Ku Chan and Hong Ling’s coordination grew increasingly seamless. Before long, they had selected a significant number of light orbs.
“My Lord, look at this one.” Ku Chan pushed a light orb toward Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou took a look.
Within the light orb was the prayer of an elderly man.
The man was kneeling on the ground, his face full of devotion as he muttered, “Northern Great Emperor above, your believer Zhang Lao'er, sixty-eight years of age, bows before you.”
“This believer’s life is near its end; my death is of no consequence.”
“But this believer has a young grandson, only seven years old. His father and mother are both gone, leaving only this believer to raise him.”
“If this believer dies, there will be no one to look after the child.”
“This believer does not dare to ask the Great Emperor to extend my life. I only ask the Great Emperor to provide the child with a bite of food, so that he may grow up in peace and safety.”
“This believer is willing to be a beast of burden in the next life to repay the Great Emperor’s profound grace.”
Hong Ling observed along with him. After finishing, she said, “My Lord, this person’s level of faith is extremely high; he is a Devout Believer.”
“His prayer is not for himself, but for his grandson. I suggest we respond to him.”
Chen Zhou nodded. “Approved.”
Ku Chan hurried over, his eyes darting around. “Wait, My Lord. This poor monk has a suggestion.”
Chen Zhou looked at him.
Ku Chan rubbed his hands together and said cautiously, “My Lord, this old man is asking for a bite of food for his grandson.”
“If you use divine power to directly manifest a miracle, making grain grow in his field or allowing him to find a sum of money, it would certainly satisfy him.”
“But that consumes too much divine power.”
Chen Zhou looked at him. “What is your idea?”
Ku Chan gave a sly grin. “My Lord, it would be better to simply give him one of the lowest-grade Flesh-Reconstitution Pills. That would be enough.”
“One Flesh-Reconstitution Pill is enough to feed his grandson for three days. After three days, he will surely continue to pray. At that time, you can give him another.”
“In this way, he receives a response every time he prays, and his faith will become more and more devout.”
“This poor monk knows that the cost of a Flesh-Reconstitution Pill is practically nothing to you.”
Ku Chan continued, “My Lord, when this poor monk was running the Heart's Desire Hall in Lantao City, I used this very method.”
“With those mortals, you cannot satisfy all their prayers at once.”
“You must give to them bit by bit.”
“By giving a little each time, they will always keep you in mind and continue to pray.”
“This is called letting a long stream flow thin.”
After listening, Chen Zhou felt that Ku Chan’s words indeed made sense. He could easily produce hundreds of billions of first-stage Flesh-Reconstitution Pills; it was a mere drop in the bucket.
Furthermore, the divine power provided for the trial was limited and could not be wasted. If he could respond through other means, there was no need to consume divine power. Sacrificing a few first-stage Flesh-Reconstitution Pills was no big deal.
“Very well,” Chen Zhou nodded. “However, a Flesh-Reconstitution Pill can only satisfy hunger and heal injuries; it cannot cure illness.”
“He is advanced in age and his constitution is weak. If I only give him Flesh-Reconstitution Pills, he might not last until his grandson grows up.”
Ku Chan’s eyes darted again. “Then add another medicine.”
“There is no need for precious herbs. Doesn’t My Lord still have those Blood-Inducing Pills that replenish qi and blood? Give him two at once.”
“The Flesh-Reconstitution Pill is for the grandson to eat, and the Blood-Inducing Pills are for him to take himself.”
“This way, the grandson is fed, and he can nurse his body back to health.”
“He will surely be moved to tears of gratitude, and his faith will become even more devout.”
Chen Zhou pondered for a moment and nodded.
“We’ll do it that way.”
Just as he was about to bestow the pills, Ku Chan stopped him again.
“My Lord, wait.”
“There is one more thing.”
Chen Zhou looked at him.
Ku Chan said solemnly, “My Lord, when you respond, do not give them to him directly.”
“You must make him feel that this was earned through his devout prayers.”
“After he finishes praying, you can have him discover the two pills in front of the divine statue.”
“Then, give him a dream. In the dream, tell him that these were bestowed by the Great Emperor.”
“In this way, he will feel that the Great Emperor truly heard his prayers and truly responded to him.”
“The effect of this is ten times better than giving them to him directly.”
Chen Zhou looked at Ku Chan, smiled, and said, “Ku Chan.”
Ku Chan quickly replied, “This poor monk is here.”
“You’ve spent quite a bit of your life deceiving people, haven’t you?”
Ku Chan’s face paled in shock, and he hurriedly laughed apologetically. “My Lord, you jest! By heaven and earth, this poor monk only uses such small tricks occasionally to spread My Lord’s supreme grace. It is all for My Lord’s sake!”
Chen Zhou said nothing more. He wasn't truly going to blame Ku Chan. Following Ku Chan’s suggestion, he transported one Flesh-Reconstitution Pill and one Blood-Inducing Pill to the front of the old man’s divine statue.
