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

Chapter 220 Deploying Troops and Generals, Initiation Ceremony

The Yinhe Ancient Road is perpetually shrouded in darkness, and the winds that blow within ten days are not the usual east, west, south, or north winds, but rather a chilling, eerie wind.

Ordinary people, with flesh and blood, if they accidentally stumble into the River of the Dead, will not even need to encounter man-eating monsters; just staying there for a short while will cause their bones and blood to freeze, leaving them with no chance of survival.

Over time, this desolate place has become a breeding ground for ghosts and monsters.

Xu Qing really liked this place. Every time he came here, he felt like he was coming home. Moreover, the ghosts here were easy to talk to, and the neighbors were very tolerant and friendly.

Xu Qing never doubted this.

"The wind and sand of the Yin River are bone-chilling. Now that the bandit leader has been executed, we urge you, sir, to return to the mortal realm as soon as possible to avoid further suffering here."

"He is a sorcerer; I am the one who holds the official seal!"

"General, these sorcerers are adept at deceiving people. Such monks and Taoists are not qualified for the imperial examinations and have no official rank. General, do not trust them."

Xu Qing looked at the long-bearded general in front of him, feeling puzzled.

He didn't silence Li Heyi before the Eight Banners Marshal arrived, just to see if this undead general's wisdom was truly as great as it was in life.

This wasn't the first time he had encountered the Eight Banners Marshal. During Hu Baosong's funeral procession, his paper doll funeral team had encountered the Eight Banners Marshal leading a cavalry unit in pursuit of the remnants of Yin Shi Fa Wang's forces.

At that time, Xu Qing dismissed the marshal with just one sentence.

Since then, Xu Qing has always felt that the Eight Banners Marshal seems to be not very smart.

Later, when Xu Qing was performing a ritual to help Xiang Fei pass on her soul, he saw Yu Qian, a former ghost official, who was easily manipulated by Xiang Fei through provocation, thus offending the current emperor. Even the tortoise statue he was using to protect himself was smashed to pieces.

Xu Qing understood something then—ghosts like these, who linger in the world after death and refuse to dissipate, have little consciousness left. Even if they do, they are mostly bound by the obsessions they held in life. In other words, the day these ghosts become as wise as they were in life will be the day their obsessions dissipate and they return to the underworld.

Sure enough, upon hearing Xu Qing's words, the long-bearded general riding on his iron cavalry immediately rebuked him angrily: "You scoundrel! How can a monk like you have any official rank to rely on? You stole the official seal, a crime deserving of death, yet you dare to turn around and accuse me!"

"Sir, you may hand this villain over to our headquarters. We will surely devour his flesh and blood to vent our hatred!"

“That won’t do.” Xu Qing said impartially, “A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. This person is guilty, and we, the officials of the mortal world, will judge him. Since you are underworld soldiers, you should guard your own territory and not meddle in the affairs of the mortal world, or you will surely bring trouble upon yourselves.”

The Eight Banners Marshal seemed to have taken it to heart. He said with shame, "The Yin River is desolate. Apart from catching some little devils to eat, the generals have no wine or meat to drink. I have made you laugh at us, sir."

Xu Qing looked at the hundred cavalrymen in front of him. He saw that each soldier on horseback had a sharp blade hanging from his waist, his warhorse was fat and strong, and his weapons and armor were all in full gear. Just by standing in formation and not moving, they showed their invincible power.

However, when Xu Qing activated his Qi Observation Technique to look again, what he saw was a group of skeletons riding undead steeds. A cold wind blew by, and the swirling dust even passed through the hollow bones of the horses and was blown into the distance.

If it weren't for the eerie flickering flames in the skulls' eyes and chests, these generals would be nothing more than withered bones in a mass grave, or the souls of the dead on an old battlefield!
"These words make it seem as if our dynasty is heartless and forgets the merits of our predecessors." Xu Qing sighed, knocked the Taoist unconscious with a palm strike, and then took out a handful of incense and a jar of red liquor. He said, "You all died on the battlefield, giving your all. Although the Sacrificial Office was unable to come in to pay tribute to you, now that I have seen you, I cannot let the soldiers feel disheartened."

Xu Qing couldn't bear to see the wandering souls of the dead. If these soldiers had no one to worship them, what difference would there be between them and the wandering ghosts?
"Thank you for the supplies, sir. May I ask your name?"

“Hmm,” Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, “My surname is Xu, and my given name is Xuan. I am a newly appointed scholar from Tianjin.”

