Volume 4: Phoenix Crying in the Ninth Heaven
**Section 1: Abacus Becoming a Spirit and Loaning Based on Merit**
Inside the general's tent at the border, where the smoke of gunfire had yet to completely clear, the atmosphere was somewhat... eerie. On the desk, the yellow pear wood abacus that had accompanied Su Li (the heroine) for so many years, from a small peasant woman to the now-awesome "Lady Protector of the Nation" who commanded the four kingdoms, hovered in mid-air, its beads clacking and clicking autonomously. Each collision of beads produced a crisp sound, accompanied by visible ripples of pale golden light.
"Mommy, mommy! The little abacus is flying!" Sanbao Su Yu (dragon horn sensing) pointed excitedly, and the pair of crystal little dragon horns on his head flickered, reflecting the golden light of the abacus.
Dabao Su Chen (the remnant soul of a cultivator) sat cross-legged on a small stool nearby, his expression solemn. He instructed in a childish voice, "This is the embodiment of the law of cause and effect. The movement of the abacus beads pulls at the invisible threads of karma between heaven and earth. Mother, your talent for 'foresight', blessed by the faith of the people, seems to have awakened to new applications."
Su Li looked at her abacus, which seemed to have become a spirit, with a twitching mouth: "So, it is not counting military rations now, but calculating... who owes me money? Or who should be struck by lightning?" She thought of her venomous system that would go mad from time to time.
[Ding! Host's Comprehension +0.5! Barely passing!] The venomous system's voice chimed in, its tone tinged with disdain, a tone that suggested, "Teachable, but far from perfect." [To be more precise, it's settling the 'karmic merit points.' The war is over, countless lives have been lost. Resentment, gratitude, debt, blessings... these intangible 'debts' have now become quantifiable 'points,' driven by the system's core algorithm, your natal abacus, performing a precise calculation. Friendly reminder: Please remain silent. The abacus... ahem, the abacus master is working. A single miscalculation could result in the hens next door at Uncle Wang's laying salted duck eggs tomorrow instead.]
Second child Su Heng (golden pacifier) was trying hard to stuff his golden pacifier into the suspended abacus frame, as if to give it a "gold rim," mumbling, "Debt debt... shiny... Hengheng wants it!"
Su Li quickly retrieved the second treasure and helplessly held her forehead: "System, speak human language! What is the use of this thing? Can it be used as military expenditure?" The war between the four countries had just ended, and there was a lot of work to be done. The national treasury was cleaner than when she first came here.
[Vulgar! So vulgar!] The system scoffed. [Merit points are a high-level energy currency! Their functions are as follows (Please take notes, this system will only say this once):
1. **Exchange for physical items (inefficient)**: For example, make a certain place have good weather (needs points), or make an enemy fall down and knock out his front teeth (only 5 points, discounts available for large quantities).
2. **Strengthen Yourself/Baby (High Efficiency)**: Improve your comprehension, physique, and talent skill levels (see the system mall for specific redemption rates, starting at 9.5% off for VIPs).
3. **Eliminating/Transferring Karma (Core Function): For example, if you save someone who should have starved to death, you gain merit points. However, if that person later commits evil, you'll bear some of the karma for your misjudgment, which you can use to offset. Or, you could transfer the enormous karma of "the million-dollar blood debt owed by the King of Beidi" to... well, maybe that noisy parrot in his imperial garden? Have it be reborn as a mute cicada in its next life.
Su Li's eyes lit up when she heard this, especially the last point: "Transferring karma? That's great! Now let's figure out who the biggest 'debtor' is? Can we just dump the karma he owes on that noisy parrot?"
The abacus beads suddenly stopped, and several black beads representing "large debts" jumped wildly, pointing to the northwest - it was the Northern Di royal court that had just submitted the letter of surrender but still had evil intentions!
[Ding! Targeting the largest karmic debtor: Northern Di King Ashina Golden Wolf! Comprehensive assessment: Blood debts aplenty, karmic debts monstrous, Merit Point deficit: -9,876,543!] The system reported an astronomical figure. [Warm reminder: Directly transferring such a massive amount of karmic debt to small animals may disrupt the laws of the universe, triggering uncontrollable phenomena such as 'a parrot speaking human language and cursing throughout the court' or 'a cicada flapping its wings and causing an 8.0 magnitude earthquake.' Risk rating: SSS+! We recommend a gentler, more sustainable liquidation method.]
"A more gentle way?" Su Li raised his eyebrows, looking at the bright golden beads (positive merit points) on the abacus that represented his own soldiers and the people he saved, and then looking at the dark area of the King of Beidi, a bold (and unethical) idea came to his mind.
Dabao Su Chen suddenly spoke, his voice filled with the calmness of someone who saw through the secrets of heaven: "Mother, you can follow the secular practice of 'paying debts with work'. Those with heavy karma should use the country's strength and resources to repay this 'karmic debt', transforming hostility into peace, and only then will Heaven approve."
Su Li slapped her thigh and said, "Chen'er is awesome! This is it—'Special Plan for the Settlement of Northern Di Karma Debts and Post-War Reconstruction'! In short: 'It's only natural to pay back your debts' plan!"
**Section 2: Pacifier Gold Bank and Dragon Horn Bonds**
A few days later, a strange document bearing the golden seal of "Lady Guardian of the Nation" and a small golden pacifier seal ("authorization" from Erbao Su Heng) was delivered to the Northern Di royal court at full speed. Rather than a letter from the emperor, it was more like... a financial product prospectus?
Title of document: "Implementation Plan (Draft) for the 'Debt-to-Equity Swap' and 'Targeted Merit Point Loan' to Resolve the Huge Karmic Debts Incurred by His Excellency Ashina Jinlang and the Northern Di Kingdom"
Core Terms:
1. **Debt Confirmation**: Ashina Golden Wolf, confirmed to owe -9,876,543 Heavenly Merit Points (attached with a scanned image of the abacus, surrounded by black air).
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