I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 111 Agreement with the Corpse Refining Hall

Seeing Xie An agree to contribute to the renovation of the temple, and also having the relationship with Old Master Tang, Li Hongming and Chen Lei both breathed a sigh of relief.

The current problem is how to deal with Chen Yuan's body.

Xie An was also a little worried.

There was corpse poison remaining on Chen Yuan's body.

From his experience with Wei Dian, Xie An knew that corpse poison could not be transmitted through smell, but was most likely transmitted through blood, bones and flesh.

The safest way is naturally to cremate the body directly on the spot.

However, Chen Yuan had children... According to custom, the body had to be transported back to Chen Yuan's home, where his children would handle the funeral. The manner and scale of the funeral were all decided by his children.

It is not appropriate for outsiders to interfere in other people's affairs.

Then the problem is coming.

The villagers in this world do not know the seriousness of the matter. When they say goodbye to their loved ones, they often need to change the clothes of the deceased, put on burial makeup, and some even cry while hugging the deceased's body.

It's too easy to get infected with corpse poison.

At this moment, an apprentice from the martial arts school hurried over and said, "Master, Chen Yuan's children are outside crying and shouting that they want to collect Chen Yuan's body. They even brought their little grandson with them. They are crying so hard that we dare not stop them."

Chen Lei sighed, "I know Chen Yuan's children, and I like that little grandson too. Thank you, Xiangzhu, look..."

Xie An knew he couldn't be soft-hearted at this moment, so he said, "The poison on the body hasn't been cleared yet. If they let their children take it home, they could get infected if they don't handle it properly. That would really harm Chen Yuan's family."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone broke out in a cold sweat. Chen Lei also recovered immediately, "Thank you for reminding me. This matter is of great importance. We must not let our softness harm Chen Yuan's family. So, what solution does Xie Xiang have?"

Xie An pondered for a moment, then said, "Mr. Li, Master Chen, do you have any spare houses in town? If so, why not clear one out, transport Chen Yuan's body there, and hold his funeral there?"

Chen Lei said, "Moving to another house to store the body... isn't that right..."

Xie An said: "I will stay in the house for two days and keep an eye on it personally. I will prevent Chen Yuan's family from having inappropriate contact with the body. After Dai An buries Chen Yuan, he can conduct a comprehensive disinfection of the house. It is much better than taking the body back to Chen Yuan's home."

Chen Lei was very grateful. "Thank you, Master Xiang, for your kindness. This way, everything will be safe. I have an abandoned little house not far from the ancestral hall..."

Before he could finish his words, Li Hongming gave him a light kick. "That little house of yours has been abandoned for years, and the furniture and fixtures are all old and rotten, unusable. It just so happens that I have a vacant three-story house nearby that I originally planned to use for my grandson to marry, but then he went to the county town to develop his career, and it's been left unused. But it's fully furnished, and I have people cleaning it regularly, so it's perfect for me."

After all, Li Hongming is of a higher seniority, and Chen Lei felt that this move was too extravagant, but he did not refute it.

Seeing that the two had reached an agreement, Xie An was also unequivocal, "Then let's do as Master Li said. Master Chen, find two apprentices, get a stretcher, and carry the body to the house. In order not to scare the villagers, it's best to find a piece of white cloth to cover the body."

"Okay, okay, I'll arrange it right away." Chen Lei immediately arranged for his apprentices to carry the body, while Li Hongming enthusiastically took Xie An to the three-story house.

With Xie An's approval, the two great local sages felt extremely safe and immediately had a backbone.

……

The three-courtyard house was located on a street corner about two miles away from Li's pawnshop, and close to an ancient river in the town. It had an excellent location.

The courtyard is built with black tiles and blue bricks, with eaves and corners, and is very impressive. The decorations inside are also very exquisite, with corridors, screen walls, corridor lights, ponds, and pavilions.

Although it is not as good as the Li Mansion, it is definitely a first-class mansion in the entire Wuqiao Town.

White lanterns were hung in the courtyard.

A portrait of Chen Yuan hung high in the hall, with the word "Dian" inscribed below. Funeral couplets were affixed to the wooden pillars on either side. In front of the mourning hall stood an altar, upon which offerings were placed, incense and candles burning brightly. The coffin was placed behind the altar.

