Forced to become a top influencer, I rely on my tu cao to ruin the cultivation world.

Although the "Double Eleven" shopping festival at Nantianmen has ended, its aftershocks are just beginning.

In the square, the mountain of ethereal stone bags became a strange sight in the Heavenly Court. However, when the frenzy of buying subsided, the Minister of Finance, looking at the series of shocking deficits in the account books, fell into deep thought.

The gods' reserves of spirit stones were completely depleted on this day.

"This is not a long-term solution." Jia Zang stood in a side hall of the Lingxiao Palace, toying with a crystal-clear low-grade spirit stone in his hand, and said to Taibai Jinxing, whose face was full of worries.

At this moment, the system's pale blue panel on Jia Zhuang's retina was flashing wildly:

[Ding! It has been detected that the average spirit stone balance of the celestial beings is less than 10%.]

[Triggering a key task: Launch the "Heavenly Court Credit Card" financial system.]

[Mission Objective: To incur debt for at least 50% of the deities, thus binding them to the economic lifeline of Heaven.]

[Current live stream popularity: 800 million (a scene of retail investors being exploited, with many watching online).]

"Brother Taibai, once the desire to consume is ignited, it's hard to extinguish. If you stop consuming because you're short of money, the Heavenly Court's economic vitality will wither away." Jia Zhuang chuckled and pulled out a beautifully printed card with a faint golden glow from his pocket.

The card is engraved with complex anti-counterfeiting symbols, and in the center are two powerful characters: "Credit".

"What is this?" Venus took the card and felt a strange power coming from his fingertips, as if it could see into people's hearts.

"This is the latest financial product launched by Qingyun Heavy Industry in conjunction with... uh, in conjunction with 'Heaven and Earth Bank'—the Heavenly Court Credit Card." Jia Zhuang's eyes gleamed with the shrewdness of a capitalist. "Simply put, it's a credit limit. Based on each immortal's rank, salary, and credit, we grant different spending limits. Immortals can use this limit to purchase my goods first, and then pay it back after receiving their salary next month."

Venus was shocked: "This...this is making people mortgage their future! What if they can't repay it?"

"Can't pay it back yet?" Jia Zhuang's smile widened. "Then let's do installments! For example, this bottle of 'Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Water' (actually Earth mineral water with added coloring) costs 10,000 spirit stones. If you can't afford to pay it all at once, you can pay in twelve installments, each installment costing only 1,200 spirit stones, plus a small 'service fee'."

"How much is 'a little bit'?"

"So... with compound interest, the annualized interest rate is probably around 360%," Jia Zhuang said casually. "However, to cater to our immortals, we also offer a 'credit limit increase' service. The more you buy, the higher your credit limit will be! Then, buying pills, immortal artifacts, or even cave dwellings won't be a problem!"

Taibai Jinxing was dumbfounded; this was an unheard-of method of making money. But Jia Zang's silver tongue transformed it into a benevolent act of "benefiting the immortals."

"Moreover," Jia Zhuang lowered his voice and whispered in Taibai Jinxing's ear, "Brother Taibai, as long as you take the lead in promoting it, Qingyun Heavy Industry will give you... um, 'technical consulting fee' for every transaction of this 'IOU'."

Venus hesitated. He looked at the light card in his hand, as if he could see countless spirit stones beckoning to him.

Three days later, posters announcing "Heavenly Court Credit Card, open now, with a maximum credit limit of 50,000 spirit stones" were posted in all the major government offices of Heaven and in the immortal mountains and caves.

The introduction of "credit cards" instantly ignited the consumer market in Heaven.

The immortals, who were originally forced to restrain their desires due to a lack of money, discovered that they could instantly acquire their desired magical treasures and elixirs simply by swiping their cards. The thrill of that "instant gratification" completely captivated them.

Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Following Ear were the first to activate their accounts, each buying a set of "High-Definition Perspective Lenses" and the other a pair of "Stereo Hearing Aids," for a total of 30,000 spirit stones, to be paid in twenty-four installments.

"Now I can see the beauties of the world much more clearly!" Thousand-Mile Eyes touched his new glasses, looking completely smug.

"Listening to folk operas is even more exciting!" Shunfeng'er said, nodding and swaying his head while wearing headphones.

Even the usually aloof Wenquxing couldn't resist opening a credit card and buying a set of "Top Scholar Stationery Set" specially supplied by Jia Zang. Although it was just an ordinary fountain pen made on Earth, the price increased a hundredfold because it was engraved with the words "Wenquxing's Personal Test".

However, the immortals were unaware that they were walking step by step into a financial trap set by Jia Zang.

Jia Zang sat in his "Heavenly Court Financial Office," watching the data constantly changing on the large screen, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

The "Heavenly Court Credit Card" is not just a payment tool; it is also a massive data collector.

Jia Zang knew every single immortal who had opened a credit card account, including their spending habits, interpersonal relationships, and even cultivation bottlenecks.

"Hmph, spending habits determine personality, and personality determines destiny." Jia Zhuang typed on the keyboard, "Wenquxing likes vanity, so give him more expensive stationery; Qianliyan likes lust, so give him a more advanced telescope; Wuquxing likes war, so give him sharper weapons..."

Through precise big data analytics, Jia Zang made these immortals unknowingly accumulate more and more debts.

When the debts accumulate to a certain level, these deities are no longer high and mighty immortals, but rather Jia Zang's "working class".

"I heard that Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, is also thinking of opening a credit card?" Jia Zang asked the accountant next to him—who was the judge he had just dug up from the underworld.

"Yes, Chairman Jia, Li Tianwang has his eye on your 'Fully Automatic Navigation Pagoda,' priced at 100,000 spirit stones, but he only has 50,000 spirit stones in his credit limit right now."