Then, he manifested for a brief moment in the old man’s dream, letting him see a glimpse of Chen Zhou’s figure.
Though it was only for an instant and his face was blurred, the old man knew that it was the Northern Great Emperor he worshiped.
He knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face as he bowed repeatedly.
“Thank you, Great Emperor! Thank you, Great Emperor!”
Chen Zhou withdrew his divine sense and checked the divine power consumption. Since he hadn't bestowed an actual miracle and the pills were his own—only slightly using a low-grade dream manifestation technique—the divine power provided by the trial had only decreased by 0.01 points.
It was almost negligible.
As expected of Ku Chan. Although he was a coward who feared death and was full of schemes, he truly had unique insights into these minor details.
Ku Chan felt uneasy under Chen Zhou’s gaze and quickly lowered his head, pretending to filter light orbs.
Hong Ling also glanced at Ku Chan, her gaze somewhat complicated.
She didn't quite like Ku Chan’s almost calculating approach, but she had to admit that doing it this way was indeed more efficient and more beneficial for her Lord.
Moreover, for that old man, it was genuine help.
That was enough.
“Continue.”
Ku Chan picked out another light orb.
This time, it was the prayer of a young woman.
“Northern Great Emperor above, your believer of the Liu clan bows before you.”
“This believer’s husband went out to hunt demons and has not returned for three months. This believer worries day and night, unable to eat or sleep. I beg the Great Emperor to protect my husband and let him return safely...”
Hong Ling reported, “The light orb’s memory shows that Liu-shi is a mortal.”
“Her husband, Wang Dali, is a second-stage Bone Coiling stage lone cultivator. Three months ago, he teamed up with several companions to enter the mountains to hunt demons and has not returned since. Liu-shi has already reported it to the City Lord’s Mansion, but the search yielded no results.”
Ku Chan pondered for a moment.
“My Lord, I do not suggest responding to this prayer directly.”
“Why?”
“Because we do not know if this Wang Dali is dead or alive.”
“If he is still alive and we issue a divine oracle saying he is alive, Liu-shi will be at ease. But what if Wang Dali’s corpse is found a few days later?”
“Then Liu-shi’s faith will immediately collapse, and she might even resent the Great Emperor she worships.”
“If he is already dead and we issue a divine oracle saying he is dead, Liu-shi will be grief-stricken, and her faith will likewise be shaken.”
“Any direct response would be a mistake.”
Chen Zhou asked, “Then we don't respond?”
Ku Chan shook his head.
“Not responding won't do either. Liu-shi is a devout believer. She prays with sincerity; if My Lord ignores her, she will feel the god is unresponsive, and her faith will also be shaken.”
“Therefore, this poor monk suggests giving her a process.”
“A process?”
“Yes.” Ku Chan pointed at the images within the light orb. “Look, My Lord. Besides praying, Liu-shi is also trying to find a way herself.”
“She reported it to the City Lord’s Mansion, asked around for news, and even took out her meager savings to hire a lone cultivator to search the mountains.”
“This shows that Liu-shi is not the kind of weak woman who only cries and does nothing.”
“What she needs is a hope—a hope to sustain her while she continues to wait.”
“Therefore, My Lord does not need to tell her if Wang Dali is dead or alive. You only need to give her a vague guide in a dream.”
“For example, let her dream of a mountain with a crooked old pine on it. Then tell her to go there and look.”
“In this way, Liu-shi will feel the god has heard her prayer and given her a guide. She will go to that mountain to search, full of hope.”
“If she finds him, it is naturally the god’s credit. If she doesn't, she will feel that she failed to grasp the god’s guidance, rather than the god being unresponsive.”
“No matter the result, her faith will not be shaken.”
Chen Zhou was silent for a good while.
Then he said sincerely, “Ku Chan, it’s truly a waste of talent that you aren't running a pyramid scheme.”
Ku Chan looked bewildered. “My Lord, what is a pyramid scheme?”
“Nothing. I’m praising you.”
Though Ku Chan didn't understand, he knew it was a compliment and immediately beamed with joy.
“Thank you for the praise, My Lord! Woof woof!”
He tapped the light orb gently, and dream power seeped in, transforming into a mist-shrouded mountain peak within Liu-shi’s dream, with a crooked old pine at the summit.
Liu-shi startled awake from her dream, tears streaming down her face as she bowed incessantly toward the direction of the divine statue.
Divine power consumption: 0.01 units.
Watching from the side, Hong Ling couldn't help but speak up. “Master Ku Chan, where did you learn all these methods?”
Ku Chan chuckled and said, “Miss Hong Ling, this poor monk has lived for over four hundred years. I have no other skills, but I have some talent in observing expressions and deciphering human hearts.”
“The people of this world are myriad and strange, with all sorts of thoughts.”
“Some pray to gods because they truly believe; some pray just to try their luck; and some pray as a form of bargaining.”
“You must distinguish clearly who is sincere and who is false.”
“Even for those worth responding to, one must pay attention to the method and approach.”
