secret dice.

Chapter 769 God of Wealth

Luo Jun followed Qian Shubai all the way to the headquarters of Jubaolou.

This wasn't Luo Jun's first time here, but it was already close to midnight, yet Jubaolou was still brightly lit, and a large number of people were still busy working in the magnificent lobby. Moreover, judging from their efficiency, this was clearly not a temporary overtime work for a holiday; Jubaolou's 24-hour opening must have been the norm for a long time.

Seeing this, Luo Jun cursed the evil capitalists in his heart. It seems that all crows are black, and even other worlds are not immune.

The two walked through the lobby and came to the reception room upstairs. Qian Shubai instructed the maid to serve Luo Jun tea and pastries, asked him to wait a moment, and then withdrew.

Luo Jun picked up the teacup and took a sip. He didn't know much about tea, but the refreshing aroma still surprised him. He thought to himself that this must be a very precious tea, and wondered if he should ask for some to take with him.

He picked up another pastry, one he had never seen before. It was about the size of a bottle cap and wrapped in a semi-transparent oil paper. Luo Jun tried to peel the oil paper off, but it seemed to be wrapped in several layers, getting smaller and smaller as he peeled it off, until finally, only a few crumpled pieces of oil paper were left on the table, with colorful fillings sandwiched in the folds.

What's happening here?
Luo Jun was completely confused when he heard a soft laugh behind him. He turned around and saw a pretty young maid covering her mouth. A slightly older maid next to her reminded her, "A Yao, don't be rude in front of the guests!" After saying that, she bowed to Luo Jun and apologized.

"It's alright..." Luo Jun waved his hand, "Gentlemen, what exactly are these pastries...?"

The girl named Ayao smiled and said, "You don't know, this is called Qiandie Su. What you peeled off is not wrapping paper, but the pastry itself. This pastry is made by wrapping the filling with layers of glutinous rice paper. You can just pick it up and eat it directly."

After Ayao finished speaking, the older maid beside her added, "These are pastries developed by our Jubaolou chefs. They are rarely seen outside the restaurant, and most first-time guests don't understand them..."

Luo Jun knew this was just a polite remark. If it were really true that everyone would be skinned alive on their first visit, the two maids would have reminded him beforehand. This older sister was only saying this to save face for him.

Luo Jun didn't seem to care, and picked up a piece of paper: "Glutinous rice paper? Is it similar to glutinous rice paper?"

"It does contain glutinous rice, but it also contains other grains and medicinal herbs. The taste and texture are far superior to those made with glutinous rice paper. You can try it."

As they spoke, the two maids tidied up what Luo Jun had pulled apart.

Luo Jun picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The glutinous rice paper felt slightly soft and pliable, but it began to melt as soon as it came into contact with saliva. It was easy to bite without hurting his teeth. The flavor of the filling combined with the texture of the outer skin brought a unique experience. Paired with a sip of tea, it was simply wonderful!
Luo Jun savored the moment and couldn't help but admire, "This God of Wealth really knows how to enjoy life!"
Just then, the door to the reception room opened, and an elderly man dressed in magnificent clothes walked in, holding a jade ruyi in his hands.

The old man was tall and stout, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a ruddy complexion. His clothes were bright red with golden dragon patterns and carp. Coupled with his meticulously groomed five-strand beard, he really looked exactly like the God of Wealth in the painting.

"Are you the God of Wealth?" Luo Jun glanced at the old man dressed in an extravagant manner.

"I am but Yuan Guangjin, a humble person." The God of Wealth sat down opposite Luo Jun, waved his hand gently, and the two maids nodded and bowed before leaving.

"How's the tea and snacks? Do you like them?" the God of Wealth asked with a smile, picking up a piece and putting it in his mouth with his tea. "I've loved this taste for centuries."

"The taste is indeed very unique." Luo Jun nodded as well: "But to entertain me with only this, the God of Wealth might be going against the proper way to treat guests..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Jun flung his hand, throwing the teacup in his hand straight at the God of Wealth's face.

Faced with Luo Jun's sudden attack, the God of Wealth remained calm. With a flash of light, the jade ruyi in his hand knocked the flying teacup down from mid-air!

However, at the same time the teacup flew out, Luo Jun also moved. He was even faster than the teacup, arriving behind the God of Wealth with his fingers already on his neck.

"Impressive skills!" Caishen exclaimed, but he remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic even when Luo Jun had his vital points seized.

"The God of Wealth has quite the presence," Luo Jun chuckled. "You should be able to sense that my fingers are extraordinary."

