Becoming a God from a Water Monkey

Chapter 1196 The Eternal King, Jianghuai Treasure Pavilion (Together)

"You found it? So fast?" Liang Qu pressed his palm down and closed the book.

"Of course it must be fast, and it absolutely must be fast! Brother Liang has only been cultivating for eleven or twelve years, how dare I be negligent in such an important matter? There should be results in half a year, hurry, hurry, what are you all waiting for outside? Quickly bring the things in and let the Prince of Huai take a look!"

Datong Prefecture is located in the north, and the Hanging Temple is at a high altitude. Combined with this, the weather is very cold in late November and early December, and the courtyard is covered with a layer of snow that is ankle-deep.

Lu Jia brushed the snow dust off his sleeves, exhaled hot breath, and raised his hand to beckon. Behind him, two guards stepped across the threshold and gently placed the surprisingly large tree seeds and saplings on the plum blossom-shaped table. The rich life force was vigorous and extraordinary.

"Wow, how come there are so many precious trees in the house? They're all different!" Long Li, who came out of the side room, exclaimed with wide eyes. "Elder, have you started living the life of growing flowers and plants ahead of time?"

“This is premature aging,” Long Yao said with certainty.

"You two have been a bit too lively lately. If you have nothing better to do, go and air out the bedding in the room and wash it."

"Yes, sir!"

Ignoring Long Yao's tone, Liang Qu looked around and walked to a bright green seed.

Pat.

The seeds made a muffled sound like a watermelon.

“Brother Liang has a good eye. He spotted the best one at a glance. This seed is the Everlasting Spring Tree!” Lu Jia immediately introduced. “The seed coat contains endosperm, which is as sweet as honey. After it grows, every 60 years, it will condense into ‘Spring Blossom Fruit’ at the end of its thickest branch.”

The 'Spring Blossom Fruit' resembles amber in appearance, its interior encapsulating a shimmering springtime essence. It is a highly concentrated life essence; consuming it can extend one's lifespan by a decade! When used on trees, it causes them to grow rapidly.

"nice one!"

Liang Qu's eyes lit up.

"Clap."

The guard placed another one.

Taking three steps, Liang Qu grabbed another sapling, ten feet tall and full of holes.

The holes are numerous yet rounded and harmonious, quite unlike the uncomfortable craters made by insects.

“This is the Thousand-Aperture Mystery Wood,” Lu Jia continued. “This tree is not solid; there are countless holes between the trunk and the main branches, resembling a honeycomb or a maze.”

When the wind blows, all the pores resonate, their sounds sometimes like bells and chimes, sometimes like whispers. It is said that this can calm the mind and soothe the soul, and even allow those nearby to occasionally hear faint prophecies.

"A prophecy?" Liang Qu exclaimed in surprise. "Really? What kind of things can it predict?"

"Ahem." Lu Jia coughed awkwardly. "I have no idea about that. However, not many powerful people take it seriously. There is a tree in Taibai Mountain in the north that is a thousand feet tall, but it is just a sight to behold. Perhaps because so many people have hallucinated, there must be a few that are actually true?"
Just like the fortune teller on the street who said I was intelligent but lacked decisiveness, capable but lacked opportunity, everyone thought it was accurate. Who would really think they were stupid and incompetent?

Liang Qu smiled and continued walking towards a black sapling, the same color as the desk and inkstone.

"Moon-embracing Ebony! Its wood is as black as ink, yet it gleams with a white luster under the moonlight, like jade. Its wood is hard and difficult to damage with knives and axes."

Its growth depends on moonlight; on every full moon night, its leaves turn towards the moon as if embracing its glow.

"This is fine too."

"Amber-sap banyan... This giant banyan tree has an exceptionally well-developed aerial root system after it matures..."

"Not bad."

"Scaly pine... with a unique, oily fragrance..."

"It looks nice! I can smell something."

"The 'Weaving Light Glazed Cypress'... from a distance, it resembles a pale golden glazed pagoda..."

"pretty."

Each and every one of them was a rare and unique sapling, some of which produced treasures, others had mysterious uses. Liang Qu had never even heard of many of these tree species before, which broadened his horizons. The number of them was exactly thirteen.

Hearing the commotion, Long Eying came out of the side room and ordered Long Yao and Long Li to give the guards a reward.

After Liang Qu finished reading them all, he was very satisfied. He sat down opposite Lu Jia and said, "Brother Lu, you actually found all thirteen strange trees. Even with the backing of the Tianbo Chamber of Commerce, that must have been quite an achievement."

“Sigh.” Lu Jia took a sip of tea. “It was indeed extremely difficult at first. The Tianbo Chamber of Commerce chose to use the Jade Rainbow Bridge to build the building, which was indeed an attempt to create a spectacle.”

