The Great Yin's Loan Shark: Fellow Daoists, Help Me Repay My Debt

When Song Ji opened his eyes again, he had arrived in the Great Yin Dynasty. This ancient dynasty seemed to enjoy peace and prosperity, with flowers in full bloom. In truth, beneath this so-called golden age lurked countless rampaging demons and monsters. In this world, where no one was sure of surviving the next day, ordinary people struggled just to find their footing. Trying to stay alive and rise above their station was harder than reaching the heavens. Song Ji looked around in bewilderment, until a “Heavenly Book” appeared in his mind. From then on, with a mere thought, he could borrow cause and effect from the future... use it first and pay it back later. In other words, he could take out a loan. No matter how extraordinary the secret arts, sacred manuals, or peerless legacies, he could master them as soon as he obtained them. What do you mean, it doesn’t belong to me? It was mine all along. I just drew on it in advance. How does that not count as my own hard work? This world had immortals, demons, monsters, and Buddhas, as well as the lofty imperial court and the far-flung martial world. A young servant would carve away his own bones and flesh just to repay a kindness. A Buddha would build a tower to imprison a snake, all to sever his feelings. And a stone monkey would cross the sea in search of the art of immortality. So Song Ji wanted to survive and see how vast the world was. … In the years that followed, Song Ji carried the Heavenly Book, borrowed cause and effect, and climbed step by step to the very top of this world. “I stand atop the ages thanks entirely to my own wisdom and sweat.” That year, Song Ji said this to a crowd of cultivators and historians.