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

Chapter 169 Old Friends, People Gone

On the first day of the slaughter, even the dense autumn rain could not dampen the enthusiasm of the onlookers.

Under the awnings erected not far from Caishikou, there were even vendors selling steamed buns.

The steam from the bamboo steamer mingled with the somber atmosphere of the rain, creating an almost unreal scene.

However, what's even more unreal is the red banner supported by a bamboo pole standing in front of the execution ground.

The words "Grand Sale at the Coffin Shop" on the screen were even more eye-catching than the executioner's cleaver.

Some illiterate people asked, "What's written on the cloth strip supporting this bamboo pole? It looks rather eerie."

Those who were literate replied, "The coroner's shop is offering discounts on credit, saying it's a seasonal promotion in response to the autumn harvest, only available once a year, with discounts for bulk orders."

"Coroner's shop, that sounds familiar, what do they do?"

"Hey! It's just a funeral parlor, they handle funerals and burials."

"What the hell?"

I've never heard of clinics hawking their wares or funeral parlors soliciting customers. It's just disgusting!

Looking further towards the execution ground, there were indeed family members of death row inmates approaching to inquire about collecting the bodies.

"Hey, this is something I've never seen before. I've never seen a funeral director out on the street before in my entire life."

"How could he even be so shameless!"

Xu Qing held onto the banner in his hand, with a floral cloth strip tied around his waist. Apart from wearing a gray robe on the outside, all his socks underneath were white.

This is the typical attire for those in the funeral industry. Just by standing there, without saying much, those in the know will understand what you do.

Some death row inmates' families are already afraid of seeing a living person decapitated. If it is their own relatives or friends, they are more afraid than anything else, and feel an overwhelming sense of unbearable pain.

This is where the importance of the corpse collector becomes apparent.

Xu Qing held a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, like a judge in the underworld, noting down the names of the families whose bodies would be collected later.

Those who were bold or disliked Xu Qing's actions had not originally planned to come and ask him for help, but when they heard that the coroner's shop was offering a special deal today—free face dressing and head sewing for corpse collection—they all came over.

Xu Qing welcomes all comers, and even if he encounters a customer who glares at him, he will greet them with a smile.

“Thank you, normally the deposit for a body burial is fifty coins, but today it’s only twenty-five coins.”

How much will the burial cost?

"That depends on how it's organized. We have small-scale, large-scale, and special-scale events, and the prices will naturally be different."

On the execution platform, County Lieutenant Dong's brows twitched. He looked at Zhao Zhonghe standing to the side and thought to himself, "Aren't you going to do anything about this? This is a big day for the autumn executions. The prefectural governor is personally overseeing the executions. How can you put on such a show?"

Zhao Zhonghe turned to look at Zhao Yuan, who was in charge of maintaining order at the execution ground. The latter casually glanced around, not daring to respond at all.

Fortunately, Prefect Lu and Magistrate Li did not take it to heart.

At noon, a gong sounded, and just as the prefect, seated in the main seat, was about to announce the charges, someone from the first group of condemned prisoners brought to the stage shouted:
"The Cangyi Army of Yaozhou has already risen up, and the White Feather Army of the Southwest will soon storm the capital. Although you, the corrupt official, may kill us today, your entire families will also lose their heads tomorrow. This is retribution. If I die, I will become a vengeful ghost and wait for you down there!"

"Spreading rumors and misleading the public! Only a few petty thieves dare to spread such alarmist statements!"

The executioner ordered all the condemned prisoners to be gagged, then took out the execution token, threw it forward, and beheaded them!
The executioner sprayed wine to consecrate his blade, and with a series of sharp, swift movements, the blade flashed, and crimson blood instantly splattered across the execution platform. The crowd below was silent for a moment, and then some people clapped and cheered!
Soon more people echoed and applauded.

They didn't care what crimes these people had committed; after all, it wasn't them who were being beheaded. In comparison, the people on the execution platform died instantly, while they could still stand below and watch, perfectly fine. Wasn't that something to celebrate? One batch of death row inmates died, like cutting leeks. When those death row inmates were pressed onto their neck pillows to be slaughtered, they could just see the banner hanging in front of the execution platform.

Who is this? Who hung this sign at the execution ground? How shameless!
Further down, a pale-faced young man was pushing a cart covered with straw and lime, on which lay decapitated corpses.

The young man's face was filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Autumn is truly a wonderful season.

On the execution ground, huge heads rolled to the ground. Some of the more resilient ones, even after their heads were separated from their bodies, still had a spark in their eyes.

Xu Qing wasn't afraid. He simply took the shroud, tucked it under, and helped the constables clean up the execution platform.

On the execution platform, Magistrate Li looked at County Lieutenant Dong: "Did you find this person?"

County Magistrate Dong's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was thinking about how to make amends, he saw Magistrate Li stroke his beard and nod, saying, "Not bad, not bad at all. This year's executions were much more efficient than in previous years. County Magistrate Dong has put in a lot of effort."

"Not at all, it's all part of my duties."

County Magistrate Dong breathed a sigh of relief, then followed Magistrate Li's gaze to Xu Qing, who was efficiently collecting corpses on and off the stage. It has to be said that when it comes to collecting corpses, Xu Qing, who runs a funeral shop, is the most professional. Look at his smooth and flowing movements; even the efficiency of the execution has been greatly improved.

Over a hundred heads rolled, and Xu Qing even saw many familiar faces at the execution ground.

For example, there's the "filial son" of the Liu family, and the young master Liu's biological father, the steward Song Cai.
And then there's Sai Yuxian's unfaithful husband, Liu Sheng.

Xu Qing didn't have a deep impression of Liu Sheng, but he was more impressed by Empress Sai Yuxian, who was completely obedient to him in the dream-making technique.

These people were all old acquaintances to Xu Qing. Now, seeing their heads fall to the ground, Xu Qing, as the mastermind behind it all, felt genuinely gratified for them.

After waiting for so long, he finally got to see these people's corpses!

While Xu Qing was arranging the corpses, some people, acting like thieves, with steamed buns in their pockets and bowls in their hands, approached the place where the bodies were laid out, trying to draw blood from the severed heads.

"What are you doing! In broad daylight, are you trying to steal a corpse? That's a serious crime!"

"Don't shout, I just want some medicinal ingredients to treat tuberculosis."

There is a popular belief that the blood of a condemned prisoner after beheading can be used to dip steamed buns to cure tuberculosis.

So every year during the autumn harvest, some ignorant people would bring steamed buns and bowls, hoping to put some medicinal ingredients in them, wrap them in the buns, and have the sick eat them. Some healthy people would also join in the fun, thinking that eating the buns would prevent disease.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing turned to look at the other people holding bowls and steamed buns: "Does anyone in your family also have tuberculosis?"

Someone spoke up: "My family doesn't have tuberculosis, but I do have headaches."

"Where is your house?"

"I have chronic leg and back pain."

Xu Qing clicked his tongue, slammed the signboard on the ground, and shouted, "If human blood can cure all diseases, why don't you use your own blood!"

"I'm telling you, these corpses are now under my control. You want to take my blood? No way!"

"Understood, understood, we know the rules." As he spoke, someone took out about ten copper coins and handed them to Xu Qing.

Seeing this, others followed suit, a scene that amused and angered Xu Qing.

After he waved the advertising banner to drive the crowd away, those people ran back to the execution platform to wait, planning to bribe the executioner after the execution to dab some blood on the neck pillow used to behead the condemned man and take it back.

(End of this chapter)