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

Chapter 358 A Minister's Three Visits to His Sovereign's Thatched Cottage

On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the wind disperses the cicadas' song, and autumn arrives in ten thousand trees.

The number seven holds special significance in the funeral industry. It seems that this number is significant, or perhaps the word itself has some meaning.

Xu Qing had just seen off a guest when a familiar knock came at the door.

He could guess what had happened without even turning around, since the shop door was wide open in broad daylight but he had to knock.

Xu Qing sighed softly and went to the door.

A short, fat man with a dark face suddenly knelt down outside the door, kowtowing loudly.

Behind the fat man were his wife and grandchildren, and even his own disciples and their descendants.

The whole family followed suit and kowtowed.

As the old saying goes, "A filial son's head is always on the street."

It means that regardless of age or seniority, anyone going to announce a death must kowtow to the person first.

This was the first time Xu Qing had encountered so many people bringing news of a death. Just as he was about to speak, Guo Baolin suddenly burst into tears, wailing loudly:

"Godfather! My dear godfather! How could you just leave like that! Back then, you took in this good-for-nothing, taught me to tell stories, and taught me how to be a person. I, as your son and apprentice, haven't even repaid that kindness enough, and yet you, you just kicked the bucket and went to the Western Paradise, leaving me here heartbroken with no one to care for me!"

“Uncle Xu, you were my godfather’s best friend, a confidant despite the age difference. Our relationship was even closer than that of blood brothers. Now that my godfather is gone, you are my only uncle.”

Guo Baolin's crying became increasingly earth-shattering:
"Uncle, you must acknowledge me as your nephew. You're the only family I have left. Oh, it hurts my heart so much."

In the storytelling profession, people call each other "master" in public and "godfather" in private.

Guo Baolin, on the other hand, not only recognized a godfather, but also went to Xu Qing to recognize a god-uncle, and what's more, he brought his whole family, including younger members of the storytelling circle.

Now, with this shameless howling, the whole neighborhood heard it.

Across the street, the owner of the incense and candle shop, Mr. Cheng, tiptoed and peered in his direction.

The proprietress wondered, what's going on today? There was no mention of any program bookings yesterday!

In front of the coroner's shop, Xu Qing was held captive by the fat, dark-skinned man for quite some time.

He has seen so many corpses and countless reincarnations that he has witnessed more than Guo Baolin has lived ten lifetimes. How could he not see through the other party's thoughts?

It's possible that the fat, dark-skinned man came to deliver the news of death, but his main purpose must have been to retrieve the original copy of the Dongyang Travelogue that Guo Dongyang had given him before his death.

He had no children and was a lonely man in the eyes of outsiders. As long as Guo Baolin recognized him as his uncle, the Dongyang Travelogue would eventually return to the Guo family.
Xu Qing calmly told everyone to get up. Right now, nothing else mattered; the most important thing was to arrange Guo Dongyang's funeral so that he could be laid to rest.

As for Guo Baolin's little scheme
Even if Xu Qing made them wait for eighteen generations, the descendants of the Guo family might not live to see the day he passed away.

The last person to have this idea, Old Man Huang, is now more obedient than anyone else.

Even the old immortals couldn't see any hope of him surviving, but Guo Baolin was certainly ambitious.
Xu Qing didn't expose the family's ulterior motives. He proceeded as usual, carrying out the funeral and burial of Guo Dongyang according to the specifications of a thirty-two-person palanquin.

On this day, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.

Outside the courtyard of Rongsheng Teahouse, a large tent was erected, with a gate tower, a bell and drum tower, and a colorful archway made of blue and white paper flowers, on which were written three words: "It's a big event."

The Mencius, Book 4, Part 2, states: "Those who seek to preserve life are not fit to handle important matters; only those who can send off the dead are fit to handle important matters."

What does this mean?
While it is important to care for one's parents while they are alive, it is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to see them off at the end of their lives, arrange their funerals, and ensure that they can rest in peace after death.

This is the proper way to care for the elderly and see them off in their final days.

Guo Dongyang lived in a teahouse, but he didn't have a proper hall where he could be laid to rest after his death. In addition, he was a storyteller, a public figure who was quite popular.

