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

Chapter 230 Cliff Burial, Donkey and Horse Race

The journey from Tianjin to Qianzhou can be done by water, but once in Qianzhou, one must switch to horses to go to other places.

Xu Qing did not bring his funeral horse. Before leaving Qianzhou, he borrowed a horse from Shang Shaoyang, saying that he would return the horse to the Shang family when he returned to Qianzhou after finishing his business.

Shang Shaoyang's family was large and powerful, and any horse he kept in his mansion was a strong and excellent steed.

Although it couldn't compare to his funeral arrangements, it was enough for him.

Why is Xu Xianjia riding a horse?

"Hmm?" Xu Qing looked at the little girl beside him, raising an eyebrow and asking, "Why do you ask that?"

Xuan Yu looked up at Xu Qing and said matter-of-factly, "Horses run slowly. I know the art of controlling the wind. Last time I came to Quyang County, I used the wind to get here."

"."

Xu Qing finally understood why the cat had run into trouble outside.

"We cannot ride the wind, nor can we run faster than a horse."

"why?"

"Because people will think of you as a monster."

Xuan Yu retorted, "They are immortals."

Xu Qing shook his head and said, "We are immortals from Tianjin, not from Quyang County. We are unfamiliar with this place and people, and we will only be regarded as monsters, and monsters from outside the area at that."

"Being mistaken for a monster will cause a lot of trouble."

Xuan Yu was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up and said, "If I were a human, would she not have taken me to Yunmeng Mountain to find those Taoists?"

Xu Qing knew who Xuan Yu was referring to when she said "she".

"These things have nothing to do with monsters. Monsters are just like humans, they can be good or bad. That old hag didn't know what was good for her and tricked you into going to Yunmeng Mountain, that was wrong of her. Besides, how do you know that those demons don't harm people?"

Before they discovered you, the people of Bailong Village all relied on the longevity formulas used by Ruyi Temple to extend their lives.

Therefore, Xuan Yu doesn't need to make excuses for her.

Xu Qing knew the difference clearly; if he were to encounter that old hag...
He will definitely run away with Xuan Yu as soon as possible!

As for why he ran away instead of confronting the old hag, the reason was that when Xu Qing tried to calculate the old woman's background using Zi Wei Dou Shu (a Chinese astrological system), he couldn't find anything!

The last time he encountered this situation was at Liu the Midwife's house, when he recruited Bai Xiaoxian.

At that time, Xu Qing found a rusty cast iron pot in the haystack at Liu the Midwife's house. The white snake lying in that pot, hiding from the sun, was Bai Xiaoxian.

Bai Xiaoxian once told him that Liu the Midwife was taken away by an old woman.

In addition, Xu Qing also learned that the old woman was the benefactor who had previously helped Liu the midwife.

Liu the midwife told Xiaoxian that it was time for her to repay her debt of gratitude, and from then on she cut off all contact with Bai Xiaoxian and disappeared without a trace.

Xu Qing had consulted the oracle about the old woman who had taken Liu the midwife away, but he couldn't predict anything.

Could the old woman who lured Xuan Yu into the trap and the old woman who took away Sister Liu be the same person?

If it's the same person.
Xu Qing, who hadn't felt tension in a long time, once again felt his hair stand on end and a chill run down his spine.

Xuan Yu and he met in Linjiang County, and Sister Liu also had some interaction with him. It's hard to say whether there's any connection between them.

Is it possible that the old woman had already discovered Xuan Yu's whereabouts, which is why she appeared in Linjiang County?
Xu Qing was unaware that he was only feeling the long-lost pressure returning to him.

This is one of the reasons why he insisted on taking Xuan Yu to Yunmeng Mountain.

There are always times when he's not by Xuan Yu's side, and this silly cat is easily fooled. He has to help it grow up as soon as possible, both in terms of cultivation and in terms of interpersonal skills.

Demons have become too close to humans, and the closer they get to humans, the closer they get to danger.

Xu Qing, who was a human in life and a zombie in death, understands human nature better than any other monster.

The Sutra of Salvation further amplified and deepened this sense of perception for him.

On the official road of Qianzhou, a young man, a girl, and a horse slowly made their way out of the city gate.

Judging solely from their words and actions, no matter how hard an ordinary person looks, they wouldn't see anything wrong with them.

The little girl standing next to Xu Qing, occasionally making some innocent gestures, only reinforced this sense of harmony.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the city, Xu Qing, armed with a map of Qianzhou he had bought from a bookstore within the city, selected a route to Yunmeng Mountain. The scenery of Qianzhou was completely different from that of Tianjin: the Qianjiang Gallery, the Puhua Underground River, the Qishan Rainbow Waterfall, as well as covered bridges, cliff coffins, and terraced fields.
When Xu Qing was handling the funeral arrangements for Cui Shiyuan at the Cui family home, he heard the Cui family mention the unique "cliff coffin burial" custom of Qianzhou.

