Eastern Forest Finance Management, Spirit Mountain City:
The Eastern Forest Financial Management’s manager was the younger brother of the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot. Someone had bought an abandoned mine from the Eastern Forest Temple and started a financial management store. Upon hearing that business was good and that they gave high interest rates, the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot sent his trusted younger brother to work there and scout the situation.
After learning about Infinite Wealth’s vast cash flow, the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot invested all of the Eastern Forest Temple’s savings without worry.
Perhaps because of the younger brother’s connection to the abbot, he quickly climbed the ranks in Infinite Wealth and soon became a manager.
Once the younger brother was a manager, he saw spirit stones pouring in like floodwater every day. He eventually became greedy, wanting to swallow up Infinite Wealth. Unfortunately, many people had invested in Infinite Wealth, which had also gotten involved with various people of authority, especially in the Eastern Forest Temple. The Eastern Forest Temple had invested all its savings, and the abbot would not let him mess around.
After the abbot’s younger brother figured out the system, he quit and started Eastern Forest Financial Management. With the Eastern Forest Temple as his backer, he started selling financial products too.
Although not that many invested in his shop because it was not famous, it had the Eastern Forest Temple as backing, so he managed to reap a good harvest after one month.
On this day, the birthday celebration of the Present Buddha was at hand.
The younger brother of the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot fooled around with his concubines, having a happy time.
“Hahaha! Money! Money! Money! Money is a scoundrel! To think earning money is so easy. To think I worked so long and hard in the past. I used to guard that spirit stone mine for Elder Brother, and he only gave me that little bit of money. Look at me now! Hahaha! Soon, I can build a residence sculpted out of spirit stones! Those monks from the Eastern Forest Temple are really stupid. I asked them to work with me, but they did not dare to. Hahaha! This is only the first month. There will be more money coming after this!” the abbot’s younger brother said jubilantly.
“My lord, I ran out of money for cosmetics. A batch of Eastern Sea pearl powder arrived previously,” one of the concubines said coquettishly.
“Buy more!”
“My lord, my bangle is out of fashion already. It seems that a batch of new models just arrived at the jewelry store in front,” another concubine said seductively.
“Buy them!”
“My lord, that old, ugly ex-wife of yours came to look for you again yesterday. I sent the men to carry her out,” another concubine said.
“That ugly bitch only brought me misfortune. When I had no money, I had to be at her beck and call. Now that I have money, she can die for all I care. Carry her out? Good! Humph! As long as I have money, what do I not have?” the Eastern Forest Temple’s younger brother said without a care.
“My lord is wise!”
“Hahahahaha! I have money now. I want to enjoy the best of the world. What beauty can I not obtain? Serve me well, and I can give you everything. Hahahaha!” the younger brother of the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot laughed cockily.
“Yes, my lord!” The concubines immediately served the younger brother of the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot with everything they had.
Boom!
Suddenly, someone shoved the door open, which startled the naked younger brother of the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot. He scowled ferociously. “Who is it?! Who dares to interrupt my pleasure? You are seeking death!”
“Ma-Manager! It’s bad! Someone wants to smash up our shop!” a steward said anxiously as he knelt.
“What? Who dares?” that younger brother demanded agitatedly.
“It’s true! Many people are snatching things in our store and demanding that Master pay up,” the steward said anxiously.
“What?” That younger brother immediately got up. Ignoring everything, he put on his clothes and rushed to the Eastern Forest Financial Management store.
When the younger brother arrived at the store, people were thronging it, not letting anyone through.
“Return our money! Return our money!” countless citizens clamored, holding up their contracts. The items in the store had been smashed.
“What are you doing? What are you doing? Are you all crazy?” the younger brother yelled while glaring.
“Manager, you finally arrived!” the staff exclaimed excitedly.
“The Eastern Forest Manager is here! Get the money from him!” someone shouted.
Everyone immediately swarmed over.
The younger brother’s expression changed. He arrived at the store’s entrance with much difficulty after squeezing his way through the crowd.
“What are you all doing? Aren’t your investments going well? Why are you withdrawing your money?” the younger brother asked anxiously.
It would be alright if one or two asked for their money. However, there was a whole group of them. How was he to find the money to pay them? He had already spent the money they had invested.
“It is all written in the contract that we can withdraw at any time. Manager, we are in accordance with the contract!” someone shouted.
“Right! Right!”
“Did someone lie to you? Would my Eastern Forest Financial Management covet your little bit of money?” the younger brother called out.
“There’s no need to care about that. Manager, we handed our money to you to invest on account of the Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot. Return my money now; I don’t need the interest. Everything will be cleared after that, alright? Return the money immediately!” that person shouted back.
“Right, right. There’s no need for interest. Quickly return our money!” the crowd clamored.
Everyone was determined to get their money back. However, where would the younger brother find money to pay them? He was not like Infinite Wealth, which had amassed wealth for a few months already; he had operated for only one month. Furthermore, he had spent so much money on his concubines and vanities, which had used up the money long ago.
“Don’t tell me you don’t trust me? Would my Eastern Forest Financial Management cheat you of your money? I have the Eastern Forest Temple backing me. Would we care about this bit of money?” the younger brother said anxiously.
