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

Chapter 184 Bone Refining, Burial on Debt

"Any painting could be fake, but these few by men are absolutely impossible!"

Master Feng made a solemn vow, but the crows in the sky changed their tune this time, no longer talking about exposing frauds, but instead launching into personal attacks.

"Fool! Feng, you big fool, you got scammed and you're still paying for it! What a complete idiot!"

Master Feng was so angry that his braids almost stood on end.

"Bring Gou Sheng'er's bird bow, we're going to hunt birds today!"

"It's not that bad, Second Master, it really isn't that bad!" Seeing Second Master Feng roll up his sleeves, Steward Cai hurriedly stepped forward to persuade him.

The other guests also joined in the persuasion.

Just then, the Second Master was in a fit of anger when a young man in black brocade robes walked in, whistling a bird's whistle.

As the saying goes, a woman who wants to look pretty wears mourning clothes. A man who wants to look pretty wears black.

At this moment, Xu Qing was wearing a brocade robe with the same skin tone as Xuan Yu, looking radiant and as if his voice and appearance were still there.

When Master Feng saw Xu Qing, he felt like he had seen a relative.

"Brother Xu, you're a seasoned old hand, can you take a look and tell me if this painting is genuine?"

Xu Qing felt a surge of joy and strolled over, his gaze lingering on the unfolded paintings.

"Excellent! Truly a masterpiece. Look at these flowers and birds, their feathers are so delicate and lifelike, and the colors are so elegant and natural. It is a sight to behold that makes one forget the mundane. Even if Meng Chuan and Shen Congzhou were alive today, they would not be able to do better."

"Look at this painting of pine and bamboo. The pine and bamboo in the painting are elegant and graceful, and seem to have the rhythm of the wind and the rustling of bamboo. I think even the bamboo eccentric Zheng Sanjue would applaud it!"

"And there are fish playing among lotus flowers, and a lone fisherman fishing in the cold river."

Xu Qing, who was proficient in painting, pointed out the exquisite details of each painting as if they were his own.

Master Feng's face flushed red upon hearing this, and he looked radiant!

Look, this is what an expert is!

However, after evaluating the last painting, just as everyone was nodding in approval, Xu Qing abruptly changed the subject:
"Unfortunately, these paintings are good in every way, but there's just one thing they're not good about."

"What's wrong with it?" someone asked curiously.

"It's a pity that they are all forgeries, which is not good. However, the flaws do not detract from the overall excellence. In terms of painting skills alone, this person's overall ability is better than any of the masters who created these original works."

"."

Master Feng couldn't hear Xu Qing's later words at all; he only heard the word "counterfeit."

"Brother Xu, please look carefully, don't be fooled."

Xu Qing walked up to a painting and laughed, "Truth and falsehood are intertwined. If you put the genuine article and the fake together, how many people in the world could tell the difference?"

"To be honest, I can't tell the difference between this painting and the real thing, but I've heard that those master forgers like to leave their own mark on their fakes."

Xu Qing reached out and pinched a corner of the painting, then held it up to the light to examine it.

"Second Master, please take a look. Is there anything wrong with this painting?"

Master Feng leaned close, almost touching the painting, but still couldn't see the slightest problem.

The other guests, after seeing the item, mostly made speculations and conjectures. Ultimately, it was because they had heard Xu Qing mention the word "fake" that they had planted a seed of doubt in their minds, and naturally, they felt that everything looked wrong.

"In my opinion, the flaw lies in the paper in the corner of the painting. Paper from hundreds of years ago would have a patina like beeswax, but this corner of the paper is shiny and new, and the color is also different from the rest. It must be an old item."

A whimsical and refined person who loves to draw came forward to comment. After listening to the other person's words, Xu Qing silently pushed the corner of the paper that was exposed to the sunlight into the shadows. The next moment, the so-called light disappeared. Looking at the paper's texture alone, it was no different from the rest.

The old man who stepped forward to comment blushed and stammered for a long time, unable to utter a word.

The others also made wild guesses. Some said that the brushstrokes showed weakness, which must be due to a lack of confidence when copying; others said it was because of the different ink quality, as ancient ink and modern ink have different tastes and colors.

