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

Chapter 372 A Million Incense Offerings, A Golden Rooster Husbands Its Nest

As the seasons turned and twenty years of growth and decay passed, the increasingly aged Crow King looked at the familiar Tianjin area and slowed down his flight. The courage he had once had to leave his hometown and the longing for his homeland for twenty years had now turned into unease and cowardice.

The crow had never felt such fear before. Even when facing unfamiliar lands across the ocean or the oppressive sight of the Pharaoh opening his coffin, it had never felt such dread.

Looking back, it was only because of a single word from the sect leader, a promise to his descendants, that he abandoned his family and business, wanting to secure a future for his children and grandchildren before the candle burned out.

Crow dared not imagine what it would be like if the Cat Immortal Hall disbanded during this time, or if the sect leader forgot about it, or if the sect declined.
A journey of thousands of miles takes only twenty years.

But the Tianjin area, which is just a short distance away, feels farther than the road he has traveled in the past twenty years.

In the distance, the waves crashed against the shore, and the salty wind blew from the mouth of the Tianjin Strait. In the distance, a crow could be heard cawing. The crow landed on a protruding reef and dared not take another step forward.

The cawing of crows was like a mirage, creating an illusion that seemed utterly unreal.

How could the crows of Luanshi Mountain and the spirits of the ancestral hall have come to the mouth of Tianjin?
As Guaye gazed into the distance, he could vaguely see a figure standing on the protruding Eagle's Beak Cliff at the edge of the misty sea. Behind that figure were many unfamiliar figures, and above him, a flock of crows circled endlessly.

Grandpa Crow's heartbeat seemed to stop, as a torrent of emotions was brewing within him.

Although it could vaguely recognize who was standing on Eagle's Beak Cliff, the more it recognized them, the more it felt that it was just a hallucination.

Letters from beyond the mountains ceased, winter passed and spring returned.

It is more timid to be close to hometown, and I dare not ask people.

No poem could better describe Crow's state of mind at this moment.

Finally, the old crow mustered its courage and took flight again. When it came close to Eagle's Beak Cliff and saw the scene before it clearly, the old crow felt a lump in its throat and was immediately blinded by the sandstorm!
Oh dear, what's going on here? I'm just going out for a few days. I promised to bring back seeds and grain, and that would be fulfilling our agreement. Why are you making such a big fuss?
No, that would be too much of an honor for me, Master.

The crow god had lived a frugal life, and only now was he willing to use the power of incense to transform into human form.

At this moment, the old man in black, who looked like a little old man, was neither crying nor laughing. In any case, his snot was neither snot nor tears. All the words he had prepared in his mind were now useless.

"Master Crow, you have suffered greatly. Please accept Xu Qing's bow."

"No, no! It's not hard at all! Sect Leader, please don't do this. You're making this old man feel too bad."

Seeing that Xu Qing was about to pay his respects, Gua Ye hurriedly returned the greeting. Other immortals around him also stepped forward to bow and greet him.

Where had the crow ever seen such a scene?

Those immortals were either cultivators with a thousand years of cultivation or great demons who had survived five hundred years of lightning calamity. Even Sun Erzhuang, whom I knew in my early years, had already entered the Xuanmen (mystical sect) and had considerable cultivation as a spirit medium.

Immortals revere strength, yet these powerful demons now demand to pay homage to it; how can it possibly accept such treatment?
However, Xu Qing felt it was only natural. Master Gua was an elder of the Immortal Hall, and when all the halls were not yet fully established, he chose to believe in him and went to another place.

The dangers along the way were unpredictable. Now, twenty years later, Lord Crow has kept his promise and, despite his advanced age, has returned to the Immortal Hall.

This promise alone deserves everyone's respect.

"I promised the sect leader I would return within the year, but so many years have passed. I have failed the sect leader."

Grandpa Crow, like an old man saving money for his grandson, carefully took out one large earthenware urn after another from his storage ring.

Each urn is engraved with markings indicating the cultivation time and characteristics of each type of seed.