But trees that are huge, can be accelerated to grow, have branches and structures suitable for building houses and shops, have a magnificent appearance, and can produce through their heartwood are rare. Otherwise, how could they be called extraordinary?
Brother Liang, if you only want thirteen trees of one kind, or three or four kinds, or even four or five different tree species, Tianbo Chamber of Commerce can certainly find them.

There are thirteen different kinds, each with a single tree. That's an overwhelming number. I've worked tirelessly for three months, searching through countless books and visiting every merchant guild, but I still can't collect even half of them.

Liang Qu laughed heartily: "It was difficult at first, but what about later? Was it easy then?"

"As the saying goes, 'What is difficult for those who know how is difficult for those who don't.' In the end, it was my father who pointed me in the right direction."

"Oh, Director Lu of the Tianbo Chamber of Commerce?"

“Yes.” Lu Jia inserted two pieces of pastry. “Old ginger is spicier. My father said that the only one who can satisfy a Martial Saint is another Martial Saint. Oh my, I suddenly realized it and quickly asked my father to help introduce them.”

I've heard that all martial saints are "stones in the river." I wonder if Brother Liang can sense that in the next province, a little northwest, starting from the Tianshan Mountains in the west, passing through the Nanshan Mountains in Longnan, and roughly reaching the Zibai Mountain area, there's also a "stone in the river" there, and next door is the Guangyuan King.

Liang Qu sensed it for a moment and said, "Yes, those in Nanshan Ridge are not martial saints, but mostly demon kings."

“That’s right, he is an ancient tree demon king, one of only five plant demon kings in the entire world!” Lu Jia spread five fingers with one hand and pointed to the green seed with the other. “His true form is the Eternal Spring Tree. Eight of Brother Liang’s thirteen treasure trees were found by the Eternal King in the Southern Mountain Ridge!”

Plant King!

"Impressive! Brother Lu, you've worked hard too!" Liang Qu hadn't expected the Tianbo Chamber of Commerce to directly find the Demon King in Nanshan Ridge. Truly, they had expertise in their field and amazing connections. "To be honest, I'm very satisfied with all thirteen treasures. However, business is business. I asked Brother Lu in June, and he said we'd discuss the price after finding the treasure trees. Now..."

"Brother Liang said he wanted to use these thirteen precious trees to build a large building, and the construction of this building..."

“Naturally, it should be handed over to the Tianbo Chamber of Commerce. When I first entered Tianbo Tower in my early years, I was amazed by the Jade Rainbow Bridge. When I went to Wangyue Tower, I was even more impressed by its power. Tianbo Chamber of Commerce also has experience. Handing it over to others would only make a mess of things.”

"If you include construction costs, the cost will be high."

"It's alright, Brother Lu, please speak first."

"I'll offer Brother Liang a flat price of 23 million for the five trees I've found, along with the remaining 13 trees for the entire building construction and the cost of cultivating these precious trees!"

Twenty-three million!
Long Yao and Long Li clutched their hearts and pressed the backs of their hands to their foreheads.

A mountain of silver, just to buy five beautiful trees and build houses for them?
"Alright!" Liang Qu agreed. "What about the Demon King's eight treasure trees?"

The two dragon maidens felt dizzy and staggered.

Hey spendthrift men, haggle! Why aren't you haggling? The Dragon Palace Treasury is empty! Has the Demon King finished paying off his loans? He owes another 23 million! Sister Eying, aren't you going to do anything about your men?
Foolish king!

Despite the suggestive glances from the two men, Long Eying calmly drank her tea.

"The Eternal Demon King's request is rather special. It didn't say what it wanted, but it made a condition: if it needs any treasures from the Jianghuai Marsh in the future, Brother Liang must help collect them. If a dispute arises and there is competition, and the prices are the same, you must give them to it."

"What if the Eternal Demon King were a demon?"

"He lives a secluded life, spending most of his time in Nanshanling. There's no good news, but no bad news either."

After a moment's consideration, Liang Qu said, "Okay, I agree."

"Brother Liang, you're so generous!" Lu Jia was overjoyed. A super order of 23 million! Tianbo Chamber of Commerce must be making a killing. "How do you plan to pay?"

"No money."

"No...no money?" Lu Jia was dumbfounded.

"Brother Lu, don't be anxious. Am I, Liang Qu, the kind of person who doesn't pay back debts? How much money does Feitian Yuequan have in its accounts right now?"

"Brother Liang achieved a great victory in the Southern Frontier and was promoted to Martial Saint. Yuequan's stock price surged, and the dividends are estimated to be around 1.1 million."

"That's all I have on hand for now. I'll use this dividend to pay off the debt. The remaining 2,200 will be owed to me, and interest can be calculated. But don't worry, I will definitely pay it back within five years."

Five years?

Lu Jia's twitching lips subsided, and he quickly fidgeted with his fingers, unable to hold back his words: "This debt is too large for me to decide. I would like to ask Brother Liang something first, I wonder..."