After listening, Xu Qing shook his head, and then, under everyone's gaze, took a brush that had not been dipped in ink and touched a lotus leaf in the corner of the painting.

Confused, Xu Qing guided the texture of the lotus leaf's edge to connect with the water ripples.

Those originally unrelated textures, however, formed a crouching 'Jiang' character.

Xu Qing continued to dot and circle on the drawing.

Finally, it formed a name: Jiang Daqian.

The stubborn man who had previously commented on the paper issue scoffed, "You're just making things up. The name has only a few strokes; it's probably just a coincidence. If you don't deliberately circle it, who can tell the difference?"

Xu Qing was delighted upon hearing this, and then went to mark the other paintings.

Without exception, the name Jiang Daqian can be found on every single one of those paintings.

After seeing everyone off, Master Feng said, both amused and annoyed:

"Since this painting is fake, Brother Xu should just say so, but you insisted on praising it to the skies, which made me happy for nothing."

"Because I know that Second Master's collecting of antique artifacts and trinkets is not a pretense, but rather a genuine desire for popularity and excitement."

Xu Qing said with a smile, "Second Master is always alone, so he must feel lonely. Otherwise, he wouldn't often hold 'appreciation meetings' to invite friends from all walks of life to get together."

Master Feng was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have thought of this. Now that you've brought it up, you were right."

"Whether this thing is real or fake, I really don't care. I don't have any children, so no matter how many good things I collect, I can't keep them in the end. Now, besides giving them to close friends, I also hold these 'appreciation meetings'."

“Brother Xu, you’re not young anymore. Take my advice: find a wife and have a bunch of kids as soon as possible. That way, you won’t be as miserable as I am when you’re old.”

"If your family has many children by then, I'll take in another adopted son. Who knows, maybe my family business can even be changed to the Xu surname in the future!"

Master Feng looked at Xu Qing with a smile, as if he were joking.

Xu Qing was speechless.

There's never been a case of a zombie getting old in this world. Even if there were one, Master Feng probably wouldn't last that long.

Besides, what kind of zombie has children?
It might be possible for a corpse immortal, but in this chaotic and evil world where heaven and earth are cut off, even those who are blessed with natural talents for cultivation cannot attain enlightenment. How long will it take for this lowly zombie, who is disliked by the gods and even the heavens, to break through the shackles of heaven and earth and attain immortality?
Let alone a thousand years, ten thousand years, even a hundred years, Master Feng should have turned into a handful of yellow earth and returned to the underworld by now.

"Second Master, I see you're still as vigorous as ever. Why don't you put in more effort and have a few more children? Then I'll adopt one of them and take care of him in his old age."

Master Feng failed to grasp the hidden meaning in Xu Qing's words.

"Don't tease me. How old am I? I don't even dare to go outside to relieve myself on windy days. How could I possibly have that kind of ability, let alone have several children? I can't even handle one!"

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then took out a small bottle from his sleeve and said, "This is a Rejuvenating Powder that I obtained from a Taoist priest from the Yi Huo Men sect when I was traveling. Second Master, try it out and maybe you'll be able to hold a big, fat baby next year."

As a notorious troublemaker, Master Feng was no stranger to the Fire Gate. Among the eight gates of the martial arts world, there are the Fright, Tired, Drifting, Book, Wind, Fire, Noble, and Essential. The Fire Gate mainly focuses on the art of health preservation.

Alchemy and bedroom arts belong to the Fire Sect. Those who sell miracle pills, aphrodisiacs, and ecstasy powder on the street are also disciples of the Fire Sect.

Master Feng didn't take it too seriously. After all, there were many fake medicines sold these days, and getting the real medicine depended on your luck.

Xu Qing casually tossed the medicine bottle to Master Feng, telling him to eat it for fun.

As for whether it will have any effect, aside from the corpse, Xu has always been the type to kill but not bury.

"Second Master, this painting is quite good. Apart from being a fake, there's nothing wrong with it. Please don't use it to burn as firewood."

