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

Chapter 207 The Xu Family Temple, Their Reputation Begins to Emerge

Xu Qing gave the horses at the coffin shop a trendy name: "Zhuisang" (追丧), a combination of one character each from "Zhuimiao" (追悼) and "Dangsang" (吊丧), suggesting that they should go wherever there is a funeral.

"Zhui Sang" (追丧), what a great name, so fitting for their signboard!
From then on, whenever someone asked to borrow his horse, they would inevitably have to say, "I have an urgent matter to attend to, could you lend me your funeral horse?"

The next day, when the Wu brothers were hosting a banquet for their neighbors, Xu Qing, leading his funeral horse, said he was going to Qiaojia Village in Qushui Township.

Among the guests who came today was a stable boy who worked under Wu Tingwei. When he saw the horse, he was immediately amazed, thinking it was a heavenly horse.

Wow! That horse looks so majestic!
The remarkable thing about the funeral horse is not how rare its appearance is, but what makes it so rare is the spirit and energy that it exudes!

Look at those big, round eyes, blinking like two deep pools of water. And look at those muscular legs, so taut they look like fine iron just forged in a blacksmith's shop. The bulging veins on their thighs are like gnarled roots of an old tree. I wonder what kind of feed this magnificent horse is fed.
Xu Qing chuckled and said, "My horse looks majestic, but it has one flaw: it's a jinx to its owner. Look at the tear troughs under its eyes, doesn't it look like it's wailing at a funeral?"

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Everyone looked at each other, wondering why this joyous day suddenly felt so different whenever Manager Xu appeared.

"In short, if a living person wants to ride this horse, they have to be incredibly strong to tame it; otherwise, it'll be used to pull the dead. If you don't believe me, look at these tear stains. If a family doesn't have a filial son to mourn, this horse just stands there and looks exactly like a filial son!"

Xu Qing was talking nonsense with a straight face. He said all this for no other reason than to spread the name of his shop. Besides spreading the name, it could also prevent some unnecessary troubles.

Beijing and Tianjin are both places of outstanding people and abundant resources. Anyone who makes a living in these two places has their own unique skills.

To attract customers, the teahouse went to great lengths to hire storytellers to create elaborate programs, praising its teahouse in an exaggerated way, claiming that even the gods in heaven had come to drink its tea.

The vendors, in order to sell their goods, were skilled in all sorts of speaking, imitating, teasing, and singing. As soon as they put down their goods, they could immediately recite a long tongue twister!
There are also those who can cut tofu with their eyes closed without using a scale and give it the exact weight, those who can hit the bullseye with a slingshot every time, and those who can perform magic tricks every day without repeating the same one.
Most people admire exceptional skills and enjoy gossip and amusement.

Xu Qing finally figured it out: in Tianjin, besides having skills, you also need to know how to attract people.

Today, at this banquet, he mentioned his family's horse, which was said to be a jinx and capable of mourning. In a few days, not only in Tianjin, but also in the Linjiang area, the news will spread.

People at that time liked to spread strange and unusual stories.

In order to boost his business, Xu Qing used almost every trick in the book, both overt and covert, to harm people. As long as it wasn't unethical, he would do whatever he wanted!
At the banquet, Wu Zhiyuan and Zhang Wan, a loving couple, were seen together. Wu Wencai's godfather, Yin Shan, who was drunk, suddenly asked, "Now that things here are settled, when do you plan to resolve your issues with Yingmei?"

Yin Shan had no sons, only a daughter named Yin Nan Ying, whose name was a homophone for welcoming a baby boy.

However, instead of a proper baby boy, they welcomed a godson who was over 200 months old.

Yin Nanying was well-educated and learned needlework from a young age. A talented man and a beautiful woman, both of them were of marriageable age and lived under the same roof. It would be a lie to say that they had no feelings for each other.

Previously, because his family's grievances had not been cleared, Wu Wencai had never responded directly. Now, when he suddenly heard Yin Shan ask him a question, the young man suddenly had a flash of inspiration, raised his wine cup and said, "If Father does not abandon me, I am willing to become your father-in-law."

Otherwise, Magistrate Chen would have said that there are many talented people in the Xu-Ji year. Look at what he said, how shrewd he is!

Qiaojia Village, Qushui Township.

When Xu Qing arrived at the Jin family's house, the Jin family was making incense in the courtyard.

Villagers living in mountainous rural areas mostly make small batches of incense, rather than expensive calming incense, sandalwood incense, seal incense, or medicinal incense.

The latter is more complex to make. The aromatic materials not only need to be boiled in wine to remove dryness, but also need to be mixed with mutton shank charcoal to reduce the oily taste. After being shaped, they need to be sealed and stored in a cellar for dozens of days to allow the aroma to blend before it is considered a success.

Small incense sticks are much simpler and cheaper to make, requiring only common materials found in the mountains and fields, such as bamboo strips, fragrant flowers, and tree bark.

