For ten years I practiced Gu poison in Southeast Asia; all living beings revered me as a deity.

The Ding family's dinner consisted of several bowls of rice noodles, side dishes of bitter lettuce, bitter melon, mustard greens, a dish of pickled vegetables, a piece of fish that was as hard as wood, and sweet potatoes and taro that their younger sister, Ah Xiu, had found on the hillside.

This meal also reveals that the Ding family lived in relative poverty.

This is because after his father, who used to work as a miner, passed away, the family lost its breadwinner.

Later, because her father died in a mining accident, Ding's mother forbade Ding Miaosheng from working in the mine and instead arranged for him to do odd jobs at a local grocery store owned by an acquaintance.

However, this kind of work pays far less than working in the mines, so the money earned is not enough.

In addition, Ding fell ill for two more years, and the family's financial situation deteriorated further.

Some time ago, Ding Miaosheng, who worked as a shop assistant in a grocery store, offended someone and was pushed at night, hitting the back of his head and suffering a considerable loss.

As a result, he couldn't continue working at the grocery store. Fortunately, Ding Miaosheng had a cousin who knew someone from the local Red Head Datuk Temple. He gave him some instructions and told him to go and meet the temple keeper, Diao Wudou.

After meeting him, Diao Wudou did some calculations with his fingers, nodded, and said that he was a promising talent. He then asked Diao Wudou to kowtow and become his disciple.

Luo Feng sorted through the memories in his mind and roughly figured out his current situation.

He was lying on a hard wooden bed, using a wooden pillow as his pillow.

My younger brother, younger sister, and mother, Ms. Ding, were all fast asleep, and soft snoring could be heard from the beds next to them.

There was an oil lamp on the bedside table, with a tiny flame. A breeze blew in from the window, causing the lamp to sway and flicker, creating shifting shadows.

Luo Feng calculated the time and realized it was getting late. Just as he was about to blow out the lamp, he suddenly heard a mournful cry.

He suddenly froze.

"Where is that crying coming from?"

After experiencing numerous supernatural events, Luo Feng became unusually vigilant, becoming tense at the slightest disturbance.

"What's wrong?"

Mother Ding also woke up.

"There seems to be some noise outside..."

Luo Feng stood up, his ears twitching slightly, as if searching for the source of the crying.

"The Yang family across the street."

Mother Ding sighed.

"The Yang family only had one son, Yang Caifa, the old lady's son. He worked in the mine, and a few days ago, those foreigners slashed his head with a parang knife. He lay in bed for three days and three nights, but he still didn't make it..."

Ms. Ding shook her head.

"The one crying is Yang Caifa's wife. Yang Caifa has been dead for several days, and he hasn't been buried yet. The coffin is still in the house... Sigh, their family is suffering. The old man passed away early, and now only Old Mrs. Yang and her daughter-in-law are left. I don't know how they will live in the future."

A hint of pity flickered in the woman's eyes.

"Isn't there any form of compensation or benefits at the mine?"

Luo Feng asked in a low voice.

"Someone came, gave the mother and daughter-in-law some money to get rid of them, and that was the end of it."

Ding muttered a curse under his breath: "That rotten-footed Luo who manages the mine is a piece of trash. He'll get his comeuppance sooner or later."

She glanced at her eldest son again.

"Go to sleep early! Let the Yang family cry if they want to."

"it is good."

Luo Feng nodded, blew out the oil lamp, and lay down on the bed.

Ding didn't sleep; instead, she took a tattered palm-leaf fan and used it to swat away mosquitoes for Ah Xiu and Gua Sheng.

Luo Feng sighed inwardly and lay down, the eerie crying still echoing in his ears.

He endured this until the middle of the night, and only after the crying stopped did he fall into a deep sleep.

The next morning, he was woken up by the noise.

very noisy!

Luo Feng felt the noise outside the door was a bit noisy, so he got out of bed and rubbed his temples, feeling much more awake.

He initially thought the noise came from Ding Miaosheng's younger siblings, but when he got out of bed, he found that there was no one in the room at all, and the noise was coming from outside.

