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

Chapter 195 The Boundary Between Life and Death, The Second Dharma Realm

He had heard of the Bodhisattva who grants children, but he had never heard of a zombie that grants children!
Xu Qing frowned and looked at the kind-faced, dignified and solemn statue of Baosheng Niangniang.

When his gaze fell on the slightly bulging front of the shirt, Xu Qing laughed in exasperation.

Even zombies, when utterly speechless, will burst out laughing.

Xuan Yu, who was watching the excitement from the side, jumped onto the incense table with great interest. Sometimes it looked up and stared at the goddess statue with its head bowed, and sometimes it circled around the statue, looking here and there.

It would also occasionally use its little paws to touch the fairy shoes of 'Xu Xianjia', which are cloud-patterned shoes.

As Xu Qing felt the subtle connection between the statue and himself, the strange feeling in his heart grew stronger.

With his eyes closed, Xu Qing's vision blurred, and he could vaguely see the entire scene inside the incense hall through the incense's protective barrier.

The red incense sticks mingled, and specks of white light formed after believers made their vows rose and fell like dust, while a familiar cat scent wafted from the altar.

My gaze drifted down to the slightly raised front of the shirt.

"."

Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes and then strode towards a corner of the incense hall.

When he was looking at the incense hall through the statue, he saw a stone frame under the divine drum placed on the east wall.

There is another stone carving on the stone shelf, recording the inscription.

Xu Qing knew quite a bit about temples, and at a glance, he knew that what was written on it was the 'statue inscription' of this temple.

Inscriptions on statues usually record the time of creation, the identity and origin of the sculptor, and the inscription of the deity worshipped, informing the world who created the statue.

Xu Qing was eager to know which clever, presumptuous person had erected the goddess statue for him.

What's the difference between this and a photo fraud?
When Xu Qing first entered the temple, he made many deductions. He thought about the temple of the Old Mother Who Saved Infants that he had demolished in Huangping Township, and he also thought about the twins that Liu the Midwife had helped Li Mugen deliver.

But neither of these is enough to warrant people spending a fortune to build a temple for him.

The former was the one who demolished the temple that granted children; he couldn't be said to have granted children. At most, he used swift and decisive means to eliminate an evil. Even if people were truly willing to worship him, they should worship the deity who was in charge of killing and suppressing demons, not the deity who granted children.

The latter, Li Mugen, was just a farmer. Even if he was extremely grateful, he didn't have the ability to erect a statue or build a temple for Xu Qing.

"Let me see which brilliant strategist is it!"

Arriving at the foot of the Divine Drum, Xu Qing looked at the inscription on the stele, and saw that the first line of the inscription on the statue clearly stated:

"County Magistrate Chen Guangrui and thirty-two benevolent citizens, together with sincere vows, respectfully commission the creation of an image of the Goddess of Safe Childbirth and Prosperity, for the sake of divine intervention and the continuation of the lineage of all people."

Xu Qing frowned, extremely puzzled. He had no dealings with the magistrate of Linjiang County. The only connection he had was that he had heard from Zhao Zhonghe that Magistrate Chen had praised his shop for its human touch.

"What's wrong with this county magistrate?"

Xu Qing had heard that Chen Guangrui's wife had recently given birth to a son, but he did not go to deliver the baby.

How could they have suddenly come up with the idea of ​​building such a temple for him?

Xu Qing continued reading and found that the inscription on the statue also described his duties and the people's aspirations.

"The deity in charge of ensuring a safe pregnancy and a peaceful mind, resolving difficulties during childbirth, protecting life and the continuation of offspring. They hold the divine authority over safe childbirth."

Xu Qing's eyelids twitched as he looked at it, thinking to himself, "It's one thing for you to erect a statue for me for no reason, but what's the meaning of assigning me so many positions?"
In addition to a bunch of inexplicably assigned positions, there are also the county magistrate's vision written on behalf of the people.

May children be born into a peaceful place, blessed with a safe and smooth delivery; may mothers be free from the hardships of childbirth, and may the family prosper.

