Exploiting a bug in this world

"Is that so?"

Fang Weiyan froze for a moment at those words. Remembering how the old woman had been struck by lightning before she could finish speaking, he briefly fell into a daze.

"So when a demon undergoes its Human Tribulation, it can't know what's happening around it. Is that right?"

Fang Weiyan continued asking.

"That is indeed the case," the Earth God replied.

"Then what counts as passing their Human Tribulation? Is simply letting them go enough?" Fang Weiyan continued asking.

"The circumstances of each demon's tribulation differ. There is no single rule, and this humble god does not know either."

The Earth God's words eased Fang Weiyan's furrowed brow a little.

But then he rubbed his forehead again. At least the other party did not know his secret. That was good enough.

He had truly feared that the other party knew his secret. If that were the case, he would have to kill them.

"I've already used up the divine power you shared with me before. Share a little more with me."

Since he was here, he might as well have the other party give him some more divine power first.

Hearing this, the Earth God did not hesitate and immediately shared a portion of his divine power with Fang Weiyan.

With Fang Weiyan providing him with incense offerings, sharing this little bit of divine power was no great matter.

After receiving the divine power, Fang Weiyan returned to the government office. Looking at the koi in the bucket beside him, he recalled the old woman's appearance earlier.

He sighed inwardly and hesitated. How about releasing that silver koi for her first and keeping this red koi for now?

With that thought, Fang Weiyan hurried back to the Taoist temple.

He needed to scoop the koi out.

But when Fang Weiyan returned to the temple, Feng Haixuan, who had been waiting all along, hurried forward.

He had waited several hours for Fang Weiyan and had finally caught him.

"Taoist priest."

Feng Haixuan stepped forward and greeted him.

Seeing Feng Haixuan, Fang Weiyan froze for a moment before remembering that he was the reporter from before.

Fang Weiyan immediately gave him a friendly nod. Come to think of it, the man had helped him before, too.

"Hello. Is there something you need?"

"Well, a friend of mine has been rather unlucky lately, and we'd like you to take a look, Taoist priest."

Feng Haixuan hurriedly explained.

Wang Youxian, who stood beside him, also hurried forward and greeted Fang Weiyan.

Fang Weiyan turned to look at Wang Youxian and nodded to him, then said to Feng Haixuan, "I'm a little busy right now. Could we do this later?"

He wanted to deal with the koi as soon as possible. Telling the man's fortune could wait.

"Of course. Please go ahead."

Feng Haixuan nodded lightly, then watched Fang Weiyan run over to the wishing pool and begin pumping out the water.

The worshippers nearby saw this as well. At first, they thought Fang Weiyan intended to collect the money beneath the water, but later, they saw him catch a silver koi from the bottom and simply leave.

Everyone was somewhat puzzled by the sight.

But Fang Weiyan had no intention of paying them any attention. Carrying the koi, he hurried back to Linbei County.

Then Fang Weiyan took the silver koi straight to the river outside Linbei County.

He released the koi into the river.

The moment Fang Weiyan placed the koi in the river, a hazy light shone.

The koi then poked her head above the surface and actually began speaking in a human voice.

"My lord, could you take me back to that pool and let me continue cultivating there for a while? If you agree, this humble demon is willing to serve you for the rest of your life."

There was a hint of pleading in the silver koi's voice. Timid by nature, she would not normally have done such a thing.

But when she thought of the place she had stayed before, not only had it been rich in the wishes of all living beings, it had also contained not a trace of karmic power. Moreover, that other world had a powerful Golden Crow.

Nor had she sensed any danger.

It was simply a sacred haven for cultivation. If Fang Weiyan agreed, she felt that serving him for his entire life would not be out of the question.

After all, a mortal's lifespan was only so long. To her, it would pass in the blink of an eye.

"Has your cultivation recovered?"

Seeing that she could speak, Fang Weiyan did not find it particularly surprising.

The silver koi nodded. "Please grant my request, my lord."

"No."

Fang Weiyan shook his head in refusal. Her cultivation had already recovered. If he took her over there, he did not know whether he could bring her back.

What if the guest usurped the host's place?

"My lord, this humble demon's cultivation has now risen greatly. If you are willing to take me in, I can bring you abundant fortune! Then you will be able to turn misfortune into blessings, and wealth will come pouring in."

Seeing Fang Weiyan refuse, the koi immediately grew anxious.

With her temperament, pleading like this was already her limit. But thinking of that other world, which had also allowed her to pass her Human Tribulation smoothly, made her yearn for it all the more.

Turn danger into safety?

At those words, Fang Weiyan's heart stirred.

If she really could turn danger into safety, taking her in did not seem out of the question.

"What exactly do you want to go to that pool for?"

Fang Weiyan asked. If her demands were not too excessive, he could simply bring whatever she needed to her. There would be no need to take her over there.

"The wishes of all living beings on those coins from before, and the Golden Crow's divine light."

Hearing his question, the koi explained, "For this Human Tribulation, a koi must help people change their luck and earn some merit before it counts as having passed."

"But in doing so, we should also bear some karmic power, which would diminish our fortune. Yet for some reason, there was no karmic power on those coins."

To put it plainly, this Human Tribulation existed because their fortune as koi was too abundant. If it were not reduced a little, it seemed their path from then on would be smooth all the way.

After helping people change their luck, a koi would imperceptibly bear some karmic power. To offset that karmic power, its own fortune would diminish.

But for some reason, there had been no karmic power on those coins.

"That can happen?"

Fang Weiyan found this astonishing. Then he could not help looking up at the sky. Does this count as exploiting a bug in this world?

As for the karmic power she mentioned, Fang Weiyan guessed that it probably could not cross between worlds.

At that thought, Fang Weiyan's spirits rose. If that was the case, it seemed he really ought to cooperate with this koi.

At the very least, the good luck she could bring him was something Fang Weiyan found rather hard to resist.

After some thought, Fang Weiyan gritted his teeth and nodded. He decided to take her back to the government office first. The rest could be considered at length.

As for the Golden Crow she mentioned, isn't that the sun? Could this world's sun actually be a Golden Crow? Su Mu silently speculated.

"In that case, come back with me for now."

As he spoke, Fang Weiyan picked up the bucket beside him.

Seeing this, the koi jumped straight inside without another word.