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

Chapter 234 Xuan Yu Protector: The Empress is Sacred and Inviolable

May Buddha have mercy?

Xu Qing has already done something terrible since he arrived in Quyang today. He not only robbed the landlord of tens of thousands of bushels of grain, but also cremated all the monks.

Xuan Yu didn't dare to think about what Xu Qing would do tomorrow!

Where does Master Xu plan to go next?

Xuan Yu was filled with excitement.

"Ruyi Temple on Yunmeng Mountain".

"."

Xuan Yu calmed down instantly.

Cizhao Temple, also known as Daci Temple, is not far from Yunmeng Mountain. The Zen masters and elders in the temple often visit Ruyi Temple to discuss Taoism with the Taoist priests.

However, the doctrines he discussed were neither Zen Buddhist teachings nor Taoist scriptures; they were all about material possessions and methods to shorten lifespan and harm people.

Cizhao Temple is adept at acquiring wealth and skilled in business, owning countless acres of land. Ruyi Temple, on the other hand, is skilled at taking lives and prolonging life through killing.

The temple and the monastery each took what they needed, colluding with each other to become two powerful tyrants in Quyang County.

Xu Qing was not surprised by this. It was the norm for temples and Taoist monasteries to acquire land and amass wealth. Those who truly practiced celibacy, seeking enlightenment and helping others, were actually a minority.

After performing the rituals to appease the drunken monks of Xiaoci Temple, Xu Qing gained a clearer understanding of the different kinds of trouble this temple and monastery could bring.

The harm caused by Cizhao Temple was like a dull knife cutting flesh, killing without drawing blood; Ruyi Temple, on the other hand, was like a gleaming guillotine hanging around one's neck, causing blood to gush out in an instant!
Xu Qing was unsure which temple or monastery was more powerful. After pondering for a moment, he finally decided to go to Ruyi Temple, where Baiyun Daoren was located.

He wanted to avenge Xuan Yu, and since the old Taoist Baiyun was not in the temple, it would be a pity if he didn't seize the opportunity to steal from the tower and give the old Taoist a surprise.
Xu Qing followed the map's guidance, throwing down his shoes to ask for directions whenever he encountered an unfamiliar section of the road. After wandering around for a day and a half, he finally arrived within the boundaries of Yunmeng Mountain.

This mountain is shrouded in mist and clouds all year round, and is teeming with snakes, insects, and poisonous creatures. It is practically uninhabited, with no trace of human activity or cooking smoke.

Ruyi Temple is conveniently located outside the area shrouded in the poisonous miasma of Yunmeng Mountain, and there are traces of living people and scattered villages around it.

It was late October, and the mountain grass was damp with dew. If anyone walked through it, their clothes would be soaked through, and if a cold wind blew on them, they would inevitably catch a fever.

Xu Qing, being a zombie who also cultivated the transformation of hairy zombies and was the ruler of the mountains and forests, was not worried about these things. Along the way, apart from feeling that the corpse hair on his body was growing faster than usual, he did not experience any other abnormalities.

Only Xuan Yu, who dislikes dampness and water, took out the water-repelling pearl early on and sat on the saddle, keeping his fur dry and smooth throughout the journey.

Passing through a village, surrounded by scattered graves and occasionally a few black crows swooping over withered branches, Xu Qing never expected that such a place would still be inhabited.

Opening the map, Xu Qing saw that this village used to be a large village, but for some reason, it had become so dilapidated.

However, it's always a good thing that there are people living there.

Intrigued by the allure of Ruyi Temple, Xu Qing turned into the nearest building.

The mountain village was as silent as a tomb, and Xu Qing felt even more eerie than in the wilderness and deep forest as he walked through it.

The moment he stepped into the village, he thought he was back home!

Xu Qing led his horse from the village entrance to the village center, only to find that every household had their doors tightly locked. At the very end of the village, there was a house with its door wide open, but it didn't look like it was opened from the inside; rather, it looked like it had been forcibly broken open from the outside.

Upon closer inspection, one of the two doors in front of the courtyard had fallen to the ground, while the other was half-hanging, with the hinges detached from the stone slabs.

Xu Qing's nose twitched; he could faintly smell the stench of blood.

No, not one stream, but two!

Xu Qing frowned slightly. He was very sensitive to human blood, and in addition to the smell of human blood, there was also a smell of fetal blood in the village that made him feel uncomfortable from the bottom of his heart.

Ever since taking over the duties at Baosheng Temple, Xu Qing has developed a strange sensitivity to the aura of mothers and fetuses. Whenever a woman passes by him, he can sense whether she is pregnant or not.

This ability seems to be a talent that Baosheng Niangniang possessed from the very beginning of her life.

Suspicious, Xu Qing immediately barged into the farmer's house.

In the courtyard, Xu Qing saw the side room door that had also been kicked open. He turned into it and saw an old woman lying face down on the ground with a clear through wound in her back.

Xu Qing smelled the strong stench of blood coming from the inner room, along with the smoky aroma of a cauldron being simmered over a raging fire.

Having regained its true form as a black cat, Xuan Yu was extremely agile. Xu Qing had just stepped into the room when it arrived first and rushed into the house before him.

