This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

Seeing the @ tag "Princess with long braids", Zhu Jun's hand trembled, and his phone almost flew out of his hand.

He felt as if all his bones had been removed, slumped on the sofa, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He knew that if he gave a bad answer, his profile picture might turn gray.

"Chen...Brother Chen..." Zhu Jun's voice trembled uncontrollably, "She...she asked me a question, what should I say? Can I say my internet connection is slow?"

Before Zhang Chen could speak, Wang Xiaoer grabbed the phone from the side.

His brows were furrowed as he stared at the sentence on the screen: "What's the use of a woman reading so many books?"

These words were like a needle, piercing Wang Xiaoer's heart.

He thought of the women in his village who dropped out of school early to get married, and whose lives revolved around the stove, their husbands and children, worn down by life and losing all their luster.

They were illiterate and couldn't understand the instructions on the medicine bottles or the college admission notices sent to their children.

A surge of righteous indignation mixed with sympathy suddenly welled up in Wang Xiaoer's chest.

He wasn't thinking about ghosts or anything like that, nor was he thinking about any danger.

He just felt that what he said was wrong.

Wang Xiaoer's fingers flew across the phone's keypad before he pressed the send button.

"Of course studying is useful! It's a new era; men and women are equal, and only through studying can you find a good future!"

After sending it, he felt it wasn't enough and added another sentence.

Women hold up half the sky!

The office was deathly silent.

Zhu Jun stared wide-eyed, as if looking at a brave man who had willingly jumped into a vat of boiling oil.

Zhang Chen and A Yue also came over, staring at the phone screen with different expressions.

one second.

two seconds.

The phone screen suddenly started flashing wildly, and the message notification sound "beep beep beep" turned into a series of urgent alarms.

A ladle of cold water was poured into the calm oil pan.

The entire QQ group exploded instantly!

The princess with the long braid: "How dare you! Who do you think you are, to dare mention that men and women are the same in front of me!"

The princess with the long braid: "Does this blond brat know anything about rules?!"

Immediately afterwards, the avatar of an ID called "Former Qing Dynasty Official" also lit up.

A former Qing dynasty official: "@IT Elite, you arrogant brat! 'A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent'—this is an ancient teaching of the sages and a rule of our ancestors. How dare you, a junior, trample on it so wantonly!"

A "bookkeeper" with a gray Zhongshan suit on his head also appeared.

The accountant said, "That's right, that's right. Women who read so many books become wild and difficult to manage. Being content with one's lot, supporting one's husband and raising children is the right path."

However, Wang Xiaoer's words were not without supporters.

An ID with the profile picture of a girl with short hair and wearing a blue cloth top, named "Republic of China Female Student," immediately popped up.

A female student from the Republican era: "That's right! We must strive for ideological liberation and break free from the shackles of feudal ethics!"

A female student from the Republican era: "@Former Qing Dynasty official, what era are we living in? Clinging to your outdated ideas, you should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago!"

Western missionary: "Oh, my God! Education is a gift from God, for everyone, including ladies! The glory of the Lord should shine on every soul!"

The group instantly split into two distinct camps.

Led by the "Princess with the Long Braid" and the "former Qing dynasty official," the "royalists" resolutely defended the "ancestral rule" that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent.

The "reformists," led by "female students of the Republic of China" and newly emerging spiritual leaders "IT elites," raised the banner of ideological liberation and gender equality.

Various deities descended to the scene, thus beginning a great debate in the underworld concerning whether women should be educated.

The rickshaw puller said, "What's all the fuss about? If my wife could read, I wouldn't be able to hide the two coins I earn. I think it's better if she can't read."

Mountain King: "Shut the hell up! What's the use of being literate? Is it any harder than my fist? Anyone who disagrees, drag them up the mountain, I'll chop them down one by one!"

A former Qing dynasty official: "@Republic of China female students, you are ungrateful and have forgotten your ancestors! You are unfilial!"

A female student from the Republican era: "@Former Qing Dynasty official, you old fogey! Your thinking is rigid! You deserve to be abandoned by the times!"

In no time, the group chat became a chaotic mess, with all sorts of ancient and unheard-of insults emerging one after another, ranging from cursing the other person's "ancestors" to questioning their "origins," creating a truly fascinating spectacle.

Zhu Jun held his phone; his hands were no longer shaking, and his legs were no longer weak.

He was completely stunned.

So this is what ghosts arguing looks like?

A-Yue was also attracted by this novel scene. She moved closer to Wang Xiaoer, pointing at the screen with great interest.

"This 'Princess with the long braid' speaks so bluntly, I like it."

"That 'Republic of China era female student' is also quite good, rather interesting."

Only Zhang Chen did not participate in the onlookers. Instead, he leaned back on the sofa, stroking his chin, his eyes gleaming with the light of sociological research.

He looked at the heatedly clashing opinions on the screen, and listened to Wang Xiaoer muttering, "Studying changes destiny, and I just regret not continuing my studies," and suddenly laughed.

"Wow, this is even more exciting than watching a historical drama."

He clicked his tongue in amazement and commented.

"Could this be considered... the first intellectual enlightenment movement in the underworld?"

Wang Xiaoer was stunned by what he said, and his eyes changed when he looked at the phone screen again.

It seems like... I just did something pretty amazing?

The debate has entered a heated phase.

The "royalists" cited numerous classical texts, from "Admonitions for Women" to "Inner Teachings," but their core argument remained the same: women who read books cause unrest in the home.

The "reformists" cited various new ideas, from "Nora's departure" to "women's liberation," and denounced the oppression of women by feudal ideology.

Neither side could convince the other, and it eventually devolved into pure personal attacks.

The girl with the long braid: "@IT Elite, you just wait! I'll send someone to investigate what kind of place you're talking about!"

A former Qing dynasty official: "@IT Elite, you're utterly hopeless! I'm ashamed to be associated with you!"

Just as the two sides were arguing the most fiercely, almost to the point of going online to fight Mortal Kombat.

The "group owner," who had never spoken before and whose profile picture was a pure black memorial tablet, suddenly spoke up.

His ID is "Group Owner".

Group admin: "Stop arguing, everyone."

These four simple words carry an undeniable air of authority.

The group chat, which had been as noisy as a market just moments before, suddenly fell silent.

All the flashing avatars stopped, as if a pause button had been pressed.

The group admin did not participate in any debate; he simply posted another message.

[@Everyone, new members have joined the group. Why didn't you ask them to fill out the "List of Deceased Persons"?]

No sooner had he finished speaking than he posted a picture.

It was a blank table image, with an antique style, as if the borders were drawn with a brush.

The table's title is a few startling words: List of Deceased Persons.

The following are several sections:

【Name】

Place of origin

【birthday】

【cause of death】

[Time to join the group]

And on each of those blank rows, a line of small print had already been filled in.

Name: Zhu Jun

Place of Origin: Jiangcheng City

Date of Birth: XXXX Year XX Month XX Day

【cause of death】:

[Time to join the group]: 3:45 PM (Hai Shi)

Zhu Jun's gaze was fixed on the picture, on the "Cause of Death" column next to his name.

That column was blank.

A bright red cursor was flashing ominously and rhythmically in that blank space.

Like a scarlet eye waiting for something.