The Most Pious Family

On the gilded altar, amidst luxurious items like silken threads, vajra bronze censers, and calming incense, sat an ordinary, scratched porcelain bowl filled with plain white rice.

Uncle Fu, his expression solemn, carefully took out a jade bottle and dripped five drops of Sweet Dew, along with some Cave Dew, which was highly beneficial for ghostly beings. It seemed like a simple bowl of plain rice soaked in water was ready.

He then changed into a clean, new set of clothes, the creases perfectly ironed. He lit the incense using his own Yang energy and inserted it into the bowl of rice, forming the almsgiving mudra with his hands while reciting an incantation.

"Heaven and earth give birth to mortal wealth and possessions, which already belong to man. They are rootless, neither attached to heaven nor fixed to earth. Things are in their midst, allowing them to be moved and circulated. Their duty is to assist those in need and relieve emergencies."

In front of the altar lay a long, dark abyss, from which yin energy billowed.

As the ritual began, the smoke from the incense transformed into a flowing stream, like a phantom river, and poured into the dark abyss below the cliff.

In just a moment, loose stones on the cliff began to fall, and the entire cliff seemed to tremble slightly. A large swarm of hungry ghosts erupted from the abyss below the dark cliff like a geyser.

Uncle Fu's gaze sharpened slightly, but he then suppressed the urge to interrupt the almsgiving spell and return to protect Gu Tianxin, continuing to stand there and chant the incantation motionlessly.

The countless hungry ghosts that surged out filled the ground densely, and more continued to pour out from the cliff behind them.

They clasped their hands together in front of them, and the scattered smoke condensed in their palms, transforming into steaming grains of white rice, which they consumed.

Uncle Fu's worries gradually dissipated. Having personally tested the contents of Cècè's letter, he found nothing amiss. He cast aside his distracting thoughts and focused on the almsgiving.

He knew where these hungry ghosts came from, and a trace of kindness was stirred within him.

When the incense finally burned out, the hungry ghosts who had received the alms bowed in thanks. Uncle Fu also smiled and returned the gesture with a bow.

At this point, he no longer had any ulterior motives. He simply felt that doing this was good, a good deed.

The moment he opened his heart, the stray thoughts, malevolence, and demonic intent that had accumulated within him, which might have become obstacles to his cultivation or inner demons in the future, flew out as wisps of black smoke. Within the crowd of hungry ghosts, they transformed into ferocious, human-head-sized demonic entities.

Before these demonic entities could even roar or bare their fangs, they saw the hungry ghosts, so numerous they filled their entire field of vision…

In just two or three breaths, these intangible demonic entities were torn apart and devoured by the hungry ghosts.

At the same time, the hungry ghosts retreated back into the dark abyss and disappeared.

Uncle Fu stood frozen in place, feeling a sense of clarity and purity in his body and soul, unsure of what to say.

Cècè's young lady's letter hadn't explained the details, only mentioning it briefly, making it sound like a simple "doing good deeds makes you feel good."

He had only tested it himself as a precaution. He hadn't expected that when he sincerely purified his mind and simply intended to do a good deed, the words in the letter would transform from a polite phrase into their literal meaning.

His expression grew even more solemn; he understood the significance of such a change all too well.

These hungry ghosts were originally pitiable beings from the lower strata. Most people who knew about hungry ghosts didn't harbor much malice towards them and instinctively differentiated them from other ghostly beings. Now, this distinction would likely become even greater.

And this was Yu Ziqing's original intention. Even when he was unconscious, he had instincts, and those instincts followed his true heart.

He knew best that he needed to find a way out for these hungry ghosts, not just to carve out a path for them, the path of the hungry ghost, giving them a chance to no longer starve.

The vast majority of hungry ghosts needed almsgiving, but relying solely on human kindness would never be sustainable, and that kind of relationship would always have an inherent disparity.

To make a relationship stable in the long run, everyone needed to be brought to a similar level. With a subtle balance of interests, a give-and-take, the overall relationship would become more stable and enduring.

