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

Chapter 336 United We Stand, We Assassinate the King! (6k views, please vote!)

Jingxia Street, in front of a coffin shop.

Master Yizhen stared at the spherical, unidentified creature that swayed into the shop, and didn't react for a long time.

Could this be a chicken raised naturally by the Five Elders Temple?

Master Yizhen even doubted whether he had made a mistake, and whether the chicken was actually not the one from the Five Elders Temple.
But who would raise a normal chicken into a pig?
Jinluan, who had been away from home for more than half a year, felt as if she had seen a relative when she met Daoist Yizhen, and tears welled up in her eyes.

However, the first thing Master Yizhen asked was, "Where is Junior Brother Xu?"

After saying this, the Taoist priest bypassed Jin Luan and took two steps at a time to walk to the door and look around, but unfortunately he did not see Xu Qing.

Jinluan kept muttering to herself, and when Daoist Yizhen heard that Xu Qing still had things to do, he felt inexplicably disappointed.

Besides her master Jingxu and her deceased father Hu Baosong, she only knew Xu Qing, her junior brother.

When Jinluan said that she and Xu Qing had stayed in the Yin River for more than half a year and missed the mortal world very much, Daoist Yizhen asked with some doubt:
"More than half a year? Didn't you stay in the Yin River for seven years?"

Seven years? No, no, it's clearly seven months. Mr. Xu said he wouldn't lie, how could it be seven years?
After confirming that seven years had indeed passed in the mortal world, Jinluan remained silent for a long time. Logically, it should have been angry, but for some reason, it did not feel any resentment towards Xu Qing at all. In fact, it even felt that he was doing it for its own good.

Jinluan vaguely felt that it was as if it had been cursed by humans, but it was a divine bird that could restrain all kinds of Gu. What kind of Gu could bewitch its mind?
It must be an illusion. Although Xu Qing deceived it, he actually had good intentions. That must be it, the Abbot of Jingxu Temple often said this to Daoist Yizhen.
Under the peach tree in the backyard, the abbot of Jingxu Temple was preaching and spreading the Dharma.

Before the old woman, all the most renowned immortals from the celestial temple came to the coffin shop to listen to scriptures and learn magic.

Earlier, the head of Jingxu Temple had been punished by heaven for making random divinations. Fortunately, Tao Sanmei was timid and afraid of death, so she threw out 100,000 incense sticks, which protected everyone in the coffin shop.

The master of Jingxu Temple is no longer physically present, and his astral spirit is most afraid of Yang thunder, which is extremely strong and Yang, let alone heavenly thunder that is aimed at the primordial spirit.

There was no other way. Although the old woman was usually a bit cold-hearted, she knew right from wrong, so she often preached and taught in the coffin shop to compensate the peach tree demon.

Of course, there's also the reason that they can't afford to repay the 100,000 incense offerings.

As a guardian deity, Tao Sanmei felt it was her duty to improve the overall quality of the deities. Therefore, whenever the Jingxu Temple held a sermon, she would have Huang Xiaoliu, the head of the temple, send out a message so that all the deities in each hall could come and audit the class if they had free time.

In the past, these immortals, who were used to their freedom, would not have taken it seriously. But since joining Master Xu's temple and living a life with at least 50,000 incense coins and bonuses every year, as well as various temple benefits, these immortals always felt that if they did more for the temple, they would be letting down Master Xu and Lady Qingqing for their cultivation!
Therefore, without anyone supervising them, each group worked even harder than the last!

In the eyes of the immortals, this must be the result of accumulating great virtue in the previous life to be able to cultivate in the immortal hall and Baosheng Temple in this life.

Even now, with Xu Qing gone, the immortals of each hall are still fulfilling their duties, and are even working harder than when Xu Qing was here!

It can be said that if anyone dares to harm the Immortal Hall now, the immortals of each hall will fight him to the death the next moment!
In short, heads may be severed, blood may flow, but the Immortal Hall must not fall!
In this atmosphere, as soon as they heard a primordial spirit preach, even if the spirit's words were unpleasant to hear and there was some discrimination against immortals with fur and horns, the immortals still shamelessly came.

And everyone is more enthusiastic about learning than the last!