The children of the Chen family wore mourning clothes and knelt in front of the coffin to cry.

There were also villagers with the surname Chen in the town, villagers with the surname Li including everyone in the Li Mansion, pawnshop clerks, and so on, all of whom came in mourning clothes to pay their respects.

According to custom, the burial process takes several days, and the funeral procession can only be held on the seventh day and buried in the mountains.

However, due to the unique circumstances of Chen Yuan's death, Li Hongming and Chen Lei decided to bury him that day. Although the Chen children were reluctant, after seeing their father's body, they knew something was wrong and agreed to bury him that day, so that their father could rest in peace as soon as possible.

As for Li He, who had gone to the county town to ask for a coroner, he had not returned yet, so Chen Lei decided not to wait any longer.

In order to avoid accidents, Xie An was present throughout the process.

All the way, I heard Chen Yuan's children crying, especially the six-year-old grandson who cried miserably.

Xie An felt very uncomfortable after hearing this.

After finishing Chen Yuan's funeral, it was already dusk.

Xie An teamed up with Chen Lei from the Chen family martial arts school and asked the clerk at the Chen family pharmacy to bring incense, mugwort, and disinfectant to thoroughly disinfect the three courtyards.

Two great local figures, Chen Lei and Li Hongming, were present to direct the event in person.

Li Hongming, in particular, was extremely concerned and asked his men to disinfect carefully over and over again, without missing any corner.

Taking advantage of the fact that there were few people around, Chen Lei stepped forward and whispered, "Mr. Li, this house you are preparing for your grandson to marry. There is no need to use it for Chen Yuan's burial."

Li Hongming said, "Why do you think I kicked you in the first place? Was it because of a dispute? You still can't see far enough."

Chen Lei was very confused, "Please give me some advice, Mr. Li."

Li Hongming said, "Master Xie is willing to enter the Wu Temple, which is a gesture of respect for the people of Wuqiao Town. His future is even brighter, and he will surely become a top figure in Wuqiao Town. How can we not give Master Xie a place to stay?"

hiss.

Chen Lei took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Li is the one who sees the long term. I was too careless."

In Daqian, unlike modern times, a house was often passed down through generations, and there was no taboo against the death of a deceased person. Even the houses sold by the pawnbrokers were properties where someone had died, but the buyers didn't mind.

This isn't the real estate era anymore. There are only so many houses, so why would there be so many taboos...

Xie An and Yuhe stood under the corridor in the courtyard, watching the busy guys, and Xie An felt very uncomfortable.

Wei Dian left, and Chen Yuan also left.

Although things in the world are unpredictable, everyone has their own destiny.

But when he really faced it, Xie An still felt uncomfortable and regretful.

And all this... is because of the Corpse Refining Hall.

It would be unrealistic to say that there is no hatred in my heart.

"Master, I have something to say but I don't know if I should say it."

Xie An then noticed that Yu He had been following him. "You tell me."

Yu He said, "When I was in the Tiger and Wolf Sect, I followed Chen Qinglang to Dayin Mountain twice. I met the evil cult of the Corpse Refining Hall. As the name suggests, the Corpse Refining Hall is for refining corpses. They can refine a monster called the Green Wood Black Corpse, which survives by sucking the blood of living creatures.

The Aoki Black Corpse resembles a human, with dark skin and a terrifying appearance. It possesses four sharp fangs, and once it bites a living creature, it instantly drains all of its blood, causing it to shrivel and become a mummy. Its methods are extremely brutal.

Xie An's scalp tingled when he heard this. "Are you saying... the one who killed Chen Yuan was this Qingmu Hei Corpse?"

Yuhe said, "That should be the case."

Xie An had lived in this world for thirty years, but this was the first time he had heard of such a monster.

Aoki Black Corpse...

Even though Xie An possessed the strength of the second level of the Essence Flesh Realm, he was still frightened. "Is this Qingmu Black Corpse easy to deal with?"

Yu He shook her head. "Once they reach adulthood, black corpses are extremely difficult to deal with. They are incredibly strong, nimble, and don't need to breathe. They are invulnerable to weapons. As long as they continue to suck the blood of living creatures, they will continue to grow in strength and remain immortal."

