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

Chapter 226 Slash-and-burn agriculture, planting flowers and urging them to bloom
The 18th day of the lunar month is auspicious for weddings and travel; inauspicious for burials and groundbreaking.

This day was not kind to Xu Qing, who cherished the environment of Dayong and enjoyed planting.

Those in the funeral business have certain customs. Since today is not auspicious for funerals, why not go and send off a bride? You can even get a free meal while you're at it. Isn't that wonderful?

The boudoir where Miss Gu lived was about twenty miles away from the Shang family mansion. It was said that the mansion where the boudoir was located was bought by the Gu family of Huainan at great expense, just for the purpose of welcoming the bride.

Although the Gu family is not a long-established family with a history of thousands of years, several generations ago, there was a scholar-general named Gu Lingjun.

Although Gu Lingjun came from a humble background and was not a military officer, he commanded troops as a civil official and never suffered a defeat in fifteen years of campaigns.

When Zhu Sheng, the Prince of Changting, went south to quell the rebellion, he made a special trip to Huainan to pay homage to Marshal Gu. On the inscription on Marshal Gu's monument, it is still written that he was the Marshal of Zhongwu Town Army, who led 8,000 white-robed soldiers on a northern expedition, defeated the 600,000-strong army of Beiyan, and that after the battle, all the white-robed soldiers' armor was turned into blood-stained clothes and robes.

After Gu Lingjun's death, the late Emperor of Dayong posthumously conferred upon him multiple titles, including Prince Zhongwu Yi'an, Marshal of the Eight Banners, and Grand Protector of Civil Officials, in memory of his bravery and loyalty.

Gu Lingjun, a man of both literary and military talent, has always been the spiritual totem of the Prince of Changting. However, this famous general, who was posthumously awarded the title of Marshal of the Eight Banners, did not have a happy ending.

Gu Lingjun pacified both internal and external affairs, helping the late emperor establish an unparalleled foundation. Logically, Marshal Gu should have been enjoying the fruits of his labor at this time. However, fate is unpredictable. This invincible general was wiped out during an operation to quell a demonic disturbance.

The matter remains unresolved to this day, as Gu Lingjun's death was too sudden. Some say that the late emperor feared his overwhelming achievements and deliberately set up a trap to kill him, while others say that Gu Lingjun was a deity who had descended to earth and, having achieved his goal, returned to heaven to report back.

Xu Qing did not know the living Gu Lingjun, but he did know the dead Eight Banners Marshal.

If the Eight Banners Marshal in the Yinhe Ancient Road is indeed Gu Lingjun, then the Yin Shi Fa Wang that the Eight Banners Marshal has been pursuing is very likely the demon scourge that Gu Lingjun was ordered to quell.

However, these are all Xu Qing's guesses. As for the true truth buried in history, perhaps only people of that era can know it.

Regardless of the past, the descendants of the Gu family have always enjoyed the blessings of their ancestors. Although the lineage of the Huainan Daobing is not as powerful as it used to be, it is still a renowned and prestigious family in the entire Huainan Prefecture.

Now, Gu Xueqing, the young lady of the Gu family, and Shang Shaoyang, the young master of the Shang family, can be considered a good match.

Moreover, according to Xu Qing, the young couple were childhood sweethearts. They met as children and became close friends in their youth. If this happened to Shang Shaoyang, it would undoubtedly be a blessing beyond measure. He could consider the family alliance and bring benefits to the family while also taking care of his own feelings and marrying the woman he had loved since childhood.
Even Xu Qing's dream-making skills couldn't create such a beautiful dream!
"How come this guy surnamed Shang gets all the good things in the world!"

Xu Qing sucked on his teeth. In front of him, on the embroidered building with upturned eaves and covered with red silk, countless flowers were arranged in tiers.

Orchids, peonies, lilies, and azaleas bloom in profusion, but where do all these flowers come from in this chilly October season?
Not only had Xu Qing never seen it, but Xuan Yu had never seen it either.

