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

Chapter 313 The Twin Envoys, Old Xu Next Door
When Xu Qing prepared burial clothes for people, he mostly used silk and cotton quilts and shrouds.

Even after burial in the coffin, the clothes, hats, shoes, and socks offered as offerings during the four seasonal festivals were made of five-colored paper.

This is how ordinary people burn offerings; if it were soldiers from the Yinhe region, they could not perform the rituals as usual.

The armor of military officers had to be made of gold foil paper and reed frames, while the armor of ordinary soldiers had to be made of silver foil paper.

On this day, in the dimly lit Yinhe Ancient Road, ghost fire ignited the paper armor campfire, and the entire garrison camp was covered with a layer of crimson silk.

When the smoke cleared, the armor on the general's body looked brand new.

Looking around, the thousands of armored soldiers stood in a solemn array, a sight that inspired awe!
Before the central command tent, the Eight Banners Marshal was wearing a brand-new golden helmet and armor, which gleamed brightly.

He clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Truly a majestic display of heavenly soldiers!"

Xu Qing shook his head and said, "Paper effigies may be beautiful, but they can't withstand weapons. These low-class tricks are just to let the soldiers put on new clothes and have a glorious festival."

The marshal glanced at Xu Qing, his eyes flickering with ghostly light, and said meaningfully, "Lord Xu, there is no need to belittle yourself. I can never repay your kindness in this lifetime. If we can let our soldiers go to the battlefield in glory, that will be the greatest gift."

Xu Qing suddenly froze.

He originally thought that the Eight Banners Marshal was caught up in the situation and trapped by his obsession, unable to perceive the current state of the country's collapse and his own impending demise. But now it seems that this Marshal may have already noticed the changes in the Great Yong Dynasty.

What the Eight Banners Marshal wanted wasn't actually armor that could withstand swords and spears; perhaps all he wanted was for these soldiers to be able to depart with dignity and honor.

Beside him, the Eight Banners Marshal pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Xu Qing with a serious expression.

"Lord Xu, I have a request."

"Marshal, please speak."

"General Zuo does not belong here. I have tried several times to order him to leave, but he has refused to do so in person."

The Eight Banners Marshal said with a profound look in his eyes, "If possible, when Lord Xu meets General Zuo, I hope that you can persuade him to leave Yinhe."

Xu Qing remained silent.

The Eight Banners Marshal suddenly laughed and said, "If Lord Xu can agree to this, I will be willing to cooperate with whatever Lord Xu wants from me afterward."

Xu Qing scoffed, "What could I possibly want from the Marshal? Besides this skeleton, does the Marshal possess any other treasures?"

The Eight Banners Marshal said in a low voice, "Lord Xu is right. I have nothing of value, except for this tough body."

"Unfortunately, since the founding of the nation, the number of people with backbone in our Great Yong has been decreasing."

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, gaining a new understanding of the marshal before him.

Indeed, how could a founding hero and marshal of the three armies be an ordinary person?

Xu Qing pondered for a moment and said, "Very well, then I will promise the Marshal that if I meet General Zuo, I will persuade him to leave Yinhe."

"Thank you, Lord Xu."

Not far from the Ghost King's Tomb, Xu Qing took out the sword given to him by Zuo Zixiong. Just as he was about to divine the location of the other party, he saw two or three ghost generals leading a group of walking corpses back to the tomb.

Xu Qing frowned slightly; the walking corpses in front of him looked somewhat familiar.

The armor was clearly the type used by the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion.

Why were Zuo Zixiong's troops escorted here by Duo'e Ghost King's soldiers?
With doubts in his mind, Xu Qing took out the Rampant Flag and controlled dozens of Rampant Generals to capture all the Ghost Generals in the Ghost King's Tomb.

Following this, the paper figure funeral procession came out to collect the remains, clean the site, and then carried the coffin back.

This practiced routine clearly indicates a repeat offender.