Xie An could understand that sucking blood made one stronger. He also thought it was nothing...

The key is not to die...

Xie An vaguely understood why the Corpse Refining Hall wanted to refine this kind of monster.

Yu He continued, "The body of the Aoki Black Corpse is covered in deadly corpse poison. Even if your blood isn't drained, you'll still be poisoned. A warrior with strong Qi and blood might be able to resist for a while. An ordinary person wouldn't survive more than a few days, as pustules would form all over their body and their skin would ulcerate and they'd die."

Xie An asked, "Is it possible that the person who was bitten will become the next Qingmu Hei Shi?"

If that's possible, then this Aoki Kuroshi...what's the fuck the difference between him and the zombies in the movies of my previous life?
With just a few clicks, wouldn't the entire Wuqiao Town turn into a zombie paradise?
Xie An felt his scalp tingling just thinking about this scene.

Yu He said, "That shouldn't be possible. The conditions for becoming a Qingmu Black Corpse are very harsh. It requires a specialized corpse refiner from the Corpse Refining Hall and a complicated process to be able to refine it."

call.

Xie An breathed a sigh of relief.

That's fine.

Otherwise... if the Corpse Refining Hall gets ruthless, Wuqiao Town will fall in minutes. Word of this will spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred... in a few moments the entire Qingwu County will be gone.

However, Wuqiao Town is also very dangerous as it is targeted by a Qingmu Black Corpse.

Not to mention that Xie An was incorporated into the Wu Temple, what's more, the people Xie An cared about all lived in the town.

If there is only one Aoki Kuroshi...it shouldn't be difficult to get rid of it.

Thinking of this, Xie An always felt that he should do something.

"Yuhe, go back to the black market and get my sword and bow. Also, get some armor-piercing arrows."

"Okay sir."

Yuhe quickly took small steps and left through the wind and snow.

Xie An greeted Li Hongming and Chen Lei from a distance, and then prepared to leave.

"Thank you, Master Xiang, for leaving in such a hurry. Is there something urgent?" Li Hongming caught up with him on crutches.

Xie An said, "Miss Yuhe and I have just discussed this and decided to go to the mountain behind the ancestral hall tonight to keep watch and see if we can find the thief."

Li Hongming and Chen Lei were shocked and deeply moved.

Even Chen Lei, an old warrior, would never dare to take the risk.

"Thank you, Master Xiang, for your chivalrous spirit!"

"I want to thank Xiangzhu Xie on behalf of the thirty thousand villagers of Wuqiao Town. Although I am old and unable to lead the charge, I still want to contribute. How about leaving these three courtyards for Xiangzhu Xie to rest and rest? If Xiangzhu Xie needs any help, we can send someone over to lend a hand. Or we can keep in touch; it would be convenient to have a place to stay."

Xie An thought about it and agreed.

You can't count on someone to lend a hand, but there is indeed a place where it is convenient to exchange information.

"Alright. I'll stay here for now. You guys go back early, and tell the townspeople not to go out late at night, to avoid further harm. Come back tomorrow morning, and if you have any news about the thieves, we'll keep each other informed."

Li Hongming was delighted. "Okay. Leave the notification of the villagers to me and Chen Lei. Also, would you like two maids to serve you?" Xie An saw what Li Hongming was thinking and refused righteously. "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Li. I already have maids. No need to bother you."

"That's right, Master Xie's maid is naturally the most beautiful woman in the world. I am sorry for being rude."

Li Hongming smiled and bowed before leaving.

In the huge three-courtyard house, Xie An was the only one left.

When he had nothing to do, Xie An would practice the Five Animal Exercises in the yard.

Tigers hunt for food, deers run, bears shake their luck, apes pick fruits, cranes fly...

As the moves continued to be released, the yard became full of vigor and the roars and sniffs of wild beasts could be heard.

The Five Animal Exercises had entered the final stage, and were more than halfway through, heading towards perfection.

The power of Xie An's Five Animal Exercises also increased day by day.

It's no longer just a health-preserving technique, but a killing method that takes into account the characteristics of the five animals. It's already surpassed the power of the Fuyang Sword Technique. It's truly remarkable.

