Chapter 98: The Greedy King, Dao Ling

"What kind of treasure? This magistrate has no idea. However, the Yuru Prince's Mansion is renowned for its virtue, and I truly did not expect the young prince to be so frivolous. I boarded the ship hoping to persuade the prince not to let his playthings ruin his ambitions," Bao Zheng stated, revealing his true purpose.

*Hiss*—one knows that Bao Zheng is a man of integrity. Yet, here he is, tempering his heart in the mortal world while simultaneously suppressing magical artifacts... What on earth is this? Why is it that looking at him makes one want to punch that dark, stern face?

Of course, Shen Shi did not punch him—he couldn't possibly do so. Instead, he accepted the invitation to attend the gathering together.

However, since the main event was not until the evening, Shen Shi—after parting ways with Bao Zheng—traced the divine incense power lingering on the silver banknotes to track down Wang Daoling.

Wang Daoling is exactly who he is. What was he doing? Selling talismans to swindle money. He has truly entered the "Way of Wealth"; even when paying respects to the City God, he never forgets to turn a profit. And among those buying his talismans was an acquaintance of Shen Shi—Kong Xueli.

"Brother Shen, come quickly, come quickly! The talismans from this master are remarkably effective." Ever since Kong Xueli learned that Shen Shi held an official position, his address had changed to a more respectful tone. Using "Brother" was not because Shen Shi was older, but simply an honorific.

Seeing Shen Shi, he immediately invited him to buy a "spirit talisman" as well.

"Brother Kong, has something happened? Why are you buying talismans?"

Shen Shi looked Kong Xueli up and down. There was a faint trace of demonic aura, but his vital energy remained intact. Clearly, he was not being haunted by a demon.

"I’ll tell you quietly. I think I’ve encountered a ghost," Kong Xueli whispered into Shen Shi’s ear, glancing around nervously.

"Huh?" Shen Shi scrutinized him again. The man had absolutely no Yin or ghostly aura on him. He claimed he met a ghost? How could that be possible?

Yet, Kong Xueli was entirely convinced, going so far as to urge Shen Shi to buy one of Wang Daoling’s spirit talismans.

Seeing Kong Xueli praise the Taoist so highly, Shen Shi turned his gaze toward the man.

*Hiss*—a status as a local Earth Deity.

So, it really is the world of *Liaozhai*. He had seen wild immortals before, and he had even seen a fox spirit posing as a Dragon King. But this? A golden toad Earth Deity.

Divinities are divided into three categories. The first are the innate gods, such as Taiyi, Dijun, or the Wu clan—all born as divine beings.

The second category comprises "domesticated" gods—spirits who attained enlightenment through the techniques of immortals and cultivated into divinity.

The third category consists of the "conferred" gods, like those in the famous *Investiture of the Gods*.

However, the quotas for the Investiture list are limited; most are merely false gods or minor deities who swindle incense and offerings for power.

Yet, this Taoist did not fit any of these. He actually bore the official investiture of the Human Emperor. He was a god conferred by the Emperor himself.

Though the Human Emperor’s investiture is inferior to the list of the Conferred Gods, he is no longer a false god, but a righteous deity of the Human Way—a god recognized by the Heavenly Court.

"Daoist, your divination is truly accurate. I actually found the silver I lost in the latrine. If it weren't for you, I’m afraid I would never have found it."

This Taoist was not only officially ordained by the Human Emperor but also appeared to be genuinely helping people. A customer thanked him profusely, placed a tael of silver in the merit box nearby, and left with endless gratitude.

Next, another customer hurried forward: "Daoist, my wife is due to give birth this month. Could you please calculate whether the child in her womb is a boy or a girl?"

The Taoist stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Your family is blessed; it is a boy."

The customer was overjoyed, thanked him repeatedly, left three taels of silver, and departed.

For a moment, Shen Shi almost doubted if he had found the wrong person. But his eyes had never failed him. Having followed the aura on the banknotes, he could not be mistaken.

After a moment of thought, Shen Shi spoke: "Daoist, we meet again. There is a matter I would like you to clarify for me. May I trouble you for a moment?"

Shen Shi’s words caught Wang Daoling off guard. He glanced at Kong Xueli beside him, a faint smile touching his lips, and replied, "So, it is the gentleman from this morning. May I ask why you have sought me out again?"

He recognized Kong Xueli—the hypochondriac from earlier that morning. The man had not a shred of ghostly aura on him, yet insisted he was being haunted. Still, if it wasn't for this man starting the rumors, he wouldn't have had business so early, so he was quite happy to see this "God of Wealth" return.

As for the person beside him, he truly did not know him.

Yes, he did not recognize Shen Shi. He had heard of Shen Shi and knew of the Shen family, but this was their first meeting.

It was quite amusing that the very person who had cast the spell was standing right before him, yet he remained unaware.

Finding the Taoist so interesting, Shen Shi couldn't help but ask: "You seem to be a practitioner. Why do you set up a stall in the market instead of cultivating in a monastery?"

"Immeasurable Longevity. This humble Daoist collects money to gather merit for the laypeople," Wang Daoling spouted nonsense with a straight face.

Greedy for wealth, yet claiming it was for the sake of others' merit.

"So that's how it is." Shen Shi nodded, choosing not to expose him. Greed might be a flaw in other contexts, but in this era, one could indeed cultivate the "Way of Wealth."

After all, if one could cultivate through bad luck and disaster, why not the Way of Wealth?

"By the way, I wonder if you have any more talismans like these?" Shen Shi stopped beating around the bush and produced the two silver banknotes from the night before.

Seeing the banknotes, Wang Daoling gasped, "It’s you!"

"Master, it’s your talisman," his two young disciples recognized them as well.

"I know," Wang Daoling waved his hand, his expression turning indignant. "Truly, iron shoes are worn out in the searching, only to find it without any effort."

"Is the Daoist looking for Brother Shen?" Kong Xueli, standing nearby, had no idea what was going on.

As soon as he interrupted, Wang Daoling’s momentum faltered.

*What should I do? I still have so many customers here.*

Yes, seizing merit was important, but silver was even more important.

"Master, teach him a lesson!"

"Master, go get him!"

The two little disciples were not very bright. They were "kept" by the Prince’s Mansion, so of course, they felt they had to "deal with" the Prince's enemy. There was nothing to consider.

Wang Daoling sent a telepathic message to his disciples, furious: "Deal with what? Have you forgotten that we haven't paid our respects to the local City God yet? What if he causes trouble?"

"Then Master, go pay your respects now!" one disciple said.

"Pay your respects your head! It’s not even dark yet; what City God are you going to pay respects to?" Wang Daoling slapped the disciple.

The other disciple offered an idea: "Then Master, why don't you just beat him up? Your martial arts are so strong!"

This suggestion pierced Wang Daoling’s heart even more. Were his martial arts strong? How could they be? His true form was a golden toad. Playing with money was his nature—that was why the legend of Liu Hai playing with the golden toad existed in the Ming Dynasty.

As for fighting skills... *Heh*, that depended entirely on one's true form. Demons whose true forms were beasts were good at fighting; others were only capable of bullying ordinary mortals.

Unfortunately, the golden toad had never possessed a skill tree for fighting.