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

Chapter 155 Collusion between Officials and Businessmen: Exposing the Qian Family

It was already May 25th. After a long period of accumulation, the materialized golden toad in the real dream finally reached the middle-grade perfection.

Therefore, Su Ji specially set aside some time tonight to enter Zhang Xiaolian's real dream.

Three months have passed since Zhang Xiaolian began her cultivation. The young girl has transformed from an ordinary country girl into a hidden Dongxuan Master in Dongsang Village.

The real dream has also changed a lot. Originally, only Zhang's courtyard was relatively clear, but now Zhou's three rooms next door have also been materialized, becoming Su Ji's stronghold in the real dream.

In the past few days, in order not to disturb Zhang Xiaolian's cultivation, Su Ji has been fusing the copper coin spiritual artifact at the stronghold. He took this opportunity today to upgrade both the copper coin and the golden toad clone at the same time.

After everything was ready, Yantianchou provided analysis and suggestions.

"Based on past experience, this time we still need to use divine power to make a wish on a real dream. We need to use at least a thousand strands of divine power to guarantee the success rate."

"After the copper coin is upgraded to a slightly lower grade, it can be used directly. After the materialized golden toad is upgraded, if you want to obtain a high-grade golden toad clone, you need to deduce the [Golden Toad Transformation] to a high-grade divine power."

"Currently, there are three paths to advancement for superior-grade divine abilities."

"First, continue to upgrade according to the metal element and embark on the path of the metal element Dao Fruit [metal element]. Only 5,000 units of computing power are needed to deduce to the upper-grade entry level... 75,000 units of computing power are needed to deduce to the upper-grade perfection level."

"Secondly, it grants the Golden Toad a Yin-type clone, allowing it to embark on the path of [Xin Metal]. This requires 9,000 units of computing power to deduce the path to the entry level of the superior grade... and 135,000 units of computing power to deduce the path to the perfection of the superior grade."

"Thirdly, the fusion of [Nature Metal] and [Xin Metal] requires 18,000 units of computational power to deduce to the advanced entry level... and 270,000 units of computational power to deduce to the advanced perfection level..."

Since Su Ji learned some secrets about the Xuanxian Dao Fruit from Mo Linglong, Yan Tianchou has grown and thus has so many choices.

【性金】 refers to metal creations formed by the interaction of heaven and earth, such as golden horses, bronze oxen, iron donkeys, and silver dragons, all of which can be called divine beasts.

【Xin Metal】 is pure Yin metal. Although it is still within the Five Elements, it involves Yin transformation. If one can deduce the supernatural power of this Dao fruit, it will perfectly match the name of the ancient golden toad in the Toad Palace.

Su Ji is not the same as before. After the battle with the Jushan Demon, his reputation has spread to Jiuxiang County. He can earn more than 800 computing power every day without moving.

Not to mention, there are already five restaurants operating in Wusheng's hometown. Even after deducting high taxes, there are still about 30,000 strands of incense offerings and prayers coming in every day, which translates into more than 3,000 units of computing power every day.

In other words, Su Ji can now obtain more than 100,000 units of computing power per month. For future development, he will definitely need both.

"For the Heavenly Plan, I choose the third advancement path: first, I will advance my supernatural power to the Lesser Completion of the Upper Grade, and then, if needed, I will advance it to the Perfection of the Upper Grade!"

Currently, Su Ji has a computing power reserve of over 120,000 units, so spending 54,000 units of computing power is not a big deal.

Yan Tianchou immediately responded, "It is estimated to take half an hour..."

Su Ji didn't waste half an hour. With the help of Zhang Xiaolian and Yan Tianchou, he finally used 1,200 strands of divine power to fuse and upgrade a copper coin spiritual artifact of slightly lower quality than a high-grade one.

Just as Su Ji had expected, this slightly inferior quality copper coin was still perfect, possessing three superior spiritual techniques: [Exorcising Evil], [Dispelling Evil], and [Suppressing].

Although the three spiritual spells are only as powerful as entry-level high-grade spells, their advantage lies in their ability to be used immediately and in certain situations, and their ability to deal with unexpected circumstances.

Ultimately, although Su Ji possessed five profound arts, he still lacked offensive means, and spiritual artifacts could at least make up for some of his shortcomings.

Su Ji didn't sit idle either; he transformed into a money-spitting machine, using the materialized golden toad to spray out dozens of copper coins in succession.

Soon, Su Ji created a new copper coin sword. This time, every copper coin on the sword was a mid-grade spiritual weapon, and its overall power was no weaker than a mid-grade perfect spiritual weapon.