"Hey! Just the word 'fake' makes it bad no matter how good it is. If you like it, Brother Xu, take it. I'll buy some more another day. You're very capable, so just help me take a look when you have time. Otherwise, we'll make a fool of ourselves at some appraisal event."

And so, when Xu Qing left Flower and Bird Street, he had a number of paintings tucked under his arms and in his sleeves. Back at the coroner's shop, he arranged the paintings according to the principles of feng shui, making sure they were placed in the most inauspicious positions. After hanging the paintings, the shop became much cooler; an ordinary person entering would surely shiver.

May is the height of summer.

Xu Qing stayed in the shop, meditating for a long time before opening his eyes.

The lingering black aura of death on his left hand then receded.

Instead, it has a faint floral fragrance similar to pomegranate blossoms.

The scent of Tianxiang Pills can change with the seasons and time of day, whether it is sunny, rainy, frosty, snowy, morning, or dusk, varying in intensity and clarity.

But when Xu Qing released the aura of the corpse, the fragrance of the flowers returned to its source, leaving no trace.

It seems that just as there are rulers and subjects among men, there is also a distinction between high and low status in terms of smell.

When the ruler goes out, the ministers hide; when the ruler hides, the ministers go out.

All things in the universe have patterns that can be traced.

After the black aura on his hand dissipated, Xu Qing shook his head slightly.

After a person dies, certain parts of the body become less prone to decay due to the infusion of spirit into the remains compared to other parts.

For example, the shoulder bones of those who often carry loads will be the last to decay after they die, while the leg bones of those who carry sedan chairs will be the last to decay after they die.

These bones are the key to a zombie's ability to remain uncorrupted during cultivation.

The uncorrupted bone is where essence and energy are concentrated. It must be nourished with spirit and corpse energy over many years. Only after many years can it be refined into immortality.

This is a meticulous process; only when the spirit and the bones are completely integrated can the bones possess the mystical effect of containing spiritual essence.

"On the day the Undying Bone was refined, its color was as black as ink jade, shining brightly. Now, my bones are still not black enough."

Xu Qing shook his head, not in a hurry.

The speed of refining the Undying Bone is not only related to the progress of one's cultivation, but more importantly, to the long-term spiritual nourishment, which, according to Xu Qing's understanding, is probably the storage place of the brain.

When the bones that don't dissolve develop a spirit, then it will be considered successfully refined.

With his left hand hidden in his sleeve, Xu Qing nurtured it whenever he had free time. In addition, he planned to collect some Yin Sha items, such as those used for nightmare suppression, which could be used to soak his hands in the Wuding Black Water.

Later that evening, a light rain began to fall outside the coroner's shop.

Xuan Yu, who was traveling, rushed to the shop like a madman.

Once inside the shop, she shook off the water droplets and then stuck out her little pink tongue to lick the wet hair on her body.

Xu Qing asked in surprise, "Xuan Yu, why aren't you using the water-repelling pearl I gave you?"

The black cat stopped licking and said, "The water-repelling pearl is in the shop. I don't have any storage magic items, so I can't always carry the water-repelling pearl with me when I go out. Besides, that pearl is really too big!"

"If you hold it in your mouth, it will make you drool."

Xu Qing pondered for a moment and said, "I'll have the embroiderer sew you a small bag to carry things later. As for storage magic items, I'll ask Senior Sister Yizhen when I run into her another day. Perhaps she has a method for refining them or a way to buy them."

Outside, the rain was drizzling. Inside the shop, a cat and a dog were chatting idly. They thought no customers would come today, but unexpectedly, a little girl suddenly hid in through the rain.

The girl was pale and thin, with tangled hair, and looked about ten years old, like a little beggar.

When the other person arrived at the shop, they didn't dare to step over the threshold. Instead, they stood under the eaves and sneezed several times.

The weather in May wasn't particularly cold, but the coffin shop was devoid of any living beings and had a peculiar feng shui. Now, with the cold wind blowing, one was bound to catch a chill.

Xu Qing walked around to the counter, intending to ask a question, but the little girl in front of him spoke first.

"Sir? Is that you, sir?"