As he slept, his fingertips gently traced the neck of the God of Wealth, a soft movement that left a clear line of blood.

"That's why I said it's a great skill." Despite the blood flowing from his neck, the God of Wealth still smiled and chatted: "Without a trace of qi, and without any weapon, he can achieve the sharpness of a razor with just his bare fingers. Such a miraculous skill is something I've never seen before in all my years of life."

"So the God of Wealth wasn't praising my speed after all." Luo Jun chuckled. "But aren't you afraid that if I use a little force, I can rip your head off?"

"A mere head, you may take it if you wish," the God of Wealth chuckled. "Besides, you know it's pointless to do so, don't you?"

Luo Jun chuckled: "So this is where it is..." As he spoke, he released the God of Wealth and sat back down opposite him, but this time, his eyes were not on the God of Wealth's face, but on the jade ruyi in his arms.

Indeed, the adorned God of Wealth before him wasn't the real Yuan Guangjin. Luo Jun had noticed him the moment he entered, which was why he deliberately provoked him. After a brief exchange, he finally confirmed that the man before him was merely a puppet of Yuan Guangjin, while the real Yuan Guangjin was remotely controlling him from elsewhere. And the medium of control was the jade ruyi held in the puppet's arms!

"Since the God of Wealth invited me up here, he must know why I'm here," Luo Jun said with a smile. "Where is Ayina?"

"She has just gained power and her body is not yet able to withstand it, so she is resting in my Treasure Pavilion." The God of Wealth smiled and said, "You came here specifically to seek out her power, could it be that you also covet that girl's power?"

"A mere power of ascension is not worth my effort." Luo Jun chuckled. "What I'm really looking for is you, the God of Wealth."

"Oh?" Yuan Guangjin chuckled. "What is there for a few hundred-year-old relic like me to concern you, young hero?"

Luo Jun leaned forward and smiled, "I'd like to know, how did you save Ayina?" The power that Luo Jun had just sensed, the power to advance to the Ascension Realm, was actually Ayina's.

The power of inheritance, spanning thousands of years, finally broke through the shackles of mortals under the blessing of Long Hui's top-level realm, evolving into the power of ascension! However, Long Hui, who had just advanced to ascension, was killed by Luo Jun, so this power naturally sought out the only remaining inheritor, Ayina!
Yes, shortly after Long Hui's death, Ayina received the power of inheritance.

However, the power of inheritance has undergone a qualitative change after Long Hui's round of enhancement, which is already beyond Ayina's tolerance. In addition, Ayina has just recovered from serious injuries and her physical condition is not very good. How can she withstand such a huge power suddenly surging into her body!
Moreover, Ayina did not possess the secret technique that Long Hui used to limit the speed of power fusion. This power rushed in all at once, rapidly and even violently, almost instantly pushing Ayina to the Feather Transformation Realm. However, at the same time, Ayina's body was on the verge of collapse under the terrifying power. If this continued, she would probably die just like Long Hui, having just entered the Feather Transformation Realm.

But at that moment, the surge of power that had propelled him to the next level suddenly vanished.

Surprised, Luo Jun immediately realized that it must be Yuan Guangjin, the God of Wealth, who had sensed the abnormal fluctuations, who had made his move!
He didn't know what method Yuan Guangjin had used, but since he didn't see Ayina's body blown to pieces at the scene, and even the surrounding officials and constables were still methodically sealing off the scene, it meant that Ayina should not have died from the explosion, and that she had indeed been rescued by Yuan Guangjin!
Having just studied Long Hui, Luo Jun had reconstructed the secret technique to a considerable extent. Combining this with the insights he had gained from Zheng Bailu, he once again took out his Fate-Gazing Glasses and glanced at the difficulty of perfectly withstanding the Saint's Essence. Unfortunately, the final result was still 101.

This result left Luo Jun slightly disappointed, but the fact that Yuan Guangjin had rescued Ayina rekindled his hope!

Yuan Guangjin seemed to have not expected Luo Jun's target to be this. He paused for a moment, then raised a hand: "Would it be convenient for you to let me take your pulse?"

Luo Jun nodded, raised his hand and handed it over. After touching it for a while, the God of Wealth laughed and said, "So that's how it is. Your body contains such a huge amount of power, but you can't use it. Do you want to use the method I used to save that girl to help you digest the power?"

Luo Jun knew that the God of Wealth was referring to the vast and boundless reserves of primordial energy within his body. Indeed, even in Yu Hua's eyes, his capacity was truly enormous.

