“But…” Chen Tiansheng’s face was full of question marks. “What does this rain dance have to do with Lord Wealth God?”
“Exactly, this is completely unrelated,” Wang Zhongmin also couldn’t figure it out.
Lu Chen didn’t know how to explain, and at the same time, he didn’t really want to explain too much either.
Sun Yourong could tell what he was thinking and took the initiative to help him out: “Uncle Chen, Uncle Wang, just do as he says. Since he says there’s a way, then there must be a way. I can vouch for him!”
Chen Tiansheng and Wang Zhongmin exchanged glances, both understandably surprised.
This super heiress of Jiangdu City, who was always so cold and proud, could be this resolute?!
What exactly was the relationship between these two?
Chen Tiansheng’s eyes sharpened, and he clenched his fist, as if he had finally made up his mind. “Alright, Xiao Lu, wait for me a moment. I’ll have someone bring the Kirin Knife right away. Within an hour, I promise Lord Wealth God’s statue will be placed right in front of you!”
“Thank you, Uncle Chen!”
“Don’t mention it! If you really manage to make it rain, then you’ll be the benefactor of all the people in Longhu County. I couldn’t thank you enough!”
With that, Chen Tiansheng immediately took out his phone and called his trusted aide, instructing him to deliver the Kirin Knife, the Tengyun Wood, and other materials to the county government office.
Sun Yourong glanced at Lu Chen beside her and noticed a confident, strategic gleam shining in his eyes.
Her heart couldn’t help but stir with a nameless ripple.
She quickly lowered her head to hide her slightly flushed cheeks, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the hem of her clothes.
Before long, a luxury car stopped outside the county government office.
Several people got out of the car, surrounding a young man who was holding a golden wooden box.
“Move aside, everyone move aside!”
The guards cleared a path through the crowd ahead of time, allowing the group to pass through smoothly.
“What are you doing? What the hell are you up to!”
“Tell Wang Zhongmin and Chen Tiansheng to come out and see us!”
“If they don’t show up today, we’re not leaving!”
“That’s right, we’re not leaving!”
The crowd was cursing and shouting, their emotions running high.
More and more people were gathering, a dark, overwhelming sea of them, almost crushing the walls of the county government office.
The pressure on the guards was also mounting.
Meanwhile, in a corner not far away, a black sedan quietly observed the commotion at the county government office.
“Looks like some strange people went in?”
The red-spotted woman in the driver’s seat spoke, her voice raspy as if squeezed out of a millstone, just as eerie as her robust figure.
“Hmph! No matter how many tricks they pull, it’s useless. The rain dance in Longhu County is doomed to fail. No one but me can help them make it rain.”
The Spirit Water Adept in the passenger seat looked utterly contemptuous.
“Just wait. Before long, Chen Tiansheng will come crawling to beg us! Once we get the Kirin Knife and the ‘Tong Shen Xuan Ben’ (The Profound Scripture of Communing with Spirits), we’ll head straight back to our cave. I’m confident that within half a year, I can use the ‘Visualization of a Thousand Demons’ to create the divine seat of Great Black Mother Buddha. Then, our Black Water Cult will be reborn from the water and make a powerful comeback!”
The Spirit Water Adept laughed darkly, and the red-spotted woman joined in. The cramped car was filled with an eerie atmosphere.
“Oh, and before we leave, find an opportunity to take care of that kid.”
Remembering how Lu Chen had berated him before, the Spirit Water Adept’s eyes turned vicious, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
The red-spotted woman nodded, cracking her knuckles.
…
Inside the county government office.
Chen Tiansheng opened the golden wooden box, revealing an exquisite treasure chest inside.
Inside the chest was the Chen family’s heirloom — the Kirin Knife.
“It’s said that this engraving knife is made from the leg bone of the mythical beast, the Kirin. When paired with the Chen family’s unique secret art — the ‘Tong Ling Xuan Ben’ (The Profound Scripture of Spirit Communication) — it can commune with all the gods of the three realms!”
Sun Yourong explained quietly.
“Niece, that’s not quite accurate,” Chen Tiansheng said with a smile, correcting her. “The Kirin Knife paired with the ‘Tong Ling Xuan Ben’ is indeed mysterious, but saying it can commune with all the gods of the three realms is an exaggeration. For one thing, the Three Pure Ones, the Six Imperial Deities, and those powerful immortals and gods who achieved sainthood through their own physical bodies are not included in that.”
He sighed, a trace of fear flickering in his eyes as he recalled the past. “When I was younger and didn’t believe in fate, I tried carving a statue of the Ziwei Emperor. But the statue didn’t respond at all — I couldn’t sense the immortal spirit of Ziwei in the slightest. Instead, I suffered backlash, which rendered the Kirin Knife useless for an entire year.”
“I was too hasty with my words, Uncle.”
“No worries, why be so polite with your Uncle Chen?” Chen Tiansheng looked at Lu Chen. “Xiao Lu, we have everything now. Just give your Uncle Chen another half hour!”
“Alright!” Lu Chen was also very curious about what was so special about making a divine statue.
Chen Tiansheng closed his eyes and focused his mind. Suddenly, an intense surge of energy burst from his body, causing his robes to flutter without any wind.
When he picked up the Kirin Knife, the inscriptions on the blade seemed to come alive, crawling up the back of his hand and instantly covering his entire palm.
The next moment, Chen Tiansheng took out a whole piece of Tengyun Wood. The blade flashed, and wood chips flew everywhere.
The silhouette of the wood block gradually became clearer before everyone’s eyes at a visible pace.
“Your Uncle Chen is really pushing himself this time. After carving this statue of Lord Wealth God, he probably won’t recover for at least half a month.”
