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

Chapter 5 Within and without dreams, displaying extraordinary abilities

In this world, once a person dies, their soul is first taken by underworld officials, then their registration in the mortal world is cancelled at the local earth god temple, and finally they are all sent to the Wusheng Hometown, which is governed by the City God Temple in the underworld.

Wusheng Hometown is a small underworld governed by the City God Temple. Ordinary ghosts enjoy incense offerings here, while only the most wicked and vicious are directly sent to the eighteen levels of hell in the underworld.

In the hometown of Wusheng, the ghost will first be assigned to a yin house. After gradually becoming familiar with the surrounding environment, on the seventh night after death, the ghost will return home to sever its earthly ties and register in the underworld at the local temple.

The ghost messenger brought the old man surnamed Zhou from the City God Temple. When they arrived at the Zhou family's door, a dark shadow crawled out of the paper ox, which was quite frightening.

"The local deity painstakingly devised a plan to lure the snake out of its hole, and the mountain demons and ghosts have indeed taken the bait!"

He had heard of the "Trojan Horse" trick, where mountain demons used a "paper ox" trick to sneak into the village in order to bypass the local earth god's eyes and ears, making it truly impossible to guard against.

Su Ji was only slightly surprised before heading towards the Zhang family's courtyard.

Since the local deity had already set up the trap, there was no need for him to risk tracking the dark shadow crawling out of the paper ox's body; he could simply act according to the original agreement.

Soon, Su Ji flew into the Zhang family's courtyard like a firefly and immediately spotted the figure of a guardian spirit soldier.

Su Ji keenly sensed that the young gatekeeper Ling Bing seemed impatient, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

If it weren't for the chance encounter with the spirit of the gatekeeper, the plan to "lure the snake out of its hole" tonight should have been announced by this spirit. It's probably because he returned late, making this person a little impatient.

Su Ji was also somewhat helpless. In order to deal with the possible crisis tonight, he had to rely on the Wu family's money and spiritual power to deduce the attack and destruction techniques. There was nothing he could do about returning late.

However, he couldn't reveal the truth, so he said somewhat embarrassedly, "The spirit soldiers on the way had already told me the plan. I figured the mountain demons would wait until everyone was asleep before coming, so I cultivated a little longer and kept the spirit soldiers waiting!"

Everything he said was true, except that he did not mention the matter of divination supernatural powers.

The young gatekeeper, Lingbing, thought Su Ji was making excuses, and his face darkened: "I also cultivate this profound skill, so I naturally know that the 'Minor Yin-Yang Method' collects the light of dawn and dusk. You really can cultivate it at night?"

In the eyes of the young gatekeeper Ling Bing, Su Ji knew that something was going to happen tonight, yet he was still wandering around outside aimlessly.

Su Ji wasn't angry; he just smiled and said, "The Minor Yin-Yang Method collects the harmonious energy of Yin and Yang. It can be collected at dawn and dusk, when Yin descends and Yang rises, and when Yang descends and Yin rises. Even the power of day-traveling spirit soldiers can generate harmonious Yin-Yang energy with Yin energy at night."

Immediately, the young gatekeeper Lingbing was startled, and then a hint of jealousy arose in his heart.

Although the young goalkeeper didn't understand the second half of the sentence, since Su Ji dared to say it, it must be true.

In this way, the Earth God's annotations on the "Minor Yin-Yang Method" become even more valuable.

Therefore, the young spirit soldier remained firm and said, "If you don't come, I can only guard this place. If we delay the local deity's arrangements, we will both be punished!"

Su Ji was tempted, and then said with gratitude, "Thank you for protecting my body, door gods and spirit soldiers. As for the demons and ghosts in the mountains, I have made some discoveries..."

He not only explained that the shadowy figure had crawled out of the paper ox, but also warned, "The demon was able to sneak into the paper ox without the help of the underworld officials, so its strength must be considerable. Regardless of whether the divine soldiers in the middle have discovered any trace of the demon, they should immediately inform the local earth god about this."

Compared to the village's local temple, Zhang's courtyard was closer. Knowing that someone was waiting for him, Su Ji simply went straight back to Zhang's courtyard.

"So that's how it is. You stay here, and I will inform the local earth god about this!" Faced with such a momentous matter, the young gatekeeper spirit soldier had no temper left and hurriedly flew into the night.

Immediately, the Zhang family courtyard fell silent. A few moments later, a cough came from inside the room.

Su Ji understood. Before his day trip that morning, Zhang Xiaolian had caught a cold while searching for amulets in the river and had not yet recovered.

