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

Chapter 210 Dragon Blood Within Undying Bones, Hanging Figures Outside Funeral Parlors
People are in high spirits when they have good news. Yesterday, Mr. He sold fish twice and earned more than ten taels of silver, which made him very happy.

The only downside was that he didn't keep his promise to Boss Yan to release the fish back into the wild.

But he can't be blamed for this. A nobleman from the capital wanted to eat fish, how could he refuse? Even if word got out, no one would say he was unreasonable.

However, He Xiaosheng really didn't want to give the merit money for releasing the animals!

What kind of person is He Xiaosheng? He's like a bowl of glutinous rice balls in a teapot—it goes in but never comes out.

He heard that there were fish in some ditch or puddle, and he could fish them out of their lineage, not even letting the fry go!
Do you expect someone like that to willingly return the money used for releasing animals?

It's two taels of silver, after all. If he were to return the money in full, it would be even more upsetting than a fish that escaped from the hook!
But if he doesn't return the money, his neighbors will definitely gossip about him, saying he's dishonest, unscrupulous, and shameless!
How can one have both a good reputation and the ability to make money?
He Xiaosheng used his own fishing experience to think things through, and he actually came up with a solution that would satisfy both parties!

That day, at Tongyue Restaurant, He Xiaosheng, with silver in his pocket, walked like a nouveau riche. As soon as he arrived at the restaurant, he ordered the waiter to bring him the finest food and wine.

However, there is one condition: I only want two taels of silver worth of food and wine. I won't give you a penny more, and if I'm short a penny, you have to make up the difference with a handful of peanuts.

The waiter didn't think much of it. At worst, he could just add an extra dish later. It wouldn't matter; he could still get the two taels of silver.

He Xiaosheng was eating and drinking in a private room on the second floor, and no one could see him.

It was pouring rain outside that day, but He Xiaosheng was drinking hot wine and eating eight different dishes of meat and eight different dishes in the private room. He was so comfortable that he felt like he was living in paradise!

He made a lot of money today and was overjoyed. After drinking two jugs of wine, by the time he paid the bill, his head was heavy, his legs were weak, and he walked like a lotus leaf swaying in the wind or a small boat bobbing on the waves. He seemed to have become an immortal.

"Sir, please accept two taels of silver. The fish soup will be included as a bonus."

"What's the rush? I happen to have something to discuss with your manager. I'll give the silver to him when I come downstairs."

"The stairs are narrow, please be careful not to fall!"

"Never mind that, I'm in a good mood today!"

Pushing away the waiter who tried to help him up, He Xiaosheng, his face flushed, stumbled down to the lobby.

There were quite a few people taking shelter from the rain and resting in the hall at this time. He Xiaosheng glanced at them, raised his finger, and drunkenly pointed randomly.

"Boss Qin, Manager Wang, Doctor Zhang, and this one... I don't recognize him."

The group of people in the lobby didn't pay much attention to He Xiaosheng's appearance. There were always drunkards in the restaurant, so it wasn't unusual.

He Xiaosheng went to the counter and chatted with the restaurant owner, Mr. Yan, for a while.

Boss Yan asked him if all the fish had been released back into the wild. He Xiaosheng replied, "Yes, yes, all of them."

"But I heard that you sold that fish to someone else?"

He Xiaosheng vehemently denied it: "Nonsense! Absolutely not! I really did release that fish. Even though the manager of Deshunlou paid for it, I didn't sell it!"

"Really? Where did you put it?"

"Of course you put the fish in the water, why would I put them in the field?"

Oily water, salt water, boiling water, and simmering water—aren't they all water?

Boss Yan was skeptical. He pondered for a moment and said, "Whether you lie to me or not doesn't matter, but there's something I have to tell you. This golden carp is an auspicious creature. It's a fish that I promised to release after making a vow to the Goddess of Life Protection. Golden carp bring children, and the Goddess of Life Protection is in charge of matters related to having children and good fortune."

"If you wipe out this fish population, not only will you lose face, but my family will also suffer the consequences."

"That's not something a human being would do!"

He Xiaosheng blushed deeply, whether from the alcohol or from the embarrassment of hearing those words, it was hard to tell.

He huffed and puffed for a while, then slammed the two taels of silver onto the counter and said, "Enough with this nonsense. Look carefully, it's two taels of silver in total, not a penny more, not a penny less, it's all right here!"

Before Boss Yan could speak, He Xiaosheng left the counter first. As he left, he shouted and repeated himself again.

"Two ounces! No more, no less, Boss Yan, make sure you see clearly, we're heading back now!"

When the waiter heard this, he assumed it was about the cost of the drinks, so he was relieved and went back to serving the customers.

Other guests who knew what had happened during the day assumed that Eagle Beak had come to return the money for the fish to Boss Yan!
The rain outside was starting to subside, but a light drizzle was still falling.

He Xiaosheng, carrying his ever-present fishing rod, wobbled home as he walked, his feet sinking into the cotton.