"Increase his credit limit!" Jia Zhuang said without hesitation, "Increase it to 200,000! However, he needs to sign a 'betting agreement'."

"A performance-based agreement?"

"That's right." A cold glint flashed in Jia Zang's eyes. "If he can't complete the 'task' I gave him within three months, then his pagoda and his son Nezha will both belong to me."

This was Jia Zang's ultimate goal.

Through the "Heavenly Court Credit Card," he not only emptied the wallets of the gods but also gained access to their secrets.

When the gods were forced to obey him in order to repay their debts, the power structure of Heaven had already quietly changed.

"Brother Taibai," Jia Zhuang raised his cup to the void, "Welcome to the abyss of capitalism. Here, there are no gods, only consumers and debtors."

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Court's high-ranking officials were grinning from ear to ear as they looked at the huge stamp duty figures on the tax returns generated by "credit card" spending. They thought Jia Zang was helping the Heavenly Court boost its economy, but little did they know that they were personally binding themselves to Jia Zang's chariot.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" The Jade Emperor exclaimed in admiration, "Minister Jia's method is brilliant! It not only solves the consumption needs of the immortals but also increases the Heavenly Court's tax revenue. It is truly a wise strategy for governing the country! Issue an edict appointing Jia Zhuang as the 'Heavenly Court Financial Envoy,' with full authority over 'financial' affairs!"

The moment the imperial edict was issued, Jia Zang smiled.

He knew that half of the Heavenly Court's fate was already in his hands.

However, just as the immortals were immersed in the revelry of "pre-consumption," a new problem quietly emerged.

Demand exceeds supply.

Yes, Heaven's supply chain collapsed.

The "credit card" greatly stimulated consumer desire, and orders poured into Jia Zhuang's "Qingyun Mall" like snowflakes.

The "Nine-Turn Rejuvenating Water" is sold out!

Pre-orders for the "Fully Automatic Navigation Tower" are booked until next year!

Even the "Top Scholar Stationery Set" was snapped up by Wenquxing fans!

Jia Zang sat in his "Heavenly Court Financial Office," his brow furrowed as he watched the "out of stock" message constantly flashing on the large screen.

"Brother Taibai," Jia Zhuang called over Taibai Jinxing, his tone tinged with helplessness, "it's not that I'm unwilling to sell, it's just that these immortals are buying way too much. Look at how many orders are piling up!"

Venus looked at the long list of orders and smiled wryly, "Envoy Jia, this... this can't be blamed on the immortals' enthusiasm. It's just that the Heavenly Court's productivity really can't keep up."

Just then—

"Ring ring! Ring ring!"

A sudden, urgent, and eerie ringing interrupted Jia Zang's speech.

The sound didn't come from anywhere else; it came from the "Heavenly Court Custom Edition" smartphone specially made for Jia Zang, which was in the hands of Venus.

Venus was startled and hurriedly answered the phone, pressing the speakerphone button.

"Hey? Is this Venus Li Changgeng?" A voice, altered by a voice changer, sounded both authoritative and had a slight static.

Venus was taken aback: "I am indeed you. Who are you?"

"This is the joint investigation team of the Anti-Fraud Center at the South Gate of Heaven! Our investigation has revealed that your credit card is suspected of being used for money laundering activities on the 'Guanghan Palace Illegal Gambling Website,' involving a staggering three million spirit stones! We are now freezing your account and remotely arresting you!"

Venus was so startled he nearly dropped his phone, his beard bristling instantly: "Wh...what? Money laundering? I wouldn't even dare touch a rabbit in the Moon Palace, how could I be laundering money?!"

"Don't try to deny it! If you want to clear your name, immediately transfer all the spirit stones under your name to our designated 'secure account' for verification! Otherwise, the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess will arrive in no time!"

"No! Don't grab me! I'll transfer! I'll transfer right now!" Venus panicked, her fingers trembling as she reached for the transfer link.

"Wait!"

Jia Zang grabbed Taibai Jinxing's hand, his expression a half-smile. He looked at the phone; a red warning message was popping up on the system panel:

[Warning! Large-scale telecom fraud detected!]

[A fraud ring has infiltrated the Heavenly Court's network and is exploiting the deities' eagerness to repay debts to implement a "pig butchering" scam.]

[Currently affected deities: General Curtain-Rolling, Marshal Tianpeng, Venus (currently on a call)...]

Jia Zhuang coldly replied into the phone, "This is your bureau chief, Jia Zhuang. What's your employee number?"

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a busy signal.

Venus slumped in his chair, cold sweat pouring down his face: "That was close...that was close...I almost lost my entire savings for my coffin."

Jia Zhuang squinted and looked out the window.

He originally thought that if the gods were in debt, they would at most work to pay it off. Unexpectedly, these desperate gods became "fat pigs" in the eyes of scammers.

Jia Zhuang put away the blueprints, a hint of greed and calculation typical of capitalists flashing in his eyes.

"Brother Taibai, it seems we should teach these immortals a lesson first."

"What class?"

"A lesson on 'anti-fraud' and 'human nature'," Jia Zhuang sneered. "Since some people want to swindle money from the gods, then I'll regulate and industrialize this 'financial fraud' industry in Heaven!"

"I want all the gods in Heaven to know that I, Jia Zhuang, am their sole 'harvesting machine.' As for the other swindlers..."

Jia Zang crushed the spirit stone powder in his hand.

"You all need to get out of here!"

[Livestream chat]

[Holy crap! Anti-fraud ambassador Jia Dong is online!]

[The scammer: I thought I was in the atmosphere, but it turns out Mr. Jia is in the stratosphere.]

[Venus: Thank you so much!]

[Warning: Warning! The Heavenly Court Pig Butchering Scam is about to begin!]