Before entering the room, he thought Zhang Xiaolian was coughing and couldn't sleep. But after entering, he discovered that Zhang Xiaolian had taken his original form, which had transformed into a golden toad, to the bedside.

Under the pale moonlight, Zhang Xiaolian stared intently at the golden toad, seemingly wanting to witness firsthand the scene of the toad spitting out money.

"Pfft..." Zhang Xiaolian's childlike actions made Su Ji unable to help but chuckle.

There's no such thing as a golden toad spitting out money. Either he secretly delivers the money, or he spits out a copper coin of mental energy to fight an enemy. If you want to spit out a copper coin to deal with a living being with a physical body, you need to hold one in your mouth beforehand.

Su Ji was certain that Zhang Xiaolian would fall asleep soon.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaolian hadn't slept for more than two hours. The two of them, one human and one toad, stared at each other with wide eyes, creating a strangely comical scene.

Su Ji then remembered that Zhang Xiaolian must have slept for a long time during the day, so she wasn't so sleepy at night.

It just so happens that the local earth god is fighting with mountain demons in the village tonight, and since it's not very safe outside, he doesn't need to rush to transform into flesh and blood to go out.

And so, the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) arrived. Although Zhang Xiaolian yawned, she kept her eyes fixed on the golden toad.

Su Ji's heart stirred slightly.

It was because Zhang Xiaolian ignored all advice and went into the river to look for the lucky charm that she managed to pull it out of the mud and sand. At this moment, Zhang Xiaolian stayed up all night to keep an eye on the golden toad, which also stemmed from her stubbornness.

"I really don't know whether it's good or bad..."

Some people are stubborn and have ideas that are no less than others', which often leads to some achievements. However, they may also get stuck on trivial matters and waste time and energy.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the means to make someone fall asleep instantly..."

As a day-roaming spirit soldier, Su Ji not only has the ability to travel around during the day, but also has three supernatural powers that require a day-roaming spirit soldier's [talisman] to use.

The first supernatural ability is the [Protective Light Shield], which greatly increases defensive capabilities in the ocean-like yang energy and also provides an extremely long duration;

The second supernatural power is the [Chain Light Blade], which can fire three light blades in a single breath. If the surrounding yang energy is sufficient, it can increase to four or even five light blades.

The third supernatural power is [Shadow Splitting Escape], which not only creates a deceptive clone of sunlight but also allows the user to escape as a shadow.

As Su Ji sighed, Zhang Xiaolian's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she soon drifted off to sleep.

Su Ji couldn't help but smile knowingly. The young girl wasn't one to stay up all night, and now that she was sick, it was already quite remarkable that she had managed to hold on until now.

He was worried that Zhang Xiaolian would wake up, so he waited a little longer, only to find that the little girl's brows were furrowed after she fell asleep, as if she was having a nightmare.

Immediately, Su Ji had some guesses.

Two days ago, Zhang Xiaolian lost the Wu family's lucky money while doing laundry. Although she appeared strong, she must have been quite frightened.

Furthermore, the village had been haunted a while ago, and the demons and ghosts who practiced evil magic through dreams may have even entered Zhang Xiaolian's dreams.

Based on the calculations of the TianChou system, the latter probability is clearly higher.

"Demons and ghosts are indeed harmful. If the local earth god hadn't intervened, the people of both villages would probably have suffered greatly, and many more would have died of fright..."

He didn't know if the demon's actions would shorten people's lifespan, but he was certain that many people's physical and mental health had been affected by this, including the elderly man surnamed Zhou who died as a result, and Zhang Xiaolian who may have also suffered greatly.

With this thought in mind, Su Ji became even more determined. If demons or ghosts were to attack, he would do everything in his power to protect the Zhang family's courtyard.

Before long, the golden toad by the bedside transformed into a frog, and following the guidance of the Heavenly Calculation, it found three copper coins in Zhang's pocket.

Since transforming into a golden toad does not consume energy, he was not hungry. After jumping onto the bedside table, he adjusted his position slightly and fell asleep.

At first, he was still somewhat dazed, but after being reminded by Yan Tianchou, he regained his consciousness and began to use the Heavenly Soul Dream to control the Day-Wandering Spirit Weapon [Talisman].

The Heavenly Soul is formless and intangible, usually scattered between heaven and earth, only revealing a corner of itself when one dreams.

The Heavenly Calculator can detect everything within a three-foot radius, while the Heavenly Soul can only vaguely sense its surroundings. Only by concentrating on a certain point can it clearly see the scene there.

