Jiang Yuan lay in bed, staring blankly at the yellowed, cracked ceiling above him.
Today marked the third day since he had transmigrated into this world.
This world seemed no different from Earth, yet there was an unshakeable sense that something was fundamentally off.
Perhaps the most striking difference was that everyone worshipped gods here.
None of these deities were familiar to him—they were unique to this world.
"Xiao Yuan, why are you still in your room? Come out for dinner!"
His mother's gentle voice called from outside. Jiang Yuan's unfocused eyes slowly sharpened as he replied, "I'm coming, Mom."
"Hurry up! I made all your favorite dishes today. They won't taste as good cold."
His mother's voice faded as she walked away.
Jiang Yuan gathered himself and quickly left his room.
As he opened the door, an unusual fragrance wafted into his nostrils. Following the scent toward the study, he saw an open door revealing a two-meter-tall statue of a mysterious deity.
In front of the statue stood a two-meter-long offering table, covered with various sacrificial items. Pitch-black candles burned, and dark incense sticks rose with ink-black smoke.
The strange fragrance emanated from these candles and incense.
He frowned and observed for a moment. Based on what he'd learned about this world over the past few days, every household worshipped different deities, and everyone was a devout believer.
This wasn't particularly surprising, so he stopped paying attention.
The greatest comfort since arriving in this world was having such a warm family.
A doting mother, a kind and gentle father, and a sweet, beautiful older sister.
Leaving his room, he saw his father sitting on a cream-colored sofa covered with a hand-sewn slipcover made by his mother. Warm yellow light shone from above.
His father wore wire-rimmed glasses and had a lean, scholarly appearance. He was a high school geography teacher.
Seeing Jiang Yuan's messy hair, his father stepped forward and gently brushed his bangs aside. "Look at you," he said affectionately. "You'll be eighteen soon—an adult. You should start paying more attention to your appearance."
After straightening Jiang Yuan's hair, his father patted his shoulder and smiled. "Let's go eat."
Jiang Yuan felt warmth in his heart as he followed his father to the dining room. His virtuous mother, wearing a green apron, was serving rice.
When she saw Jiang Yuan, a look of doting affection appeared on her face. "Sit down and eat quickly. These are all your favorites."
"Oh, and your sister will be back by noon tomorrow to celebrate your birthday."
"You two have always been so close—like peas in a pod. It's been months since you've seen her. Do you miss her?"
Jiang Yuan sat down, nodded, and smiled. "I do miss her quite a bit."
His father handed him a pair of chopsticks. "Alright, let's eat."
"After dinner, when you turn eighteen at midnight, we'll hold your Worship Ceremony."
Jiang Yuan froze slightly.
The Worship Ceremony.
It was a ritual that every young man and woman in this world performed upon turning eighteen to become a loyal follower of their chosen deity.
From what he'd gathered online, worshipping a deity would grant divine powers and potentially even allow one to eventually become a deity oneself—
Of course, Jiang Yuan thought this was complete nonsense.
As a young man from modern-day Earth, he couldn't possibly believe such things.
But the people of this world believed without a doubt.
It didn't matter what their profession or status was.
From the nation's leaders, to entrepreneurs and celebrities, down to ordinary citizens—
everyone devoutly worshipped their chosen deity.
His mother placed a piece of ribs glistening with red oil into Jiang Yuan's bowl and continued, "When you worship the deity later, you must be devout. Don't let any distracting thoughts enter your mind."
"Once you pass the deity's test, you can participate in the 'Faith Ceremony.'"
"At that time, a Divine Child will specially bestow the deity's blessing upon you."
"You will become powerful—transcendent beyond ordinary mortals!"
The more his mother spoke, the more devout her expression became. When she finished, she raised her right hand and touched her forehead with her middle finger, muttering a prayer.
Jiang Yuan's expression was complex as he remained silent.