Yu Ziqing needed everyone to be able, when they wished, to easily perform almsgiving for these pitiable hungry ghosts occasionally, because he couldn't provide for all of them himself.

After personally testing it and experiencing changes far exceeding his expectations, Uncle Fu immediately turned to report to Gu Tianxin.

The impact of this matter would be immense.

"The red sun's tribulation ends, the white sun shall rise!"

The slogan, almost a roar filled with fervent fanaticism, exploded throughout the city.

Yu Ziqing pushed open the window of the inn and looked outside. A procession, clad in white robes and carrying white banners, resembling a funeral procession, paraded through the streets before dusk.

At the distant city gate, the guards, their necks hunched, were huddled around a charcoal brazier for warmth, not even glancing in this direction.

The city also appeared increasingly desolate. Scattered scraps of paper drifted on the streets, and the sparse, hurried pedestrians were unwilling to get involved or even take a second look, mostly just avoiding the cultists from a distance.

Although this town was in a border region, it was still nearly a thousand miles from the actual border.

Whether the higher echelons of the Great Zhen were unwilling to intervene or simply hadn't noticed the situation here, the authorities of this town were clearly no longer capable or energetic enough to manage these matters.

It was unlikely that any city lord would welcome their territory being overrun by cultists, with a desolate marketplace, shops closing down, and fewer and fewer vendors.

Just as Yu Ziqing didn't want the path of the hungry ghost he had opened to eventually be tainted by disgusting things like the White Sun Evil Sacrifice, he didn't need the hungry ghosts to do anything for him, but he also didn't want anyone to use his name to swindle civilians and then swindle hungry ghosts.

This was something he couldn't tolerate. If he couldn't eliminate these heretical paths, there were other ways to achieve a lasting solution: dig a big pit and wait to trap and kill their Holy Mother.

His initial intention in cultivating the path of the hungry ghost was to quickly develop an anti-fraud method, directly using his authority to engrave it into the path of the hungry ghost. From then on, anyone who exploited hungry ghosts for incense offerings would be backlashed.

Thinking of starting to lay the groundwork and attempt parasitic cultivation?

I'll develop the pest control first, blocking all your paths. Anyone who tries will die.

Of course, this was a last resort, not yet complete, but it didn't prevent Yu Ziqing from attempting to eliminate them through other means now.

Closing the window, Cècè poured Yu Ziqing a cup of hot tea.

"Young Master, the leader today has already begun their cultivation. Their voice carries a hint of bewitchment."

"Did you discover anything?"

"I dare not investigate casually within the city. My control over the domain is insufficient. I fear that if there are experts within dozens of miles, they might detect me. However, without expanding my domain, I sensed that the City Lord's Mansion contains hungry ghosts, and there are no cultivators with any significant strength within the city. This is quite abnormal. For a border town that isn't a major hub, there should at least be a fifth-tier or even a sixth-tier expert stationed here."

"Can you summon that hungry ghost?"

"He must be trapped. I'll go with Wu Shuangge tonight."

"Okay."

As night fell, the White Sun cultists became even more brazen. They seemed tireless, clad in plain hemp robes, chanting scriptures as they walked the streets outside. No one dared to venture out at this hour.

Wu Shuangge used his earth-escape ability to bring Cècè along to the City Lord's Mansion.

Within the vast City Lord's Mansion, it was eerily silent at night, with only a few flickering candlelight. Wu Shuangge, using his earth-escape ability, brought Cècè to the dungeon where the hungry ghost was held.

The dungeon was unguarded. Corpses littered the place. In one cell, a gaunt, emaciated hungry ghost was imprisoned, confined within a cell sealed with dense talismans.

"Gege, it's up to you," Cècè said, pointing to the cell.

Wu Shuangge made a grasping motion with one hand, and a chamber pot appeared beside him. He lifted the lid, and wisps of dark, viscous smoke emerged, seeping into the faintly glowing talismans.

