According to the regulations.
Revoking a deity’s status is indeed a right held by the temple.
But by that same token, inviting a deity home is the right of the worshipper!
Lu Chen stood his ground against Zhao Zhihong, showing no fear even though the other man was a powerful cultivator above the Third Rank.
After all, he was the sworn younger brother of the God of Wealth himself!
“Supervisor Zhao, since you claim your company abides by the law, very well. I am now formally applying to take the God of Wealth’s divine effigy back home!
According to the rules, if a worshipper wishes to invite a deity, the temple cannot refuse so long as the price is appropriate.
Furthermore, the Imperial Court has set price guidelines for deity invitations. If I recall correctly, for a deity like the God of Wealth, whose incense offerings and worshipper base are practically zero, the legally mandated price is between six hundred thousand and eight hundred thousand. Your temple has the right to increase this fee by twenty percent, which brings the maximum to nine hundred sixty thousand.
As long as I can pay this sum, you must grant my request to invite the deity.
Am I correct?”
Zhao Zhihong had not expected Lu Chen to make such a specific demand. He paused for a moment, then his smile turned even more blatantly condescending. “Kid, yes, what you said is accurate. It seems you paid close attention in your textbook studies. However…”
He looked Lu Chen up and down dismissively. “Can you produce nine hundred sixty thousand? Don’t go thinking you’re something special just because the God of Wealth favored you once. I, Zhao Zhihong, have seen plenty of reckless youngsters like you.
Let me do the math for you. That blessing you received yesterday? At best, you might have earned a hundred or two hundred thousand.
I’ll be generous and say you made two hundred fifty thousand.
You’re still seven hundred thousand short.
The payment period for a deity invitation is one week.
That means you have only seven days to raise the funds.
That’s a hundred thousand a day. Can you manage that?
And don’t think I’m unaware that the God of Wealth is primarily a god of commerce and windfalls.
You should be thanking your lucky stars He granted you a single windfall.
He would never grant you a second one.
So, those seven hundred thousand? You’ll have to earn every last bit of it on your own.
Kid, I’m not looking down on you, but a person needs to keep their feet on the ground and be realistic.”
Zhao Zhihong was completely confident and unafraid.
And he had every reason to be.
With just a few sentences, he had seemingly sized up Lu Chen’s entire situation.
Lu Chen couldn’t help but admit to himself that compared to a small-time antagonist like Song Hao, Zhao Zhihong was operating on an entirely different, far more sophisticated level.
“Enough talk. I’m making the invitation!” Lu Chen declared.
At this point, Lu Chen had no other choice.
The Zhao family was clearly intent on severing his connection to the God of Wealth to eliminate any future threats.
Even knowing the mountain was filled with tigers, Lu Chen had no option but to head straight into them!
He would simply have to figure out how to come up with the remaining seven hundred thousand.
At least he had seven days to work with!
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhihong clapped slowly. “Good. You’ve got spirit. I’ll give you this chance then, just so you can’t claim the Zhao family bullies its customers. Go to the main hall and register, pay the two hundred thousand deposit. Remember, you only have seven days! If you miss the deadline, the deposit is non-refundable!”
As he spoke, Zhao Zhihong patted Lu Chen on the shoulder. “And when you fail to pay the remainder on time, I will make sure you’re standing right here to watch me personally take down the God of Wealth’s divine effigy!”
Lu Chen retorted sharply, “Fine by me!”
Just as the two were locked in a tense standoff,
a sudden commotion arose from outside the temple.
Zhao Zhihong’s eyes lit up as if he realized something. “They’re here?”
Two lines of men in black suits marched directly in, roughly pushing numerous worshippers aside.
They swiftly cleared out a wide, unobstructed path.
Immediately after, an entourage exuding opulence and prestige made its way straight down the cleared path.
At its head was a middle-aged man with a calm and commanding presence, as deep as an abyss and as steady as a mountain peak.
Though he didn’t look particularly old, patches of his hair had already turned white.
Several individuals followed behind him.
There was a noblewoman dressed in an elegant qipao.
A young man with a frivolous demeanor and an arrogant expression.
And a woman of cold, striking beauty whose face, fair as fine jade, instantly captivated the attention of countless worshippers.
Even Lu Chen found his gaze drawn involuntarily towards her the moment the group appeared.
“Ah, Mr. Sun! You’ve finally arrived, sir!”
The moment Zhao Zhihong spotted the approaching party, his previous haughty and demanding attitude vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedentedly welcoming smile as he rushed forward to greet them first.
“Mr. Sun? The head of the Sun family from the city’s southern district—Sun Qingcang?”