"please."

"Why does Brother Liang insist on building a building with thirteen different precious trees? If you only need a place to open shops and do business, you can use the Jade Rainbow Bridge Tree instead. My Tianbo Chamber of Commerce has plenty of experience and has already scaled up the process. The construction cost can be reduced by at least half. Using different precious trees to build a central building for thirteen ports is a completely unnecessary cost, and the amount is huge and difficult to recover in a short period of time."

Long Yao and Long Li nodded repeatedly.

We can't get it back.

Extravagance is the beginning of ruin. Now, palace women wear fine silks and brocades, stable horses eat leftover beans and millet, while the common people wear simple clothes and eat coarse food. This is not what the people expect from a holy dynasty.

Think twice, Your Majesty.

Liang Qu shook his head: "No, because I want to make money not only from the treaty ports, but also from tourism! These thirteen central buildings must become landmarks!"

"Tourism? Landmark?" Lu Jia stared blankly.

“That’s right. When I was in Huangzhou, I visited the neighboring Mount Lu. Mount Lu is a natural landmark. If all thirteen ports have the same kind of precious tree, how can they attract people to visit them all? Would you climb the same mountain thirteen times?” “Is that possible?” Lu Jia hesitated. “Mount Lu is indeed a famous mountain, but not many people go there. And what’s the use of having more people?”

"How about we talk about the Moon-Gazing Tower, made of Yin-Yang Wood, instead of Mount Lu? Wouldn't that be more intuitive?"

"Sigh~"

"In fact, your Tianbo Building is also a 'landmark,' but it is overshadowed by the function and number of Tianbo Chamber of Commerce. Local prefectures all have it, so it has lost its scarcity. When I first attended the auction, I was really shocked."

There aren't many people in Lushan, so it's hard to make money. First, there are restrictions on travel permits; second, there are no places to spend money; and third, transportation is inconvenient and the time cost is too high.

But Brother Lu should know that I can handle the latter two issues. The purpose of building the house is to open a shop, and with waterways for transportation, there is nothing faster in the world.

As for road permits, they won't be a problem for those with some wealth; the different precious trees will then become places to attract them to "check in."

"Check-in?"

"Brother Lu can be used as a kind of travel permit, stamped with the exquisite seals of different Treasure Tree Pavilions. Just imagine, once the pavilion is completed, the lady and young master will ride on water spiders, enter the waterways, and stamp their seals one by one. After tea or dinner, they can proudly show off local specialties to their friends..."

As the scroll unfolds, life comes to life.

Lu Jia's eyes lit up, and he quickly understood and pondered the matter.

For various reasons, Da Shun lacked a tourism economy. Liang Qu felt that he could try to create one, especially at the Thirteen Ports, which were originally in different prefectures. He could work with the imperial court to make Baolou a "gateway".

Long Yao and Long Li were confused, but they could see Lu Jia's beaming face.

A wise and virtuous ruler, or a capable administrator, must first enrich his country.

He was not a foolish ruler.

A wise and benevolent ruler throughout the ages!

"Alright, then on behalf of the Tianbo Chamber of Commerce, I'll lend Brother Liang these twenty-two million!"

"Wait a minute!" Liang Qu's lips curled up as he tapped the table. "I'm not borrowing 22 million; I'm using the shops in Baolou as collateral!"

"Alright, Brother Liang, how much are you prepared to pay?" Lu Jia took out a small abacus from his sleeve, pushed and pulled it to level it, and it clicked and bounced.

After a struggle.

Ultimately, Liang Qu paid off three million taels of silver by allowing Tianbo Tower to occupy thirteen treasure towers, granting them the privilege of a thirty-year rent-free period. In return, he paid off a debt of nineteen million taels of silver, with an interest rate of one percent and a five-year term, in exchange for the construction of thirteen treasure towers that were several times larger than the three-story Tianbo Towers in local prefectures and comparable to the five-story towers in the capital!
A profit of one percent, or 0.1 percent per month, or 1.2 percent per year, is already considered low. Normally it would be at least three percent, but even that amounted to a terrifying 220,000 taels per year.

Liang Qu felt the pinch, so he simply used the dividends from Yuequan over the next three years to offset this small amount of interest, turning it into a loan of 19 million with no dividends and no interest for five years.

This is a common method used in later generations to expand business.

If you're really ruthless, you can actually find a third party, mortgage it again to start production, then mortgage it again to start production again...

cough cough.

As Liang Qu watched his once destitute fiefdom gradually grow in size, a sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart, and he couldn't wait to see what it would look like in the future.

He doesn't need to develop all the flowers, trees, and plants in his territory; as long as he focuses on the main elements, the rest will naturally create a siphon effect.

The Baoshu Building, combined with the investment attracted by the "unmovable" policy, is more than enough.