"Is something wrong outside?"

After Luo Feng got up, he saw Ding Shi come out from outside.

"Mother, where are Ah Xiu and Gua Sheng?"

"After breakfast, we'll take them to the school run by Mr. Guan."

After saying that, Ding whispered to him again.

"Miao Sheng, something has happened to the Yang family."

"What happened?"

Luo Feng asked quickly.

"She was Yang's daughter-in-law. She stabbed Old Lady Yang to death with scissors, and then hanged herself from the beam with a rope."

"Yeah?"

Luo Feng then understood why it was so noisy outside.

He quickly got up and went outside to check. As he stepped out of his own courtyard, he found that a lot of people had come to the Yang family's house, and several local villagers were also gathered at the door.

They were talking all at once.

"...This is really bad luck."

"The Yang family can be said to have been completely wiped out."

"Yang Caifa, his wife, and Old Lady Yang—all three of them died violent deaths… I think we can't leave their bodies lying around any longer; we must arrange for them to be buried, or something terrible will happen!"

The villagers started whispering among themselves.

"I think it's best if our neighbors step in and help the Yang family to have a proper burial. Let's all chip in some money, go to the coffin shop, buy two more thin coffins, and bury the family properly."

An older villager made the suggestion.

"That's right, we're all from the same village."

"Respect for the deceased is paramount. Everyone should contribute money if they have it, or effort if they don't."

"Let's not delay, let's prepare today!"

Ding listened for a while outside the door, then glanced at her son.

"The Yang family are neighbors too, I'll go help them out later, I'll lend a hand... Miao Sheng, your fourth uncle needs to see you, go check on him."

"OK."

Luo Feng glanced at the main gate of the Yang family, then turned and left.

He went to Ding Si's Lucky Number General Store, which mainly sells tobacco, alcohol, cooking oil, and pepper.

When they arrived at the general store, Ding Si was busy dealing with customers, and Luo Feng didn't bother him.

After the customer finished shopping and left, the grocer Ding Si pushed up his glasses, turned around, and greeted Luo Feng.

"Miao Sheng, you're here."

Ding Si looked like a schoolteacher. He was tall and thin, wearing a long gown and glasses. He looked him up and down.

"Well done, kid... I didn't expect the master to really value you and let you become his apprentice."

Ding Si patted him on the shoulder.

"That's good. With this identity, it will save that scoundrel Huang Yajiu from causing you trouble again. You ruined their plans before, and those bastards still hold a grudge and are thinking of taking revenge on you... But since Master has taken you as his disciple, I don't think they will dare to cause any more trouble."

Luo Feng nodded in agreement.

He learned from Ding Miaosheng's memories that his previous injury was due to offending several members of a secret society in the mine. The leader was named Huang Yajiu, and there were several young henchmen. There was a minor conflict between the two sides.

Ding Miaosheng was outnumbered and outmatched, so he was no match for his opponent. Ding Si was worried about him, which is why he sent Ding Miaosheng to the Dadu Temple to become an apprentice.

"Oh, right, I heard from the people at the temple that you're going to have your bones read and your fate told, then you'll have to pay respects to a spirit medium and join a religious sect... Take this."

Ding Si handed him a rooster-shaped bowl.

"This is what you'll be eating from now on. Take it; you'll need it today."

He emphasized the word "eat" in his tone.

"it is good."

Luo Feng felt as if he had received a quest item.

This rooster bowl should be the relic that triggered this cycle of reincarnation.

"But, Fourth Uncle... what's the purpose of this bowl?"

He's not stupid enough to actually think this bowl is for eating.

"Offering incense with a bowl on top of one's head is a way to pay homage to the gods and immortals."

A voice came slowly from behind him: "Your fourth uncle is right, this is indeed one of our Red-Headed Datuk lineage, a guy who makes a living off others..."

Upon hearing this, Luo Feng turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a limp, hunched back, and thin face standing outside the general store.

"Who are you?"

He noticed something hanging from the middle-aged man's waist.

It was a small bronze gong, about the size of a palm, with a mallet hanging from it.