The Fengshui Hall is overseen by the Gray Immortal Gu Zixu. Gray Immortals are naturally extremely sensitive to changes in the earth's veins. Gu Zixu considers himself the leader of the Fengshui Hall and believes he should do his duty to contribute to the main hall. He doesn't have to build the entire hall into an impregnable fortress, but at least he can't let things fall apart in his own Fengshui Hall. He is determined to make this branch under his management as solid as a fortress!

When Gu Zixu listened to the abbot of Jingxu Temple explain the theory of feng shui, he was the most attentive. During this time, he read through many books. When he encountered something he did not understand, he would seek out Tao Sanmei. Tao Sanmei would then use her past relationship of offering 100,000 incense sticks to persuade the abbot of Jingxu Temple to answer his questions.

Besides the Feng Shui Hall, the same applies to the Protector Hall, the Transmission Hall, the Encirclement Hall, and the Pressure Hall.

While Lord Crow was away on official business, the temple selected a new deity to act as the temple master.

Crows are known for their intelligence, and among the descendants of the Crow Lord, there is a mutated white crow that is the most intelligent. The current head of the family is the white crow 'White Gentleman'.

In this defiled world, few people uphold the righteous path and cultivate themselves. The abbot of Jingxu Temple, seeing that the immortals in this place have always adhered to the righteous path and accumulated virtue, has gradually lost his prejudice and has also developed the desire to guide them.

These immortal beings, if placed in the modern world, would be no different from endangered species.

The abbot of Jingxu Temple felt inexplicably sorry when he thought that these small animals might one day become extinct under the wheels of a great calamity.

Fine! Since they are so ambitious, she'll be happy to be their guide this time.

Teach them for three to five years, and they'll be able to repay the debt of 100,000 incense offerings.

The abbot of Jingxu Temple had nothing else on him, but he possessed a considerable collection of Taoist books and scriptures.

The Five Elders Temple has a tradition of various arts and practices, including feng shui, divination, traditional Chinese medicine, alchemy, weapon crafting, and talisman drawing.

In their spare time, the immortals delve into feng shui, traditional Chinese medicine, alchemy, and the wonders of formations. Their knowledge and insights far surpass those of ordinary immortals, and they are even comparable to some disciples of major sects.

However, human relationships have their limits. As the abbess of Jingxu Temple clearly stated today, seven years is a critical juncture in the transmission of knowledge and skills, and this is also her last time to preach and teach.

After explaining the Taoist alchemy problem clearly to Bai Xiaoxian, the Abbot of Jingxu Temple finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With no debts, I feel much lighter; the debt of 100,000 incense offerings is finally settled.

However, just as Abbot Jingxu was feeling relieved, Daoist Yizhen came over with a spherical creature that looked to weigh at least two or three hundred pounds.

Upon hearing that the Golden Phoenix had survived a five-hundred-year-old lightning calamity, the Abbot of Jingxu Temple unusually offered a word of praise:
"I wondered who was undergoing tribulation at the White Sand River, but I never expected it to be you, the Five Virtues Bird!"

The rooster is a bird of five virtues, possessing five qualities: literary (crow), martial (spurs like soldiers), courage (willing to fight to the death), benevolence (calling out to others when they see food), and trustworthiness (keeping watch and crowing at dawn).

It should be noted that the abbot of Jingxu Temple used to call Jinluan "the one who knows the times," which shows how highly the old lady regarded her at this time.

But when the abbess of Jingxu Temple heard that Jinluan owed Xu Qing 100,000 incense offerings in order to avoid disaster, the old woman was completely distraught.

"You feathered beast! How dare you ask me to repay the debts you owe? Even if you sold the entire Five Elders Temple, it wouldn't be enough to pay off the debts you've incurred!"

In this corrupt and degenerate world, the value of those grand temples has long been depreciated. Even in times of peace and prosperity, the donations of 100,000 incense sticks are not something that ordinary families can afford to repay.

Are we really going to make this old woman serve as a teacher to those horned and furry immortals for another seven years?
However, just as the old woman was feeling depressed, a sudden inspiration struck her. She thought to herself, "Didn't you sign a contract of servitude with that young Xu? Then you can stay with him as a spirit for a few years, and when you've paid off your debts, you can come back to him!"

Jinluan, far from seeing this as punishment, was overjoyed.

Seeing this, Master Yizhen couldn't help but lean closer to his master and scold, "It's already a great favor that Junior Brother Xu has done for you for the past seven years by taming the Golden Phoenix. Why do you still want to send the Golden Phoenix to him and bother him?"