“Give too much, and you breed idlers; give too little, and you chill hearts. Give too directly, and the other party won't cherish it; give too vaguely, and the other party won't understand.”
“The sense of proportion in this cannot be off by even a hair.”
Hong Ling fell into deep thought, as did Chen Zhou.
As time passed, Ku Chan and Hong Ling accelerated the speed of their screening. Under Ku Chan’s advice, Chen Zhou responded to the prayers. With the three of them working together, their efficiency was extremely high.
One by one, the light orbs were lit, and prayer after prayer received a response.
Within the sealed prayers, believers either received a pill, a word of guidance in a dream, or a wisp of death qi attached to their weapon to make it sharper.
With every response, Ku Chan calculated meticulously. If a problem could be solved with a pill, he would never use divine power; if it could be solved with herbs, he would never use a pill; if it could be settled with a single word of comfort, he would never waste any resources.
Chen Zhou even had a strange illusion—he wasn't passing the Zhaoye Ghost Emperor’s trial, but rather learning how to do business from a shifty merchant.
However, the results were indeed remarkable, and Chen Zhou slowly began to grasp the principles.
While picking, Ku Chan would explain and warn him: miracles were things that were blessings if used well, but calamities if used poorly.
“My Lord, look at these prayers. How many of them are asking for miracles?”
“They want a miracle to cure illness, a miracle to get rich, a miracle for revenge—they even want a miracle to find a lost item.”
“If My Lord bestows a miracle to cure Zhang San’s illness today, Li Si will ask for a miracle to help him get rich tomorrow, and Wang Wu will ask for a miracle to help him get revenge the day after.”
“And the day after that? Zhao Liu will lose a chicken and ask for a miracle to help him find it.”
“Human greed is endless.”
“How much divine power does My Lord have to satisfy everyone’s greed?”
“Therefore, this poor monk believes that a god bestowing a miracle must be extremely cautious.”
“Only by bestowing the most critical miracle at the most critical moment and the most critical juncture can you make a believer remember it for the rest of their lives and let faith sink into their very marrow.”
“Like the time My Lord purified the entire city of Lantao.”
“That single miracle directly turned tens of thousands of people into My Lord’s believers, and their faith is extremely devout.”
“Why? Because it was a matter of life and death—it was a narrow escape from a desperate situation.”
“But if My Lord bestows a miracle every other day, the believers will quickly become numb. Miracles will no longer be miracles, but daily routines.”
“By then, if My Lord wants to increase faith, you can only bestow even larger, more shocking miracles. But miracles have a limit; one day, My Lord will have no more miracles to bestow.”
“On that day, faith will collapse.”
Chen Zhou took a deep look at Ku Chan. “Ku Chan, have you ever thought about founding your own sect?”
Ku Chan was taken aback. “Why does My Lord say that?”
“These principles of yours are enough to be written into a world-shaking masterpiece.”
Ku Chan scratched his bald head and chuckled. “My Lord overpraises me. This poor monk has simply lived a bit longer and seen a bit more.”
“My Lord treats me well; the life this poor monk leads now is countless times better than before.”
“Back in the Buddhist Sect, this poor monk was on edge every day, fearing that some senior or junior brother would swallow my sarira or refine my physical body.”
“I had to sleep with one eye open, test my food for poison before eating, and even look out for a knife in the back while meditating.”
“But since following My Lord, I can now borrow your majesty and be revered by the masses.”
“Therefore, My Lord, this poor monk truly hopes that My Lord can build a high tower.”
“A tower ten thousand zhang high.”
“A tower that pierces the clouds, so that the gods and Buddhas of the heavens can only look up to it.”
“This poor monk has no great skills. My cultivation is just so-so; I can't beat Jian Huaishuang in a fight, and my management can't compare to Hong Ling. Scheming against people... hehe, this poor monk is alright at that, but that’s the extent of my ability.”
“So My Lord, those words just now were not me scheming against you, nor was I teaching you how to do things.”
“This poor monk is just... just taking all the little cleverness I’ve accumulated from years of struggling and giving it all to My Lord to use.”
“I understand the thoughts of these believers all too well.”
“My Lord, you look at them from a high place; you see the grand trend and the direction of people’s hearts.”
“But this poor monk looks at them from a low place; I see the daily necessities and the petty profits.”
“My Lord is meant for great things, standing above the clouds and looking down on all beings.”
“Above the clouds, it is clean and pure.”
“But below the clouds, in the mud pits, there will always be messy business that needs handling.”
“This poor monk is willing to be that person.”
As Ku Chan spoke, he pressed his palms together and bowed deeply to Chen Zhou.
“This poor monk hopes My Lord never has a day where you fall from the clouds into the dust.”
“Because if My Lord falls, a piece of trash like this poor monk probably won't even have his bone fragments left.”
“So My Lord, please, you must ensure you always remain high above.”
“The peaceful life for the rest of this poor monk’s days depends on My Lord.”
After he finished speaking, he raised his head, his face returning to that same fawning smile.
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