Xu Qing pushed aside the funeral arrangements according to the funeral plan, and that was it! They could only handle Lao Guo's funeral by setting up a tent on the street to keep the body there.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the procession began with three cannon shots, inviting the civil officials to officiate and the military generals to perform the gate-raising ceremony.

Then, twenty-four pallbearers carried the coffin outside. The pallbearers were all dressed in red-tasseled hats and green-framed robes.

One by one, they shaved their heads, took a bath in advance to remove all the dirt, wore big boots and trousers, and the thirty-two men worked three shifts, making a total of ninety-six people. They lined up in a long line that stretched for two miles!

A large, imposing crowd marched along the way, with various banners, paper figures, and paper horses lining the route. The funeral paper money was scattered as if the family owned a money exchange, as if they were throwing it away recklessly.

The last time such a large-scale operation was carried out was by Wang Lingyuan, the coroner of Linjiang County.

But the people of Tianjin have never seen this before!
Upon seeing this, those who didn't know better would have thought that some important person had passed away.

While Guo Baolin was heartbroken, he was also secretly astonished.

His Uncle Xu is really willing to spend money, which shows he's a loyal and affectionate person!

He'd better appease him; who knows what the future holds?
Pshaw! He's still waiting to inherit the original Dongyang Travelogue, how can he possibly go ahead of his uncle? That would be so tactless!
Ordinary people in the city are preoccupied with trivial matters, like a chicken with a pesky tongue.

Xu Qing didn't care. He buried his old friend in the private cemetery at Wujiu Slope so that Wang Lingyuan would have a companion and not be lonely. Then he returned to his peaceful life of collecting corpses and carrying out funerals.

However peaceful his life may have been, he still remembered what happened in Baiyun Cave.

"Eleven years and two months, that's more than half a year left."

Xu Qing once again used the Earth-based Qimen Dunjia technique. Although the trip to Yunmeng Mountain was imminent, he would not let this delay his business of causing misfortune.

That's no excuse for him to be lazy!
Mid-July, at the Shuimen Bridge Villa.

A little girl in a black dress is playing shuttlecock with a little girl in a padded jacket in the yard.

The feathers on that shuttlecock were golden in color; even an old geezer would have a hard time finding such an item.

The two girls moved swiftly, while the shuttlecock flew back and forth like a streak of fire, too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Nearby, under the shady locust tree with its canopy of green, the female ghost embroiderer was dancing with her flowing sleeves, humming a new tune to the middle-aged man under the tree.

Xu Qing leaned back in the rattan chair, briefly enjoying the tranquility before her.

Today is auspicious for weddings and visiting friends; inauspicious for encoffining and burial.

These days, people choose auspicious days and times and follow the almanac when it comes to important events like weddings and funerals.

On days like today, when burials and earth-breaking are considered taboo, this is the quietest time for the family of the deceased.

However, just as Xu Qing was enjoying a moment of leisure, he suddenly sensed that a customer had arrived at the mortuary.

The main hall of the Cat Immortal Hall is located in the coroner's shop, which is shrouded in the Immortal Hall's magical realm. As the sect leader, Xu Qing can sense anyone who enters the Immortal Hall's territory.

"Tsk, on such a joyous day, why aren't you at a banquet or visiting friends? What are you doing here at my shop?"

Xu Qing had no choice; he couldn't just ignore business coming his way.

The two, a zombie and a cat, had already formed a tacit understanding. After sensing the abnormality at the coroner's shop, Xuan Yu, who was playing with Shi Yue, followed him back to Jingxia Street.

At this time, the usually deserted coroner's shop was filled with people.

Xu Qing glanced over and saw that the leaders were not only a peacock-embroidered official in embroidered robes, but also a golden pheasant-embroidered captain in embroidered robes. Behind them, there were about two hundred embroidered messengers.

This momentum is even greater than that of Wang Liang.

Perhaps it was because word got out that Xu Qing had complained about these imperial guards interfering with his business last time, but this time they chose a day that wouldn't interfere with the coroner's shop's business to make a special visit.