Those who drink frequently all know one thing—alcohol is a living thing!
If you lie slumped in your armchair without moving, the alcohol's effects are like a slow-cooked plaster, seeping into your brain. But if you sit up and take a few steps, the alcohol's effects are like a carp somersaulting in a river, rushing straight into your internal organs through your veins!
When He Xiaosheng was in the restaurant, he was already seven or eight parts drunk. Now that he went outside, he was more than ten parts drunk.

At night, the streets were deserted, with only the moon reflected in the puddles, shimmering like fish scales.

He Xiaosheng spun around, shivering, and head swaying as he walked home. Logically, the rain should have stopped when the moon came out, but strangely, not long after He Xiaosheng came out, the drizzling rain inexplicably became heavier again.

Oblivious to his drunken stupor, He Xiaosheng was not aware of anything until he reached the market entrance. Suddenly, he heard the sound of cart wheels splashing water behind him, growing louder as they approached.

He Xiaosheng turned around, his dazed eyes still not clearing, when he saw two big, lantern-like eyes staring angrily at him!

"What the hell?!"

He Xiaosheng plopped down on the ground, instantly sobering up a bit. He looked closely and realized it was a carriage, and the monster-like eyes were just lanterns hanging at the front of the carriage.

"It turned out to be a cargo wagon. It gave me quite a fright."

He Xiaosheng sat there grinning foolishly, not even realizing what was happening until the carriage ran over him!
The ground was slippery in the rainy night. The first carriage couldn't stop its momentum and ran over a person. Several carriages following behind should have reacted in advance, but what was unexpected was that no matter how much the drivers shouted, the horses refused to stop and even ran faster, as if they were possessed.

"This is terrible! If a car had run over him, he might have survived. But now that he's been run over twice, even an iron man wouldn't have survived!"

Fearing charges of murder, the drivers simply stopped reining in their horses and let the horse pull the carriage away from Caishikou.

But to the three men's horror, the three carriages, after traveling two miles, returned to Caishikou!
The lead driver, seeing that he was about to crash into the corpse on the ground again, pulled hard on the reins with all his might. However, the horse seemed to be led by a ghost, forcefully straightening the direction and running over the pile of drunken corpses once more.

They went back and forth like this for about ten rounds until the horse ran out of strength and the carriage that had trapped the three of them finally broke through the wall and disappeared.

When the next day dawned, the early risers and laborers passing by the market were shocked to find a group of people lying on the bluestone ground, looking just like a set of door gods cut out for the New Year and pasted on the ground!

Later, the authorities investigated and learned the deceased's identity from the fishing rod found on the ground. They also arrested the three cart drivers who had been hauling goods that night. The goods the three drivers were carrying were all fresh river fish caught at the wharf the day before when the Baisha River was at high tide.

The three rickshaw drivers made it clear that the drunkard was sitting in the middle of the road, and in the dark, who could see him clearly?

As for why they could crush a person into a meat patty, the three coachmen stammered and couldn't answer. In the end, they only said that the carriages were too heavy, and the three carriages 'just happened' to run over Eagle's Beak's body by their wheels.

And so, he became a pancake.

As for the story of being trapped in a maze of ghosts, going back and forth ten or more times, even if a few people told them, not many would believe it.

Even if they believed it, the government office couldn't record the matter in the case file.

When the page for the story of Du Ren Jing stops turning, the image and voice of the paper figure He Xiaosheng are frozen on a single page.

Xu Qing looked at the evaluation of the Du Ren Jing, which was rated as "superior quality" and the reward was a Dragon Fishing Technique.

Legend has it that in ancient times there were dragon-raising households who were skilled in finding, hunting, and taming dragons. The dragon-raising households could transform dragons into loaches and carry them through special talismans and seals, and could also use magic to restore the loaches to their dragon form.

During the previous dynasty, there was a Celestial Master Zhai who set up an altar to summon dragons to control the waters, tamed the dragons of the rivers, and quelled the floods.

According to the records of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Celestial Master Zhai was a descendant of the Dragon Taming Household, and what he was practicing at that time was actually the long-lost method of finding and taming dragons.

In addition, there are also legends of Taoist priests from the Western Regions who possessed the art of dragon taming, trapping dragons to bring rain and save the world.

When Xu Qing first learned the Dragon Fishing Technique, he thought it was some kind of amazing magic. But after he carefully studied how to use it, he found that it was not like that at all!
The art of dragon fishing does indeed have methods for catching dragons, but just like catching golden carp with an eagle's beak, it's all about taking advantage of weaknesses and picking up scraps.

Besides finding bargains, there were also some despicable and cunning methods of luring dragons that even Xu Qing found despicable.

"Dragons are hard to find, but the mournful cry of a lizard sounds just like a young dragon. A lizard can be bound in a jar, its mouth sealed with beeswax, and the lizard can be struck against the jar day and night. Dragons are the masters of the waters, able to sense the sounds of water veins from all directions. Hearing this mournful cry, they will surely think it is a young dragon calling for help—this is the art of using sound as bait and a jar as a trap, the secret to catching dragons lies within."

