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

Chapter 198 Chasing Her Husband Across a Thousand Miles: Harming Both Her and Herself

In mid-July, the summer heat subsides, but the lingering heat of late summer will still occasionally resurface, revealing its fangs.

In the coffin shop, Xu Qing was lying comfortably in the coffin when he was suddenly awakened by the piercing chirping of cicadas.

He sat up, looked up, and saw a black cat carrying a cicada with its wings constantly fluttering in its mouth as it slipped into the shop.

Before Xu Qing could speak, the black cat had already jumped onto the edge of the coffin, which was about a hand's width wide.

Seeing the person in the coffin looking at it, the black cat spat out the cicada, pressed it down with its paw, and asked, "Does Master Xu want some?"

Seeing the cicada's mournful cry, Xu Qing felt a pang of pity and said, "Stop it from singing, it's so upsetting to hear."

"Oh."

Xuan Yu swallowed the cicada, chewed it haphazardly a few times, and the entire coroner's shop instantly became quiet.

Feeling much better now, Xu Qing stretched and pushed the useless talisman in the coffin aside.

The talismans used to ward off evil spirits include needle-sticked dolls, thousand-year-old coffin nails, white-haired turtles, hanging ropes, and statues of evil gods.

These are all extremely yin and evil things. Xu Qing drew runes with his left hand to absorb the curses of all the objects that were being suppressed.

Yin gives rise to Yang, and death leads to life.

The Undying Bone contains the power of regeneration, but it needs to nurture that wisp of life. Xu Qing used yin and turbid substances to completely transform his left hand into an ominous object, all in order to obtain that wisp of life.

At this moment, his left hand was completely grayish-white, and even in the face of the late summer heat, it was covered with a layer of chilling white frost.

Wearing gloves sewn by the embroiderer with the finest mulberry silk, Xu Qing tried to lift her arm, only to find that her entire left hand was stiff.

When the head was raised to shoulder level, Xu Qing was completely speechless.

Thankfully, he wasn't raised and trained with both hands at the same time, otherwise anyone would have suspected he was a zombie.

Xu Qing kept his left hand, which was filled with death energy, hanging down in his wide sleeve. Unless necessary, he would not expose his left arm to avoid others noticing anything unusual.

In addition, his left arm cannot come into contact with living people at will, otherwise the living people will be corroded by the death energy and will lose half their lives even if they don't die.

"How did he end up becoming a one-armed hero?" Xu Qing said helplessly. If he were to take a stroll through some ancient tomb someday, he might even be able to establish an ancient tomb sect.

After crawling out of the coffin, Xu Qing continued to live a life that was not human.

The sun was blazing outside, and Xu Qing didn't expect anyone to come and patronize his business at this hour, but someone still did.

And the customer who came was a regular who was very outgoing.

Shang Shaoyang carried a grand master's chair into the coroner's shop and slammed the heavy mahogany chair down in the shop.

"What are you doing! Whose chair is this? Don't just throw anything into my shop." Xu Qing raised his eyebrows and glared. If Shang Shaoyang didn't have a membership card for his shop and hadn't bought his burial plot, he would have kicked him out, chair and all, right now.

Shang Shaoyang leaned back in his armchair, squinted, and hummed, "It's much cooler in your shop. You have no idea how hot it is inside the yamen."

With a folding fan in one hand, Shang Shaoyang sat on a grand chair with his legs stretched out and resting on Xu Qing's coffin. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the shop belonged to his family!
"My shop only accepts the dead, not the living. You'd better hurry home!"

Shang Shaoyang didn't take it to heart. Instead, he took off the membership card tied to his waist and said confidently, "It's the same whether you collect it sooner or later. You go about your business and don't worry about me. I just want to cool off."

Xu Qing's eyelids twitched. This rich kid must have something wrong with his head. What decent person would come to a funeral parlor to escape the summer heat?

Looking at the membership token on Shang Shaoyang's waist, what young master would replace his pendant with a funeral plaque? Where did your fake jade pendant go?
Shang Shaoyang lay sprawled on the armchair, still remarking, "There are two things I can't forget about Linjiang County: one is the armchair where the county magistrate sits, and the other is your shop."

