“Clang clang…”
The golden bowl spun continuously on the sword tip, producing metallic clinks. The sudden appearance of the golden bowl made the great cultivator who had been about to act against Ye Chu change colour drastically. His gaze shot out like lightning as he scanned the surroundings.
“Who is it? Get out here!”
Ye Chu looked at the golden bowl. The tension in his heart finally eased. He glanced at Ruoshui and saw her looking thoughtful as well. The clenched fist at her side slowly relaxed.
“Wow! So many people! So lively! But you all look so ragged and poor!” A voice suddenly exploded in the air. At some unknown moment, a fat man had appeared in the middle of the field.
Yes, a fat man. Even fatter than Pang Shao by a margin. His eyes were small, his nose bridge somewhat flat. Though he had no artistic sense in his appearance and was not particularly tall, all these features combined gave people an inexplicably kind and approachable feeling.
He stood in the centre with a smile on his face. That smile was as innocent as a child’s, so guileless it made people’s hearts feel clear and pure. Of course, what drew the most attention was his body. Every inch of him was adorned with gold, jade, emeralds, and pearls. From head to toe, treasures hung everywhere. Even on a single small finger sparkled dazzling gold, jade, and jadeite. His entire person was draped in jewels and surrounded by treasures, gleaming so brightly it hurt the eyes.
Everyone looked at the treasures covering him. Some thought that if they robbed him, they could become immensely wealthy in an instant, securing riches for generations.
He looked harmless and innocent. His chubby face had exceptionally smooth skin, even glossier than a woman’s, giving him a very cute and adorable appearance. Yes, cute. He gave the impression of an adorable doll.
“Bloody hell! Whose child is this? Every part of him is hung with treasures and gold. Is he showing off his wealth?” Pang Shao could not help muttering under his breath. Hearing this, Ye Chu quickly pulled Pang Shao, signalling him not to speak recklessly. If this madman heard those words, Pang Shao’s fate would be uncertain at best.
The golden bowl continued spinning on the blade tip with clear metallic sounds. The fat man, who had attracted everyone’s gaze, rolled his small yet lively eyes. He sighed with emotion. “People in this world are all poor, so poor.”
After sighing, he walked up to one cultivator. This cultivator’s clothes were tattered and miserable from entering the tomb, looking extremely dishevelled.
“So pitiful. Too poor even to afford clothes.” The fat man sighed again, full of compassion for the world. He took a gold ingot from his bosom and handed it to the cultivator. “It’s all my fault for being too rich, leaving you all with no money to spend. This God of Wealth will give you one ingot to buy clothes. My condolences…”
The cultivator wanted to curse loudly. He thought to himself: Old man, I have money! I’m not a beggar! I don’t need your charity. And I’m perfectly alive! Condolences my arse!
“I don’t need it!” The cultivator shook his head, his expression somewhat unpleasant.
“What? You don’t want it?” The golden doll’s eyes widened. Though he tried hard to open them wide, they still looked small. “The God of Wealth is giving you something and you refuse?”
“Yes! I don’t want it!” If not for sensing something strange about this fat man, the cultivator would have wanted to slap him to death.
“You think I’m poor? You look down on me?” The golden doll reacted as though his tail had been stepped on. The originally friendly and approachable chubby face twisted. Regardless of whether the other wanted it, he shoved a gold ingot hard into the cultivator’s arms.
Everyone looked at the golden doll strangely. They thought this fat man must have something wrong with his head. Even if your family is rich, why force others to accept it?
“The God of Wealth is rich! Very rich…” The golden doll kept repeating. He took out ingot after ingot from his bosom and smashed them at the cultivator who had just refused him.
“You refuse because you look down on me!”
“The God of Wealth is giving you something, and you won’t take it!”
“Bastard! Do you think the God of Wealth is poorer than you? That’s why you refuse?”
“The God of Wealth is richer than kingdoms! Pfft, richer than kingdoms means nothing! The God of Wealth possesses the treasures of the four seas…”
With every sentence, another gold ingot flew out. Soon more than ten had been thrown. Some people watching could not help cursing him for squandering wealth. They wondered whose mad child this was, throwing gold around like this.
But what surprised them even more was that the cultivator who had refused earlier now stood motionless. Gold ingots smashed into him, drawing blood and leaving bloody welts. Finally, one struck his forehead, knocking him unconscious.
Everyone found it strange. That cultivator was not weak. Though not a great cultivator, he had Primordial Spirit Realm strength. How could a few gold ingots knock him out?
The golden doll looked at the unconscious cultivator and shook his head. “I knew it. Because of my wealth, you felt ashamed and unworthy to face me. So you chose to faint instead.”
The golden doll stepped forward and carefully picked up every single gold ingot he had thrown, placing them meticulously back into his bosom.
Pang Shao and the others were stunned when they saw this. They had thought the fat man would not bother picking up the gold again, assuming he had given it all to the cultivator he knocked out.
When he picked up the last ingot, the golden doll walked to another cultivator. He took out another gold ingot and said, “You won’t refuse the God of Wealth, right?”
“Of course not!” Having learned from the previous example, this cultivator naturally knew how to respond. He quickly accepted it. In his heart, he cursed: Where did this idiot fat man come from? Throwing gold around for free.
The cultivator took the gold ingot. The golden doll’s face returned to its harmless, friendly expression. He smiled warmly. “That’s right! The God of Wealth has always been generous. How can you refuse a gift?”
The cultivator also smiled along with the golden doll. He thought to himself: Fools come every year, but this year seems to have more. Getting a gold ingot for free. Enough to squander for quite a while.
Only Ye Chu looked at this cultivator with sympathy. Pang Shao heard Ye Chu mutter “my condolences” and wondered why Ye Chu would say such a thing for no reason.
But soon, Pang Shao understood who Ye Chu’s condolences were for.
“Have you heard this saying?” The golden doll suddenly asked the cultivator.
“What saying?” The cultivator replied absentmindedly as he tucked the gold ingot into his bosom.
The golden doll did not stop him. Instead, he smiled brightly and said, “Today I was helped by others. Tomorrow I must help countless others.”
“Never heard it!” The cultivator thought: What kind of nonsense is this? I’ve never heard anything like it.
The golden doll smiled. “It’s fine if you haven’t heard it. Then the God of Wealth will ask you just one question: Do you think you are the poorest person in the world?”
“Of course not!” The cultivator shook his head. Though he was not particularly wealthy, he was at least comfortable. The poorest people in the world were those who could starve to death.
The golden doll laughed. “Exactly! You should have a sense of social responsibility! What? You don’t understand what social responsibility means? Fine, let me give you an example. For instance, right now the God of Wealth feels you are very poor, so he gave you one gold ingot. Shouldn’t you then give back to society? When you see someone even poorer, shouldn’t you feel compassion and help improve their lives? Only then can life be beautiful. Only then can the world be harmonious! Only then can the human world be filled with truth, goodness, and beauty!”
“…” The cultivator wanted to kick the golden doll to death. He thought: Where does all this truth, goodness, and beauty come from? But knowing the fat man in front of him was strange, he could only agree. “Yes, yes, I will definitely have a sense of social responsibility.”