"The sect leader once said that these corn seeds were cultivated by the Feathered-Crowned People for generations, and that the seeds were of superior quality. However, when I went to the Feathered-Crowned People's country, I encountered an invasion by foreigners. They tried to exterminate the Feathered-Crowned People who had lived on their homeland for generations, and to declare themselves the rightful rulers and become the masters of that land."

"The surviving feathered people fled into the deep forest, where there was no farmland, and the corn they had domesticated was no longer highly productive."

Xu Qing frowned. Corn and rice are similar; only varieties that have undergone iteration and domestication are most suitable for planting. For example, Europe also has this crop, but its yield is extremely low and poor. This is why he sent Guaye to the United States.

Little did they expect that the American people, who were born with a penchant for burning, killing, and looting, had already driven the Feathered People from their homeland.
Lord Crow continued, "Fortunately, I possess some magical powers. Those feathered people, having been saved by me, honor me as the Sun Messenger."

"To repay the old man, the tribal chief and shaman reclaimed the land in the mountains and forests to cultivate corn."

Xu Qing was speechless. He originally thought that obtaining seeds would be a simple matter of one-way communication, but he never expected that in order to cultivate superior seeds, Master Gua had transformed into an old farmer in a foreign land and farmed for more than ten years. Only then did he cultivate grain varieties that were suitable for planting in different regions and had different characteristics.

"These golden beans, like golden beans, are the most prized creations of the tribal shaman and myself. They are not only resistant to rust and stem rot, but also easy to cultivate. Even in barren soil, they can yield 700 catties per mu."

"This white, thin-seeded corn is sweet corn, with an excellent taste; there is also glutinous corn, which tastes similar to glutinous rice."

Grandpa Gua knew them like the back of his hand, looking at the corn seeds with the expression of someone looking at his own children and grandchildren whom he had raised.

Xu Qing reached into the earthenware jar and grabbed a handful of golden grain seeds, letting them fall back into the jar from his hand.

Bathed in the sunlight, the golden trail resembled a treasure buried underground for millennia, reappearing in the world.

Besides corn, Grandpa Crow also brought a lot of potatoes.

Although sweet potatoes were already being cultivated in Da Yan, they were not widely cultivated because they were not considered a staple food and could not be eaten for a long time. They could also easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort and digestive problems.

But potatoes don't have these drawbacks.

The immortals in the celestial hall had never seen anything like it before. At this moment, a circle of immortals, some in human form and others in their true forms, gathered around, craning their necks and looking on with bated breath.

At one point, a golden rooster poked its head out, wanting to peck at the corn for a taste, but before it could get close, it was slapped back by the sect leader.

Looking at Jin Luan's aggrieved face, Xu Qing squinted and said, "This seed is related to the future plans of the Immortal Hall. If you eat one, it will be equivalent to millions of incense offerings!"

"."

Jinluan shrank her neck and dared not be tempted again.

Even if you sold all the incense sticks, they wouldn't be worth that much.

Just as Xu Qing finished collecting the grain seeds, Guaye took out many other products from other places from his magic ring.

"To this Fengxian family member, and to all the immortals, besides the grain seeds, I have also brought many foreign items. If you immortals do not mind, please feel free to take some."

As they spoke, Master Gua took out a number of novel items from his magic ring. These items were categorized into various types, including not only different kinds of foreign fruits and vegetables, but Xu Qing even saw two jars of coffee beans and several bird eggs as big as large bowls.

The golden phoenix's pupils dilated slightly when it saw the bird eggs.

This egg is way too big!
What a fertile hen it must be to lay such enormous eggs!

Not only was Jin Luan shocked, but Xu Qing was also stunned and held his breath for a long time when he saw the egg.

Aren't these ostrich eggs only found in 'Kunlun Continent'?

The crow went to fetch seeds from another land, but how come it brought back ostrich eggs?
Xu Qing was puzzled. He tentatively asked, "Master Gua, what about this egg?"

Grandpa Crow explained, "This is a specialty of a foreign land. There are birds there that are nine feet tall and run as fast as lightning, but they can't flap their wings and fly. They can only run on the ground like humans."

"This egg is a product of that foreign land."

