Chapter 147: I Have an Appointment with the God of Wealth

The woman standing outside the temple, at first glance, seemed to be an ordinary mortal. She wore a long, light blue coarse cloth dress, and her figure was somewhat ordinary, unlike the graceful and slender physiques typical of female Qi Refiners.

But no matter how well she concealed it, the subtle and profound Dao rhythm emanating from her still deeply betrayed her identity as a master. This was a classic case of poor disguise. Or perhaps, it was a more sophisticated disguise—one designed to appear as a shallow deception, thereby tricking others into believing they had seen through it.

Earlier, after escorting his junior grand-master away, Li Changshou had given a few instructions to his junior sister and master before returning to his underground secret chamber. There, he continued refining array foundations and researching methods to improve the Paper Daoist divine ability.

Just a day later, Li Changshou had a premonition, sensing that something was happening at the Sea God Temple in the South Sea. He immediately projected his consciousness into the small temple. These past few years had been a tumultuous period for the Sea God Sect. Since Li Changshou had willingly taken on this karma, he wouldn't complain much about it. With support behind him, there was no need to panic.

What puzzled Li Changshou was that this particular premonition was neither good nor bad; there were no ominous signs, nor auspicious ones. It seemed to be a mix of both, with good and bad fortune arriving simultaneously.

As Li Changshou's divine sense descended upon the small temple, he immediately noticed the "woman" repeatedly pacing outside. Sensing the Dao rhythm emanating from her, he concluded that this person was definitely not an ordinary Golden Immortal. His first thought was the Western Sect. Given that she dared to appear openly, she was unlikely to be one of the Western Sect's clandestine "blades." Instead, she was probably a renowned and prominent master from the Western Sect. Furthermore, according to Li Changshou's calculations, it was about time for a Western Sect master to seek him out and hint at matters concerning the Dragon Race. If it were a disciple of a Western Saint, who could it be?

To be safe, Li Changshou summoned Ao Yi's consciousness. To prevent the Dragon Race from having any room for suspicion, Li Changshou decided that whenever he met someone from the Western Sect in the future, he would ensure Ao Yi was "present."

“Sect Master, who is this person?” Ao Yi inquired through divine sense.

“I don't know,” Li Changshou replied, “but there's an eighty percent chance she's not from the East. Previously, during the Great Dharma, a master taught me a divine ability, and I created a simple avatar. Today, I'll use this avatar here to meet her and probe her capabilities. Brother Yi, just observe from the side. If my avatar encounters any mishap, please inform the Dragon Race masters to respond immediately.”

Ao Yi immediately agreed, “Sect Master, please be careful.”

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, offered no reply, and slowly withdrew most of his divine sense.

As if sensing that the divine sense on the main idol within the temple was fading, the woman outside immediately took a few steps forward and entered the Sea God Temple. She quickly went inside, appearing slightly anxious, and called out to the idol in a powerful, "rough female voice": “Daoist... Sea God, please wait! This humble... little woman has something to ask of you!”

Li Changshou: ...

How did this immortal manage to reveal so much information in just one sentence! No, that's not right. This must be the "extreme opposite" strategy, deliberately creating so many flaws to disarm my vigilance. In that case, Daoist friend, you underestimate me too much. This woman, whose origins were unknown but whose Dao rhythm was formidable, was either extremely poor at disguise or a person of deep cunning! Following Li Changshou's principles, he always prioritized the worst-case scenario.

‘This might be a troublesome character.’

Li Changshou made up his mind. While keeping a sliver of his divine sense on the idol, he summoned the Paper Daoist, whose appearance had already been decided as the future image of the Sea God, to come by cloud from near Anshui City. The Paper Daoist's image was that of a lean, benevolent old man, often seen meeting with Dongmu Gong.

The young woman quickly approached the main idol. The temple priest and a few incense-burning visitors inside were all curiously observing her at this moment. The gazes of the surrounding mortals made her quite uncomfortable.

‘Asking for help is truly suffering!’

She sighed inwardly, frowned at the Sea God idol, gave a formal bow, and then pondered for a moment. The jade statue nearby looked familiar, but she had inquired before coming and knew it was merely a protector. Naturally, she needed to find the main deity! After some hesitation, she finally spoke, asking in an uncertain tone: “Um, Sea God, would you please appear for a moment?”

A few snickers broke out among the incense-burning visitors nearby. Ao Yi, observing in secret, was also taken aback by this "allegedly Western Sect" elder sister. Had it been the Ao Yi from back when he first went to Jin'ao Island to apprentice, he would have undoubtedly caused a commotion and confronted this person head-on, completely unafraid. But the current Ao Yi was no longer that reckless individual; he had learned to analyze karma, to endure and conceal himself, and to observe in secret.

The old temple priest, dressed in a blue long cloth robe, stepped forward, bowed to the woman, and chuckled: “My dear young lady, it's disrespectful to behave like this before the Sea God. If you wish for the Sea God to reveal himself, you must at least offer incense and prostrate yourself. Perhaps the Sea God might then appear to you in a dream.”

The woman frowned, “How could I do that?”