"Hey! I didn't force him to raise this stupid chicken. Fine! I see you've all grown up and are turning against your own kind. Why don't you go with Jinluan too, so I won't get in your way?"

"That's not what I meant."

Master Yizhen stamped his foot, feeling quite embarrassed and annoyed.

Peach Sister sat on the tree, her legs swinging under her skirt. When she heard that Jin Luan had signed the decree, become a celestial being, and owed 100,000 incense offerings, her eyes lit up.

The sect leader is still a cut above the rest. With this loan reimbursement, the old lady will have to pull out even more of her real skills!
Luoyang City.

Xu Qing crossed the Gaoliang Bridge, entered through the Xizhimen Gate, and strolled towards the center of the imperial city.

This was his first time setting foot in the important area surrounding the capital.

If it were when the nation's fortune was still strong, he would never have gone to such a place where the human race's fortune converged.

If he were to fight with someone and leak his aura, allowing the Great Dragon of National Fortune to detect the evil spirit entering the city and turn it into a defensive tower to wear down several layers of his fortune, how wronged he would be.

Now, with the true dragon in the wild, he, who possesses four layers of imperial purple aura, is the true master of this capital city.

Xu Qing walked through the streets filled with unease. Some ordinary people were discussing privately whether they should move their entire families out of the capital to avoid the ravages of war before the Beixiang army attacked.

Someone replied, "These days, where isn't chaotic? It's better to stay in familiar places than anything else!"

"What if the Northern Xiang Army wins? We don't know how they will manage this place."

Just then, a pale-faced young man appeared in the teahouse and interjected, "What if! That's a sure thing! Besides, let's not even talk about the strict discipline of the Beixiang Army. Even if you replaced him with someone else, could he be any worse than that dog emperor?"

"Too."

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly, and their gazes towards the young man became more affectionate.

"You dare to speak so boldly to His Majesty? You'd better watch your words in the future, and don't say such things in public."

"Waiter, bring this young master a pot of good tea, it's on me!"

The capital city is a strategically important location.

Having just finished tea and snacks, Xu Qing walked along the path to digest his food, as if strolling through his own family's cemetery, until he reached the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation combines government and living quarters. The front hall, also known as the Hall of Diligent Governance and Affection for the Virtuous, was where the emperors of past dynasties lived, reviewed memorials, and received ministers.

Xu Qing entered the hall but did not see the old emperor. Instead, he encountered a guard dog at the Grandmaster level on the only way to the rear hall.

"Who are you? I am Feng Dehai. This is the imperial residence. Do you have any official documents to grant me an audience?"

Xu Qing found the name familiar, and after a moment's thought, he immediately remembered who it was.

"So it's Eunuch Feng. It's been a while since I've seen you."

Xu Qing was telling the truth. He had spent years on the Yinhe Ancient Road and hadn't performed many rituals for the people in the palace, so he hadn't seen Feng Dehai in anyone's life for a long time. "You know me? How come I don't remember you?"

Feng Dehai, wearing a five-clawed dragon robe, put away his whisk, his face full of doubt.

Xu Qing said calmly, "You and I have a grudge. Years ago, my father-in-law was ordered by the emperor to go to Yunmeng Mountain to seek immortal medicine, which cost my cat its life. That's a past grudge. More than ten years ago, your godson Long Engui colluded with the Tianjin Gang to steal my goods. That's also a past grudge."

“Now, you shamelessly block my path to assassinate the king, reeking of urine, which makes me very unhappy. This is a new grudge.”

"Father-in-law, do you remember me now?"

Grand Eunuch Feng Dehai's expression suddenly changed. He pointed his little finger at Xu Qing and said in a stern voice, "So it's you, you little bastard! We've been investigating for so many years, but I never expected you to come looking for us yourself!"

"You've committed a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family, and you still dare to laugh? Now that you're here, don't even think about leaving!"

Xu Qing grinned, pinching the Qimen Dunjia divination tool as he said, "You're such a coward, you're covered in fox stench. I don't want to fight you up close. So, I'll cast a spell on you, and save you the trouble."

After saying that, Xu Qing took out a yellow talisman from his sleeve and recited Feng Dehai's birth date and time, along with his childhood name and the age at which he died.

