Lin Yao's personal strength was insufficient; consuming "Creation Pills" to replenish his medical true energy was futile, as the rate of true energy generation couldn't keep up with the rate of consumption. Furthermore, the newly generated true energy was less effective at controlling the pseudo-dan fire because it hadn't been nurtured by Lin Yao's meridians and was considered foreign to the pseudo-dan fire, which was most adapted to Lin Yao's local true energy. Lin Yao needed to expend even more mental energy to control it effectively.
Even if Lin Yao's true energy can support the complete refining of the "Tai Sui King", it may take half a year or a year. Taking the "Tai Sui King" somewhere to safely refine the pill is also a big deal. Xiao Cao does not believe that she and Lin Yao can complete all this work safely.
"Alright... let's go down the mountain first."
Lin Yao sighed again, feeling extremely frustrated. The original toxin of "Morning Mist" had put him and Xiao Cao in such a state. They didn't even know what was happening outside the mountains. His parents were safe, but he didn't know if Minhong Pharmaceutical had gone bankrupt or closed down.
Upon reaching the cave entrance, Lin Yao saw Elder Yi Potian, who was meditating, and Dika and Yi Zuojun, who were busy cooking. "Elder, let's go down the mountain."
"Sir! You've recovered?"
Elder Yi Potian suddenly felt a surge of joy and stood up abruptly from the ground, staring wide-eyed at Lin Yao. Dika and Yi Zuojun beside him were also stunned, stopping all their movements and staring blankly at Lin Yao.
"No, we can't do the last step. We'll figure something out after we leave the mountain."
Lin Yao shook his head and frowned. His eyes were full of apology. These people had been dragged down by him, yet they still hadn't recovered. He felt very sorry for them.
"Oh, it's alright. We'll figure something out when we get down the mountain. You look much better now, so there's no problem."
The disappointment in Elder Yi Potian's eyes flashed by, but he smiled and comforted Lin Yao. He then turned to Yi Zuojun and scolded, "Hurry up and cook. The master must be hungry."
Lin Yao shook his head with a wry smile, ignoring the three people's reactions, and walked out of the cave. He looked at the distant mountains and forests, where lush green trees were interspersed with craggy rocks and snow-capped peaks. This earthly paradise seemed utterly uninteresting to him, but he could only pretend to be very interested to avoid making the others worry about him.
The Four Sisters Mountain, where Lin Yao was meditating in seclusion, was originally located in Sichuan Province, only about 200 kilometers away from Chengdu. This was because he chose the seclusion location after finding enough spirit stones. Lin Yao had long discovered that the distribution of spiritual energy in the country was extremely uneven. The concentration of spiritual energy in the western region was quite high, while the spiritual energy in the central, southern, eastern, and northern regions was so thin that it was difficult for Yi Zuojun to sense it. The more prosperous a metropolis was, the thinner the spiritual energy was. Therefore, he chose to meditate in the sparsely populated mountains and forests of Sichuan Province.
※※※※
"Ah Yao~~~"
Xia Yuwen was running ahead. Ignoring her shyness, she threw herself into Lin Yao's arms in Min Hong's courtyard.
More than a thousand days and nights without contact. Even news of her safety could only be heard from Yi Zuojun's phone every few months, and even then, Xia Yuwen didn't truly believe it. Now that she had seen her lover in front of her, she could no longer hold back her longing and concern, and expressed it in the most direct way.
Xia Yuwen burst into tears as soon as she threw herself into Lin Yao's arms. Their relationship was strange; they rarely even kissed, but in their hearts, they already regarded each other as their closest other half. This kind of feeling was no less than that of couples who made vows of eternal love. They were just not good at doing that, but the love in their hearts was by no means ordinary.
"Wenwen, don't cry, I'm back now..."
Lin Yao held the soft, boneless body in his arms, feeling as if he had been through another world. After three years of intense life in the wilderness, returning to the city and seeing his family again gave him a strange feeling, as if all of this had happened to someone else, and he was just a spectator.
"Yao'er..."
Lin Hongmei was the second to rush over, but she stopped outside Lin Yao's body, not disturbing her son and daughter-in-law's intimacy. Tears kept flowing down her face, showing none of the composure she usually displayed as a self-proclaimed super expert.
Luo Jimin suppressed his excitement and calmly thanked the elders and others. Then he led them to the office, leaving a group of mothers, children, and couples to catch up on the ground.
...
"What! They're demanding repayment of the loan?!"
Lin Yao's composure vanished without a trace. Hearing this news as soon as he got home greatly angered him.
"Yao'er, sit down and listen to your mother slowly." Luo Jimin frowned and pressed down with his right hand to calm Lin Yao down.