The priest also frowned, “Why couldn't you?”

“Fine, fine, never mind, never mind. Why should I argue with a mere mortal like you?” The woman waved her hand dismissively, turned, and headed towards the temple door, walking with a majestic, dragon-like stride!

Ao Yi's brow subtly twitched. He suddenly noticed the trace of Dao rhythm that the woman had forgotten to conceal. It was remarkably familiar.

Just then, the Paper Daoist, who had already flown to the location, looked down at the woman from the air and transmitted a message: “Daoist friend, are you looking for this humble Daoist?”

Seeing her about to leave, Li Changshou's first instinct was to let her go, as less trouble was better than more. However, since the other party had already appeared, they must have had some ulterior motive. If he allowed her to leave, he wouldn't feel at ease. Therefore, he directly called out to stop her.

The woman below looked up. She had initially thought the old man above was merely passing by on a cloud, but upon hearing his words, she focused her gaze. An avatar? She looked left and right, about to speak, when the Paper Daoist above descended on a cloud. Several incense-burning visitors immediately gasped and gathered to watch. Seeing a true immortal, they were all somewhat flustered.

Li Changshou took out a wooden token from his sleeve and showed it to the temple priest, who instantly perked up. The Paper Daoist smiled, “Please ask these devotees to step back and close the temple doors. You may wait outside the temple gate.”

“As you command!” The temple priest bowed his head in agreement and, acting on the instructions, coaxed and ushered the visitors out of the small temple, closing the wooden doors behind them.

Li Changshou waved his hand, conjuring a barrier, then turned and bowed to the strange "woman." Li Changshou said, “Please forgive me for making you witness such a scene, Daoist friend. Let's talk inside the hall.”

The "woman" instinctively put her hands behind her back, puffed out her chest, raised her head, and habitually adopted a "certain air"; but then "she" realized that her current state was inappropriate, and her hands suddenly had nowhere to go. Li Changshou, however, dared not be careless. He remained secretly vigilant, entering the hall one after the other with the woman, and deliberately conversed with her right beneath the Sea God idol, in front of Ao Yi.

The "woman" secretly performed calculations with her fingers, but could not discern the origin of the avatar before her. Li Changshou spoke first, smiling gently in a benevolent voice with a slightly slow cadence: “This humble Daoist is the Sea God of this place. This is one of my avatars. Daoist friend stated directly that you wished to meet me, but for what purpose?” His gaze held a fitting degree of wariness, along with a slight confidence that implied, 'This is merely an avatar, so I'm not afraid of you targeting me'. It was an exquisite disguise technique.

The person then said, “This is an avatar of yours, and this is a false form and face of mine. We're even then. Why don't you manifest your true form, and I'll return to my original appearance? How about it?”

Upon hearing this, Li Changshou thought to himself, 'Clever'. The other party seemed to be speaking casually, but there was a hidden sharpness in their words, hitting the crucial point in just a few sentences. Although, the possibility that the other party was a person of 'true disposition' couldn't be ruled out. But with such cultivation and Dao rhythm, in an environment like the Primordial World... Li Changshou would rather believe that the Three Pure Ones disagreed due to a dispute over a great god than believe that this person's words held only their surface meaning!

Li Changshou calmly said, “Daoist friend, you jest. If my true form were easily shown, why would the idol itself be so indistinct?”

“That's right, this humble Daoist was inconsiderate.”

“Daoist friend, perhaps you should transform into a male form,” Li Changshou added, “Your mannerisms and tone are too far removed from those of a woman, making it rather awkward.”

“Uh, hahaha, are they?” The "woman" laughed awkwardly, stood up, and with just a turn, celestial light flickered around her. She instantly transformed into a man with a robust build and a dignified appearance. He had a broad, square face, a black beard, and narrow, clear eyes. The phrase 'full and prominent forehead' perfectly described him. The subtle Dao rhythm emanating from him was now even more pronounced.

The man stroked his beard and smiled, saying, “Very well, very well. This humble Daoist will appear in my true form. Do you recognize me, Daoist friend?” There was a hint of anticipation in his words.

Li Changshou secretly frowned. True form? To speak such blatant nonsense with such a natural expression, Li Changshou had to admit defeat and acknowledge his own inferiority!

Li Changshou chuckled, “Forgive this humble Daoist's ignorance, but I truly do not recognize your true form, Daoist friend.”

“Uh, you really don't recognize me?” the man said, frowning.

“This humble Daoist has long resided in the mountains and rarely ventures out. I truly do not recognize you.”

“Then it's even better!” The man clapped his hands together, threw back his head and laughed heartily, feeling greatly relieved. He sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his speaking pace becoming much brisker.

“Hahaha! It's good that you don't recognize me, then I won't lose face! This humble Daoist came today to ask the Sea God for advice on how he managed to develop a small Sea God Sect so rapidly to its current scale. To be frank, many friends in my sect have also established numerous divine sects throughout the Five Continents, but none of them have truly flourished. Even if they were forcibly established, there were only a handful of worshipers, and the incense offerings and merits were far less prosperous than yours. I'm asking on their behalf today, Daoist friend, could you share a secret? This humble Daoist wouldn't ask for advice in vain. If you agree, I have treasures to offer!”

