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

Chapter 251 A Land of Outstanding People and Abundant Resources, Subject to Divine Punishment

Wealth should not be flaunted. If the funeral director in front of him had kept his mouth shut and had not mentioned that he was going to the county to buy a shop, Lai Yong would not have had any designs on him. It was pitiful that he had spent his whole life burying people on cliffs, but in the end, he did not even have money to arrange his own funeral. He could only wander around his home and beg guests from afar to solve his worries after his death.

Xu Qing rarely encountered such a dedicated colleague. After carefully preparing the body for burial and performing the rituals for the deceased, the ghostly figures that had been wandering in the mourning hall disappeared.

At this moment, the two bowls of tea brought by the host had gone cold. Looking around the entire mourning hall, apart from Xu Qing and Xuan Yu, there was no other funeral director in sight.

“Mr. Xu, this is a small amount of silver, but please accept it.”

Looking at the distressed state of the family in front of him, how could Xu Qing not know the importance of that one tael of silver to them?
The family's sole breadwinner had fallen to his death, and all his savings were gone. In such dire circumstances, the one or two taels of silver he managed to scrape together were far more precious than one or two taels of silver under normal circumstances.

Xu Qing wanted to promote his business of offering funeral services on credit, but people simply didn't believe in it!
“I’ve heard of buying grain or rent on credit, but I’ve never heard of buying a funeral on credit. My family isn’t rich, but we won’t take advantage of you in this matter. That’s against the rules.”

"If you don't accept this money, I'd rather not bury my son!"

"."

This is truly a story of filial piety and parental love. It's fortunate that Xu Qing performed the ritual early; otherwise, if Mr. Lu in the coffin heard this, he would be crying and making a scene!

He spent his whole life burying people, and his only obsession after death was to experience cliff burial himself. But his father, at the very least, became stubborn!
Xu Qing eventually accepted the money.

The old man found an oxcart, and the whole family, young and old, dressed in mourning clothes, carried the coffin all the way towards the north cliff.

Beiya is the highest cliff in the surrounding area. Locals believe that "the higher the coffin, the better the meaning, and the more distinguished the descendants will become."

The old man seemed to value these things very much. Xu Qing inquired and learned that the old man was also a "Spider-Man" when he was young, and that his father was buried at the second highest point on the North Cliff when he died.

Compared to traditional burial, this is definitely a secondary auspicious burial site, like the Azure Dragon and White Tiger sites.

However, burying them so high doesn't seem to have the effect of making their descendants distinguished.

The oxcart moved slowly forward. Xuan Yu, dressed in black, sat in front of the coffin, while Xu Qing, like the Lu family, scattered paper money along the way and did all the rough and tiring work.

Only Xu Qing would dare to put a black cat under a coffin. If it were anyone else, the corpse in the coffin would probably jump out and run around by now!
"Old Master Lu, where are you headed?"

When the group arrived in the village, before they even left, they were stopped by a man who blocked their oxcart.

Old Man Lu looked at the person in front of him and recognized him; it was Lai Yong, who had asked his family for favors before.

"Go and see my Chunsheng off on his final journey." Old Man Lu's words were filled with unconcealed grief.

"Old Master Lu, please wait!" Lai Yong raised an eyebrow, stopped the oxcart, and said firmly in front of the villagers, "Chunsheng owes me ten taels of silver. Although Chunsheng is gone, the money still needs to be repaid!"

Seeing that Old Man Lu's eyes widened as if he was about to question him, Lai Yong quickly followed up:
"Everyone has to make a living. Don't feel bad, old man. If I hadn't brought this up today, it would have been difficult to get the money back after Chunsheng's matter was settled. You have to understand."

In front of the oxcart, Xu Qing's gaze fell on Lai Yong, who had a large mole at the corner of his eye. This man had a pockmarked face, short arms and a thick body. Every time he spoke, the eye with the mole would blink incessantly, as if he had epilepsy.

This guy doesn't look like a good person at all. I don't know how Lu Chunsheng dared to go to the edge of the cliff with him.

Old Man Lu was surprised and doubtful upon hearing this: "My son has never liked to owe others money, let alone ten taels of silver. You must have misremembered."

"What are you talking about? Would I, Lai Yong, swindle money from a dead man? You might not find it unlucky, but I certainly do!"

Some villagers who disliked Lai Yong chimed in, saying, "Old man, don't believe his nonsense. This Lai guy is always hanging around gambling dens. He goes to the county whenever he has money, and runs back to the village to hide from his debts when he runs out. He's definitely bluffing you to cheat you out of your gambling money."

"Bullshit! People say that debts must be repaid, it's only right and proper. What does it matter to me whether I gamble or not that his family owes me money?"

"If you dare to spout nonsense again, I'll go to your house and make you pay back these ten taels of silver!"

Lai Yong cursed and swore. Seeing that Old Man Lu was trying to take the opportunity to drive the oxcart away, he quickly took two steps to block the road and refused to let the coffin pass.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly. Just as Old Man Lu was about to step forward to deal with it, he reached out and stopped him, saying, "It's inevitable to encounter some demons and monsters during a funeral procession. There's no need for you to worry about these things, old man. Let me explain to him."

