Young Master, It's Time to Excrete

Yu Ziqing, of course, didn't know that his desperate fight for survival had brought about some positive changes.

The Wasteland grew colder, but the cold air didn't have the good sense to stay only within the Wasteland. Great Zhen was already cold, so there was nothing to say about it. However, Great Li and Da Gan, whose climates had always been suitable, never had their rivers freeze even in the coldest part of winter. But this year, the areas bordering the Wasteland were naturally much colder than in previous years.

The consequences were bound to be comprehensive. Winter crops would inevitably have reduced yields or simply freeze to death. Coupled with heating and other issues, poor families who had little stored food besides seeds for the next planting would likely struggle to survive the winter. Even if they survived the winter, how they would live the next year would also be a problem.

In the past, those in high positions, who had never looked down upon the suffering of the common people, would often only lower their heads and glance at the rioting masses after famines, plagues, droughts, or floods, when unrest erupted.

This year, those ordinary, impoverished commoners at least didn't have to worry about not surviving or starving to death.

This was because those who sat on golden platforms, enjoying wealth and luxury, were somewhat afraid.

They had witnessed the appearance of the King of Hungry Ghosts, and even more so, they had seen countless hungry ghosts appearing on the Wasteland like a tidal wave. They knew that those hungry ghosts were not conjured out of thin air by the King of Hungry Ghosts; they knew clearly how those hungry ghosts came to be.

At this time, they would be astonished and express their shock, saying, "So many people starved to death here! So many people lived here before!"

In previous years, the torment experienced by those who starved to death, their despair and unwillingness in their final moments, was likely far greater than that of those who died from misfortune or torture. Therefore, the probability of those who starved to death transforming into starving ghosts was extremely high.

And after starving ghosts were driven mad by endless hunger, many would actively seek death. Killing a starving ghost would elicit a few sighs and remarks about doing a good deed by freeing them.

Now, the opportunities to do such good deeds would likely become fewer and fewer.

Putting aside the King of Hungry Ghosts, who was in slumber, they also had to consider the hungry ghosts themselves.

At the very least, they had to guarantee a simple hope for the common people within the borders, a hope as low as the dust: not to starve to death.

Because they dared not gamble on whether the number of hungry ghosts would continue to increase, and if it reached a certain point, whether it would reawaken that great lord. The very moment they had such a thought, they would break out in a cold sweat.

Regardless of the many concerns and considerations, this was still a good thing for winning over the hearts of the people and strengthening the foundation of national power. They should act quickly and not let the common people at the bottom truly starve to death.

There was one point: the hungry ghosts shared the same idea as them – not to let more people starve to death. This was also one of the main reasons why everyone directly defaulted to treating hungry ghosts and ordinary ghostly beings differently after the hungry ghosts appeared.

This incident had far-reaching consequences, and many major policy directions were changed because of it. Overall, it was a good thing that benefited the common people at the bottom.

But Yu Ziqing knew nothing of all this. Even if he knew, he would only praise it. Regardless of what the important figures thought, at least they had done something good.

He was now holding a dry biscuit, pinching off a few crumbs, and putting them in his mouth to savor, always keeping something in his mouth to eat, but not eating too much to the point of being full.

Because he now had a serious after-effect: even when his stomach was full, he would feel hungry, so hungry that he constantly wanted to eat.

If crumbs fell on the ground, he would even want to lie down and eat the crumbs along with the dirt.

Seeing Er Han eat like a pig, with food spilling out of his bowl, Yu Ziqing would want to jump up and smash Er Han's head. Fortunately, Er Han was resilient, which allowed Yu Ziqing to calm down a little. Of course, after he beat Er Han, the Village Chief would also beat Er Han again, and then it would be no one else's business.

The former Abyss of Despair had transformed into a domain, absorbed by Cècè, but the original hillside remained.

Yu Ziqing was currently squatting at the edge of the cliff at the end of the hillside, looking down into the dark abyss.

"You said this place was connected to another place before, and a very strong fellow trapped you here, making you help it gather souls, and ghostly beings were even better?"

"Yes, Young Master. However, it blocked me from leaving at that time, and I needed to use the waymark to awaken Young Master, so I didn't use it. Then the Ghost King was enraged, injured it, and burned its lair as well. I don't know if it's dead now; I can no longer feel it, and the connection has been completely severed."

Yu Ziqing looked back at the locust tree forest in the distance, which remained vibrant in the wind and snow. No wonder those tree-dwelling hungry ghosts had not dared to spread to Cècè's Abyss of Despair before.

The small passage that had existed here had also completely disappeared. The dark abyss, which was originally bottomless, could now be faintly illuminated by daylight, and the bottom could be vaguely seen.

"Now there's no contact, and the passage is destroyed. Since you know about it, we'll talk about it when there's a chance in the future, or when you're strong enough, you can go and kill it yourself and get your revenge."

"Young Master, I don't care anymore. It's probably already dead," Cècè still had a smile on its face.

But Yu Ziqing felt that its words were very much like his own – pragmatic.

When one lacks ability, it's "I don't care, I want to live my own life, level up my own skills, and live in peace."

When one has the ability, it's "Don't give me a chance, or I'll smash your head."

"The village is running out of food. Those guys, after body refining, are hard to starve to death for a while. Even with reduced rations, they won't last long. We have to go out and procure supplies now..."