Qian Feng's strength is now approaching that of a Great Ghost General, so this copper coin sword is a good gift for him. As for the copper coin sword that was replaced, it also has a purpose, which is to be given to Zhu Nanshan, a mage of the East-West Chamber of Commerce.

Just as Su Ji was pondering, Yan Tianchou's voice rang out again.

"Since this is Zhang Xiaolian's real dream, the materialized golden toad inherently contains a lot of yin energy. It only took a little over 51,000 units of computing power to deduce the [Golden Toad Transformation] to the superior minor completion level..."

When a bright moon appeared in his real dream, Su Ji guessed that Zhang Xiaolian might have some connection with the Moon Star.

After the appearance of the Toad Palace Golden Toad and the Toad Palace Fairy Shadow, Su Ji's conjecture was further strengthened. Although he helped Zhang Xiaolian stay away from the possible influence of the Toad Palace Fairy Shadow, he also isolated himself from the Toad Palace Golden Toad. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

As a result, Su Ji found it difficult to approach the Golden Toad in the Toad Palace and could only rely on the Heavenly Deduction Technique, which required a large amount of computational power to compensate for the [Resonance Factor] needed to cultivate the Divine Beast Body.

Of course, although the process was a bit tortuous, Su Ji did find a way to solve it, so there was nothing to regret.

At this time, Su Ji had acquired the [Golden Toad Transformation], a skill of minor completion, which gave him more confidence in the upcoming fusion.

So Su Ji made a wish directly to the real dream: "I am willing to offer 1,800 strands of divine power as a sacrifice, and I wish that the fusion of the materialized golden toad will be successful!"

The magical copper coin is only the size of a palm, while the physical golden toad is nearly a foot long. It's normal to have to expend more divine power to make a wish.

As expected, as a hazy yet cool light fell upon the figurative golden toad, the difficulty of the fusion was reduced by a level.

Under Zhang Xiaolian's watchful eye, under Yan Tianchou's precise control, and with Su Ji's assistance through the medium of the Heavenly Soul and Spirit, a figurative golden toad of slightly lower quality was successfully fused together.

Zhang Xiaolian's eyes lit up immediately: "Before, we needed a high-grade mechanical puppet swordsman to protect us. Now that we have a high-grade golden toad divine beast, we finally have our own trump card!"

The superior mechanical puppet swordsman is, after all, the property of Thousand Changes Town, and is only temporarily rented to Su Ji. Only when he possesses his own superior spiritual weapon, the Golden Toad, can it be considered a qualitative leap.

However, Suji did not stop there, but instead devised a new plan.

Although the superior-grade spiritual artifact, the Golden Toad, was successfully created, it only possesses a portion of the power of [Xin Metal]. To fully utilize the newly developed [Golden Toad Transformation] divine power, which combines [Xin Metal] and [Xing Metal], it still needs to continuously absorb Xin Metal Qi and replenish the [Xin Metal] spiritual patterns.

Su Ji did not cultivate [Xin Metal], but Yan Tianchou did. He only needed to continuously use the [Golden Toad Transformation] technique on the materialized golden toad to imprint the profound mysteries into the materialized golden toad in the form of spiritual patterns.

Not to mention, this place is Zhang Xiaolian's real dream. As long as Zhang Xiaolian has a concept in her mind, the speed at which the materialized golden toad obtains the [Xin Metal] spirit pattern will only get faster and faster.

So Su Ji smiled and said, "Although this golden toad only has a part of the incomplete [Xin Metal] spirit pattern, it can be imprinted with spirit patterns through the mysterious supernatural power. Perhaps it will only take some time to imprint the required [Xin Metal] spirit pattern on it."

In this process, Zhang Xiaolian merely acts as a catalyst, requiring only a subconscious acceptance.

Zhang Xiaolian naturally believed Su Ji's words and said with anticipation in her eyes, "A slightly lower-grade Golden Toad should be no match for a mechanical puppet swordsman. But if it contains the two mysteries of [Nature Metal] and [Spicy Metal], the two will probably be almost equal!"

The swordsman is humanoid and looks tall, but in reality, only his skeleton is made of metal; the rest of his body is either made of wood or simply covered with clothes.

As a result, the mechanical puppet swordsman weighed only about 100 pounds, not much different in weight from the golden toad incarnation.

