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

Chapter 63 Strange Factors, Without a Trace
"Helping others is a pleasure, of course, no problem!"

For Zhang Xiaolian, the greater the effect of the hair tie, the better the psychological feedback she received from helping others.

As for the copper coins on the ground, they were spat out by the ancient golden toad itself, and the ancient golden toad could use them however it pleased.

Moreover, the ancient golden toad's act of compensating Zhou Wu not only demonstrated its noble character but also showcased its magnanimous demeanor.

Unbeknownst to her, the image of the ancient golden toad has become more and more vivid. Even if someone were to reveal Su Ji's true identity now, Zhang Xiaolian would probably think that this is slandering the ancient golden toad.

Su Ji had long anticipated that the kind-hearted Zhang Xiaolian would agree, and couldn't help but smile to himself.

Zhang Xiaolian's grandfather and father both died for their country, so at least in terms of family education, they were impeccable.

Zhang Xiaolian initially tied up the golden toad because she didn't know it was a living creature, and later sincerely admitted her mistake...

After a moment of reflection, Su Ji didn't forget to remind him before leaving, "Take good care of your cultivation. I'm going to Qili Lake on official business tonight..."

Everyone has their own things to do. The ancient golden toad is going to Qili Lake, while Zhang Xiaolian is continuing her cultivation.

At night, Zhang would transform into a wandering spirit soldier in her dreams. Fortunately, the Left Gatekeeper was on duty, allowing Zhang Xiaolian to cultivate in peace.

The Dongxuan lineage cultivates the profound, focusing on two aspects: profound energy and profound mystery.

Zhang Xiaolian is no stranger to mystical arts; every night she uses the power of the moonlight to absorb the earth's yin energy, and her cultivation level increases at a visible speed.

The meditation session was short; two or three hours passed in no time.

As the window to the real dream reopened, Zhang Xiaolian knew that the ancient golden toad had returned from its official business.

As expected, the golden toad quickly opened its eyes and said with a smile, "Zhang E, I brought some gifts back from Qili Lake this time!"

As he spoke, Su Ji was about to jump off the altar.

"【Transformation】!"

"【Size as you wish】!"

Before the golden toad even touched the ground, it transformed into human form as Zhang Xiaolian chanted.

Yan Tianchou immediately reminded him: "[Fabricated History] describes the Golden Toad as an ancient deity under the command of the Soul Spirit Emperor, and a strange 'factor' brought out from the real dream caused the Soul Spirit of the Devouring Thief to awaken."

"If Zhang Xiaolian frequently uses these two supernatural powers on you in real dreams, she will most likely leave some traces in your consciousness, which will make it much easier when you take human form in the future."

Su Ji's heart stirred slightly. He had read a story before about a strange book that recorded thousands of spells. As long as one came into contact with a spell, the information of that spell would be revealed.

Although he did not possess such a rare book, he could still leave a trace of some strange "factor" in Zhang Xiaolian's consciousness through her real dreams, thereby gaining unexpected benefits.

"Wow!"

Just as Su Ji was pondering, Zhang Xiaolian opened the door and saw the gifts in the courtyard.

Then, various colored clouds of mist floated inside the courtyard gate. Some emitted a fragrant aroma, some a sweet and cloying scent, some a sour and pungent smell, and some were so bright they were almost irritating to the eyes...

Zhang Xiaolian asked in surprise, "Are these seasonings from the Yin-Yang realm?"

During today's sacrificial ceremony, Zhang Xiaolian recited the contents of "The Recipes for Making Money" from memory. It wasn't that she had a photographic memory, but rather that she enjoyed eating and the process of making delicious food.

During the day, while the Li couple were cooking, Zhang Xiaolian had shown a look of regret.

Now, the ancient golden toad has brought back these gifts, which has truly surprised Zhang Xiaolian.

Su Ji nodded, then smiled and said, "Although these are seasonings, they have another use: to set flavor standards..."

The food in real dreams still lacks some flavor. With these aromas as a reference, Zhang Xiaolian is able to conjure up better food in her dreams.

In the future, even if Zhang Xiaolian has no intention of being a cook, she can still be a food connoisseur, thereby standardizing the culinary standards of the "Shengcai Recipes".

"I see!"

