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

Chapter 303 Heaven and Earth Silver Manor, Borrowing Lifespan to Cut Off Decline
The primordial spirit is a being akin to a terrestrial deity.

Before the Path to Heaven was severed, my name was on the Register of Ascension, I had one foot in the Heavenly Court's system, and sooner or later I would be a celestial being among the immortals.

But could this tiny old woman, carried on her disciple's back, locked in a wooden box, and who even checks the air quality before going out, really be a sixth-realm Nascent Soul cultivator?
Xu Qing was skeptical, but after searching through all his memories, he couldn't find any information other than the primordial spirit that could explain the state of the Master of Jingxu Temple.

"This old woman with bound feet is quite unusual; I'd better avoid the coffin shop for the next few days."

Thinking of this, Xu Qing suddenly slapped his forehead.

He almost forgot that the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, which is three days from now, is the time when Tao Sanmei will undergo her tribulation.

"It's not a big problem. That peach tree is timid and cowardly. It has been a monster all its life and has never even eaten a crooked-necked little phoenix. Its demonic aura is relatively restrained and gentle, so it shouldn't be troubled."

"You know what a mess this is."

Xu Qing hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to visit the coffin shop more often in the next few days. After all, Tao Sanmei was now considered a deity of his Cat Immortal Hall, and he had to protect her.

"We've only just met, what excuse should we find to visit again?"

For some reason, when Abbot Jingxu arrived, he became reserved and dared not be too casual.

"Wait a minute!" Xu Qing suddenly realized that the coffin shop was his territory, so why couldn't he go there?
He can go if he wants; as for the Abbess of Jingzhen Temple, she's just an old woman. Even if she really is a Primordial Spirit Immortal…

Xu Qing's expression was solemn. Finally, he had a sudden inspiration and simply spread out the paper and began writing couplets again.

On the street below the mine, Xuan Yu, who had just returned from delivering winter clothes, rice, flour, and eggs to the refugees outside the city that night, happened to be on her way back.

As the year draws to a close, Cat Fairy Hall is busier than usual. More and more refugees are arriving from outside the city due to the chaos of war. Cat Fairy Hall cannot provide everyone with a good year, but it can still provide each person with two eggs and a bushel of rice and flour.

This was thanks to the hundreds of thousands of shi of grain that it and Xu Qing collected from the homes of wealthy monks and Taoists at Cizhao Temple and Ruyi Temple when they traveled to Qianzhou.

However, this amount of food was still far from enough to help the hundreds of thousands of disaster victims.

Xuan Yu, now in his black cat form, sat on Gu Qiao'er's shoulder. Gu Qiao'er, now in human form, was indeed well-behaved and didn't seem to find it inappropriate at all.

Isn't it common for cats to ride mice?

Behind Gu Qiao'er, carrying the Dragon-Binding Staff and following along in a carefree manner, was the Red-Tailed Monkey, a guardian deity of the hall.

Although the red-tailed monkey in front of me looks human and is dressed in a decent cotton robe, if you look closely, you can still see the features of a 'foreigner' with a pointed snout, monkey cheeks, and a face full of fur.

Fortunately, Cat Fairy Hall's business is mostly conducted at night, so even though their appearance is unusual, they won't attract too much attention.

But today, by sheer coincidence, the group of immortals had just returned to Jingxia Street when they encountered Master Yizhen, who was coming out of the coroner's shop.

At this moment, Xuan Yu sat on Gu Qiao'er's shoulder; opposite her, the Abbot of Jingxu Temple sat cross-legged on his disciple's shoulder.

As soon as the two groups met, the Red-tailed Monkey of the Guardian Immortal Clan immediately dropped his carefree demeanor and instinctively held the Dragon-Binding Staff he was carrying horizontally in front of him.

The red-tailed monkey joined the Cat Fairy Hall relatively late and did not recognize the female Taoist priest in front of it. What it feared was not the female Taoist priest herself, but the little figure on her shoulder that was radiating a faint light.

The red-tailed monkey had a vague feeling that something bad was going to happen today.

