Above the Great Dao
Chapter 520 - 244

Chapter 520: 244

Granny Sha, having become younger, refused to ride in a carriage, insisting on walking so that the pedestrians could see her graceful figure.

"After Granny Sha became younger, her temperament changed too. She used to be too lazy to walk," thought Chen Shi.

"Granny, did Uncle Yang and Uncle Hu see any effects from taking the ginseng grass fruit?"

Granny Sha shook her head: "It’s no use for Uncle Yang; he’s already dead. His lifespan was long since crossed out, so the ginseng grass fruit is ineffective on him. Uncle Hu might be able to. Before Uncle Hu’s death, your grandfather created the Ghost God Domain for him. I don’t know if he’s dead or not. If he is, then taking the ginseng grass fruit would be useless as well."

Chen Shi’s face turned gloomy. If Uncle Yang and the bearded giant couldn’t be helped by the ginseng grass fruit, then his grandfather taking it would be ineffective too.

"Your grandfather may be able to extend his life."

Granny Sha said, "He faked death to escape; his soul has never left his body. It was only because the moon’s evil and demonic nature posed a risk of transforming him into a demon that he hid in the underworld. His body is that of a Corpse Resolving Immortal, plus his body descended into the underworld. Perhaps the ginseng grass fruit could be effective on him."

Chen Shi’s eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Where’s my grandfather’s Yuan Chen Palace? I’ll take it to him!" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Granny Sha quickly said, "Calm down! It wasn’t easy for your grandfather to rescue you from the underworld, and yet here you are, ready to deliver yourself to its doorstep! Your strength is still far too insufficient; do not add chaos to the underworld."

Chen Shi thought for a moment. Granny Sha was right, so he had to abandon the idea.

Seeing that he didn’t bring it up again, Granny Sha also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking: "If Little Ten were to run to the underworld and see his grandfather standing on a green ghost hand, with the other end of the ghost hand embedded in his chest, what would happen?"

She imagined the scene, felt a headache coming on, and decided not to think about it anymore.

They arrived at the town of Xinxiang County. Granny Sha went to buy new clothes, while Chen Shi went to Juxian Building. When Shao Jing heard that he had arrived, he hurriedly came to see him and said with a smile, "It’s been a long time since we last met! Thankfully, I have fulfilled the task, and the Resurrection Pills you asked me to sell last time have all been sold."

He took out a small wooden box containing silver notes and placed it on the table, saying, "This is the remaining hundred thousand taels of silver."

Chen Shi asked for advice, "Brother Shao, I haven’t spent all the money from last time; I still have a hundred thousand taels on me. Coming from a poor family, I’m afraid I might mishandle so much money. Please advise me, Brother Shao, how should I manage this sum?"

Shao Jing laughed, "A cultivator’s journey, where is there ever too much silver? A hundred thousand taels may seem like a lot, but alchemy pills cost money, Nascent Souls cost money, Divinity Transformation also costs money! Divine Descent Rituals and True God sacrifices require a lot of money! Refining Void, Unification, cutting the Three Corpses, which doesn’t require money? This two hundred thousand taels will only be enough to get you to the Unification Realm before being spent. Cutting the Three Corpses also costs a lot, then you’ll find the money insufficient."

Chen Shi admitted his lack of understanding, "I’ve already cultivated a Nascent Soul and haven’t spent any money; in fact, I’ve earned quite a bit."

Shao Jing asked in confusion, "Before cultivating the Golden Core, didn’t you buy Nourishing Yuan and Stabilizing Pills? Before becoming a Nascent Soul, didn’t you buy Great Medicine? Just those two items cost thousands of taels. And you also need to buy Spiritual Beast Meat regularly for consumption. It’s not a lot, but it adds up every month."

Chen Shi shook his head, "I haven’t taken any of these. I naturally cultivated into Golden Core and Nascent Soul."

"That means you have a high talent. Aristocratic families spend thousands of taels on Nourishing Yuan Pills, Stabilizing Pills, and Great Medicine Spirit Pills every day! Spiritual Beast Meat is measured by the cartload."

Shao Jing said, "If you don’t know what to do with these two hundred thousand taels, you might as well buy fertile land and hire tenant farmers to work for you. The yield from the land is the profit from the two hundred thousand taels, enough to cover your daily cultivation expenses. When you need money, just sell the land. Although the price of land rises and falls, the difference isn’t that big."

Chen Shi looked around and asked, "Did Brother Shao establish the Juxian Building?"

Shao Jing shook his head and laughed, "My father built it. It took him thirty years to manage it and barely gain a foothold in Xin Xiang Province."

Chen Shi took out a small wooden box and got another hundred thousand taels of silver notes from it, pushing them along with the freshly received money box across to him.

Shao Jing looked at him, puzzled and a bit perplexed.

Chen Shi smiled, "To be honest, I’ve acquired some people under my command, which requires daily expenses. I don’t understand how to manage it, so I came to see you, Brother Shao."