"Yao'er, it's normal for them to urge us to repay the loan. It's an overdue loan anyway, and most people still get their loan interest waived. Only a small number have signed supplementary agreements to increase the interest after the overdue period. Of course, all loans can be demanded to be repaid at any time, so their request is reasonable."
Lin Hongmei looked at Lin Yao without much worry or tension on her face. She had experienced too many things, big and small, at Minhong. Even if Minhong went bankrupt now, Lin Hongmei would not have much of a reaction. No matter what she thought, her composure was something Lin Yao could not match.
"But why are they pressing us to repay the loan at the same time? Since they can extend the loan to our family, it's fine to lend it for a few more years. They don't lack this little bit of money. Besides, it's not like I won't come back."
Lin Yao was somewhat confused and muttered to himself like a child. After three years of detoxification, he had become somewhat detached from society. His first reaction to the incident was excitement and resentment, without any deep thought about the key issues.
Luo Jimin glanced at everyone in the room. The identity of the Grand Elder was not a concern. Since Dika was willing to risk his life to save his son, he was naturally not an outsider. However, Yi Zuojun had always been a handyman. He didn't know whether he should reveal important inside information at this moment. In the past, Lin Yao had basically never told the couple about the Yi family or their affairs.
"Dad, say it! There are no outsiders here."
Lin Yao noticed that his mother and girlfriend's gazes had turned to his father, Luo Jimin, and immediately knew there was more to the story. He quickly urged his father to tell him.
"Okay, according to Ge Yong's investigation, as well as some intelligence analysis provided by Situ Hao and the Yi family, the reason why the foreign creditors are simultaneously demanding repayment of the loan is roughly clear. It's because they have received opinions from the governments of the United States and other European countries, requiring them to recover the loan to Minhong as soon as possible. And since you have been missing, this has led to the current situation."
Luo Jimin had barely finished speaking when Lin Yao interrupted him with a question: "Dad, what's the specific reason? Minhong has no connection with the US government, nor any interests with other countries, so why are they targeting us?"
“I don’t know the specifics, but the Yi family seems to know something.” Luo Jimin turned to look at Elder Yi Potian. “It seems to be related to their army. This is all the information the Yi family has provided.”
"oh."
Lin Yao didn't press further. Since it involved the Yi family, the Grand Elder would naturally bring him the latest information later. He didn't need to investigate; finding a solution was more important. "Mom, how much money do we still owe the foreigners? We should be able to pay some back in three years, right? I heard that they were quite profitable in all aspects when I left."
"this……"
Lin Hongmei suddenly avoided Lin Yao's gaze, paused for a moment, then looked at her husband Luo Jimin, "Yao'er, we could have at least repaid most of the loan, but our family signed an agreement with Project Hope to donate and build 1,000 Hope Schools, so we still owe 10.8 billion US dollars in loans. However, a lot of the money has been invested in real estate, manufacturing, and other areas with good profitability. As long as we have the loan support, our family can completely repay the loan on our own in a few years."
"1,000 schools? Even if each primary school costs 1 million, it would only cost 1 billion RMB. That's not a valid reason, is it?"
Lin Yao stared at his mother, Lin Hongmei, with a strange look, then turned to look at his father, Luo Jimin.
"Yes...yes, it's a middle school...many Hope Schools are no longer in remote areas, so the cost of each school is too high, adding up to more than 40 billion, including facilities and some teacher salary subsidies."
Lin Hongmei seemed to have done something wrong and dared not look into her son Lin Yao's eyes. "The financial situation was originally very good, and the overseas loans were no longer being demanded for repayment. The State Education Commission and the Provincial Education Commission held a 'China Western Education Symposium' in Chengdu. The promotional video was so touching that your father decided to donate to the project on the spot. I agree to this as well."
At this point, Lin Hongmei immediately looked up at Lin Yao, "Yao'er, you don't know, those children are so pitiful. You would donate too if you went."
Lin Yao looked at his mother, Lin Hongmei, with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. After a long while, he said emphatically, "Donate my ass! I'm so poor I don't even have pants to wear, why would I donate? I must be out of my mind!"
"Yao'er, you can't say that. The group's financial situation is indeed very good. Even Zhang Hui's information company has analyzed it, and there is absolutely no problem with this financial situation."
Luo Jimin ignored his son's indirect insults towards him and his wife, stood up from his chair, and said, "The annual profit of all the companies is 11 billion, which is calculated based on the full payment of interest on overseas loans. Therefore, we are fully capable of donating to build Hope Schools, because with this capability, we can obtain low-interest loans from any bank overseas."
"Did you try to get a loan from an overseas bank?" Lin Yao asked his father, Luo Jimin, with a smile. "No, right? Do you think overseas banks are any different from those in our country? The government just issued a notice and stopped lending. It's the same. Now you're dumbfounded, aren't you? You're out of money, aren't you? Hehe."