"Young Master, there's no room for negotiation on this matter. I can go, and Young Master can stay in the village and recuperate well." Cècè's tone was very firm, its phoenix eyes fixed on Yu Ziqing, as if to say, "I have no choice but to tie you up and take you back."

"Alright, alright..." Yu Ziqing waved his hand and sighed, "I'll find something else to do. I'll go settle those hungry ghosts, is that okay?"

Cècè said nothing, but followed Yu Ziqing closely, always protecting his safety.

After walking for a short while, a head suddenly emerged from the ground. The young man, who had emerged from underground, walked up to Yu Ziqing with a wooden bucket, looking foolish, but with stubbornness in his eyes.

"Young... Young Master, it's... time..."

The young man stammered for a long time, but couldn't remember the word he wanted to say indirectly.

"It's time to go to the restroom, otherwise, if you're too full, it will harm your health," Cècè added from the side.

The young man looked at Yu Ziqing pleadingly and nodded repeatedly.

Yu Ziqing's face turned ashen; he felt like running away. The young man was quick, flashing forward to block Yu Ziqing with the wooden bucket. No matter what, Yu Ziqing couldn't escape today.

Yu Ziqing looked up at the sky, his mind in turmoil, not knowing how to express himself.

Why was that stubborn hungry ghost still as stubborn as a donkey after changing jobs? And how could it be so unlucky to have a companion item?

And how could this unlucky companion item be a chamber pot?

Otherwise, he wouldn't be chased three times a day, being urged to go to the restroom.

If he stood still, the young man would purse his lips, tilt his head slightly, as if doing a sacred and great deed, unshakeable, and stare at him motionlessly. No matter what he said, he couldn't escape.

"Fine..."

The young man put down the chamber pot, and the surrounding wind and snow automatically swirled up, forming a simple private room. He even thoughtfully opened the door for Yu Ziqing and waited for him to enter.

Yu Ziqing was out of options, so he walked in and sat on the commode. The commode would even change its appearance according to his will, ensuring a comfortable experience while using it.

The contents of his stomach flowed out smoothly. After he was done, it was so clean he didn't even need to wipe himself. Of course, to prevent Yu Ziqing from having any psychological needs, clean wooden strips were thoughtfully prepared nearby.

He actually didn't mind this. After he woke up, he had an uncontrollable urge to eat. His beef jerky was gone, and other foods couldn't stop his mouth from moving. As soon as he stopped, he felt a gnawing hunger, even if his stomach was already full.

If this wasn't resolved, even when he was on the verge of bursting, he would still feel incredibly hungry.

He just felt that being chased to use the commode every day, with two people serving him outside, was a level of luxury he'd never experienced in two lifetimes, and it made him a bit embarrassed.

A moment later, Yu Ziqing pulled up his pants and stood up. The bloated feeling in his abdomen disappeared, and his somewhat distended stomach returned to normal. The food he had eaten was rapidly digested by the anomalous power within him, transforming into stored energy.

He habitually glanced back at the commode. There was nothing inside, and no foul odor.

To be honest, if the circumstances were different, Yu Ziqing would absolutely love such a user-friendly commode.

He walked out of the simple ice and snow hut. The young man immediately covered the commode, picked it up again, bowed to Yu Ziqing, and disappeared into the ground.

Immediately after, the simple ice and snow hut also shattered, reintegrating into the snow on the ground.

Yu Ziqing looked back at the village.

"He was also a pitiable child, starved to death in his teens."

"Indeed, and quite stubborn," Cècè sighed and added.

"He actually had a chance to survive in his life. The people in his village were all very good. They left the hope of survival to him, wanting him to live and to take the corpses to Jinlan Village. Along the way, there was at least a sliver of hope, at least he wouldn't starve to death.

He was very stubborn and didn't listen to the villagers. Like them, he felt it was wrong, so he refused to eat any white meat even if it meant death. In the end, when he was starving to the extreme and had almost lost his reason, he hugged the commode and used the waste to make himself vomit until he had no desire to eat white meat anymore.

Ultimately, he starved to death and transformed into a hungry ghost. Somehow, he came to our village and, unlike other hungry ghosts, didn't become a tree-dwelling hungry ghost living in the locust trees."

"What was his name? Did he remember it?"

"He remembered. His name was Wu Shuangge."

"Wu? That's quite uncommon," Yu Ziqing said, listening to Cècè's words, his expression somewhat dazed.

In the past, he had also met many people with such convictions. They weren't very educated, some couldn't even read or write, but they simply felt that refusing to eat white meat even at the cost of their lives was natural and unquestionable.

"If there's a chance, find his former village and bury his friends and family. Also, tell his elders that he will never go hungry again."

Yu Ziqing flipped his hand, and a wooden bowl appeared out of thin air. He held a locust branch, dipped it into the sweet dew in the bowl, and sprinkled it outwards.

As the sweet dew hit the ground, locust trees immediately sprouted from the earth. Each locust tree was a dwelling place for a hungry ghost. Here, they could also borrow the power of the locust trees to escape the suffering of hunger.

But this time, unlike the previous tree-dwelling hungry ghosts, they would receive the first meal personally bestowed by Yu Ziqing.

After growing a large locust tree forest, Yu Ziqing looked back at Cècè, who was following closely behind him.

"How about you go out and see if you can procure or obtain some grain? I can settle these hungry ghosts myself, you don't need to stay with me."

Cècè just smiled at him, conveying the message: "You keep talking, and if I listen to even one word, I'll lose."