"So your name is Lai Yong?"

"Who are you?" Looking at Xu Qing's professional funeral attire, Lai Yong suddenly realized, "You are the funeral director hired by the Lu family."

"Old man Lu, you have money to hire people for the funeral, but you don't have money to pay your debts? I'm telling you right now, if you don't pay back the money, you won't be able to hold the funeral!"

No matter when or where, there are always these stubborn scoundrels. Xu Qing ignored their persistent pestering, silently took out a tael of silver from his sleeve, and said:

“I have a tael or two of silver here, which is my payment for this funeral. You know how to gamble, so why don’t we have a bet? If you win, the tael or two of silver is yours, and I will still handle the funeral.”

"But if you lose, you have to tell the truth: did the Lu family owe you money, or did you do something wrong, murder Lu Chunsheng, and steal the Lu family's money?"

As soon as Xu Qing finished speaking, everyone was in an uproar.

Lai Yong was terrified. He had done Lu Chunsheng's murder extremely discreetly. Lu Chunsheng was a corpse carrier who often walked between cliffs and precipices. No one would suspect that he was pushed off the cliff when he fell. How could the funeral director in front of him seem to know all the inside stories?

"Who wants to gamble with you? Whether Lu Chunsheng lives or dies is none of my business! I think you're just trying to help the Lu family avoid paying those ten taels of silver and are deliberately trying to frame me!"

Xu Qing held up the silver coins and said calmly, "I was just using an analogy, why are you in such a hurry? If you are truly innocent, why not take a bet with me?"

"However, I have one principle: I accept my losses. Whoever loses, fails to keep their promise, cheats, or lies will be punished by heaven and die on the spot!"

"Do you dare to gamble? If you don't dare to gamble, then get out of the way and don't delay my funeral procession."

Lai Yong stared at the one or two taels of silver in Xu Qing's hand, then looked at the villagers watching the play. He knew that if he didn't dare to agree now, it would prove that he was guilty and that what the other party said was true.

But for some reason, Lai Yong, who was addicted to gambling, felt a strong sense of unease. Although the young man in front of him seemed harmless, the way he spoke gave the feeling of talking to a dead man, which made him feel uneasy.

Are you a good gambler?

Lai Yong asked.

“I never gamble with living people, but today might be the first time. You should feel honored.”

"."

Lai Yong stared intently at Xu Qing, but involuntarily took a step back.

"It seems you killed Lu Chunsheng."

Xu Qing laughed; the scoundrel in front of him still lacked composure.

Now, not only Xu Qing, but everyone around him also believed it to some extent.

One was betting real money, the other was betting on telling the truth. If what Lai Yongruo said was true, and Lu Chunsheng's death had nothing to do with him, then the oath to die on the spot for lying would not exist at all. But the other party dared not bet on it.

This is intriguing.

"Old Lu, let's continue our journey."

Xu Qing chuckled lightly, and that contempt and disdain ignited Lai Yong's anger.

If what Xu Qing said is true, that he would only tell the truth after losing the bet, then he's a seasoned gambler, so why would he be afraid of losing? Besides, even if he loses, would he really be punished by heaven for not telling the truth?

Just as the hearse was about to leave the street, Lai Yong shouted, "Wait! I'll bet you!"

"But you need to explain clearly, what exactly are you betting on?"

Xu Qing chuckled upon hearing this, immediately stopped and turned to look at Lai Yong: "It's very simple, one tael of silver and a truthful answer."

"You decide the betting rules. You've been in casinos for so long, you must know more than I do." "Let's bet on odd or even. I happen to have a die here. Do you want to bet on odd or even?"

Xu Qing smiled and looked at Lai Yong: "You choose first, and the rest, whether it's odd or even, are on me. But before we gamble, we need to find a witness."

"Witness? The villagers here are all witnesses, why do we need to find someone else to witness?"

Xu Qing reached out and took out a Heaven and Earth Red Token, saying, "But there aren't enough people. Heaven and Earth must be the witnesses. Heaven and Earth are impartial. If you can gamble under the witness of Heaven and Earth in your lifetime, you can die in peace."

"."

Lai Yong's unease grew stronger. This person was somewhat seriously ill. What kind of good person talks about death all the time?

If you're not in the funeral business, this mouth of yours is just damn unlucky!

More and more people gathered around to watch the spectacle, and Lai Yong was practically sitting on a hot plate; he had no choice but to gamble!
In addition, he has a strong gambling addiction, and the more people watching, the more excited he feels.

It's just a red paper slip with oaths and vows! They signed it, so what? He just doesn't believe that God would really be idle and watch them gamble!
Signing the red invitation wasn't the end of it. Xu Qing glanced at the birth chart written by the other party and knew, without needing to use Zi Wei Dou Shu (a Chinese astrological system), that this guy had written a fake birth chart!

According to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches on the red paper, Lai Yong is now just eight years old.

Xu Qing's face darkened, and he wanted to kill someone, but a voice in his heart kept advising him: Don't get angry, don't be impulsive. If you're doing business in this world, you have to act like one. At the very least, we should set a good example of gentleness and refinement for Xuan Yu.

