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

Chapter 18: Seeing the Big Picture in Small Things, Boldly Trying

Many parents, after making a mistake, may be too proud to apologize to their children, or they may be trying to protect their own vulnerability.

If the child insists on pursuing the matter, the parents, in order to maintain their own value and parental authority, will either lie and say that nothing happened, or refuse to admit their mistake.

Zhang's ability to humble herself and apologize to her daughter Zhang Xiaolian not only reconciled with her daughter but also proved that she is an enlightened and sensible woman.

The Earth God watched this scene from outside the window, and he was particularly pleased with Zhang's performance. He believed that Zhang would be able to fulfill the duties of a night-roaming spirit soldier in the future.

However, when the Earth God's gaze fell on the golden toad, his face couldn't help but become more serious.

……

Zhang did not linger in her daughter Zhang Xiaolian's dream. She still needed to familiarize herself with the patrol of the Night Wandering Spirits. Even though she forgot most of the details after waking up, she could still sense that the estrangement between mother and daughter was gradually disappearing.

Su Ji didn't linger, not because Zhang Xiaolian was about to wake up, but because he had an important matter to attend to.

Fortunately, even if Yan Tianchou leaves with Su Ji, he can leave behind an intelligent clone in advance, so that he can enjoy the pleasure of "idling" when he comes in with Su Ji next time.

"Sigh..." Su Ji's expression was rather heavy.
When he regained consciousness, the expected thing happened. The local earth god, who had previously had a very good impression of him, now looked solemn.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Ji bowed deeply to the Earth God and said, "Earth God, I acted on a whim this time, using your name to do my thing. I have come to apologize to you!"

Su Ji knew clearly that he had made a mistake this time. He not only changed his plan and his story, but also used the name of the local earth god to persuade Zhang Xiaolian.

To put it mildly, this action could be described as acting first and then reporting later; to put it more seriously, Su Ji might even be suspected of acting first and reporting later.

The local earth god slowly shook his head, revealing a serious expression: "Ordinary people often use ghost stories to stop children from crying, and some people also use the name of gods to persuade people to do good. As long as they don't use my name to do bad things, it's fine."

However, Su Ji still did not relax.

Previously, the local deity had addressed him as "fellow Daoist" and even referred to himself as "I".

Nowadays, the local earth god refers to himself as "this official," which seems to imply something else.

As expected, the Earth God grabbed at his chest and a Land Spirit Official Talisman appeared in his hand. His appearance also changed from the Earth God dressed in five-colored clothes to a high-level cultivator.

The [talisman] is not only the core of the gods' power, but also has a certain surveillance ability, and can be called the "work recorder" of the cultivation world.

Spirit weapon [talisman] can only record movement trajectory and changes in magical power, spirit official [talisman] can record more, and spirit lord [talisman] can be described as meticulous in every detail.

However, as long as the gods do not use the power of the [command] to act, they can evade the [command]'s surveillance capabilities.

The previous Earth God colluded with demons and ghosts by putting away the Earth Spirit Official's [talisman] beforehand and using his soul to plot against the other party.

Now that the Earth God has put away the Earth God's [talisman], it's clear he wants to discuss some important matters with Su Ji.

Upon seeing this, Su Ji had an idea and, following the example of the Earth God, put away his daytime wandering spirit weapon, the [Talisman].

He had some vague guesses in his mind. Apart from himself, the fake reincarnation of a cultivator, the only other one was Zhang Xiaolian, who possessed "real dreams".

Sure enough, the local earth god looked out the window from the courtyard and his gaze fell on the sleeping Zhang Xiaolian.

“Golden Toad, others only know that Zhang Xiaolian’s Heavenly Soul is special, which is why she was targeted by the lame demon. But you and I both know that Zhang Xiaolian must have been an extraordinary cultivator in her previous life.”

Zhang Xiaolian's real dream was so extraordinary that even Yan Tianchou, who was good at divination, could not find any flaws. Just in case, Yan Tianchou even warned Su Ji.

As for the lame demon, both the Earth God and Su Ji understood that it wasn't that the lame demon was too strong, but rather that Zhang Xiaolian's character was too weak.

The reason Zhang Xiaolian couldn't get rid of the lame demon was because she was just an ordinary little girl who could only passively endure everything.

Furthermore, when Zhang Xiaolian is frightened by the lame demon, the power of her fear amplifies the demon's strength, leaving her only able to fight it with the power of her ancestors, which is already difficult to manifest.

In the real dream, the Earth God's power far surpasses that of the lame demon, but there is a fear that the lame demon, having nowhere else to turn, might break into the house. If it were to provoke Zhang Xiaolian's mind, no one knows what the consequences would be.

Su Ji had already deduced Zhang Xiaolian's identity through the Heavenly Calculation, and now he asked tentatively, "Lord Earth God, could Zhang Xiaolian's past life have been a Mystic Immortal?"

The local earth god before them was a true master of profound cultivation, someone even the earth god feared deeply, so he was very likely a level-two earth-level immortal above the spirit level.

The local earth god seemed somewhat ambivalent, and after pondering for a moment, he finally spoke: "Zhang Xiaolian's previous life may have been a Xuanxian (a type of immortal), or perhaps a high-level spiritual cultivator who had mastered earth-level magic, or even possessed an earth-level immortal treasure..."

In the world of cultivation, if someone learns a high-grade spell, they can be called a high-level cultivator even if their cultivation level is not high enough.

However, even if a high-level cultivator has mastered a level-one spell, they cannot be regarded as a Xuanxian (a type of immortal) because their Heavenly Soul and Spirit have not yet undergone tribulation.

