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

Chapter 270 Anniversary Celebration, Paper Fishing Gear

The Yinhe Ancient Road runs through Dayong, extending to all directions, with its entrances scattered throughout the sixteen prefectures of Dayong.

According to the Eight Banners Marshal, there were twelve "sacred beings" who guarded the Yinhe Ancient Road and prohibited the opening of the Heavenly Road; these were collectively known as the Twelve Gatekeepers.

The entrance to the Beijing-Tianjin area is the territory of the gatekeeper 'Ghost Law'.

The capital city is where the great dragon of the nation's destiny lies, gathering the spirit of the entire country. After the founding emperor discovered the existence of the Yin River entrance in the important area of ​​the capital, he modified the waterway of the capital, excavated the second Beijing-Tianjin Canal, and laid a stone foundation on the old waterway as the Yangling Temple used by the emperors of the Dayong Dynasty to worship heaven and earth.

Outsiders are unaware of the inside story, but those in the know understand that Emperor Tianzhi went to such great lengths to seal off the entrance to the Yin River as a precaution.

With the entrance to the capital gone, the Tianjin entrance, the closest to Beijing, became the burial place for the Eight Banners marshals after their deaths.

As for why the founding emperor of the Great Yong Dynasty sent the Eight Banners marshals into the Yinhe Ancient Road...
Founding emperors often possess the ambition to encompass the universe and swallow the heavens and earth. In Emperor Tianzhi's eyes, all under heaven was his land; all within his borders were his subjects.

Since the Yinhe Ancient Road is under his feet, why can't it be the land of the Great Yong King?

Emperor Tianzhi wanted to use the Eight Banners marshals as a vanguard to explore the Yin River. If the plan was well-planned, he might even become the Yin River Emperor after his death, extending his reign as an emperor in the underworld.

Unfortunately, fate was unkind. When Emperor Tianzhi passed away, the Yinhe Ancient Road was still shrouded in chaos and mist. The Eight Banners marshals had been fighting for many years, but they had only managed to explore a thousand miles around.

Beyond that, it was no longer within the reach of secular dynasties.

Even so, over the centuries, the Eight Banners Marshals, by gradually eroding the old forces of the Yin-Erosion Dharma King and influencing the world's affairs through the victories and defeats in the underworld, have still managed to deplete the ancestral lineages of the various tribes in the Southern Region. To this day, the tribes and clans in the Southern Region are still constantly at war, and the Southern Court has become a mere shell of its former self.

The Eight Banners Marshals, who had helped the late emperor establish the dynasty and made unparalleled contributions during their lifetimes, continued to contribute even after their deaths. However, the descendants of the Great Yong Dynasty were incompetent, and despite such powerful assistance, they still managed to govern the country in a complete mess.

Emperor Tianzhi had foresight, anticipating the impact of the Yinhe Ancient Road on the Yang Realm and putting his governance plan into the open.

However, the descendants of Emperor Tianzhi had their own ideas. They foresaw their ancestor's prediction and made a series of decisions that went against his wishes, causing the people to lose their sense of belonging to Dayong. As a result, the fortune of the entire dynasty was lost by more than half, and even the Eight Banners Marshals, who relied on the fortune of the nation to maintain themselves, had their strength halved.

Now, the Cangyi Clan is taking advantage of the situation to cause chaos, supporting the Yinshi Dharma King, and using various methods to deceive the people of Dayong into believing in the Yinshi Dharma King. They not only organize Dharma assemblies every few days to preach their doctrines, but they also get up early every day to distribute rice, oil and eggs on the streets and alleys before the officials have finished their shifts. The scale of their distribution is so great that even Xu Qing is astonished.

So you've bought up all the eggs in Tianjin!

Xu Qing looked down on these unorthodox methods, but at times, you had to admit they were indeed simple and effective.

There are generally two types of incense offerings in the world: one is for ordinary people to make vows, and the other is for people to make vows for meritorious deeds.