Xu Qing frowned in confusion: "Master Gua only needs to go to the country where the Feathered People live to get the seed, so why did you go to another continent?" Could it be that Master Gua is actually terrible with directions?
That shouldn't be the case! Crows have an extremely keen sense of direction from birth; they couldn't possibly get lost.
While Xu Qing was still puzzled, he saw the old crow in front of him raise the storage ring in its hand and sigh, "I have no storage device, and these grain seeds grow naturally in accordance with the Qi of the sun, moon and four seasons, so they cannot be stored in the Dharma Realm."

"At that time, there were rumors of a storage artifact within the Catholic Church in foreign lands. However, the Catholic Church was extremely powerful. I am an old man and I am not afraid of those priests and missionaries, but I am afraid of delaying the great plan of taking over the church."

"Fortunately, there is always a way out. The Feathered-Crowned People's tribe worships the Sun God, and the shaman told me an ancient revelation that there is a country called Meshrep across the ocean, where their noble son of God lives in the pyramids."

Seemingly afraid that Xu Qing might not understand, Gua Ye explained further: "Those pyramids are the tombs of foreigners, and their shape is very similar to the letter 'pyramid,' standing tens of feet tall. The shaman told me that there are storage artifacts in the tombs of the Misri people."

"Upon hearing this, I was overjoyed. After instructing the Feathered Crown tribe to take good care of the fields, I went to Mixier."

Grandpa Crow sighed deeply. When he talked about the walking corpses shrouded in shrouds in the foreign cemetery chasing after him, Grandpa Crow suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Look at my memory! I even brought two walking corpses from that foreign tomb specifically for the sect leader."

As they were talking, Xu Qing saw Gua Ye take out two corpses wrapped tightly in linen from his storage ring.

"."

Upon seeing those strangely shaped corpses, Xu Qing's heart, which had been still for a long time, almost started beating.

These local specialties from a foreign land truly touched his heart!

Xu Qing had seen so many corpses, but he had never seen a foreign corpse that had crossed the ocean.

After removing the body, Grandpa Crow started talking about the overwhelming swarm of insects in the foreign tomb and the pharaoh's body lying in the stone coffin.
Upon hearing about the insect swarm, the golden phoenix was eager to go, as if it also wanted to travel to the other side of the ocean for sightseeing.

"This ring came from the owner of that foreign tomb. I must thank Lady Qingqing for her protection."

"What do you mean by that?" Not only Xu Qing was curious, but Xuan Yu also perked up his ears, wondering how there was anything related to this.
Grandpa Crow sighed, “The status of the cat is extremely high in the Mishir Kingdom. When the owner of that foreign tomb heard that I was an envoy of the Cat Immortal Hall, he not only forgave my tomb raiding but also gave me this Pharaoh Ring to use as a storage item.”

At this point, Guaye seemed to suddenly remember something, and it looked at Xuanyu and said, "The tomb owner also asked me to convey his greetings to Lady Qingqing."

Xuan Yu looked at Gua Ye and said, "No need for formalities. I will remember your help this time. If I have the opportunity, I will definitely pay you a visit and present you with the Ten Perfections Burning Rice."

Xu Qing nodded in agreement, saying, "This foreign fellow Daoist is quite good. Besides burning offerings, I can also repair his mausoleum and clean his grave for free if I have the chance in the future."

Black Crow nodded repeatedly. The owner of that foreign tomb had hardly been visited over the years. If the sect leader and Lady Qingqing could personally visit him in the future, he would surely be very moved.

On Eagle's Beak Cliff, Xu Qing looked at the old crow who was only concerned with talking about the affairs of the hall, and suddenly laughed:

"Grandpa Crow has been gone for many years, and he must miss his great-grandson Bai Junzi very much. Why don't you come and pay your respects to your great-grandfather!"

The white crow, which had been hesitant to disturb its great-grandfather's work report, finally landed on Guan Dazhuang's shoulder.

Bai Junzi landed and transformed into the appearance of a pale-faced scholar. He looked at his great-grandfather, but all the words in his heart turned into a sob.

"Great-grandfather"

The black crow was very pleased to see that his descendants had survived the lightning calamity and whose cultivation far surpassed that of his own.