'May our ancestors for seven generations, and all believers throughout the world, share this same wish.'

'Completed on the thirteenth day of the seventh month of the second year of Jingxing.'

After reading the inscription, Xu Qing remained silent for a long time.

Xuan Yu couldn't empathize; instead, it felt that it had benefited from the fame of the Xu family.

"Xu Xian's family is the Goddess of Life Protection, so now there are two goddesses in the Cat Immortal Hall."

Xu Qing looked at Xuan Yu, who was speaking without thinking, and was about to speak when he suddenly noticed another strange phenomenon in the incense-burning realm.

My thoughts entered the realm of Dharma, and I saw that the incense in the Cat Fairy Hall and the incense in the Baosheng Temple were separated.

The incense at Maoxiantang is golden yellow, while the incense at Baosheng Temple is crimson red.

Xu Qing understood that from the moment he stepped into this temple, a new world of incense and Dharma had begun to be built.

His action of looking at the inscription on the statue just now was just like when he recited the single-chapter scroll at the Cat Fairy Hall and did real-name authentication.

Xu Qing's thoughts drifted into the new incense-filled realm. The realm of Baosheng Temple was different from that of the Cat Fairy Hall. Inside, there was a pool of blood-red water. If you looked closely, you would find that the blood-red water was formed by incense.

"Blood Lake of Calamity, is this a blood lake?"

Xu Qing suddenly had a sudden realization. He saw a small puddle in the Dharma Realm and naturally regarded it as a lake, although the lake was still very small.

The newly opened Dharma Realm was not large, only about the size of the incense hall outside. After Xu Qing took a brief stroll around, he realized that he was very different from himself in the outside world.

In the Dharma Realm, Xu Qing has the body of a man but the appearance of a woman. She wears a five-phoenix crown, a round-necked robe with wide sleeves, and a jade-like cloud-shaped shawl. The edges of her robe are engraved with intertwined flowers and patterns of longevity mountains and seas of blessings. The character "保" (protect) is engraved on her skirt.

In addition, Xu Qing had two more items in his hands: a small blood-red bottle and a jade-colored ruyi scepter.

Neither of the two items is a physical entity, but rather they are manifestations of the incense and vows made in the blood pool.

The functions of these two items are also quite unusual.

The mother's bottle helps with pregnancy and ensures a smooth delivery.

Xu Qing held a bottle in his left hand and a jade ruyi in his right, standing in the Dharma realm like a war god in the delivery room.

Chen Guangrui

Xu Qing memorized the name of the new magistrate of Linjiang County.

The Goddess of Salvation and Safe Childbirth, also known as the Goddess of Childbirth, protects the delivery room, resolves the difficulties of childbirth, and ensures the harmony of qi and blood between mother and child. When fear of childbirth causes physical weakness, one can recite the four characters "Blood Lake Crossing the Calamity" to strengthen faith and assist in childbirth.

This is how Chen Guangrui, using his official position, registered and established the temple duties for Xu Qing.

Xu Qing never imagined that one day his temple fair would become legal and compliant, and he never expected that the first to become legal and compliant would not be the Cat Fairy Hall, but a temple dedicated to a goddess who blesses fertility.

Having left the Dharma Realm, Xu Qing returned to his original position. In the incense hall, while he was lost in thought, Xuan Yu was bowing and worshipping his own statue, just like a devout believer.

"Xuanyu, what are you doing?"

Xuan Yu said, "I am worshipping Immortal Xu, so that the incense offerings in Immortal Xu's realm may increase."

"Why are you worshipping Him! Don't you even know what kind of god He is? Do you want to have a litter of kittens?"

"."

Xuan Yu ignored Xu Qing for a long time, perhaps because Xu Qing said something wrong and upset it.

However, as dawn broke, the cat became lively again.

Xu Qing sat on the futon, looking at the statue that was completely different from himself, and sat there blankly all night.