"You look older than your age, but it's okay. If your birth chart doesn't match, you can just burn two strands of hair and it will be the same."

When Lai Yong saw Xu Qing asking him to write his birth date and time again, and then asking him to pull out his hair, he felt less panicked.

What gambling establishment has so many rules? It's obvious they're unsure of themselves; it's a common delaying tactic used by con artists.

Lai Yong had no idea that the longer the wind-up animation, the greater the damage.

Only after his hair was burned was Lai Yong's birth date and time completely imprinted on the red paper.

Watching Lai Yong pick up the dice, radiating confidence, Xu Qing remained calm.

The "Death Gambling Technique" involves betting on one's birth date and time; whoever loses dies. He's a zombie, already shrouded in deathly energy, so losing won't bother him. But Lai Yong has much more to consider.

In addition, when Xu Qing performed a ritual to help Tie Zhu's gambling father pass on to the afterlife, he not only received a sleepy bug, but his gambling skills were also improved.

Since the gambling technique cannot be cheated, Xu Qing can only rely on his own strength.

"We each roll a die once. If we get two odds or two evens, then we've placed our bet."

Xu Qing nodded, indicating her understanding.

"Do you want to bet on odd or even?" Lai Yong asked.

"random."

"Then I'll pay." Lai Yong grinned.

"it is good."

Xu Qing returned the smile.

At this moment, a crowd of onlookers gathered in front of the hearse, which everyone was avoiding.

The two men took turns rolling the dice.

The first time, Xu Qingshuang and Lai Yongshuang were together.

The second throw yielded one double and one single throw.

The third time was the same.

Lai Yong finally realized that the other party was also a seasoned gambler!

No wonder they were so confident.

Xu Qing did not cheat; he threw the dice entirely by hand and did not use any magic.

After rolling three odd numbers in a row, Lai Yong was getting a little anxious. When it was his turn to roll again, he gripped the dice, breathing on them and rubbing his hands together.

Xu Qing watched Lai Yong's performance quietly from beginning to end without uttering a word.

When Xu Qing saw his opponent quickly replace the die with a new one that looked exactly the same while rubbing his hands together, he finally smiled.

Cheating under the "Heaven and Earth in Deficit" challenge, who else but you will lose?
Sure enough, when Lai Yong threw the dice, the die that should have been an odd number one suddenly flipped over and became an even number four.

Fourth, death.

The outcome is already predetermined.

This time, Xu Qing almost closed his eyes and threw Lai Yong's new dice without using any special techniques.

Both are even numbers, four points!

"you lose."

Lai Yong stared wide-eyed, his eye with the mole on it not even blinking.

When Lai Yong heard Xu Qing say he had lost, he scoffed, completely unconcerned, and said, "Losing is losing. Lu Chunsheng's death has nothing to do with me. He still owes me ten taels of silver. Debts must be repaid; even the King of Heaven himself can't change that."

However, before Lai Yong could finish speaking, the Heaven and Earth Red Character Post in front of him suddenly began to spontaneously combust.

When the smoke cleared, the ashes formed a line of characters. These characters were not written in modern script, but everyone who saw them could understand their meaning, even those who were illiterate.

A sharp-eyed child riding on an adult's shoulders subconsciously recited: "Those who break their oath in a death-defying gamble will be punished by Heaven; the heavens and earth decree their execution in the name of the dead!"

The word appeared out of nowhere, but Xuan Yu looked at Xu Qing, who was standing with his sleeves tucked in, and clearly guessed its origin.

When Lai Yong saw the words, he was terrified. However, before he could utter a word, a stream of yin fire spewed from his mouth and eyes!
The fire was blackish-red in color. The villagers who were watching were standing very close to each other, but they could not feel any warmth at all. Instead, they felt a bone-chilling cold.

The fire spread from the inside out, burning not only his body but also his destiny. When everyone came to their senses, there was nothing left of Lai Yong except for a clump of black ashes in front of the hearse!

Upon seeing this scene, Xu Qing couldn't help but sigh, "He who sows his own evil will not live. It seems that God is still on my side. It's just a pity about the money that Old Master Lu's family has saved up over the years. A gambler like this must have already thrown all his money into the gambling den. It will not be easy to get it back."

Everyone present was shocked, but Xu Qing was still pondering the triggering principle of the Gamble to Death Technique.

He had previously anticipated the power of the Death-Gambling Technique, which might cause a person to die from exhaustion, or it might be a method similar to other nightmare spells, causing a person to bleed from all seven orifices and die in agony. However, he never expected that it would be a spontaneous combustion of yin fire.

This is less a divine punishment and more a form of self-destruction.

However, before cutting off one's own path to survival, there is an additional triggering process for the "gambling to death" technique.

Xu Qing savored the sensations brought to him by the self-igniting Yin Fire of the Gamble for Death Technique. This thing seemed to be no different from the Yin Burning Fire he had refined.

As expected, this thing had no effect on his zombie form; at most, it would only excite his Yin Flame for a moment, and that was it.

(End of this chapter)