Living Like Maggots

Jing Hui remembered that when Duke Wu stood at the highest point of the altar and sang the first line that day, everyone fell silent.

"Gray is the vault of heaven, boundless is the wild earth—"

Then the entire clan, from the oldest to the youngest, sang together.

"Return, O soul, wander in doubt no more—"

The melodious sacrificial songs converged, sounding like the wind blowing through a pine forest or water flowing through a valley.

Standing in the crowd and listening to the singing, Jing Hui suddenly felt his eyes grow moist.

He looked up at the altar.

Duke Wu stood at the highest point, his aged face filled with devotion.

Duke Wen closed his eyes, nodding gently to the rhythm.

Duke Martial stood tall with his chest out, his voice the loudest and most resonant.

Three old men, each older and more stubborn than the last.

But their presence there made Jing Hui feel at peace.

It felt as if there was still hope for Tianchi Province, as if the disaster would one day pass, and as if they could still walk a very, very long way together.

Jing Hui listened quietly, the sound of the cicada chirps seemingly piercing through a thousand years of time, bringing his old friends before his eyes once again.

Earth Cicada chirped for a while before stopping to catch his breath.

Then he turned to look around, pricking up his ears to listen.

The responding sounds from underground were getting closer and clearer.

Some came from the east, others from the west, and before long, the ground began to vibrate slightly.

Then, one by one, Earth Cicadas burrowed out of the soil.

They came in all sizes, some fat and some thin, and most of their backs were covered in a thick layer of moss, looking as if they had just woken from a long slumber.

They crawled out of the ground and looked around blankly until they saw Earth Cicada, whereupon they swarmed toward him.

"Old Ancestor, why did you call us?"

"Old Ancestor, what happened?"

"Old Ancestor, who are these people?"

Earth Cicada coughed and puffed out his chest. "Be quiet, all of you! Listen to me!"

The little cicadas quieted down, looking at him expectantly.

Only then did Earth Cicada turn to Chen Zhou with a flattering smile. "Lord, you see? This little one did not lie to you! I have called them all!"

Chen Zhou nodded and instructed the small demons nearby, "Go, dig them out."

The small demons were startled for a moment before nodding quickly and rushing over to start clawing at the dirt.

Those Earth Cicadas who were only halfway out or still stuck in the soil were dug out by their frantic hands and placed on the ground.

The Earth Cicadas shrieked in terror, struggling desperately.

"What are you doing!"

"Let me go!"

"Old Ancestor, save me!"

Earth Cicada waved his hands. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! They are all our own people!"

Chen Zhou did a rough count; there were at least one or two hundred of them.

He looked at Earth Cicada. "Have you all been hiding underground this entire time?"

Earth Cicada nodded. "Yes. The ancestral teachings said we must not come out, must not undergo emergence, and must not be found."

"We had no choice but to hide beneath the earth, surviving by eating tree roots and moss."

"In this wretched place called Tianchi Province, the surface is full of plague, and it is not much better underground."

"Edible things became fewer and fewer, so we could only hide deeper and deeper..."

He sounded quite pained as he spoke.

They were, after all, an ancient exotic species, the Mingchan Clan, masters of hexagrams and divination who were once a prestigious clan in Tianchi Province.

And now?

They had hidden underground for nearly a thousand years, living like a bunch of maggots.

Chen Zhou looked at Earth Cicada and asked again, "What is your name?"

Earth Cicada hesitated, rubbing his front limbs together awkwardly. "This little one... does not have a name."

"No name?"

Earth Cicada nodded. "According to the rules of the Mingchan Clan, one can only have a name after emergence. This little one has lived for eight hundred years without undergoing emergence, so I have always been called Earth Cicada."

Chen Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Then I shall give you one."

Earth Cicada's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes! A name bestowed by the Lord is more than I could ever hope for!"

Chen Zhou stated, "Fine. From now on, you shall be called Chan Yi."

Earth Cicada: "..."

Is it really that casual?

Chen Zhou continued, "It represents that you will be the leader of the Mingchan Clan from now on. There are too many small demons here, and they need a place to settle."

"I heard you have some skill in digging tunnels, so take your clansmen and dig another hole—one that is fit for habitation."

Chan Yi nodded frantically. "Yes, yes! Rest assured, Lord, digging holes is our specialty!"

Chen Zhou pulled out a handful of pills and handed them to him.

"I won't let you work for nothing. Distribute these to your clansmen."

Chan Yi's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he looked at the pills.

One, two, three, four, five...

There were over two hundred of them!

And every single one was a fifth-stage pill!

He felt his heart skip a beat.

"Lo... Lord..." he stammered, "This... isn't this too many?"

Chen Zhou smiled. "Take them."

They were not particularly valuable to him; when converted, they were only worth about two portions of sixth-stage flesh.

Chan Yi took the pills with trembling hands, feeling as if he were in a dream.

He turned around to face the little Earth Cicadas who were watching him expectantly, coughed, and puffed out his chest.

"Little ones, come here!"

The little Earth Cicadas swarmed forward, stretching their necks to look at the pills in Chan Yi's hands.

Chan Yi counted the heads and distributed the pills, one for each, keeping the rest for himself.

"Old Ancestor, what is this?" a young Earth Cicada asked, sniffing the pill curiously after receiving it.

Chan Yi slapped him on the head. "It's good stuff! Don't ask questions, just eat it!"

The young Earth Cicada was dazed by the slap and dazedly stuffed the pill into his mouth.

Then he froze as a warm current rose from his stomach. He could feel his depleted blood energy being rapidly replenished, and even his cultivation improved slightly.

"Old Ancestor!" he cried out in surprise. "I... I feel like I'm about to break through!"

Chan Yi slapped him again. "Just eat! Don't make such a fuss, acting like you've never seen the world."

Seeing this, the other Earth Cicadas stuffed the pills into their mouths as well.

Soon, cries of surprise broke out one after another.

"Old Ancestor, this tastes so good!"

"I feel like my whole body is heating up!"

"I think I've gotten a bit fatter!"

Chan Yi kicked a few of the noisier Earth Cicadas and shouted, "Are you all finished eating?"

"If you're done, get to work! The Lord has ordered us to dig a new cave, one that people can live in!"

"Understood!"

The Earth Cicadas were full of energy and dove back into the soil.

Soon, the ground began to shake. The other small demons nearby who were good at digging grew envious and crowded around.

"Old Ancestor Chan Yi, can we help?"

"It's not about the pills or anything, it's just that we love digging holes. Our hands itch if we don't dig some dirt every day."

"Yes, yes! It's definitely not because we want a share of the pills too."

Chan Yi poked his head out of a hole and glanced at them. "Those who know how to dig, come over! Those who don't, stay on the side and watch!"

The small demons cheered, and those capable of burrowing rushed forward to help.

Those who could not dig stood by, anxious and angry, grumbling at their clan elders for being a species that lacked the talent for burrowing.

In the end, having no other choice, the small demons who couldn't dig followed the lead of the ant tribe and took responsibility for hauling away the excavated earth and stones.

In any case, they could not remain idle; they had to leave a good impression on the Lord.