Xie An, who had entered the realm of refined flesh, felt that his strength was released by using these five animal techniques, and every move he made was full of satisfaction.

Even though Xie An has been living in Wuqiao Town in recent days, his strength has been improving rapidly.

If I were to face Hong Lie again now, why would I need the Heavy Mountain Knife?

He pounced on his prey like a tiger and tore the opponent in half.

Not long after, a knock on the door woke Xie An up.

But it was Yuhe who walked in.

In his hand he held Xie An's forty-jin broadsword, a heavy bow, and a quiver full of armor-piercing arrows.

Xie An saw... Yuhe was holding a big knife, as if she was holding a toy.

This woman...

Xie An put his thoughts aside, put on his heavy bow and broadsword, put on his quiver and went out, not forgetting to remind him, "It's dangerous to go there, Yuhe, wait for me at home."

Yuhe rejected it without even thinking, "No, I have to follow the master."

Xie An turned around and looked Yuhe up and down.

Tang Qingyun had said that this woman had made great achievements in martial arts, but Xie An had no idea how accomplished she was.

Yuhe seemed to see Xie An's worry, and without explaining, she walked to the camphor tree next to her that was as thick as a bucket, raised her white hand, and suddenly slapped it on the trunk.

Bang.

A sharp explosion echoed from the ground, followed by the tree shaking violently, shaking the ground. When everything was stable, Xie Anding looked over and saw a palm print left on the tree trunk, which had been punched through.

This really scared Xie An.

This is a big camphor tree as thick as a bucket.

Even if Xie An used all his strength, he couldn't penetrate the tree trunk, let alone leave a smooth palm print.

This woman's martial arts skills are undoubtedly far superior to Xie An's.

In an instant, Xie An felt his scalp tingling.

The realm of refined flesh... there must be more than that.

Iron Bone Realm?
Or the realm of the five internal organs?
I dare not think about it.

This maid... is amazing.

OK OK.

Xie An said "yes" several times in his heart, but he remained calm on the surface, not wanting his maid to get too carried away. "Miss Yuhe, it's okay. Then let's go together."

whee.

Yuhe finally smiled, stepped forward, took Xie An's arm and went out, "I will stay by your side, Master, and I will definitely protect you."

Xie An: “…”

……

That night.

The mountain behind the ancestral hall.

The wind and snow continued, and the cold wind was biting.

Xie An and Yuhe sat on a big banyan tree, looking around vigilantly.

Even Xie An needed to continuously circulate the heat in his body, transforming it into hot spots that flowed throughout his body to withstand the icy cold. Yu He, however, sat on a nearby tree branch as if nothing had happened, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings.

Little did she know that Xie An had been watching her and trying to gauge her strength.

"Master, it's not easy for the Corpse Refining Hall to refine a Qingmu Black Corpse, and they treat it like a treasure. They won't let the Qingmu Black Corpse go down the mountain easily. This was also the agreement reached at the beginning. The appearance of the Qingmu Black Corpse here this time is very unusual."

Xie An finally came to his senses and asked, "What agreement?"

"I don't know the inside story either. I heard it all from Chen Qinglang. It seems that a big shot from Nanyang Prefecture reached an agreement with the Corpse Refining Hall and won't allow anyone there to leave the mountain."

"A big shot from Nanyang Prefecture?" Xie An felt more and more that the Corpse Refining Hall was not simple.

But it seems reasonable when you think about it.

The Corpse Refining Hall is a branch of the previous dynasty’s state religion, the Changsheng Sect. How powerful is that?

State religion.

Even if a speck of ash from the state religion falls, it is enough to shock others.

However, after the Corpse Refining Hall retreated into the Dayin Mountains... for many years, the surrounding villages and towns did not suffer a devastating disaster, which was unreasonable.

If the big boss of Nanyang Prefecture reached an agreement with the Corpse Refining Hall, then that would be normal.

Nanyang Prefecture...this is a very large territory.

The Daqian Dynasty believed in Taoism and after its founding, it respected Taoism as the state religion.

The number of prefectures, counties and districts shall all refer to the thirty-six levels of Taoism.