The zombie and the cat were truly amazed; they couldn't even imagine the extravagance of the wealthy.

"What kind of flower is this? It's so big and smells so good!"

A little girl dressed in a black dress approached a palm-sized flower and kept sniffing it.

Xu Qing glanced to the side and saw that it was a pot of peonies with red silk-like petals and dew-laden jade petals.

Nearby, an old man saw Xu Qing with a beautifully sculpted little girl and patiently explaining the names of flowers to her. He found it amusing and stepped forward, saying:

“Young man, don’t just look. You should be like this little girl, go up and smell with your nose and listen with your ears.”

Xu Qing was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

A zombie steps forward to admire, smell, and listen to the flowers—isn't that a bit too refined?

Xu Qing leaned closer, and even without actively activating his Multi-Sense, he could still smell the rich floral fragrance wafting towards him.

Besides the fragrance of flowers, when you bring your ear close, you can also hear all sorts of pleasant insect chirping.

If it weren't for the occasional cold winds of October, Xu Qing would have thought he had arrived in the height of summer!

And so, while others were making a ruckus, welcoming the bride and groom, a young man and a little girl were circling around the flowers outside, sniffing here and there, just like two butterflies, one big and one small.

The old man who gave Xu Qing advice grinned from ear to ear, revealing his gap-toothed mouth!

Xu Qing walked around once, and the old man followed him around with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

Along the way, the old man kept introducing Xu Qing and Xuan Yu to the names of various flowers, their flavors, and the seasons when each flower should bloom.

Seeing the other person's familiarity with these flowers, Xu Qing asked curiously, "How come you are so familiar with these flowers, sir?"

The thin old man, dressed in a gray cloth long gown and a short jacket, said with a smile, "My family has been growing flowers for generations. If I don't know the ins and outs of this, then no one else does!"

Seeing that Xu Qing did not show any surprise, the old man put his hands behind his back, raised his neck, and said with a touch of plum blossom arrogance, "Flowers bloom and wither according to their own time and season. This is the law of nature, and no one can change it. But I am different. I can make the flowers of spring, summer, autumn and winter, all four seasons, come together to bloom and be seen by people. Not to mention ordinary gardeners and florists, even the flower growers in the imperial garden of the palace could not do this."

"Because this is not something an ordinary mortal can do!"

Xu Qing was surprised. If he wasn't an ordinary person, then he could only be someone from the inner circle.

The so-called profound skill is close to the Tao.

There will always be some talented or obsessed people in this world who specialize in one thing and can do it to the extreme, to the point of transcending the mundane!
It was obvious that the old gardener in front of Xu Qing was just that kind of person.

Looking at the elderly man, Xu Qing couldn't help but feel a sense of cherishing and appreciating talent.

If someone like that could handle his funeral arrangements after he passes away, he would be willing to pay for the funeral expenses himself!

The old gardener, seeing the young man's intense gaze, assumed it was admiration from the young man and was overjoyed.

"Alright, I can see that you and this young lady also love flowers. I have some seeds here, consider them a gift to you."

As he spoke, the old man fumbled in his sleeve and took out a bag of flower seeds wrapped in five-colored brocade. Just by looking at the material of the bag, one could tell how much the old man cherished the flowers.

"Thank you very much, sir."

The old man waved his hand dismissively, saying, "No need to thank me. I just like this little girl. Those naughty children always pick and ruin flowers, but this little girl only smells and looks at them, just like these flowers of mine, so well-behaved."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing looked to the side.

At this moment, with her long hair reaching her waist and dressed in a dark black dress, Xuan Yu truly resembled a plum blossom hanging on a branch.

When Xu Qing turned around, the old man behind him had somehow disappeared, leaving only a lingering fragrance of strange flowers in front of him.

"Xuanyu, let's go see this old man off on his final journey."

"Okay." The little girl nodded obediently.

