Longevity-Extending Immortal!

By regulation.

A God Temple indeed had the right to remove a deity.

But likewise, worshippers also had the right to invite a deity!

Lu Chen faced Zhao Zhihong directly. Even though the man was a powerhouse above the third rank of Spirit Awakeners,

he was not the least bit afraid.

After all, he was Lord God of Wealth's worthy younger brother!

"Supervisor Zhao, since you say you're a law-abiding business, then fine. I'm applying to invite Lord God of Wealth's divine seat back now!

By regulation, so long as the price is right, a God Temple cannot refuse when a worshipper wishes to invite a deity.

Moreover, the imperial court has set prices for inviting deities. If I remember correctly, for a deity like Lord God of Wealth, whose Incense Fire is practically nonexistent, the legal price is between six hundred and eight hundred thousand. Your God Temple has the right to raise it by twenty percent, meaning the maximum is nine hundred and sixty thousand.

As long as I can pay that money, you have to agree to let me invite the deity.

Am I wrong?"

Zhao Zhihong had not expected Lu Chen to make such a demand. He froze for a moment, then smiled even more blatantly. "Kid, yes, you're right about everything. Looks like you've memorized quite a bit from your textbooks. But..."

He sized Lu Chen up from head to toe. "Can you come up with nine hundred and sixty thousand? Don't think that just because Lord God of Wealth blessed you once, you're suddenly something special. I've seen plenty of hotheaded fools like you.

Let me do the math for you. From yesterday's blessing, at most you earned a hundred or two hundred thousand.

I'll be generous and say you made two hundred and fifty thousand.

You're still short seven hundred thousand.

The payment period for inviting a deity is one week.

In other words, you only have seven days to raise the money.

A hundred thousand a day—can you manage that?

And don't think I don't know Lord God of Wealth is the Business Wealth God.

You should be thanking heaven and earth if He grants you one windfall.

There's no way He'll grant you a second.

So you'll have to earn that seven hundred thousand entirely on your own.

Kid, it's not that I'm looking down on you, but people should keep their feet on the ground and be a little more realistic."

Zhao Zhihong was utterly fearless.

But he did have the capital to be.

With those few words, he had practically seen straight through Lu Chen.

Lu Chen could not help but sigh. Compared to a beginner-level minor villain like Song Hao,

Zhao Zhihong was clearly on an entirely different level.

"Why so much nonsense? I'll invite Him!"

At this point, Lu Chen had no other choice.

The Zhao family had clearly decided to sever his connection with Lord God of Wealth, cutting the weeds and digging out the roots.

Even knowing there was a tiger in the mountain, Lu Chen could only head straight toward Tiger Mountain!

He could only think of a way to solve the remaining seven hundred thousand.

At least he still had seven days!

Hearing this, Zhao Zhihong applauded. "Good, you've got ambition. Then I'll give you a chance, lest you say our Zhao business bullies its customers. Go register and pay at the main hall. The deposit is two hundred thousand. Remember, you only have seven days! If you miss the deadline, the deposit will not be refunded!"

As he spoke, Zhao Zhihong patted Lu Chen's shoulder. "If you can't pay when the time comes, I'll make sure you watch with your own eyes as I remove Lord God of Wealth's divine seat!"

Lu Chen shot back, "Fine!"

Just as the two stood at daggers drawn,

a burst of commotion suddenly rose from outside the God Temple.

Zhao Zhihong seemed to realize something, and his eyes lit up. "They're here?"

Two rows of men in black marched in, roughly shoving many worshippers aside.

They cleared out a broad, empty space.

Then, an elegant and luxurious procession strode in.

At its head was a middle-aged man with a composed temperament, deep as an abyss and steady as a mountain.

He did not look old, yet a large patch of his hair had already turned white.

Several people followed behind him.

There was a noblewoman in a cheongsam.

There was a young man with frivolous manners and an arrogant expression.

And there was also a cold, stunning woman with a face like flawless jade, who instantly drew the attention of countless worshippers.

Even Lu Chen's attention was seized by the woman the moment he saw the group.

"Oh, President Sun, you've finally arrived!"

The instant Zhao Zhihong saw their party, he immediately shed his former overbearing demeanor and put on an unprecedentedly eager smile, hurrying forward to greet them.

