Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

Chapter 138 Business Strategy, First Glimpse of a Thousand Opportunities

Around the fifteenth of March, the earth's temperature has reached a suitable level, and many places have begun the first round of silkworm rearing.

Although Dongsang and Xisang villages mainly raise silkworms, their silkworm raising techniques are still relatively backward. When Zhou Lan applied and even spread the silkworm raising manual taught by the Golden Toad Messenger, many silkworm farmers were broadened in their horizons.

More than twenty days ago, the people began searching for silkworm eggs in the mountains and fields. Some were released directly into mulberry groves, while others were selected and raised intensively in silkworm rearing rooms.

Now, after the silkworm eggs hatch into moths and lay eggs, and the eggs are soaked in the dew to retain good seeds, the Zhou family has obtained a batch of good silkworm seedlings.

"Ten principles, three types of light, eight suitable conditions, three rare factors, five broad factors... all factors that affect silkworm growth, such as sound, smell, light, color, and unhygienic elements, must be avoided!"

When silkworm farming first started, the workload was not heavy. After leaving his wife to take care of the silkworm seedlings, Zhou Lan taught the silkworm farming manual of the Golden Toad Messenger to the silkworm farmers in the same village, spreading the belief in Su Ji's God of Wealth little by little.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight days had passed, and the silkworms had reached the second instar stage, requiring more and more mulberry leaves. Zhang then took the initiative to come and help.

In fact, long before Zhang became a day-wandering spirit soldier, she rarely wove or sewed anymore.

Aside from catching up on sleep, Zhang spent most of her time with her daughter, Zhang Xiaolian, and also had extra time each day to stew a pot of spiritual food for the golden toad...

Today, Lai Fu Restaurant in the city is thriving. With the ice storage, it has a revolutionary advantage over other restaurants and eateries. It not only allows food to be preserved for longer, but also introduces a series of chilled desserts.

Unable to help at the city restaurant in Dongsang Village, and feeling bored at home with nothing to do, Zhang went to help out at the silkworm rearing room, at least to get some exercise.

Gradually, Zhang learned about many taboos in silkworm raising and the situation in Dongsang and Xisang villages.

After the Wu family walking corpse case, the Wu family caravan suffered a great blow and now only trades with the upstream mountain strongholds to earn the price difference.

Now, with the first batch of finished silk products expected to appear in just over twenty days, the Wu family has taken the initiative to propose a collaboration, wanting to do silk business together with the Zhou family.

The Wu family has experience in caravan trading and some connections in the city, while the Zhou family has many large-scale silkworm farmers. Cooperation between the two is mutually beneficial.

At this time, the Wu family members were either dead or imprisoned, so cooperation was not impossible, but Su Ji had a much broader vision.

Therefore, the villages of Dongsang and Xisang decided to cooperate to establish a medium-sized east-west caravan, which would not only deal in silk but also include the Wu family's mountain stronghold business.

Most importantly, although Laifu Restaurant in the city has been thriving recently, it has encountered obstacles in procurement on many occasions. If Zhou Wen had not returned to the village to purchase a batch of fine grains, the restaurant would not have had any rice or flour to use.

Although we have over 500 jin of beef, it can only last for another seven or eight days at most. We can buy various vegetables from the market, but the supply is still not stable...

The caravans from the east and west became the restaurant's greatest guarantee.

Wild game and mountain delicacies purchased from the mountain village are delivered directly to the restaurant, and wild vegetables gathered from the two villages are also sent over...

While cattle cannot be slaughtered privately, chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep can be targeted. Currently, various poultry and livestock are being acquired, and major breeding projects are being planned.

Whether it's raising chickens in mulberry groves or using wild boars from the South Mountain to breed pigs, these are all very promising industries... and the East-West trade caravans became a strong support for these aquaculture operations.

Thus, the Wu, Zhou, and Li families became the three pillars of the East-West caravan, and all began to worship the Golden Toad Messenger. As for the mysterious God of Wealth behind the Golden Toad Messenger, he was an even more revered figure by the East-West caravan.