Instantly, the talismans' glow flickered rapidly. After a moment, all the talismans exhausted their power and fell silently.

The hungry ghost, terrified, curled up in a corner. Cècè stepped into the cell, slowly reached out a hand, and gently stroked the ghost's head. The hungry ghost gradually calmed down, staring blankly at Cècè.

A moment later, Cècè sighed and waved his hand, making the hungry ghost disappear.

They returned to the inn.

"Young Master, there was indeed a hungry ghost there. It was a young maidservant in the City Lord's Mansion who was starved to death in the dungeon. Over a month ago, the entire City Lord's Mansion was wiped out. Whoever is maintaining order in this city now must be an impostor. The experts here were all transferred away some time ago for reasons unknown."

"During the day, I noticed that three out of the four grain stores here were closed. Only the last one was open, and it didn't have much grain left. I also asked, and the price has more than doubled compared to two months ago. The price is increasing every day. This is only because the owner of that store has some conscience; otherwise, he would have closed it and hoarded the grain too."

Yu Ziqing's brow furrowed slightly as he gazed north.

"Something major must have happened in Great Zhen. Otherwise, it wouldn't be this long without anyone showing interest. When you reply to Gu Tianxin, mention this."

"Tomorrow, let Wu Shuangge go out and see if those cultists will lead him to their stronghold."

In a dilapidated thatched hut in the city, a woman knelt before a scripture, devoutly reciting. Her face was pale, her lips devoid of color. On the straw mat beside her lay a dying man. Next to her, a son and daughter followed her in reciting the scriptures.

After reciting scriptures with all their might for four hours, the thatched curtain was lifted, and a cultist in plain hemp robes entered. After surveying the situation inside the hut, he took out a palm-sized bowl from behind him, containing half a bowl of slightly thick sweet soup.

The woman cautiously stepped forward, her eyes filled with reverence, and took the ceramic bowl with both hands.

Watching the sweet soup in the bowl diminish, the woman gathered her courage and asked.

"Sir, we have recited scriptures for a total of eight hours today, and I have taught my children as well. I am absolutely devout to the Holy Mother. Could you possibly give us a little more? My children have already fainted from hunger once today, and my husband is gravely ill..."

"It was said that the entire family must serve the Holy Mother and recite scriptures together. You are the most devout, but I cannot make an exception for you, or it would break the rules," the cultist explained patiently. Then, pointing to the half-bowl of sweet soup, he said softly.

"This is actually more than enough, and we've taken good care of you. But rules are rules, and I dare not change them..."

The cultist left. The woman held the half-bowl of sweet soup and handed it to her eagerly watching children.

"You two go eat over there first. Mom isn't hungry. I'll go check on your father..."

The children, having recited scriptures all day, were so hungry their eyes were glowing green. They wanted to tell their parents to eat first, but their hands moved uncontrollably.

Holding the half-bowl of sweet soup, they squatted in a corner of the hut, sipping it bit by bit.

The woman sat by the straw mat, looking at the gravely ill man. She reached out and touched his face, tears welling up in her eyes, a hint of madness appearing in her expression.

"Husband, you heard it too. Our family is the most devout. Usually, we get porridge so thick that chopsticks can stand in it. These days, it's just like this. I can't watch these two starve to death. They are still young, and you wouldn't want that either, would you..."

As she spoke, her hands traced his cheeks and then tightened around his neck. She slowly began to apply pressure.

Her face showed despair, then sadness, and finally transformed into devout madness.

After a while, she stood up, her expression returning to calm.

"You two didn't eat enough, did you? I'll go ask the sir for more. Our whole family is the most devout. We recited scriptures for eight hours together today. We shouldn't be starving."

My big orange cat went back to Meow Star. It followed me for many years, and I even brought it to Guangdong. I couldn't bear to give it away; it had become part of the family. My wife cried terribly, and I couldn't hold back my tears either