He only came to his senses when the yang energy began to rise and the black energy in his left hand dissipated. After reaching the stage of not dissolving bones, the Corpse Nourishing Scripture was no longer of much significance to Xu Qing. The methods of cultivating not dissolving bones recorded in it were limited to infusing essence, energy, and spirit into the bones and nourishing them over many years.

However, this method seemed a bit clumsy. Xu Qing had no teacher to guide him. Apart from a legend about a zombie attaining enlightenment recorded in the Corpse Tales, there was no other zombie predecessor with higher cultivation than him in reality for him to learn from.

If there were no zombies in the world who attained enlightenment, could he really open up a path to reach the legendary realm?

Just as Xu Qing was feeling depressed, he heard a faint rustling sound coming from beside him.

He glanced to the side and saw that Xuan Yu had found a white flower from somewhere and was teasing it with her paws.

Just as Xu Qing was about to speak, he heard voices coming from outside the temple.

"I've heard that this Goddess of Childbirth is very effective. The county magistrate's wife had a difficult childbirth, and it was this deity who appeared and helped her give birth."

"In that case, hurry inside and offer your prayers; we must be the first to burn incense."

Xu Qing slipped out of the incense hall and hid in a corner of the hall.

Xuan Yu, carrying a white flower in its mouth, followed closely behind. The two, one stiff and one cat, furtively spied on the humans who came to offer incense.

The two people who arrived were a man and a woman, dressed like ordinary people, with nothing particularly unusual about them.

Upon arriving at the incense hall, the man stopped and repeatedly instructed, "White Flower Boy, Red Flower Girl, remember to place the white flower first, then the red flower. If the goddess cannot bless you with both a son and a daughter, then place the white flower first."

The woman nodded and said, "That saves me the trouble. You've said it so many times along the way. I'm not deaf. Why don't you just go in and pray?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" the man quickly interrupted. "The Goddess of Life Protection is a female immortal. If I, a grown man, were to go in and offend her, it would be very bad."

"."

Xu Qing's gaze was deep and unfathomable. With just those words, you've already gone far away.

Looking down at Xuan Yu, Xu Qing reached out and plucked the white flower from its mouth, placing it in his sleeve.

At first, he didn't understand where Xuan Yu got the white flower, but now, after hearing the two talking, he finally understood.

So these white flowers are tokens left by pilgrims who prayed for children.

Seeing the woman enter the incense hall, Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then whispered a few words in Xuan Yu's ear.

The next moment, Xuan Yu brazenly slipped into the incense hall.

The man guarding outside the hall saw a cat sneak into the hall, but he didn't pay any attention and continued to stand outside and wait.

After seeing Xuan Yu go inside, Xu Qing straightened his clothes slightly, then walked towards the man with a smile on his face.

"Brother, are you also here to offer incense?"

The man was somewhat surprised to see Xu Qing. Had this person arrived even earlier than him, or had the other man's "inner boss" already entered the incense hall and snatched the first stick of incense?
The man nodded, then asked in return, "Where are you from, and when did you arrive?"

Xu Qing laughed and said, "I'm from the county, and I just entered the temple. You arrived before me."

The man breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and smiled, "I just arrived recently, and my wife just went in to pay her respects."

After saying this, the man looked at Xu Qing's side and asked curiously, "Brother, did you come alone?"

"Oh, my wife is unwell, so I have to come and burn incense to make my prayers."

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Qing suddenly inquired, "I've only recently heard about this temple. It's said that the county magistrate oversaw its construction. Is that true?"

The man replied, “It is true. The county magistrate’s wife was having a difficult childbirth. When it seemed hopeless, a midwife appeared who claimed to know how to invoke the gods. She also said that she had a magical book about childbirth that was given to her by the gods. Later, the midwife invoked the gods to descend and possess her. Sure enough, the county magistrate’s wife and child were both safe.”

"When the midwife left, she handed the magic book to the county magistrate, saying that the magic book was a gift from the gods and that she only hoped it could help with production in the world."