Seeing Xu Qing kill ghosts as easily as killing chickens, with a process even more mature than an assembly line, Jinluan secretly resolved that no matter what conditions the other party offered or how much benefit they used to lure it, it would never fall for their trap!
Making a living under the tutelage of the Xu family was far too nerve-wracking, much less comfortable than living in the Five Elders Temple.

But looking at the strangely familiar scenery of the Yinhe Ancient Road, Jinluan's heart wavered again.

It can be confirmed that this is the first time it has followed Xu Qing to the Yin River.

But it always felt that this wasn't its first time here. If it really had been here before, then who brought it here, and why couldn't it recall the scattered fragments in its mind?
While Jin Luan was lost in thought and filled with suspicion, Xu Qing had already sent all those ghost generals and soldiers to the afterlife.

At the same time, Xu Qing also understood the reason why the Ghost King's Tomb Ghost General had collected the corpses of Zuo Zixiong's soldiers.

Three days ago, the two envoys of the Heavenly Heart Sect suddenly paid a visit to the Ghost King of Many Calamities.

The Tianxin Sect believes in the holy masters of past dynasties, and its disciples are divided into four classes: Sheng, Miao, Luo, and Jue.

Sheng and Miao were subordinates of a branch hall in the Tianxin Sect, and their status was not high. The Five Protectors above them had all died or been injured, and some of them had not even been found to this day. They were truly nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead.

Aside from the Five Protectors, the next highest-ranking are the 'Double Absolute Envoys,' whose status is second only to the Holy Lord.

Bingjueqiu Yunlong is skilled in using a pair of golden claws that are specifically designed to counter weapons. It is said that these claws were forged by a reclusive cultivator using a secret method and are extremely ferocious.

Fa Juesun Fa Ping was born with a bloated body like a pig. Later, after being enlightened by a strange person, he learned the strange technique "Great Formless Skill". When punches, palm strikes, swords and weapons are used on him, not only will he not be harmed, but he can also return all the opponent's strength and energy to him. It is very strange.

The two masters were exclusively at the behest of the Holy Lord, and there were only rumors about them in the martial arts world.

Those who truly witnessed the power of the two have mostly become wandering ghosts.

The two heroes visited the Ghost King Duo'e, seeking nothing more than to reach a cooperation agreement with him, so that he would restrain the Eight Banners Marshals, allowing them to seize the opportunity to capture Zuo Zixiong.

The reward was the soldiers under Zuo Zixiong's command.

The Heavenly Heart Sect claims to possess secret talismanic techniques that can seal the souls of the dead. They claim that if they have the support of the Ghost King of Calamity, they can send all the soldiers killed in the Yin River to the Ghost King, making them his troops and expanding the power of the royal tomb.

"Is this talisman truly capable of slaying souls and transforming the dead into vengeful ghosts and mighty soldiers?"

"It's true."

"Very well, then you two should send me some fallen soldiers for my inspection. If that's the case, when you wish to restrain the Eight Banners Marshal, you should offer incense as a token, and I will take action. But if either of you dares to play tricks on me..."

“We are just ordinary mortals, how dare we deceive the Ghost King? However, Zuo Zixiong is extremely fierce. If the two of us are no match for him, we hope that the Ghost King can lend a hand.”

The Ghost King nodded and asked, "Where is Zuo Zixiong stationed?"

"Seventy miles to the northwest, there is a place called the Dry Bones Post Station. There is a boundary marker between Yin and Yang that is more than ten feet high. Zuo Zixiong and my sect have a long-standing grudge. At that time, the two of us will lead him to this place."

If the two of us can defeat him, that's fine. But if we can't, we'll burn incense and beg the Ghost King for help. Once the Ghost King receives the incense, he only needs to come to the Dry Bones Inn!

"Kuguyi" (枯骨驿)

The Ghost King frowned, feeling that it had heard the place name somewhere before.

