If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1289 Miserable Comparison
The visitor was none other than Zhao Gongming, the eldest of the four Zhao siblings and the God of Wealth.

Zhao Gongming had a square face, fair skin, a long, flowing beard, clear eyes, and a dignified appearance, exuding a strong sense of authority.

At this moment, he was wearing the same armor as the Qin general, with a silver whip hanging on the left side of his belt and two gold and silver ingots hanging on the right side, making him look both majestic and extravagant.

It's like a combination of a general and a nouveau riche, which should be quite unusual, but it's remarkably harmonious in him.

“We certainly shouldn’t have gotten involved in this great calamity so easily, but since Yu Fengxian provoked you, you can’t retaliate against her however you want,” Zhao Gongming said.

Yunxiao frowned and said, "Bixiao has already given them a few pointers, which can be considered revenge."

After all, Yu Fengxian only made empty threats; she didn't actually do anything to us.

Zhao Gongming sighed, "She used the Golden Dragon Scissors to kill people and the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation to harm people; all of this is to create karma with you!"

Yunxiao said, "But elder brother's plan is too insidious and vicious."

If we had actually told them, and they still used the bucket, the karmic consequences on us siblings would have been even greater.

Zhao Gongming dismissed it, saying, "It's just a blow to the Qin economy. I learned it from ordinary people. What's so malicious about it?"

Bixiao nodded repeatedly and said, "Brother is right. Guan Zhong of Qi had been waging economic warfare for a long time."

Yunxiao said, "Using alchemy to create counterfeit silver and gold, and extracting grain, ironware and other materials from the Qin market, can that be considered normal economic warfare?"

Zhao Gongming laughed and said, "Sister, you don't know, 'fake silver' was actually invented by that scoundrel Guan Zhong."

The art of alchemy was already recorded in the "Secret Records of Taigong".

For the last few hundred thousand years, my main job as the God of Wealth has been to find out the fake gold and silver made by the alchemists.

Yunxiao said, "Since it concerns the elder brother's divine position, why encourage them to use fake silver and fake gold to deceive the common people?"

Zhao Gongming asked, "Does my sister know what the God of Wealth will do after he finds the fake silver and fake gold?"

Before Yunxiao could answer, he continued, "The art of turning stone into gold is divided into illusion and supernatural power."

Illusions are the easiest to distinguish; what appears as gold and silver to mortals reveals its true form to a spiritual eye.

The more difficult one to master is the ability to turn stones into gold.

Supernatural powers reshaped the fundamental energy of matter using the laws of the Great Dao.

Aside from the time limit, it is almost indistinguishable from real gold and silver in terms of use.

When time wears away the Taoist charm and magical power, and the supernatural abilities end, they will turn back into stones or clods of earth.

Generally speaking, those who are enlightened by immortals using supernatural powers will revert to their original state after five hundred years; those who are enlightened by sorcerers using strange arts will revert to their original state after two or three years.

If one puts in more effort, using medicine in combination with lead and mercury, and turning it into gold nine times in the alchemical furnace, it can remain immortal for a thousand years.

Yes, gold is immortal, and the time it takes for fake silver to disguise itself is naturally shorter than that of fake gold.

Counterfeit silver often takes 100 days to be recovered, and even the most skilled can only conceal it for five months.

Therefore, the world often hears about the "Midas touch".

Counterfeit silver was mostly made by ordinary people using lead-tin alloys to deceive poor people who had never seen silver before.

First, Zhao Gongming used his expertise as the "God of Wealth" to educate the three girls about the common knowledge of fake gold and silver. Then, he smiled smugly and said, "Once our God of Wealth detects fake gold and silver, he can use divine magic to dispel the spells on them."

The fake gold, which had been restored over five hundred years, turned into a handful of yellow earth overnight.

When to cast divine spells is up to us.

In shops, pawnshops, and places where large-scale transactions take place, the God of Wealth is usually worshipped, and there is a statue of him.

When the villain tries to deceive the innocent with counterfeit gold, I will immediately manifest my divine power, exposing his trick and revealing his crimes to the world.

If a good person is deceived and uses counterfeit gold to buy goods, I will wait until the counterfeit gold falls into the hands of unscrupulous merchants and evil people before turning it back into dirt and stones.

In short, we must not let good people suffer.

Bixiao suddenly realized and said, "The modern Qin Dynasty is a bad one! Brother, you just need to have your God of Wealth guard the Qin Dynasty's treasury. If any fake silver or gold appears, immediately expose them."