Xu Qing looked puzzled. Who was this kid? Why did he seem to know him?
Xuan Yu stopped licking its fur and stared intently at the two of them.

"Who are you?" Xu Qing asked, her face full of confusion.

The little girl, whose face was sallow, became timid again when she realized that Xu Qing did not recognize her.

"Wang Liang is my brother. Don't you remember me, sir?"

Wang Liang suddenly recalled that he had buried a loving couple in Wanshou County. The couple had a son and a daughter, one of whom was named Wang Liang.

The child was quite clever. Seeing that he could lift a coffin weighing over several hundred pounds by himself, he begged to become his apprentice and learn his skills.

Xu Qing was used to his freedom and would never be willing to take a human as an apprentice. He might even have to take care of the apprentice in his old age and see him off in death, which would be too much of a headache.

Therefore, Xu Qing only taught Wang Liang martial arts techniques, as well as some elixirs such as strength pills and qi-nourishing pills.

Two years have passed, and Xu Qing had long forgotten about the incident, but he never expected that Wang's younger sister would meet him again in this way.

"Where is your brother? How did you end up like this?"

The youngest sister of the Wang family spoke up: "My brother went out with a nobleman a while ago, and we haven't heard from him for over a year."

"A distinguished person? Do you know who that person is?"

Wang's younger sister shook her head and said, "My brother didn't say anything. He only said that he was a virtuous and wise man and asked him to work with him. Since then, my brother has never come back."

Xu Qing frowned. This sounded more like she had been kidnapped and sold by human traffickers.

"After my elder brother left, he left behind two hundred taels of silver, as well as a lame old man left by a nobleman. Later, Wanshou Township was changed to Wanshou County, and suddenly a group of people came to the village, saying they wanted to turn the village into a market town."

After listening to Wang's younger sister's account, Xu Qing finally understood what had happened.

After Wanshou Township was promoted to a county, some profit-seeking people came to collect village houses and make a profit. The village houses that were originally worth no more than a few taels of silver were inflated to tens of taels in the blink of an eye.

Wang Liang had left home and had not returned. Only his younger sister, grandmother, and a lame old man of unknown origin were at home. Naturally, they became the target of those with ulterior motives.

Wang's younger sister was unwilling to sell her ancestral home, so the brokerage firm in Wanshou County frequently sent brokers to persuade her. In the end, they even hired hooligans to cause trouble and coerce her.

Just as those scoundrels brought buckets of excrement and were about to pour it onto the gate of the Wang family's courtyard, the lame old man in charge of guarding the house suddenly transformed into a martial arts master and beat those troublemakers so badly they ran away in terror.

But the matter was not over yet. The brokerage firm sent skilled men to seek revenge, but after several setbacks, a man from the capital arrived. He was said to be the owner behind the brokerage firm in Wanshou County.

The man was quite capable. When he arrived at the Wang family's house, he only had a brief encounter with the lame old man. After exchanging a few words, the old man fell to the ground without a sound in the blink of an eye.

Without the old man's protection, how could Wang's younger sister and her grandmother be a match for those villains?
They demolished the old house, stole the two hundred taels of silver buried in the rice jar, and drove Wang's younger sister and grandmother out of the city.
During this period, Wang Liang still did not appear. Wang's younger sister's grandmother fell ill with worry and passed away before a year had passed.

Wang's younger sister had no money and could not afford to bury her grandmother, so she had to stick grass in her hair and sell herself by the roadside to pay for her relative's funeral.

It was at this moment that a kind passerby approached and said that there was a notice on the bulletin board at the entrance of Linjiang County that offered a loan with payment after burial. You didn't need to sell yourself; you just needed to send the remains to the shop, and the shopkeeper would naturally help with the funeral arrangements.

After learning about this, Wang's younger sister searched all the way and finally found Xu Qing.

Where is your grandmother's body now?

"In a small temple outside the city."

Xu Qing glanced at the increasingly heavy rain outside, turned around and said, "Second Aunt, please take care of this little girl for me. I'll be right back."

After saying that, Xu Qing put on his raincoat, turned around and left the shop.

(End of this chapter)