"I heard that with the help of the Golden Toad Envoy, the Ren Family Chamber of Commerce in the East of the City not only reached a seafood supply deal with Laifu Restaurant, but also plans to send a batch of fish fry to Dongsang and Xisang Villages. In the future, we will have our own fish ponds!"

There are some fish and shrimp in the stream, but not enough to feed the people of Dongsang and Xisang villages, let alone supply Laifu Restaurant. Only the Ren family, the aquatic product giant of Jinfeng County in the east of the city, can supply Laifu Restaurant with the best and most comprehensive aquatic products.

As for the so-called fish fry, they are cultivated in the special environment of Renjia's Little Blessed Land, which not only has a very high survival rate, but also produces very good meat quality after they grow up.

"The fish fry of the Ren family in the east of the city? I heard they keep a very tight rein on their fish fry. The year before last, someone tried to steal them and was hung on a tree to dry for half a day until the officials arrived and rescued him..."

"The Golden Toad Messenger is indeed incredibly powerful; he actually managed to get the Ren family in the east of the city to send over fish fry and teach them the precautions for raising fish!"

The largest business tycoon in Jinfeng County is the Qian family, a community of interests centered around them, while the largest business magnate outside the county is the Ren family, who own Xiaofudi, which is adjacent to Qili Lake.

As for Qianbian Town, it was first placed under the direct jurisdiction of Dazhen Prefecture, and then it became a unique business, which had long since exceeded the scope of ordinary merchants.

Even so, many industries still regard Qianbian Town as a sacred place. Li Jiahe from Xisang Village went to Qianbian Town to learn carpentry and mechanical engineering.

Such a large-scale action by the Dongxi Sang Association was naturally noticed by many discerning people, and immediately a constant stream of discussions arose.

“There is the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce in the city, the Ren Family Chamber of Commerce in the east of the city, the Mo Family of Qianbian Town in the west of the city, and the Gushu County Chamber of Commerce of Dazhen Prefecture in the south of the city… The Cai Family Wujin Chamber of Commerce in the north of the city, which is close to the Baiyan Mountains, just ran into trouble, and then the East-West Chamber of Commerce emerged.”

The Cai Family Chamber of Commerce mainly deals in the mining and sale of black gold stones. Although their products are limited, their high-quality black gold stones can be sold as far as Dazhen Prefecture, making them a unique entity in Jinfeng County.

Currently, the Cai family is undergoing an internal power struggle and reorganization due to the burning of a large amount of black gold stone and the elimination of most of their Yin-Yang forces.

Although the East-West Chamber of Commerce was only recently established, it has already cooperated and developed in many fields and is showing great momentum.

Currently, the East-West Chamber of Commerce is in its development stage and has little competitiveness, but in the eyes of the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce, the East-West Chamber of Commerce is already a considerable threat.

The first step was to infiltrate the Laifu Restaurant in Jinfeng County. Not only did they have the support of Chen Dianshi from the county government, but they also colluded with the Ren family in the east of the city.

What makes the God of Wealth, Qian Gong, particularly cautious is that, after many tests and inquiries, it has been confirmed that the new supervisor of the City God Temple, Jin Chan, is the same Jin Chan messenger worshipped by Lai Fu Restaurant and the East-West Chamber of Commerce!
"The Golden Toad is a daytime spirit soldier from Dongsang and Xisang villages. Now it serves as the supervising spirit general of the Great Sun Spirit Realm of the City God Temple. It has been less than a month and a half since then."

"Some say the Golden Toad is a seed of the Xuanmen Daoist sect, while others say it is the reincarnation of a cultivator who has reached the pinnacle of cultivation. Now, it is rumored that a God of Wealth stands behind him. Could it be that a certain God of Wealth has taken a liking to the faith in Jinfeng County and has infiltrated through the Golden Toad's connections?"

Qian Gong, the God of Wealth, served as the God of Wealth in Jinfeng County for over thirty years. Leveraging his accumulated connections and reputation during his lifetime, he had already permeated the belief in the God of Wealth to almost every corner of Jinfeng County.

