By the time the sun reached its peak, Li Ren had learned three important things.
First this place was called the Azure Cloud Sect.
Second—he was at the very bottom of it.
And third—no one at the bottom ever survived long without backing.
The servant courtyard buzzed with quiet chatter as the midday meal was distributed.
Each servant received a small wooden bowl filled with thin rice porridge and a few wilted greens.
Li Ren stared into his bowl.
“…This is food?”
Back on Earth, he’d eaten worse during his college days, but at least instant noodles had flavor.
He scooped a spoonful into his mouth.
It tasted like warm water that had once heard rumors of rice.
He sighed.
“So this is what eight spirit stones’ worth of food looks like,” he muttered.
Old Wu, sitting beside him, chuckled.
“Young people these days complain too much. At least there’s salt.”
Li Ren paused.
“There’s salt?”
Old Wu leaned closer and whispered, “If you dig at the bottom.”
Li Ren stared into the bowl again.
This really is a poverty-tier sect.
Across the courtyard, Liu Bo was still moving slowly, his face pale from the earlier collection.
Above his head, the glowing debt text was gone.
Completely erased.
Li Ren noticed that immediately.
“So debts really disappear once collected,” he whispered.
He opened his system.
=== DIVINE DEBT LEDGER ===
Host: Li Ren
Realm: Ledger Initiate (Stage 1)
Debt Qi: 27/100
He was already more than a quarter of the way to the next stage.
Faster than I expected.
But his eyes soon drifted to the largest glowing number in the courtyard.
Steward Han.
The fat man sat at a separate table, eating from a much larger bowl. There was actual meat in it.
Above his head, the golden text remained:
Debt: 5,100 spirit stones equivalent
Type: Embezzlement
Status: High Priority
Li Ren leaned back slightly.
Five thousand spirit stones…
If one stone fed a servant for a month, that meant the steward had effectively stolen over four hundred years of food.
He felt his old collector instincts flare up.
“That’s not just a debt,” he muttered. “That’s a criminal case.”
Old Wu blinked. “What?”
“Nothing.”
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After the meal, the servants returned to work.
Li Ren intentionally positioned himself near a pair of older servants who were quietly talking while scrubbing the floor.
“…heard he’s sending another shipment out tonight,” one whispered.
“Again?” the other replied. “How much this time?”
“Ten crates, at least.”
“That greedy pig,” the second servant muttered. “If the elders ever find out—”
They suddenly fell silent as Steward Han walked past.
Li Ren kept his head down, pretending to scrub.
But his mind was racing.
Shipments… stolen goods…
He opened the Debts tab again.
Steward Han
Debt: 5,100 spirit stones equivalent
Collateral:
- 18 years lifespan
- Earth-grade cultivation
- Flame Control Technique (Fragment)
Earth-grade cultivation…
So the steward was a cultivator.
That explained the massive debt.
And the danger.
Li Ren clenched his jaw.
If I try to collect now, I’ll probably die.
That was another basic rule:
Never confront a debtor stronger than you without leverage.
He needed information.
Leverage.
And a plan.
Later that afternoon, Li Ren carried a bucket of water toward the storage sheds.
As he passed a corner of the courtyard, he heard muffled sobbing.
He paused.
A thin servant girl knelt beside the wall, clutching a rag to her chest. Her eyes were red, and her hands trembled.
Above her head, faint text appeared.
Target: Mei Lin
Debt: Sold into servant contract
Principal: 5 spirit stones
Interest: +120%
Total: 11 spirit stones equivalent
Status: Bound Contract
Li Ren frowned.
Sold into debt?
He walked closer.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
The girl flinched, clearly startled.
“N-nothing,” she said quickly, lowering her head.
Li Ren crouched down slightly.
“Let me guess,” he said. “The steward threatened to extend your contract again.”
Her eyes widened.
“How did you—”
She stopped herself, biting her lip.
“He says my family still owes the sect,” she whispered. “So I have to keep working.”
Li Ren checked the system text again.
Eleven spirit stones.
That wasn’t much.
But the words Bound Contract stood out.
“What happens if you don’t work?” he asked.
“They’ll sell me to the mines,” she said quietly. “Or worse.”
Li Ren felt his stomach tighten.
Back on Earth, he’d seen people lose homes, cars, and businesses.
But never their entire lives.
He stood up slowly.
Five thousand spirit stones for the steward…
Eleven for this girl…
The numbers felt very different.
He opened his system again.
Debt Qi: 27/100
Still not enough to face the steward.
But maybe…
He glanced toward the storage sheds.
If the steward was moving stolen goods, there had to be evidence.
And evidence meant leverage.
A slow, familiar smile crept onto his face.
“In my old job,” he murmured, “the real money was never in the obvious accounts.”
He lifted the bucket again and headed toward the sheds.
“Time to audit the books.”
As he stepped into the shadow of the storage area, the system suddenly flickered.
Hidden Debt Source Detected Nearby.
Possible embezzlement evidence.
He swallowed.
“System,” he whispered internally, “before I do anything stupid… I need answers.”
The interface flickered.
Query accepted.
Displaying Basic Karmic Laws.
Three lines of golden text appeared.
The Three Laws of Debt
Law 1: All debts must be repaid.
Law 2: The lawful collector is protected.
Law 3: Balance must be maintained.
Li Ren frowned.
“That’s… vague.”
More text appeared.
Any unpaid obligation creates karmic imbalance.
The system exists to restore balance.
“That part I understand,” Li Ren muttered. “But what about the collector?”
While performing a valid collection,
the host is under temporary karmic protection.
Debtors who attempt lethal force
will suffer karmic backlash.
Li Ren’s eyes widened.
“So they can’t just kill me?”
Correction:
Protection only applies during lawful collection.
Invalid or unjust claims remove protection.
He let out a slow breath.
“That’s… fair.”
And terrifying.
If he targeted the wrong person, he’d die instantly.
The host is not the owner of the debt.
Collected debt is divided:
- 60% returned as karmic compensation
to the rightful owner.
- 40% converted into Debt Qi
for the host.
Li Ren blinked.
“So I only get a portion?”
Correct.
The system is a balancing mechanism,
not a theft tool.
He nodded slowly.
“That explains why the old man felt lighter…”
He hesitated, then asked the most important question.
“What if the debtor just pays the original owner?”
The system responded instantly.
If the debtor repays the rightful owner in full,
the debt is considered settled.
Collector authority is revoked.
No reward granted.
Li Ren smirked.
“So it’s a race.”
Confirmed.
He crossed his arms.
“That’s actually… elegant.”
Back on Earth, some debtors would rush to settle accounts the moment collectors appeared.
Fear was a powerful motivator.
He looked at the glowing message again.
Hidden Debt Source Detected Nearby.
Li Ren’s eyes sharpened.
“Alright,” he murmured.
“Let’s see what our dear steward is hiding.”
