Chapter 376: Chapter 223: Wishing for Wealth? Ning An Chuckles, Don’t Worry, Guaranteed Windfall!

"What you mentioned was yesterday’s situation; today, I’m afraid it’ll be three thousand and upwards. In this case, he must get serum protein injections."

"..."

Ning An’s expression became even more solemn: "I can clearly tell you, Guanyin Soil is useless!"

"My suggestion is that you immediately go down the mountain to the hospital for a rabies vaccine. Rabies virus is no joke!"

But Guanyin Soil is cheap...

The young man wanted to say this but saw Ning An’s sharp gaze and swallowed it back.

After hesitating for a moment, he lifted his head, gritting his teeth: "Then, Daoist Master, I’ll offer incense."

Hearing this, the live stream audience immediately sighed.

"Well, I can understand him now. The kid wakes up early and stays up late for coupons, definitely shows the family’s condition is average. For kids like them, the rabies vaccine is indeed somewhat expensive."

"Expensive, so what? Does it mean we throw away our lives just because it’s pricey? Rabies virus is terrifying; everyone here knows this isn’t something to ignore. It’s life-threatening!"

"This kid is too honest. In this situation, just make a call home; at worst, endure a scolding. What’s the big deal?"

"Above, I’m not challenging you on purpose, but I genuinely feel the need to point out your comment is similar to what Queen Marie Antoinette said: Let them eat cake."

"Perhaps he didn’t want to speak up, or maybe the family conditions are genuinely poor, and he doesn’t want to burden his family. After all, Dragon Country’s development is fast, but currently, it’s somewhat distorted."

"..."

Ning An understood his meaning, sighing: "You realize this, can’t you just call home?"

"I can’t burden my family."

The young man let out a bright smile, beaming with happiness and some bitterness: "My tuition is from a loan by the national development bank, and my living expenses come from my father smashing crossties for work, the kind on the railway, made of large elm wood. I tried once; even when I gave my all, I could only manage one in an hour, and each one is just ten yuan."

"I have two younger brothers at home, just thirteen or fourteen years old. I don’t want to be a burden to them."

Upon hearing this, Ning An didn’t say much more, sighed, handed over the incense stick, and let him go offer incense.

The live stream audience was already overflowing with maternal compassion upon hearing this.

"Brother Sect Leader, ask for his contact information; I’ll cover this money for him."

"No need, previously, a sister married an old man for money, and now that the old man has just passed, she’s finally free, with too much money to spend. She’s willing to cover all his university expenses."

"That’s not right; my family runs a coal mine over in Jincheng, five of them! I’ll pay the money. If his major fits, he can come work for us directly after graduation, and his salary will be at least as good as a regular graduate student’s."

"..."

The live stream audience various wealthy individuals expressed their willingness to pay, but Ning An shook his head, saying:

"I advise you not to rush, just wait a moment."

The live stream audience was anxious.

"How can we wait? The kid is about to offer incense and make a wish; even if his wish is small, it comes at a cost. Is it worth risking his life for such a small amount of money?"

"Yes, this money seems substantial to him, but to us, it really isn’t much; we can easily afford it."

"Brother Sect Leader, stop him quickly. He’s about to offer incense, if you don’t stop him now it’ll be too late, hurry!"

"..."

Seeing these comments in the live stream, Ning An sighed inwardly, unmoved.

He certainly believed that the live stream contained genuinely kind-hearted individuals, but he was cautious of those with impure intentions, who might be using this opportunity to advertise or promote themselves.

Moreover...

Ning An turned to look at the young man, feeling reflective.

Typically, in ordinary families, the mother’s control of finances is indisputable.

This child’s living expenses are obviously stretched compared to the cost of the rabies vaccine, but he knows its dangers; otherwise, he wouldn’t come to Changchun Temple to buy the so-called Guanyin Soil.

Yet, from start to finish, he hasn’t said a word to his family.