That's it! When the Ghost Master was still alive, he used writing to divine with it, saying that the words "dry bones" in the Dry Bone Station were extremely ominous.

Your Majesty must not go there lightly!

That's alarmist. It listened to the Master's advice and guarded the royal tomb its whole life, but in the end, it also ended up all alone.
The Demon King Duo'e chuckled and said to the Twin Absolutes, "I agree to this matter!"

After watching the ghost generals' revolving lantern, Xu Qing frowned slightly.

He had just promised the Eight Banners Marshal that he would lead Zuo Zixiong out of the Yin River when the Tianxin Sect pulled this stunt.

Isn't this deliberately trying to ruin his plans?! Xu Qing frowned, as he wasn't entirely confident of defeating the Ghost King Duo'e.

That ghost king had a thousand years of cultivation and had even been to the mortal world once. When the celestial fire calamity was about to befall him, he escaped back to the Yin River.

Such a powerful and fearless old ghost, unless Xu Qing can eliminate the threat once and for all, forming a grudge with him might affect his plans in the Yin River.

As Xu Qing was pondering, a wisp of incense smoke suddenly fell straight into the Ghost King's Tomb from the northwest direction of the Yin River.

The next moment, a rumbling sound came from the Ghost King's Tomb. Xu Qing hid behind the desolate tomb and looked into the distance. The huge tomb gate was wide open.

A ghost king with a livid face, wearing a crown with pearl tassels and an ochre-yellow dragon robe, stepped out of the tomb.

Xu Qing looked at the other party's imposing and unapproachable demeanor and clicked his tongue in amazement.

Surprisingly, his old neighbor, who was as cowardly as a turtle, was actually quite stylish in some ways!

Behind the Demon King Duo'e were more than a dozen demon generals, all dressed in black robes and armor, with bloodshot eyes and terrifying appearances.

However, there were no ghost soldiers following behind them, making them look more like an incognito visit than an imperial expedition.

A moment later, the Ghost King ascended the dragon chariot, which was made of ebony and covered with a canopy. Tassels hung from the canopy, adorned with netherworld pearls and jade, and ghostly flames flickered.

There were a total of eighteen ghost generals. Sixteen of them carried the dragon carriage in a sixteen-person carrying configuration, while the remaining two were one carrying a sheng and gong to clear the way and the other carrying the royal flag.

The main idea is to make the best use of everyone's talents and resources.

Xu Qing clicked his tongue. His neighbor was being fussy and pedantic. Even though he had no one left to rely on, he still insisted on making a grand show of an emperor's procession.

The ghost generals carried the dragon chariot, soaring into the air silently, like floating clouds on the ground.

In a short while, the imperial procession disappeared into the dark clouds and mist, and the area in front of the Ghost King's Tomb fell into complete silence.

Xu Qing understood that the other party had received a message from the Twin Immortals Incense and was going to seek revenge on the Eight Banners Marshal.

Logically, what he should be doing now is finding Zuo Zixiong, resolving the interference from the two masters of the Tianxin Sect, and taking them away from the Yin River.

But Xu Qing still remembered that the two envoys had reminded the Ghost King Duo'e that if he was not strong enough, he should send a message to ask for help, so that the Ghost King could kill Zuo Zixiong under the pressure of the Eight Banners Marshal.

Xu Qing had nothing to say.

This foolish neighbor of his had no idea of ​​Zuo Zixiong's standing in the hearts of the Eight Banners Marshals!
In the eyes of that marshal, Zuo Zixiong was a symbol that the Great Yong Dynasty could still be saved, and a spiritual anchor for the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the country and were still guarding the dynasty in the afterlife.

If the Demon King Duo'e dares to touch Zuo Zixiong, the Eight Banners Marshals will probably chase it to the ends of the earth and tear it to pieces.

Xu Qing calculated the time and, before the Ghost King Duo'e arrived, went to his old neighbor's house first.

The safest way to save Lao Zuo is to use the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao"!

