That year, many people were superstitious.
Sometimes, even they themselves couldn't clarify which immortals they believed in, but regardless, you had to believe in something; otherwise, if everyone else believed and you didn't, you'd seem very out of place.
The Western missionaries' statement that the People of Ming had no faith was inaccurate.
The indigenous religious beliefs of Ming Country, in terms of systems and schemes, were very mature, creating a rather intense atmosphere, just different from the belief methods of the Foreigners.
This was more akin to sending gifts to leaders during festivals; although the leaders didn't care much about your trivial gifts and couldn't remember who had given what, they definitely remembered who hadn't given a gift…that kind of mentality.