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

Chapter 188 Two against one, the advantage is mine

The treasure remains hidden. Although the rice bowl is only of the highest grade (human character), it can continuously gain faith and aspiration bonuses and improve its grade by accumulating rice and giving it to others.

There are many other Dharma treasures that have emerged from the world due to great faith, vows, and merits. The purple-gold alms bowl, which is said to have been used to transmit Mahayana scriptures and become a Buddha treasure, was originally just an ordinary alms-begging object.

Furthermore, when King Yu was controlling the floods, he reached Qionglai Mountain and encountered poisonous snakes blocking his path. Enraged, King Yu ordered Yinglong to slay the snakes on the day of Gengchen. He then erected two steles to suppress the snake menace, leaving a message before the steles: 'If you become gods in the future, you shall kill snakes for generations to come, ridding the people of this scourge.'

After that, King Yu successfully controlled the floods, and the two ordinary stone tablets of that time were transformed into treasures of merit and enlightenment.

For the next four thousand years, the two steles often ate snakes to sustain themselves in their practice. Wherever they went, the essence of the snakes entered the steles, leaving only the snake bones to fall off. Over time, the two steles gradually became more powerful.

The rice bowl in Xu Qing's hand may seem to be only of the "human" grade, but it is a treasure born in response to a calamity, and like the Yuwang Stele, it has unlimited potential for growth.

The Yuwang Stele evokes divine power through its merits, and so does the rice bowl.

Xu Qing held the small, broken bowl in his hand and sensed it slightly, discovering that there was exactly one dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice inside.

"Legend has it that when the Yuwang Stele was at its most powerful, it had the shape of a tiger on its head, and its light was like ten thousand torches, illuminating the foothills. At the same time, it could spew fire from snake venom, turning all the grass and trees in its path to ashes."

"What kind of miracles will this rice bowl possess when it is full of vitality?"

With his back to Shang Shaoyang, Xu Qing fiddled with the small, broken bowl, which could not only hold rice but also the bottles and jars used for burial.

However, it can only fill one dou (a unit of volume) of space.

If you want to increase the capacity, you should fill the rice bowl with rice and flour and distribute it to people. For every dou (a unit of dry measure) distributed, the rice bowl will gain dou more space.

When the amount of rice reaches two dou, the amount of rice produced becomes four dou, and when the amount of rice reaches four dou, it becomes eight dou. As long as there is enough rice to continue producing rice, the space inside the bowl will be infinite, enough to hold even the water of the Baijiang River.

It's a pity this bowl arrived a little late; otherwise, the grain from the relief granaries in Tianjin alone would have been enough to expand this rice bowl to hold hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain.

Xu Qing glanced at the bottles and jars in the rice bowl, now shrunk to the size of a thumb, and a thought struck her.

With the great calamity approaching, who knows how much food will be needed to save lives? Judging from the situation in the Great Yong Dynasty, he might have to help those who are crippled and unable to push open the granary doors, to open the granaries and distribute food. At that time, this rice bowl will become a divine weapon to save the world and gain a great deal of merit.

However, currently this thing doesn't seem to have any other use besides storage.

Thinking this, Xu Qing was about to reach into the bowl to retrieve the bottles and jars when a flash of white light appeared in the rice bowl. Xu Qing felt his palm burning hot, and a scorching heat that made his hair stand on end suddenly arose.

But only for a moment, the white light quickly retracted, as if a venomous snake had peeked out but suddenly realized it had bitten the wrong person, so it released its grip, withdrew, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Xu Qing hissed and nearly jumped back, nearly throwing the bowl away.

Behind him, Shang Shaoyang also jumped, instinctively grabbing the hilt of his sword, and asked with surprise and uncertainty, "What's the matter?"

Xu Qing waved one hand behind his back and said, "It's nothing. I was just seeing things. I thought it was a zombie coming back to life."

"."

Returning to the coffin, Xu Qing communicated with the rice bowl again, and this time he discovered even more uses for it.

Rice and grains are nurtured and grown by the sun's energy, making them extremely yang in nature. As a result, this bowl of rice is also influenced and has a certain effect in suppressing yin and evil.

