Moments later, the woman returned to the hut with the sect believer who had distributed the food.

The believer glanced at the man lying on the straw mat, his eyes wide open, no longer breathing. A dirty handprint could still be clearly seen on his neck.

"Sir, my whole family served the Holy Mother and chanted scriptures all day. According to the rules, we should get two bowls of porridge, the kind that can hold a pair of chopsticks upright."

The woman's eyes appeared calm, but beneath that calmness was madness.

The believer's expression became serious, and he immediately nodded.

"Indeed, I must have been mistaken earlier. Your family is the most devout of our believers, and soon a priest will personally visit. At that time, I will report to the priest, and not only will you be able to eat your fill, but you might even receive a house."

After the believer left with the man's corpse, the two thick bowls of porridge that were redistributed were shared among the three family members. This was the only time in the past ten days they felt somewhat full.

Having eaten, the woman immediately knelt once more in front of the simple shrine, muttering scriptures, her eyes blending madness with devotion.

She looked at her children and scolded them.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up, give thanks to the Holy Mother for the porridge."

...

Wu Shuangge walked down the street. The street was sparse with pedestrians, filled with desolation. Occasionally, there was a passerby, hurried as if afraid of something.

After a while, he remembered Yu Ziqing's instructions, found a corner and sat there, looking a bit dazed as he actually recalled the characters he learned today. Having lost much of his memory in life, he sometimes didn't know how to express certain words in speaking and had to relearn them.

Wu Shuangge had not been reviewing his lessons at the street corner for long when those White Sun Sect Believers who dared to parade in the streets during the day began shouting slogans once more.

The believers, dressed in plain linen clothes, quickly spotted Wu Shuangge.

Wu Shuangge, muttering prayers, also caught their immediate attention.

A believer stepped out of the group and approached Wu Shuangge. After shouting a slogan and seeing no reaction from Wu Shuangge, who just kept muttering, he snorted.

"Turns out he's an idiot."

"Hey, idiot, do you know how to read?"

"Huh?" Wu Shuangge was taken aback, nodded, "I... I can read."

"You really can read? Then come with us, we'll feed you."

Remembering his mission, Wu Shuangge obediently followed the believers and found himself brought to a camp full of huts.

Inside, the air was filled with murmuring whispers and the stench of madness permeated the atmosphere.

Wu Shuangge was assigned to a hut, inside which was a simple shrine with a scripture on top.

"Since you can read, just read the scriptures every day without stopping, and you will be fed. Understand?"

"Oh, I can read." Wu Shuangge nodded.

The believer shook his head, looked at the seemingly absent-minded Wu Shuangge, and turned to leave.

"He's really an idiot; in these times, even idiots can read..."

Two hours later, the sound of a creaking food cart echoed outside the door, and activity began outside.

"Come out, it's time to eat."

Wu Shuangge stepped out of the hut and saw a woman emerge from the neighboring hut with two children, a boy and a girl.

The believer, pushing the cart, stood beside the woman and loudly praised her.

"Sister-in-law Li, along with her daughter Benya and son Bai Gou, are the most devout here, and according to the rules, they've earned the right to meet the priest."

With that, the believer took out two large bowls, filled with thick porridge, and added two slices of fatty pork.

"Their family has earned the right to eat meat every day; this is the Holy Mother's reward for them!"

After hearing this, the surrounding ragged people each looked envious. They hadn't tasted meat in a long time, let alone the oil-rich slices of fatty pork.

Sister-in-law Li held her bowl high, raising her voice in praise, seeming to take rare pride in this achievement.

Wu Shuangge, on his first day there, was also given a small bowl of porridge. He held the small bowl, squatting at the door, sipping carefully. As long as it was food, he wouldn't waste it, eating very seriously.

The believer observed this scene and nodded in satisfaction.

Having a model example, the believer was convinced that here, they would certainly select one, maybe even several individuals, whom the priest would choose. That would be his credit, after which he would undoubtedly be granted a Dharma Method and receive blessings.

After eating, the occupants of the straw huts, who spent their days chanting scriptures, were granted precious rest time; or rather, during these times, resting wasn't considered unfaithful.

Wu Shuangge ate heartily, being one of the few hungry ghosts who could eat what he wanted. Naturally, if someone offered him food, that was the best.

His way of eating quickly caught the attention of the nearby boy, who found that the porridge tasted more flavorful than usual today, perhaps because there was meat in it.

"I'm called Bai Gou. What's your name?"

"My sister calls me Gege."

"You haven't eaten in a long time, have you?"

"Mm." Wu Shuangge thought for a moment, nodded seriously. He indeed hadn't eaten for half a day. Though this porridge was tempting, it wasn't as fragrant or filling as the young master's food.

"My mother says our family is the most devout. We chant scriptures for seven or eight hours, so we eat the most, and we're full every day."

Bai Gou slurped down his porridge, biting the fatty pork piece into tiny morsels, unwilling to finish it quickly. He ate the porridge until just a bit of the pork remained.

He noticed Wu Shuangge, who was savoring his porridge, and felt an inexplicable sense of compassion.

"Have you never eaten meat?"