In this way, only the Qin government suffered losses, while the counterfeit silver and gold in the people's homes could still be used in the market.

This ingenious plan was not intended to deceive the common people, but mainly to seize the gold and silver treasures from the Qin Dynasty's treasury.

Brother, you are truly brilliant!

Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and smiled, quite pleased with himself, "If a certain place doesn't have a God of Wealth worshipped, I wouldn't dare to make a move."

Hehe, the Qin Dynasty's treasury is an official treasury; even without inviting the God of Wealth, there's a treasury deity patrolling it!

Yunxiao felt a strange sense of familiarity. Three hundred thousand years ago, when her eldest brother borrowed the Golden Dragon Scissors from them and willingly entered into tribulation, her sister and brother were just as smug and confident. And then...
—Oh no! My older brother and younger sister are acting crazy again!
Yunxiao was anxious, but he didn't lose his temper and didn't yell at his sister and brother.

"Brother, if the sorcerer uses alchemy to deceive the people, won't Heaven punish him?"

Zhao Gongming hesitated for a moment, then said, "Normally, whoever uses counterfeit gold or silver to deceive others will shorten their own lifespan and diminish the blessings of their descendants."

Once one commits too many evil deeds, one will surely incur the wrath of the gods and spirits, and disaster will come unexpectedly.

If one is a deity, the three calamities and five tribulations will be intensified; if one cannot attain immortality, one will surely enter the underworld of Fengdu after death. For every bit of happiness enjoyed in life through false gold, one will suffer a hundredfold in death to repay it.

Then, he changed the subject and said, "However, there is one situation in which using the Midas touch will not result in punishment from 'Heaven'."

That is to obey the will of Heaven and save the people.

In the years since I became the God of Wealth, I have converted at least a hundred upright and righteous heroes who are not greedy for wealth.

They basically taught them the art of turning lead into gold.

They only used 'fake gold' to help the poor and needy, and never used the fake gold to profit themselves. Instead, they accumulated a great deal of merit.

"Or you might be directly deified, becoming a god of wealth under my command, or your fortune might be even greater, granting you a chance at immortality and achieving the status of a celestial being!"

Yunxiao then asked, "If Lu Dingxian and his group were to use fake gold to plunder the wealth of the Great Qin Dynasty, and you were to secretly help them, would you be able to gain great merit?"

Zhao Gongming shook his head awkwardly, "The Great Qin does not plunder wealth from the people, but uses the wealth of the Ying family for the benefit of the people."

Stealing such wealth will surely bring Fuqiu Zi and Luding Xian a heavy burden of sin.

Of course, they have disciples and followers, so they probably won't take the blame themselves.

I will also suffer the consequences, but I think it's worth it.

Not only did Yu Fengxian offend the girl, she was also an important pawn in the scheme of the bald monk Ran Deng to conquer the Central Plains.

I heard that Randeng obtained the Five Sacred Mountains Godhood through Yu Fengxian.

Once Yu Fengxian gains power, it's unknown how much benefit Randeng the Bald will reap.

If I could see her suffer misfortune, or hear Ran Deng lament, even if I were bleeding myself, I would laugh out loud.

Seeing his elder brother's face gradually contort, Yunxiao sighed and asked, "Brother, are you satisfied with your life now?"

Zhao Gongming glanced at her and said, "I hold several divine positions. I am the Great God of Wealth, and I also hold positions in the Thunder Department and the Plague Department. Currently, I am also working towards the position of 'Head of the Four Great Marshals of the Xuanmen'."

Looking across the entire Shinto Path, there are very few who are more imposing than me.

But should I be satisfied?

I'm not satisfied until I see Yu Fengxian and Randeng suffer their misfortunes.

Zhao Gongming's divine position is "God of Wealth," but he is also a powerful cultivator who is about to attain the Great Luo Dao.

Even if one dies and one's cultivation dissipates, but one is included in the Investiture of the Gods, one can still retain some of one's magical power and all of one's supernatural abilities.

Wen Zhong, the leader of the Thunder Department, and Lü Yue, the leader of the Plague Department, were both his old friends.

He was invited by Wen Zhong, which led to his death in the calamity.

—Now that I'm capable enough, how about I take a position in your mine department?
Wen Zhong will surely accept it gladly.

Faith in divine power is like the charge in a battery, determining its lifespan.

The size of the altar determines the output power.

Once you enter the path of divinity, your realm and strength are almost locked together, because your divine position is fixed.

