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

Chapter 185: Chase the living corpse thousands of miles away

As the Grand Master of the Cat Immortal Hall, Xu Qing knew every temple and branch of the sect in Linjiang County.

At this moment, Xu Qing silently channeled his Yin energy into his sleeve with his left hand, while his right hand held the reins. He rode his dappled horse at full speed and soon arrived outside a small temple.

He dismounted, and rainwater fell on his wide raincoat and straw hat, splashing up mist.

Upon entering the temple, several beggars huddled in a corner, while a group of镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) surrounded a newly lit bonfire.

Xu Qing glanced at him and realized he looked familiar. Wasn't this the young master of the Tai'an Escort Agency?
When the group of镖师 (bodyguards) who were taking shelter from the rain in the small temple saw Xu Qing, the head镖师 of the town immediately gave a wink to the people around them.

The crowd silently protected a veiled woman at the very back, and Xu Qing, seeing this, didn't know what to say.

Is he that bad a guy?

As Xu Qing approached the group, his gaze fell upon a roll of straw mats behind them.

"Excuse me, everyone, make way, I need to pick someone up."

Choking——

As soon as Xu Qing finished speaking, the group of bodyguards drew their swords, ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

"Friend, you can't accept this kind of invitation!"

The crowd protected the woman who was only a step away from the straw mat.

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "You escort your clients, I'll pick up my clients. We'll keep to ourselves. What's wrong with me picking them up?"

As he spoke, Xu Qing took off his straw hat, pointed to the straw mats lying inside, and said, "Young Master, we are all old acquaintances. The person I picked up is in those straw mats, not the person you are escorting. I don't think these straw mats are the goods you are escorting, are they?"

Xie Yunyan looked at Xu Qing and felt that he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember him for a moment. After all, Xu Qing's temperament at this time was very different from when he was a silver-armored corpse.

However, the gold-plated bodyguard who was not good at talking recognized Xu Qing's identity at a glance after half a year.

"Are you the shopkeeper who deals in the dead?"

"Business with dead people?" Xie Yunyan asked, puzzled.

The gold-plated bodyguard approached Xie Yunyan and said as if no one else was around, "Master, have you forgotten? Half a year ago, we took a job from Master Feng and lost a whole team of bodyguards. We were escorting this shopkeeper's goods. The young master even lost an arm because of this and it took him half a month to recover. Have you forgotten, Master?"

The moment Xie Yunyan heard about the manpower losses, he immediately recalled them.

"Honey, I think this guy is somewhat at odds with us. Let's not confront him directly. If he wants that straw mat, let's clear a path for him and get him out of here quickly, so we don't bring any bad luck upon ourselves."

Xu Qing's eyebrows twitched as he listened. This person really didn't treat him like an outsider. How could they talk about other people's business in front of them?

"It's Manager Xu! It's been a long time."

Xie Yunyan said something polite, then waved his hand to make way for everyone.

Escorts travel the world, crossing mountains and bridges, their money and goods are secure, all thanks to the reputation of those in the martial arts world.

When I encounter unpleasant guests, I will act with righteous indignation; when I encounter acquaintances or kind guests, I will grant them passage.

Seeing that everyone had made way, Xu Qing cupped his hands in greeting and came to the straw mat.

Pulling back the straw mat, the first thing you see is the corpse of Old Mrs. Wang.

Beside her, the delicate woman who had been sitting on the straw mat exclaimed in surprise, clearly startled.

Xie Yunyan asked in surprise, "Manager Xu, what is this?"

Xu Qing said casually, "A mortuary isn't necessarily a deserted temple, but a deserted temple can be used as a mortuary. You must have heard a lot about these underworld practices, young master."

“This man is my client, roughly the same as the ‘human convoy’ you’re escorting, except mine is dead and yours is alive, that’s all.”

Xie Yunyan nodded, then added, "It's raining heavily outside. Manager Xu, why don't you wait until the rain stops before you leave? There's a fire here, which can help dispel the dampness."

"No, the old lady's family is still waiting. I need to go back to set up the mourning hall and do some religious rites. It wouldn't be good if it were delayed too long."

A corpse is not as good as a living person; it decomposes easily over time. Xu Qing saw that the old lady had been dead for at least two days, and besides, Wang's younger sister was still waiting in the shop, so it was even more inappropriate to linger outside.

