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Chapter 266 Thick Earth
There were no corpses, no remains; all that could be seen were a few disgusting clumps of rotting flesh.

Zhou You pushed aside the servant blocking his way, ignoring the man's protests, picked up a wooden stick from the side, and poked around in the pile of wreckage.

No bones, no meridians, no internal organs—none of these two lumps of rotten flesh have what a human being should have.

There was only a pile of rotten, grayish-white fat mixed with heaps of decaying flesh.

Anyone who comes to see them would not think they are two corpses.

I only spoke to this servant a few minutes after I opened the door, how could this pile of things have rotted to this extent, even the bones are gone?

Just as Zhou You was puzzled, the servant boy became a little anxious.

"Hey, do you know what happened? This room is so filthy! If the manager comes back and sees this, he'll give me a piece of his mind!"

Seeing that Zhou You didn't reply, he didn't care about being a guest anymore and tried to push him away—but the other person just glanced back, which made him freeze in place.

His gaze was very calm, without any malice, but it inexplicably gave the servant a sense of dread.

It was as if one were being watched by fear itself.

Zhou You didn't notice the other person's feelings. Instead, he used the Jing Shen Feeding Sacrifice Technique to enhance his sense of smell to the extreme, then closed his eyes and carefully distinguished the scents.

"The smell of rouge, rotting flesh, dirt, and some excrement are relatively normal. But there's also cinnabar, alum, realgar, magnetite, and a pile of strange medicinal herbs. Did these two come from the alchemy room?"

Zhou You opened his eyes, but felt he was caught in even greater confusion. He then turned to the servant and asked.

"Hey, do you know of any alchemy rooms or similar facilities around here?"

However, the only response he received was a blank shake of the head.

"How would I know? I'm just a lowly servant, sir. Has our shop gotten into some trouble?"

The reaction was fairly quick, but there was absolutely nothing to be known.

Zhou You didn't want to involve ordinary people in this situation, so he just shook his head.

"No, it's nothing, just make sure to clean it up."
-
After this experience, Zhou You lost interest in watching the dance. He carefully surveyed his surroundings and, finding nothing else unusual or dangerous, returned to his room.

And so, nothing was said that night.

The following day, the ritual for the so-called Goddess of the Earth officially began.

Zhou You hadn't planned to join in the fun, but the brothel was closed for the day—even the dancers had gone to help out—so he had no choice but to come out.

Looking up, all I could see were crowds of people, even more than yesterday.

And that's not all.

Unlike yesterday, when only a few storefronts were open, today the small vendors also set up stalls, with all sorts of calls echoing along the street. Among them were various kinds of incense and sundries, but most of them were food stalls.

Looking around, there were vendors selling fried dough fish, which rolled in oil until golden and crispy. There were also vendors selling roast chicken, with freshly slaughtered chickens rolling around on charcoal fires, their bodies glistening with oil and displaying an amber luster.

And then there's the braised meat vendor, still steaming hot, freshly scooped out of the pot, the skin and meat soft, chewy, and bouncy; it melts in your mouth with just a gentle sip.

The aroma of food wafted through the streets, mingling with laughter, hawking, and clamor.

It was chaotic, but also very comforting.

Hearing the lively sounds, Zhou You's mood relaxed considerably. After thinking for a while, he decided to temporarily put aside those miscellaneous and chaotic matters and enjoy the sacrificial ceremony.

That's it.

—After all, I've basically fought my way here, so I might as well give myself a break.

In the blink of an eye, the sun had passed its zenith.

The streets became increasingly lively.

With a steaming hot bun in his left hand and a kebab in his right, Zhou You had completely blended into the crowd around him.

He was by nature an easygoing person, and after a while, he began to enjoy the rare liveliness.

Taking a bite of the steamed bun and feeling the juicy goodness in my mouth, I couldn't help but sigh.

"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but even though there are fewer seasonings, it tastes much better than the steamed buns from the shop downstairs from my house."

Just as he was enjoying this rare moment of peace, suddenly, a noisy sound rang in his ears.

"The parade has begun!"

Looked up.

Just then, I noticed that a path had been cleared through the crowd, and the beauties in the carriage were all dressed in palace attire, completely covered up, but their smiles were all flamboyant and their faces full of allure.

