Is this person sick?

The sense of déjà vu from this third-rate con trick made Yu Ziqing gasp.

Setting aside their most potent ability, the manipulation of hearts and minds, their actual deception skills were indeed a bit crude.

But in the current circumstances, they were undeniably effective.

Those people were practically starving to death. Offer them food, and they'd chant scriptures. If Yu Ziqing himself had been starving half a year ago, he probably would have agreed too, thinking of it as just "farming wool."

But in this world, "farming wool" wasn't so easy.

The "wool farmers" who initially approached it with that mindset were likely not few. Yet, in the end, through the endless chanting of scriptures, they were silently brainwashed until they lost themselves completely, becoming devout fanatics who knew nothing but chanting.

After sneaking into the camp, Yu Ziqing didn't dare to chant those heretical scriptures repeatedly. He was constantly slacking off, investigating in secret.

Wu Shuangge, on the other hand, was studying intently, chanting diligently, and eating with gusto. On the surface, he appeared even more devout than the other followers.

But in reality, his diligent study was for literacy, his earnest chanting was for practicing pronunciation, and his serious eating was due to his nature and past hunger. Yu Ziqing had once casually remarked, "The first rule of the hungry ghost scripture: If you're not enthusiastic about eating, you have a problem with your ideology," and Cècè had diligently recorded it.

He seemed very devout, but when examined individually, not a single one of his actions aligned with the requirements of the true believers...

If they could truly brainwash Wu Shuangge, someone Yu Ziqing himself could barely influence, with just a scripture, then their White Sun Holy Mother would have long ago made everyone in the world their follower and crushed the Three Divine Dynasties.

Yu Ziqing acted like a slacker, slacking off every day and gathering information. In less than two days, he had narrowed down his targets to a few of the most devout families.

The family next to the grass hut he shared with Wu Shuangge had the most devout woman in the entire camp.

This Sister-in-law Li was so devout that, apart from eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping, she spent all her remaining time chanting scriptures, barely even paying attention to her own children.

Yu Ziqing had met Sister-in-law Li only a handful of times, but each time he saw her, he could tell she had lost herself, completely fallen.

The followers distributing food reappeared with their small carts.

The follower would smile when he saw Wu Shuangge, giving him thick, almost solid porridge, the kind that was almost just rice. He loved seeing devout followers the most.

"Here, you fool, eat more."

But upon seeing Yu Ziqing, his expression instantly soured. Yu Ziqing was a typical slacker who tried to farm wool, the kind who could easily be seen through even when trying to act devout.

This was because there were many such people in the camp.

As long as they braved the wind and snow to escape to Great Li, and survived the journey, Great Li would grant them land and food. This news had already spread.

But here, all they needed to do was chant scriptures, without farming or working, to get a meal. Compared to taking risks and toiling hard, they preferred to stay.

The followers still gave them thin porridge, not letting these slackers starve to death, because sooner or later, these slackers would become more and more devout.

Everyone began to eat. Sister-in-law Li's son, White Dog, was still squatting and eating with Wu Shuangge.

He was increasingly enjoying this. Watching Wu Shuangge eat made his own meal taste much better, opening his appetite, and improving his muddled state of mind. The murmuring sounds he sometimes heard also disappeared.

"White Dog, have you thought about the future?" Yu Ziqing asked White Dog, who was eating plain porridge, as he slurped his own.

"The future? I'll serve the Holy Mother well. The Holy Mother will grant us houses, and we won't have to live in grass huts anymore."

"Haven't you thought about going to Great Li? Having your own land where you can grow vegetables and grain."

"Why would I go to Great Li?" White Dog asked, full of confusion.

"..." Yu Ziqing was momentarily speechless, unsure how to answer to enlighten him.

As night fell, the camp fell into silence.

Wu Shuangge brought Yu Ziqing back to the inn. He went to relieve himself and, at the same time, met up with Cècè, who had gone out to investigate.

"Young Master, more than just one Joy Lantern Priest from the White Sun Evil Sacrifice came. There was also a Grand Priest of higher status. They detected my investigation but didn't discover me.

This time, the White Sun Evil Sacrifice's situation is a bit different from what Senior Old Yang mentioned. They seem to have been developing in secret for a long time before making their move.

That Joy Lantern Priest is already fifth-tier, and the Grand Priest was able to pinpoint my direction the moment he sensed my investigation.

If I hadn't hidden immediately, a distance of dozens of miles wouldn't have been enough for me to escape."

"Don't casually deploy your domain again for the next few days."

"Understood. According to my investigation, they are advancing city by city. They will reach us in at most three days, and at least a day and a half."

"Did you find out what happened in Great Zhen?"

"No, but I did discover that a spy from the Shadow Division has also entered the city."

"Huh? How did you find a Shadow Division spy?" Yu Ziqing was greatly surprised. Those guys were unrivaled in their ability to escape and hide.

"When he used the Great Shadow Escape, I still had my detection domain active, and his characteristics are very easy to recognize."

"What?"

"He's missing his left arm."

Hearing this, Yu Ziqing's spirits immediately lifted.

With such a distinctive feature, it would be very easy to find them. After all, Shadow Division spies normally needed to disguise their identities and pretend to be normal people. They weren't rats who spent all day underground.