The Art of Dragon Fishing, Part Two:

"Most dragons in the earthly realm are mortal dragons and cannot yet be ranked among the immortals. Their scales and claws have not yet shed their mortal form. They must pass through nine layers of thunder and fire before they can transform into dragons and ascend to the heavens."

During thunderstorms, many mortal dragons attempt to cross the Heavenly Gate under the cover of rain. However, the laws of Heaven are strict, and those mortals who fail to leap through the nine heavens will be punished by Heaven. Those seeking dragons must observe celestial phenomena. If a meteor streaks across the sky, it is a sign of a fallen dragon. At this time, the dragon is at its weakest, and one can use a dragon-binding rope to find the fallen dragon and capture it.

Note: Fallen dragons are said to transform into loaches or carp to avoid calamities, but careful discernment is still necessary.

The Art of Dragon Fishing, Part Three and Four
The methods described in this dragon-fishing technique are both ingenious and reasonable, but Xu Qing doesn't believe that dragons are really that easy to catch.

It's important to understand that the art of dragon fishing only teaches how to catch dragons, but it doesn't concern itself with the fate of the angler after the dragon takes the bait!

The boy and girl Xu Qing encountered by the river were clearly not real dragons. They claimed to be on the orders of the family head to repay a debt of gratitude. If they were dragons, they would probably be the elusive family head.

Fishing for a dragon is easy, but releasing it is difficult!
The large meat pie that Xu Qing had just repaired was a stark example of what not to do.

He absolutely refused to believe that He Xiaosheng died in an accident.

Xu Qing applied this knowledge to other situations, realizing that the dragon-fishing technique before him was far too crude.

If he wanted to fish for a dragon, he could use his paper-making skills to make a small paper dragon, then use a drop of dragon blood to consecrate it, and then use that 'lively' little dragon as bait to hang on the fishing hook.

If there really is a dragon in the Baisha River, then there's no need to worry about the other party not taking the bait.

But here's the question: can this old man with the zombie body really lure the Dragon King home?
The Records of Strange Things states that a water snake transforms into a jiao (a type of dragon) after five hundred years, and a jiao transforms into a dragon after a thousand years.

The water snake is a large snake with the bloodline of a true dragon.

Xu Qing estimated that an ordinary dragon would have at least 1,500 years of cultivation.

At this moment, he is merely a corpse, far from having the protection of over a thousand years of cultivation. If he really dares to go dragon fishing, he might not only fail to bring the dragon home, but also get himself killed.

Well, looks like another piece of stuff that's been gathering dust in the warehouse!
Xu Qing finished tidying up the body and then let Boss Yan from Tongyue Restaurant come in and take a look.

She looks exactly the same as she did when she was alive!
"It's amazing!"

Boss Yan looked surprised.

Xu Qing chuckled and said, "It's all about each family's ability to make a living. If we didn't have a skill or two, we wouldn't dare to beg for food in Tianjin."

"If Boss Yan is truly satisfied, he can certainly put in a good word for me with the customers at the restaurant, praising the craftsmanship of my mortician's shop."

"."

Boss Yan didn't respond. He owns a restaurant; if he were to promote this stuff, how would he continue doing business?
"Eagle Beak was such a capable man when he was alive, but now he's gone just like that."

Boss Yan is kind-hearted and always feels that he is the one who harmed Eagle Beak.

On the day Eagle Beak got into trouble, it was he who went to the trouble of releasing the golden carp. If this hadn't happened, would Eagle Beak have survived?

Boss Yan felt extremely uncomfortable, thinking that things in this world are really hard to distinguish. Is releasing the golden carp an evil deed or a good deed?
Xu Qing noticed Boss Yan's awkwardness and said before he left, "As the saying goes, good and evil are determined by one's own actions, and fortune and misfortune are self-inflicted. Boss Yan, don't overthink it. If you had really left that golden carp, perhaps the one lying on it today wouldn't be Eagle Beak."

"Mr. Xu, what do you mean by that?"

Xu Qing stopped short of making a point, which made Boss Yan even more unable to sleep.

That night, Xu Qing hid in a side room and fiddled with the dragon blood in the Huguang Cup all night, completely refining it into his left hand.

At this moment, the blackish-purple spiderweb pattern that had spread across his left hand had turned golden yellow.

With the infusion of dragon blood, Xu Qing's left hand was no longer stiff. He tried the Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant Fist and found that the power of the Dragon Elephant Fist in the Tiger Seal Dragon Elephant Fist was greater than before, as if a dragon was really swinging its claws!
The drums beat at dawn, when even the dogs are sleepy.

Suddenly, the night owl Xuan Yu frantically knocked on Xu Qing's door.

It was called knocking, but it was actually scratching the door with cat claws. The ear-piercing sound was unbearable, not to mention humans, even for Xu Qing, a zombie.

Upon opening the door, before Xu Qing could even begin to lecture him, he heard a strange statement:
"Xu Xianjia! Someone has hanged themselves in front of our house!"

(End of this chapter)