At this moment, Su Ji suddenly smiled: "Don't forget, the [Metal Nature] Dao can not only activate metals, but also devour and digest other metals. In the future, my Golden Toad clone will devour all kinds of metals, and its size will soon reach the level of a great demon!"

A great demon is judged by its size and weight, generally needing to weigh over 360 jin (approximately 130 kg). Oxen, horses, tigers, and bears become great demons once they reach adulthood. Su Ji's golden toad clone was originally just a bronze bull's head, weighing about 100 jin (approximately 50 kg). Now, with superior-grade divine abilities, it is comparable to a living divine beast. Its only ability is to grow by consuming metal.

As for the expenses of cultivating the Golden Toad clone, Su Ji had already made plans. The metals in the real world could be purchased from the East-West Chamber of Commerce, while the spiritual materials in the Yin-Yang realm could be purchased from the City God Temple and Thousand Changes Town.

The next day, Su Ji went to the City God Temple and directly exchanged 10,000 strands of divine power in gold and yin metal elements for spiritual materials, which he then handed over to the materialized golden toad to devour.

From then on, Su Ji no longer needed to fuse spiritual artifacts from real dreams; the growth of the materialized golden toad depended entirely on how well it was fed.

Of course, in the real dream, there will be another physical golden toad that reaches the middle-grade perfection level every two or three months. At that time, whether it is used as a clone of the Heavenly Mandate or fed directly to the golden toad clone, it is a good choice.

While Su Ji was feeding the golden toad clone at Laifu Restaurant, he soon received good news: "The local landlord has been arrested, and the Jinfeng County gang of thugs who swallowed gold has been eliminated!"

It turned out that several days earlier, Su Ji had entrusted the task of dealing with the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce to his subordinates, including members of the East-West Chamber of Commerce and two Sun Guardian Spirit Soldiers.

The Ren family's Chamber of Commerce is just a big player in the aquatic products business. Although the Wang family is not a chamber of commerce, it is a large family in Jinfeng County, with some members holding positions in the county and others running businesses.

The Wang family uncovered evidence of illegal activities by the landlord through various channels, and then reported it to the county government through the East-West Chamber of Commerce.

First, the yamen runner Li Hui led a group to investigate and discovered that there was collusion between officials and merchants. They had no choice but to ask Chen Dianshi to come and investigate in person.

The case itself wasn't complicated, but the fact that it involved many officials made it somewhat alarming.

In Jinfeng County, the sale of land and houses was only recognized by the government if it was done through the intermediary of a broker.

The government must affix its seal to the land and house transaction contract and issue a separate certificate to the buyer to ensure the legality of the transaction.

At the same time, the taxes and exemption fees payable by the original owner must be transferred to the new owner, and the transfer registration must be made on the official tax documents.

In order to control more housing resources, the local landlords bribed brokers and colluded with officials to sell some houses to them at very low prices, and then bribed officials by buying their properties at high prices.

For ordinary people, the local landlords make verbal agreements with low prices, but then raise the prices at the last minute when it comes to actually renting or buying a house. They not only threaten and intimidate, but also collude with criminal gangs to control the housing resources in the city.

The criminal gangs in Jinfeng County were secretly connected with the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce. The thugs who caused trouble when Laifu Restaurant opened were members of these criminal gangs.

On the surface, Chen Dianshi went to investigate the landlord, but in reality, based on clues provided by the Wang family, he led Li Hui and others to crack down on the Jin Feng County criminal gang, the Tun Jin Gang, last night.

In this battle, Chen Dianshi was hit by a crossbow bolt. Although it did not cause any vital injury, he was poisoned by the bolt.

Although Li Hui was not as strong as many of the constables, he could see things in the Yin and Yang realms. Under the guidance of two Sun-Monitoring Spirit Soldiers, he directly captured the main members of the Gold-Swallowing Gang.

This case involved many officials, and the presence of crossbows, which were strictly prohibited by the imperial court, meant that the county magistrate dared not conceal it and reported it directly to the governor of Yuzhou.

That afternoon, the county magistrate's cousin and the registrar's son were arrested, and several shops of the Qian family's business association were closed for investigation.

Su Ji immediately put down what he was doing and went to the Mo family's villa. Then he found the fortune-telling old Taoist priest who was the storyteller at Laifu Restaurant.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, Chen Dianshi was injured and poisoned while carrying out the God of Wealth's grand plan. Here is a bottle of Yin-Yang Elixir, which may be able to help Chen Dianshi stabilize his injuries..."

The Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid is made from top-grade Yin Spirit Liquid and top-grade Yang Spirit Liquid. It was refined by Mo Linglong, a high-level cultivator of the Cave Profound Realm, through the harmonious interaction of Yin and Yang, and finally formed into this bottle of Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid.

In comparison, the Yin-Yang Elixir may not have the medicinal properties of a thousand-year-old ginseng, but it is definitely stronger for physical recovery. If it is further circulated with true qi, it can also protect the heart meridian.

The blind old Taoist priest understood immediately, took out a jade bottle and filled it with Yin-Yang Elixir. The originally ordinary well water, under the influence of the Yin-Yang Elixir, suddenly gained a refreshing fragrance that made people feel relaxed and happy.

The old Taoist priest quickly capped the jade bottle to prevent the Yin-Yang Elixir from leaking out, then assured him, "Golden Toad Envoy, rest assured, this old Taoist will set off immediately and do his best to help Magistrate Chen!"

Although officials are said to have the power of humanity and the nation's destiny to protect them, they can only guard against ghosts and gods in the realm of the living and the dead, but cannot guard against weapons and poisons.

As for the Yin-Yang Elixir, the common people live within the Yin and Yang, and the power of humanity, national destiny, and wishes cannot affect the blood and qi of military generals, let alone the power of Yin-Yang creation.

Not long after, the old Taoist priest brought good news: "Chen Dianshi was originally unconscious from poisoning, but with the help of the Yin-Yang Elixir and my true energy, he has now awakened..."

Chen Dianshi was, after all, a military officer. Even if he was poisoned, he wouldn't die immediately. With the help of the physician and Su Ji, he finally showed signs of improvement.

Su Ji's reason for saving Chen Dianshi was not only because the two had fought together before, but also because of the current situation in Jinfeng County.

Currently, the only person in the county government who has influence in the East-West Chamber of Commerce is Chen Dianshi. If they want to make progress in the struggle against the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce, they still need Chen Dianshi's help.

Unfortunately, during last night's battle, one of the constables was poisoned and did not survive until the blind old Taoist priest arrived, sacrificing his life for the public good.

Su Ji sighed at this, but said nothing more, only asking the East-West Chamber of Commerce to help the families of the fallen yamen runners.

What Su Ji found regrettable was that this time, only minor branches of the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce were eliminated, without affecting the core interests of the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce.

Chen Dianshi's injuries were unlikely to improve anytime soon, and Su Ji could not simply stop dealing with the Qian Family Chamber of Commerce, so he turned his attention to Li Hui, who, despite his young age, was gaining increasing fame.

It was precisely because of Li Hui's uncanny foresight last night that the constables were able to capture the most members of the Gold-Swallowing Gang at the lowest cost. In addition, the connections and favors that Li Hui inherited from his father made him a figurehead among the constables.

Just as Su Ji sent someone to win over Li Hui, the Night-Roaming Spirit General of Jinfeng County arrived uninvited.

Back then, the Night Wanderer had escorted Su Ji on several occasions, and the two had some acquaintance.

This time, the Night Wanderer actually revealed some secrets.

"Fellow Daoist is actually Li Hui's father!" Su Ji was extremely surprised.

It should be noted that Zhang Xiaolian's father and Li Hui's father died together less than ten years ago. Su Ji never expected that this Li Gong, who was just a yamen runner before, would now be a spirit general who parades around the City God Temple at night.

The Night Wanderer had nothing to be proud of, and simply smiled and said, "I was able to become a Night Wanderer because I made great contributions in the Black Tiger case, which is why the City God valued me..."

Although Li Gong was only a Night Wanderer Spirit Soldier, he used his eyes, which flashed with lightning, to see through the hiding figure of the Black Tiger Ghost and helped the previous Night Wanderer Spirit General Zhang Gong capture the local earth god of Dongxi Sang Village.

Just as the Earth Spirit Soldiers were candidates for Earth Spirit Officials, Li Gong was also a candidate for Night Wandering Spirit General. When Zhang Gong, the Night Wandering Spirit General, became the Earth God of the East and West Villages, Li Gong succeeded him as Night Wandering Spirit General based on his sufficient military achievements and abilities.

Of course, the Night Wanderer General Li Gong came here not just to say these things, and revealing his identity was just a brief mention; the following news was the most important.

"More than 30 years ago, Jinfeng County suffered a severe drought. Qian Gong, a grain merchant, released grain from his granary and suppressed grain prices, which enabled many people to survive the drought. After his death, Qian Gong became the God of Wealth..."

"However, the actual situation is somewhat different..."

(End of this chapter)