Semi-new, yet also new.

"Newly appointed scholar." The empty eyes of the Eight Banners Marshal flickered with ghostly light: "The Yin River knows no years, sir. Do you know what year it is now? Is the current emperor still alive?"

Xu Qing lit some incense and placed it on the riverbed, replying, "The world is no longer ruled by Emperor Tianzhi, but by his eleventh descendant, Emperor Jingxing."

"The Marshal has been in this Yin River for hundreds of years!"

"For centuries," the Eight Banners Marshal muttered to himself, then suddenly remembered something and turned to say, "A-Shi, fetch a paper lantern!"

A young soldier took a ghostly green lamp from his horse and presented it to the soldier.

The Eight Banners Marshal took the paper lantern, and with a slight shake of his hand, the flickering will-o'-the-wisp inside was extinguished.

"This guiding lamp is a gift to you, sir. If you ever come to the Underworld again and have any requests, please light this lamp, and I will lead my troops to your aid."

That's too kind of you!

"General, you are truly a man of character!" Xu Qing took the paper lantern, his expression indescribably strange.

This made him feel embarrassed.

Even the undead army remains strictly disciplined and obeys orders without question.

While the Eight Banners Marshal was talking with Xu Qing, no one tried to snatch the incense, candles, and wine on the ground. But when the Eight Banners Marshal came to his senses and ordered his generals to eat, the soldiers and horses, like starving ghosts who hadn't eaten for hundreds of years, greedily fought over the offerings on the ground.

Xu Qing watched as the soldiers drank heavily, the wine sliding down their chests and abdomens and onto the ground, seeping into the dry riverbed. He felt a sense of absurdity.

Can you really taste the alcohol when you drink it like this?
Just as the incense stick burned out, the Eight Banners Marshal mounted his tall horse, and the soldiers who had been fighting for food earlier instantly formed a neat and orderly formation, resembling a disciplined military array, as if they had received some kind of command.

"Lord Xu, I still need to pursue and subdue the remnants of the Yin Shi Dharma King's forces, so I cannot stay any longer. We shall meet again another day!"

"Have a safe journey, General!"

The command to rein in the horse rang out, and the general with the long beard and broad face turned his horse around, pointing directly into the depths of the Yin River.

On the desolate ancient Yinhe Road, a hundred armored cavalrymen trod the yellow earth, raising clouds of dust.

Only after the smoke and dust had dissipated into the distance did Xu Qing withdraw his gaze.

These military generals truly came and went like the wind!

Seeing that no one was around to disturb them, Xu Qing led Li He to a desolate tomb.

Xu Qing might not be familiar with other places along the Yinhe Ancient Road, but he was very familiar with the territory of his neighbor, the Ghost King Duo'e!

After all, he personally performed the ritual to help the Ghost King of Do'e's daughter, Princess Yan Ning, pass on to the afterlife. Not to mention the area outside the Ghost King's tomb, Xu Qing knew exactly which coffin the Ghost King of Do'e was lying in!

In the desolate tomb filled with gunpowder, Li Heyi seemed to be stimulated by the smell of realgar and woke up again.

"You cannot kill me! I am a disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion, and if I die, the Celestial Master's Mansion will surely investigate thoroughly."

Li Heyi's voice grew softer and softer. He suddenly remembered that Xu Qing dared to kill the Celestial Master's child, the future successor of the Celestial Master. Could his life, that of a mere ordination master, be more precious than that of Lingyangzi?

"It was my rudeness, senior. I hope you will be lenient. I can tell you all the secrets of the Celestial Master's Mansion. This is a Cloud Climbing Talisman. Please accept it."

Xu Qing couldn't help but find it amusing to look at the arrogant yet obsequious Crane Daoist.

An old man over fifty years old was calling a young man in his twenties "senior" repeatedly. He really had no shame at all.

"Senior, are you not interested in the inheritance of the Celestial Master's Mansion?"

Xu Qing shook his head.

"I don't need you to tell me; the dead will tell me everything."

A crisp sound of neck bones breaking rang out. Crane Daoist's eyes widened, and just before his pupils dilated, he finally saw Xu Qing remove his mask, but it was as if he were looking through a fogged-up lens, and he couldn't see it clearly no matter what.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the life of Daoist He Yi. The only thing that piqued Xu Qing's interest was an incident that happened when the Daoist was a child.

That was fifty years ago, when Li Heyi was just a seven or eight-year-old child.