"Mm." Wu Shuangge nodded again. Since following the young master, he hadn't eaten meat, nor did he need to.

Bai Gou looked at the small remaining piece of fatty pork in his bowl, feeling reluctant. After a moment's thought, he quickly snuck the piece of fatty pork into Wu Shuangge's bowl.

"Eat it quickly, don't let anyone see. If you chant well in the future, you'll get some too."

Bai Gou immediately regretted giving away the pork, but once given, he felt embarrassed to ask for it back.

"I just thought you ate so intentively, and watching you eat, I somehow felt fuller myself and even happier. Don't think too much of it, I won't give you any next time, you'll have to rely on yourself."

"Thank you." Wu Shuangge didn't show any sign of disdain and expressed his thanks earnestly, grateful for the gesture.

He realized this boy called Bai Gou was a kind person. If Bai Gou could enact the Almsgiving Seal and Almsgiving Spell, Wu Shuangge could help remove the bad things in his heart.

By nightfall, everyone rested, and Wu Shuangge slipped underground, vanishing from the camp.

Returning to the inn, upon seeing Yu Ziqing, Wu Shuangge immediately took out the toilet bucket.

"Master, the time for relieving oneself has passed."

Yu Ziqing was used to this routine and went about his business. Cece, on the side, inquired about Wu Shuangge's day.

A moment later,

"So a priest will be arriving here..."

Yu Ziqing contemplated whether to find a way to kill a priest to vent his frustration. His ultimate goal in coming out this time was to dispel the potential parasitic threat of the White Sun Evil Cult. Personally starting from the bottom to understand was essential. Along the way, he could eliminate as many White Sun Evil Cultists as possible.

He didn't need the hungry ghosts to do anything for him. In fact, the White Sun Evil Cult didn't need much for the time being. According to Yu Ziqing's speculation, what they required was a group of followers so devout that, even when starved to death, their faith remained unwavering.

If these starved individuals turned into hungry ghosts and their devotion remained unshaken, it would truly give them an opportunity to be parasitized.

Yu Ziqing's path of the Hungry Ghost Dao was much like that of Dao Cultivators—anyone could walk it in theory. If one could progress from tier to tier daily, anyone might reach the Peak, but only the Dao Creator, who pioneered this path, could achieve the myth of one tier each day.

In stark contrast to the path of the White Sun Evil Cultists—who required ritual incense fire, chanting, and devotion of their entire being—Yu Ziqing's path was of a completely different level.

According to Yang, the White Sun Evil Cult was endless and indestructible. Yet, among all the White Sun Evil Cultists throughout history, the highest cultivation reached was only the Ninth Tier. Furthermore, upon barely advancing, the practitioner was besieged and met a horrific end, their spirit and body utterly destroyed.

That incident marked the most severe blow to the White Sun Evil Cult, which faded from sight for several hundred years.

A few decades ago, when the White Sun Evil Cult appeared again, that generation's White Sun Holy Mother barely reached the Seventh Tier before tragically dying at the hands of a dean of the Langya Institute.

Yes, a dean who had not yet Entered Dao, reportedly a friend of Yang.

This generation's White Sun Holy Mother perished even more gruesomely at the hands of a grand figure who knew the heavens and earth, leaving nothing, not even a trace of their spirit or earthly remains.

This new White Sun Holy Mother had yet to publicly surface, as the lesson from the previous generation was evidently profound.

Reflecting on Yang's past stories about the White Sun Evil Cult and his current encounters, Yu Ziqing began forming a daring idea.

The reason he trusted Yang's tales was because he suspected Yang of having fabricated a friend out of thin air.

Knowing so many details, the previous generation's White Sun Holy Mother was probably killed by Yang.

The next day, still maintaining his gaunt appearance, Yu Ziqing squatted at the street corner like Wu Shuangge.

It was easy, and Yu Ziqing also entered the hut camp. The believers there welcomed anyone. More accurately, they were already rounding up people everywhere, catching whoever they could.

"This hut only has an idiot; you can stay here too. Remember, only by chanting daily will you receive the Holy Mother's blessings. Without enough devotion, you won't receive them."

Wu Shuangge noticed Yu Ziqing but showed no reaction, having sensed his presence before Yu Ziqing entered.

Yu Ziqing entered the hut, flipping through the scriptures on the simple shrine. The content differed from what he held, with all useful knowledge missing, replaced by mystical and brainwashing scriptures. Once again, additional details about hungry ghosts were added, with even more specifics this time.

"After the White Sun Holy Mother created the Hungry Ghost Dao, she could progress one tier per day and ascend in twelve days.

But the Holy Mother, mindful of her suffering believers, voluntarily gave up on the eleventh day, suffered backlash, and is now sleeping on the Holy Mountain."

"Countless hungry ghosts, out of gratitude to the Holy Mother, transformed into locust trees, protecting the Holy Mountain. Now, believers must devoutly chant and serve for the Holy Mother to return quickly."

Reading the scriptures, Yu Ziqing marveled at these fast-progressing thugs, then found himself full of questions.

The words seemed suspiciously like...

"Me, Qin Shi Huang, send money."