I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 166 Qingqiu Fox Girl
Do not worry about what will happen after you die; run a business to help people in the world.

Outside the coroner's shop, Hu Baosong straightened his hunched back slightly and bowed to Xu Qing, who was standing at the door.

The latter nodded and watched the old man leave.

At the entrance, the couplets for the coroner's shop remain unchanged.

Xuan Yu walked to Xu Qing's side, glanced in the direction Hu Baosong had left, and then looked up at him.

"The situation over there at the Yin River is not peaceful. If you insist on going, I can accompany you."

Xu Qing shook his head and said, "I'll handle this business. You take good care of the shop here. If Senior Sister Yizhen comes looking for you, pretend you don't know anything. Customers come first. This is Old Man Hu's requirement, and we must abide by the agreement."

Xuan Yu stared at Xu Qing with wide eyes, as if she had seen through everything: "Old Hu didn't say that only you could go, nor did he say that I should stay and watch the shop. If we close the shop, and Senior Sister can't find us when she comes, we can still fulfill our agreement."

This cat is getting harder and harder to fool.

"The shop and the Cat Fairy Hall are the foundation of our business, and we cannot give them up easily. Someone has to be there to oversee them."

"Furthermore, there's another reason I'm keeping you in the shop." Xu Qing reached into his robes and took out a golden cicada shell, continuing, "A few days ago, I happened to obtain a pair of cicada shells in the Flower and Bird Street. In the event of a life-threatening situation, the possessor of the cicada shell can use it to shed their skin and move to the location of the other cicada shell."

"Xuanyu, imagine if you and I were traveling together and encountered danger, and needed to escape using the molted cicada shell. Wouldn't we just keep passing it around and end up still in the same place? Wouldn't that be like we've trapped ourselves?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yu sat up, picked up the golden cicada shell tied around her neck with her cat paw, and examined it curiously.
Does this tiny insect shell have such a mysterious function?
Seeing Xuan Yu lost in thought, Xu Qing smiled and said, "With this cicada molt, Xuan Yu will be a nine-lived black cat again."

Xuan Yu withdrew its cat paw, sat upright again in front of the shop, then looked up at Xu Qing and said seriously, "This life belongs to the Xu family, and I will preserve this cicada shell for the Xu family."

That night, Xu Qing sat in front of the counter, making paper lanterns with bamboo strips in his hands. Before long, the counter was filled with white paper lanterns.

In addition to lanterns, Xu Qing also used paper-making skills to make paper tigers as a vanguard.

Paper donkeys and horses carry paper figures of golden boys and jade maidens, while the bellies of the horses and donkeys are filled with burning paper money. In the funeral industry, this arrangement is called "the wealth-bringing boy".

Although Xu Qing agreed to go to the Yinhe Ancient Road to find the Populus euphratica Mausoleum for Hu Baosong's funeral, he did not intend to personally take the risk.

The Yinhe Ancient Road is a barrier between the underworld and the mortal world. The energy of heaven and earth is extremely chaotic, and no one knows what kind of demons and monsters are hidden inside.

Xu Qing had once unintentionally traveled to the Yin River through the twin coffins of the coffin maker's shop. The Ghost King's Tomb he visited that time was only the outermost area of ​​the ancient Yin River road. However, through Princess Yan Ning's revolving lantern, he learned that the Ghost King of the Ghost King's Tomb had existed for a thousand years and his own cultivation was close to the thousand-year mark.
There are ancient ghosts guarding the outer edge of the Yin River, and how many unparalleled evil spirits and monsters might be lurking in the deeper areas?

Even if Hu Baosong gave Xu Qing a corpse-finding compass, taught him methods to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, and passed on talismans from the cave heaven as a means of protection, the other party could not guarantee that Xu Qing would be able to safely deliver him to the Populus euphratica Mausoleum.

Xu Qing was equally clear that if it weren't for this, when he and Hu Baosong made their agreement, pointing to the lamplight and swearing an oath to heaven and earth, he wouldn't have taken the shortcut of saying that if he broke his promise, he would become a zombie after death and never be reincarnated.

Although Xu Qing still has no intention of personally venturing into the Yinhe Ancient Road, he will not run away when the time comes to fulfill his promise to Hu Baosong.

As the manager of the mortuary, a rising star in the funeral industry in Tianjin, honest business practices always come first.

Even after arming his paper doll funeral team to the teeth, Xu Qing still didn't stop.

He wanted to create some paper cranes that could find safe routes.

These paper cranes are not large paper cranes capable of carrying people into the air, but rather small 'scouts' about the size of a palm.

The next morning, Hu Baosong found an excuse to send Master Yizhen away, and then went to the coroner's shop alone.

Xu Qing, who was already prepared, still couldn't help but ask, "Old Hu, are you really sure about it? Is it really necessary to go to Hu Yangling? If you ask me, it would be better to have Senior Sister Yizhen take you back to the Five Elders Temple."

Hu Baosong shook his head and said, "I am a direct descendant of the Hu Yang clan and the person who records the genealogy. Now, in the entire Hu Yang clan, besides me, only Yizhen remains."

