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

Chapter 269 The Yin Soldiers Borrow Fortune, the Great Yong Kingdom's Longevity

The night was deep, and outside, a fierce storm raged, with lightning and thunder.

The loom, still running autonomously, creaked and groaned. Many undyed, plain-colored fabrics hung in the side room, swaying back and forth in the wind, their stark whiteness particularly eerie.

At this moment, Xiao Shiyue and the embroiderer had just met and were both a little reserved.

When Xiao Shiyue heard that the embroiderer was a female ghost, and a strange one at that, she was somewhat frightened.

Although the embroiderer was a ghost, she usually lived alone in a separate courtyard and had never seen other ghosts. When she first met her own kind, she was even more nervous than a child.

“Eh? Godmother? No, no, how can this be! How can I be her godmother? Sir, please don’t be so disrespectful.”

"Why not? She's a ghost, and you're a ghost too. You're also older than her. If you take in a goddaughter, you'll have someone to look after you in the future."

Xu Qing put on a stern face and spoke in a seemingly reasonable manner, but in reality, he was just afraid of taking care of children and wanted to leave the little girl to his older sister to take care of.

Upon hearing this, the embroiderer waved her hands and shook her head repeatedly, saying shyly, "I am still an unmarried woman and have never experienced human relations. How can I be a mother?"

"Not a mother herself, besides..."

Seeing that the embroiderer bit her lip and remained silent, Xu Qing finally shook her head helplessly and said, "Fine, since you don't want to be her godmother, I won't force you."

"It's such a pity that this child lost her mother at such a young age. Other children skip and hop home after school, where they can enjoy a hot meal cooked by their mothers. But Xiao Shiyue can only stay outside, picking up twigs and drawing stroke by stroke on the cold earth."

Do you know what she's describing?

The embroiderer shook her head, indicating she didn't know.

Xu Qing said in a low voice, "First draw a round head, then draw two thin, curved eyebrows, and below that, a pair of smiling eyes. These eyes are her mother's eyes, but she can't remember them anymore, so she can only draw them according to the kind and warm feeling in her dream."

"Finally, there are two soft lines that form arms, as if they can be opened, which is the embrace of Little Shiyue's mother."

Seeing the embroiderer's brows furrow and her unmoved expression, Xu Qing remained unperturbed and continued:

"When Xiao Shiyue saw the painting on the ground, she felt that her mother was still by her side. In the cold of December, she took off the little embroidered shoes that her mother had made before she died. Although the shoes were already very worn, she still held them in her arms as if they were treasures."

"She carefully and gently curled up her little body into the cold, lifeless embrace she had drawn on the ground—her mother's embrace. It was as if that way she could feel her mother's warmth."

"Stop talking! Sir, please stop!"

The embroiderer felt like slapping herself after hearing this. She thought to herself, how could she have said something like "I won't be your godmother" in front of the little girl? It was so hurtful!

Although Xiao Shiyue didn't quite understand Xu Qing's words, she could roughly understand the meaning when she heard the word "mother".

That means her mother is really gone, and even if she were to look for her, she would have to beg someone else to find a godmother who isn't her biological mother.

And it seems her godmother doesn't want her either.
Overwhelmed with grief, the little girl burst into tears, crying as heartbrokenly as could be.

The tears of ghosts are different from those of ordinary people. When they fall, they are light and delicate specks of light, like snowflakes falling on a sunny day, melting before they even touch the ground.

Hearing the child cry, the embroiderer was at a loss. Seeing this, Xu Qing cleared her throat and said, "The child is feeling wronged. As his godmother, why don't you go and comfort him?"

Two naive ghosts, one big and one small, were no match for Xu Qing, the great demon king. The embroiderer felt both guilty and heartbroken: "This girl is so pitiful. Come to your godmother's side. If you miss your mother in the future, come to your godmother."

After calming the little girl down, the embroiderer asked Xu Qing:
"What's her name?"

“Shiyue”.