Xu Qing led a black cat and swayed as he approached.

This time, not only did the imperial guards not stop them, but the imperial guards in front of them even made way for them, as if to welcome them.

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and pushed through the crowd to see Li Tiezhu talking with two officials in brocade robes, exuding an air of refinement, in front of the paper-craft shop. One of them was thin and weathered, looking tired from years of hard work, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, as if they could see right through people.

The other man had a short beard and looked about 70% like the former, but he had a more imposing presence. Even when he stood there without saying a word, he exuded an aura of authority and dignity, truly a man of profound depth and towering presence.

Although Xu Qing already knew the identities of the two men, she still felt somewhat emotional upon seeing them again.

"Brother Xu!"

Upon seeing Xu Qing, Wu Zhiyuan and Wu Wencai's eyes lit up, and they hurriedly stepped forward and clasped their hands in greeting.

Xu Qing smiled slightly and cupped his hands in return, saying, "I dare not address you as brothers. You two are now pillars of the Great Yan Dynasty. How could I, a poor scholar, dare to address you as brothers?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhiyuan's face flushed crimson, and he hurriedly said:
“Brother En’s words are truly a scathing critique! If it weren’t for your help back then, my brother and I would have been drowned in the river long ago, and we wouldn’t be where we are today. Brother Xu, please don’t bring up the matter of officialdom versus civility anymore. I have always considered you a brother!”

Wu Wencai blushed and said, "Brother is absolutely right. Please don't say such things again, otherwise my brother and I will be too ashamed to face anyone, and we will lose our official positions!"

Seeing the two of them like this, Xu Qing felt a sense of relief.

Many people in the world forget poverty and lowliness when they see wealth and honor, and abandon their old friends when they gain power and influence.

However, the Wu brothers before us, despite their high positions in the government and their generous salaries, still maintain the same level of propriety as before, which is already commendable.

Wu Zhiyuan welcomed the two into the paper craft shop. Looking at the familiar scene inside, he realized it was exactly the same as it had been twenty years ago, unchanged.

"Zhiyuan, Wencai, you two should tell me about your experiences over the years, so I can broaden my horizons."

Wu Zhiyuan shook his head with a wry smile and said, "The changes my brother and I have experienced over the years are too numerous to recount in a few words."

The two brothers were overcome with grief at the sight of the scenery, but they had never had anyone to confide in before. Now that they had met Xu Qing, they poured out their hearts and told him everything.

"When I was serving as the magistrate of Danchi County, His Majesty sent me a letter, requesting that I abandon my post and go to the northern frontier to assist him."

Wu Wencai smiled and said, "His Majesty said in his letter that my elder brother and Brother Xu had already gone to the northern frontier. I believe it without a doubt. However, at that time, I was thinking of the people in my jurisdiction and was unable to leave to go."

Wu Zhiyuan chuckled and shook his head: "This was actually His Majesty's doing. I remember that Wencai only learned that His Majesty had written in my letter that he and Brother Xu had already defected to the northern frontier when he returned to the capital to report on his duties and met with me."

"."

Xu Qing clicked his tongue and said, "That's quite a coincidence. I also received a letter from the Northern Frontier. It says that you and Wencai have been recruited by him and he wants me to come and work with him on this great cause."

"."

"Is there such a thing?"

The two Wu brothers looked at each other, but then they understood. This was indeed something His Majesty would do.

While the group was chatting, Wu Zhiyuan, who had once given Xuan Yu the Taoist name 'Qingqing', suddenly looked at the black cat in the shop.

"Could this cat be the Lady Qingqing from twenty years ago? If so, this cat truly deserves the title of the God of Longevity."

Xu Qing smiled slightly and casually said, "This cat is a descendant of Lady Qingqing, so it's practically a grandchild!"

Wu Zhiyuan sighed again.

Xu Qing seized the opportunity to ask, "How is your father now?"

"My father is nearly seventy years old, but now he is enjoying his retirement in the capital."

Wu Wencai also laughed and said, "Now, besides playing with his grandson all day, what my uncle misses most is this shop on Jingxia Street, and the years when he and Brother Xu did funeral business together."