Xu Qing did not stop them when he saw this.

The purpose of this trip to Qianzhou was to give the cat more experience, but he would not spoil the cat by being fussy, as that would only harm it in the future.

Xu Qing approached the inner room with a gloomy face. As soon as he lifted the curtain and went in, he heard a loud shout and the sound of silk tearing as the curtain was ripped by a long sword.

Strips of cloth and tattered rags fluttered about, and when the curtains lost their function of concealment, the situation on the scene became clear in an instant.

Inside the room, an ugly Taoist priest, draped in a robe and with a face covered in scabies, was straining, his face flushed, trying to thrust his sword into Xu Qing's chest.

Looking at Xu Qing again, his iron-like hands gripped the tip of the sword tightly, and no matter how hard the bald-headed Taoist tried, he couldn't move it an inch.

Xu Qing glanced past the leper Taoist and looked behind him.

Behind a blackened stove, in the corner of the wall, lay a woman, stripped naked, lying in a pool of blood.

Xu Qing's gaze shifted downwards, where the solidified and cooled human blood and fetal blood were unusually glaring.

A sudden surge of inexplicable anger welled up within him, and Xu Qing asked in a cold voice, "Did you kill the people inside?"

Seeing that he was no match for Xu Qing, the bald-faced Taoist immediately released his sword hilt, took a few steps back, and bowed, saying, "Brother Taoist, please forgive me. I thought that some idle person had mistakenly entered and wanted to ruin my alchemy practice, so I took action. Now that you have come to visit, I should apologize."

"As for this person, he is just a villager from the mountains and is not a big deal. Brother, there is no need to be angry."

The bald-headed Taoist priest spoke as if it were a matter of course, and he chuckled as he said:

"I am about to start refining this batch of longevity elixir. Once it is completed, I would like to give a portion to you, fellow Daoist, in the hope of establishing a good relationship."

"An elixir of immortality?" Xu Qing flipped his longsword, gripped the hilt, and asked with a still grim face, "How is it made?"

"Brother Dao, you may not know this, but I am a disciple of the Immortal Baiyun of Ruyi Temple. My master has three kinds of immortal medicines: the Blood Longevity Pill, the Fortune Longevity Pill, and the Immortal Longevity Pill. All three are longevity medicines that increase lifespan and bring good fortune."

"I'm asking you how to forge it?" Xu Qing stepped forward, unconsciously tightening his grip on the longsword in his hand.

"This is a confidential matter within the temple." Seeing Xu Qing's expression, the bald-headed Taoist quickly changed his tune, saying, "But since you are here in person, it is alright to tell you."

The Taoist priest assumed that Xu Qing wanted to prolong his life, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

These days, whether it's a reputable sect or a wicked one, he's never seen anyone who can resist the temptation of immortality. Now, as long as he tells Xu Qing the prescription, and then donates money to save his own life, thus forming a good relationship, this matter should be over.

Having made up his mind, the bald-headed Taoist hurriedly brought Xu Qing a wooden stool and explained:
"The Blood Longevity Pill only requires the blood fetus inside a pregnant woman's womb to be refined. That blood fetus possesses innate Qi and can be used to make at least two portions of the elixir. One portion can increase lifespan by two months. However, the more of this pill one takes, the less lifespan it increases."

"And then there's the Longevity Pill. I'm just a disciple, and I haven't received any instruction from the Immortal Master. I only know that this pill can prolong life and benefit cultivation. I've been craving this pill for a long time, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to taste even one."

"Although I have completed my studies, I have not yet caught the eye of the immortal master. I can only go down the mountain to see if I can earn the opportunity to establish my own sect. Who knows, I might even be able to attain immortality in the future!"

Xu Qing looked at the daydreaming bald Taoist and continued to ask, "I already know about the Blood Longevity Pill and the Fortune Longevity Pill, but how is the Immortal Longevity Pill refined?"

"This pill is no ordinary pill," the Taoist sighed. "The Immortal Longevity Pill is a truly rare and precious elixir, one that is hard to come by. If I were fortunate enough to consume even one, I would gladly die, even just to smell its aroma."

Seeing Xu Qing's unfriendly gaze, the bald-headed Taoist quickly wiped his drool and bowed, saying, "I have only heard that Immortal Master Baiyun once refined a batch of Immortal Longevity Pills in his early years, but it was destroyed in the Pill Tribulation, which is a real pity."

Seeing Xu Qing's face grow increasingly gloomy, the bald-headed Taoist finally realized something was wrong.

"Brother Dao?"

Xu Qing drew his longsword and finally spoke: "I once learned a cruel technique called Lingchi from a ruthless official. It can cut away three thousand pieces of flesh until the bone is exposed before the person is released. I used to think this technique was against the natural order, but now..."

After an incense stick had burned, Xu Qing took out a white cloth and carefully wiped the bloodstains from his hands.

Behind him, a bloodied, white skeleton opened its jaw, but could not make a sound. If you looked closely, you would find that the tongue was gone.

As Xu Qing turned around to wipe his hands, the life of the leper Taoist also came to an end. He tried to open his eyes wide and look at Xu Qing, but instead, his hideous eyes detached from their sockets. A sharp pain struck, and the leper Taoist breathed his last, becoming completely still.

