A spoiled brat?
The light from the powerful talisman gradually dimmed, but it was still enough to illuminate the figure surrounded in the middle.
He was an ordinary-looking young celestial official, dressed in the standard robes of a low-ranking clerk from the Northern Road God of Wealth Temple. His face was handsome but distorted with fear and anger, and he still held the attack spell that had not yet completely dissipated in his hand.
"It's you?" Tu Shanlan frowned slightly, clearly recognizing the person, but her tone was more puzzled than shocked. This seemed to be a taciturn celestial official who often organized files in a side hall.
Seeing that his actions had been exposed and he had no way out, the celestial official in charge of documents, after his initial panic, actually managed a bleak and mocking smile, his voice sharp with excitement: "It seems... I really underestimated you spoiled brats of the Three Realms!"
His gaze swept over the five men before him, some of noble birth, others exceptionally talented, his eyes burning with resentment and envy: "Back then, I was the most outstanding youth in my clan! The hope of the entire village! After all the hardships I endured to get here, after giving it my all, I can only be a nameless nobody, organizing documents and calculating incense offerings! I'm not reconciled! I..."
"Wait!" He had barely begun his impassioned declaration when Qian Jin interrupted him. She didn't look at him, but instead turned to Ao Ming beside her, her face full of curiosity. "Playboy? Who are you talking about? Us?"
The group of five naturally set the document aside and huddled together to whisper among themselves.
Qian Jin pointed to himself first, his face full of innocence: "I'm not like that! I got in through the rigorous entrance exam, one from among thousands of applicants! I was selected through a rigorous test!"
Ao Ming crossed his arms and snorted in his unique, dragon-like superior tone: "Wanku? I was raised as the future pillar of the East Sea since I was a child. When I go home, I am to inherit the family business. This is called responsibility, understand?" The implication was that the word "wanku" was an insult to his dragon dignity.
Ban Ge'er grinned, revealing his little tiger teeth, and said with a wild and untamed smile, "Hey! I, your humble servant, genuinely defeated all my competitors of the same age in our tiger clan to earn this spot to train at the God of Wealth's Mansion! A spoiled brat? Have you ever seen such a capable spoiled brat?"
Tu Shanlan smiled helplessly, her voice gentle yet powerful: "The Qingqiu Fox Clan values rituals and understands worldly affairs. I was able to serve the God of Wealth and learn the way of harmonizing cause and effect only after passing the clan's examination." Although she did not say it explicitly, she was clearly not related to the word "spoiled brat."
Daqiangzi struggled to peek his chubby dragon head out of Qian Jin's collar, his big golden eyes full of grievance: "I'm not one of them! I'm the best quality golden dragon in our area, with the brightest scales! I was recommended based on my own merit!"
Ao Ming seemed to suddenly remember something and added, "By the way, Da Qiangzi's family is actually a distant relative of our East Sea Dragon Palace, although they live quite far apart."
Qian Jin's eyes lit up instantly, her gossip-loving soul burning: "Oh? You're relatives?" She completely forgot that there was a "villain" next to her who was about to turn evil.
The celestial official, seeing the somber atmosphere he had painstakingly built shattered by these few words, trembled with rage, his face flushed red, and finally erupted in a furious roar: "Stop arguing!!! Even now! You still show me such disrespect!"
He was panting heavily, pointing at the group, his voice filled with long-suppressed resentment: "Do you even know my name? Huh? You probably haven't even looked at me properly! But what about me? I work diligently every day, calculating those outrageously trivial incense offerings, organizing those mountains of prayer records, and checking those petty accounts! I do it better than anyone else! Faster than anyone else! I can even see the cause and effect hidden behind every single incense offering!"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, as if he wanted to pour out all the grievances he had held for thousands of years: "I clearly have such great abilities! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to make me the God of Wealth of this Northern Road! But what about you? You guys who rely on your background and luck to step on my head! You don't even probably remember my name!"
The group of five was taken aback by his shout, then huddled together again and began a new round of whispering.
