Repo-Hound

"Also, don't forget diversification! You can't rely solely on high-risk breakthrough loans. Think broader. Bridge loans for cultivators between gig contracts, collateralized by pledged future earnings. Skill-enhancement loans, collateralized against the quantifiable value of the technique being learned. Micro-insurance policies against Qi deviation during training, payable in small Qi installments!"

Ideas kept on pouring out of Xie Ruolan. All of them are sharp, precise and terrifyingly efficient.

She knelt and started sketching diagrams in the thick dust on the warehouse floor with her delicate and slender finger. Through a small flashlight, Li Fang saw intricate flowcharts showing Qi distribution pathways, risk matrices balancing default probability against potential ROI, and web diagrams illustrating potential profit streams branching into unforeseen markets gradually formed.

Somehow, he felt like his head was about to explode as most of those were filled with terms and knowledge he was ignorant of.

"But all of this," She declared as she straightened up, her dusty index finger pointing upwards, "is useless without infrastructure. A secure platform."

She paused for a moment, her mind whirring nonstop.

"We cannot rely simply on anonymous messages flung into the dark net. We need a dedicated, encrypted, decentralized network. A space where borrowers can apply securely. Where loan contracts can be digitally and spiritually verified. Where Qi infusions can be delivered discreetly without leaving obvious energy trails. Where progress and repayments can be tracked automatically." She emphasized the key requirement: "Something that looks legitimate enough on the surface to potentially deflect low-level regulatory scans, but is fundamentally off-grid, shielded, untraceable."

"A Cultivator DAO," Li Fang supplied the term the QFS had flashed in one of its suggestions when it mentioned expanding their portfolio, "Decentralized... autonomous..."

"Not truly autonomous if your mysterious AI benefactor is pulling the strings and manifesting the core resource," Xie corrected sharply, perhaps thinking that it was too early to call it that. "But the principle holds. Decentralized nodes, perhaps utilizing borrowers themselves as relays? A network of participants. Borrowers, maybe even discreet… investors?"

She considered every and all implications. "People who contribute resources – Qi, Credits, skills, information – in return for a calculated share of the network's overall success."

She looked up at him. "This requires serious infrastructure. Secure servers hidden deep within Neo-Tian's data-stream, multi-layered quantum encryption, possibly even spirit-warded code embedded by trustworthy practitioners to prevent hacking by rival sects or, gods forbid, the CRB's cyber-forensics units. It'll be a difficult task, but not impossible."

This was far beyond Li Fang's initial conception. He'd thought of loans but she was designing an entire shadow financial ecosystem.

"My associate, it mentioned being able to allocate processing power to establish a secure P2P network. It said it needs seed data and a user base. It recommends recruiting vetted borrowers immediately. Sounds familiar?"

At the same time as he finished that sentence, the QFS chimed in his mind.

[System can allocate processing power and utilize advanced cryptographic protocols to establish secure P2P network infrastructure (Codename: Project Gilded Lily).]

[Initial setup requires seed data parameters (provided by Host Partner Xie Ruolan) and a base user pool (Recommend immediate recruitment drive targeting pre-vetted, high-potential borrowers identified via Host/Associate analysis).]

"Recruitment…" Li Fang thought back to IronOx_7, the relief and gratitude in his presumed success. He needed more like him. But actively searching, advertising… that was asking for trouble.

"How do we find them? Vet them? Without attracting every loan shark and Celestial Revenue Bureau auditor in the Lower Layers?"

"We use the whispers," Xie stated confidently. Her strategic mind was already several steps ahead. "The same way you found your first borrower. We will expand that method but with more finesse. We won't blast advertisements, instead, we drop subtle hints, coded messages. Either in specific, curated online forums or physical gathering spots known for disgruntled or independent cultivators. We will talk about 'cultivation acceleration partnerships,' 'merit-based resource sharing,' 'community empowerment initiatives'."

She glanced towards the warehouse exit. "And we leverage intermediaries. Carefully. Someone who works outside the system can help us. One who has tendrils everywhere and perhaps, knows everyone's secrets."

A person immediately popped up in Li Fang's head. That enigmatic Dao Broker.

"For a significant price, or a percentage cut, they can discreetly spread rumors, act as a filter, even perform initial vetting of potential clients or network members."

It was a plan. Complex, dangerous, but comprehensive. It addressed the operational flaws, the security risks and the need for scaling. It fused Li Fang's raw potential via the QFS with Xie's sophisticated expertise. However, it seemed to be a difficult endeavor, and realizing it would still need to follow a few step-by-step procedures like assembling building blocks.

Just as a fragile sense of possibility began to dawn in the dusty warehouse, a low, menacing growl echoed from outside.

It was neither the sound of a stray animal nor the growl of a dissatisfied creditor. It was mechanical, purposeful. It carried the distinctive thrum of anti-gravity repulsors mixed with the whirring of scanning sensors.

[ALERT: Unidentified Entity Detected Approaching Warehouse Perimeter!] [Designation Analysis: 'Repo-Hound' Class Collection Drone. Standard Equipment for Tier-2 Debt Enforcement Agencies and Bail Recovery Guilds.

[Drone is actively scanning for residual energy signatures and unregistered technological assets.]

[Probable Cause: Triggered by residual energy fluctuations from IronOx_7 breakthrough OR Host's Ghost Candle/EMP deployment during evasion.]

After relaying the QFS's analysis to Xie Ruolan, Li Fang and Xie Ruolan exchanged sharp, alarmed, but also relieved glances.

It's not Void Sect Internal Affairs who's chasing after her. It's also not CRB auditors looking for the waning karmic ties from IronOx_7's breakthrough. Instead, it was just the regular, everyday predators of Neo-Tian's financial ecosystem, drawn by the scent of unsanctioned energy or potentially unregistered assets.

A Repo-Hound. Designed to track, immobilize, and seize.

"Can we hide?" Xie Ruolan whispered as her figure melted back towards the deeper shadows amongst the skeletal machinery. Her hand protectively covered the data-case.

"Maybe," Li Fang said, quickly checking the QFS feed for the drone's sensor capabilities. "Its sensors seem basic. It's looking for active Qi sources above background noise, or unregistered high-output tech."

He glanced towards Xie's shadow. "But can't you disrupt its sensors? A quick Qi pulse, maybe? You're a cultivator. Not like me who has my dantian sealed."

She managed to escape from the Void Sect, albeit he eventually bailed her out. But that couldn't discount the fact that she managed to run away from them. She should've at least some abilities, right?