Feng Dehai sensed something was wrong. He shook his whisk, stomped his foot, and was about to interrupt the young man and take his life when he suddenly felt a chill run through his body, as if he had instantly turned into a corpse.

At the same time, the yellow talisman in Xu Qing's hand burned out, and the curse of sharing life and death had taken effect!
"you!"

Feng Dehai's eyes widened, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

To think that a grandmaster like him could not even unleash a single move before being defeated by this young man with such unpredictable methods.

Xu Qing stepped forward and glanced at Feng Dehai, who lay dead with his eyes wide open.

"It's an advantage for you."

After performing the ritual to help the deceased pass on to the afterlife, Xu Qing drew the long sword given to him by Zuo Zixiong and beheaded Feng Dehai.

People from Tianjin have always been particular about their appearance; how could he come to see the emperor empty-handed?

The Hall of Mental Cultivation, with its rear hall and warm pavilion.

Emperor Jingxing sat on the dragon throne for fourteen years, through winter and summer, and even at the age of seventy, he stubbornly refused to give up his seat.

In this situation, only a talented and virtuous old man can be considered a treasure.

Those elderly people who are neither virtuous nor talented, yet greedy for high positions and unwilling to give up their seats to young people, are people with moral problems.

Emperor Jingxing clearly did not understand this principle.

"I have devoted myself to governing the country with all my heart and soul, to the point that my hair has turned white. Why are there still such treacherous and disastrous ministers like you who come to harm me?"

The old emperor looked at the young man who came to the palace with a head in one hand and a sword in the other, and spoke in a solemn tone.

"That's enough! Your seventy-year-old father doesn't have white hair? If it weren't for that evil Taoist priest from Baiyun Temple prolonging your life, you old dog who lives off your parents, children, and the people's hard-earned money would have died long ago. How could you be here twisting the truth like this!"

"You rude and unruly commoner, how could you possibly understand my will!" Emperor Jingxing's face suddenly darkened, and he said sternly but inwardly, "The ruler governs the country and nurtures the people, and the people defend the country and repay the ruler. This is the ultimate principle of heaven and earth. How have I made any mistakes?"

Xu Qing sneered, "The people of the world are starving and freezing, and you have the nerve to talk about governing the country and caring for the people? What, are the people just meant to suffer and be exploited by you?"

The old emperor disagreed: "Why don't the starving people eat meat? Why don't we cover them with cotton blankets? They don't work the fields, yet they fatten up pigs and sheep. How can you blame me?"

Having held a high position for so long, Emperor Jingxing still considered himself the Son of Heaven even with an assassin holding a knife to his head, and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Xu Qing grinned as he listened, and several times he almost couldn't resist chopping the other person to pieces.

"Fine! You're blaming others now. So when you killed your brothers, it was because they were too fragile and couldn't withstand the killing?"

Xu Qing was too lazy to waste words with this tyrannical and incompetent emperor. He threw the head of the eunuch who had once been ordered to obtain the elixir of immortality onto the imperial desk.

"Don't give me that nonsense. I have no interest in your empire! I'm here today to settle our personal scores. As for your grudges with your brothers and the world, you can deal with those in the underworld yourself!"

Emperor Jingxing ignored Xu Qing's sarcasm and frowned, saying, "Personal grudges? You are just a commoner, you don't even have the right to see me normally, so what grudges do you have with me?"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes as he looked at Emperor Jingxing's arrogant demeanor, and immediately raised his blood-stained sword.

"Wait! Tell me your grievances. If I have indeed made a mistake, I will apologize. Even if you want to use this to gain an official position, I may grant your request."

Apologize? Xu Qing decisively swung his longsword, and in the next moment, he sliced ​​off Emperor Jingxing's crown and scalp, sending them crashing to the ground!
Emperor Jingxing cried out in pain, raising his hand and shouting:
"I am the ruler of this country, how dare you treat me like this? This is a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire family!"

"Execute nine generations of their family?" Xu Qing chuckled. "See this chief eunuch? The last one to say that is right in front of you now!"

As he spoke, Xu Qing used his sword to lift Feng Dehai's head, which remained open in death, and threw it into Emperor Jingxing's arms.

The old emperor, who had collapsed to the ground, instinctively caught it, but when he saw the bloody thing in his arms, he was nearly scared to death.