Well, so all the girls from the brothels have come here?

I had heard of this traditional custom of traveling around. It was nothing more than that during sacrificial ceremonies, some people needed to dress up as palace maids or fairies. However, due to various reasons in ancient times, ordinary people could not appear in person, so they hired women from brothels to do it in their place.

I heard from that servant that there was a key to it.
Just as he was pondering this, a hydrangea ball suddenly slammed down on his head.

With Zhou You's skills, it was impossible for him to be hit by this light thing. He simply hooked it with his hand and easily pulled it into his arms.

Seeing his clean and efficient skills, cheers immediately rang out from the surrounding crowd.

Looking up, he saw a woman as beautiful as a peach blossom looking at him. She seemed a little surprised, but immediately put on a professional smile.

Zhou You also thought about what the servant would say next.

According to him, whoever catches the ball can choose any girl in Yichun Tower for a free night.

—Damn it, I'm leaving the city tomorrow to continue searching for the 'culprit' in this script, why are you giving me this now?
Zhou You rolled his eyes, tossed the embroidered ball to a drooling young man next to him, and ignored the man's expression, which went from astonishment to ecstasy, as he continued to watch.

Behind the floats was a long platform being pulled by several donkeys.

However, unlike the flamboyant young women in front, only a few men dressed in blue robes stood on this platform.

...Could it be that it's the turn of the male prostitutes now?
—But wait, judging by their looks, I'd be better than them.

Zhou You curiously inquired around and learned that this was a local religious group spreading their teachings to attract followers.

Even better.

Now it is the person in charge of this sacrificial ceremony—the one who worships the Goddess Houtu—who is preaching the Dharma.

At that moment, a portly man dressed in a blue robe was standing on the stage, introducing his sect with great enthusiasm.

"So that everyone may know, our Lady of the Earth is a great goddess who holds the power over life and death and abundance. Even among the gods of the heavens, she is ranked among the top, known as the head of the Five Emperors and the number one immortal below the Three Pure Ones."

What is this mess?

Zhou You watched for a while and felt that instead of wasting time listening to this fat man's nonsense, he might as well go and watch the girls on the floats—at least their dancing was pleasing to the eye.

However, seeing that the others were also uninterested, the fat man finally got anxious. He hunched his shoulders, gathered his strength, and suddenly shouted.

"Anyone who joins my sect will live forever, even immortality!"

—Holy crap, you're some nobody country bumpkin, yet you dare to make such a boast?

Upon hearing this, Zhou You decided not to leave. He stood there with his arms crossed, curious to see what this guy was up to.

Then the fat man clapped his hands, had someone drag over a guillotine, and then called over a follower also dressed in a blue robe. Pointing to the blank face, he addressed everyone around, “Does everyone see this one? This is a follower of the Queen. He has only been a disciple for three months, but because of his devout heart, he has received a blessing. Although he has not reached the point of being reborn from a drop of blood, he has not died even after being beheaded.”

As he spoke, he had already arranged for the cultist to lie on the guillotine—and then, looking at the crowd around him that was finally starting to stir, he revealed a smug smile.

Then, suddenly...

The switch has been closed!

next moment.

A scream of terror suddenly erupted from the crowd.

Some with children were already covering their children's eyes tightly, afraid of seeing anything bloody or grotesque. Others were panicking and running outside, seemingly wanting to report to the authorities.

Regardless of his emotions, the fat man maintained his smug smile. He bent down, picked up the head that had rolled to the ground, tore off a piece of red cloth to cover his eyes, and placed it on the neck of a follower.

The wound healed instantly, leaving no trace in the blink of an eye.

When the follower stood up again, he was once again a perfectly healthy and alive person.

The noise from the audience immediately ceased.

Then, it turned into a deafening roar.

The fat man looked at the enthusiastic crowd and smiled, pointing to a stack of red papers below the stage.

"Everyone, don't be in a hurry. If any of you also wish to receive this blessing, you can press your fingerprint on this paper and then report it to the followers below. The goddess will bestow blessings every few days, as long as your heart is sincere enough."

...I didn't listen to the rest of the tour.

He merely squinted at the blood-stained table, a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth, but in the end, he only uttered a single syllable.

