Master of Strange Dao

Then Yu Ziqing took out a drop of sweet rain and fed it to the Little hungry ghost.

"Eat up."

As the drop of sweet rain entered its mouth, the Little hungry ghost curled into a ball and fell into a deep sleep.

No one knew how long this little creature had been tormented by hunger.

"Send Wu Shuangge over to take this little one back and settle it in."

A day later, Wu Shuangge emerged from the underground and took the Little hungry ghost away.

Yu Ziqing was still wondering who started spreading such news.

Dazhen hadn't heard of it, and neither did those bustling places in Dali.

If there had been any, someone from either Dazhen or Dali would have surely informed him.

Moreover, Yu Ziqing always gave away the Almsgiving Jade Scroll for free; he actually hoped more people would know about it.

As his strength in Hungry Ghost Dao increased, the requirements for almsgiving would gradually lower according to his wishes.

Only when one wanted to remove Devil Thoughts like Heart Demons did they need the addition of sweet rain to perform a complete almsgiving ritual.

For everyday protection, treating it as a health measure, almsgiving no longer had such high demands.

Yu Ziqing hoped that every mortal family would have the power to perform such almsgiving, even if just to calm their inner aggressiveness and evil thoughts; it would be beneficial for both humans and hungry ghosts, a win-win for everyone.

Yu Ziqing didn't quite understand whether the rumors spreading from remote places resulted from misunderstandings or were intentional.

What was the point, anyway? Even if intentional, it seemed too petty.

Didn't the real bigwigs and powerful entities already know what sweet rain was?

What good would it do them to antagonize the hungry ghosts?

In the end, they might find themselves holding sweet rain with no hungry ghost paying them any mind, and who'd be embarrassed then?

Thinking of this, Yu Ziqing stroked his chin.

Hmm, it seemed... perhaps... there indeed was someone who could benefit.

A Devil.

At this thought, Yu Ziqing couldn't help but laugh.

No wonder it was so petty and the rumors started from remote places.

The Devil was scared yet didn't dare to venture into more bustling areas.

But from any angle, such actions wouldn't impact the big picture and seemed more like venting through rumor-mongering.

However, a Devil with such intelligence was definitely not just an ordinary Devil Thought or Heart Demon.

It must have independent consciousness and thought, capable of existing on its own—

Like those in Freedom Heaven.

Moreover, this one certainly wasn't Freedom Heaven; although that guy always ended up miserably, his previous actions showed he'd disdain such petty moves.

Thinking of this, Yu Ziqing's mood immediately improved.

After discovering the Heavenly Devil Token Pill that could feed six devils, encountering an additional Devil Pill just waiting for him to discover—how could he not be in a good mood?

"Let's go, Cece, let's find that Green Feathered Duck; it's our only clue right now. If it doesn't work out, we'll figure it out later."

Cece noticed that Yu Ziqing, who was angry a moment ago, seemed to have brightened in mood, tilting her head curiously, she also began to laugh.

Her young master sometimes was quite optimistic, just with a kind heart, not bad enough, not ruthless enough.

Apart from that, there really didn't seem to be any flaws.

She squinted her eyes, smiling contentedly as she followed behind Yu Ziqing, guiding him to search for the lake where the Green Feathered Duck might appear.

Kuihou Country was a place that once held her most unpleasant memories, with hunger, cold, frequent beatings, and no certainty of life from day to day—just one beating away from becoming a corpse tossed into the backyard.

Kuihou Country's most famous industry, Oiran cultivation, was far more brutal than outsiders realized.

From learning various talents from a young age to understanding worldly experiences, those less competent often died.

Even those who aged poorly might end up easily dying in their teenage years, deemed worthless.

The hardships and dangers she endured to survive into adulthood were unknown even to many within Kuihou Country.

What everyone saw were the Oiran standing in the spotlight, able to travel from Kuihou Country to the Three Divine Dynasties.

But the heaps of corpses behind the scenes were numerous.

So when someone gave her the chance to transform into a hungry ghost, she did not hesitate for a moment, not because she could escape from Despair Abyss, but because it offered her the right to choose.

When the information appeared out of thin air in her mind, she didn't hesitate either.

Now, returning to this land brought her a completely different mindset.

She overcame her difficulties and chose her present path voluntarily, without anyone forcing her; this was crucial to her.

Yu Ziqing even once told her that after her successful transformation, she could do whatever she wanted, eat whatever she liked—freedom of choice even as a hungry ghost.

But she found great delight in being a hungry ghost Big Housekeeper.

At least there was an endless supply of sweet rain, enough to make other hungry ghosts green with envy.

"You've been smiling the whole way, what happy thoughts are running through your mind?"

Yu Ziqing glanced at Cece; from the moment they reached Kuihou Country, Cece had been acting peculiar.

"Should we head back first?"

"No need, young master, it's just that... revisiting old places, I'm in a good mood."

"Oh, you know, whenever you feel like going out, you can. Even if you encounter masters, there are few who'd deliberately make things difficult for a hungry ghost, so the danger is minimal. If it gets really tough, I could check with a friend and see if he's got any Broken Tile lying around somewhere. That thing's really handy for escape, and it shouldn't be too expensive either."