Therefore, small incense is also called poor man's incense, mountain and forest incense, or grass and wood incense.

Xu Qing likes the "poor man's fragrance" because its scent is closer to nature. If one were to say which fragrance is the best among the "spiritual fragrances," it would be this blend of incense.

No one has more right to speak on this than Xu Qing.

As a zombie, he has eaten more delicious food than any living person has ever eaten.

Ordinary people think simply: the more expensive the incense, the better, and the more expensive it is, the more the gods will like it.

But they never considered that what good things haven't the gods seen? No matter how expensive things are in the mortal world, in the eyes of true divinity they are no different from roadside stones and weeds.

Only by returning to the origin can we achieve the right thing.

After all, the first incense stick lit in this world was made from the cheapest herbs and wood.

Jin had met Xu Qing when she was working at the yamen, but the two had never spoken to each other directly.

At this moment, Xu Qing suddenly arrived, leaving Jin somewhat at a loss.

"Officer, is there something important you need today?"

Xu Qing shook his head and said, "I'm not a policeman. I'm the owner of the coroner's shop on Jingxia Street in Linjiang County. I usually do business of welcoming and seeing off customers."

It turns out they were in the business of dealing in the dead.

Upon hearing the name of the coroner's shop on Jingxia Street, Jin immediately understood.

This shop is famous. I heard that it not only provides funeral services on credit, but also takes care of the funeral arrangements for the destitute and lonely elderly. Many people in the surrounding area have heard of it.

If any other business were this famous and thriving, it would have been coveted by others long ago, but no one coveted this business on Jingxia Street, nor could anyone covet it.

The business they're in is one that accumulates good karma, so they don't have any competitors and can't affect other people's businesses. Apart from the pimps, there's no one else in the same industry.

Upon learning Xu Qing's identity, Jin was somewhat puzzled. Why would the shopkeeper bother with her if he had nothing better to do?

When she saw Xu Qing looking at the coarse incense she had made with great interest, Jin suddenly realized and said, "You don't mean you want to buy incense, do you?"

Xu Qing was taken aback, then pondered for a moment and said, "That's a good idea."

Although Jin has been a widow for many years and has only one married daughter, her family is a military household. Her husband had also made military achievements in the past, and military records and documents are still preserved in the family.

Otherwise, this family would probably have been wiped out long ago.

Xu Qing looked at the woman in front of him and became more and more fond of her. Her conditions and character were a perfect match for his Baosheng Temple.

As Jin answered Xu Qing's questions, she had a strange feeling, as if she were back when the matchmaker came to her house to propose marriage.

"What exactly do you want from me?" Jin, who was over thirty and approaching forty, simply couldn't believe that anyone would come here to make a move on her.

Xu Qing smiled and answered irrelevantly, "There is a temple on Ziyun Mountain, which enshrines a statue of Yuanjun. Sister Jin should have heard of it."

Upon hearing the name of the Goddess of Life Protection, Madam Jin immediately perked up: "Of course I know that. The Goddess of Life Protection is compassionate and merciful. The Chen family's child was saved by the Goddess's divine intervention a few days ago."

Xu Qing sighed to himself, “This temple is good, but it lacks a devout believer to take care of it on a daily basis. If this continues, not to mention the dust and cobwebs that will accumulate in the temple, even if someone in distress goes in for help, the Goddess of Life Protection probably won’t be able to know in time.”

"But if there's a temple keeper in charge, the temple can be kept clean. If someone asks for help one day, she can burn incense and pray, and relay the message to the Goddess of Life Protection. Don't you think so?"

Jin empathized, saying, "That makes sense, but there's no temple keeper at that Baosheng Temple."

Compared to investigating Xu Qing's purpose, Jin was clearly more concerned about the matter of Baosheng Niangniang.

"Otherwise, I will go and clean the courtyard for the goddess from time to time. I can't let the goddess's temple fall into disrepair."

Seeing that the time was ripe, Xu Qing smiled slightly and decisively stood up, saying, "It's getting late. This is the money for the incense. If Sister Jin has any more incense in the future, she can send it to my shop. I'll take as much as she has."

"You really only buy incense?"

"What else should I buy if not incense, as someone who runs a mortuary shop?"

Xu Qing chuckled and said, "Sister Jin, there's no need to see me off. I'll head back now."

After leaving the Jin family's house and arriving at the village entrance, Xu Qing patted the horse's back, and the next moment a white snake as thick as a child's arm crawled out of the saddlebag.

"Little fairy, the rest is up to you."

In Qiaojia Village, Sister Jin was still thinking about Xu Qing's words as she lit incense. When she thought of the overgrown weeds, cobwebs and dust in the Baosheng Niangniang Temple, which was neglected by everyone, she always felt uneasy.