A wisp of floral fragrance led the way, and Xu Qing saw the flowers arranged along the wedding route, and for a moment she had a feeling of a holy emperor urging all flowers to bloom in winter.

Unfortunately, even the flower growers employed by the Holy Emperor could not make any peony bend over and bloom.

"This gardener is truly extraordinary!" Xu Qing looked at the flowers vying for attention along the road, feeling both admiration for the old gardener and a sense of awe for the scion of a prominent family.

Shang Shaoyang is truly blessed. The wedding procession is lined with flowers and red silk, which must have cost at least a thousand or twenty thousand taels of silver.

Even the imperial family's investiture and welcoming ceremony would probably be no more than this. Xu Qing followed the fragrance of flowers and arrived at a house hidden in a bamboo forest.

At this time, several pots of peonies were in full bloom outside the courtyard, and they seemed to be even more beautiful than the flowers on the bustling street.

Knocking on the wooden gate, a man dressed in plain clothes and wearing a white mourning cap opened the door.

Before the man could ask, Xu Qing cupped his hands and said, "I am also a lover of flowers. I have long admired the old gardener's love of flowers and have come to pay my respects."

When there is a death in the family, a banner is hung in front of the door. According to funeral etiquette, one cannot arbitrarily refuse others' condolences.

This includes not only respect for the deceased, but also acceptance of the feelings of relatives and friends.

When Xu Qing arrived, there were no funeral papers or white paper couplets outside the gate of the house, but there was an obituary posted, and the few pots of peonies at the door were specially chosen to be plain white.

This meant that the host family did not refuse guests who came to offer condolences. Xu Qing understood the reason for his visit and explained the situation. Naturally, the people inside the house treated him with courtesy.

Xu Qing and Xuan Yu entered the gate and discovered that the scenery inside the courtyard was even more magnificent than that outside.

Outside the garden enclosed by a bamboo fence, roses, hibiscus, wild roses, and goldenrods grow in abundance. Through the bamboo fence, inside, various flowers and plants such as impatiens, okra, peonies, and lilies are planted.

Xuan Yu walked along the bamboo path, admiring the flowers along the way, her eyes dazzled by the sights.

While smelling the fragrance of the flowers, Xu Qing also took in the feng shui layout of the surroundings.

This old gardener is no ordinary person!
However, this high and spacious feng shui layout, which welcomes the sun and warmth while blocking the wind and cold, is not something that ordinary people can do.

This old gardener was at least a refined person who had studied feng shui and understood the principles of life and destiny of all things.

Upon arriving at the mourning hall, Xu Qing found it deserted and quiet. There were hardly any elegiac couplets, and even the incense in the burner was sparse, indicating that few people had come to pay their respects.

The old gardener had no children, and his wife passed away two years ago. Now, his cousin is in charge of the gardener's funeral arrangements.

After inquiring, Xu Qing learned that the old gardener had delivered all the blooming flowers to the Gu family the day before, and had already shown signs of fatigue on his way back. Before he even stepped off the carriage and entered the garden gate, he suddenly died outside the gate.

"To be honest, sir, I am a funeral officiant. This morning, I saw the old man once at the foot of the embroidery tower where Miss Gu was staying."

Xu Qing did not hide anything and slowly recounted the scene of meeting the old man in the garden.

Everyone present was shocked upon hearing this.

"Are you deliberately making fun of us? My brother's coffin is right in front of us. If you speak of my brother like this, it is extremely rude of you."

Xu Qing shook his head without speaking, but reached into his sleeve and took out an exquisite brocade bag containing flower seeds.

"This is the gift from your brother. Nothing I have said is false."

Cui Heng felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the brocade bag Xu Qing handed him.

After confirming that the bag belonged to the deceased, Xu Qing recounted how the old gardener had taught him to appreciate and listen to flowers.

After hearing this, Cui Heng had no more doubts.