Li Heyi had parents, a home, and land. His father was a peddler who traveled the streets selling goods, and his mother enjoyed burning incense and praying to Buddha. Occasionally, she would do some needlework to supplement the family income. That year, in the twelfth lunar month, a heavy snow fell. Li Heyi's father went out to sell his goods and did not return all day. By nightfall, the snow on the ground was already up to his thighs, and there was not a single person in sight on the road.

Li's wife waited anxiously for her husband to return several times, but he never came back. At this time, Li Heyi was thinking about the baked buns that his father had promised to buy before he left, so he kept asking his mother when his father would come back.

Li's mother doted on this child, so she coaxed and lied to him, saying that he would definitely be back early tomorrow morning, and that she could buy a pair of baked buns and some candy to eat!
The child believed it and went to bed early, waiting to wake up and eat the snack he had been longing for.

Unfortunately, a nun came to ask for lodging that very night. Li's mother was a devout Buddhist and Taoist, and her family had many shrines to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other deities. The nun was unable to return to her temple due to the heavy snow and had to come knocking on her door to ask for lodging. If she refused, she would probably not have a peaceful night.

"The road is covered in rain and snow, and this poor monk has nowhere to stay. Please, benefactor, lend me the night. I will leave tomorrow."

The nun tugged at the sleeve of the Li family woman, and while speaking, her gaze kept drifting towards the street, as if she were hiding something.

When Li's mother peeked out, she found that it was a local thug spying on her.

"Oh dear, poor master, come in quickly, there's hot soup inside, have a few sips to warm yourself up."

The nun was grateful, and the two of them went inside.

Li's mother was fond of matters related to Taoism and Buddhism. Now that there were nuns at the nunnery, she specially left a lamp on so she could listen to the nuns preach and recite scriptures, spreading Buddhist teachings.

The Li family's house was not large. Li Heyi was in the inner room, and the place where Li's mother was was separated by a thick cloth curtain.

When the nun came in, Li Heyi heard the noise. He looked up and rubbed his eyes through the window, peeked out groggily, and when he saw that it wasn't his father, he went back to bed.

Hearing the nun's sermon, Li Heyi, who had been awakened, peeked out again. She had a bald head, wore a plain gray monk's robe, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, completely different from her mother's loud voice.

As he listened, Li He's eyelids started to twitch, and he woke up again just as dawn was breaking.

I was woken up by the urge to urinate.

It was cold in the twelfth lunar month. Li He had been holding his urine all night, but he couldn't hold it any longer, so he got up to find a chamber pot.

It was just as he stood up that Li Heyi heard the door open; it turned out that the nun who had stayed overnight was leaving.

"Thank you for lending me your clothes to keep me warm. I will return them when the weather clears up tomorrow."

"No problem, no problem. The road is slippery, please be careful, driver."

The child didn't take it seriously, turned around, and climbed back onto the kang (a heated brick bed) to continue sleeping. It wasn't until dawn, when Li's father returned from selling goods, that Li Heyi quickly got up and started circling around his father.

"The snow was really heavy yesterday! Luckily, I found a temple and the kind old monk took me in for the night. Otherwise, I would have frozen to death or at least lost half my life."

As the couple talked, Li Heyi rummaged through the crates but couldn't find the baked buns and snacks he wanted. He pouted, feeling somewhat unhappy.

Mr. Li didn't care about the child's thoughts, and only urged Mrs. Li to quickly bring some dry clothes for her to change into.

Back inside, Li's mother searched several times but couldn't find Li's father's trousers. Then she suddenly remembered that when she borrowed the nun's warm clothes that morning, she had probably accidentally wrapped her husband's trousers inside.

Meanwhile, Li's father, still urging her on despite having taken off his wet clothes, hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Seeing this, Li's father pressed for an answer, but before Li's mother could reply, Li He interrupted, "Yesterday a monk came to ask for lodging, and Mother stayed with him all night. This morning, she even gave him some clothes to keep warm. Father's pants must have been worn by that monk!"

Li's mother's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly explained that she was a nun, not a monk, and a woman, not a man.

Upon hearing this, Li's father flew into a rage and said, "Since she is a nun, why did you lend her my pants? Don't you know that men and women should be treated differently?"

"In my opinion, you must have taken advantage of my absence to hook up with a lover and do something shameful behind my back!"

Li's mother tried to argue, but Li's father pulled her into the inner room. Li Heyi stood outside the door, only hearing the sounds of his father hitting and cursing.