Wu Zhiyuan sighed as well, "It's hard to leave one's homeland. My father has run a paper-craft shop for most of his life, how could he easily give it up? Speaking of which, my father once jokingly said that he would definitely ask Brother Xu to do it for him in the future."

"."

Seeing that the two looked uncomfortable, Xu Qing took the initiative to change the subject, saying, "When you two left Tianjin, you were already married. Now your nieces and nephews must be all grown up, right?"

Wu Wencai couldn't help but chuckle and said, "It's not just adults; Zhiyuan's children got married early, and his grandson is already two years old!"

"Brother Xu, are you still unmarried?"

"."

Xu Qing was speechless.

Humans give birth faster than cats!
In just a few years, Wu Yaoxing has become a great-grandfather.

“A husband should settle down and start a family. Brother Xu is already over forty. Even if he doesn’t settle down, does he intend to continue running his shop on Jingxia Street?”

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and looked at the two of them.

The Wu brothers are no longer what they used to be.

When Wu Zhiyuan received Zhu Huaian's letter and learned that he and Wu Wencai had already joined him, he packed his belongings without hesitation and went to the northern frontier.

From then on, Wu Zhiyuan assisted the king all the way until he achieved great success!

Wu Zhiyuan has now been granted the title of Duke Wencheng and appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, making decisions at the central level.

Wu Wencai served as the Pacification Commissioner of Jingzhou and the Military Commissioner of Lingnan after governing the region and bringing stability to Jingzhou. After returning to the capital to report on his duties, he was appointed as a Vice Chancellor and granted the title of Earl of Jingcheng, and was given important responsibilities.

Xu Qing understood the significance of this.

In the eyes of the people of Dayan, the Wu brothers served in the same court and both held high-ranking positions, making them truly outstanding individuals from the same family!
But now, the two of them suddenly asked him about his future plans.
Xu Qing couldn't help but recall the time when Wang Liang, acting on Zhu Huai'an's orders, came to invite him to "come out of seclusion".

"Could it be that you two have also been ordered by His Majesty to invite me to serve as an official?"

Wu Wencai praised, "Brother Xu has such keen insight; there's nothing that can be hidden from him."

Wu Zhiyuan chimed in, "His Majesty misses Brother Xu very much, and often talks about the days when he, Wencai, and Brother Xu drank and made merry together in Tianjin."

Xu Qing waved his hand and said, "Times have changed. The ruler is the ruler, and the subject is the subject. How can things be the same as yesterday? You two should not try to persuade me. It's not that I don't agree, but I am incompetent and unworthy to take on this responsibility."

"Furthermore, you two both have official titles and achievements, while I am just a funeral director at a funeral shop. I have no skills other than funeral processions. What kind of official position would I be if I went to the capital?"

"The new dynasty is in its prime, and it is not proper for someone like me, who works in the funeral industry, to go to the imperial court to serve as an official."

Seeing Xu Qing's decisive refusal, the Wu brothers exchanged a glance and tacitly stopped discussing the matter.

If it were anyone else, they would have reasoned with them and appealed to their emotions, determined to fulfill His Majesty's instructions no matter what.

But Xu Qing was different. In addition to their relationship with His Majesty, the three also had a personal connection, and the two brothers understood Xu Qing's ambitions from the very beginning.

Now, they are merely using His Majesty's decree to arrange their reunion.

After staying for a day, the Wu brothers returned to the capital the following day.

Xu Qing continued to live a life surrounded by cats, foxes, ghosts, and corpses.

However, their good fortune didn't last long. Just ten days after the Wu brothers returned to Beijing, another uninvited guest arrived at their shop.

The man was about forty years old, wearing a headscarf, his black hair tightly bound, not a single strand out of place.

He was dressed in a plain blue satin robe, and at first glance he looked like a wealthy old man, but upon closer inspection, he was quite different.

Although this man appeared to be a commoner, his posture was as upright as a pine tree, and his demeanor was composed and dignified. He was either a subject or a monarch.

Xu Qing took a deep breath. If he had to say who he least wanted to see in the next hundred years, it would probably be this middle-aged man in front of him.

(End of this chapter)