“Those who record the genealogy of the Hu Yang clan for generations must return to the ancestral mausoleum to report on their duties. This is a clan rule and etiquette that cannot be violated.”

Xu Qing had no clan to rely on, so he naturally didn't have the same strong sense of belonging as Hu Baosong.

Even in the Great Yong Dynasty, he didn't feel as strongly a sense of belonging as he did in the small Wugongpu area.

This natural fate reminded him of the fable of elephants returning to their burial grounds and foxes dying with their heads turned towards their dens.

Legend has it that elephants know their fate and lifespan. When their lifespan is about to end, they will travel hundreds of miles back to their elephant graveyard, also known as the elephant tomb.

In addition, there is a saying that birds fly back to their hometowns and foxes always return to their dens when they die.

This saying means that birds that fly thousands of miles will eventually return to their hometown; and when a fox dies, its head always faces the place where it was born.

Xu Qing looked at Hu Baosong, who was sitting facing south with an indescribable longing in his eyes.

Shaking his head slightly, Xu Qing said, "Please sit down first, I'll go to the funeral clothes shop and be back in a bit."

The funeral parlor was not far from the coroner's shop.

Zhang Wan, who was temporarily acting as the manager of the funeral clothing shop, was cleaning the dust off the clothes with a whisk.

Upon seeing Xu Qing approach, this former daughter of an official family hurriedly stepped forward to offer him a seat and pour him tea, showing no airs of a wealthy heiress whatsoever.

"I have other important matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. I will just grab a few burial clothes and leave now."

After choosing his burial clothes, Xu Qing went to the coffin shop.

At this moment, Yi Zhen had just been sent away by Hu Baosong, and the entire coffin shop was empty. Xu Qing placed the large coffin with two layers of outer coffins onto the cart with his bare hands, closed the coffin shop, and then pushed the cart back to his own shop.

Inside the shop, Hu Baosong was still facing south, as if he were asleep.

Xu Qing stared blankly at the old man who was lying comfortably in the rattan chair for a long while.

Although I had expected it, I still couldn't help but feel disappointed when I actually faced it.

Xuan Yu walked closer and quietly watched as Xu Qing dressed Hu Baosong in his burial clothes and placed him in the coffin.

After everything was over, Xuan Yu hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Humans have always been so fragile, Immortal Xu, there's no need to be too sad."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing turned his head, chuckled, and shook his head, saying, "I wouldn't say I'm sad. Ever since he came back from the dead and his life entered its final countdown, I knew this day would come."

After a pause, Xu Qing sighed, "There are no young or old on the road to the underworld. This is how this profession is. It is destined to send many people away. Even those who work in the underworld cannot escape the fate of being sent away in the end."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yu, who had intended to comfort Xu Qing, became the first to feel downcast.

"Is Xu Xianjia saying that she herself will be sent away one day?"

"."

Xu Qing stared expressionlessly at the black cat who was speaking recklessly. The "underworld man" he was referring to was Hu Baosong, who sold coffins. What was this cat thinking?

At this time, the twin coffins in the coffin shop had been moved by Xu Qing into the Rat House, which was the underground mansion opened up by Gu Zixu.

After temporarily closing the shop door, Xu Qing carried Hu Baosong's coffin to the underground.

At this moment, Gu Zixu was outside with Huang Xiaoliu collecting incense offerings, while only Gu Qiao'er was managing the rat's house.

When the Rat Lady saw Xu Qing, she addressed him as "Master Xu," but when she saw Xuan Yu, she called her "Lady Qingqing." Xu Qing felt something was off, so he said, "Don't call me 'Master Xu,' just call me Mr. Xu."

"Miss Qiao'er, please guard the passageway outside and don't let anyone in."

After saying that, Xu Qing turned to look at Xuan Yu again.

"I have been in seclusion for an unknown period of time. I would appreciate it if Xuan Yu would take good care of the household affairs."

Before Xu Qing entered the secret chamber, Xuan Yu suddenly spoke up: "Immortal Xu, you should come out of seclusion soon."

"Okay." Xu Qing nodded in agreement.

"Also, you are not allowed to secretly go and cross that lightning calamity."

Xu Qing laughed and said, "I'm not that brave. Before Master Gua returns, let alone undergoing tribulation, I wouldn't even stand outside in the rain or thunder!"

He was clearly a coward, and being afraid of thunder wasn't something to brag about, but when Xu Qing said it, it sounded exceptionally tough.

In the underground chamber, Xu Qing opened the two coffins and looked at Hu Baosong, who had a smile on his lips.

The old man was finally satisfied.

Beside the longevity pillow were several pages of gold paper. Xu Qing picked them up and saw that they contained the names of Hu Baosong's father, mother, grandparents, and other relatives.

Besides the names, it also records the cultivation trajectory of several generations of Hu Baosong's direct lineage.

Turning to the last page, the name of Hu Baosong's wife, Daoist Zichen of the Wulao Temple, was prominently listed.