"Good, good children, your great-grandfather has not spoiled you for nothing."

The white crow had three legs and was a genetically mutated species. According to the Taoist school, it had awakened an ancient bloodline. As for which kind of divine bird bloodline it was, Xu Qing had no clue.

Even the abbot of Jingxu Temple, who had read extensively and thoroughly studied various Taoist texts, dared not confirm it.

However, the only thing that can be confirmed is that when he was young, the crow was a philandering raven who left his mark everywhere, and the white gentleman might be a descendant of that spirit bird with a different bloodline.

“I am old and the path of cultivation is beyond my reach. Fortunately, you are here to support the entire shrine for my great-grandfather. In this way, even if my great-grandfather were to pass away one day, he could still find solace in the memory of our ancestors.”

The black crow was getting sentimental when it saw the sect leader take out a million incense sticks from the Dharma Realm and smash them directly onto its head!
When has Lord Crow ever seen so much incense offering at once?

Before it fainted from the incense offerings, it vaguely heard the sect leader say that this was the payment for the incense offerings it had kept in the Cat Fairy Hall for the past twenty years, and also the reward for its journey across the ocean to retrieve the seed from a foreign land.

In addition, when the grand plan is completed, there will be a continuous stream of incense offerings and dividends to be distributed to the temple's inhabitants.

"Bai Junzi, take your great-grandfather back to the temple to rest. If it wakes up, tell it to cultivate diligently and that it must help me overcome the lightning calamity within six months!"

As Xu Qing turned to leave, Bai Junzi could still faintly hear the sect leader muttering something—

"I've only worked for the Immortal Hall for twenty years, how can I just think about retiring? I have to work for several hundred more years."

Sun Mingli was no longer outside the coroner's shop, but the signalman in charge of the ceremonial guard was still waiting outside, saying that as long as Mr. Xu gave the order to travel, they would immediately prepare the ceremonial guard and come to escort him.

Xu Qing ignored the messenger; even if he were to travel, he wouldn't ride in that eight-bearer sedan chair.

In the coroner's shop, Xu Qing sorted out the Preservation and Nurturing Scriptures, and at the same time took out the seeds from other places that Master Gua had brought.

These things can not only enhance the incense offerings and status of the Cat Fairy Hall and Baosheng Temple, but also completely sever Zhu Huai'an's thoughts, so that he won't keep worrying about the fate of the nation over the next twenty years.

After packing everything for his meeting with Zhu Huai'an, Xu Qing turned his attention to the ostrich eggs.

What should we do with this thing?

Xu Qing picked up a bird egg the size of a large bowl. Using his Qi-sensing technique, he could clearly detect the faint life force floating inside the eggs.

Because they had not yet hatched, their vitality remained hidden, lying dormant within their thick shells.

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then his peripheral vision involuntarily fell on Jin Luan, who was trying to peck at coffee beans by the stove.

Those tea fruits were the gift that Black Crow gave to Golden Phoenix as a greeting.

Xu Qing's heart stirred.

In the past two years, there have been few pests in Tianjin. This chicken has nothing to do all day long; it's quite leisurely. Otherwise...
Jinluan, who had just swallowed a few coffee beans, smacked her lips and, before she could even savor the taste, sensed an ominous aura surrounding her.

It looked up warily and glanced around, but found nothing unusual.

But what was that vague sense of foreboding in my heart?

"Jinluan, the sect leader has given you a sinecure. Are you willing to accept it?"

An idle job? What kind of idle job?
Jinluan came over happily.

However, the next moment it saw Xu Qing push the ostrich eggs in front of it and say:

"Our celestial hall happens to be short of two cranes to deliver wreaths. If you hatch these eggs, the wreaths we receive will be worn around their necks. How impressive that would be!"

Hatching eggs, who? Me?

Jinluan's eyes were wide open. "It's a crowing rooster. You want me to incubate the eggs?"

What? Hatching an egg earns you 10,000 incense sticks?
Jinluan suddenly realized that occasionally being a silent rooster wasn't such a bad thing.
(End of this chapter)