Human consciousness is limited, and the clarity or blurriness of the celestial soul is just a matter of a single thought. Only by perceiving movement from the blurriness can one concentrate and see clearly.

Not long ago, if Su Ji hadn't been curious about the paper ox and paper sedan chair, he wouldn't have noticed the dark shadow leaving between the legs of the paper ox.

Now, the task of observing the blurry surroundings is naturally left to Yan Tianchou. Su Ji has been touring for so long during the day, it's time for him to rest.

The so-called rest is not dreaming, but a return to tranquility of consciousness.

However, in his dazed state, Su Ji regained a sliver of consciousness and looked up to find a pair of large eyes staring at him curiously, as if expecting him to spit out money.

Su Ji was initially puzzled as to why he kept dreaming about Zhang Xiaolian. He subconsciously looked up and discovered a shocking scene. Although it was just a dream, the tables, chairs, and bedding around him were incredibly clear, and the ancestral altar in the distance was radiating a white, hazy spiritual light.

Black smoke seeped into the room from outside the broken window, and twisted ghostly faces writhed inside, some like evil spirits and others like demonic wolves.

The white, hazy light emanating from the altar and the spirit tablet clashed with the eerie black mist from the window, creating an eerie scene with the side of the bed as the dividing line.

Su Ji was suddenly startled. He was no longer in his subconscious human form, but in the form of a golden toad.

"No, this isn't my dream!"

Since it wasn't his dream, it could only be Zhang Xiaolian's dream. He didn't think about why he had entered Zhang Xiaolian's dream for the time being; he only knew that this strange dream was extremely dangerous.

After he transmigrated to this world, he was able to wake up in his dreams with the help of the power of the Heavenly Calculation, thus providing computing power for the Heavenly Calculation. He could clearly see the scenes in his dreams.

In dreams, most of the time there is only a simple, fragmented scene. One moment you are in school, and the next you may be a chivalrous knight-errant roaming the world...

Zhang Xiaolian's dream not only remained in this one scene, but the things in it also seemed real. Such a dream might be the best place for demons and ghosts to practice their evil arts.

The white, hazy light on the altar should be the power of the Zhang family ancestors, while the eerie black mist seeping in from outside the window should be the power of demons and ghosts. The two sides are divided by the edge of the bed near the window, and his golden toad happens to be on the bedside table near the window.

Zhang Xiaolian tried to take the golden toad away from the eerie black aura, but it felt like she was being pulled by countless ghostly hands, and she couldn't succeed despite using a lot of strength.

However, she was stubborn and, despite the pain on her face, she still did not let go.

“This…” Su Ji suddenly felt a little numb.

Zhang Xiaolian stayed up most of the night just to see the golden toad spitting out money with her own eyes. Even after falling asleep, she was still thinking about it, which caused a golden toad to appear in her dreams.

Because the golden toad was located within the eerie black aura, Zhang Xiaolian boldly tried to take it, but she was entangled by the eerie black aura, and the original balance seemed to be about to be broken.

Su Ji could wake up immediately and escape danger, but he knew in his heart that Zhang Xiaolian would definitely not let go so easily. If he touched her even slightly, he might be injured by the eerie black energy formed by the power of demons and ghosts.

Then, a thought struck him, and he tried to use the supernatural power he had just learned—the Golden Toad Spitting Money.

In an instant, Zhang Xiaolian's thoughts about money from her dream came flooding back, and coupled with her long-held desire to see the golden toad spitting out money, copper coins actually did come out of the golden toad's mouth.

call out--

A copper coin was spat out from the golden toad's mouth, which not only shattered a lot of the eerie black mist, but also broke the evil ghost's figure within the black mist.

Su Ji was overjoyed: "That works!"

Yan Tianchou used the Sun-Wandering Spiritual Weapon [Talisman] to observe his surroundings. He did not follow him into Zhang Xiaolian's dream. He was just trying it out as he pleased, but unexpectedly, he actually succeeded.

"Wow!"

Zhang Xiaolian paid no attention to these things, but was greatly surprised by the sight of the golden toad spitting out money, and even wanted to see it again.

"Dreams are indeed a matter of the mind. In that case, I'll try again!"

With another thought, Su Ji produced another copper coin from the toad's mouth. This happened repeatedly, dispersing a small portion of the eerie black aura around them.

However, he was not very happy, because due to repeatedly using the [Golden Toad Spitting Money] technique, not only was his consciousness becoming increasingly muddled, but even his golden toad body began to transform into a flesh and blood form.

