People worship their ancestors: I'm just burning some paper money, how did I become a Taoist ma

Among the Wang family members walking along the straight passage towards the main hall of the Spirit Hall, a young and beautiful woman at the very back suddenly stopped.

She heard the arguing coming from the crowd, and she also heard that particularly jarring remark—

"If man-made structures could truly enhance the efficacy of worship, the Wang family would have ascended to heaven long ago!"

Wang Qingyu paused, her brows furrowing slightly.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man in his early twenties standing at the edge of the crowd. He had a calm expression and was talking to a girl next to him, seemingly preparing to leave.

Wang Qingyu stared at the young man for two seconds, then stepped forward to the security guard wall.

"Whisper?" Someone ahead noticed she hadn't followed and called out as they turned around.

"You guys go in first, I'll be right there." Wang Qingyu said without turning her head, her gaze falling on Li Mu in the crowd. "What did you just say?"

Wang Qingyu's sudden action immediately became the focus of everyone's attention, and everyone turned their gaze towards her!

Wang's voice was not loud, but it was very clear, carrying an unquestionable tone of questioning.

Li Mu turned his head at the sound and saw the exquisitely dressed young beauty. Seeing that her gaze was on him, he felt helpless!

"What did I say?" Li Mu asked calmly.

"You said, if the Spirit Hall could truly make worship more effective, the Wang family would have been immortalized long ago." Wang Qingyu repeated the sentence, each word deliberate, her gaze sharp as a knife. "Is that right?"

"Yes, I did say that, so what?"

Wang Qingyu's expression darkened slightly.

"If you don't acknowledge the sanctity of the Spirit Hall, what are you doing here?" Her voice turned cold. "The Spirit Hall doesn't welcome people like you who question its existence."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu couldn't help but laugh. How could someone in such a large family like the Wang family take this so seriously?

"I'm here because my great-grandfather's grave is in this cemetery, not because of your Wang family's spirit hall," Li Mu stated immediately. "Besides, regarding the spirit hall, I was merely stating a fact; it doesn't seem to bother you in any way, does it?"

"Your words are defaming the Wang family's reputation." Wang Qingyu stared at him, her tone carrying a hint of warning. "I have the right to claim compensation from you for the impact of your words."

"Heh... If stating the facts counts as defaming the Wang family's reputation, then I don't mind if you sue me." Li Mu chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the magnificent main hall of the Spirit Communication Temple beside him. "So many people come to the Spirit Communication Temple to worship every day; the sales of incense, candles, and other sacrificial items must be astronomical, right? With so much money spent, I've never heard of any ancestors manifesting their power to protect their descendants. It's not uncommon for people who don't worship at the Spirit Communication Temple to receive ancestral blessings."

These words were spoken slowly and deliberately, but every word pierced Wang Qingyu's ears like nails.

The surrounding crowd quieted down. Everyone watched the scene. Some gloated, some were worried for Li Mu, and some nodded in agreement, thinking that Li Mu made sense.

Wang Qingyu's expression changed, but she quickly regained her composure.

"I don't want to argue with you too much. You worship yours, I worship mine, and we have no connection whatsoever," Li Mu continued.

After saying that, Li Mu ignored the somewhat serious beauty and turned to leave.

Jiang Yiling was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.

Wang Qingyu stood there, watching Li Mu's departing figure, her lips slightly pursed.

After calming herself down, Wang Qingyu withdrew her gaze, turned around, and quickly followed her family into the Spirit Communication Hall.

……

After leaving the Spirit Hall area, Jiang Yiling finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"Li Mu, are you crazy?" she said in a low voice, her face showing obvious worry. "That's the Wang family! The richest and most powerful family in Tianhai City! Aren't you afraid she'll cause you trouble for talking to Wang Qingyu like that?"

Li Mu pushed his electric bike, looking completely unconcerned.

"I was just stating the facts, what's there to be afraid of? The existence of the shrine is purely a psychological comfort; it doesn't actually help with the worship. I wasn't deliberately picking a fight with her; she came up to me on her own. Who knew someone would be so serious about it?"

"But the Wang family..."

"What's wrong with the Wang family?" Li Mu interrupted. "No matter how powerful the Wang family is, can they stop people from telling the truth? I didn't insult them or slander them; I just spoke the truth. If she really sues me for this, that would be a joke."

Jiang Yiling opened her mouth, thinking about it, and realized it made sense, but she still felt uneasy.

"That's true, but the Wang family really has a lot of influence in Tianhai City..." she muttered. "You'd better be careful."

Li Mu smiled and didn't continue the topic.

He rode his electric scooter, with Jiang Yiling walking beside him, and the two slowly made their way along the road.

"Li Mu, what you just said... do you really think the Spirit Hall is useless?"

"Of course!" Li Mu said without hesitation. "Think about it, what's the core of worshipping ancestors? It's the procedure. If the method is wrong, even if you burn mountains of gold and silver, not much will accurately reach the ancestors. Everything must follow the rules. If the rules are right, even three or five dollars will be delivered in full!"

"Worshipping in this kind of spirit hall is not as good as praying to gods and Buddhas... It's a pity that people in this world don't really believe in gods and Buddhas."

Jiang Yiling nodded thoughtfully.

"Then tell me, how did the Spirit Hall come about? Why do people believe that worshipping at the Spirit Hall is more effective?"

"I don't know when or how the Spirit Hall came about, but it's probably a trap set by capitalists."

"A trap set by capital?" Jiang Yiling blinked.

"Yes. Think about it, what kind of need is there in this world to worship ancestors? It's an unparalleled, essential need. People worship during festivals, on the anniversaries of their ancestors' death, when good things happen, and when they encounter difficulties. What does this essential need mean in business? It represents an unimaginably huge market."

"It's impossible for such a big piece of cake not to be coveted. Someone built a shrine and promoted it as a place where worship is more effective and easier to communicate with ancestors, so naturally everyone will come here to worship. When they come, they have to buy incense, candles, paper money, and sacrificial items, which all cost money."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yiling suddenly realized what was going on.

"You mean... the Spirit Hall is just a commercial project?"

"Not entirely," Li Mu shook his head. "It certainly has elements of cultural heritage involved; it's a tradition spanning hundreds of years, it can't all be fake. But how much practical value do you think it has? I don't think so. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't feel disappointed after worshipping!"

Jiang Yiling was silent for a while, then sighed.

"Hearing you say that, I suddenly feel like all the money I spent before was wasted."

"It's not entirely a waste of money. At least you've shown filial piety, and that's enough. Whether the ancestors will receive it or not is another matter."

The two walked and talked, gradually disappearing into the distance.

……