The name surfaced automatically from Lu Chen’s memory.
He knew that Jiangdu City had four major families: the Zhao family of the North District, the Sun family of the South District, the Wang family of the West District, and the Qian family of the East District.
The four great temples of Jiangdu City were each the property of one of these four families.
“No wonder that beautiful woman looked familiar. She’s the Sun family’s daughter, I believe her name is… Sun Yourong.”
Lu Chen had seen her a few times on television.
He never expected to encounter her in person today.
She was truly exceptionally beautiful.
Sun Qingcang glanced at Zhao Zhihong, who was behaving with such fawning obsequiousness, and gave a slight nod. “Supervisor Zhao, have the preparations been made?”
Zhao Zhihong beamed, his face wreathed in smiles. “Everything is arranged, sir. Upon receiving instructions from my own Family Head, I immediately cleared out the Longevity Star Hall in advance, just awaiting your esteemed arrival!”
Only then did Sun Qingcang offer a small, grudging smile. “Good. Supervisor Zhao, I appreciate your diligence. Once this matter is concluded, you shall be handsomely rewarded.”
With that, he turned and looked behind him. “Master Tan, it’s time for you to take over.”
Everyone followed his gaze.
There, standing in the doorway, was a lean middle-aged man stroking a goatee. He walked slowly forward with an air of lofty detachment until he reached the group.
Among the worshippers standing behind Lu Chen, several immediately recognized him.
…
“Can it be? That’s Tan Kun!”
“It really is him! The one they call the Longevity-Bestowing Immortal!”
…
“The Longevity-Bestowing Immortal?” Lu Chen’s mouth twitched slightly.
That nickname is a bit… on the nose.
The man addressed as Master Tan, the so-called Longevity-Bestowing Immortal, made his way to Sun Qingcang’s side.
Contrary to his own earlier arrogance, Sun Qingcang now clasped his hands respectfully in a salute. “Master, from here on out, everything rests entirely in your hands!”
Master Tan continued to stroke his goatee, nodding with an air of immense self-importance. “Rest assured, Head of the Sun family. I shall exert my utmost efforts to beseech blessings and prolong the esteemed Elder’s lifespan.”
“Excellent. Master, this way, please!”
With that, the entire group, personally led by Zhao Zhihong, headed directly for the Longevity Star Hall.
Lu Chen happened to brush past Sun Yourong as they walked.
Their eyes met briefly and unexpectedly. Her pupils, shining like twin stars, reflected in Lu Chen’s own gaze for a fleeting moment.
In the next instant, Sun Yourong had already moved on with the main group.
It was only then that the murmurs of the surrounding worshippers began to grow louder.
“It seems the rumors were true.”
“What rumors?”
“Apparently, the Sun family’s elderly patriarch suddenly collapsed. Rumors are flying that his lifespan is nearly exhausted, and his passing is imminent. So the Sun family has been desperately searching for any spirit masters capable of extending life, hoping to prolong the old man’s existence! The rewards they’re offering? Astronomical!”
Lu Chen’s ears immediately perked up, his mind latching onto a crucial phrase within the chatter!
“Astronomical reward?”
He continued listening intently.
“But I never imagined the Sun family would actually hire Tan Kun. The guy isn’t even that powerful—they say he’s only a Second Rank spirit master—but his Affinity Level with the Longevity Star deity is supposedly as high as forty-seven percent! That’s got to be among the top three in the entire province. And his track record of successful blessings is legendary.”
“He’s that formidable? Then the Sun family patriarch might actually be saved. Come on, let’s go take a look!”
“Yeah, let’s go!”
The worshippers behind Lu Chen all began moving toward the Longevity Star Hall to witness the spectacle.
Lu Chen wanted to follow and observe as well, but then reconsidered. “I should settle the matter of the deity invitation first.”
He quickly went to the designated Invitation Window, submitted his application, and paid the two hundred thousand deposit.
“It seems my older sworn brother was right. Money gained through windfalls comes just as quickly as it goes.”
After making the payment,
Lu Chen’s bank account had shriveled alarmingly to less than thirty thousand.
He had just barely stepped into a comfortable life, and now it seemed he was on the verge of poverty again.
“Fate truly is cruel!”
With no time to waste on self-pity, Lu Chen took a deep breath and jogged towards the Longevity Star Hall.
This was his first proper opportunity to witness a spirit master accepting a formal commission.
And the one issuing the commission was the Sun family, no less.
A truly high-end client!
“This is a perfect learning opportunity. It’ll be useful for when I start taking commissions myself!”
With this thought in mind, Lu Chen quickened his pace even further.