Xu Qing took off his raincoat and draped it over the old woman. He noticed that the old woman treated the corpse better than she treated herself.

The group of镖师 (bodyguards) watched as Xu Qing draped a raincoat over the corpse, and then watched him carry the body on his back and disappear into the pouring rain. They were filled with awe and respect.

Look, this is what dedication looks like!

After leaving the small temple outside the city, Xu Qing rode his horse back the same way.

He glanced at the old lady's revolving lantern halfway through.

Compared to Wang Jia's younger sister's account, the corpse's account is more detailed and more authentic.

The old woman's life in the first half was unremarkable; she was just an ordinary peasant woman, living a life of farming and weaving. After Xu Qing glanced at her briefly, his gaze fell on the events of the last two years.

One day, when Wang Liang returned, he brought with him several distinguished-looking people who were clearly from noble families.

The old lady didn't recognize these people, only thinking they were friends her grandson had made. When it was time to eat, the old lady specially killed an old hen to entertain these distinguished guests.

In the middle of the conversation, she heard the chubby boy leading the group talking about heroes of the world and the ambitions of men, and about treacherous officials who had usurped power, and how he wanted to uphold justice for the world and save the people from suffering.
The old lady didn't quite understand, but her grandson was so engrossed that his ears and eyes twitched. The next day, the grandson packed his bags, settled things at home, and left his hometown with the fat man.

Xu Qing recognized the fat man; who else could it be but Prince Zhu?
The chubby boy was quite generous; before leaving, he left the Wang family two hundred taels of silver and a lame old man.

The old lady originally didn't want the old man to stay no matter what. She was just an old woman, and the villagers loved to gossip. People who didn't know better would think that she had fallen in love again at her age and had found a young old man to keep her company.

The chubby boy said that this man was a veteran who survived the Battle of Tianmen Pass, and with him around, his family would not be easily bullied.

From the old lady's perspective, Xu Qing saw that the lame old soldier often practiced his skills in the yard early in the morning. The stone roller, which weighed three or four hundred pounds, was like a mud ball in the old man's hands, and he lifted it with ease.

Judging from his fighting style, he's at least a martial artist who has reached the third stage of the Qi-opening realm.

Trading an elderly martial arts master for a young boy with an uncertain future, even if he's a crippled martial arts master, is a huge gamble.

"This chubby kid has good taste."

Xu Qing continued reading, and just as Wang Jia's younger sister had said, with a martial arts master who had opened the meridians, some small fry were no match for them at all.

Until one day, the so-called owner from the capital behind the brokerage firm stood at the Wang family's door.

The other person was wearing an embroidered robe, and when they spoke, they would always make delicate gestures with their fingers, and their voice sounded like a duck that had escaped from its shed and was extremely unpleasant.

"No matter when you've been a soldier in our family, if you block our path to wealth, you're our enemy!"

"I'm in a good mood today, so I won't stoop to your level, old man. Starting tomorrow, you and your little beasts leave this area, and I'll pretend nothing happened."

Before the father-in-law could finish speaking, the lame old man interrupted, "When I was fighting for the Great Yong Dynasty, your testicles probably hadn't been removed yet! Now you, a castrated man without testicles, dare to bully my military family?"

The old man straightened his hunched back, but the eunuch in front of him reached out and pressed him down.

“Old man, you’re right, we’re spineless, but in this world, even spineless people bully you who have testicles. What can you do about it? You can insult us, but we won’t get angry at all.”

Despite saying he wasn't angry, the old man's grip on the soldier's arm remained firm. In the blink of an eye, with a simple slap on the shoulder and a quick turn, the seasoned veteran was sprawled on the ground.

After doing all this, the white-faced, beardless father-in-law took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and finally his gaze fell on the old lady inside the door who was holding a broom but hesitated to go forward.

"You're a spineless coward just like us, so we won't make things difficult for you."

After saying this, the father-in-law got into the sedan chair with a grin and swayed away from the Wang family.

After the old man left, the old woman's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.

Looking at the body of the lame old man at the door, the old woman pounded her leg and wept bitterly.

It wasn't until Wang's younger sister, who had gone out to pick vegetables, returned with her basket that the old lady, supported by her granddaughter, stood up.