"October?" the embroiderer asked, puzzled.

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Shi means to cultivate seedlings, just like the first buds of spring, sprouting from the heavens and giving life to plants. The moon is the origin of yin, representing gentleness and stillness, and also the ten months of pregnancy, symbolizing the complete conception of life and its birth."

"People say that you can only survive by putting yourself in a life-or-death situation. Although this child died, his heart was not tainted by resentment."

Xu Qing sighed, "Perhaps this is related to her young age and pure heart."

At this point, Xu Qing suddenly paused, stunned.

"Xiao Shiyue's biological mother gave her the nickname 'Guaiguai' (meaning 'well-behaved') before she passed away, and often taught her to be obedient and sensible. Could it be that..."

Ghosts all have their attachments. The embroiderer's attachment was to the hatred of her father's murder and the destruction of her family, which is why she remained in the human world.

The reason why Shi Yue was able to avoid being affected by resentment was probably because what she was obsessed with was related to the teachings of Ye Shi before her death.

Then I recalled the conversation between Zhang and Xiao Shiyue before Xiao Shiyue died.
"Your mother often calls you 'good boy' because she wants you to be obedient. If you are obedient, you will be able to see your mother."

"If I behave, will I be able to see my mother?"

Xu Qing vaguely understood. He turned to look at the timid little girl who was asking and answering questions with the embroiderer, and finally smiled with relief.

The embroiderer was skilled in needlework, opera singing and storytelling, and was also literate. Most importantly, the other party was also a female ghost.

Xu Qing couldn't think of anyone more suitable than the embroiderer to guide the little girl's growth.

“Baosheng Temple is different from other temples; the people it employs must be of excellent character. Shiyue is kind-hearted by nature, and if she is properly trained, she may be able to take charge in the future.”

Xu Qing was extremely concerned about the Baosheng Temple. The temple was exceptionally popular, and given the current rate of increase in believers, it would probably need to be expanded again soon.

It's not impossible that people from other places might feel grateful and spontaneously build branch temples of the Goddess of Life Protection. If there aren't enough people, Xu Qing would have to find a way to destroy these temples that he can't manage.
Xu Qing understood the principle of "better to have nothing than something bad" better than any immortal.

The immortals of Tianjin, and indeed the immortals scattered throughout the world, are mostly creatures with fur and horns. Faced with an ever-increasing number of worshippers, they find it difficult to remain rational.

Xu Qing, on the other hand, had been a human in his previous life and had seen countless revolving lanterns in the Sutra of Salvation.

If all these people's experiences were attributed to him, it would be more than 100,000 years.

The more people Xu Qing helped to be saved from suffering, the more complex human nature he witnessed.

However, those immortals and the deities in temples in the mortal world rarely understand these simple and easy-to-understand principles.

Perhaps some understand, but how many can remain clear-headed in the face of countless offerings of incense?
Xu Qing planned ahead and took advantage of the situation to make arrangements so that one day, even if the temple was no longer under his care, there would be someone worthy to entrust with the responsibility of supervision on his behalf.

After settling the young and old ghosts, Xu Qing turned around and inspected the villa near the Water Gate Bridge once more.

Compared to two years ago, this courtyard has undergone two more reinforcements and reconstructions. Xu Qing used the illusory spirit protection method of the White Cloud Taoist to replace the Yin Huai tree substitute.

The old Taoist's substitute technique was far superior to the substitute stake technique he had learned. The illusory spirit protection technique could not only use tree stumps, but also the feng shui layout of buildings as substitutes.

In other words, the feng shui of the entire Shuimenqiao Villa, including the shady locust tree in the backyard, has now become his substitute, and he is the 'key' in this feng shui arrangement.

The feng shui of Shuimenqiao Villa is excellent; the only thing that needs improvement is the building's structural strength.

For this matter, Xu Qing even went to the Yinhe Ancient Road to ask the Eight Banners Marshal to search for "Heavenly Spirit Bone" on his behalf.