The recent probing of Laifu Restaurant was just a typical move.

If the other party has no powerful backing, the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce will try to assimilate them and eventually make them part of the Chamber.

If the other party has powerful backing, the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce will try its best to win them over, whether to become a partner or a deeper community of interests, which will strengthen the power of the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce.

However, Lai Fu Restaurant had a powerful background, and was even connected to the East-West Chamber of Commerce and the Jianri Lingjiang Jin Chan. The God of Wealth, Qian Gong, began to plan a business struggle as if he were dealing with a formidable enemy.

Jinfeng County was a large county, with not only county magistrate, county assistant, registrar, and clerk, but also post station officials, county school officials, gatekeepers, tax commissioners, granary commissioners, river god officials, medical instructors, and Taoist associations.

The Ren family's Chamber of Commerce in the east of the city is backed by the gatekeeper and the river god, and they are quite close to the county magistrate.

Behind the Qian family's chamber of commerce were tax ambassadors and county granary ambassadors, who were quite close to the chief clerk.

Currently, it seems that the East-West Chamber of Commerce and Lai Fu Restaurant are backed by only one person, Chen Dianshi, which gives the God of Wealth, Qian Gong, the confidence to protect the place of faith.

"Chen Dianshi, even if he is imposing, is only a ninth-rank military officer, and he is not even considered a proper official in the county government..." In fact, the Dianshi is a low-ranking civil official. Although he can speak in the county government, he is ranked below the county magistrate, the county assistant magistrate, and the registrar. Even the instructor of the county school has more say than the Dianshi.

It was only because Chen Dianshi possessed the cultivation of a military general and became a ninth-rank military general in the imperial court that he had the ability to ward off ordinary ghosts and gods.

Perhaps, out of respect for the Golden Toad, the God of Wealth, Qian Gong, will not touch Lai Fu Restaurant, but he certainly will not relinquish any of the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce's interests.

As for the so-called aquatic products, those profits were taken from the Ren family's business association and had nothing to do with the Qian family's business association.

Therefore, the God of Wealth, Qian Gong, issued an order: "This year, we don't need to worry about the silk business in Dongsang and Xisang villages. But if the East and West Chambers of Commerce compete with us in the silk business in other places, we must outperform them even if it means losing money!"

The Qian family has woven a very large network of relationships through kinship ties. In Jinfeng County, they have money, people, and power. As long as they can protect the place of their faith, they are willing to lose money!

Just as the God of Wealth, Qian Gong, was preparing to launch a silkworm war, Su Ji personally came to the west of the city to welcome an important guest with Mo Linglong—the fourth-generation head of the Mo family in Qianbian Town, Old Man Qianji.

Several days ago, news came from Qianbian Town that Mo Linglong's physical body would be transported to Jinfeng County.

However, this matter is easier said than done, and requires a series of strict steps.

While the old man Qianji was making preparations, the young mechanical magicians from Jinfeng County were also busy, having people clean up the Mo family's villa inside and out.

Su Ji has also been busy these past few days. With the token of the Bright Moon Spirit Realm and the duty of the Sun Watcher Spirit General of the Great Sun Spirit Realm, in addition to cultivating in the two spirit realms every day, he also invited the Earth Yin Spirit to go to the Water Vein Secret Realm to comprehend the mysteries.

The Frost Altar involves Mo Linglong's physical body and is not only mysterious in terms of water attributes, but also in terms of yin and cold attributes. After much thought, Su Ji concluded that only the Earth Yin Spirit could be tried.

Compared to the Earthly Yang Serpent Lord, who has lived for over a thousand years, the Earthly Yin Spirit is not only young but has also received moral education from Scholar Deng, making him very easy to talk to.

Even without Su Ji's Bright Moon Wonderland plan, the Earth Yin Spirits developed respect for Su Ji, the reincarnated being, after learning about the profound principles of the system.

As a result, the Earth Spirit's comprehension of the mysteries on the Ice Altar became a way for it to complete its system of profound principles.

Now that the Earth Spirit is about to master the low-grade mystical technique [Yin Cold Qi], the Thousand Changes Town has officially set off.