However, the next moment, it saw the female Taoist priest bow to the head of the main hall and smile:
"Your Highness Qingqing, this humble Taoist greets you."

Xuan Yu looked at Yi Zhen, then curiously glanced at the little-figure-like Abbot Jingxu.

The cat's curiosity has been reignited.

"Hmm," seeing Master Yizhen greet her, Xuanyu followed suit, raising her two front paws and saying in a gesture similar to cupping her hands but more like bowing, "Senior Sister Yizhen, Xuanyu returns the greeting."

Yi Zhen was already used to hearing Xuan Yu call her "senior sister." This cat always followed Xu Qing's example; whatever her junior brother Xu called her, Xuan Yu would call her that too.

"Who is this little person?" Xuan Yu couldn't suppress his curiosity.

"This is my master."

"What a young master."

Xuan Yu was outspoken and unrestrained.

"Not even as old as me."

"."

The abbot of Jingxu Temple, who had remained silent all along, ultimately failed to maintain his composure as a learned person.

"This is the manifestation of my primordial spirit. Why are you, little cat, running to the bustling city instead of cultivating in the deep mountains? Aren't you afraid that one day you'll run into a master like me, who will mistake you for a demon and get rid of you!"

When the abbot of Jingxu Temple mentioned the word "expert," he emphasized it, as if in response to the cat's previous rude behavior.

Xuan Yu opened his eyes wide, his azure gaze falling on the old woman, and said in a very serious tone, "Xu Xianjia is eight feet tall, and there is no one taller than Xu Xianjia."

Cats love to compare themselves to others, and Xuan Yu is especially so.

The cat was completely unaware of what the manifestation of the primordial spirit meant.

Only the red-tailed monkeys had sweaty palms and dared not even breathe loudly.

"."

The abbess of Jingxu Temple had nothing to say. How could Hu Baosong's student, a manager of the Yin Gate business, be as clever as her?
However, Abbot Jingxu did not argue with a kitten. The current situation was far too unfriendly to an old-school cultivator like her who followed orthodoxy and studied ancient methods.

As the tide rises and falls, who knows, one day in the future, this cat might actually surpass her and leave her behind.

For someone like her, whose vital energy cannot be effectively replenished, every move she makes requires careful consideration.

In comparison, she was actually less at ease than the other person in some ways.

The abbess of Jingxu Temple had a hint of worry in her eyes. For a moment, she was unsure whether it was right or wrong to let her disciple walk with these unconventional people.

Meanwhile, Xuan Yu had just returned to the coffin shop when he jumped onto the coffin lid and excitedly shared what he had just witnessed while looking at Xu Qing, who was writing couplets.

"That old lady with bound feet, who isn't even as tall as me, claims to be some kind of manifestation of the primordial spirit. Does Master Xu even know what the manifestation of the primordial spirit is?"

"."

Xu Qing felt a chill run down his spine. In the eyes of the world, people from the Xuanmen sect were ethereal and elusive, rare and legendary figures. The primordial spirit was even more of a legend, an existence that was unattainable even for those who had cultivated true methods.

No! It should be something that cannot even be seen in the distance.

In this world, where would a primordial spirit immortal come from?

But once you have it, it's not a simple matter.

Xu Qing felt it was necessary to give Xuan Yu a proper explanation of the Xuanmen cultivation method.

“Xuanyu, you only know that demons have three calamities, and that they will face one calamity every five hundred years of cultivation. But you don’t know that in human cultivation, in addition to the three calamities, there are also six realms.”

Unlike humans, demons don't cultivate with the same sense of ritual. They break down each realm into smaller steps for easier understanding. In the eyes of demons, strength, magical power, and profound cultivation are the only true principles.

Other superficial things are unimportant.

When Xuan Yu first heard of the Six Realms Method, he assumed it referred to the six realms of martial arts that Chuantang Tiezhu cultivated. Xu Qing shook his head and patiently explained, "Although martial arts have six realms, they have no connection whatsoever with the six realms of the Xuanmen. These are cultivation realms and cannot be equated with martial arts. The former is circulated among the common people, while the latter is hidden away from the world and is unknown to ordinary people."