The Heavenly Spirit Bone, also known as the Heavenly Spirit Cap, is an essential material for forging Heavenly Punishment Bricks. These Heavenly Punishment Bricks were special bricks used by the royal families of ancient dynasties when building their tombs. They are similar to the convict bricks used in prisoner tombs, but the convict bricks are inscribed with the identities, birth and death dates of executed prisoners, which are equivalent to simplified epitaphs. Moreover, they are crudely made and not very durable.

The Heavenly Punishment Brick is different. This brick is a special tomb brick that was jointly developed by feng shui masters and experts in the field of Yin (the underworld) when the ancient emperor built his mausoleum.

The hardest bone in a person's body, and the one whose shape best fits bricks and stones, is the skull. If you dig out the skull of a condemned prisoner while he is still alive, combine it with brick materials, and fire it, it becomes a "Heavenly Punishment Brick".

After the founding emperor, the method of forging these bricks and stones was passed down intermittently for nearly a thousand years. In the end, it was listed as a forbidden method because it was too immoral and was gradually abandoned.

To this day, the art of making Tianxing bricks has been lost.

The last bricklayer who inherited the ancient methods was buried by Xu Qing.

The Yinhe Ancient Road lacks everything except the remains of the dead.

The skull is one of the hardest bones in the human body. Under the erosion of wind and sand from the Yin River, the rest of the human skeleton decays first, but the skull is the last to remain.

The skullcap that Xu Qing obtained from the Eight Banners Marshal was enough to renovate a villa.

What appears to be an ordinary Shuimenqiao Courtyard is actually constructed from individual sections of the Tianchi (sky-top) structure.

Besides bricks and stones, Xu Qing also sought out Shang Shaoyang and purchased a lot of ironwood, a local specialty of Qianzhou. This wood was the same type used by Baiyun Daoren when he built Ruyi Temple.

Xu Qing's villa is now so fortified that it's no exaggeration to say it's an impregnable fortress.

Even so, Xu Qing still made sure to tell the embroiderer that if the courtyard ever started shaking like an earthquake, she should not hesitate to run away!

The embroiderer was confused, but only the yin locust tree, which was encompassed by the feng shui arrangement of the illusory god, could empathize with her.

It had long seen that Xu Qing was not a good person, but it never expected that the other party would be so inhuman!
Tree spirits are different from other demons and monsters. Ordinary tree spirits are restricted by their physical form and cannot move freely.

Even tree spirits with some cultivation who can transform into human form and walk the world will not tell anyone where their roots are.

If this were to be spoken of and overheard by someone with ulterior motives, and they were to cut down the tree, one would at best suffer severe damage to one's foundation, and at worst lose one's life.

Otherwise, the shady locust tree in the courtyard wouldn't be so eager for the embroiderer to transplant its body elsewhere.

Xu Qing arrived at the shady locust tree in the backyard and stared intently at the large tree in front of him.

Then he suddenly asked, "Do you really want to leave this villa?"

The shady locust tree swayed wildly, its branches and leaves trembling violently, as if to say that this was absolutely not true!

"I'm a reasonable person. If you really feel that this place isn't suitable for you, I won't hold you back. The world is so big, there will always be fertile ground for you to grow up in, won't there?"

Now the shady locust tree not only swayed its body, but even bent over. If it weren't so straight, it might have already knelt down to show its loyalty.

"Very well, since you like this place so much, then you should take good care of this villa. You should know that as long as the villa is impregnable, your physical body will always be safe."

Xu Qing put away his axe, his expression softening slightly, and said, "In these chaotic times, it's all just a gamble. The outside world may not be as safe as this place. Right now, the only thing you should do is focus on your cultivation."

You're right, since you're holding the axe!

The branches and leaves of the shady locust tree swayed up and down, nodding frequently.

Children can be taught.

Only after dealing with the unstable factor of the shady locust tree was Xu Qing completely relieved.