After that, the old lady suffered from heart disease. She couldn't eat or sleep well. In addition, her house was taken away, and she was exposed to the elements every day. Not long after, the old lady passed away.

On the muddy dirt road, the wind and rain continued, and bubbles appeared one after another on the ground. Xu Qing held a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, which was meant to calm the mind, but his heart was like the bubbles splashing on the ground, unable to find peace no matter what.

This string of Buddhist prayer beads was a reward I received for performing a ritual to help the deceased old lady of the Wang family pass on to the afterlife. When she was alive, she often chanted Buddhist scriptures and recited Buddhist prayers; her humble dwelling was a small Buddhist shrine. But sadly, the Buddha did not help her.

As Xu Qing played with the prayer beads, he felt increasingly agitated. It wasn't until the beads started emitting white smoke that he snapped out of his daze.

Almost forgot! These prayer beads have a calming effect on ordinary people, but they don't have that effect on evil spirits or zombies. No wonder he felt something was off the more he handled them.

So it turns out that this wild zombie can't eat the fine chaff of Buddhism!

Xu Qing clicked his tongue. The Taoist leader, the Celestial Master's Mansion, was at odds with him, and the Buddhist sects also held prejudices against him.

Even when he was going through a tribulation, he had to put his merit tablet right in front of the heavens in order to barely escape it.

Why is it so difficult for him?
At the mortuary, Xu Qing carried the body of Old Lady Wang back.

Wang's younger sister kept crying, which made Xu Qing increasingly upset.

After dressing the old lady in her burial clothes and tidying her up, Xu Qing lit candles, found some mourning clothes, and handed them to the little girl.

Finally, Xu Qing took out a string of Buddhist prayer beads and gave it to Wang's younger sister, saying, "Keeping vigil is tedious. Take these prayer beads and pray for the old lady whenever you have time. It's good to have a word with her."

After doing all this, Xu Qing put his raincoat back on, looking like he was planning to go out again.

Xuan Yu, who was possessing Sun Erniang's body, asked in confusion, "It's raining so hard outside, where are you going?"

"Take a stroll to digest your food."

Xu Qing put on his bamboo hat, and before leaving, he added one more sentence:

"And while you're at it, go collect the body."

After leaving the shop, Xu Qing headed straight for Wanshou County.

This time, the body he was going to collect wasn't a dead body, but a living corpse.

What does "driving away living corpses" mean?
Herding living people into coffins is called herding living corpses!

On a rainy day, the official road was deserted. Xu Qing rode his dappled horse, stopping and starting. At each intersection, he would take off his shoes and throw them into the middle of the road.

This is the method of asking for directions by throwing a shoe, a minor divination technique.

When Xu Qing arrived in Wanshou County, he remained unhurried throughout the journey. Occasionally, when his vehicles got stuck in the mud and were unable to get out, he would lend a helping hand.

Upon arriving in the county town, the blacksmiths in the blacksmith shops were clanging and banging on their anvils.

Xu Qing, wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, walked into the shop. The blacksmith couldn't tell what he looked like, so he casually asked him what he wanted.

Xu Qing remained silent, walked to the corner of the wall, picked up a wood-chopping axe, and weighed it in his hand.

Before the blacksmith could ask another question, Xu Qing tossed out a piece of silver, which landed right on the anvil in front of the blacksmith.

After leaving the blacksmith shop, Xu Qing reached out and erased the craftsman's name engraved on the axe.

Then he stretched out his fingernail and wrote and drew on the axe surface, sparks flashing as he finished carving. Only when the words were finished did Xu Qing nod in satisfaction.

Holding an axe, Xu Qing went to the alley diagonally opposite the brokerage firm. He took out a group of paper figures that had been coated with wax and waterproofed, and carried a black and red coffin. He then walked towards the entrance of the brokerage firm.

Paper money was scattered, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and raindrops fell on the coffin, making hollow sounds.

An old saying goes, "Rain hitting the coffin brings ten years of hardship; rain sprinkling the grave brings forth a noble person."

It is taboo to carry a coffin on a rainy day, as it is not good for the person inside.

Right now, in the pouring rain at the entrance of the pawnshop, a group of paper figures carrying a coffin have arrived.

The gatekeeper thought it was a messenger from the underworld coming to take his life, so he didn't bother to close the door and bolt it. He turned around and scrambled into the brokerage.