The former refers to unlicensed shrines and licentious worship, or official temples that hold positions of power but do not perform their duties, enjoying the offerings while neglecting their religious responsibilities. Such temples rely on empty promises to deceive people into giving them faith and incense. Although the people's thoughts are like smoke, they have no merit or blessing. Sooner or later, the great building will collapse.

But before the building collapses, it can always deceive some foolish believers into making offerings, and these beliefs become the incense and divine power that false gods continuously provide.

The Cangyi Group clearly knew this. Yin Shi Fa Wang and Dayong were irreconcilable enemies. If the people believed in Yin Shi Fa Wang, then Dayong's corresponding influence would be reduced.

Xu Qing has never practiced any such unorthodox methods. His temples and shrines are always efficacious. The food provided by the Cat Immortal Temple to disaster victims has never been fake, and the conservation manual of the Baosheng Temple has also benefited the people.

This sacred and inviolable goddess, Baosheng Niangniang, often appeared to the people and bestowed divine blessings upon worshippers, granting their prayers.

A hall and a temple stand majestically in our hearts, their kindness resides in the hearts of the people. The people are deeply grateful, and when they make their vows, their hearts are free of worldly distractions, and they connect with heaven and earth, offering only golden and radiant incense as a token of their merit.

Therefore, Xu Qing had never taken the Cangyi Gang, a crooked and evil sect, seriously, but now...
Xu Qing thought that it might not be so bad to be a hooligan once in a while.

The next morning, Xu Qing went to the flower and bird market.

Master Feng is rich, well-connected, and owns a money exchange. Xu Qing plans to exchange all the funerary objects and gold and silver he obtained from digging up corpses for cash at Master Feng's place.

Second Master didn't even ask. In his heart, Xu Qing was like a second father to him. He would be happy to call him "father," let alone do such a small favor.

After settling the money, Xu Qing went to the brokerage firm and said that he was going to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the funeral parlor in a few days and give back to the local people. He said he wanted as many eggs as he could get in Tianjin, and that he didn't mind paying a higher price.

In addition, Xu Qing went to the Liyuan Opera House to find the troupe leader and decided to put together a play about the Eight Banners Marshals' "Eight Banners Opening Up the Territory and Guarding the Mountains and Rivers" as an anniversary performance.

The troupe leader was in a dilemma upon hearing this. There had been plays about the Eight Banners marshals before, but they were not popular. Xu Qing wanted to create a new play based on the existing ones, and time was so tight.
Even if the legendary master of opera, "Old Master Lang," personally intervened, he couldn't accomplish this!
Because this is something that ordinary people simply cannot do!
Xu Qing, as the head of the funeral industry in Tianjin, has secured a lot of work for theatrical performances over the years. He said kindly, "We're in the same industry, so think of another way. At least you can save face for your brothers, right?"

The old troupe leader helplessly spread his hands and said, "There's no way!"

"Is there really no other way?"

The old troupe leader was about to nod when he suddenly said, "If it were before, there might still be a chance."

"In the past? What do you mean?"

The old troupe leader glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he leaned close to Xu Qing and whispered:
"Boss Liu Su'e is a pillar of our opera troupe, a truly renowned star. Manager Xu should know that."

Xu Qing nodded and said, "Boss Liu is my sister's teacher. My sister learned acting from her, so of course I know that."

The old troupe leader chuckled meaningfully and said, "Manager Xu has never learned opera in the troupe, so he doesn't know how difficult it is. For an ordinary person to sing and perform a role well, it takes a lifetime of hard work!"

"But Manager Xu thought about it carefully, how could Boss Liu, this 'flowery shirt' female role performer, be able to learn all the roles of leading female role, flowery female role, martial female role, and female warrior role so skillfully and brilliantly?"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow: "Because she has extraordinary talent?"

The old troupe leader chuckled, his expression somewhat strange, and said, "What if I said she could play any role—male, female, painted-face, clown, or old man?"

"."

Is this vocal cords possessed by a spirit?
Xu Qing suddenly recalled the strange phenomenon he had seen on Liu Su'e when he used his Qi-gazing technique.

At that time, Liu Su'e was performing on the stage. Xu Qing saw that the reflection of willow leaves was swaying back and forth on the stage, just like the ripples on the water. There was a big willow tree hanging down its ribbons on the embankment.