“Manager, don’t tell me you don’t have money too?!” The expression of someone in the crowd changed.
The younger brother did not notice the usage of the word “too.” He only felt exposed.
“It is just some money; why so anxious? My elder brother in the Eastern Forest Temple has it!” the younger brother said with some worry on his face.
“Then let’s go and get the money! Return our money!” everyone clamored, wanting to take action.
The younger brother shivered. He suddenly realized that while his financial management store earned money quickly, he still had to return the money. If just one or two came for the money, it would not be a problem. However, it would be fatal if everyone came together. This money was too dangerous.
The financial management store was like a reverse loan shark, and everyone was his creditor. Now, it was time to pay up. Why didn’t I run?
“Capture him! We’ll go to the Eastern Forest Temple and demand payment from the abbot. If the abbot does not pay up, we’ll go to the Major Leiyin Temple and ask the Lord Buddha to get justice for us,” someone shouted.
“Capture him!” The crowd turned into a mob.
The staff tried to resist, but how could they stop these ferocious creditors?
“City guards! City guards! Someone!” the younger brother shouted in alarm.
However, the entire city was currently in chaos. Riots had broken out at all the financial management stores. How could any guard have the time to respond?
The creditors captured the younger brother and escorted him to the largest temple in the city, the Eastern Forest Temple.
At first, the younger brother was terrified. After that, he became furious. He thought to himself, Just you wait. When we reach the Eastern Forest Temple, I’ll get the martial monks to teach you all a lesson. You can forget about running.
Everyone had their own plans as they traveled, and they soon arrived outside the Eastern Forest Temple.
At this time, tens of thousands of people surrounded the Eastern Forest Temple, all agitated, and more were arriving.
“Return my hard-earned money!”
“Eastern Forest Temple, pay your debts! That is only right!”
“Eastern Forest Temple, return the money. I only bought the financial products on account of the Eastern Forest Temple!”
“They are beating people up! The Eastern Forest Temple’s monks are beating people up!”
“Return the money! Charge in with me! That is our hard-earned money! It is all ours!”
The Eastern Forest Temple’s abbot had gone to the Hall of Great Strength, so there was no one in charge now. Some elders wanted to stop this but could not. The vast mob immediately broke in.
The younger brother looked at the scene before him in stupefaction. “Wicked citizens! Wicked citizens! It’s over for you all!”
------
In a remote restaurant outside Spirit Mountain City:
Gu Qin and Long Shenying quietly watched the chaos outside the Eastern Forest Temple.
“The person who incited all this is an Embroidered Uniform Guard? I think I’ve seen him before,” Long Shenying said with a frown.
“Lord Long, you have an excellent memory. That’s right. The chaos in the cities needs more than the accumulation of the citizenry’s resentment; it also needs a primer to spark the citizenry’s anger. Only then would there be riots. I’m still insufficiently covert. If only my father were here. He would not leave any trace behind. Even Lord Long wouldn’t be able to tell it was the Embroidered Uniform Guard,” Gu Qin said as he sipped tea.
“Oh?”
“Back when we sold the financial products, we had already hinted to the customers with every financial product. Where did the financial products come from? Everyone knows their financial product is for mining the Eastern Forest Temple’s spirit stone mines. Since they cannot find us, they will go to the spirit stone mines to recoup their losses. The other financial products corresponded to other places. Right now, the citizens are probably surrounding all the temples in the city, even the city lord’s official residence. Once the primer sparks, the anger will not die down,” Gu Qin explained gravely.
“Excellent primer. However, has anger overwhelmed the citizens’ minds? To think they are so violent?” Long Shenying said with a frown.
“Father once explained human nature to me. When one is alone, one can be refined, cultured, gentlemanly, and humble because one is alone. However, when one is part of a group, this facade will collapse, leaving only violence, ruthlessness, and barbaric behavior, exposing them all. Furthermore, there is no limit to this. You can see this in history. When has a riot ever been calm? It’s impossible. That is no longer a single person but a group. When many let anger get to their heads, it is impossible to calm down, even if one or two want to. As long as there is a primer, massive chaos will immediately break out.” A cold gleam flashed in Gu Qin’s eyes.
Indeed, fighting and looting started in a side courtyard of the Eastern Forest Temple.
It was not just the Eastern Forest Temple. Temples of every size fell into chaos; several even started burning.
What about the city guards? The city guards had also purchased financial products, so they were also incredibly anxious. Normally, they should be guarding the city and various places. Now, the city guards plundered the places they guarded, adding to the chaos.
The citizens, the military, and the city guards had no difference. They were all looting and snatching. With Gu Qin’s primer, there was no calming down.
Riots! Violence! Fights!
The entire Spirit Mountain City descended into anarchy. Smoke rose from various places in the city.
Spirit Mountain City was just one of two thousand cities. The same scene happened in the other cities. Havoc! Mayhem! Riots! Utter chaos! Be it Gu Qin’s financial management stores or the stores started by other “smart” people, they all plunged into chaos. Everyone stopped what they did; businesses shut their doors, all to get their money back.
If they could not get their money back, their rage would not calm down.
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