Such a kind-hearted lady, it's truly pitiful that she ended up like this.
After thinking it over, Sister Jin simply changed into a clean set of clothes, grabbed a rag and basin, and headed out towards Ziyun Mountain.

Upon arriving at Baosheng Temple, Sister Jin first burned incense and offered prayers, muttering some words in her mind, before carefully wiping the statue with a rag.

There was a clear spring outside the temple. Sister Jin went back several times to get fresh water. In addition to the statues of gods, she also cleaned the altar, the offering table, the drum, and the inscription stele.

Weeds were pulled up and things were swept up in the temple courtyard. By the time everything was finished, it was past noon.

Sister Jin burned incense again and said some words of thanks to the goddess. However, just as she was about to return, she suddenly heard a clear and ethereal voice coming from the incense hall.

"Jin, the Goddess is grateful for your sincerity and wishes to appoint you as the temple's keeper, to perform divine duties in the mortal realm. As long as you fulfill your duties, you will receive incense offerings to supplement your household income. Furthermore, when the Goddess has time, she will appear in your dreams to impart the methods of childbirth and child protection. Are you willing?"

Sister Jin was first surprised, then overjoyed. She then clasped her hands together and said with utmost sincerity, "If it is truly the goddess's manifestation, I am willing."

"I am a celestial being serving the Goddess Baosheng, named Bai Xiaoxian. From now on, we will both serve the Goddess. Sister Jin will be the temple keeper, and I will be the protector."

Sister Jin raised her head and looked expectantly in the direction from which the sound came.

But then they saw a white snake emerge from behind the statue.

And that ethereal voice came from the mouth of the white snake in front of them.

Outside Linjiang County.

Xu Qing suddenly sensed something. He looked back at the location of Ziyun Mountain and seemed to see the scene of Jin Shi and Bai Xiaoxian asking the immortals to intervene and establish a written agreement between heaven and earth.

"The incense offerings from Baosheng Temple and Maoxian Hall should be enough for Xuanyu to get through this calamity."

Xu Qing smiled, pulled on the reins, turned the horse around, and spurred it back towards Linjiang County.

After resolving a long-standing problem, Xu Qing was in high spirits. Upon returning to the county, he strolled along the streets.

In Linjiang, Tongyue Restaurant serves the best fish. It often attracts guests from the prefectural city who come all the way to Linjiang County just to taste its freshness.

Whenever Xu Qing went out on business and returned home, he always remembered to bring something back with him, mostly food, but also some small toys to amuse his cat.

Unfortunately, the things that attract ordinary house cats don't seem to have much effect on Xuan Yu.

Even when Xu Qing brought back bells and ropes, Xuan Yu would complain.

Upon arriving at Tongyue Restaurant, Xu Qing ordered braised cuttlefish and stir-fried fish slices.

While the kitchen was preparing the fish, a fisherman happened to come and deliver some fish.

The fisherman had long arms and legs, and looked like a giant crab.

Xu Qing looked closely and saw that the fisherman was carrying a fish basket filled with nothing but golden carp!

Even the well-traveled restaurant owner couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "So many golden carp! Did you wipe out all the golden carp pens in the Baisha River?"

Normally, the shopkeeper would buy these fish no matter the cost, but today he changed his ways.

“Eagle Beak, we won’t cook the fish today. My husband just had morning sickness a few days ago. It’s a blessing from heaven. I should do more good deeds. Look at the door gods. The boy and girl are holding big golden carp.”

"This fish must be released. I won't feel at ease if I cook it." The restaurant owner closed the fish basket and waved for Eagle Beak to release the fish back to where he caught it.

Eagle Beak refused to listen to the shopkeeper. He had worked so hard to catch the fish, and you just let him release them?
You might have done a good deed, but your wallet will be empty, and he'll be the one who goes hungry!
Seeing Eagle Beak's ashen face and the look of someone about to curse, the restaurant owner suddenly came to his senses. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few pieces of silver, and handed them to the fisherman, saying, "Eagle Beak, you're the best fisherman in all of Tianjin. These few carp are nothing to you. Even if you release them, you can easily catch them again another day, right? Take this money, consider it money I bought the fish. When you release them, don't get any funny ideas and resell them to fishmongers, or I'll never buy your fish again!"

Eagle Beak took the silver, and his livid face instantly broke into a wide smile.

"Alright! Don't worry, shopkeeper, I'll make sure to put the fish back into the water the same way you came."

Xu Qing found the scene before him quite interesting.

After the fish was cooked, Xu Qing casually asked as he paid the bill, "What kind of god do you believe in, shopkeeper?"

Seeing Xu Qing glance at the altar placed in the west corner, the restaurant owner said with a smile, "It's a portrait of the Great Compassionate and Merciful Goddess Baosheng. We just brought it here this morning. Look at that ink; it was newly painted by a craftsman and it's not even completely dry yet!"

(End of this chapter)