Cliff burial, also known as burial on cliffs, involves placing the coffin of the deceased on a steep, precipice.

The people of Qianzhou believe in the principle of "filial piety is shown by the height of the coffin," thinking that the higher the coffin is hung, the more distinguished the descendants will become. This custom is especially prevalent among the Yue, Pu, and Liao ethnic groups.

They firmly believe that hanging the coffin at a high place will bring the deceased closer to the gods and ancestors, and will also help the soul ascend to heaven.

As the head of the funeral industry in Tianjin, when Xu Qing first heard about this novel thing, his first reaction was neither the sectarian or regional prejudices common among traditional craftsmen, nor the narrow-minded idea of ​​"forming cliques and eliminating dissidents" that adhered to the rules.

On the contrary, after listening, Xu Qing felt a desire to study and explore the subject.

If he can integrate this wisdom of cliff burial over a thousand years, it will definitely be beneficial to his funeral business!

As the saying goes, we should keep pace with the times and learn from the past while embracing the new.

For Xu Qing, this trip to Qianzhou was also an important visit to absorb advanced funeral knowledge, improve his professional skills, and connect with the new field and new world of funeral services.

"We must cherish this trip to Qianzhou!"

Xuan Yu was unaware of Xu Qing's thoughts and assumed that the other party was not confident in leaving Qianzhou and Yunmeng Mountain.

When Xu Qing said that he should cherish this journey, Xuan Yu, who had been following behind him, subconsciously grabbed Xu Qing's hand.

Xu Qing, who had just put away the map, glanced to the side and saw that the little girl who had been curiously looking around earlier had now fallen silent.

"Would Xuanyu like to ride a horse?"

"Ok?"

The girl's quiet eyes suddenly brightened again.

As dust rose along the official road, Xu Qing was leading Xuan Yu toward Quyang County when he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats behind him.

Xu Qing looked back and saw a fat monk with his back to him riding a donkey backwards, chasing after him with a clear purpose.

A cloud of dust billowed up, and when the fat monk was only seven or eight zhang away from Xu Qing, he called out, "Benefactor Xu, please slow down!"

Xu Qing's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong.

When he attended a banquet at the Shang residence, he joked with the bald monk, saying that he had a hundred taels of gold and a thousand taels of silver, which could be used as incense offerings.

Xu Qing's original intention was to take the opportunity to get closer to Baiyun Daoren and find out more about the truth, but he never expected that he would be targeted by this greedy bald monk.

"drive!"

Xu Qing shook the reins and, without any hesitation, swiftly set off!

At this moment, a headwind was blowing on the official road. The fat monk thought that Xu Qing had not heard him, so he immediately channeled his magical power into his voice and shouted loudly:

“Benefactor Xu has a connection with our Buddhist community, why not postpone our conversation for now?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's face darkened instantly. Startled, his horse not only didn't slow down but actually sped up!
A strong push came from behind, Xu Qing's robes fluttered, and the little girl sitting in front of the horse was more excited than anyone else.

Zen Master Jinghai had his back to Xu Qing, and his shiny bald head didn't seem to have eyes, nor did he look back. Yet, he could still see what was behind him.

Seeing Xu Qing galloping ahead and about to disappear at the end of the official road, the fat monk was not in a hurry. He simply opened his wide monk's sleeves and pressed a Buddhist scroll onto the donkey's rump in front of him.

A flash of dazzling golden light appeared, and the Buddhist scroll spontaneously combusted without wind. When the ashes dissipated, a line of burnt Sanskrit characters was seen embedded in the donkey's rump.

The fat monk twirled his prayer beads and chanted mantras. The next moment, the skinny donkey under his weight suddenly seemed to be injected with chicken blood. Smoke billowed from its nostrils, and its four hooves moved like the wind, like a swallow skimming across the flat ground, or like the rapid beat of a drum. The donkey's hooves clattered faster than a thousand-mile steed!

Hearing the noise behind him, Xu Qing turned around to look.

Well! A fat, big-eared monk, riding backwards on a skinny donkey, charged at him like a bull, his imposing manner overwhelming.

Then look at the fat monk on the donkey's back; his gray robe was billowing in the wind like a meat bun!

"."

Xu Qing's expression was very unpleasant. If Zhui Sang were here, he would definitely teach this monk a lesson about how fast a winding road can be just as fast as a straight road.

"So, Benefactor Xu is finally willing to listen to what this old monk has to say."

"What guidance does the master have for me?"

Xu Qing simply reined in his horse and stopped, to see what the old monk had to say.

(End of this chapter)