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

Chapter 256 The Righteousness of Giving Back, General Hou

Paper craft shop on Jingxia Street.

Ever since the Wu family sold the shop to Xu Qing, this paper craft shop has become the after-sales service center for the Xu family's business.

During Xu Qing's absence, Gu Zixu took the lead in handling almost all the funeral arrangements, leading a team of people from incense and candle shops, funeral clothing shops, and other businesses.

Sometimes, when business is booming, two or three funerals happen at the same time, and even the owners of the carpentry shop at one end of the street and the general store at the other end have to ask their apprentices or idle family members to lend a hand.

The reason is simple: the coffins in the coffin shop are a major customer of carpenters, and the paper shop also buys its paste, glue, paper patterns, paints, and other supplies from the general store. The general store owner has to maintain good relations with them!
Putting aside business, if any of the neighbors suddenly pass away, wouldn't we have to ask them to handle the funeral arrangements?
Nowadays, the Xu family's shops are the leading ones among the shops on the funeral parlor street, and everyone understands this, so they are naturally happy to help.

When Xu Qing returned, the Fengshui Hall where Gu Zixu worked had arranged all its business in an orderly manner and kept accounts. The accounts were clearly divided into income and expenditure, and the names of both the living and the dead were recorded in the books.

While inspecting the work of each department, Xu Qing felt relieved but also made sure to offer promises.

"Old Gu, you must not be arrogant. Your daughter Qiao'er is still young, and there will be many more opportunities to carry on the family line in the future. You are at the age where you should be working hard and continue to strive. You should know that thinking more about the younger generation is thinking more about yourself."

Despite his advanced age, Gu Zixu patted his chest and assured everyone, feeling full of energy!

The old mouse is shrewd; it knows perfectly well that while others' painted cakes are only for looking at and not for eating, the cakes drawn by the sect leader are real and edible.

After touring the Feng Shui Hall, Xu Qing gave Huang Xiaoliu, the hall's disciple, a few more words and a lot of pills and snacks.

This little guy was taken from Old Huang. He's hardworking, quick-witted, and fast on his feet. When Old Huang passes away, all the weasels in Huangtiao Mountain will be his Cat Immortal Hall's eyes and ears. At that time, not only Linjiang County, but also the whole of Tianjin will be able to keep anything from him.

After dealing with matters at the temple, Xu Qing then checked on the current situation of Baosheng Temple through the Blood Lake Dharma Realm.

Inside the Baosheng Temple, a white snake as thick as a child's arm is bowing and scraping before the statue of Baosheng Niangniang.

When this little white snake was with Liu the midwife, it was used to living a poor life and didn't know what a good life was like. Now that it is with Xu Qing and has chosen Jin Shi as its shaman, the incense offerings and salary it receives each time are enough to buy back its former life.

Xu Qing used incense to make empty promises, which made the little white snake so excited that she wished she could split herself in two and spend all her youth in the Baosheng Temple.

Just like humans, immortals have inexhaustible energy when they have something to look forward to!

Except for the embroiderer and the mourning horse.

These two didn't need Xu Qing's promises. The former didn't want to be a slave to repay Xu Qing in the next life, so she lingered in this world, spending her days in the secluded courtyard hoping that the teacher would come and personally assess her performance.

As for the latter, it's already a horse, what else can you do?
After resolving matters in the city, Xu Qing went to Luanshi Mountain. Xuan Yu insisted on going with him, saying that as the head of the Cat Immortal Hall, it was only right for him to inspect his own hall.

Xu Qing didn't expose its little scheme, and simply took it with him.

The head of the yatang crow family is away on official business and has not returned yet, so the task of managing the crows of Luanshi Mountain has fallen to Xu Qing.

Fortunately, crows are intelligent birds that can speak human language. In addition, with the various elixirs that Xu Qing occasionally feeds them, most of these crows have now become sentient, and quite a few can converse fluently with people.

These are the new generation of students in charge of the classroom. Xu Qing had previously pointed out the way for the students in charge of the classroom: whoever wants to improve and learn human speech to enter the path of cultivation should go to the private school.

Crows are small and come and go freely. They can learn knowledge by landing at the entrance, window, or roof of the private school, and they don't even have to pay tuition.

After two years, the average educational level of the head hall has far surpassed that of the other halls.

Some crows can even use their claws and beaks to write and draw on the ground. It's a pity that the crows are not here, so we can't see the prosperous scene of the Yatang.

Xu Qing set up a blackboard and taught classes for several days in the chaotic rocky mountains with the Holy Word Ruler. During this time, Xuan Yu tried to find an excuse to go back to the coroner's shop to look after the store, but he ruthlessly rejected her.

You came here speaking with such righteous indignation, but now you want to leave as soon as you hear there's class? Too late!

Xu Qing discussed "One Hundred Rules for Getting Along Between Monsters and Humans" and "The Weaknesses of Monsters," and then talked about the precautions that monsters need to take when avoiding disasters, starting with cultivating by consuming qi.