Qian Jin asked in a low voice, "Uh... what was his name again? Does anyone remember?" Ao Ming shook his head blankly, "I don't remember." Ban Ge scratched his head, "I don't recognize all the people from the North Road God of Wealth Temple..." Lan Jie tried hard to recall, and said in a slightly apologetic low voice, "I think his surname is Chen? Or Lin?" Da Qiangzi was the most direct, "I only smelled him, I didn't remember his name!" The five of them simultaneously showed an expression of "I really don't know."
These undisguised mutterings undoubtedly added fuel to the already burning anger of the scribe. "You...you..." His fingers trembled, and he could barely speak.
However, before he could erupt again, Qian Jin had already turned around and asked curiously in a business-like tone, "Um... fellow immortal, since you're so powerful, are you doing very well in the black market? How many spirit stones can you earn per job? Is it risky? Do you need to bribe your way up and down the chain of command? What percentage of your earnings can you make?"
Ao Ming, stroking his chin, chimed in, "Yeah, with that kind of ability, why bother with this 'ox-and-horse' position at the God of Wealth's Palace? You won't get rich anyway. Every day it's either overtime reconciling accounts or dealing with all sorts of bizarre prayers, plus the performance pressure is immense. What's the point?"
Ban Ge'er nodded vigorously: "That's right! If it weren't for the clan's mission, I wouldn't be here to be restricted like this! It's much more comfortable in the mountains!"
Sister Lan added softly, "Indeed, the affairs within the department are complicated, and the salary is only that of an ordinary celestial official. If one does not have a strong belief, it is easy to become weary."
Daqiangzi concluded, "My god, to put it bluntly, aren't we just high-level wage earners? The kind with KPIs!"
The group of five reached a consensus again, nodding in agreement and looking at the scribe with expressions that said, "Looks like he really loves this job," "Yeah, yeah," and "He's such a hardworking guy."
"Cough cough!"
A dignified cough, tinged with a hint of helplessness, sounded from outside the door. The God of Wealth of the North Road, his face dark, entered with a team of elite celestial officials and warriors, clearly having been listening outside for some time.
He glared at the five rascals and said irritably, "You little brats... at least wait until I'm not around before you speak such blunt truths!" He felt that the image of the North Road God of Wealth Mansion, which he had cultivated for many years, was collapsing.
The last shred of dignity was utterly torn away, and the scribe official descended into utter madness. "Aaaaah! This is outrageous!" His spiritual power surged, and his once handsome face was now covered in ferocious veins; he was clearly ready to fight to the death!
However, just as he got into position, with a "whoosh," a large, golden net descended from the sky, as if it had been planned in advance, instantly wrapping him up tightly! Runes flowed on the net, instantly imprisoning all his immortal power.
The scribe official struggled and roared within the net, his eyes bloodshot: "Despicable! Shameless! If you're so capable, fight me one-on-one! What kind of hero uses such methods!"
The God of Wealth of the North Road sighed and waved his hand: "Take him away, keep him under strict guard, and interrogate him carefully."
The celestial officials and warriors obeyed the order and took away the scribe who was still cursing.
The side hall was temporarily quiet again.
The five looked at each other in bewilderment. Qian Jin blinked: "So... what's his name?" Ao Ming shrugged: "I wasn't paying attention." Ban Ge'er: "Who remembers?" Lan Jie'er pondered: "It seems... it wasn't mentioned." Da Qiangzi: "Oh my god, all that work for nothing, we don't even know his name!" The five of them felt a strange pang of regret for this "work-loving" senior who had taken the wrong path.
The God of Wealth of the North Road looked at them with a complicated expression, and finally let out a long sigh: "What a pity... His name is Lin Yuan. At first, I really valued him. He was meticulous, had excellent math skills, and had a natural sensitivity to numbers and cause and effect. He could sort out many complicated accounts clearly."
The old God of Wealth shook his head, his tone full of regret: "But he's too opportunistic in his actions. He can always quickly calculate what's 'most beneficial' for the Temple of Wealth, forgetting that the way of the God of Wealth emphasizes 'balance' and 'fairness.' The most fatal flaw is..."