"laugh"

It's not that he was deliberately mocking him.

While this trick of reattaching a severed head looks impressive, it's actually quite simple in essence.

It boils down to two words.

It's just an illusion.
The fat man also seemed to have magical powers. The guillotine and the person were real, but when the person walked onto the stage, it wasn't one person, but rather a skinny yellow dog.

The man didn't actually lie on the guillotine. Instead, under the cover of the illusion, he pushed the dog whole onto it and lay down behind it. After the play was over, he used the red cloth as cover to perform a substitution, thus replacing the dog with a perfectly healthy living person.

This is not.

Beneath the illusion, the dog's head, its eyes wide open in death, still lay on the ground.

However, Zhou You was too lazy to expose him—he had been involved in scriptwriting many times and had seen many sects like this that deceived and tricked people, including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and even many famous and prestigious sects.

If he kills everyone he sees, he shouldn't do anything else in the future.

However, just as he shook his head, intending to continue chasing the float, a voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Hey bro, judging by your expression, is this your first time seeing the Houtu Sect preaching?"

Are you talking about me?

Zhou You turned his head and saw only a middle-aged man dressed as a businessman.

This person seemed to be very outgoing, and despite Zhou You's gaze, he still smiled nonchalantly.

"Don't mind my rudeness, I just thought you didn't seem to like these things, so I chimed in."

Zhou You didn't seem to mind, and simply returned a smiley face.

"From what you're saying, brother, you seem to know quite a bit about this religion?"

The middle-aged man, with his protruding belly, said...

"It's not that many, after all, this sect is only prevalent in Songzhou, and you can hardly find any trace of it outside of Songzhou - my brother, you are an outsider, so you may have misunderstood something - but the Hou Tu Niang Niang sect is not like other sects. It does not seek wealth or lust, but only seeks one thing."

"What is it?"

"people."

"Seemingly, I've finally found an opportunity to show off," the merchant said slowly.

"The Thick Earth Goddess Cult is divided into four ranks: Celestial Master, Earth Master, Human Master, and ordinary believers. Every time you recruit someone, your rank will increase by one point. The more people you recruit, the faster your rank will rise. Otherwise, why would the person at the top perform so diligently? The reason is nothing more than this."

Wait a minute, why does this sound so familiar?
Zhou You considered his words carefully before replying.

"Now that you mention it, it sounds a bit like you're a scammer."

The merchant immediately burst into laughter.

"It would be a scam if there were no reward, but the Thick Earth Goddess Cult not only travels around and pays out of its own pocket to hold such festivals, but each class can also receive money from the sect regularly. Not to mention that once you are blessed by the Goddess, you will really gain immortality. Otherwise, this sect could not have been so popular in the past few years, and could even overshadow Buddhism and Taoism."

Zhou You nodded upon hearing this—but he quickly realized another flaw in the argument.

"Wait a minute, if these sects only accept new members and never let any leave, how will they survive?"

The businessman paused.

The smile faded, and he cautiously looked around before finally unable to contain his gossip and whispered to Zhou You.

"Brother, you don't know this, do you? Behind this sect actually stands..."

Before he finished speaking, the noise on the stage suddenly rose again.

The fat man was so excited that he couldn't stop smiling as he held up a thick stack of red papers in his hand.

"Thank you for your support, folks! Thank you... What? You want to see the resurrection again? No problem! Let me perform for you one more time."

Another believer was called up, seemingly wanting to perform again—but Zhou You already knew it was an illusion, so he turned his head away and looked at the merchant again.

Unexpectedly.

For some reason, the other person seemed to have been frightened, and was no longer as familiar as before. With a look of fear on their face, they didn't bother to say anything more, and disappeared into the crowd.

"what the hell"

The speed was so fast, and with the dense crowd all around, Zhou You couldn't keep up. So he could only shake his head and look at the platform.

And this one, the more I look at it, the more it looks like a pyramid scheme.
This trivial matter has wasted half a day of my time—I finally managed to give myself a day off.

Zhou You sighed softly, intending to leave.

however.

The next moment, he suddenly raised his neck.

Within the senses of the Jing Shen's feeding song, magical fluctuations resurfaced once more.

But it didn't come from that fat man, but from the crowd?

(End of this chapter)