When discussing the dangers of the three calamities, Xu Qing asked Xuan Yu, the hall master who had just survived the lightning calamity, to personally explain the horrors of the lightning calamity and the importance of merit and incense offerings.

In short, as long as the spirits in charge of the altar cultivate diligently, work hard for the altar, and accumulate incense offerings, they need not fear even if they encounter calamities in the future. This is the confidence given by the No. 1 altar in Tianjin.

Crows know to feed their parents, and horses do not have the heart to deceive their mothers.

Before Xu Qing left, a flock of crows brought him four kinds of fruit: hazelnuts, pine nuts, torreya nuts, and walnuts, and fed them to him.

Xu Qing was very happy, but the squirrels in Luanshi Mountain were cursing him rudely.

Where is Xu Xianjia going next?

"Let's go to Guanmen Village to see Dazhuang and Erzhuang."

Luanshi Mountain is not far from Guanmen Village. Xu Qing was not in a hurry riding his mourning horse. He took a leisurely stroll along the way. When he passed a village, he saw a newly built shrine at the entrance of the village.

The deity enshrined in that shrine was none other than the Goddess Baosheng of the Baosheng Temple.

"Xu Xian's family is becoming more and more famous."

"."

When Xu Qing arrived at the second village and saw the cat fairy shrine, he finally smiled.

"It seems that the Xuan Yu Immortal family is quite famous. Look at this clay kitten, it's been painted with ink, making it look like a dirty little cat."

"."

Xuan Yu stared at the crudely shaped clay cat sculpture, barely suppressing the urge to unleash the sword pellet several times.

This cat statue is so ugly!

Why is it that the statue of Xu Xian can be dressed in colorful clothes and has cute tiger-head shoes and embroidered shoes placed in the shrine, while its appearance is so perfunctory?

The cat was filled with resentment.

When Xu Qing arrived in Huangping Township, he discovered a newly built temple dedicated to General Hou in front of the nunnery that had been demolished.

"General Hou's Temple? Whose shrine is this?"

Xu Qing was puzzled. He went closer and saw a monkey statue enshrined in the roughly constructed temple made of thatched wood.

Above it was a memorial tablet, with the words written crookedly and like an earthworm crawling: "The title of General Hou of Monkey Mountain".

Xuan Yu followed Xu Qing into the temple, looked around, but couldn't see a single incense stick or candle, or any offerings.

This shrine to the immortals is far too shabby.

"How pitiful the immortal is, it doesn't even have a single offering of incense. How did it manage to do that?" Xuan Yu was completely baffled.

Xu Qing nodded in agreement: "Since we are all immortals, let's offer incense for it." The immortal circle values ​​connections and unity. Only in this way can the local immortals gain a foothold and not be bullied by passing immortals from other places.

After lighting an incense stick, Xuan Yu took out a handful of hazelnuts, walnuts, and other offerings from his small satchel and placed them on the incense table.

After the two left, the statue, clad in armor and enshrined on the altar, belatedly opened its eyes.

He looked down and saw no one, only two sticks of incense that were about to burn out on the altar, and a pile of nuts next to the incense burner.

Upon seeing this, General Hou couldn't help but beam with joy. Finally! Finally, someone offered incense to Him!
This was the first offering He received from the Cat Fairy Hall, which held absolute power. How could He not be overjoyed?
Xu Qing was unaware of the situation at the poor temple. He took Xuan Yu and continued on horseback along Huangping Township toward Guanmen Village.

While passing by the village school, the two, a stiff cat and a dog, happened to see a teacher scattering millet outside.

Xu Qing glanced at it but didn't take it to heart.

After he and Xuan Yu left, some villagers who went to work in the fields saw the private school teacher scattering millet.

The villagers asked in surprise, "Why did Mr. Meng scatter the millet on the ground? It would be such a waste if the birds ruined it."

The private tutor laughed and said, "The birds are quite sensible. These days, crows that seem to have come from nowhere have been landing outside the private school. I didn't think much of it at first, but who knew that these crows would bring me so many longevity fruits."

What is the longevity fruit? It is a fruit that remains fresh for a long time, hidden in its shell, untouched by wind or rain.

These kinds of fruits are a staple food for mountain families; birds, squirrels, monkeys, and bears all love them!

"That's really strange. If it's true, I'll go back and get some millet and sorghum to feed those birds. At the very least, I'd appreciate a whole sack of walnuts and pine nuts!"

The private tutor shook his head and chuckled, "All things have a spirit. This crow can learn to speak and has the virtue of feeding its parents. Perhaps it understood my lecture, which is why it brought so much fruit."

"Birds can read and listen to lectures?" The farmer didn't believe it: "I can't even stand your classical Chinese, how could birds listen to it?"

"I think you're drunk, otherwise why would you be talking nonsense?"

Before he could finish speaking, the farmer felt something hard hit him on the head. He rubbed his head and cried out in pain. When he came to his senses, he found that there were more than a dozen crows above him, and they were throwing hazelnuts at his head with their beaks.

After dropping the hazelnut, the crow flew down again, picked it up again, and brought it to the private tutor.