And among the newcomers to the camp today, there was a scrawny young man missing his left arm.

As they were talking, Wu Shuangge emerged from underground.

"Young Master, something has happened at the camp. They're starting to gather people."

Yu Ziqing immediately followed Wu Shuangge to sneak back into the camp. They exited the thatched hut, and outside, torches had already been lit, illuminating the surroundings.

In the adjacent thatched hut, Ben Ya lay on the ground with a sharpened wooden stake piercing her chest, lifeless.

Beside her, a disheveled man with a crazed expression, his body and hands covered in blood, was being held down by others.

The cultist distributing food approached with a grim expression. Upon seeing that Ben Ya was the one dead, his face became even more somber. She was from the most devout family.

Sister-in-law Li collapsed onto the ground, her face filled with grief, chanting scriptures urgently as if it could help her daughter return to the holy mountain.

The White Dog stood there blankly, chanting along with its mother.

The people around them also began to chant unconsciously.

A group of people appeared solemn yet frenzied, devout yet desperate.

The cultist distributing food also chanted scriptures, drew a long saber, and severed the villain's head with a single stroke.

Yu Ziqing felt out of place. No matter how well he acted, he couldn't compare to those slacking off.

Two people had died, yet the crowd showed little reaction. They returned to their sleep, conserving energy to continue chanting for their livelihoods the next day.

The next day, Yu Ziqing finally understood the whole story.

He recognized the killer; it was one of the most devout families.

Because the White Dog's family was recognized as the most devout, they received two, and sometimes even three, slices of white, fatty meat with their meals each day, a privilege no other family had.

So, the man planned to kill the White Dog's entire family that night. That way, his own family would be considered the most devout and could receive the white, fatty meat.

However, in the end, he only managed to kill one person, which caused a commotion and led to his discovery by the cultists.

Yu Ziqing could understand that mindset, as he too had experienced starvation after despair. But even with understanding, he still couldn't comprehend it.

This place was rapidly turning into a living hell. No, it had been like this from the very beginning.

He couldn't stay here any longer. In a couple of days, a Grand Priest would arrive.

He decided to stir up some trouble first, then investigate along the Grand Priest's route. He felt he was beginning to grasp something. Starting from the bottom was indeed the best approach. The information here was completely unfiltered, and these details were gradually advancing his deductions.

As night fell, the camp returned to its deathly silence. Yu Ziqing was ready to leave.

He quietly approached one of the thatched huts. The one-armed young man sleeping inside immediately sat up. Upon seeing Yu Ziqing, the young man revealed a slight smile and quickly asked, "Big Brother, what are you doing? I don't have any food here, none at all. I only had a bowl of thin porridge today."

"I need to talk to you about something." Yu Ziqing sat down beside the young man as if it were his own place, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Originally, I had some grievances with these heretical path followers and planned to wait for a Joy Lantern Priest to kill them and vent my anger. But who would have thought that a Grand Priest would also be coming this time? If I can't kill him, I'll be exposed. For safety's sake, I have to leave first. Before I go, I plan to take care of this nest. Now, I'd like to ask for your help."

Before Yu Ziqing could finish speaking, the one-armed young man's body began to fade. The arm Yu Ziqing had placed on his shoulder grasped at empty air.

However, just as he was about to use an escape technique to flee underground, his senses flared with alarm. Something extremely malevolent seemed to be beneath him; if he dared to descend, he would surely die.

The young man immediately abandoned the idea, dispelling his escape technique. The panic on his face also vanished.

He looked at his missing left arm. With such a distinct characteristic, it would indeed be much harder for him than for an ordinary Shadow Division scout to operate. How the other party had discovered him was no longer important.

"What do you want to do?"

Yu Ziqing placed a hand on the young man's shoulder, his expression amiable.

"Don't be nervous. I just want to cooperate with you. Rest assured, it won't harm your interests, and I'll also help you gather information. We'll be mutually beneficial.

If our cooperation goes well, I can also tell you a simple way to restore your left arm, saving you the trouble of accumulating merit slowly to exchange for that expensive Spiritual Medicine for limb regeneration.

Given your rank, you likely have no hope of obtaining such high-level Spiritual Medicine in the short term, right?"

"My name is Qing Ziyu. How should I address you, brother?"

The young man remained silent for a moment. He knew that what this person said was true. He had risked coming to Great Zhen precisely to accumulate more merit.

"Su Li."

"Good, Brother Su. I wish us a pleasant cooperation. This time, before I leave, I will go and kill those cultists. Brother Su must have also realized that I am only a Body Cultivator, and my methods for cleaning up are truly mediocre.

I hope that a professional cleaner like Brother Su can help me deal with the aftermath. This simple task should be a piece of cake for you."

Su Li slightly raised his head, unable to conceal his surprise. His mindset had also shifted slightly.

You come here in the middle of the night, identify me, bury a great evil beneath the ground to prevent my escape, possess the means to discover me, and expend great effort to stop me from fleeing, all just to have me do this?

In all my years of work, I've never encountered, nor heard of, anyone who captures a Shadow Division scout just to have them help clean up the mess after they've committed murder.

Is this person insane?