"After the county magistrate received the book, he had people take turns copying it, intending to spread it and do something practical for the world."

Seeing that Xu Qing was listening attentively, the man smiled and said, "To be honest, I am one of the scribes hired by the county magistrate to copy that immortal book."

"If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't know the inside story."

The man said with considerable pride, "That immortal book is truly extraordinary. It contains detailed information about childbirth, and even I, a man, find it hard to believe that it was written by an ordinary person."

"There has never been a work that explains the matter of childbirth so clearly throughout history. If it was not written by a deity, what else could it be?"

Xu Qing finally understood the whole story. The midwife the other party mentioned was most likely Liu, the midwife from Bai Xian Tang.

When Xu Qing was helping Liu, the midwife, deliver Li's daughter's baby at Li Mugen's house, she was deeply moved and copied all the birthing techniques she had learned about pregnancy care and childbirth into a book.

To make the booklet easier to circulate, he also gave Liu the name of several easy-to-understand names to choose from.

Such as birthing manuals, birth care techniques, and childbirth midwifery manuals.
When Xu Qing left Li Mugen's house, she casually mentioned that Liu the midwife should pass on those methods of childbirth and childcare to save families that should not have been broken.

Xu Qing did this casually and didn't pay much attention to it afterward, but he never expected that Liu the midwife would keep his instructions in mind.

But how should he manage this newly established temple? He can't just sit back and reap the benefits based on a single booklet.
Xu Qing frowned as he thought about it. In the end, he was just a zombie who wanted to lie quietly, so how come things have gotten bigger and bigger?

Inside the incense hall, a woman who had come to make a plea was kneeling on a prayer mat, devoutly praying to the statue of the deity.

"May the Goddess of Salvation from Suffering and Protection from Calamity appear before me today. My husband and I have been married for many years, but we have not yet had a child. I know that I have little fortune and heavy karma. If I have committed any sins, I am willing to repent and reform. I only ask that the Goddess have mercy and grant me a pair of good children."

If I cannot have both, I only wish for a healthy and intelligent son. If Your Majesty grants my wish, I will surely offer incense and fruit in return, and erect a guardian tablet for Your Majesty.

As soon as the woman finished speaking, a strange wind suddenly swept through the hall, extinguishing the newly lit candles on the incense table.

Just as the woman was at a loss, thinking she had offended the deity, the statue of the Yuanjun in the hall suddenly spoke.

"Raise your heads! How dare you mortals choose between male and female offspring? You are destined to have a daughter. If you insist on having a son, then your daughter will have to wait another thousand years by the Well of Reincarnation. Can you bear that?"

"Whether you have a son or a daughter in the future, it is your destiny. If you abandon your child because of the gender, the gods may not be angry, but you will lose your own fortune."

"Whether you have a son or a daughter is predetermined and cannot be changed by me. Do not make a mistake for yourself and leave immediately!"

The woman who was burning incense and making a prayer was surprised and uncertain. She looked up but did not see anyone.

A moment later, the candlelight in the hall suddenly came back on. Upon seeing this, the woman believed it to be a divine manifestation and remained steadfast in her faith.

Xu Qing, who was outside the hall, saw the black cat approach and snapped his fingers.

The man accompanying Xu Qing to offer incense was puzzled, but Xu Qing explained, "This is my cat. I never expected that it would follow me here today."

After saying that, Xu Qing led the black cat away from the small temple.

Only after Xu Qing left did the man realize that the other person hadn't gone inside to pay respects.

Before he could think further, the woman inside the hall walked out with a strange expression.

The two stood outside the hall, and the woman recounted everything that had just happened.

After saying this, the woman asked with a hint of doubt, "The deity's voice sounded like a little girl's. Do you think she might be our future daughter, and that she was brought here by the goddess to talk to me because we insisted on having a boy?"

The man became even more suspicious upon hearing this.

Regardless of what the two thought, the reputation of the Goddess of Life Protection only increased after this incident.

(End of this chapter)