The fiefdom is now truly thriving, just waiting for time to ferment, blossom, and bear fruit, becoming thirteen golden hens!

"Brother Liang, I have another favor to ask." Lu Jia put away his abacus.

"Brother Lu, please speak."

"I heard that Brother Liang has been preaching at the Hanging Temple these past two days. I have a younger sister, and she has a few friends, not many, about five people. I told her that I know the famous Prince Huai, but she insisted that I was bragging. So she came with me to Datong Prefecture this time..."

"Bring as many as you want, I'll take care of it!"

"Okay, thanks!"

Lu Jia beamed with joy.

He came here to ask for money, but didn't get a single penny. He had to pay for everything himself and even lost three million to participate in the construction. He felt something was wrong, but also felt there was a profit to be made. So he excitedly took the precious tree seedlings back to count the manpower.

Covered with snow.

Liang Qu reopened Long Zongyin's report, making annotations and revisions, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

After being promoted to the Heavenly Dragon and becoming a king, he found himself far from the free and easy life he had imagined. Instead, he found himself with many more tasks to handle. He assigned numerous tasks, but he felt that the elders had not fully grasped the concepts, and Liang Qu himself was not entirely clear on how to implement them either. He simply felt that the desired results had not been achieved.

"It seems like there's a lack of capable management personnel..."

As an elder, Long Zongyin has no problem managing several thousand dragon people, but with such a large business, his abilities seem somewhat stretched thin.

Liang Qu suddenly understood why the imperial court stipulated that those without a degree in the imperial examinations could not serve as county magistrates, prefects, or governors.

Even a grandmaster like Yang Dongxiong couldn't become a county magistrate without passing the imperial examination. Thinking about it this way, my uncle Su Guishan was quite remarkable. He started working hard at the age of thirty and not only achieved success in martial arts but also passed the imperial examination.

The old monk was a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the previous dynasty; perhaps I could go and learn from him…

"Wait a minute." Liang Qu had a sudden inspiration and looked at E Ying, "Where's the hedgehog?"

"The back mountain, right? I'll go back to the back mountain with Golden Tiger when I get back."

……

The golden tiger pressed itself against the white tiger's neck, rubbing against it repeatedly until the tiger was turned over and over.

Wild boars roll and dance in the mud, while bats hang upside down from trees and sing.

Monkeys roamed the mountains and fields, hanging here and there, laughing and snoring.

The hedgehog lay in the bushes, listlessly munching on a pear, feeling as if it had wasted another year of its life...

"That hedgehog!"

The hedgehog shuddered, rolled backward, and jumped up: "Your Highness! What wind blew you to the back mountain?"

The little mirage dragon crossed its arms, looked you up and down, and snorted, "My boss wants to see you! Pack your things and come over here right now."

see me?

The hedgehog's heart skipped a beat, and an overwhelming joy welled up inside him.

"Yes!"

boom!
The fruit platter was full, and a stack of documents was piled up.

"Can you read?"

“Yes, yes, there are young novice monks who are proficient in Buddhist and Kagyu languages, and can even translate some scriptures.”

"Wow, that's amazing! You know so much?" Liang Qu exclaimed in surprise.

"No, no, compared to you, my skills are just a few minor ones."

"Then take a look at these documents, add your comments and revisions, and hand them to me in three days. Can you finish that?"

"Three days?" The hedgehog glanced at the document, thought for a moment, and said, "The time is a bit tight, but I'm willing to give it a try!"

"Alright! It's up to you! If you do a good job, I'll reward you handsomely!"

"As ordered!"

An opportunity has arrived! An opportunity has arrived!

The hedgehog rubbed its paws, its heart pounding with excitement. It smoothed its quills, shifted its position, and sat down on the bench. Just as it opened the document, a pair of dragon horns appeared out of nowhere, startling it so much that it almost fell over.

"Your Highness the Third Prince!?"

The little mirage dragon flicked out two claws, drifting backward while pointing to itself and then to the hedgehog...

"..."

Outsourcing of work.

Liang Qu returned to his meditation room and had Long Li light incense. He then organized the content for tomorrow's sermon, which was also a way for him to review his own understanding and enhance his comprehension.

The East Sea Great Hunt is scheduled for sometime within a few years, but it will certainly be held sometime in the future. Since he is to be the "planner," he will most likely be involved in it personally.

Moreover, as the most prominent young martial saint of the Great Shun Dynasty, it wouldn't be right for him not to participate...

Look inward at yourself.

"With 100% fusion, the Water Ape Great Sage after spirit transformation will likely possess the strength of a high-level or even peak Martial Saint. However, without spirit transformation, my strength is merely at the first-tier Martial Saint level that I just advanced to... Only my root sea is far more expansive than that of the second or third tier. How can I advance further..."

(End of this chapter)