But since Yuan Guangjin had misunderstood, he didn't need to correct him. He simply asked in a noncommittal tone, "Does the God of Wealth have a solution?"

Yuan Guangjin chuckled, "I do have some ideas." With that, he took out a small bottle from his sleeve, uncorked it, poured out a pill, and handed it to Luo Jun, "You can try this."

Luo Jun picked up the pill and examined it. This thing was not a magical artifact, and he didn't know its specific effects. Without any doubt, he swallowed it directly.

Even if it were poison, his saintly body would be no match for it, not to mention the invincibility of the Limitless Underwear.

After the pill was swallowed, it quickly dissolved in his stomach and released its medicinal effects. Then, Luo Jun felt a portion of his vital energy disappear along with the medicinal effects...

No... no, it didn't disappear, but was solidified by the medicinal power of the pill. The resentment that was originally flowing in the body seemed to be frozen, and a part of it was locked by the medicinal power.

However, this vital energy is not completely frozen. As other vital energy continues to flow through and wash over it, it is slowly melting. With the gradual release, it is estimated that it will soon become ordinary vital energy again and flow through the meridians.

“This is…” Luo Jun’s eyes showed surprise.

"I call it the Spirit-Locking Pill." The God of Wealth smiled slightly. "It's a pill I made exclusively. You've already experienced its effects. It can imprison the vital energy in the human body and release it slowly. When used against an enemy, it can temporarily seal off vital energy. If you use it yourself, it can be used as an aid to cultivate the strength of your vital energy. It can be said to have a wide range of uses."

"The one you just ate was a Grade 3 Spirit Locking Pill. Below the peak level, eating one would basically seal away all of one's vital energy. The girl's vital energy was rampant, and she was almost about to explode and die. So I gave her a Grade 1 Spirit Locking Pill, which can lock away even the vital energy of a cultivator who has just ascended to immortality, preventing her from exploding. The slowly thawing vital energy will also allow her body to gradually adapt and eventually stabilize her cultivation level."

"It can lock in the vital energy of a Feathered Immortal?" Luo Jun was secretly surprised: "If a Feathered Immortal were to consume this, wouldn't it be equivalent to being crippled?"

"Hahaha..." The God of Wealth stroked his beard and laughed, "You could say that, but it's not easy to get a Feathered One to eat this... Moreover, a Grade One Spirit Locking Pill isn't something you can just pick up on the street. To refine one, you need all sorts of rare and precious materials, supplemented with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as fire, the essence of the sun and moon as a catalyst, and I personally oversee the process. It takes forty-nine days to successfully refine it."

"Because the materials are scarce and the process is complicated, I only had one of these Grade One Spirit-Locking Pills left, which I already used to save that girl. If you also want one, I'm afraid..."

"No... I don't want just one." Luo Jun shook his head. "I want ten, a hundred, a thousand, the more the better!"

Upon hearing this, even the God of Wealth was greatly surprised: "What exactly do you want to do?"

Luo Jun did not answer his question: "Is it because you don't have enough materials? Whatever you need, however much you need, I can find it for you, as long as you agree to give me the Spirit Locking Pill!"

As he said this, Luo Jun made another judgment on whether to persuade.

The result was somewhat unexpected. It wasn't difficult to persuade the God of Wealth; the score was only around 40, and he even rolled a big win!

"In that case, I'm afraid I can't help you," the God of Wealth said suddenly after thinking for a while.

"Can't help?" Luo Jun was taken aback, and subconsciously checked the result of the roll again. It was a big success, not a big failure...

The God of Wealth sighed: "To be honest, the wonderful method of refining the Spirit-Locking Pill was found in an ancient pill formula. The formula records six grades of the Spirit-Locking Pill, the lowest being grade five, and the highest, however, is not grade one, but the best grade!"

"The materials required for refining pills vary depending on the grade, and the higher the grade, the rarer they are. Grade one pills are already rare treasures found nowhere else in the Nine Provinces. Let alone a hundred or a thousand, even if I searched the entire Nine Provinces, it wouldn't be easy to gather enough materials for just a few pills..."

"What about the best ones?" Luo Jun caught the key information.

“Top-grade, according to records, its medicinal effects are a thousand times greater than those of grade one. Not to mention us Earth Immortals, even the legendary Golden Immortals would not feel good after consuming one. However, in return…” The God of Wealth looked at Luo Jun: “The required materials are only found in legends, and they can no longer be found in the present-day Nine Provinces.”

(End of this chapter)