When the accountant heard his clerk exclaim that something was amiss, he didn't believe it. He turned around, opened the upstairs window, and peered down.

It would have been better if I hadn't looked at it, but once I did, it was fine.

Well! Just then, I saw a paper effigy about ten feet tall, wearing a veil, passing by the window.

One of the spirits turned its head, its veil swaying slightly, and faced the accountant's face, revealing half of its pale face!

And on that face, there were blood-red eyes drawn with a touch of cinnabar ink.

"."

The accountant rolled his eyes and fainted.

The paper figures continued to explore further, and when they reached the middle of the open-air well tower of the brothel, a group of guards carrying guns and clubs appeared in the corridor on the opposite building.

Leading the group at the front was a white-faced, beardless eunuch dressed in an embroidered brocade robe.

The old man's voice was that familiar hoarse voice from the TV series "The Carousel".

"Playing tricks? Do you think you can provoke us by knowing some unorthodox methods?"

The thugs from the nearby pawnshop breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Judging from the eunuch's appearance, these paper figures might really just be scary to look at.

However, before everyone could boost their morale, a madman with a bull's hoof and a demon's head suddenly appeared on the ground in the middle of the well tower.

Then came the second, and the third.
When all fifteen of the mad generals filled the well tower, more mad generals appeared on the ground, but after just peeking out and seeing that the well tower was already full, they sank back to the ground.

These fully revealed demon generals all had bull hoof-shaped heads and skeletal bodies, and in terms of size, they were even taller than the ten-foot-tall straw spirits.

"Who exactly are you, you scoundrel? My family is a close advisor to the Imperial Household Department. Offending me is a small matter, but if you offend the Imperial Household Department..."

Before Lou Xiaowu could finish speaking, the madman in the well tower pulled out his ribs, which turned into bone-bladed sickles, and threw them at him!
A dozen bone blades, imbued with black malevolent energy, sliced ​​through the rain and arrived before Lou Xiaowu in the blink of an eye.

"Be bold!"

With his embroidered robe billowing, Lou Xiaowu was enveloped in a protective aura, and with a flick of his sleeve, he scattered all the bone blades that were being used as hidden weapons.

"Hmm?" Eunuch Lou exclaimed in surprise, then raised his pinky finger and laughed, "I thought he was some kind of hero, but it turns out he's just a pretty face with no substance."

A general is equivalent to a martial artist at the Condensation Realm, while Lou Xiaowu, who comes from the Imperial Household Department, has clearly already touched the threshold of a martial arts grandmaster.

However, before Lou Xiaowu could be overjoyed for long, he discovered that those tyrannical generals were impossible to kill.

You can smash their heads and torsos, and as soon as they hit the ground, they will reform.

Although the aura weakens slightly after each condensation, with fifteen ferocious generals taking turns attacking, even if Lou Xiaowu had a lot of true energy, it wouldn't be enough to exhaust them.

Even more disgusting is that deep underground, there are still a line of reserve bastards waiting to emerge.

Lou Xiaowu felt uneasy. He had a feeling that his opponent hadn't used his full strength yet, while he himself was already feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

He leaped upstairs and saw that many of the martial arts masters in the brokerage had already been killed. Lou Xiaowu shouted, "You guys hold off these ghosts. I've already located the person behind it all. Once I get out, I'll capture this rat in no time!"

After saying this, Lou Xiaowu turned around, kicked the window frame, jumped over the third-floor eaves onto the street, and then fled to the capital without looking back.

"."

Xu Qing was completely silent.

When he heard what Eunuch Lou said, he really thought that the other party had discovered his location. He never expected that this spineless eunuch actually wanted to abandon his companion and escape alone.

Xu Qing walked out of the alley and pulled out the axe tucked into his waistband.

After being tested by the arrogant man, he already knew the extent of the eunuch's abilities.

Xu Qing leaped onto the high building, holding a short axe. While using his Yin Eyes to watch for Lou Xiaowu's whereabouts, he continuously stacked the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Techniques. When he stacked it to the twelfth level, the ordinary iron axe trembled, clearly having reached its limit.

"Go!"

Xu Qing swung his arm down, and the iron axe in his hand, shrouded in heavy yin energy, transformed into a dark light, slashing straight at the small black dot fifteen miles away.

(End of this chapter)