Before Yin Huaishu gained sentience, he had seen him digging holes in the yard to bury people, knew about his practice of the substitute stake method, and also knew about his keeping a female ghost in another courtyard and having the female ghost learn to sing ditties to relieve his boredom.

Many employees at Cat Fairy Hall were unaware of these matters. If the other party insisted on leaving, Xu Qing had only one option: to make a new coffin from the Yin Huai wood and sell it in the coffin shop.

The coffin will inevitably take all the secrets to the ground.

On a rainy night, a blinding flash of lightning streaked across the courtyard, illuminating the young man digging a pit under a tree to bury a body.

As Xu Qing dealt with the corpses of the rebels from the Cangyi Gang, he spoke to the shady locust tree beside him:

"As long as you take good care of the house, I'll be sure to fertilize it for you from time to time!"

Another flash of lightning. All the shady locust tree could do was pray that heaven would forgive all the sins of this demon and that it would not strike the other courtyard.

While burying the body, Xu Qing also saw the past lives of the rebels from the Cangyi Gang.

These two men were not of low status; one was the head of the Rizhao Hall in Tianjin Prefecture, and the other was the manager of the Linjiang County branch.

Besides inciting public sentiment and interfering in trade, the two had another main mission in Tianjin: to gather intelligence on the Dayong Dynasty.

If it were just gathering general intelligence, Xu Qing wouldn't be surprised. When it comes to understanding the military layout of Tianjin and the various forces involved, no one knows it better than him.

He even knew which official kept how many concubines.

The coroner's shop is like a natural intelligence network; all the dead are his eyes and ears, and most importantly, these people don't lie.

The reason why the intelligence that the Cangyi Group collected in Tianjin interested Xu Qing was that they were not looking for news from the mortal world, but rather information about the 'Great Yong Kingdom's Fate' from the Yin River Ancient Road.

The fate of the Great Yong Dynasty is not yet exhausted. If we want to change the world, we must first exhaust the national fortune of the Great Yong Dynasty.

In the Yinhe Ancient Road, there was a national marshal appointed by the former emperor through the will of Heaven and Earth. Although this marshal has passed away, his soul still wanders in the Yinhe River.

The Grand Marshal of the Nation is connected to the fate of the Great Yong Dynasty. If the Grand Marshal of the Nation, who is in the Yin River, is harmed, then the fate of the Great Yong Dynasty will be damaged accordingly.

At the Cangyi Army headquarters, there is a retainer from Nancuo who has some connection with the Nancuo royal family and is skilled in witchcraft.

This person came up with an idea: to support the nemesis of the National Protector General, the Yin Shi Fa Wang, to ascend to the throne, offer incense to Him, and incite the people to believe in the Yin Shi Fa Wang to enhance His 'divine power' and thus weaken the National Protector General's strength.

The Protector General is separated from the Great Yong by the Yin and Yang realms and is unaware that his power is connected to the fate of the dynasty. As long as the Yin-Erosion Dharma King is willing to take the initiative, he can accelerate the decline of the Great Yong's destiny.

Xu Qing suddenly realized why so many people in Tianjin had recently become believers in the Yin Shi Fa Wang (a Buddhist deity); the root of the problem lay here.

"As long as the fortune of the Great Yong Dynasty declines, the Yin Shi Dharma King will be able to lead his divine generals back to the mortal realm to help you achieve your great cause!"

Cangyi Group believed it to be true, but they did not know that the Yin Shi Fa Wang was a Yin god worshipped by the Nan Cuo Kingdom. If the other party could return to the human world, it would surely be Nan Cuo that was devouring the fortune of Dayong.

Nancuo was a barbarian tribe.

If Nancuo gains power, the world will likely be plunged into chaos once again.

Although Xu Qing disliked Dayong, he did not want the uncivilized barbarians of Nancuo to interfere.

"Marshal of the Eight Banners, since you have bestowed upon me the Heavenly Spirit Bone, I will also help you this once, so that you will not be humiliated by barbarians after your death."

(End of this chapter)