"If I could sit back in your armchair during the sweltering summer and escape the heat in your shop, it would be more comfortable than being an immortal."

Xu Qingza sensed something was amiss: "Don't tell me you stole this grand chair from the yamen!"

Upon hearing this, Shang Shaoyang straightened up and chuckled, "I carried it out of the main gate of the yamen openly and honestly, how can you say it was stolen?"

"That's blatant robbery, you might as well just steal!"

Xu Qing glanced sideways at Shang Shaoyang, her understanding of this privileged young man becoming clearer.

He retracted his previous assessment; this guy really was a spoiled brat!
"Move the chair away quickly, lest the officials come and question me later."

"Oh, it's alright! Brother Xu, there's no need to be so careful."

Shang Shaoyang said dismissively, "The county magistrate's wife is also surnamed Shang. I'm just borrowing a chair from him. What's the big deal?"

Xu Qing asked in surprise, "Is that so? But I remember when the county magistrate's carriage first arrived in Linjiang County, didn't you say that you and the magistrate just met by chance on the road, and that he took an instant liking to each other, which is why he lent you his carriage?"

When the officials of Linjiang County were waiting for the new county magistrate at the city gate, Xu Qing was also present. However, what stepped out of the official carriage was a white-clad scholar with a sword at his waist.

And that scholar was none other than Shang Shaoyang standing before them.

Shang Shaoyang blinked and laughed, "I was just saying that offhand. I can't very well say in front of everyone that the county magistrate is a relative of mine."

"Brother Xu, please don't bring this up. Compared to you, what is this?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Shang Shaoyang closed his folding fan and said with a smile, "I clearly remember how Brother Xu used to beat drums and gongs at the city gate to attract business. He dared to openly sell on the day the county magistrate took office, and what he was selling were funeral supplies. It's hard for me not to remember."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing perked up. Since Young Master Shang had such a strong impression of the coroner's shop, could you recommend it to your friends, those rich and powerful second-generation heirs, tomorrow? I happen to have some name cards ready.
Shang Shaoyang's smile faded. At first, he thought Xu Qing was joking with him, but when the other party actually took out the 'calling card' and 'name certificate', he realized that Xu Qing was serious.

"I don't have many close friends to begin with. Are you giving me this name card because you think I don't have enough friends?" Looking at the name card, which resembled money from the underworld, even the fearless Shang Shaoyang wouldn't dare to give it to someone he knew well.

"It's alright. Maybe one day an opportunity will come, and we'll find a way to use it. You never know."

"."

Seeing that Shang Shaoyang was still not angry even after all this, Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "Young Master Shang, something's not right with you."

"Well then, let's be frank. What brings you to my shop?"

Shang Shaoyang said calmly, "What could I possibly want? It's hot, so I came here to escape the heat, that's all."

Xu Qing scoffed, "Isn't the coroner's office in the yamen cooler than mine? Why don't I see Young Master Shang going to the coroner's office to escape the heat?"

“That’s different. The smell of the coffin room is too strong for me. It’s much better here, Brother Xu.”

Xu Qing's face darkened when he saw Shang Shaoyang's nostrils flare.

"Young Master Shang, if you're looking for a place that's both fragrant and cool, why not try Cuiyun Tower? The girls there are all dressed lightly and smell wonderful!"

"."

Seeing that he couldn't hide it from Xu Qing any longer, Shang Shaoyang simply said, "Brother Xu, to tell you the truth, the reason I came to Linjiang County was actually to escape an arranged marriage."

"But who would have thought that woman would dare to run away from home alone, and even treat herself as a cargo to be escorted by a security escort agency, chasing after us all the way here."

“She’s in the yamen right now. If I hide somewhere else, the constables will find me soon. After thinking it over, Brother Xu’s place is the safest.”

"I refuse to believe they can find someone in a funeral parlor!"

No sooner had Shang Shaoyang finished speaking than a gruff voice came from the entrance of the coroner's shop: "Is Brother Xu home?"

As soon as Zhao Zhonghe entered the shop, he saw Shang Shaoyang sitting in a grand chair, enjoying the cool air.

"Young Master Shang, so you've been here!"

"."