Next, Zhang Xiaolian began to sense various scents and, under the guidance of the ancient golden toad, established standards.

Finally, Zhang Xiaolian, as if playing house, conjured up ingredients out of thin air and combined them into a delicious dish.

As expected, this time the tangible food had a richer flavor profile.

Yan Tianchou even gave a score: "The food last time didn't have a rich enough flavor, it was like the taste was covered up, so it only gets five points at most."

"The food this time tastes excellent, even better than the offerings enjoyed by the gods in the local temple. I would give it an eight or nine out of ten."

"If we use these delicacies to entertain ghosts and gods, we will surely win their favor. If we send them to the City God Temple's underworld homeland, they will surely become treasures that countless ghosts will fight to buy!"

Even ghosts and spirits can consume qi, but everything in Wusheng's hometown is transformed from incense and vows. Although everything is good, it always feels like there's a veil between us.

The same applies to dreams; apart from the "nightmare ghost" that the Black Tiger Demon took away through evil means, everything else is very blurry.

For this reason, Yan Tianchou felt that the power of dreams was not worthy of being considered, and that obtaining it would be a thankless task, so he did not use it as a computing resource.

With a table full of delicious food in front of them, the two chatted while enjoying the food, and Su Ji also told them about his experience at Qili Lake that evening.

To show respect, the pearl spirit invited all her fairy friends over, making for a lively scene.

So, surrounded by several fairies, Su Ji went to Qili Lake.

Since it's a business trip, we certainly can't skimp on etiquette.

Su Ji first visited the Water God Spirit Official of the Water Palace, and as the Pearl Maiden of the Clam Spirit said, the Water God Spirit Official was a red and white carp spirit.

Subsequently, Su Ji, led by the Water God's spirit soldiers, began investigating and gathering evidence. Just as the demons had said, Zhou Wu was only interested in revenge; besides teaching a lesson to the demons who harassed the pearl maiden, he had also fought in the deep abyss at the bottom of the lake.

However, the Qili Lake Water Palace cannot monitor the deep abyss at the bottom of the lake, and should have been aware of the dangers there before going down.

Zhang Xiaolian was startled: "There's no law in the deep abyss at the bottom of Qili Lake?"

For Zhang Xiaolian, who lives in human society, this was a very unusual event.

Su Ji nodded: "The abyss at the bottom of the lake not only harbors bloodline demon kings, but may also house ghost immortals or even profound immortals. As long as we don't disturb these beings, even if we cause a ruckus, it's just a matter of the strong preying on the weak."

Ghost immortals cultivate their life soul, and even in reincarnation, they can retain a trace of their true spirit. The only difference between them and true immortals is whether or not they have a physical body.

Immortals cultivate their Heavenly Soul, and even if their physical bodies are still intact, they can use the power of heaven and earth to create a space in the deep abyss of a lake for secluded cultivation.

Zhang Xiaolian couldn't help but think of herself; in her past life, she was a deity, and this vivid dream was a precious legacy left behind from that life...

"It's better here; at least if anything happens, the law will protect us!"

The area under the jurisdiction of the Earth God Temple, whether in the mortal world or the realm between the living and the dead, is governed by the so-called "laws of the king";
The Mountain God Temple can only guarantee that the "laws" still exist in the realm between Yin and Yang, and the Water Palace can only guarantee that the "laws" still exist in the realm between Yin and Yang beyond the deep abyss at the bottom of the lake.

As for the scents brought back, they were collected by the Pearl Maiden from the Clam Spirit in order to cultivate the Path of Illusions.

However, the Pearl Maiden was greatly shocked to see that Su Ji had given Zhou Wu forty-nine low-grade but high-quality spiritual copper coins in order to help him.

Even though this set of magical copper coins was compensation from Su Ji using Zhou Wu's name, it still seems rare and precious.

However, in Qili Lake, it is common for the water deities to take kickbacks. If they were in charge of Zhou Wu's case, they might not only offer compensation, but also take the opportunity to detain Zhou Wu directly.

Zhang Xiaolian's heart tightened even more: "So this seemingly carefree fairy is actually under such oppression!"

In comparison, Zhang Xiaolian felt that being born as a human being was truly wonderful.

Su Ji could only remain silent in response.