Ordinary zombies are afraid of glutinous rice because glutinous rice is full of the sun's energy.

Xu Qing roughly understood the additional function of the rice bowl. If this thing were cultivated, it might be used to subdue demons and refine monsters.

But what decent person would risk their livelihood to fight an enemy?

But when Xu Qing thought of those bald monks in the Buddhist community who liked to beg for alms with their alms bowls and also liked to use their alms bowls to perform rituals, he felt that it wasn't so strange to fight with a rice bowl in hand.

However, although this rice bowl has unlimited potential, it is, after all, an extremely yang object. Before he can refine his hand bones into indestructible bones, it would be a bit too hot to use against enemies.

Putting aside the matter of the rice bowl for the time being, Xu Qing turned his attention to sealing Yu Qiulan's coffin and preparing her for burial.

Inside the deep palace compound in the capital city.

No sooner had Liao Jinzhong, the Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department, come out of the Imperial Study than Feng Dehai, the newly appointed Director of the Mirroring Division, followed closely behind.

"Eunuch Liao, I heard that your godson, Lou Xiaowu, was hacked to death with an axe in Tianjin, and not even his body was left behind."

Liao Jinzhong and Feng Dehai didn't get along. Although they were both spineless, when they met in private, they always liked to exchange barbs and never backed down from each other.

Everyone knows that roosters are aggressive, but these two hens that neither lay eggs nor crow can actually fight. Isn't that strange?

Liao Jinzhong had just finished his audience with the emperor and was preoccupied with something on his mind. When he heard Feng Dehai suddenly make fun of him, he almost instinctively retorted sarcastically, "Eunuch Feng isn't much different. I heard that your godson Long Engui also kicked the bucket in Tianjin half a year ago, and his body was never recovered, was it?"

"Hey! I also heard that afterward, Eunuch Feng found a fortune teller to divine for Long Engui and help him catch the culprit at Eunuch Cao's mansion. Who would have thought that he would be struck by lightning? Eunuch Feng was quick to run away, but it's a pity for Eunuch Feng's godfather. The old man had difficulty walking and turned into a handful of ashes."

"You!" Feng Dehai was so angry that he raised his pinky finger and almost choked on his breath.

"Very well, very well!" Feng Dehai pointed at Liao Jinzhong, laughing angrily, "We originally thought that since we've both lost our children to support us in our old age, we should find a way to clear their names and avenge them. But now it seems that we were just being wishful and misjudging them!"

Upon hearing this, Liao Jinzhong's mind raced, and he hurriedly said, "Hey! Father-in-law, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I'm just teasing you. Father-in-law lost his son, and so did I. We're in the same boat. In my opinion, the real culprit behind this might be the same person. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that we're both in Tianjin?"

Feng Dehai's expression softened slightly. He withdrew his orchid-like finger from pointing at the person, and instead stroked a lock of hair in front of his ear, saying, "That's true. It seems that Eunuch Liao still understands the bigger picture."

The two sonless eunuchs discussed matters as they made their way to the courtyard where Liao Jinzhong lived.

During this time, Eunuch Liao asked, "The young master Zhu was ordered to go to the northern border, but there has been no news of him since. Now the northern border garrisons are conducting large-scale military training. His Majesty is cautious and has established the Mirror Bureau, intending to send trusted confidants to the northern border to investigate rebellions. If necessary, he can execute first and report later. Now that the bureau has been newly established, Eunuch Feng must be very busy. How can he find time to interfere in Tianjin affairs?"

"Your Majesty is overly cautious?" Feng Dehai raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it just paranoia? In the end, Your Majesty is still worried that Prince Zhu will gather the old troops of Prince Changting and turn his sword against the world."

However, he was not in a hurry about this. The journey to the Northern Territory was long and there were so many opportunities along the way, yet no one had managed to capture Prince Zhu. Now that he had arrived in the Northern Territory, he would be even more at ease. If he tried to make amends then, it would probably be too late.