Zhao Gongming held multiple positions and multiple divine posts, resulting in a cumulative increase in output power and a surge in strength.

However, using the succession of divine positions to increase one's spiritual power is considered a "heretical" practice. Heavenly divine positions are already scarce; even for immortals, obtaining a legitimate divine position is extremely difficult. Aside from a limited number of powerful deities, it's rare for others to hold multiple positions simultaneously.

Yunxiao sighed, "Big Brother harbors resentment, and others also harbor resentment towards him!"
They're all watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake, so that a lot of positions for the true gods will become vacant.

We must not repeat the same mistakes. We fail to cherish what we have until it's all gone, and then it's too late for regrets.

While on the path of immortality, he didn't appreciate the preciousness of immortality and fought fiercely with others. After dying and becoming a god, he only realized how stupid he had been, like a pig.

In the Shinto world, it seems that divine positions are easily obtained, and they do not cherish them. They even fight and struggle with others, unaware that what they possess is still being greedily coveted by countless people.

Zhao Gongming's expression changed several times, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I have prepared 'Ten Economic Warfare Strategies' for Lu Dingxian and the others."

Even if the strategy of using counterfeit gold to extract wealth from the Qin Dynasty doesn't work, we can try other methods.

I am the God of Wealth; no one understands the economy of the Qin Dynasty better than me.

I could find a hundred flaws in Yu Fengxian's ten years of benevolent rule, enough to cause her and the Qin Dynasty immense suffering.

Yunxiao said, "Precisely because my brother can do things that others cannot, and can play a leading role in the great calamity, the karma and karmic burdens he bears are also greater."

She looked earnestly at her elder brother and said sincerely, "Let's forget about the grudges with Dipankara Buddha."

The divine path can never defeat the immortal path, let alone the fact that he has already become a Buddha.

Our minor conflict with Yu Fengxian doesn't require our eldest brother to get too involved.

Zhao Gongming pondered for a while, then sighed and said, "My sister is right. At least our family is together now, and many fellow Daoists are by our side. We should be content."

He was certainly not convinced and was not afraid of death, but he no longer wanted to implicate his younger sister.

Now, after Fuqiu Zi and his party left the Heavenly Realm and returned to the mortal world, they were immediately stopped by a group of powerful immortals who had come to put on a show.

"How is Brother Yin Yinzi doing?" Bai Lushanren asked.

With resentment in his eyes and a hint of sarcasm in his voice, Lu Dingxian said, "If you had shown this concern earlier, Yin Yinzi would certainly be safe and sound right now."

Bai Lushan's expression froze.

The thirty-odd immortals sitting in reed huts around him also didn't look too good.

Fuqiu Gong stepped forward to defuse the awkward situation, saying, "Yin Yinzi's Dao Fruit has been destroyed, and he has given up the Great Luo Path. He has now decided to switch to cultivating the Ghost Immortal."

The immortals were greatly alarmed.

"What? He went from the Great Luo Path to the Ghost Immortal Path? Has he lost his mind?!"

Bai Lushanren gasped in shock for a moment, then regained his composure and asked incredulously, "Is it really beyond saving?"

The old man from the Nine Peaks said, "Although Yinzi's Yang spirit is damaged, it can still hold on."

The key is that all five vital energies in the chest are extinguished, and two of the three flowers on the top of the head are cut off.

If he still possesses the immortal body, he can simply start cultivating from scratch, just like the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect back then.

But he has lost his immortal body and must be reincarnated.

Once reincarnated, given his karmic debts, even becoming an immortal would be difficult, let alone possessing the great fortune of a celestial being.

"Can't the Emperor of Immortality help us?" asked Hui Chezi, a Qi cultivator from Mount Hua.

The old man at the Nine Peaks shook his head. "I probably can't help. As for the Dao Fruit, you can only rely on yourself."

"Sigh, it's not worth sacrificing the Great Luo Dao Fruit for a mere State Commandant's Office."

The man from Bailu Mountain looked deeply regretful, but even more so, he was filled with fear.

“It was indeed not worth it! Guowei Liao was already nearing the end of his life, and this time he was beheaded in public by Qinglian Sun, which was probably intentional,” Hui Chezi sighed.

"Oh, what do you mean?" Lu Dingxian asked in surprise.

Just as Hui Chezi was about to speak, a sudden thought struck him, and his mind cleared. He looked annoyed and said, "Alas, I was so talkative. The Imperial Commandant is already dead; we shouldn't speak of him anymore!"