The rules differ between pantheons, not to mention the emperors who follow different ideologies.

The Pearl Maiden once mentioned that the upper echelons of the Water Palace pantheon are the Four Seas Dragon Clan Gods, and the highest leader is the Dragon Emperor who rules over the Four Seas.

In the eyes of the dragons, these spirits are either food or despised "ants," and they have no human rights whatsoever.

Fortunately, there is a highly respected figure in Qili Lake who does his best to protect the interests of the spirits.

"The guardian spirit of the Water Palace is actually a white turtle that has lived for over four hundred years!"

Not only was Zhang Xiaolian surprised, but Su Ji was also quite astonished when he first heard about it.

It should be noted that the Yellow Emperor only served as the Heavenly Emperor for a full 352 years.

The spirit of Shouyuan, who had been guarding the white turtle for so many years, must have lived in vain; he must have mastered many secrets.

Su Ji nodded and said, "Perfect timing. On the 22nd of every month, the White Turtle Spirit General holds a trade fair outside the Water Mansion. Perhaps I can take this opportunity to learn some secrets from it..."

The trade fair not only trades treasures dug out from the deep abyss at the bottom of the lake, but also intelligence, cultivation techniques, and various magical artifacts.

With the White Turtle Spirit General overseeing the transaction, there shouldn't be any trouble. However, once you leave the Water Mansion Square, you'll have to rely on your own abilities.

Zhang Xiaolian's heart skipped a beat: "Since the various treasures in the trade are easily coveted, why not use the food I've materialized as a bargaining chip to exchange for some information that the White Turtle Spirit General possesses? That way, no one will covet it!"

Su Ji had originally intended to offer some divine power or magical artifact coins, but after hearing Zhang Xiaolian's words, he was naturally tempted.

Yan Tianchou cautioned, "The sudden appearance of tangible food seems rather suspicious. If you really intend to use it as leverage, you could first make some arrangements with the Kitchen God..."

Early in the morning, the Li couple received another job.

It turns out that someone was having a baby's one-month celebration and originally planned to cook it themselves, but when they remembered the Li couple's cooking skills from the day before, they decided to spend money to make sure they were happy.

This time, even without Zhang Xiaolian's "guidance," the Li couple still managed to cook a delicious meal.

Besides the experience they had gained, it was also related to their dream this morning.

In their dream, the Li couple saw the Golden Toad Messenger and the Kitchen God's Spirit Soldiers, and even enjoyed a feast of heavenly delicacies with them.

Memories from dreams should fade upon waking, but the Li couple couldn't forget the taste of the dream, and could even vaguely recall the Kitchen God's evaluation and praise of the food.

With the standards for dream-like cuisine established, they have become more discerning about the amount of seasonings, and now even their cooking skills have improved without them even realizing it.

Amidst the smoke and fire, the Kitchen God's spirit soldier actually used the aroma to cook delicacies from both the Yin and Yang realms. With his years of experience in inhaling smoke and fire, he did it quite skillfully.

"It's still not right—" The Kitchen God Spirit Soldier took a bite of the food he had made for the Yin-Yang realm, but was not satisfied.

It wasn't that the Kitchen God's cooking skills were lacking, but rather that the smoky flavor of the food was more fishy, ​​dry, and burnt than normal food, lacking the proper taste and being too stimulating.

The food in the Yin-Yang realm is so difficult to control that the gods only consume the qi (vital energy) in the offerings.

In the end, even the Kitchen God could only shake his head and smile: "Fine, let's just eat what's already prepared!"

The aroma of the dishes wafting from the pot quietly entered the Kitchen God's mouth. Although they tasted delicious, they were still not as good as the feast from the previous night.

February 17th passed in the blink of an eye, and on February 18th, the Mountain God Temple finally delivered the treasures from the compensation list.

The Kitchen God had been feeling uneasy these past few days, and now he finally had his chance: "The daytime spirit soldiers have come to deliver treasures to the mountain god's temple today. Why not set up a feast to celebrate?"

Su Ji had already made preparations, and nodded with a smile: "Of course there will be a celebration banquet. I'll serve some vegetarian noodles to appease the gods of the mountain temple later, and tonight the Earth God Temple and the Underworld will host another grand banquet!"

(End of this chapter)