Wang Zhongmin watched his old friend pushing himself so hard and sighed with a pained heart.
Typically, carving a divine statue takes as little as a week, or as long as several months or even years.
Chen Tiansheng was doing it in just half an hour, obviously overexerting himself.
Sure enough, as the wood block gradually took shape, Chen Tiansheng was sweating profusely, and even beads of blood began to seep out.
Lu Chen watched in shock.
If even the head of the Chen family found it this difficult, it was clear that this craft was far from simple.
However, deep down, Lu Chen developed a strong interest in this magical skill.
If he could casually carve divine statues too, then he wouldn’t be restricted no matter where he went — it would be like carrying the shrines of the gods with him wherever he traveled?
“Once this is done, I’ll see if I can learn this craft.”
A sharp gleam flashed in Lu Chen’s eyes.
Since that evil cultivator, just by using the Dead Water Art, could try to take both treasures, Lu Chen only wanted to learn one thing — that wasn’t too much, right?
Yeah, not too much! Not too much at all!
Half an hour later, just as Chen Tiansheng had promised, a brand new, lifelike statue of Lord Wealth God stood before everyone.
Chen Tiansheng was panting heavily, and with the last of his strength, he chanted the secret incantation.
The statue radiated hundreds of golden beams of light from within. These golden lights swirled around the statue before finally sinking back into it.
“It’s done!” Chen Tiansheng’s face lit up with joy, but he was almost completely exhausted. He barely managed to hold himself up and handed the statue to Lu Chen.
Lu Chen received it solemnly. “Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Chen!”
Chen Tiansheng shook his head and squeezed out a faint smile. “The rest is up to you, Xiao Lu!”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Chen. I will give it my all!”
Looking at the divine statue of Lord Wealth God, which was pulsating with spiritual power in his hands, Lu Chen hesitated no more. “I’ll go prepare, then!”
With that, he picked up his backpack and the statue and walked toward the empty office next door.
“Niece, does he… really know what he’s doing?” Wang Zhongmin still couldn’t help but doubt. After all, Lord Wealth God and the Rain Department had absolutely no connection.
“Don’t worry, Uncle Wang, Uncle Chen.” Sun Yourong looked toward the doorway, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips. “He is… ten times, even a hundred times better than any young person I’ve ever met! If he says it’ll work, then it’ll work!”
“Alright!”
Since she put it that way, Wang Zhongmin and Chen Tiansheng also steeled their resolve and decided to trust him!
…
Meanwhile, in the adjacent office.
Lu Chen lit a stick of incense and chanted the “Spirit Invocation Incantation,” beginning to pray and communicate with Lord Wealth God.
…
Heavenly Court, Lord Wealth God’s Temple.
Lord Wealth God, dressed in new attire, paced in the courtyard, followed by an attendant.
At that moment, his face seemed weighed down by heavy thoughts. His mind kept replaying Lu Chen’s earlier words:
— “Brother, have you forgotten? Your younger brother wants to build you a temple and gild your golden body! If I don’t get promoted to the new nobility, how can I even qualify to build you a temple?!”
— “A real man keeps his word. Every promise I, Lu Chen, make, I will keep!”
— “I am determined to build this Lu Family Divine Temple!”
“Whoosh—”
Lord Wealth God let out a long sigh, his face full of emotion.
“My virtuous brother, you have such ambition! You truly put me, your elder brother, to shame!”
He remembered that before he became an immortal, he too, as a mere merchant, had once strived for the highest honor.
Back then, he was just as bold and ambitious as Lu Chen.
But times had changed. Now, he had long forgotten what ambition felt like. He spent his days muddling along in a daze in the Heavenly Court, watching helplessly as Zhao Gongming snatched away his incense offerings, powerless to do anything about it.
Hadn’t he asked himself: Was he really going to just sit back and wait for death, without putting up any fight?
After all, as the Imperial Wealth God, among the Five Road Wealth Gods, he should be the supreme one. It should be him who governs the Heavenly Court’s Ministry of Finance!
But when he thought about it, his heart was filled with resentment and a desire to fight to the death.
Yet, when faced with reality, it was completely beyond his control.
Perhaps if he hadn’t met Lu Chen, he would have just continued living such a mediocre existence, accepting this heavenly mandate.
But now, this virtuous brother of his was like a raging fire, burning fiercely within his heart.
Gradually and subtly, he was igniting his fighting spirit!
People fight for pride, and gods fight for a stick of incense!
If he fought, battled, and tried his best, only to fail in the end, then he could accept that.
But if he retreated without even fighting… not to mention what others would think, he himself would be too ashamed to face this virtuous brother who was so determined to build him a temple!
Thinking of this, Lord Wealth God took a deep breath, and his words carried a hint of his former domineering aura.
“I, Lord Wealth God, shine as brightly as the sun and moon alongside that Zhao Gongming! So what if I compete with him!”
“My Lord?” The attendant behind him was startled by this sudden outburst.
But then he saw Lord Wealth God turn around, and he was a completely different person. Although he couldn’t say exactly what had changed, the man’s captivating aura instantly stirred the attendant’s very soul!
In that instant, it was as if he saw the confident and ambitious Lord Wealth God he had met when he first came to the temple countless years ago.
“My Lord! You!” The attendant knelt on the ground, overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his face.
“You silly boy, why are you crying for no good reason? So pathetic.”
“My Lord, your subordinate… your subordinate doesn’t know why, but he’s just so happy!”
Lord Wealth God smiled indulgently and was about to step forward to comfort him when a wisp of incense smoke suddenly flew into the temple.
“Strange, where did this incense come from? Wait!”
Lord Wealth God’s expression turned serious. “It seems to be… from my virtuous brother?!”