It’s not just due to poor family conditions; more likely, there’s an issue in his interactions with his mother.

Or perhaps his mother has some problems herself...

No matter which scenario, Ning An didn’t want to intervene—such matters often end up being thankless tasks. Why bother?

It’s better to let him offer incense and make a wish; after all, it’s extremely efficacious, and even with some cost, compared to his small wish, the sacrifice won’t be too significant.

Some might say: Little Daoist, you aren’t lacking money; why not directly give him some money for medical treatment?

Lucky for Ning An, there are no comments like this in the live stream; otherwise, he’d respond fiercely.

Yes, he’s a Daoist capable of such things, but the people who come to Changchun Temple are all seeking divine help for worldly hardships.

He can’t help each one who comes, right?

Otherwise, why do we need the state?

He could claim himself as king, with all the incense burners as his subjects.

As the saying goes: Once the door to kindness opens, endless troubles follow.

If anyone likes doing this, Ning An won’t stop them; just don’t impose moral codes and stand on moral high ground to condemn him.

He’s only doing what he needs to do, that’s all!

As his thoughts shifted, the young man began his incense offering and prayer.

As the familiar system tone sounded, Ning An turned his head towards the incense burner.

The screen remained light blue:

[Gender: Male]

[Occupation: University Student]

[Name: Du Kangkang]

[Wish: Immortal Bless me, may Ancestor Dashi watch over from above, allow this disciple to receive unexpected wealth, just enough for the rabies vaccine.]

[Alternative Wish Fulfillment: In ten minutes, Du Kangkang will receive a call from Yilin editors—his three submissions have been selected, totaling three thousand yuan in payment!]

[Cost: For this semester, his ethics course will be closely monitored by the teacher. Whenever he attends, the teacher will call his name; being late once deducts half of the regular grade, being late twice results in a complete deduction!]

Excellent!

Looking at the panel content, Ning An nodded subtly.

Three thousand yuan isn’t much for a college student, but lacking a means to liquidate it, Du Kangkang is in such distress.

Now the system has only played a minor supporting role, so this cost seems negligible, hardly qualifying as a cost.

When Du Kangkang exited the Prayer Hall and once again sat before Ning An, Ning An first smiled and asked, "Do you enjoy writing?"

"Wow!"

Du Kangkang’s face lit up with excitement, incredulously, "Brother Sect Leader truly is an Immortal, being able to tell this!"

"Well, I saw your bag is full of books, so I guessed," Ning An pointed to his bulky book-filled backpack and smiled.

Du Kangkang sheepishly scratched his head, chuckled.

"Have you submitted any articles to magazines or such places?"

Upon hearing this, Du Kangkang’s face drooped, deflated: "I have, but none have accepted them."

"They either say my writing lacks depth or reflect real situations too much, or they immediately decline with a standard template."

Ning An showed interest, asking, "How many pieces have you written? How many magazines have you submitted to?"

Du Kangkang appeared deep in thought, uncertain: "About seventy to eighty pieces? I’ve submitted to almost all well-known magazines, most have been rejected; only a few haven’t responded yet, but I think they’re unlikely."

Du Kangkang hadn’t realized yet, but the live stream audience reacted quickly.

"Hey, Brother Sect Leader means his articles might be selected by a magazine!"

"Definitely, otherwise why suddenly bring this topic up!"

"Imagine, well-known magazines often pay at least 300 yuan for original pieces; if he submitted long-form content, the payment could be substantial!"

"This is good, very good! Teaching to fish is better than giving fish, excellent!"

"..."

Slowly catching on, Du Kangkang widened his eyes, preparing to say something when his phone suddenly rang.

He took out the phone, glanced at the screen’s contact note, couldn’t wait, and stood up excitedly to answer the call.

Immediately, an appealing female voice came from the other end:

"Mr. Du, congratulations! The three long pieces you sent to us have passed our editorial review."

"..."

"Your payment will be credited within half an hour. Please check it."