Although the local deity couldn't give a clear answer, Su Ji was certain of one thing.

Since the Earth God didn't know Zhang Xiaolian's background, it meant that the Earth God and Zhang Xiaolian had no relation, and his deception of Zhang Xiaolian wouldn't infringe on the Earth God's interests. However, the Earth God still said seriously, "Golden Toad, don't think that just because Zhang Xiaolian is an ordinary little girl, she's easy to bully."

"The lame demon was slain by you because it coveted the power of fear in real dreams. If you covet the mysteries of real dreams, be careful that karma may fall upon you as well."

"No matter what, she's not someone you can afford to mess with right now!"

If the lame demon hadn't been blinded by greed, it wouldn't have been unable to notice the changes in the village. If it had quietly left when Zhang Xiaolian went out, it wouldn't have been without a chance to escape.

The Earth God could see everything that happened in the real dream from the window, and he also guessed the reason why Su Ji changed his story at the last minute, which was that he wanted to seize the mysterious energy in Zhang Xiaolian's real dream.

However, everything comes at a price, and Su Ji had provoked Zhang Xiaolian, who was suspected to be a reincarnation of a Xuanxian.

If Su Ji hadn't been a good person, his actions—whether helping the Zhang family mother and daughter find their lucky charm or demonstrating good manners in conversation—would have been commendable.

If the golden toad hadn't gone too far, it might have stirred up a change in Zhang Xiaolian's temperament, and even affected her real dreams...

The local deity, who always adheres to the philosophy of transcending worldly affairs, is too lazy to get involved in karma, let alone care about this matter.

Su Ji couldn't help but feel a chill; if he were to make a mistake, the consequences could be dire.

Yan Tianchou immediately began his calculations and quickly came to a conclusion: "The best outcome is that nothing happens, and the worst outcome could even be life-threatening!"

No one knows what Zhang Xiaolian will become in the future. If she keeps this matter in mind, once she has enough strength, she might be able to kill Su Ji with just a flick of her finger.

Upon hearing this news, Su Ji was not particularly flustered.

Although he was driven by greed, he believed he had the power to make amends and that there was a way to remedy the situation.

Now that the local earth god is personally involved in this matter, it's a good time to hear his solution.

Therefore, Su Ji said sincerely, "My understanding of the Dongxuan lineage comes entirely from the Earth God. Now that I have inadvertently become entangled in these karmas, I beg the Earth God to teach me!"

Su Ji's character is that of a reincarnated cultivator, so it's not surprising that he doesn't understand the mysterious cause and effect of the Dongxuan lineage.

Seeing that Su Ji was very cooperative, the local deity nodded.

"To gain something, you naturally have to give something in return..."

"The Zhang family's courtyard was destitute. After Zhang became a Night Wanderer, even if the divine power he received could be exchanged for money, there still needed to be a reasonable way to do so."

"In the Earth God Temple, you are the only one who can retain full consciousness while awake. At that time, you will deliver the money to the Zhang family in the form of a golden toad spitting out money!"

Let alone ordinary people, even some cultivators of the Cave Profound Realm find it difficult to recall all the experiences of the Heavenly Soul and Spirit; this is the separation between the heavens and the human.

Zhang Xiaolian was able to remember the details of her dream because she was suspected to be a reincarnation of a celestial being.

The local deity believed that Su Ji's ability to remember these things was due to a trace of Su Ji's true spirit.

Zhang Shi had just become a Night Wanderer Spirit Soldier. After returning to her physical body, she might still retain some impressions. However, once her Heavenly Soul Body had experienced more, she might even forget that she was a Night Wanderer Spirit Soldier during the day.

As a result, if Zhang suddenly found out that someone had given her a sum of money for no reason, she would feel uneasy even if she accepted it.

"Is the money that rightfully belongs to the Zhang family being continuously handed over to them through the method of the golden toad spitting out money?"

Su Ji felt that the local deity's method was too conservative, and even if it was a long-term endeavor, it could only be considered a minor achievement.

Therefore, Su Ji bluntly stated: "Collecting the money on my behalf is just a small favor... I plan to search everywhere for unclaimed money or ill-gotten gains, and pay them to the Zhang family mother and daughter through the method of the golden toad spitting out money, in order to repay the price for borrowing Zhang Xiaolian's real dream."

Even if Zhang Xiaolian was powerful in her past life, she is now just a worldly girl, and money is undoubtedly the best gift for her.

However, the local deity frowned: "Golden Toad, my method is to persevere and make Zhang Xiaolian remember your hard work, but you are planning to settle things with money directly. Don't go too far!"

The Earth God's method was quite profound, while Su Ji's method seemed rather mundane.

Su Ji, however, had his own opinion: "At this point, Zhang Xiaolian already regarded me as a divine toad, and it's not vulgar to give her money."

"Besides, the karma between me and her is not so easy to sever. Rather than letting it end here, I might as well deepen it further!"

Su Ji had already entrusted the future of the Golden Toad body to Yan Tianchou, and also placed great hopes on Zhang Xiaolian's dream.

Even if Zhang Xiaolian was an extremely powerful immortal in her previous life, as long as she did not retain a trace of her true spirit, she will be a completely new life in this life.

Su Jinai was a time traveler who also possessed the power of the Heavenly Mandate, so he naturally knew the principle that "bold attempts will yield results."

This shows that if one cannot even maintain good relations with a young girl, how can one expect to build a great legacy as an immortal or ancestor in the future?
(End of this chapter)