"President Sun? The head of the Sun family in the south of the city—Sun Qingcang?"

The memories in his mind surfaced automatically.

Lu Chen knew that Jiangdu City had four great families: the Zhao family in the north, the Sun family in the south, the Wang family in the west, and the Qian family in the east.

Jiangdu City's four great God Temples were the properties of those four families.

"No wonder that beauty looked familiar. She's the Sun family's daughter, I think her name is—Sun Yourong."

Lu Chen had seen her a few times on television.

He had not expected to meet the real person today.

She was absurdly beautiful indeed.

Sun Qingcang looked at Zhao Zhihong's fawning face and gave a faint nod. "Supervisor Zhao, have the arrangements been made?"

Zhao Zhihong's face was piled high with smiles. "Everything has been arranged. The moment I received instructions from my family head, I cleared out the Longevity Star Hall in advance. We've been waiting for your esteemed arrival!"

Only then did Sun Qingcang grudgingly squeeze out a trace of a smile. "Good. Supervisor Zhao, you've been thoughtful. Once this is done, this old man will reward you handsomely."

As he spoke, he looked behind him. "Master Tan, it's time for you to make your move."

Everyone followed his gaze.

A lean, middle-aged man with a goatee appeared at the entrance. Wearing a lofty expression, he slowly walked toward the group while stroking his beard.

Among the worshippers behind Lu Chen, someone immediately recognized him.

"It's actually him, Tan Kun!"

"It really is him—the Longevity-Extending Immortal!"

"Longevity-Extending Immortal?" The corner of Lu Chen's mouth twitched.

That nickname was way too blunt...

Master Tan, known as the Longevity-Extending Immortal, walked all the way up to Sun Qingcang.

The latter instead cupped his fists respectfully. "Master, I'll be relying entirely on you from here on!"

Master Tan continued stroking his goatee and nodded with great hauteur. "Rest assured, Family Head Sun. I will certainly do my utmost to pray for blessings and add years to the old master's life."

"Good, this way, Master!"

Immediately afterward, Zhao Zhihong personally led the group straight toward the Longevity Star Hall.

Lu Chen happened to brush past Sun Yourong.

Their eyes met without warning. Her star-like eyes reflected in Lu Chen's pupils.

When he looked again, Sun Yourong had already followed the main group into the distance.

Only then did the discussions among the surrounding worshippers gradually grow louder.

"So the rumors were true after all."

"What rumors?"

"I heard the Sun family's old master suddenly collapsed. The outside world is spreading word like mad that his lifespan is nearly exhausted and that he'll soon ride a crane westward. That's why the Sun family has gone mad searching for all kinds of Spirit Awakeners who can extend a lifespan, hoping to preserve the old master's life! The reward they're offering is astronomical!"

Lu Chen's ears pricked up at once, sharply catching the key words in that information!

"An astronomical reward?"

He kept listening.

"But I never expected the Sun family to invite Tan Kun. This guy may not be strong—rumor says he's only a second-rank Spirit Awakener—but his Divine Service Rating with the Longevity Star is said to be as high as forty-seven percent. Across all of Jiang Province, he could probably rank among the top three. There are also countless successful cases of his blessings."

"That impressive? Then the Sun family's old master should be saved. Come on, let's go watch!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

The worshippers behind him all hurried off to watch the excitement.

Lu Chen wanted to follow them, but on second thought, I should settle the matter of inviting the deity first.

He hurried to the deity-invitation counter, submitted his application, and paid the two-hundred-thousand deposit.

"Looks like Big Brother was right. Ill-gotten wealth comes quickly, and goes quickly too."

After paying the money,

Lu Chen's account had shrunk severely to less than thirty thousand.

He had only just stepped into modest comfort, yet in the blink of an eye, famine was looming again.

"What a cruel twist of fate!"

Without time for more lamenting, Lu Chen took a deep breath and ran toward the Longevity Star Hall.

This was his first time properly watching a Spirit Awakener take on a job.

And the one issuing the job was the Sun family.

A bona fide high-tier client!

"Perfect. I can learn a thing or two, and it'll make it easier for me to take on jobs myself in the future!"

With that thought in mind, Lu Chen quickened his pace several more notches.