Oh my god! This is absolutely terrible!
The old emperor, as if a long snake had fallen on him, threw the chief eunuch aside, then crawled to Xu Qing on his knees, tears streaming down his face, and said, "I am old and only wish for a peaceful end. Otherwise, I will let you rule from behind the curtain, and you will be the ruler of this empire. I will be a puppet. If you want this empire, after I pass away, without you firing a single shot, this land will be yours! My harem, everything I have will be yours!"

Xu Qing scoffed, "What's the difference between you and Feng Dehai, old man? What use are three palaces and six courtyards to you? Don't give me that nonsense, I'm here to settle scores!"

Xu Qing kicked Emperor Jingxing to the ground, and the dagger hidden in the old emperor's wide sleeve fell out with a crisp sound.

"."

The old emperor blinked and tried to force a harmless smile.

This old dog
Xu Qing sucked on his teeth and immediately took his sword and walked step by step toward the old emperor who was crawling backward.

Seeing that there was no way to salvage the situation, Emperor Jingxing's face contorted with rage as he said, "You're nothing but a coveterant who wants my empire! All that talk of revenge and vengeance is just a lie to fool the people! It's nothing but an excuse!"

Xu Qing raised his longsword and this time plunged it directly into the old emperor's ankle as he crawled backward.

"I wouldn't even take your entire empire, the Great Yong, for free! I'm only here to avenge my cat! Decades ago, you instigated Emperor Longping to send Feng Dehai to Yunmeng Mountain to seek the elixir of immortality, requiring a nine-lived black cat as the medicinal ingredient. That cat was mine, and you took its life. Today is the day you pay for it!"

"But listen carefully, even if I kill you a thousand times today, it won't be worth a single hair on my cat's head!"

Cat? Emperor Jingxing forgot to even cry out in pain. His eyes were glazed over. For a cat, the Great Yong's dragon vein was destroyed, and they even wanted to take my life?

That's a matter of the rise and fall of a nation!
"You want to kill me just for a cat?"

Xu Qing grinned and said, "That's my cat!"

Emperor Jingxing's expression changed drastically. If what the other party said was true, it was to avenge a cat that had been involved in his search for the elixir of immortality, thereby destroying the Great Yong Dynasty's centuries-old state, then his name, Emperor Jingxing Zhao Rong, would truly become a shameful joke in the history books.

From now on, Zhao's descendants will have to curse him by name for generations to come. Even if they enter the ancestral hall, they will have to spit on the memorial tablet!

Emperor Jingxing knew he was unlikely to survive, and since he was not expected to live much longer, all he cared about was his posthumous reputation.

He absolutely will not allow such a thing to happen!
Emperor Jingxing's expression shifted, and he spoke with near-madness, disregarding everything:
"You cannot ruin me because of a cat. I am the ruler of a country. How can I suffer such humiliation?"

"If you consider yourself a benevolent and virtuous man, you should let me end my life here. If that happens, it will become a legendary tale! But if you kill me for a cat, plunging the people of the world into the suffering of war, you will also be condemned for eternity!"

Xu Qing grabbed the old emperor by the collar and slapped him across the face.

"You old hen, you're holed up in the main hall and not brooding, but you want to crow and be seen as a rooster by the whole world? What, you think you're so great?"

The old emperor's face swelled up on one side, and Xu Qing slapped him again to make it symmetrical.

"This slap was for my cat. Your imperial authority is nothing but a fart to me. Outside, you'd be a figure of eternal infamy, despised by all!"

*Slap!* Xu Qing stepped on the old emperor's hand and slapped him again.

"This was for the innocent people at Baiyun Temple whose lives you took."

"This slap is for all virtuous and righteous people under heaven. A tyrannical and incompetent ruler like you dares to challenge a knightly duel? You're not worthy!"

"I haven't decided on this slap yet, but you look like you deserve a beating. After I'm done, the historians will fabricate charges against you!"

Wow—you!

The old emperor was well-preserved; even in his seventies, he still had a mouthful of blood gushing from his white teeth. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot as he stared at the demon-like young man before him.

"What do you mean, 'you'? Who gives you the right to speak here?"

"puff--"

This time, Xu Qing had just raised his hand, not even ready to strike, when the emperor in front of him widened his eyes, spat out blood, and was so enraged that he died on the spot.

(End of this chapter)