Qiongshen was the son of Zhuantu (zhuanxu).
Zhuanxu was the grandson of Huangdi and one of the Five Emperors of the human race. However, his reputation was not good at all. In his youth, he was ambitious and progressive, quelling rebellions of the Nine Li tribes militarily on several occasions. In terms of governance, he was brave and decisive, intelligent beyond compare, and was eventually chosen as the heir by Huangdi. But when he truly ascended to the throne, he became a distant version of Emperor Yang of Sui, fond of grandeur and success. Politically, he banned shamanism and established male superiority over females; militarily, he initiated various kinds of wars.
Three sons of Zhuānxū died immediately after birth.
One son fell into the water and turned into a malaria ghost, one died and his soul fled into the mountains, becoming a plague ghost angliang, and another turned into a small child ghost hiding in the corner to scare children.
Zhuanxu was a legitimate one of the Five Emperors, succeeding Huangdi Yuanyouhuang. His status in human society was much higher than that of King Zhou. He had his three sons built temples, and their incense became gods. The malaria ghost became a water god, the angliang ghost became a mountain god, and the child ghost became a protector of young children. This is how he decreed it, but in reality, these three ghosts were only transformed from evil spirits into evil gods.
Zhuanxu also had a son from a servant woman, whom he disliked and often beat and cursed. He dressed him in rags and fed him leftover food. Eventually, the son became extremely thin, wearing only a single layer of clothing, and died on the evening of the 30th day of the first month. Zhuanxu then designated this much-hated son as the God of Poverty.
Taou, with a human face and tiger body, was also his son. This one did not receive divine status, as Taou had done countless evil deeds, killed people by the masses, and would often swallow ordinary people whole. He had fallen into the category of demonic beasts and was no longer considered part of human society. As a ruler of the human realm, Zhuanxu did not have the authority to bestow a divine title on him.
Zhuanxu's sons had committed so many evil deeds that they exhausted the people's respect and wealth accumulated during the Yellow Emperor's era. It was not until the reign of Emperor Yao that the human race, relying on wisdom, drove away these evil gods and fierce beasts.
Among Zhuanxu's numerous ghost sons, the God of Poverty is considered the best.
This one only wants money, but the others are lethal.
The God of Poverty was summoned back to the Chinese land from the extreme west by the ancestors of the Shang Dynasty. As it was, the Shang and Zhou dynasties were at odds with each other, and the God of Poverty set his sights on the unique destiny of the Ma family, constantly bothering them every few days.
Jiang Ziyu was also frustrated. While losing money in the prime minister's mansion was a minor issue, instability in the rear would greatly affect his campaign to the east.
He attempted to resolve the issue with the God of Poverty and found that the whip used to discipline gods was ineffective. This god was a "former official," which meant he was not listed in the Scroll of Divine Titles. The whip could only be used to discipline "current" officials.
Sword of the Gods? The God of Poverty lived to adulthood under the malevolent gaze of Zhu Xu and his ghostly brothers, and he had an extremely keen sense of danger. Jiang Ziya's spiritual awareness was not enough to lock onto his target.
Spear with Seven Golden Tips? As for the huge cost of using it, just let's forget about that. Even the name of this god, God of Poverty, he doesn't even know. Even he himself doesn't know what his name is. His father Zhu Xu didn't even give him a name.
The old Jiang had no choice but to endure it.
Fortunately, the damage caused by the God of Poverty was not great. Not to mention compared to the evil deity Manxia who could turn thousands of miles into wasteland upon birth, but even compared to his three ghostly brothers, the harm he caused was under control.
Because the God of Poverty targeted the rich. If you were extremely poor, he wouldn't even care about you.
Under the governance of Jiang Ziyu, the state of Zhou was politically very clear. Although there was some corruption among officials, overall it was not many. The main theme here is to establish the country through farming and warfare. It was either fighting or farming, and the commercial atmosphere was close to zero. All transactions were controlled by the state level, and there were no conditions for transactions in the folk.
At a glance, there were only the poor.
The Ma family was tormented by the God of Poverty for several rounds, and all their savings were exhausted. Jiang Ziyu borrowed the Five Fire Seven Beasts Fan from Qingxu Daodexinjun, and with one sweep of the fan, he drove away the God of Poverty.
The God of Poverty still had some interest in the Ma family's destiny, but instead of returning to Xig City, he headed north along the Tao River.
Initially, the ancestors of the Yin Dynasty did not summon him. However, his condition for returning to the Chinese land was to disturb Zhou Country. Now that Xig City has been devastated almost to the point of no return, he has set off for another city.
Bo Yikao built a city upstream of the Tao River.
This river is a tributary of the Yellow River, and among the locals of Xirong, it is considered a sacred river.
Whether it is a sacred river or not, he doesn't know. As long as the water is rich and the grass is lush, it's suitable.
Shepherding, Bo Yikao brought his wife, son, and many followers to this land, clearing fields and raising livestock. When he encountered enemies, he would fight in armor himself.
Now, several years have passed, and the city of Jin has become the brightest gem in the northwest of the Chinese land.
Bo Yikao didn't want any trouble, but trouble came to him anyway.
The God of Poverty came to the door.
In just one day, a large amount of copper coins were lost within the city, and the nomadic herders outside the city also suffered heavy losses.
At first, it was thought to be thieves, but later it was discovered that it was not. This was some kind of divine power.
Unlike Xig City under the governance of Jiang Ziyu, Xig City had been beaten by Yin for over a decade. It was defending one corner against the entire Central Plains with its meager resources, suffering heavy losses. Every copper coin in its possession had to be utilized to its fullest potential. The common people had no money, especially after experiencing a thousand-year drought disaster, it was common for a family to share one piece of clothing.
On the other side of the northwest, in the city of Jin, it's different. The drought demon, Manxia, doesn't know that this area has become a part of the Xia realm. Plus, it's too remote, so she hasn't come here at all.
Since there was no disaster here, Jin City occasionally had to do trade with the Xirong people. Both the officials and common people, as well as the nomadic herders, had some spare money. However, with the God of Poverty's arrival, they became overnight paupers.
Jiang Ziyu dispatched his confidant with his own letter to explain the current situation and solution to Bo Yikao. Since you are already poor, when you run out of money completely in a few days, the God of Poverty will leave by himself.
Bo Yikao lacks knowledge about immortals and deities, and he doesn't have much faith in Jiang Ziyu's letter. You say go away and it's gone? Is this your family's god? What if he doesn't leave?
His thinking pattern still adheres to the traditional ideology of the Shang and Zhou periods, which is to offer sacrifices of three kinds of animals by the side of the Tao River to appease gods.
He bowed and prayed, one bow for one request, two bows for two requests, and three bows for three requests. He lit three incense sticks, recited his own prayer, and then burned the prayer to show it to the gods. Finally, he just waited.
His son Yì asked, "Father, can we really summon the immortals to help us?"
Yì, now fourteen years old, looked a bit weak, but according to the general perception of this era, he was already an adult.
Bo Yikao had been blown by the winds and frost of the northwest for several years, his skin rough, his temples speckled with white hair, no longer resembling the gentle gentleman of yore. He had a hidden illness that had been treated before, but the accumulated mental stress and the heavy workload over these years had increasingly weakened his body.
In front of his son, he could only pretend to be energetic.
There are many immortals in this world, but whether they are willing to help you is another matter entirely.
He could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
Facing his son's inquiry, he said with great certainty: "Yes, it will happen, it must happen."
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