Practice makes perfect. After arriving at the Ghost King's Tomb, Xu Qing followed the passageway directly to the main burial chamber, which was the Ghost King's final resting place.

In the Ghost King's Tomb, there are still a few palace maids who remained to accompany him in his burial, as well as a beautiful empress who was buried in the secondary coffin.

Upon seeing Xu Qing, the Empress was stunned and asked, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into my palace?"

Xu Qing looked at the noblewoman dressed in auspicious attire. Judging from the empress's face and clothing alone, she was indeed dignified and unapproachable.

But Xu Qing could tell at a glance that it was also a pink skeleton.

He stepped forward and said with a smile, "I am your husband's neighbor. Since your husband is not here today, I came here to visit you, sister-in-law."

"."

The Empress's phoenix eyes narrowed, her lips parted slightly, and for a moment she didn't know how to reply.

"Do you know who I am? How dare you speak so rudely? If His Majesty returns, you..."

Ignoring the other party's verbal threats, Xu Qing stepped forward, grabbed the Empress's wrist, and pulled her close to him.

The empress, whose beauty was unparalleled, looked at the pale-faced young man so close to her, and her heart, which had been still for nearly a thousand years, began to race.

Although the young man before him was rude, his appearance was far more handsome than that of his own king.

After all, the Ghost King's bony face wasn't exactly beautiful.

The Empress didn't struggle, and even said with a dazed look in her eyes, "You're really bold! His Majesty will be back soon. If you really have designs on me, you'd better hurry up, otherwise, I can't protect you!"

Xu Qing, who had just grabbed the female ghost's wrist to prevent her from escaping, was stunned.

No, did I come here to have an affair with you?

Xu Qing never expected that the empress he randomly grabbed would actually become aroused with him. What a mess this whole thing is.

"Ah, Your Majesty, rest assured, I am very fast and will be leaving soon."

"My lord, there's no need to rush. I can handle it."

"."

Xu Qing's eyelids twitched, and he immediately opened the Sutra of Salvation, replying, "I don't believe you can withstand it!"

The next moment, the page of the Sutra of Salvation turned.

The Empress had never seen anything like this before. Only when the Scripture of Salvation penetrated her body and reached the depths of her soul did she understand what the other party meant.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

The empress before him had a very long posthumous title, so Xu Qing took two characters that were easy to pronounce and called her Empress Zhaoming.

Although Empress Zhaoming was the mother of the nation and extremely wealthy, in Xu Qing's eyes, her experiences were unremarkable and had nothing outstanding to boast about.

The only one who piqued Xu Qing's interest was Princess Yanning, the daughter of Empress Zhaoming.

Princess Yanning was the first corpse that Xu Qing performed for the deceased when he first came to the Yinhe Ancient Road. Like his mother, Empress Zhaoming, she was also a beautiful skeleton.

After performing the ritual to pray for the deceased empress's remains, Xu Qing was filled with deep emotion.

Unexpectedly, he ended up helping a mother and daughter ghost to find peace.

This can be considered a matter of fate.

Finally, like the corpses of the concubines and palace servants whom Xu Qing had previously performed rituals for, Empress Zhaoming's face was frozen in a relieved and satisfied smile.

The strange, almost demonic, bewitching beauty of the deceased didn't even require Xu Qing to do any burial makeup.

Xu Qing had seen similar faces in the secular world, and those were all young women suffering from leprosy.
After placing the Empress's body into the miniature garden, Xu Qing glanced at the reward for saving people: a coffin with thirty-six layers of lacquer on the outside, three inches thick, no different from a common coffin. However, when the coffin was opened, the interior was like a bedroom, large enough for three to five people to live in.

Although the item was not of high quality, Xu Qing treasured it as if it were a priceless gem.

He was in need of a temporary palace, and this coffin perfectly met his needs.

If a qualified zombie king doesn't have a palace to live in, can he still be called a zombie king?
(End of this chapter)