The last line, written in tiny characters, stated that a branch of the direct line of the Hu Yang family still exists, and that it is my beloved daughter. If the ancestors are watching, I hope they will protect her.
What is this supposed to mean? Is this some kind of request for favors from the ancestors of the Populus euphratica clan?

Xu Qing burst out laughing.

It is said that a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles, but no one would have thought that even if they are separated by death, some parents still cannot let go of their children.

"Old Hu, you're one of the first people I've known in Jingxia Street. We're good friends despite our age difference."

"It's just that we were born at the wrong time, and we didn't meet at the right age, otherwise we might have been able to enjoy drinks together."

Muttering to himself, Xu Qing felt a little lost.

However, those who live forever are destined to be separated from all living beings, enduring thousands of years of solitude.

Hu Baosong will be the first friend he sees off, but he won't be the last.

"Looks like I should make fewer friends and collect more corpses in the future. Having too many friends isn't a good thing."

After chatting with the corpse for a while, Xu Qing felt a little better and then began to perform a ritual to help Hu Baosong pass on to the afterlife.

In the past, when he performed rituals to guide the dead to the afterlife, he would often rush through the process and rarely paid attention to unnecessary details. But now, he never sped up or skipped any part of Hu Baosong's ritual.

The sutras for saving people rustled loudly, and Hu Baosong's life unfolded like a painting, page after page turning.

The old man had never experienced hardship as a child; he had lived in the coffin shop on Jingxia Street since he was a child, and the shop was run by Hu Baosong's mother at the time.

As for his father, he was a teacher in a private school.

When Hu Baosong was about seven or eight years old, his mother went on a long trip, and she never returned.

Hu Baosong only remembered that a few days after his mother left, there was a long rumble of thunder in the distance.

Shortly after that day, Hu Baosong's father became unkempt and developed an alcoholic disorder.

Although his father was an alcoholic, he never mistreated him; on the contrary, he cared for him even more than before.

When Hu Baosong came of age, his father suddenly called him to the peach tree in the backyard, pointed to the tree, and said that this peach tree was planted by his mother five hundred years ago.
Hu Baosong thought his old father was drunk again and talking nonsense.

So he asked, "Father, how old are you this year?"

"Two out of forty."

"Then how could Father have seen my Mother plant this peach tree more than five hundred years ago?"

Hu Baosong realized he had exposed his father's drunken ramblings, but to his surprise, his father said the next moment, "I never saw your mother plant the tree with my own eyes. She told me about it herself."

"My son, your mother isn't entirely human; she's a fox spirit!"

Your mother is not human; she is a fox spirit.

Upon hearing this, Hu Baosong became even more certain that his father must have gone out drinking and gotten drunk again, otherwise why would he say such nonsense?

However, in the next moment, Old Man Hu picked up a hoe and dug out a jade box three steps away from the peach tree. Inside was the inheritance of the Hu Yang family.

Hu Baosong didn't believe it and thought his father was just bluffing him, but when he tried to touch the things in the jade box, he realized that his father was never talking nonsense when he was drunk.

Because he truly used that jade box to step into the gate of cultivation.

When Hu Baosong was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, in the prime of his youth, he bid farewell to his father and began to travel the world, searching for his mother's footsteps in her youth.

Along the way, Hu Baosong encountered bandits causing havoc and the people were outraged. He then joined the anti-bandit righteous army. However, some things cannot be saved by one person alone. The righteous army was established for the country and the people, but in the end it still met with defeat and destruction.

Only then did Hu Baosong realize that worldly affairs are a cycle of reincarnation, which can only make people sink deeper and deeper. Only spiritual cultivation is what people like us should do.

Having grasped the key points, Hu Baosong continued his journey in search of immortality, visiting places like Tushan Village, Taodu Mountain, and Qingqiu.
For spiritual practitioners, time seems to stand still. More than twenty years later, Hu Baosong, now over fifty, still looks like he's in his early twenties.

That day, while walking through the Qingqiu Ruins, he encountered a female diviner.

The fortune teller and he hit it off immediately, and the fortune teller took him around the dilapidated Qingqiu ruins. During this time, Hu Baosong obtained some cultivation methods, including the talisman book called Dongtian Baolu.

After the two left Qingqiu, Hu Baosong couldn't help but inquire about the female fortune teller's identity again.

"My name is Bai Qiuyu, and Qingqiu is my hometown."

Only then did Hu Baosong realize that he had encountered a real fox spirit.

"Senior, may I become your disciple and cultivate under your guidance?"

Bai Qiuyu chuckled and shook his head: "You come from Tushan Village, while I am a fox from Qingqiu. I cannot pass on the methods of Qingqiu to you. Even the methods you obtained in Qingqiu before cannot be considered the methods of Qingqiu."

"Furthermore, it seems you've forgotten something important."

"What's the matter?"

"Mortals live no more than a hundred years. You have been traveling and have lost track of time. Now your father has reached the end of his life."

　There was a power outage today due to strong winds. I typed a chapter on my phone, and then the internet was incredibly slow. That's what happened; I really didn't mean to be late. OR2
　　
　
(End of this chapter)