Folklore: Pre-emptive shelter begins with the stomach.

The bright sun hangs upside down in the sky.

The narrow slit in the sky resembles a blood-red line, dividing the entire sky in two, one half bright and clear, the other as black as ink.

The sun hadn't set yet, and the moon hadn't hung high in the sky, but night had already fallen...

Feng Mo looked up at the sky, his expression melancholy.

"How are we going to get through tonight?"

He looked around and realized he was in a dilapidated little temple that had lost its incense offerings.

The corner of the crumbling wall let in the wind. Spring is rainy, and it had rained this morning. A few drops of water still dripped from the half-collapsed eaves from time to time.

The harsh environment was manageable; he could eat tree bark to survive for two days. But the malice he faced from this world went far beyond that…

Feng Mo stacked the last remaining dry firewood into a pile, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the world outside the temple.

The woods are lush and green.

The sky, which hadn't experienced dusk, suddenly darkened absurdly, adding a gray filter to the world.

In the distance, under an old, crooked tree.

A figure was moving softly; the figure in the floral cotton-padded jacket was waving at Feng Mo at a steady pace.

Although it is springtime, it is approaching early summer and can be considered a hot season. Feng Mo was wearing a blue long gown, and a few drops of sweat were still sticking to his face. In this kind of season, what normal person would wear a cotton-padded jacket?

Looking at its appearance, its face was oval, and the corners of its mouth were curved into a strange arc, as if the moon that should have appeared had risen on its face. Feng Mo blinked hard, but no matter what he did, he couldn't see its face clearly, like an adult film actress with her face blurred.

It wasn't that Feng Mo was nearsighted; on the contrary, his eyesight was excellent, and he could clearly see several mold spots on the floral cotton-padded jacket worn by the figure.

Just one more glance sent chills down Feng Mo's spine.

He withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at it, and instead, before it got completely dark, he started fiddling with the firewood in his hands.

As for these kinds of creatures, Feng Mo knew their name: Weird.

Feng Mo spent an hour sorting out the situation.

The original owner was born into the Feng family of Shiping, and was the legitimate third young master of the Feng family.

He lived an arrogant and domineering life, but became embroiled in the family inheritance dispute. He had a wife who died in childbirth, leaving behind a son and a daughter. After his wife's death, his personality changed drastically. He spent his days reminiscing about his deceased wife in order to gain financial support from her family. This ambitious behavior, however, aroused the hostility of his other brothers.

When he turned eighteen, all the children of the Feng family had to go to their family temple to train. He fell into the trap and ended up in this situation.

But from Feng Mo's perspective, it was all a misunderstanding. In other people's eyes, the third young master of the Feng family was a very ambitious person, but Feng Mo knew that the original owner of this body was using his deceased wife to gain financial support from her family, simply to patronize prostitutes because he didn't have enough money.

The idea of ​​ambition is complete nonsense.

No one else noticed; it's simply because it was well hidden.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have scared himself to death on the very first night he encountered something eerie, which is why Feng Mo had to come.

"Woof woof..."

Just then, a dog's bark interrupted Feng Mo's train of thought.

A stray dog ​​with a black spot at the corner of its eye, resembling a pirate, came to his side carrying a piece of firewood.

"Well done, Xiaobai."

Feng Mo took the firewood, threw it into the woodpile, and rubbed the dog's head at the same time.

Seeing this dog, Feng Mo was speechless.

While others chose servants for their training, the Third Young Master Feng treated it like a picnic and chose a dog.

The dog was named Xiaobai. You could tell from this casual name that the original owner didn't like it. But this dog was the most loyal by the original owner's side. Otherwise, a direct descendant of a noble family wouldn't have fallen to such a state, and no one would have cared for him.

"Woof woof...!"

Xiao Bai was rewarded and circled around Feng Mo twice.

Just then, the usually docile Little White looked towards the temple entrance and became alert.

Suddenly, a figure appeared standing there.

"But what about our stomachs?"

Gu Zhenren pointed to the yellowed brocade banner at the door, which read: "Shiping Feng Family's Five Internal Organs Temple".

When Feng Mo saw that it was a person, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn't expected anyone to be traveling at this hour. Looking again at the roadside, the eerie figure in the floral cotton-padded jacket that had been waving at him was gone.

Feng Mo immediately stood up: "That's right, this is the temple of the Feng family of Shiping. Stay overnight in the temple and you'll receive a disaster stone."

After listening to Gu Zhenren's words, he nodded.

He took out a thumb-sized, dark stone from his pocket and handed it to Feng Mo.

"I know the rules."

Gu Zhenren looked around at the surroundings, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped into the temple after making sure that the banner had the official seal of the government.

He was dressed in black, wearing a bamboo hat, and a token—an official—was prominently displayed at his waist.

But Feng Mo ignored him.

The panel popped up the moment the disaster stone was touched.

"You have obtained a Calamity Stone."