"These words could only have been uttered by my elder brother. Could it be that such strange things truly exist in this world? But why did my elder brother not meet us here, but instead appear to you in a spiritual form?"

Xu Qing took the bag of flower seeds and said, "Your brother's love and thoughts all stem from flowers. My sister and I were admiring the flowers downstairs when your brother saw how much we liked his flowers, so he appeared to guide us on how to appreciate them."

"The things the deceased cling to, arising and ceasing, all leave traces. The old man in the garden clings to nothing more than flowers."

Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, Cui Heng and the others were all convinced.

Everyone knows that the old gardener loves flowers more than anything, so it's no wonder he showed up to meet Xu Qing, who was admiring the flowers.

"The old gardener gave me a bag of flower seeds, which is quite a coincidence. If you all agree, I am willing to prepare his remains and handle his funeral arrangements. When all the affairs outside the garden are settled and the flowers have fallen, I will bury him with fallen petals. What do you say?"

Cui Heng was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then cupped his hands and said, "Then I will trouble you, sir."

Right now, the outside world is busy preparing for the wedding of the merchant's son and the Gu family's daughter. It is not appropriate for the old man in the garden to hold a funeral at this time, nor is it appropriate to notify the neighbors and relatives in a big way. The funeral can only be prepared after the merchant's happy event is over and the flowers placed in the streets and alleys have fallen.

Xu Qing understood the reasoning behind it all. Just as when the emperor became a monk, all the officials became vegetarians. Similarly, when a noble family held a grand wedding, even if someone from a humble family died, they could only hide in their room and cry secretly, let alone go out in a grand manner to help carry the coffin through the funeral procession.

Seeing that Cui Heng agreed, Xu Qing led Xuan Yu out of the garden. When they returned, he had changed into the Taoist robe he wore when performing rituals.

At first, Cui Heng was somewhat wary of Xu Qingnian because of his young age, but now that he saw how professional the other party was, he was completely at ease.

Summoning, bathing, crossing the bridge, paying homage, taking one's place.
Respect for the deceased is paramount, and others avoided taking on the funeral arrangements for Old Man Cui due to the taboo surrounding business weddings. However, Xu Qing had no such concerns.

Today is not a suitable day for burial or earthmoving. As long as the wedding is postponed to another day, it is reasonable to bury the deceased on another day.

After the ritual was completed, Xu Qing was about to leave when Cui Heng rushed over to pay him for the ritual.

Xu Qing waved his hand to refuse.

"I've already received payment, how can I accept it a second time?"

"You received a fee?" Cui Heng asked, puzzled.

"Isn't that bag of flower seeds the payment?"

Cui Heng's eyes widened as he thought of many things. Could it be that his cousin knew the other party was a funeral director, and that's why he used flower seeds to invite the other party to come and take care of his funeral arrangements?

Xu Qing was unaware of Cui Heng's thoughts. In truth, his encounter with the Garden Old Man was due to the fact that ordinary people could not see each other. At that time, only he and Xuan Yu could see the Garden Old Man, which led to what happened later.

When Cui Heng asked about his lodgings, Xu Qing replied truthfully, "The young master of the Shang family invited me to his wedding banquet. I will probably stay at the Shang family's residence for the next two days. But don't worry, I will definitely come as scheduled and will not delay your brother's funeral arrangements."

A merchant's son? Cui Heng watched Xu Qing's departing figure, feeling increasingly that today's events were too mysterious.

"Does Immortal Xuanyu wish to learn how to grow flowers?"

Xu Qing asked as he walked.

"Growing flowers? Xu Xian's family grows flowers too?"

Xu Qing handed the bag of flower seeds to the little girl next to her.

"Planting flowers and forcing them to bloom are not difficult to learn. If Xuanyu wants to learn, I will teach you later."

Slash-and-burn agriculture, water weeding, and cultivating flowers and urging them to bloom—these are the extraordinary skills that Xu Qing acquired while performing a ritual to help the old man in the garden pass on.

(End of this chapter)