"Children don't lie, so what excuses do you have? I'll teach you a lesson today, you slut!"

The two were fighting in the inner room when, halfway through, Li's wife, with a bruised and swollen face, covered her face and rushed out of the door. When Li He saw this, he felt that he had said something wrong, but he did not dare to go into the room to explain to his father, who was still angry.

Outside the door, Mrs. Li went from house to house seeking help from her neighbors, but they all declined to speak, citing the cold weather and the late hour.

Left with no other option, Mrs. Li had to settle for second best and ask her neighbors to be witnesses.

Li He followed his father out the door and saw men, women, and children standing there. Li's wife pointed at a thug and said, "Liu Laizi, you tell me, were you following that nun yesterday? I saw you at the door, so you have to tell the truth."

Look at what you're saying. Regardless of whether there's any truth to it or not, even if there is, do you expect a thug to speak well of you?

You're lucky if people don't try to ruin you!

As expected, Liu Laizi's anger flared up immediately upon hearing Li's words.

It's true that he followed the nun yesterday, but before he could do anything, he was interrupted by Mrs. Li. Now you want to criticize me and ask me to speak up for you?

Go dream!

At that moment, Liu Laizi shouted, "You can flirt with men all you want, why are you throwing mud at me? I can't have feelings for a monk, do you think I'm some kind of bastard or a scoundrel?"

With just this one sentence, white was turned into black. Upon hearing this, Li's wife couldn't catch her breath and fainted on the spot.

Back home, Li's father cursed and said that the Li family had lost all face. At this moment, Li Heyi finally understood and stepped forward to say, "Father, Mother did not do anything wrong. That monk was a woman."

That monk is a woman. Look at what she's saying, even a ghost wouldn't believe it!
After hearing this, Mr. Li's eyes narrowed and his nose crooked. He was furious, and at that moment, he started spouting a string of birdsong and fragrant flowers.

That night, Li's father went to bed early to rest, while Li's mother knelt in front of the Buddha statue, murmuring to herself.

Finally, Li's mother went into the inner room and glanced at her child. When Li He ran up to her, Li's mother opened her chapped lips and said sadly, "Silly child, you don't know, only bald men are called monks, and bald women are called nuns!"

Li He remained silent. Did he really not know the difference between nuns and monks? Nobody knew.

The next morning, as soon as the Li father and son got up and stepped out of their room, they saw that Li's mother had hanged herself from the beam in front of the Buddha statue.

Li He burst into tears, and his father launched into another round of complaints and curses.

However, just as Li's father was preparing for Li's funeral, a nun and an old nun came to his door.

Li's father recognized the old nun; wasn't she the same old nun who opened the door for him when he went to the temple to ask for lodging on the day the roads were blocked by heavy snow?

Looking at the young nun next to him, she was carrying a basket of snacks and fruit, and a stack of clothes, among which was his lost trousers!
You know, this whole mess has left Mr. Li filled with remorse. On the day of the funeral, while nuns chanted sutras at the grave to pray for the deceased, Mr. Li beat his son severely in front of Mr. Li's grave, saying that if his unfilial son hadn't spoken recklessly, things wouldn't have come to this.

Later, a Taoist priest from the Celestial Master's Mansion went down the mountain to travel and spread his teachings. He happened to pass by the Li family. The priest looked in a mirror and saw that Li Heyi had an extraordinary bone structure and was a promising talent. He persuaded Li's father to let Li Heyi follow him back to the mountain gate to become a monk and cultivate.

Li's father harbored resentment towards Li He, so upon hearing this, he naturally agreed.

From then on, Li Heyi, who had two shadows, came to the Celestial Master's Mansion and became the current Transmission Master.

Xu Qing clicked his tongue in amazement. He wondered if the Celestial Master's Mansion had some kind of mandatory initiation ceremony, otherwise why were all the Celestial Master's Mansion Taoists he had performed for the deceased missing their fathers and mothers?

Looking at the rewards of the Salvation Scripture, there is a low-grade Earth-level array formation with initial understanding, and a high-grade Earth-level Ghost-Controlling Seal.

The so-called "Demon-Commanding Seal" is, as the name suggests, a binding artifact that can command ghosts and spirits and summon gods and generals.

However, this seal can only imprison one ghost for the seal master's use. Xu Qing played with it for a while but wasn't very interested. However, his neighbor might like it very much.

(End of this chapter)