Challenge?

One thousand nine hundred and sixty billion! Even Gibson was shocked by that figure. How big of a game did you have to play to lose that much money?

"What kind of massive game was this?!" he exclaimed.

"Look. You either pay back one thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven billion and help our Juarez family increase our market value tenfold, or... well, you might just have to become a son-in-law to the Juarez family!"

"Damn—!"

"..."

He never imagined that his master could cause him so much trouble while alive, let alone leave him such a mess after his death.

Over a thousand billion, though he was no stranger to huge sums, the sheer size of the debt was still a shock. 

"Also, just to let you know, your master probably owed more than just to our Juarez family!" Old Mr. Juarez said with a mischievous chuckle, "If you marry Sonia, I can help you with that."

Sonia was having none of it. Having him as her bodyguard was barely acceptable, but her fiancé? Was he even worthy of her?

"No! I'm not marrying him. How could this thug possibly be good enough for me!"

Old Mr. Juarez roared on the phone, "Shut up—!"

"Marry you? How lucky would you be! Any one of my admirers could outshine you by miles. I'll pay back what I owe your Juarez family with interest!" Gibson couldn't help but scoff.

Hearing this, old Mr. Juarez just sighed, "Well, you can start working at the company tomorrow!" Then he hung up the phone.

He really hadn't expected his master to leave behind such a mess.

"Keys!"

Gibson walked up to Sonia and stretched out his hand.

"What keys?!" she asked, frowning.

"What do you think? The keys to your place! If I don't stay close, who knows, I might end up dead at my own home. But just so we're clear, I'm here to protect you, not sell my body, so don't get any ideas!"

"Who's getting any ideas about your body—!"

Though she said that, recalling the recent events made her a bit reluctant, but she still took the spare key off her keychain.

As Gibson got the keys and turned to leave, he didn't even need to ask where she lived. A little asking around and he'd know everything about Sonia.

"Hey, you said you'd protect me! Where are you going now?!" Sonia stomped her foot and shouted as she watched his retreating figure. "Come on, you're being paid a fortune, can't you be a bit reliable?!"

Gibson just glanced back at her slightly as he reached the door, "We just met and you already want to stick by me. If we lived together, you'd probably want to sleep with me, huh? Women always play hard to get!"

"Get out—! Get out now—!!"

"Don't worry, killers of that level usually don't strike again soon after a miss. You're safe!" "..."

After saying that, he left the office.

The killers he had just dealt with, by his standards, weren't even beginners.

It seems someone else is after Sonia, too. Otherwise, why would Mr. One have him released from prison?

After leaving Wind Group, Gibson hailed a taxi on the roadside and headed to the outskirts of the city, to a mountain known as Purple Cloud Mountain.

Halfway up the mountain, there's a solitary grave. People say that the higher the burial, the better the ancestors rest, and the more prosperous the descendants will be.

But Gibson's master was buried halfway up the mountain, in a spot where not a blade of grass grew.

Walking into the bamboo forest, Gibson finally came upon the small mound of earth.

"Old man, I'm back!" After kneeling and bowing three times with nine kowtows, he quietly lit some incense and spoke softly.

His master had said nothing as he breathed his last, leaving behind only a cryptic warning.

"Don't enter Starfall City for three years!" 

...

"Master, you said I was too young and reckless, and needed to train quietly for three years. Well, I did it!"

"But you wanted me to live a quiet life, not stirring up any trouble forever. Sorry, I can't do that!"

"This time, I'm going to reclaim everything we lost back then!"

Even though the old guy always got me into trouble, he was still my master. Without him, there wouldn't be a me today.

Just nineteen trillion six hundred ninety-six billion, right? Chump change!

...

But right as Gibson was kneeling at the grave, about to bow three times and leave, suddenly the altar in front of the grave opened up, and a small box slowly rose from beneath the ground.

Seeing this, a big smile spread across Gibson's face. "Haha, old man, I knew it! I knew you couldn't possibly leave without stashing something for me!"

This big box, in his eyes, could either contain martial arts secrets or some priceless treasure. A hidden master like his would definitely not leave behind something ordinary.

But his excitement turned to shock when he opened the box.

"What the..."

He pulled out a thick stack of papers thinking it was his inheritance, but upon flipping through, he found...

"Damn! Bills! All freaking IOUs!"

"Juarez family owes nineteen trillion six hundred ninety-six billion!"

"White family owes...."

...

As he continued flipping through, the IOUs nearly touched the ground.

Damn, how much money is this?!

He thought he was inheriting real estate, properties, business... but no, just a huge pile of debt left for him.

But in a way, owing so much money also meant his master had a big reputation in the martial world.

He took out a note buried under all the IOUs and read it.

"Boy. I racked up some debt for you. Don't blame me!"

"Those debts were actually challenges I set up for you!"

"Go and face the challenge! I believe you can do it!"

Reading this, Gibson was stunned as if struck by lightning.

WTF!

Debt is just debt! Since when is that a challenge?

I'm the renowned Mortal Demon, and you couldn't give me a bit of respect, Master?