He paused, his voice lowering: "He spreads his wealth, and when dealing with prayers, he subconsciously favors the rich and powerful who offer generous incense and offerings. As for the sincere but meager prayers of the poor and ordinary people, he either ignores them or deals with them perfunctorily. He believes that such 'efficiency' is too low and the 'return' is too little."
Qian Jin, who had been grumbling about not knowing the other person's name, suddenly froze upon hearing this. The playful smile on her face gradually disappeared, replaced by a rare look of bewilderment and hesitation.
She raised her head and looked at the God of Wealth on the North Road, her voice soft, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor: "So... the prayers of the poor... are also taken seriously? Even if... they can only afford to offer a single stick of the cheapest incense?"
The God of Wealth of the North Road looked at her, his gaze becoming kind and profound. He slowly walked to the window, gazing at the starlight and moonlight flowing outside, his voice calm yet containing boundless power:
"My child, the way of the God of Wealth is not about favoring the rich and despising the poor, nor is it about being solely driven by profit." "Heaven and earth have their balance, and wealth flows like water. It shouldn't just gather in the abyss, but should also nourish every inch of parched land. The wealthy offer generous sacrifices because they are grateful for kindness and voluntarily form a good relationship; the God of Wealth will naturally protect their fortune, but this is not a transaction." "The poor, however, offer a stick of incense with a sincere heart; their wishes are often even more earnest and earnest. We, who manage the flow of wealth, must be even more attuned to this hope amidst hardship. Perhaps we cannot make every poor person instantly rich and powerful, because that involves more complex causes and destinies. But an unexpected wage, a cure from illness, a full meal, a timely rain… these small acts of 'wealth' may not be what the supplicant originally sought, but they are still a response to the supplication, a compassionate act of Heaven towards the hardships of all beings."
The old God of Wealth turned around, his gaze sweeping over the thoughtful crowd before finally settling on Qian Jin: "Wealth is not just cold numbers and spirit stones. It should be hope, vitality, a glimmer of warmth that makes this world, though bitter, still worth living on. That is the meaning of the God of Wealth's Mansion."
Ao Ming nodded in agreement, "That's right. And whoever makes the most offerings will definitely become rich and powerful? There's no such logic! It also depends on the person's karma! That's why we always say that good people are rewarded! If someone is rich but heartless and commits many evils, no matter how much incense they receive, they will not escape the backlash of karma. Who knows, one day they might..." He stopped abruptly here.
He noticed that Qian Jin, standing beside him, was already in tears. Clear tears slid silently down her cheeks; she didn't make a sound, only her shoulders trembled slightly.
"Qian Jin? What's wrong?" Ao Ming panicked and tried to wipe her tears, but then felt it was too abrupt. In his haste, he started taking out valuable items from his storage magic treasure.
Several shimmering gemstones, a bottle of elixirs made in secret by the Dragon Palace, and even a golden scale talisman that looked quite extraordinary.
She shoved everything into Qian Jin's arms, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry! Did someone bully you? Tell me! These... these are all for you! Is that enough? If not, I'll go get more!"
Ban Ge'er and Lan Jie'er also gathered around, their faces showing concern. Da Qiangzi cautiously touched Qian Jin's hand with the tip of his tail.
Qian Jin took the treasure that Ao Ming handed her, held it in her arms, and her tears fell even more fiercely.
She shook her head, her voice thick with nasal tone, but she tried to force a smile: "No...no one bullied me. It was...it was the words of the God of Wealth of the North Road that untied a question that had been buried in my heart for many years, a knot in my heart."
She raised her tearful eyes and looked at the benevolent-looking God of Wealth of the North Road. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions, including relief, grievance, and a glimmer of unprecedented brightness.
The God of Wealth of the North Road smiled knowingly and said gently, "Qian Jin, during your stay at my North Road Palace, have you carefully observed the pilgrims who come to offer incense and pray every day?"
Qian Jin wiped her face with her sleeve and honestly shook her head: "Never..."
The old God of Wealth didn't mind and laughed, "It's alright. Tomorrow at three-quarters past dawn, come to the front hall, conceal your identity, and come with me to take a look. Perhaps you will see more."
Qian Jin nodded vigorously: "Yes! This disciple will definitely be there on time!"
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