rural village, once a man gets hooked on gambling, his life is as good as ruined.
A gambler at the end of his rope will do anything.
At the sight of the IOU, Bai Qingyao felt her heart plummet with despair.
“Even if my husband owes you money, it’s his debt. What right do you have to tie me up?” she demanded.
Zhao Qinglong tilted his mouth in a crooked grin, holding the IOU high and pointing to a line of fine print.
“You all can read, right? What does this line say?”
‘If the debt is overdue, the creditor has the right to seize the collateral!’
“Xiao Changgui’s collateral is: one house plot, five acres of land, twelve acres of forest, and one wife—surname Bai, given name Qingyao!”
Zhao Qinglong’s grin grew ever more wicked as he tapped the clause.
“So, if Xiao Changgui doesn’t pay up, I’m entitled to seize his house!”
“And his wife, Bai Qingyao!”
“She’s collateral—plainly written in black and white!”
“Seizing your wife is perfectly legal!” Zhao Qinglong laughed even more arrogantly.
The crowd erupted into another uproar. Bai Qingyao trembled with rage, turning to glare at Xiao Changgui.
“Xiao Changgui! You heartless man!”
“You actually gambled your wife away?”
“You damn wretch!”
“No…”
“I… I didn’t!” Xiao Changgui muttered.
“Brother Long, you… you never said that before! You said it was just the house and land—there was never anything about my wife!”
“How could you…”
Zhao Qinglong cut him off with a slap across the face.
“You bastard! It’s written here in black and white—am I framing you?”
“Tell me, is that your signature?”
“…Yes,” Xiao Changgui hung his head.
“And is that your thumbprint?”
“Yes… but that line—”
Zhao Qinglong didn’t let him finish.
“That’s all that matters!”
“Debts must be repaid—it’s only right! Don’t give me your nonsense!”
“I’ll ask you now: with principal and interest, that’s one hundred thousand. Can you pay it?”
“But… Brother Long! I only borrowed five thousand, how did it become a hundred thousand?”
“There’s no way I can pay that!”
Xiao Changgui’s face was ashen, tears brimming in his eyes.
Zhao Qinglong snorted coldly. “Don’t you know the rules of the gambling den?”
“Pay out nine, collect thirteen—compound interest!”
“You’ve missed so many payments, don’t you know how much you owe?”
“The interest alone exceeds a hundred thousand, and I’m even giving you a discount!”
“Pay up—now!”
“If you don’t, don’t blame me for taking your wife!” Zhao Qinglong reached for Bai Qingyao’s chest.
She gasped in fright and twisted away, but several burly men pinned her back in place.
Seeing Bai Qingyao about to be violated, an elderly man, unable to bear the sight, stepped forward to plead softly:
“Qinglong, can’t you give them a little time?”
“A hundred thousand is no small sum—what rural family could come up with that on the spot?”
“We’re all neighbors, after all—”
“Neighbors, my ass!”
Zhao Qinglong cut him off with a vicious kick, sending the old man sprawling.
“Blood may be thicker than water, but cash is thicker still!”
“If you have money, we’re all family; if you don’t, who cares about you?”
“Old fool, are you going to pay his debt?”
“If you do, I’ll listen to anything you say. If not, shut your mouth!”
“Try playing the good guy, and I’ll knock your teeth out!”
The crowd fell utterly silent at this, not daring to speak another word.
The old man clutched his stomach, wracked with pain, his face flushed as others helped him away.
Zhao Qinglong snorted again, his gaze once more lingering on Bai Qingyao’s long, slender legs. He smiled coldly.
“So, you can’t pay your debt today, is that it?”
“Well, don’t blame me. You’ll just have to pay with your body~”
“Hehe, tell you what, Qingyao. For someone as beautiful as you, I’ll give you the highest rate in the county!”
“One thousand per session—that’s generous, isn’t it?”
He leaned in, inhaling deeply at her neck.
“Mmm—Qingyao, you smell wonderful~”
“One thousand a time, ten times is ten thousand, a hundred times clears your debt.”
“Did I get the math right?”
“Since I brought my brothers today, I’ll even give you a hardship bonus—each time counts double!”
“I’ll have you ten times myself, just to start. Heh, are you ready?”
He breathed in her scent again, then suddenly grabbed her slim waist.
“Ah!” Bai Qingyao cried out in shame and fury.
“Zhao Qinglong, you scoundrel!”
“You bastard!”
“Let me go!”
Even her screams had a coquettish lilt, making Zhao Qinglong’s gang all the more excited.
“Drag her inside! Strip her!”
At his command, the brutes dragged Bai Qingyao toward the house.
“No—please—”
“You can’t do this!”
“Don’t touch me there!”
Her screams and struggles echoed ever louder, but the villagers could only look away, shaking their heads in helplessness as they left.
No one wanted to hear Bai Qingyao’s tormented cries any longer.
Just then, a clear male voice rang out from the back of the crowd:
“Zhao Qinglong!”
“You’re—looking—for—death!”