Master of Strange Dao

His son was more handy and sensible.

It was great to have You Zhen guarding here.

The goal of having a Ninth Tier Body Cultivation guard Jinlan Mountain was barely achieved.

Ever since discovering someone trying to manipulate Jinlan Mountain for treacherous plans from the Abyss, Yu Ziqing hadn't intended to bring You Zhen out.

Unless necessary, he wouldn't take Yang out either.

Someone had to guard the house.

Now, with You Zhen in the north, the village chief and Yang in the middle, and Han Dong in the south, Yu Ziqing finally felt a bit secure.

If someone came looking for trouble, Han Dong wouldn't just stand by and watch.

His wife relied on the geographical advantage of Jinlan Mountain to recover.

So, it was time to set off, or rather, to complete his cultivation.

He wouldn't be going near the Yin Family for a while, and Old Emperor Zhen's collection plan needed to wait.

The Yin God was still holding its swollen belly, yet to finish digesting; the next meal had to wait.

The matters Song Chengyue was investigating probably wouldn't have results for a while.

Things to do now:

First, seek some things to throw into the pit to entertain that giant.

The last person thrown in was played to death.

The giant even learned to speak the official language with a South Qian accent, probably putting in a lot of effort.

The most suitable would be that Black Robed Man, but the difficulty was too high, so it was off the table.

Finding some books, fine food, and wine to throw down there would be enough entertainment to pass the time.

Yu Ziqing knew well the saying, "It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality."

Once accustomed to ways of entertainment, suddenly losing them would be extremely uncomfortable.

Hence, he had to be attentive to his relationship with the giant, showing it a bit of importance.

Second, was to wander the Abyss, searching for the blood-colored Flame Mountain within.

Seeing if he could utilize the still-smoldering blood flames there to cultivate new Divine Skills, strengthening his abilities.

The Divine Skills of the Hungry Ghost Dao were each quite powerful, yet also quite awkward, being all Late Period skills.

Usable in the now, but not as a finishing move to determine the outcome.

Strengthening them quickly would be best, and Yu Ziqing wouldn't stress if that wasn't possible.

Third, was to wander Dali.

Yu Ziqing hadn't forgotten past events.

He was abducted and sent to Dazhen, delivered to the hands of the White Sun Holy Mother.

Sneaking into the small courtyard he had in Almsgiving Town to spy.

These incidents were remembered one by one, absolutely unforgettable.

In passing, he wanted to see how Su Li was getting along in Dali. He had arranged a contact for him, weak though the backing was, but he should have found his footing by now.

Considering everything, perhaps it was best to head to Dali first, having not been there in a long time.

To collect books, Dali was more suitable, as the cultural atmosphere of Dazhen wasn't quite good.

Just right because Lin Fu mentioned earlier that Gu Tianxin had invited Cece several times as a guest, but she never went; it was a perfect opportunity to go together.

Having made the decision, Yu Ziqing called Cece over.

"Let's go, we're making a trip to Dali. There shouldn't be any issues at home, right?"

"No problems, everything is arranged, and besides, I've accumulated quite a few Devil Thoughts lately. Would the young master like to take a look?"

"Quite a few Devil Thoughts?" Yu Ziqing was taken aback, pondering slightly, "From over at Almsgiving Town?"

"Yes, those hungry ghosts are getting smarter now, keeping all sorts of Devil Thoughts to exchange them for sweet rain from me.

Because they all seem to find that devouring Devil Thoughts isn't as good as sweet rain.

Although devouring them quickly enhances power, creating something unique still relies on sweet rain.

Besides filling the stomach, there are many benefits yet to be fully discovered.

The guardian hungry ghost in the club is now adept at hiding and disguising; I can hardly detect him if he doesn't reveal himself voluntarily.

And the deceitful ghost in the Abyss, his ears have grown quite large, claiming he can hear a lot of things in the wind of the cracks."

"Is that so?" Yu Ziqing mused.

Sweet rain was indeed more significant than he had imagined.

"Are the people coming to Almsgiving Town to remove Devil Thoughts getting fewer?"

"Yes, fewer and fewer, because the sweet rain outside has almost been consumed. Now, all that's used is diluted sweet rain, and the original liquid hasn't been seen anymore.

Adding to that the ritual of Almsgiving, the power is even lesser, so the hungry ghosts there aren't interested, keeping the Devil Thoughts to trade with me for sweet rain."

"I'll take a look first."

Cece unfurled the Despair Abyss, encompassing Yu Ziqing.

At first glance, Yu Ziqing was a bit dazed.

In the Despair Abyss, a special area was divided into small sections, each only three feet square, where a ball of Devil Thought was chained.

To prevent mix-ups, Cece had prepared a roster, marking each Devil Thought's owner.

With a quick scan, they all belonged to those with backgrounds or significant power.

If this were exposed, many people would probably like to kill Yu Ziqing.

"Yes, besides me, don't tell anyone about this. There are no issues with those hungry ghosts, right?"

"No problem, I'm now hands-off. It's all handled by that deceitful ghost. He trades with me directly for Devil Thoughts, so even if someone knew I was trading Devil Thoughts, it wouldn't matter, as I genuinely do enjoy consuming them. Each one tastes different, some not-so-important Devil Thoughts I've eaten right in front of those hungry ghosts."

As Cece spoke, she seemed to crave more, grabbing a handful of Devil Thoughts from a nearby cluster and stuffing it into her mouth like cotton candy.