Li Changshou secretly frowned. To immediately probe for the secret to the South Sea Sect's rapid development? This matter was actually simple: first, one needed a group of Shaman-Human divine envoys, strong as oxen, driven by greed, who could persuade mortals with their sheer physical presence. At a certain stage of development, then involve the Ancient Dragon Race, and by offering two and a half tenths of the merits, trick the Dragon Race into fully supporting the sect's growth, arranging for a few true dragons to continuously manifest everywhere. Naturally, Li Changshou wouldn't say any of this. He decided to play along with the other party.

“If there's a secret, it's truly exchanging sincerity for sincerity. I treat the faithful with sincerity, and the faithful offer incense with sincerity.”

Who would have thought...

“Exchanging sincerity for sincerity?” The man stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, then revealed a look of emotion and said: “Daoist friend, you are right. This humble Daoist overthought it. They merely wished to use such divine sects as a convenient means to gather incense offerings and merits, but neglected to protect the mortals who trusted them.”

As he spoke, the man stood up and bowed to Li Changshou. Then he took out a folding fan from his embrace and solemnly said, “This humble trinket is merely a small token of respect. Thank you for your guidance.” With that, he turned and walked out of the temple, laughed twice, and slowly ascended on a cloud.

Deep suspicion welled up in Li Changshou's heart as he looked at the slight spiritual light emanating from the folding fan, unsure whether he should pick it up. This was somewhat... not right... compared to what he had expected.

Just then, Ao Yi transmitted a message via divine sense to the main idol, “Sect Master, that phrase 'exchanging sincerity for sincerity' is truly admirable.”

Li Changshou: ...

His own second sect master actually believed the evasive words meant for others. He then heard Ao Yi sigh with a chuckle, “To be able to calmly handle my martial uncle like this, I truly don't know how else to praise the Sect Master.”

Li Changshou couldn't help but be startled, and transmitted a question via divine sense: “This person is an Immortal from the Jie Sect? Who exactly is he?”

“Sect Master, you truly don't recognize him?” Ao Yi asked, puzzled.

“Of course. Why would I lie to you?”

Ao Yi chuckled, “His Dao rhythm, physique, appearance, and even his temperament—I recognize them well. He is our Jie Sect's chief outer disciple, one of the eight major disciples under our Sect Master, and also one of the most frequently seen mighty figures in our sect. His title is... Daoist Gongming.”

Li Changshou's eyes widened. The Paper Daoist immediately turned and flew swiftly outwards, effortlessly grabbing the paper fan into his hand. Ahem, no crude language. This fellow, who had disguised himself as a woman to come to the temple, was actually Zhao Gongming! The sworn elder brother of the Three Xiao Maidens, a key figure in the Investiture of the Gods, and a true mighty figure capable of single-handedly defeating several of the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals! This spirit treasure couldn't be accepted so casually; this deception needed to be remedied!

Li Changshou's Paper Daoist hurriedly chased after him, and in a short while, had covered over a hundred li. Catching sight of Zhao Gongming's distant back, he immediately called out from the cloud: “Daoist friend, please stay... wait a moment!”

As Zhao Gongming was about to turn around, an unexpected change occurred on Li Changshou's side. A streak of light suddenly shot from afar, transforming into a hunched Daoist wearing tattered rags and holding a staff, blocking the Paper Daoist's path. The hunched Daoist's aura was very serene. He smiled, and his face was quite ordinary, yet it exuded a sense of approachability.

What was happening today? Why were masters appearing one after another?

Li Changshou immediately stopped, his eyes watchful. In the distance, on the horizon, Zhao Gongming also turned around. The hunched Daoist, who had suddenly appeared, glanced at Zhao Gongming from the corner of his eye, seemingly unconcerned, and merely smiled at the Paper Daoist, saying: “This humble Daoist, the third disciple under the Saint of Spirit Mountain, has been waiting for the Sea God here for a long time. If this humble Daoist's calculations are correct, the Sea God has a connection with our Western...”

“Wait!” Li Changshou's loud shout startled the hunched Daoist.

Just then, Zhao Gongming was also rushing over on a cloud, and Li Changshou's thoughts raced. The Western Sect master he had predicted would appear truly had! At this moment... firstly, he was somewhat afraid of the Primordial World's true saying: 'you have a connection with our Western Sect'; secondly, he didn't want to get caught in the vortex between the Western Sect and the Jie Sect. Li Changshou made a snap decision. With a loud shout, the Paper Daoist immediately severed the causal link of a potential conflict!

“This humble Daoist is a Qi Refiner of the Dao Sect, from the True Marvel Sect of the Xuanmen! How could I have a connection with your Western Sect? Daoist friend, stop spouting nonsense!”

Having said that, streaks of fire suddenly appeared all around the Paper Daoist, instantly exploding in front of both the hunched Daoist and Zhao Gongming!

“I use this avatar to witness the Dao's profundity, and I have no connection with your Western Sect!”

The self-detonation restriction, prepared for many years, had actually come in handy.