Shao Jing glanced at the silver notes and said, "So, you’re asking me to manage this money?"

Chen Shi nodded lightly, "And also the Lu Ban Sect and Red Mountain Hall Talisman Master Association; they also receive a sum of silver annually that needs managing."

Shao Jing had heard of the Lu Ban Sect and Red Mountain Hall Talisman Master Association, his expression changing as he said, "I never imagined that these two factions would turn out to be your assets! If you need help managing the money, I’ve got a few accountants at my disposal..."

Chen Shi gave a slight smile, took out a self-made Heavenly Court Token, pushed it in front of him, and laughed, "Although our organization is quite lax, it’s also very secretive. We prefer not to let outsiders know. We’re currently in need of an accountant, and we hope Brother Shao can take on that role."

Shao Jing looked at the unique token in his hand, examined and played with it, and asked, "May I inquire what this organization is called?"

"Heavenly Court."

Shao Jing’s hand trembled, and the token fell onto the table.

Chen Shi watched him with a smile, not speaking.

Shao Jing shakily picked up the token, failing to grasp it several times.

Heavenly Court!

The name was audacious; it was clear that this was a call to rebellion!

And it was against the Outer Heaven True God!

Chen Shi said, "Our Heavenly Court is quite relaxed; currently, there are only a dozen or so of us, and we have no intention of rebelling. If you don’t wish to agree, that’s fine; I am not a man who delights in slaughter."

Shao Jing shuddered, recalling all the rumors about Chen Shi and the successive County Magistrates and governors of Xinxiang who had died in the line of duty. Now, with Chen Shi in Xinxiang, he was practically like a local Emperor. Even when the Xinxiang governor met him, he was utterly respectful.

There were also reports from Gongzhou, Yudou, which were proof of Chen Shi’s brutality, which was nothing short of savage!

Not long ago, caravans from Niedu brought news that Chen Shi had killed over a thousand Cultivators in Niedu, including many from the Divinity Transformation Realm.

The caravans said, the old Demon was most likely refining the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

"I... I will join!" Shao Jing gritted his teeth.

Chen Shi was very pleased and said with a smile, "From now on, we’re one of our own! Your code name from now on will be ’Accountant’. In addition to you, we have ’Artisan’, ’Jade Rabbit’, ’Archivist’, and other code names."

Shao Jing steadied himself and asked, "And your code name?"

"True King."

Shao Jing’s face turned ashen as he thought to himself, "It really is a rebellion in the making!"

Chen Shi roughly explained the structure of the Heavenly Court and everyone’s code names. The Accountant didn’t have much to do, just to manage funds. If members of the Heavenly Court wanted to refine treasures, conduct campaigns, build temples, and other affairs, they could come to him to disburse funds.

Chen Shi left Juxian Building and happened upon Granny Sha, who had just finished buying clothing, looking to be barely over twenty, tall and slender with a light touch of makeup. Her hair was done up in a tousled bun off to one side, black strands held together with a golden hairpin covered by beaded and jeweled flowers, with additional ornamental hairpins and a central ruby.

Her attire was plain yet elegant, wearing a white mandarin-collar shirt topped with a layer of light green gauzy material fringed with silver threads, underneath which wrapped a long, red floor-length skirt, the tips of her shoes barely visible. As she moved, she seemed to walk atop red clouds.

Granny Sha was stunningly beautiful.

Chen Shi inwardly praised, "If I were to burn clothes for grandfather, they should definitely be like these."

On their way back to the village, Granny Sha did not ride but floated above the ground.

As they were about to reach Gangzi Village, another paper crane came fluttering down, landing on Chen Shi’s arm.

Chen Shi unfolded the letter; it was again from Li Tianqing. The wording was meticulous, but the tone conveyed urgency.

The letter spoke of the ancient temple Li Tianqing was in, which seemed to have a Divine presence awakening, yet it struggled to gather worship to form a Divine manifestation. Moreover, the temple was haunted by Evil Spirits, filled with flashes of knives and swords, frightfully terrifying.

It was bearable at first, but recently, bloodstains and knife marks often appeared on the temple’s walls, increasingly close to Li Tianqing’s neck, posing a grave threat.

Li Tianqing was concerned for his life and worried that the hauntings would affect the manifestation of the Divine presence, asking if Chen Shi could visit before the year’s end.

"The temple’s signboard has been found by Tianqing, it belongs to the God of Wealth Temple, and the Divine resident is named Emperor Guan. Please come quickly; Tianqing eagerly awaits."

Chen Shi turned the letter over to see the map drawn by Li Tianqing, marking the location of the Emperor Guan Temple.

"The God of Wealth, Emperor Guan?"

Chen Shi closed the letter, exclaiming joyfully, "I’ve just found our Accountant, and now Tianqing brings news of the God of Wealth. This surely means that the Heavenly Court’s fortune will surge!"