Master of Strange Dao

When he swallowed the first bite of the somewhat dry and hard wheat grain, a sense of satisfaction rising from his blood, flesh, and mind surged in his heart, and even his spirit was lifted.

The old man stood there, stunned for a long time, feeling as if he had come back to life.

He waved at his family and taught them, step by step, how to eat the wheat grains.

The young boy chewed with big mouthfuls, his eyes wide with shock.

This was the first time in decades that he could remember eating like this.

"Chew slowly, the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes, and there's a sweetness."

"What is sweetness?"

"You'll know if you chew slowly."

The young boy obediently chewed slowly, and then he felt that taste that made his whole body cheer—it was sweetness.

It was an instinctual message embedded in his bloodline.

He knew that this was sweetness.

He was overjoyed and began to laugh involuntarily, as if his stomach, which had been burning, was slowly getting better, and his whole body was letting out cries of joy.

After he instinctively swallowed those things, a sense of satisfaction rose from within him.

He no longer cared about whether there were demons or whether he would die.

The boy had only one thought: this stuff tasted so good, and his stomach was slowly feeling better, which was wonderful.

After the family ate some, the old man hurriedly stopped them, telling them not to eat anymore once they were not hungry.

Especially the boy, who had no concept of hunger or fullness, was just eating continuously until his stomach was slightly distended and still eating.

The family hid outside the city and did not dare to return.

Gradually, the number of people leaving the city began to increase.

All were seeking food outside the city.

Because in the city, they could not find a single grain of rice.

Once they were out, no one dared to go back.

Exiting the city was a huge risk.

In their deep-rooted beliefs, the outside was full of demons, and only in the Divine Country could they be safe.

But the hunger that came from their blood and instincts would slowly accumulate, slowly overwhelming everything else.

Fear or the unknown, none of these was enough to stop those driven to madness by hunger.

However, after leaving the city, they did not see a single demon.

No one came to chase them, and no one executed them under the guise of demons.

Whether it was the Earth Deity in Dingmao City or the Cultivators of the Incense Fire Dao, they were now numb.

If it were only a few, a few dozen, or even a few hundred, they could immediately kill them to set an example.

However, the number of incense-eating people disappearing in the Divine Country was growing, currently accounting for one-third.

As time went on, it was expected to increase.

How could they kill them all? They couldn't.

They were only trying to see if those polluted by filth could return to normal.

However, despite their experiments and research, it currently had no effect.

These people were the foundation of their Incense Fire Dao rule—they ruled the incense-eating people but did not dare to kill them all.

Killing incense-eating people here was the taboo of taboos.

No one dared to casually do such a thing.

Even if they found a village somewhere without incense-eating people, they wouldn't slaughter them outright.

Instead, they would take them all away, turning them into incense-eating people.

Of the troubles Yu Ziqing caused, this was the biggest one that uprooted their foundation.

At night, people gathered outside Dingmao City—all were former incense-eating people, according to their understanding.

They now found themselves fallen from the Divine Country, turned into demons consuming grains.

But there was nothing they could do; they would die if they did not eat.

The days had been the same for decades, but today there was finally a change.

Under the guidance of the elderly, they began building straw huts in the wilderness to shield against the wind and rain.

Someone took out an iron pot, using the simplest method to boil water and cook wheat grains.

After many years, the curling smoke of cooking fires rose once more.

The warmth from the campfire, the fragrance of the wheat porridge, everything slowly began to come to life again.

Young people gathered together, arguing about what was sweet and which was the sweetest.

The old man who first came out, after nightfall, ate a large bowl full of wheat porridge and suddenly felt something in his heart, calling his children and grandchildren.

"I suddenly remembered many things. I am going to die.

I probably should have died decades ago, but I survived until now thanks to the incense fire.

Now, being able to have a hearty meal and die when my lifespan is exhausted, I thought I would feel fear.

But after the hunger and a full meal, with a house to shield against the wind and rain, I feel like I have come back to life.

This feeling, it's just like before, the feeling of being alive.

After I die, bury me in the field we harvested today.

I remember what my grandfather told me.

We eat grain, vegetables, and meat, all from the earth, and after death, we return the body to the earth—it's the best place to rest.

I didn't understand then; later, I didn't understand either. But now I understand."

"What is death?" The boy asked.

"You'll understand in time. Without dying, how can you understand what it means to be alive?" The old man smiled and touched his grandson's head, slowly closing his eyes.

He still had a trace of satisfaction from just having eaten on his face.

The boy didn't understand; from the time he had memories, he had been surviving on incense food.