Among the thirty-odd immortals, several showed expressions of sudden realization.

A dozen or so people paused for a moment before realizing what was happening.

Immortals like Lu Dingxian, who had no connection with Guowei Liao and had never even met him, calculated for a while before exclaiming in frustration, "So that's how it is! That damned Guowei Liao, he was actually plotting against us!"

Hui Chezi advised, "Don't say it, don't think about it, and don't spread rumors! It's also a rule in the immortal realm not to mention our past friendship."

Lu Dingxian looked disgusted and said, "I understand the rules. I'm just upset for Yin Yinzi. His death was too undeserved."

Fuqiu Gong shook his head and said, "That's not how it works. If nothing unexpected happens, the Grand Commandant won't die anytime soon."

He is indeed nearing the end of his lifespan, but he is not about to die immediately; he can easily live for another ten or twenty years.

Lu Dingxian exclaimed, "The key is not his lifespan, but that his life is coming to an end, and even 'Heaven' wants him dead."

"Fate. According to their original fate, the fates of the three dukes of Qin were tied to that of Emperor Ying Zheng; their fortunes were intertwined, one for all and the other for all. After Ying Zheng's death, their fates were severed."

But then Yu Fengxian appeared, messed around a bit, and easily changed their fate.

At least Li Si and Feng Quji changed their fate.

Fuqiu Gong squinted and quickly calculated with his hands, "According to the previously established destiny, Li Si and Feng Quji were ordered to commit suicide by Huhai."

Li Si's entire family was also slaughtered.

The cunning and treacherous Guowei Liao resigned voluntarily and fled the "dead nest" of Xianyang.

His death was due to the end of his life.

Therefore, after Yu Fengxian took power, she had a great influence on the fates of Li Si and Feng Quji, but no fundamental impact on the State Military Commission.

Hu Hai was incompetent and foolish, and his fate was sealed; even if Hu Hai became the reincarnation of a sage emperor, the fate of the State Councilor would still run out, and it would be time for him to die.

As for how he died... well, he didn't need to care how he died, as long as he knew his life had come to an end.

Lu Dingxian said with a frustrated expression, "So, it was truly the will of Heaven that Yin Yinzi plotted to assassinate the Three Dukes and sent Qinglian Sun to kill Guowei Liao."

Not only did 'God' approve, but even the Imperial Guard himself accepted it.

But Yu Fengxian was always causing trouble.

Brother Yin Yinzi, you've been wronged!

Hui Chezi shook his head and said, "You can't say that. Most of the things that mortals experience in their lives are due to the entanglement of cause and effect, which may be the cause and effect of the past life or the destiny of the future."

Does that mean murder and arson are justifiable? And that being murdered is justifiable?

The reason why 'Heaven' used Qinglian Sun to fulfill the Mandate of Heaven was because Fellow Daoist Yin Yinzi had murderous intentions.

When the thought of killing arises, heaven and earth are moved.

It was fate that ordained this destiny, rather than fate forcing Yin Yinzi to kill.

It wasn't that Yin Yinzi killed people on behalf of 'God'.

"Do you think I don't understand this principle? But we are not mortals, we..." Lu Dingxian couldn't continue.

—We should have been in control of destiny and guided the great calamity! How did we end up being controlled by destiny and used by "God"?

"In any case, it is indeed very frustrating that Fellow Daoist Yin Yinzi used his own Great Luo Dao Fruit to benefit the State Commandant. We should take this as a warning," sighed Yang Bo Sanren.

"Yes!" All the immortals agreed with this statement.

They felt deeply sympathetic and their faces showed profound regret and pity.

"Using the Great Luo Dao Fruit to help a mere Corpse-Dissolving Immortal achieve enlightenment—"

Before the words were finished, a bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the heads of the immortals, followed by a deafening boom!

The lightning didn't strike them, but rather fell upon the human world below.

"This bolt of lightning contains wisps of tribulation energy. Could it be tribulation lightning?" Lu Dingxian paused, glanced at the mortal realm, and said with a strange expression, "Who is undergoing the tribulation to become an immortal? The tribulation lightning seems to have landed outside Xianyang City, in the direction of the Qinling Mountains?"

Hui Chezi quickly did some calculations, his expression changed drastically, and he cried out in despair, "Oh no! We've really ruined Guowei Liao's life. He's the one who's most aggrieved and resentful."

(End of this chapter)