Xu Qing leaned against the stove and remained silent for a long time.

Perhaps it was because she had witnessed the birth of so many little lives after becoming the Goddess of Childbirth that Xu Qing developed a strange affection for infants and children.

The dead woman and the blood fetus were right in front of him, yet he hesitated to go forward and perform rituals to help them pass on.

It should be known that there are two kinds of resentment that are the most difficult to resolve in the world. One is the death of a fetus, in which the infant spirit fails to grow normally and cannot be reborn, but can only linger in the world and suffer endless pain.

These infant spirits often wander between the realms of Yin and Yang, suffering from hunger and abuse, and harboring deep resentment. This is especially true for those who were born more than half a year ago or died a long time ago, whose resentment is even more profound.

The second type is those who committed extremely heinous crimes in their previous lives. The root of their resentment lies in their lack of awareness, their lack of forgiveness, their inability to see things clearly, and their inability to let go of their own conscience. Only by falling into the Avici Hell can they find a way to be freed.

Xu Qing was not afraid of the second type, because the sins of this kind had to be borne by the deceased himself. He only needed to lead the other party into the Avici Hell to be considered to have been delivered.

As for what kind of extreme punishment the deceased would suffer or how many hardships he would encounter, that was none of his concern.

The first one, however, is the hardest for him to let go of.

Xu Qing cursed Chen Guangrui again. If it weren't for this county magistrate's meddling, how could he have felt so deeply?
The faith and vows of Baosheng Temple, the strong obsession of mothers all over the world, and the innate filial piety of the unborn child, all weighed down on this zombie like an invisible mountain.

Xu Qing felt depressed, and his hatred for the old Taoist Baiyun reached a new level.

To be precise, it's no longer just a one-sided feud between Xu Qingxuan and Baiyun Laodao.

It was not about the temple of Baosheng, but about the feud between Baosheng Niangniang and Ruyi Temple.

Seemingly sensing Xu Qing's emotions, the cat that had been sitting by the door walked over to him and rubbed against him.

Xu Qing's mood improved slightly, so he got up and went to the woman's side.

Turning the page of the Sutra of Salvation, the woman's life was ordinary and uneventful, except for yesterday morning, when she had just seen her husband, who was working as a servant, off the door, the bald-headed Taoist priest seized the opportunity and broke into her home.

The leper Taoist priest used the safety of the unborn child in her womb as leverage to rape the woman. He then went back on his word, removing the bloody fetus while it was still alive and keeping it in warm water as a medicinal ingredient.
After finishing the sutra and turning the page, Xu Qing found several pregnancy-preserving pills in his hand.

The rewards given to those who have been saved in the past are mostly skills they learned in life or obsessions they developed after death.

The woman before them was obsessed with protecting the fetus in her womb.

Xu Qing tidied up the woman's face and dressed her properly before getting up and going to the dark furnace.

Beside the furnace, there was a wooden basin covered by a cloth skirt. Xu Qing lifted it and saw a blood fetus wriggling in the warm, crimson water.

The fetus, only four or five months old and not yet fully developed, was still alive and standing before Xu Qing after leaving the mother's womb.

But he was powerless to save it.

The fetus seemed to sense something, and its painful, writhing body gradually calmed down.

Xu Qing took out the Mother Qi Bottle, and warm red incense smoke wafted out from the Blood Lake of the Dharma Realm, enveloping the Blood Embryo.

In this world, only the incense in the Blood Lake can save these infants.

Xu Qing buried the mother and son together in one place, and then wrote another letter and left it in a villager's home.

The text simply recounts the events in a straightforward manner, outlining the ins and outs of the story. The village woman's husband should know the details, and how the other party will react afterwards is a matter for the farmer's own family to decide.

That's all Xu Qing can do to help.

"Is Xuan Yu no longer afraid?"

On the way to Ruyi Temple, Xu Qing suddenly noticed that the cat beside him was no longer as afraid as before.

"Don't worry, Xuan Yu is the protector of Baosheng Temple and must uphold the dignity of Baosheng Goddess."

"."

Bailong Village, under the jurisdiction of Qu Yang.

"Is Uncle-Master satisfied with this time's medicinal ingredient?"

The young Taoist priest stood at the village entrance, with a dozen or so villagers dressed in white, imprisoned in a carriage behind him.

The villagers sat in the middle of a wooden fence that was only a foot high, looking out curiously.

"The materials are excellent. Once the furnace is opened this time, we can refine at least a hundred portions of the Longevity Pill. You have done a good job in cultivating the medicinal guide. At that time, I will inform my master and leave a few portions of pills for you."

"Thank you, uncle!"

As the two were talking, the middle-aged Taoist suddenly looked behind the young Taoist.

"Is this person also from the village?"

The young Taoist priest turned around and saw a refined-looking young man dressed in a blue robe and white shirt leading a little girl toward them.

The girl was dressed in black, with deep blue eyes and a cool, innocent face. She held a gleaming sword at an angle in her hand and walked in a straight line, light and graceful.

(End of this chapter)