"That's right. The Golden Toad Spits Money is actually performed by using the Golden Toad's supernatural power. The amount of gold in reality is limited, and Zhang Xiaolian's desire for money in her dream is also limited."

"Even after seeing the golden toad spitting out money, Zhang Xiaolian's interest would greatly diminish..."

When the fifth coin was spat out of the golden toad's mouth, the toad seemed to fade, looking just like a frog.

Zhang Xiaolian, however, was not afraid at all. Now that the eerie black aura was gone, she grabbed the toad and curiously began to examine it.

"..."

Su Ji was exhausted and didn't care about any of that anymore. He planned to spit out the last copper coin and then retire gracefully.

Just then, the dream suddenly underwent some strange changes.

As if the eerie black aura had been weakened to a certain extent, the white, hazy spiritual light on the ancestral altar suddenly intensified, and then lit incense and burning paper money flew out from it.

Instantly, the eerie black mist melted away like snowflakes under the sun.

The evil spirits opened their mouths and spewed out ghostly energy, but because some of them were killed by the "Golden Toad Spitting Money," the ghostly energy was far from enough to extinguish the burning incense and paper money, and most of them were instantly burned to death.

"call……"

The white, ethereal light pressed its advantage, actually forcing all the eerie black energy out the window.

Only then did Su Ji realize that the courtyard was full of such ghostly figures. If the windows hadn't been so small, the house would probably have been taken over by these ghostly figures long ago!
Just as Su Ji was shocked, a figure dressed in five-colored divine robes suddenly appeared in the dark courtyard.

Su Ji focused his consciousness and saw that it was the familiar Earth God.

In the dream, the Earth God landed in one step and was already at the window, then stomped his foot hard on the ground.

In an instant, five-colored light emerged from the ground in the courtyard, and many ghostly figures close to the ground were suppressed in the courtyard by the five-colored light before they could escape.

"call out……"

However, the ghostly figures, some over three feet tall, did not sit idly by. They swarmed towards the sky above the courtyard gate. The enormous, eerie black aura disappeared as if it had fallen into a spatial singularity.

Just as Su Ji was filled with doubt, a familiar voice suddenly came from the depths of his heart.

"Warning: Zhang Xiaolian is emitting a strong Yin-attribute energy fluctuation!"

Su Ji was startled. In his previous life, everything in his dream was fake, but this world was indeed different.

He showed no fear, but rather a hint of excitement.

In his dream, he could only use the "Golden Toad Spitting Money" supernatural power in the form of a golden toad, but in the real world of Yin and Yang, he was a daytime wandering spirit soldier of the local earth god temple, possessing three supernatural powers!
Su Ji's heart stirred, and his consciousness left Zhang Xiaolian's dream. As his vision blurred, he saw the true face of the sinister black aura.

Above Zhang Xiaolian's head, a dark, oval-shaped jade stone flew up, and countless illusory ghost faces could be vaguely seen rolling around inside it.

As the black mist rose, a lame ghost flew out from the black jade stone and reached out to grasp it in its hand.

"A demon!" Su Ji never expected that a demon would hide in Zhang Xiaolian's dream.

However, upon further reflection, Zhang Xiaolian's dream was indeed strange, and this dark oval jade stone might also have some wonders, so it's no wonder that he and Yan Tianchou couldn't sense any trace of demons or ghosts.

If Zhang Xiaolian hadn't been obsessed with the golden toad spitting out money, he wouldn't have been able to enter her dream and uncover this.

"Chain Light Blades!"

Now that the demon had appeared, Su Ji was unwilling to let it leave. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, one light blade after another flew out from his chest.

call out!
The speed of the light blade was so fast that before the ghost hand could even touch the black jade pendant that was right in front of it, three of its fingers were severed by the light blade.

"what--"

The demon, having just been frightened in its dream, was now injured by the light blade and was somewhat at a loss.

The local deity in his dream might have been influenced by the girl's consciousness, but now that even the spirit soldiers of the local deity temple have appeared to attack, he knows that something terrible has probably happened in this village.

Seeing the second blade of light flying towards him, the demon gathered yin energy in his other hand to block it, but still had two fingers severed. He couldn't help but feign bravado and say, "..."
"Day-roaming spirit soldier, if it were daytime I might be a little afraid of you, but now it's night, let's see how capable you really are!"

Su Ji was too lazy to communicate with it. Under Yan Tianchou's analysis, the third light blade had already slashed towards the side of the demon.

(End of this chapter)