“This is why I’m here. As you know, I can act first and report later. Jinmen happens to be the fiefdom of the Prince of Changting. I suspect that the matter in Jinmen may be related to the old subordinates left behind by the Prince of Changting.”

Liao Jinzhong pondered for a moment and said, "Xiao Wu is a clever and quick-witted child, and I like him very much. His martial arts level is only one step away from becoming a grandmaster. If someone like him is placed in the martial arts world, who can kill him? Even if he is surrounded, it is not difficult for him to escape."

“Only a Grandmaster could kill him. Now that the Prince of Changting is dead, how many Grandmasters are there in the world besides you and me? Can his old subordinates really kill Xiao Wu?” Feng Dehai laughed and said, “Lou Xiao Wu is your prized student. He has already achieved so much at the age of fifty. Do you think the Prince of Changting, who is a Grandmaster, would cultivate one or two adopted sons as his confidants?”

"Prince Zhu has never practiced martial arts, which is because Prince Changting wanted to avoid suspicion, but he will definitely train spies as a backup plan."

"Please don't forget, Father-in-law. Although the whereabouts of Prince Zhu are unknown, the Princess Consort is still alive and well."

Liao Jinzhong frowned: "You mean the princess has a grandmaster guard by her side?"

But what does this mean? The grandmaster doesn't go to protect the crown prince, but instead stays to protect a woman?
Even if the prince and princess are truly in love, they shouldn't treat the crown prince as an accident and let him risk his life to wander to the northern border, right?

"No, could it be that Prince Zhu didn't go to the Northern Border, but turned back halfway? Otherwise, why haven't we heard of Prince Zhu's name from the Northern Border garrisons yet?"

"That's hard to say. Prince Changting was a master strategist in life, and he might still be scheming in death. Besides, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. In any case, I can't think of anyone else besides the Prince's residence. It can't be a real ghost, with underworld officials coming to arrest someone, can it?"

"Ghost messengers from the underworld? Eunuch Feng actually believes in that?" Liao Jinzhong sneered, then went into his study and took out a wooden box.

Upon opening the wooden box, a charred axe lay quietly inside.

"Please take a look at this item, Eunuch Feng."

Liao Jinzhong wrapped the carbonized axe in a handkerchief, handed it to Feng Dehai, and said:

“Our son is good in every way, except he’s too greedy. The brokers in Wanshou County saw with their own eyes that underworld officials were carrying a coffin to pick up people, but we don’t believe it.”

"If it really is a ghost messenger, why would it use this axe to kill someone? We have received accurate information that the one who killed Xiao Wu was not a demon with supernatural power, but a martial arts master who has at least stepped into the Grandmaster realm."

"Those paper figures and ghost messengers are nothing but tricks of the martial arts world. As for the skeletal monster that is taller than a house and has the head of a bull's hoof, it is probably just a smokescreen. Otherwise, why would they use an axe to kill people?"

Feng Dehai grabbed the axe handle, but before he could exert any force, the charred wooden handle broke into several pieces.

Picking up the iron axe, which was also deformed from being scorched, Feng Dehai examined it closely and discovered that several small characters were engraved on it.

"The Axe Gang?"

"What kind of gang is this? Does such a force exist in Tianjin?"

Liao Jinzhong said, "The Tianjin Gang was slaughtered by one person. Long Engui died on the spot, and a spiritual child from the Celestial Master's Mansion also died at the same time. For some reason, Celestial Master Lu of the Celestial Master's Mansion refused to go to Tianjin to investigate. When we went to ask him, he said that a person outside the secular world does not concern himself with worldly affairs. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Dehai's heart stirred: "I have long heard that Master Lu is a highly accomplished Taoist master, a true enlightened cultivator. Did you not ask him who the murderer behind him is?"

Liao Jinzhong shook his head and said, "Master Lu is unfathomable and unwilling to speak frankly. When we asked him, he either nodded or shook his head, but that was still a kind of answer for us."

"What did the father-in-law ask? And how did Master Lu reply?"