The farmer was dumbfounded. From that day on, the legend of crows learning to read and feeding hazelnuts began to circulate in Xijing Mountain.

Guan Po Temple.

When Xu Qing rode over, he encountered a skinny monkey with a long hairy face. The monkey was carrying a stick and pacing back and forth not far from the temple gate, occasionally scratching its ears and cheeks, as if it had encountered a very difficult problem.

When the monkey saw Xu Qing riding by with a little girl, it politely stepped forward to greet him.
"May I ask if you went to the Guanpo Temple to offer incense and pray?"

Xu Qing looked the monkey up and down.

The man was wearing a black official's hat that he had somehow acquired, and a long robe that was clearly a size too big. Although the hem of the robe covered his tail, a monkey's tail could still be seen sticking out from behind him.

"Indeed, brother, could this also be a pilgrim going to the temple to offer prayers?"

The red-tailed monkey's eyes darted back and forth. He grinned and said, "I'm not a pilgrim of Guanpo Temple, but I am a believer of Monkey Immortal Hall. Brother, you don't know this, but I know the immortals of Guanpo Temple. Although they are somewhat different, they are far less powerful than the immortals of Monkey Immortal Hall in Huangping Township."

"Brother, why don't you change your route and go to Huangping Township?"

Xu Qing finally took the monkey in front of him seriously this time.

He'd seen people steal business before, but this was the first time he'd ever encountered someone stealing business right in front of the shopkeeper!
How can you be so shameless?
How long have you been here?

"Soon, in a month or two."

"So you're here attracting worshippers, and the temple keeper at Guanpo Temple doesn't care about you?"

Seeing that Xu Qing had exposed him, the red-tailed monkey was not ashamed at all. It grinned and said, "Don't worry, the immortals in that temple are not as powerful as the immortals in the Monkey Immortal Hall in Huangping Township, and the temple keeper is not very capable either. If he wants to cause me trouble, he'll have to be able to beat me first!"

"Yeah."

Xu Qing's smile faded. He patted Zhuisang's rump. This horse was very perceptive; as soon as it sensed that its master was in a bad mood, it immediately darted into the woods.

Tianjin is a place where all sorts of people mingle. Whether they are petty thugs or martial arts thugs, they are all fearless and ruthless, and the immortals are no exception.

Officials are afraid to come to Tianjin because it's a difficult place to govern. If you're not capable, you won't get any benefits and you'll get yourself into trouble.

The same was true of the immortal circles in Tianjin. When Xu Qing and Xuan Yu first arrived and opened the Cat Immortal Hall, they encountered many local thugs and ruffians, but they eventually resolved all of them.

They didn't even resort to force.

This is related to the personal charisma of the Cat Fairy Hall, and also to the fact that most immortals are not as skilled as the head of the Cat Fairy Hall.

But this monkey in front of them doesn't seem so easy to deal with.

"who are you?"

As Xu Qing's aura intensified, the red-tailed monkey finally realized something was wrong.

Why did this person suddenly seem to transform into a mountain, so majestic?

Xu Qing grinned, grabbed the red-tailed monkey's wrist, and looked down at it, saying, "Guanpo Temple is a branch of my Cat Fairy Hall. You're loitering around my doorstep and you ask me who I am?"

"General Hou, let's settle this here today. If you can defeat me, then we can discuss everything. But if you can't..."

"What do you want?" The red-tailed monkey swung its arm-thick Dragon-Binding Cudgel, staring directly at Xu Qing even though it was in the wrong, looking completely unreserved.

"If you cannot defeat them, you must pay homage to my Cat Immortal Hall and never again dare to bully my hall's actions. Otherwise..."

Xu Qing suddenly tightened his grip on the red-tailed monkey's hand, a force that made the monkey wary from the bottom of its heart.

This person is incredibly strong, he doesn't seem like a living person at all!
"I won't fight you. I want to settle things with the Cat Immortal Hall, so naturally I'll fight the Cat Immortal family. Why would I bully a mere mortal like you?"

The red-tailed monkey is very slippery, so he probably can't beat this person, but surely he can beat that little kitten too?
Just as Xu Qing was about to respond, Xuan Yu, standing to the side, preemptively unleashed the Male and Female Sword Pills.

The sword light, over ten feet long, pulsed and pulsed. The red-tailed monkey felt the sharp sword intent, and its entire body bristled.

It asked in surprise and doubt, "Could this little girl be the little cat fairy?"

The red-tailed monkey was terrified as it watched the girl and the young man approaching.
Who exactly said the spirit of the Cat Fairy Hall is a little kitten? It's just that it went out to train for the past few years and had some good fortune. If it were in the past, this cat would have been sent to see its great-grandmother!
"Stop fighting, stop fighting! Bullying a little girl is no skill. Where is your Cat Immortal Hall? We are all neighbors. Even if you didn't tell me today, I should still go and pay you a visit."

The red-tailed monkey waved its hands repeatedly, its mouth the only part of its body that remained defiant.

(End of this chapter)