Moreover, beneath the ripples, a dark shadow seemed to be hidden, like a fish swimming in the river on a cloudy day, indistinct and shadowy.

When Xu Qing noticed the strange phenomenon, he looked closely and found that the dark figure was Liu Su'e's shadow. However, he didn't know why he always had a strange feeling about it.

It's as if the audio and video are out of sync, and the shadow and the real person each have their own thoughts.

But when he looked closely, the sound and image became surprisingly synchronized, as if it were all an illusion.

Combining the old troupe leader's words with his own recollection of the scene, Xu Qing confirmed that it was not his imagination.

Who knows what secrets this Boss Liu might be hiding?

"If Boss Liu were still here, he might be able to meet Manager Xu's needs."

The old troupe leader straightened up, clasped his hands together, and sighed.

Xu Qing frowned and asked, "If Boss Liu isn't at the theater, where is she now?"

"Look at the question you're asking. Boss Liu is the teacher of Manager Xu's sister. They're probably more familiar with each other than I am. Why are you asking me about her?"

Xu Qing shook his head and said, "My sister is already very skilled in playing female roles. Boss Liu hasn't shown up for more than half a year since then. How would I know where she went?"

The old troupe leader frowned and said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do. Boss Liu is just a figurehead at my theater. The last time I saw her was half a year ago. At that time, I saw that her face was pale and her lips were bloodless, as if she was seriously ill, so I asked her what was wrong."

"Boss Liu didn't say what illness he had, only that he was feeling unwell and couldn't go on stage for a while, so he had to go home and rest for a few days."

"It's strange, but in all these years that Boss Liu has been in the opera house, no one has ever known where she lives." Xu Qing left the opera house and went to the Shuimenqiao Villa.

In the courtyard, the embroiderer broke off a branch from a locust tree and was writing and drawing on the ground.

Xiao Shiyue was still wearing that somewhat worn floral dress, squatting beside the embroiderer, obediently listening to her godmother's lesson.

Xu Qing walked closer and looked down, only to see the words "godmother" written on the fertile soil.

In front of the godmother, on the ground that had already been used, were written the words 'Sir'.

"."

Xu Qing stood silently a short distance away, watching for a while as the big ghost taught the little ghost to practice calligraphy.

When the cold wind blows, the branches and leaves of the shady locust tree rustle, but the next moment its branches and leaves freeze, as if afraid of disturbing the little girl practicing calligraphy in front of it.

"Oh, it's you, sir!"

The embroiderer glanced up and caught sight of Xu Qing standing in front of the Moon Cave.

"Sir, you've come at the perfect time. This morning I made a new outfit for Shiyue. If you have some free time..."

Xu Qing understood what the embroiderer meant. Ghosts and humans are different. Ghosts that are not powerful enough cannot wear human clothes. Only by burning the clothes for the other party can they wear them.

However, ordinary families were reluctant to burn silk and satin; what they burned were either the deceased's old clothes or paper clothes bought from funeral shops.

The embroiderer doted on her goddaughter, so why would she use clothes made of paper?
When the embroiderer handed over the brand-new clothes, Xu Qing glanced at them.

She wore a short jacket embroidered with gold thread, an outer garment made of blue silk and white velvet, a pink jade belt around her waist, a skirt adorned with butterfly embroidery, and a pair of exceptionally pretty embroidered soft shoes.

Judging from the workmanship and fabric, it's probably even better than the clothes worn by daughters of officials!
Xu Qing clicked his tongue. He originally only wanted to raise a little ghost who could scare people and guard the door, but he never expected that she would turn into a head maid.

Nowadays, Xuan Yu's clothes are all hand-sewn by embroiderers, and even the funeral clothes in the funeral clothing shop cannot be separated from those self-operating looms.

After setting up a memorial tablet for Shi Yue, Xu Qing threw her pretty little dress and embroidered shoes into the fire pit, burning them all.

As soon as the smoke dissipated, the little girl transformed, and a brand-new dress appeared on her body.