Therefore, the Daqian Dynasty was divided into 36 states, each state was divided into 36 prefectures, each prefecture was divided into 36 counties. Even each county had 36 towns under its jurisdiction.

It can be seen that the Daqian Dynasty's worship of Taoism was so deep that it was almost ingrained in its bones.

Qingwu County is one of the thirty-six counties under the jurisdiction of Nanyang Prefecture.

Although Xie An had never been out of Qingwu County, based on the oral accounts of his elders and the ancient books he read in the Baiyutang Library, he roughly knew that the territory of Nanyang Prefecture was at least equivalent to the area of ​​XZ+Inner Mongolia+Outer Mongolia+XJ in his previous life.

The prefect of Nanyang Prefecture is of the fourth rank.

It can be seen that the Daqian Dynasty was really powerful and huge. I wonder how an empire with backward technology could control such a large territory...

As for the big shot who suppressed the Corpse Refining Hall and made them reach an agreement, it goes without saying that he must be an unparalleled figure with all-powerful hands and eyes. That is definitely an existence that Xie An cannot imagine now.

Just when Xie An was in a daze, he heard a subtle rustling sound in front of him. He immediately withdrew his thoughts and looked in the direction of the sound.

I saw a dark guy slowly walking out of the thorn bushes in front.

It looked like a human, about five feet tall, with a thin body, dark skin, full of wrinkles, eyes emitting a green light, and when it opened its mouth, it revealed four long, sharp fangs, which looked cold and terrifying.

It was exactly as Yuhe had described before.

Xie An raised the heavy bow, leaned his back against the tree trunk, took out an arrow from the quiver on his back with his right hand, put it on the bowstring, slowly pulled the four-stone heavy bow, aimed the arrow at the terrifying guy, and waited for it to enter the effective range.

Yu He whispered, "It's a small black corpse, not yet fully grown. It probably escaped secretly... Master, your four-stone bow can't penetrate its flesh, but it can hurt it. Master, use arrows to block its movement and prevent it from escaping. I'll go down and catch it."

Hearing that Yuhe was going to catch it, Xie An was shocked and quickly grabbed Yuhe, "No, it's too dangerous."

Yu He gave Xie An a reassuring look, "Master, don't worry. I am now a warrior at the Five Internal Organs Realm, and I can easily control it. It's just that it is too flexible. Master, just block the way."

Xie An: “…”

The Five Internal Organs Realm...

now……

This is Versailles.

Too much!
Xie An had been struggling for two years before he finally reached the Flesh Realm. Now, Xie An was told that a little maidservant beside him was actually at the Five Organs Realm... This master was really having a hard time.

From now on, Yuhe will massage his back and warm his bed... How can Xie An accept this calmly?
That's it.

Fortunately, Xie An was old and could see things more clearly, so he let go of her hand and said, "Be careful."

"Don't worry, sir. I know what I'm doing." Yuhe suddenly took out a long whip from the belt around her waist and swung it forward. The whip caught on a tree trunk seven meters away. Then Yuhe used the force to swing down. The whole person was as light as a fallen leaf in the autumn wind and rushed out thirty meters away and landed next to Qingmu Hei's corpse.

"Jie Jie Jie."

When the Aoki Black Corpse saw someone approaching, it immediately let out a hoarse cry, its eyes gleamed, its fangs bared, and it pounced on Yuhe, obviously considering her a delicious meal.

Unfortunately, this food looks delicious, but it has thorns.

Just when the black corpse was about to pounce on Yuhe, Yuhe suddenly became as agile as a snake and avoided the black corpse's attack. She went around behind the black corpse, grabbed the black corpse's arm with one hand, and bent it with force.

Although Yuhe was thin, the power she burst out in an instant was quite astonishing. She actually broke and tore off the black corpse's right hand.

"Ouch!!"

The black corpse let out an extremely miserable cry and suddenly rushed into the thorn bushes in front.

The speed was so fast that even Yuhe couldn't catch up.

"master!"

call out!
An arrow flew through the air and instantly hit the back of the black corpse's head.

What surprised Xie An was that such a powerful armor-piercing arrow could punch a small hole in even a piece of iron. When it struck the back of the black corpse's head, it made a loud "clang" sound, like metal colliding.

(End of this chapter)