"It's not something those monsters without a background or master could know."

Xu Qing looked at Xuan Yu and suddenly laughed, "Although our Cat Immortal Hall doesn't have any special background, we do have many 'corpse inheritors'."

Xuan Yu asked in confusion, "Many masters? Besides Hu Baosong, Liu Youdao, does the Xu family have other masters?"

"Not so!" Xu Qing chuckled. "This 'corpse inheritance' is not the same as that 'master inheritance.' Everything in the world can be a teacher. I just happen to know more people who can teach me."

Immortals value connections, and Xu Qing himself has connections, but they are dead connections.

Those corpses, especially those of people from the Xuanmen or Yinmen sects, were his 'underworld masters'.

A great teacher produces great students, let alone a group of great teachers.

"And for the Immortal Xuanyu to follow me is equivalent to having countless good teachers."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yu's eyes shone even brighter.

"Aren't you curious about what level of expert one is at in terms of primordial spirit? I'll tell you now."

Xu Qing suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind and kept his tone calm throughout.

"The Xuanmen has six realms, which are: exorcising evil, gaining knowledge, punishing the soul, cutting off decay, shaping life, and primordial spirit."

"Exorcising evil spirits is also called summoning spirits. Those who can use minor arts to command ghosts and consecrate spirits are all considered first-level cultivators."

Those who enter this realm, as long as they do not act recklessly, will enjoy their innate lifespan and will not fear illness. Their lifespan at birth is the same as their lifespan at death; if they die a violent death, they may have the opportunity to be reborn or to exist as a wandering spirit.

The second realm is called General Knowledge. Humans possess nine General Knowledge abilities; unlocking just one signifies entering the second realm. In this realm, the unlocked General Knowledge ability grants the corresponding supernatural power. However, regardless of how many General Knowledge abilities are unlocked, it only adds sixty years to one's lifespan.

"The third realm, Soul Punishment, can be divided into Yang Punishment and Yin Punishment, corresponding to the Yang soul and Yin soul of a person. Cultivators in this realm can capture souls and spirits, cultivate the true spirit of the soul and spirit, travel between Yin and Yang, and can also borrow three hundred years of lifespan from heaven."

The fourth realm, the Decline Realm, is the so-called "Heaven and Earth Silver Estate," where one can both store and take. Reaching the Decline Realm requires returning lifespan to Heaven, which involves cutting off five hundred years of lifespan.

Xuan Yu's pupils dilated as he asked, "The Punishing Soul borrows three hundred years of lifespan, so why does the Severing Curse require cutting off five hundred?"

Xu Qing patiently explained:

"Because of interest! Human cultivation is inherently a way to seize the creation of heaven and earth, which is disliked by heaven. Many people are trapped in this state because they do not have a way to prolong their lives and cannot make up for the deficit. When their vitality is completely lost, they die."

"Cultivators who enter the stage of decline either live each year as if it were an eternity, or they transform into demons and monsters, stealing lifespans, refining elixirs, and making up for their deficiencies. It is considered the most difficult stage to endure, and also the juncture where cultivators are most likely to stray onto the evil path."

"But once one passes the test of decline, one can be tested by heaven and earth and receive nourishment. Not only can the lost lifespan be replenished, but one can also gain a new lifespan. However, the amount of this lifespan varies, depending on the method of cultivation, one's natural talent and comprehension, and luck."

"The fifth realm is shaping life. Cultivators who reach this stage all know some techniques for longevity. With sufficient lifespan, they cultivate profound methods and refine supernatural powers, attempting to find that sliver of opportunity to become an immortal. This realm also corresponds to the Daoist stage of refining the spirit and returning to emptiness."

After Xu Qing finished explaining the first five realms, he stopped talking.

Having been kept in suspense for so long, Xuan Yu couldn't help but ask, "What about the sixth realm?"