It was a little past three in the afternoon, and although it wasn't summer yet, pedestrians on the street were already covered in sweat.

However, when a carriage approached, the surrounding environment became slightly cooler, and as the carriage passed by, a chilling cold was felt even more intense.

Immediately, many pedestrians began to speculate.

"I heard that Laifu Restaurant has an ice cellar that can not only preserve meat but also make chilled snacks to cool you down. Could this carriage be used to transport ice?"

Even in an era with limited technology, ice could still be stored for summer use, and larger cities had a supply of ice in the summer.

Not to mention, this world is also home to many gods, such as the god of winter, who wields the power of ice and snow...

"Laifu Restaurant must be the present-day property of the Heavenly Toad, the guardian spirit of the sun!"

While the others in the entourage were wearing thick clothes, the old man driving the carriage was only wearing a long robe. It wasn't that he wasn't afraid of the cold, but rather that he himself was a mechanical puppet.

The person controlling the mechanical puppet was none other than Mo Linglong's father, the Old Man Qianji, who would be over a hundred years old if he were still alive.

As Jinfeng County came into view, three figures appeared in the distance: Mo Linglong, Su Ji, and the City God Spirit Officer representing the City God Temple of Jinfeng County.

Secondly, there were Wang Meng and Ren He, the two spirit soldiers who oversaw the sun, and many other deities from the City God Temple.

"Distinguished guests from the Mohist school have arrived from afar, and the City God and Spirit Official of Jinfeng County are here to welcome them..."

"Greetings, Master Mo!"

"Father……"

The old man of a thousand machines, Mo Heng, was currently possessing his natal puppet "Tian Gong". His face was covered with frost on the hollow mask, and when he raised his head, the creaking sound of gears meshing could be heard.

"exquisite……"

Although the old man Qianji could see his daughter's physical body every day, it was only a body in a state of suspended animation inside solid ice. After more than half a month, he finally saw his daughter Mo Linglong's soul.

The celestial puppet's hand involuntarily rested on its chest. In the life box containing the spiritual core mechanism at the heart, there was a lock of hair that he had specially removed before Mo Linglong was frozen in ice...

The girl before him had white hair, and the girl inside the ice also had gray hair; this strand of black hair had become the embodiment of his hope to resurrect his daughter.

"Cuckoo..."

The puppet made a strange laugh, then began to sing a nursery rhyme as if no one else was around.

Spring is to summer, autumn is to winter, evening drum is to morning bell, viewing mountains is to playing in water, green bamboo is to ancient pine...

"Front to back, old to young, white hair to black hair, parents to children, government officials to flesh and blood..."

The nursery rhyme was hoarse and desolate, yet it carried a childlike innocence and naivety, making people feel both warm and eerie.

Su Ji had long heard of the reputation of the Thousand Machine Old Man. He was a capricious man who would sometimes help those in need, sometimes act like an emotionless puppet, and sometimes be sentimental like a young girl.

Now, Su Ji and the City God Spirit Official were ignored by the Old Man of a Thousand Machines, and they didn't think much of it. They just quietly waited for the strange nursery rhyme to finish.

"Life versus death, loss versus victory, activity versus stillness, sun versus moon, reincarnation versus destiny..."

After the old man Qianji finished singing the eerie nursery rhyme, the carriage arrived at the city gate. The attendant took out a token with the words "Mo Family" written on it and was immediately respectfully invited into the city.

At the same time, a glint of wisdom appeared in the old man's eyes: "City God, Sun-Watching General... I was rude just now, please forgive me!"

Su Ji and the City God both smiled, without uttering a single complaint.

Not to mention the power of the Mo family in Qianbian Town, the old man Qianji in front of us is also a near-immortal.

If it weren't for the fact that the Old Man of a Thousand Machines wanted to revive his daughter Mo Linglong, he might have followed in the footsteps of the Ancestor of a Thousand Transformations and entered the Heavenly Court long ago, becoming a true Heavenly Craftsman Spirit Lord.

(End of this chapter)