He couldn't help but wonder if this world had somehow gone off track. Its technology was quite advanced, yet its people clung so firmly to beliefs in ghosts and gods.
The thought of the upcoming Worship Ceremony filled Jiang Yuan with reluctance.
But looking at his devout parents, who were filled with expectation for him, he couldn't bring himself to voice his refusal.
After a hasty dinner, his parents began preparing for the ceremony.
They were excited and enthusiastic.
This only made it harder for Jiang Yuan to find the words to decline.
He could only sigh softly.
He would just go through the motions.
At least it would make his parents happy.
Ever since he'd arrived in this world, the better his parents treated him, the more guilty he felt.
Three days ago.
He had watched with his own eyes as the young man who looked exactly like him—already dead—rapidly turned to dust before him, completely vanishing from this world.
That young man had been his parents' real son.
He himself... was a soul transference.
He didn't know if his transmigration had caused that person's death or if it was due to something else, but he felt ashamed regardless.
Even though this wasn't something he could control.
So he had taken his place.
The only way he could make amends was to honor and care for his parents in his stead.
He wanted to refuse worshipping the deity, but he couldn't.
At least it was just a show.
...
Time quickly approached 11:55 PM.
Jiang Yuan was called to the study by his parents.
The entire room was filled with swirling smoke.
A strange fragrance permeated the house, as if something were on fire.
After just a few whiffs, Jiang Yuan felt choked and his body reacted with extreme resistance, even though the smoke smelled quite pleasant.
In contrast, his parents seemed intoxicated, breathing deeply. When they saw Jiang Yuan, his father smiled warmly and waved him over. "Xiao Yuan, come quickly. Everything is ready."
Jiang Yuan walked over reluctantly.
On the offering table in front of the massive statue were at least two dozen incense burners.
They were all filled with candles and incense sticks.
Thick smoke rose and swirled, making the mysterious statue appear and disappear.
The statue had a smiling expression, but as Jiang Yuan stared at it, he couldn't help but wonder if he was imagining things.
That gentle smile...
Seemed to carry a hint of strangeness and eeriness.
Jiang Yuan frowned and was about to look away when suddenly he froze, stunned by what he thought he saw.
He blinked hard, trying to clear his vision.
"Xiao Yuan, come kneel and offer incense to the Merciful Saint."
"Then you can begin offering your faith."
His virtuous mother gently took Jiang Yuan's hand and led him to the offering table, indicating that he should offer incense to the statue.
At that moment, his father produced a kitchen knife from somewhere. He smiled kindly at Jiang Yuan, then suddenly raised the knife and slashed at his own left wrist!
Scarlet blood gushed out, and his father's smile became even more kind, with a hint of devotion.
He shook his bleeding left wrist forcefully toward the statue, splattering blood that left red spots on the deity.
If one looked closely,
They would notice that the blood... was being absorbed by the statue at an extremely slow pace!
Jiang Yuan was terrified by this sudden turn of events. His mouth hung open as he stared dumbly at his father, who smiled without any sign of pain. His head spun.
His mother tugged at his hand again. Her palm felt hot and damp.
Looking down, he saw that at some point, her right wrist was also covered in blood.
Yet his mother seemed oblivious, letting the blood flow freely.
Her smile remained gentle as she chided him, "What are you standing there for? Go offer the incense."
"Use your loyalty to light the flesh candles and soul incense."
"Offer your faith, devotion, and soul to the Merciful Saint."
"My son, you will become the most loyal and fervent follower of the Merciful Saint. Your father and I are so proud of you!"
With that, she gave the dazed Jiang Yuan a gentle push.
Jiang Yuan was caught off guard by this sudden series of events.
Aside from his parents' sudden strangeness, there were also blood-red characters flashing before his eyes.
Now that he was closer to the statue,
The blood-red characters flashed more rapidly.
The red was deeper and more intense.
DO NOT WORSHIP!!!
DO NOT WORSHIP!!!
DO NOT WORSHIP!!!