At that moment, the little girl was just like the butterfly embroidered on the hem of her skirt—absolutely gorgeous.

"Embroiderer, have you seen Boss Liu recently?"

While the little girl was playing and frolicking around in the yard, Xu Qing asked about the important matter.

The embroiderer blinked and tentatively asked, "What does the master want with Sister Liu?"

"Of course, it's important. I need to set up a stage in a couple of days and hire someone to be the headliner. Boss Liu is the perfect choice."

The embroiderer seemed somewhat embarrassed and said, "But Sister Liu doesn't allow me to tell outsiders where she is?"

But the next moment, the embroiderer suddenly smiled and said, "But you are not an outsider, so it is not wrong for me to tell you."

The three-day storm has finally subsided, and the coffin shop has been open for business as usual for the past two days, but there haven't been many funeral services coming in.

Only a minority of funerals are held on rainy days.

"Xuanyu, I'm going out to visit an old friend. Please take good care of the shop. If the honest man from the Fangzhuang family comes to inquire about the funeral arrangements, remember to have him take away the coffin from the outer room. It has a note with the deceased's place of origin and name on it, so there won't be any mistakes."

"There is one more thing. If new bodies are sent to the coffin room, the mortuary, or elsewhere, have them put the bodies in the shop and I will deal with them when I return."

After the rain stops and the sky clears, all the bodies that have been staying in the city for the past few days will be brought here together.

Just as Xu Qing finished explaining things to Xuan Yu, who was possessing Sun Erniang, and was about to leave the shop, he suddenly bumped into a new customer at the door.

Xu Qing immediately composed himself, stood up, brushed off his clothes, and greeted the guests with clasped hands, saying, "I was unaware of your presence and have been impolite. Please take a seat."

Funeral services are unlike other businesses. Restaurant and innkeepers usually greet people with a smile, but funeral shops cannot do so.

This is similar to a medical clinic.

However, the funeral industry has far more taboos than the medical industry.

"Please have some tea, guest."

The visitor picked up the teacup, smelled it, and said nothing.

Xu Qing's expression remained neither pleased nor sad, and his tone remained calm: "I noticed that you, esteemed guest, are walking with a heavy heart, as if you have something on your mind. Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Upon hearing this, the guest put down his teacup, reached out and dusted off his wet sleeves, and said, "It's not that it's difficult, but a few days ago I promised an old friend that I would burn him a set of paper fishing gear. If I don't keep my promise, he will curse me to never catch a fish again."

"Therefore, I would like to ask you to make a set of paper fishing gear for my deceased friend to burn, so as to fulfill his long-cherished wish."

"That's easy. Not to mention paper fishing gear, even if customers need coffins, funeral clothes, incense, candles, and paper horses, our shop has everything. Besides these pine and cypress materials, silk quilts and pillows, if they need ritual attendants, funeral music, or memorial services, I can also act as the master of ceremonies and invite a theatrical troupe to perform."

"That's not necessary!"

The visitor hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Just burn some paper fishing gear."

Xu Qing nodded: "I haven't asked the guests' names, hometowns, or the location of their ancestral graves yet."

“My friend’s surname is Jiang, but I can’t remember his given name. I usually call him Jiang Konglou. As for the address of his ancestral grave, I don’t know.”

"."

Xu Qing said calmly, "I've heard of this person. I can find out the address of his burial site by asking at the yamen."

"Is there anything else the guests need?"

The visitor said somewhat embarrassedly, "I don't have any other needs, but I'm short of money and don't have any to give you at the moment."

"No problem, our mortuary offers burial services on credit. You can pay when you have the money."

Upon hearing this, the visitor said gratefully, "I have long heard that the manager here is kind and benevolent, and now that I have seen him, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

"It's not that. I just don't want the dead to be left to rot in the wilderness, with no one to care for them. If you have any money on credit, you should still pay it back."

"Is there anything else, guest?" Xu Qing asked, seeing that the other party was still unwilling to leave.

The man, somewhat embarrassed by these words, said, "I would like to ask you one more thing, sir."

"Sir, could you also burn a set of paper fishing gear for me?"

(End of this chapter)