"Loan activated!"

"You can advance the construction, upgrades, folk buildings, and materials."

"The surrounding buildings that can be prefabricated include: shrines, wooden houses..."

"Currently, three types of basic buildings can be pre-built: arrow towers, city walls..."

"Currently, one type of special building can be pre-built: the Research Center."

Feng Mo was delighted to see the panel in front of him.

As expected, what's meant to happen will happen.

As he pondered, Gu Zhenren continued, "Is it the third young master of the Feng family?"

Feng Mo's delight was interrupted, and she then looked at the other person: "You know me?"

Gu Zhenren pulled out his official seal and token, revealing his identity:

"I am the Imperial Temple Envoy of Huanjiang Town. I heard that the Feng family in Jiangbai Village has restarted their 'Five Zhǐ Mǐn' (a local deity), so I came here specifically to verify the truth of the matter."

Upon hearing the other party's words and glancing at the golden seal representing the imperial court on the token, Feng Mo's already despairing heart shattered completely.

He had thought someone from the Feng family was coming to take him back to enjoy a life of luxury, but it turned out to be a local government official.

Gu Zhenren took out his notebook and examined the temple master, recording the state of the temple before him.

According to the information provided by the Feng family, the third young master of the Feng family is hardworking and can endure hardship, making him the number one potential temple master in the Feng family.

He walked around the temple, and now he saw that it was indeed so.

After the other party took office as the temple master, he not only had no servants to accompany him, but he also did not prepare any food or luggage, and he did not even build a single basic building to resist the strange phenomena.

All that was present was the elegant young master of the Feng family, dressed in a long blue robe, and a mangy dog ​​with black spots around its eyes. It was almost dark outside, yet the other party maintained a strange sense of relaxation despite not having lit a fire.

"Is it just you and a dog from the Feng family?"

"Yes." After Feng Mo finished speaking, he put the twig that Xiao Bai had brought back into the stack.

Now we have enough firewood, but we lack flammable materials.

It rained this morning, and finding flammable materials is a real headache.

However, it wasn't difficult to solve. Feng Mo got up, walked to the banner representing the Feng family of Shiping and bearing the official seal, and snatched it off.

After rubbing the flint together a couple of times, sparks flew wildly across the banner, and it soon burst into flames.

Feng Mo threw it directly into the stack.

The woodpile was ignited by fire in a short time, and then smoke began to rise from it.

"Looks like I can live another day." Feng Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

With fire, these eerie creatures lurking in the shadows won't approach on their own—this is what Feng Mo learned from the original owner's memories.

Similarly, the woodpile was lit and turned into a campfire, and a "can be borrowed in advance" message appeared before his eyes.

"Strange Campfire (Tier 1)": The Strange Campfire's wish is to burn itself, even if guidance is cut off, please become the master of the mortal world! It can withstand Tier 1 Strange Disasters, with a safe range of ten meters.

"Repayment conditions": Burn for three minutes.

"Architecture entry" Endless: The flames never go out!

……

At this moment, Gu Zhenren held a brush in his hand, intently recording the state of his internal organs in his notebook.

He didn't see what Feng Mo used to light the fire, but he felt warm all over and the chill subsided.

For Gu Zhenren, as the Imperial Temple Envoy, he was usually treated to good food and drink when he visited other temples.

But the third young master of the Feng family was an anomaly, just like the ascetic he had heard among his peers who sought to emulate the faded.

This reminded him of a story known to everyone in the world.

—The former mortal ruler, bearing the world's malice, transformed into natural disasters after his death.

In this era of great strife, people are afraid of death, and they really will die!

Only those who are willing to endure hardship can become the new ruler of the secular world!

People who are willing to endure hardship are called "faded ones".

The fact that the story inspired people all over the world to imitate it speaks volumes about its authenticity.

Compared to those who fawned over him, Gu Zhenren preferred to associate with ascetics like Feng Mo.

Very ambitious.

Gu Zhenren looked at Feng Mo: "I admire the Third Young Master."

"What?" Feng Mo looked at Gu Zhenren in confusion.

His thoughts were interrupted as he was studying the panel, and he felt completely bewildered.

What do you admire about me?

Do you solicit prostitutes?

"It's like this." Seemingly noticing the confusion on Feng Mo's face, Gu Zhenren realized his attempt to curry favor was too obvious. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and then said:

"As early summer approaches, the days grow short and the nights long, and strange disasters and calamities are frequent."

The first-tier calamity will pass through the Huanjiang Town area.

The temple guardian of Huanjiang Town said that if you, as the temple guardian of Jiangbai Village, cannot withstand the siege, you can relocate with the shrine and the village.

Feng Mo nodded and glanced outside the temple.

It was already dark, but the moon, like a latecomer to work, had just climbed into the sky. In the dim light, only a few eerie figures could be discerned occasionally passing by.

While the two were talking, Xiaobai, who had been staring at the door, suddenly became alert.