Shang Shaoyang choked on his breath, unable to catch his breath for a long time. He hadn't even settled in his seat yet, how had the pursuers found him here?

Regardless of what Shang Shaoyang thought, Zhao Zhonghe continued, "The county magistrate said that if you encounter Young Master Shang, please ask him to return."

"What will you do if I don't go back?"

Zhao Zhonghe raised an eyebrow and said, "If you don't want to go back, then don't. What does it have to do with me? The county magistrate only asked me to pass on a message, not to waste my time on these trivial matters of love and romance. However, I would still like to offer a word of advice: since you are a man, you should be more responsible. Even a young woman can travel thousands of miles to find you, but you, young master, are so hesitant and don't even dare to meet her. This is not the behavior of a true man."

"You!" Shang Shaoyang's face instantly turned red.

Seeing that Shang Shaoyang had also suffered a setback at Zhao Zhonghe's hands, Xu Qing was genuinely delighted.

“I have other important matters to attend to. Since Young Master Shang is willing to play the coward, then let him continue.”

After saying that, Zhao Zhonghe turned his gaze to Xu Qing and said in a deep voice, "One of our brothers in the yamen has been lost. I would appreciate it if Brother Xu could help arrange the funeral."

Seeing that they had something important to do, the two of them stopped paying attention to Shang Shaoyang.

The latter snorted coldly, turned around and left the coroner's shop.

Seeing this, Xu Qing finally couldn't help but speak up: "Brother Shang, please wait!"

Shang Shaoyang's expression softened slightly, thinking the other party was offering him a way out. However, he immediately heard Xu Qing say:
"Don't forget to take the grand chair from the yamen!"

"."

Without saying a word, Shang Shaoyang turned and left!

"Officer Zhao, look at this."

"What business is it of mine to look at the county magistrate's family affairs?" Zhao Zhonghe glanced at the armchair and said in a deep voice, "Leave it here with Brother Xu for now, and I will come back to retrieve it when the county magistrate gives the order."

Xu Qing shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to put aside the matter of the grand master's chair for the time being, and instead went to the yamen with Zhao Zhonghe.

In the coroner's room, Zhao Zhonghe narrowed his eyes and said in a rather unfriendly tone, "My brother was killed while chasing Yuan Hu. Yuan Hu was stabbed by me and jumped into the river. His whereabouts are still unknown."

Xu Qing stitched up the yamen runner's face for burial, and by the time he finished preparing the body, he had also finished watching the yamen runner's revolving lantern.

The cause of death was exactly the same as what Zhao Zhonghe had said. However, what surprised Xu Qing was that Yuan Hu's martial arts skills had improved considerably in the past year.

If it were Yuan Hu a year ago, even if he tried his best, he might not have been able to escape from Zhao Zhonghe.

"Is Yuan Hu also a Meridian Opening Martial Master?"

Zhao Zhonghe nodded and said, "It's barely true. Judging from his appearance, he must have broken through recently. If we hadn't been by the river that day, I definitely wouldn't have let him escape."

Yuan Hu had been a river bandit on the Baisha River for many years, and his swimming skills were far superior to Zhao Zhonghe's. Upon hearing this, Xu Qing nodded and said, "Don't worry, Officer Zhao, I will make proper arrangements for this brother's funeral."

After Zhao Zhonghe left, Xu Qing turned his attention to the other corpses.

He had not visited Wang Lingyuan at the yamen for several days, but the number of corpses in the coroner's office had increased considerably.

"It seems I should visit Senior Brother Wang more often in the future."

Wang Lingyuan was already quite old, and at this time he was accompanied by two apprentices.

Upon seeing the two apprentices, Xu Qing immediately greeted them with a smile. These were the future successors of the coroner's office and his long-term partners in the funeral shop, so he had to cultivate good relations with them in advance!
"Junior Brother Xu and I are from the same school, and his ability to examine corpses and solve cases is even better than mine. You two should listen carefully."

The two apprentices, one strong and one thin, one tall and one short, after hearing Wang Lingyuan's words, addressed Xu Qing as "Uncle-Master Xu" with great familiarity.

While performing the autopsy, Xu Qing taught his two apprentices autopsy techniques.

