On her way here, Qian constantly calculated every step, considering the bottom line and points of fear in these people's hearts.
The reason why Shi Touyu didn't suggest letting them go back was that these people would certainly disagree.
When people become poor to a certain extent, their perspective on the world changes; they have reverence for ghosts and spirits, but for money, they'd even dare to kill them.
Their respect for ghosts and spirits isn't from heartfelt belief but from fear and purpose. If the fear from ghosts and spirits outweighs their bottom line and obstructs their goals, they stop believing.
In their eyes, gods and ghosts are for transactions. The faith among the lowest classes is all utilitarian.
So Qian had Shi Touyu pretend to be possessed by a spirit, not suggest leaving, but stay and appease the others so they wouldn't suspect this was a meticulously laid trap.