Xu Qing revealed a slightly wicked smile and said in a sinister tone, "Didn't you just see the sixth realm? Senior Sister Yi Zhen's master, the little old lady that the Xuan Yu Immortal mentioned, is a Nascent Soul True Person."

"."

Xuan Yu felt a chill run down her spine and asked weakly, "Is the primordial spirit very powerful?"

"They're incredibly powerful! So powerful that even after worshipping so many ancient corpses, I still don't know just how strong the Primordial Spirit True Person really is. I only know that they are infinitely close to the legendary immortals."

"If the road to heaven hadn't been blocked, the Master of Jingxu Temple might have already transcended the mortal world and become a high and mighty immortal."

"."

Only then did Xuan Yu realize just how extraordinary the master Jingxu Temple Master had described was.

"What realm is Xu Xianjia at?"

Xu Qing glanced at the black cat that held great expectations for him, and said quietly:
"I do not cultivate the Six Realms Path."

"What does Xu Xian cultivate?"

"Me? I'm here to mend this broken world. Every day I sew and mend, close the door for burials, and open the door for funerals. Maybe when I can expand this business to a huge scale, I'll have achieved my goal."

On the other side, inside the coffin shop.

The abbot of Jingxu Temple was also speaking earnestly with Yizhen.

"In my opinion, the atmosphere of demons in this Jingxia Street is extremely strong. Although I don't know what method they used to obscure the energy, it is not a good thing for demons and humans to live together."

Yi Zhen cleared his throat and whispered a reminder, "This disciple also possesses the bloodline of the Earth Mountain Collection."

"."

The abbot of Jingxu Temple would have been better off not listening to these words, because upon hearing them, he was reminded of Zichen, who had been abducted by Hu Baosong.

"At least Tushanji is a famous immortal abode, what is this Jingxia Street?"

"Cats, rats, monkeys, and roosters create a chaotic mess; it has no semblance of the tranquility and seclusion of a Taoist sect."

"Master, the rooster is raised by our own family."

"."

The abbot of Jingxu Temple was speechless. However, when she arrived at the backyard of the coffin shop and saw the large peach tree in the yard, as well as the woman who immediately transformed into a crimson demonic aura and disappeared into the peach tree upon encountering a stranger, the old woman immediately had new evidence of her crime.

"If there's no rooster, there's still the tree spirit!"

"Raising demons to cause harm, is this the kind of worldly friend you speak of that is worth making friends with?"

Even the abbot of Jingxu Temple, who was very knowledgeable, had never seen so many monsters on a single street before!
If she hadn't confirmed that this was the human world, she would have thought she had wandered into some deep mountain forest.

There was no way to deny it, so Daoist Yizhen had no choice but to speak well of Xu Qing:
"Junior Brother Xu doesn't have a proper master; he only learned the unorthodox path of shamanism. As the head of the shamanic sect, he naturally needs to recruit many immortals. Besides, I see that these demons are quite obedient under his tutelage, and they do good deeds every day."

The abbot of Jingxu Temple didn't take it seriously. He believed that unorthodox and heretical practices were things that couldn't be brought to the table, so what was the use of doing them well?

"You yourself said it's a heretical sect. Even if he can make those monsters benevolent to humans, how much incense can he earn? Which of those famous sects and grand temples doesn't have a more prosperous incense offering than his?"

As he spoke, Abbot Jingxu pointed his index finger at the peach tree.

A cluster of shimmering white light gathered and finally landed on the peach tree.

Tao Sanmei exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly revealed herself.

"Please have mercy, Master! I am a sweeping immortal from the Cat Immortal Hall, and I have some connection with this Daoist. When Hu Baosong was addicted to alcohol and went astray, it was I who secretly reminded him, and he finally came to his senses. Otherwise, he wouldn't have formed a connection with Daoist Zichen and become your disciple."

The abbess of Jingxu Temple originally only wanted to find a maid or servant to serve tea and water, and did not take Tao Sanmei seriously. However, in order to ease the tension, Tao Sanmei spilled out many things that even she did not know.

So you're the culprit who released that bastard Hu Baosong?

(End of this chapter)