When they arrived at a female corpse, Xu Qing pointed at it and asked, "Tell me, when did this woman die, and what was the cause of her death?"

The short and stocky Song Tu spoke up: "Reporting to Uncle Xu, this woman was about thirty years old. Her body was stiff and not yet dissipated, and lividity was visible on her back. She died lying on her back. According to the time calculation, it should have been within two days."

The slender Dou Yun added, "The female corpse had a bloody bruise on her forehead, but no other injuries. She was probably killed in front of her with a weapon. The murderer either fled in fear or was a repeat offender who was confident that he could kill her with one blow. However, we need to examine the traces at the scene to determine the cause."

Xu Qing nodded and said, "What you said is correct, but it is far from enough."

"An autopsy requires not only inferences, but also corresponding verification methods."

When it comes to understanding corpses, no one is more professional than Xu Qing.

After all, he was a zombie.

Xu Qing took out some vinegar from the shelf and said, "Song Tu, use this to wash the top of her head."

When a purplish-red bloodstain could be seen on the woman's forehead, Xu Qing had Dou Yun bring scallions, mash them into a paste, and smear it on the woman's forehead before covering it with vinegar paper.

About half an incense stick later, Xu Qing personally removed the debris. At this moment, a three-inch-long dent in the skin and flesh on the woman's forehead was clearly visible, shaped like a blow from a stick.

After doing all this, Xu Qing added, "Besides this method of examining injuries, there is also a red oil-paper umbrella in the coroner's room. As long as we wait until the sun is at its strongest, open the red oil-paper umbrella, move outdoors, and examine the wound through the light with the umbrella ribs, we might find something."

The two apprentices were eager to try. Xu Qing looked at Wang Lingyuan, who nodded in agreement.

Xu Qing was secretly pleased and waved his hand, letting the two apprentices start learning freely!

Song Tu and Dou Yun, one holding a red oil-paper umbrella and the other carrying a corpse, arrived at the door. Their excited appearance was somewhat reminiscent of Xu Qing.

“Uncle-Master! There is indeed something different! There are traces of broken bone on the forehead of this female corpse, which must have been caused by a heavy object hitting her.”

Xu Qing came up and, after just one glance, noticed more details: "Not only that, look at where her bones are fractured, there are obvious fragments sticking out, but the skin of the corpse has no ulcers. This means that the murder weapon was a wooden stick or iron rod, and it had no sharp edges."

Wang Lingyuan laughed and said, "You two still have a lot to learn."

As he spoke, Wang Lingyuan turned around and took out the murder weapon stored on the evidence shelf.

The murder weapon was none other than a washing mallet.

Xu Qing stared at the washing pestle, his expression unreadable.

He had already seen the revolving lantern of the female corpse. The female corpse was the wife of Manager Chen, the cloth shop owner in Quping Township near Ziyun Mountain.

Manager Chen married a wife and took a concubine. The wife did not give birth to any children, but the concubine gave birth to a son.

Chen's wife was filled with jealousy, so she found a pretext to send the concubine away and threw the infant into the river.

Quping Township is located upstream of the river. After Chen's wife threw her child into the river, she was still worried and followed the river all the way down until she finally felt at ease.

Downstream on the riverbank, Chen's wife also found a washing pestle that had been left behind by the river.

The washing pestle was quite nicely shaped, just what Mrs. Chen wanted. She happily took the pestle home.

However, things can happen by chance.

Chen's wife had just returned home with the washing mallet when she found a vicious man covered in blood in the house.

That thug was none other than Yuan Hu, the river bandit who had been wounded by Zhao Zhonghe's knife and escaped by jumping into the river!
Everyone thought that Yuan Hu would go downstream with the current after jumping into the water, but no one expected that this villain would go upstream and run to the upper reaches of the river.

Despite her vicious nature, Chen's wife couldn't muster even a shred of her usual arrogance when facing Yuan Hu, a ruthless killer.

When Yuan Hu saw Chen's wife exclaim in surprise, he decided to go all the way and picked up the washing pestle that Chen's wife had dropped on the ground, and chased after her into the courtyard.

Chen's wife panicked and fell to the ground. As she braced herself with her hand and looked back, she saw a merciless washing pestle coming right at her!

(End of this chapter)