Liao Jinzhong was lost in his memories: "When I asked the mastermind if he was a powerful demon or evil spirit, the Taoist priest smiled and shook his head; when I asked if the culprit was a martial artist, the Taoist priest pondered and nodded; when I asked if I could find the real culprit and kill him quickly, the Taoist priest smiled and did not answer."

"In the end, we used a trick and asked the Celestial Master, 'Who is stronger, the murderer or us?' The Celestial Master pointed a finger at us." Liao Jinzhong laughed, "Even among grandmasters, there are differences in skill. I entered the palace to learn martial arts when I was young. Now, looking across the world, how many people dare to say they can defeat me?"

"As long as Eunuch Feng spares no effort to find the culprit, then when we join forces, are we afraid we can't get rid of this little snake that only knows how to hide in the shadows?"

“That makes sense,” Feng Dehai agreed verbally, but he knew perfectly well what was going on in his mind.

If Liao Jinzhong were truly confident, why would he be willing to put aside his reservations and cooperate with him?
Ultimately, it's because they lack confidence.

In Linjiang County, Xu Qing happened to pass by the largest rice and flour shop in the brokerage business on his way to Yu Qiulan's funeral.

Linjiang Brokerage is the only brokerage firm that Xu Qing selected to survive to this day, simply because Master Li does not engage in human trafficking, does not interfere in the affairs of the Salt Gang, and does not exploit the public for money.

In Xu Qing's eyes, this was definitely a model of integrity in the industry. We don't know if this Master Li's name is Donglai, but in a business circle where everyone is competing to be the worst, he is definitely a kind and honest person.

Xu Qing had already made up his mind that if Fourth Master were to kick the bucket one day, he would at least have a double coffin made for him.

The hearse stopped in front of the rice and flour shop. Xu Qing called out to the shopkeeper, took out two hundred taels of silver notes, and used them all to buy rice and flour, which he then had the shopkeeper deliver to the coroner's shop.

Shang Shaoyang was puzzled, but Xu Qing replied, "This isn't a funeral for a high-ranking official or nobleman, so there's no need to spend two hundred taels of silver."

“I think if she were alive, she wouldn’t want to spend too much unnecessary money on the funeral. Instead, we should use the money to buy rice and flour and give it to those who are starving because of natural disasters and man-made calamities.”

Xu Qing is not short of money. Not to mention the distant past, the gold and jade artifacts in the coffin that Xiang Fei was buried with are worth more than 100,000 taels of silver.

Royal funerals have always been extravagant and costly; even if there are many people in the world who are starving, it will not affect the treatment of a royal concubine after her death.

Xu Qing was worried about not being able to openly use money to buy rice and flour, but now that Shang Shaoyang had sent him two hundred taels of silver, he naturally wanted to spend it all.

The money was obtained legitimately, with the endorsement of Shang Shaoyang, a powerful and influential scion, so there was no fear of others asking questions.

"Mr. Xu, are you really going to exchange all this money for rice and grain?"

When questioned by the grain shop owner, Xu Qing chuckled and said, "Change it! This money was given by Young Master Shang, not stolen or robbed. Are you worried that someone will hold you responsible later?"

The grain shop owner laughed and said, "No, Mr. Xu is an acquaintance of the brokerage firm. Even if he brings a thousand taels of silver, the grain shop will accept it. The reason I asked Mr. Xu is because I was afraid that I might have misheard or misunderstood. What if he wanted to buy two taels of silver worth of rice and flour? That would be a laughing stock."

Shang Shaoyang looked at Xu Qing with a strange light in his eyes; this guy was quite interesting.

"Shopkeeper, take all this silver and send it along with the grain you get in exchange to Boss Xu's shop!"

Shang Shaoyang tossed the money bag to the shopkeeper; the silver notes and coins inside totaled no less than five hundred taels.

Xu Qing glanced at Shang Shaoyang, who raised an eyebrow as if to challenge him to a contest.

"Brother Shang is truly benevolent and righteous; I admire him greatly!"

Xu Qing praised him verbally, but he was secretly delighted.

This rich man's son is really going to compete with him, but he's been able to release hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain into the relief granary, so it won't be easy for this rich man's son to catch up with him.

(End of this chapter)