[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-must-immediately-strike-it-lucky":3,"chapter-i-must-immediately-strike-it-lucky-i-must-immediately-strike-it-lucky-chapter-317":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Must Immediately Strike It Lucky",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294089,4487,"Chapter 317: The Merit Pool Really Has Merit","i-must-immediately-strike-it-lucky-chapter-317",317,"\u003Cp>“This is your credential. To ensure accurate records, carry it with you at all times and do not encase it in any sealing technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a wooden plaque from the Chenghuangmiao’s temple attendant, Feng Xue glanced at it and immediately understood how it worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he was particularly clever—it was because this thing was essentially the same as the talismans he’d made in his previous world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t contain a fragment of a false deity, so it couldn’t precisely record every spell cast like his talismans could; yet with just a technique similar to demonic detection, it could still log the discovery and elimination of malevolent spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He casually hung the spirit plaque on his wrist but didn’t leave immediately—he wasn’t familiar with this city, and lying in wait for demonic outbreaks was unrealistic; rather than diving straight into work, he preferred to see this so-called Merit Pool first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this is what they call the ‘dark bounty’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Merit Pool, Feng Xue gazed at the luminous, canopied force of wishes hovering above the water, his brow slightly lifting—the Merit Pool was essentially the same as Western wishing wells: a place where petitioners tossed copper coins into the pool to make wishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the pool’s peculiar spiritual radiance made clear it was no mere placebo for comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a single sweep of the Spirit-Viewing Technique, distinct strands of wish-energy unfolded before him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I hope my mother gets better soon!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I want to marry a wife!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I hope my business succeeds this time!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I beg the Chenghuang Lord to punish that bastard Wang Laohu!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All kinds of wishes, carried by tiny copper coins, floated above the wishing pool; no explanation was needed—Feng Xue understood that fulfilling the obsessions behind these wishes would grant him that wish-energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though cultivators didn’t all require wish-energy, as the Yin Bureau’s universal currency, it was excellent for personal use, ancestral use, or trading with other cultivators—it was effectively the general equivalent in the cultivator world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So in a sense, this truly was the locals’ bounty board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet most common petitioners didn’t realize their single copper coin’s wish could actually summon a cultivator’s aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, if they truly held that mindset, the wish-energy would lose its purity and cease to hold value as a “bounty,” ultimately sinking to the bottom like countless other coins, later being dredged up with other useless coins to become part of the Chenghuangmiao’s incense offerings—a form of apology from those whose hearts lacked sincerity for misusing public resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fascinating—the one who created this Merit Pool must be a genius!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xue watched the canopied wish-energy of the pool and nodded inwardly; that canopy wasn’t just the copper coins bearing wishes—even the pool water itself, steeped over years, had absorbed traces of wish-energy; given enough time, it might even give birth to something like a “Self-Disciplined Wish Spirit,” where sincere coin offerings would spontaneously coalesce into tangible aid to fulfill the wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s like the intermediary taking a cut.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Feng Xue pondered, he walked over to a young man with 170 years of Yu Shou and politely asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother cultivator, may I ask—when claiming a dark bounty from the Merit Pool, do I simply act on a wish, or are there procedures? Like retrieving the copper coins?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…?” The “young man” was startled that his cultivator identity had been instantly recognized, but after hesitation, he refrained from asking an embarrassing question; seeing Feng Xue’s unmistakably refined bearing, he replied courteously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, you’re too kind. The Merit Pool requires no formal claim—once you see a wish and decide to fulfill it, the karmic bond is formed. Simply follow the wish-energy’s thread to the petitioner, complete the task, then return here to collect your reward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly a marvel of divine craftsmanship!” Feng Xue marveled, yet felt puzzled: if the Chenghuangmiao was networked, why didn’t the ones in Lucheng or Pingan County have this? Surely not because they were too small?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xue didn’t know—he’d guessed correctly. To “sustain” a Merit Pool required long-term “feeding”; a place with only a few hundred thousand people simply couldn’t generate enough intense wishes or enough cultivators to fulfill them. If wishes went unclaimed too long, they might turn into deficits (e.g., a petitioner dying before their wish was fulfilled), leaving no fertile ground for a Merit Pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scanned the pool’s wishes, noted several related to healing and saving lives, had Xiao Lingdang log them, then strolled leisurely out of the Chenghuangmiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demonic outbreaks hadn’t fully erupted yet—first, heal and save lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Received!” Xiao Lingdang activated instantly at the keyword; far better than chasing wish-energy himself, the Guiding Goddess followed the marked route, leading Feng Xue back to Jilongzhai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then again, if they had money, they’d just hire a renowned physician or a high-level Xuan cultivator—they wouldn’t pin all hope on a single copper coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Feng Xue didn’t care much—he wandered through alleys to the location indicated by the wish-energy. Though it was New Year’s Eve, the door bore only hastily pasted Spring Festival couplets, slightly crooked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one listened closely, faint coughing could be heard; Feng Xue now had his answer, and gently knocked on the door. Moments later, a weary-looking woman opened it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Feng Xue’s appearance, the woman froze, then spoke timidly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir… Sir, what may I do for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, I’m a physician with a clinic in Dongxiang. Someone told me you have a sick person—I’ve come to examine them…” Feng Xue spoke gently, subtly employing a touch of illusionary influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s expression flushed with embarrassment, yet she stammered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have no money…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone has already paid.” Feng Xue waved his hand, calm as ever:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May I see the patient first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Mo Ying’s illusionary influence, the woman stepped aside to let him in. Oil lamps glowed dimly inside; after two steps, a hoarse male voice called out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A physician. Someone paid your fee and sent him to treat you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who would pay for a doctor for me? Probably…” The man struggled to rise, fearing a scammer—but seeing Feng Xue’s demeanor, he fell silent instantly; Feng Xue’s “bearing and expression” were such that even his entire family combined couldn’t afford to move him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now the man began to wonder—could he truly have a Shengsizhijiao  who secretly arranged for a doctor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1061,"2026-06-20T04:32:50.332Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c87d6e6bfaa5a961e8a427c384d182042619303be29b5c84aed5f3c4d0402da5","i-must-immediately-strike-it-lucky-chapter-318","i-must-immediately-strike-it-lucky-chapter-316",365,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-must-immediately-strike-it-lucky-cover.jpg"]