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

Chapter 400 Young heroes grow old in the martial world, beautiful women's temples turn gray.

"Wow! Whose child is this? He's so good-looking!"

When Xu Qing walked down the street with Qingya Yaoguang, it really looked like he was with a golden couple.

Along the way, many people who knew Manager Xu came up to ask him questions. Xu Qing was prepared, and whenever someone asked, he would smile and say, "These are my grandson and granddaughter, my own children! The older one is named Xu Ya, and the younger one is named Xu Yao."

The neighbors and acquaintances were all amazed. They had never heard of Manager Xu getting married and having children. How come his grandchildren have grown up so much after more than ten years?
Xu Qing also had something to say about this:

“I’ve known my wife for over twenty years, but she’s a nun and absolutely refused to leave the Taoist temple. I only found out later that she gave birth to my son!”

Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed, "He seduced a Taoist nun and got her pregnant? That's incredibly immoral!"
Xu Qing said in a serious tone, "It's a pity that the child didn't have a father to love him when he was young. He only found out that he had me as his father when he grew up, and he was unwilling to get close to me. For more than ten years, he stubbornly refused to acknowledge me."

"That's why he recently changed his mind and agreed to let me take care of his two children."

Some busybodies asked Xu Qing how he got involved with the Taoist nun.
Xu Qing said that he had arranged a funeral for someone back then, and went to the Wulao Temple to invite a Taoist priest to conduct the funeral for the deceased. They got to know each other through the funeral business, and after a few more visits, the good thing happened!
When the neighbors heard this, they all gave him a thumbs up. They all said that Manager Xu was capable, and look how he quietly had a large family!
The two children, Qingya and Yaoguang, looked completely bewildered.

How did the two of them become the benefactor's grandchildren in the blink of an eye?

The two children didn't dare to say anything, but the more silent they were, the more others thought they were well-behaved and sensible. Coupled with their outstanding looks, they received a lot of pinching on the cheeks, snacks, and trinkets along the way.

When Xu Qing returned to Jingxia Street, the two children were already carrying a lot of things in their arms, and each of them had a red scarf around their necks.

In the dead of winter, the two children looked so festive that when they arrived at Jingxia Street, which was filled with paper wreaths, it was as if things from two different worlds and two paintings had come together, and everything seemed so unreal.

Xu Qing pondered the issue of settling his two adopted grandchildren. The ten branches of the Cat Fairy Hall were basically full, and these two mascots were too inexperienced to support a branch hall or serve as its leaders.

Furthermore, the funeral business is not suitable for two infants to help with. After much thought, Xu Qing felt that Baosheng Temple was the most suitable place for them.
Xu Qing had just returned to the coroner's shop and hadn't even entered when the well-informed Xuan Cat blocked the door and questioned him:
"Xu Xianjia has done a great job!"

Xu Qing, with his two children, looked puzzled, thinking, "I, Xu Lao Jiang, have lived an upright life, what have I done?"

"Xu Xianjia has been secretly having an affair with a Daoist nun and had a child with her. Now her grandchildren are all grown up, but she still hasn't told me the truth."

They agreed to help each other and cultivate the path of immortality together. How did Xu Xianjia get caught up in romantic love and deviate from their original intentions?

Xuan Yu was very angry.

It was angry not only because Xu Xianjia had gone against its original intention, but also because how could Xu Xianjia keep such a big matter from it?
If it weren't for the fact that the branch had good information network, it would probably still be in the dark.

Xuan Yu was soft-hearted after all. She thought that as long as Xu Xian returned and properly apologized and explained, she could forgive and forget, thus demonstrating Qing Qing Niangniang's tolerance and magnanimity.

But when Xu Qing was questioned, he still looked completely at ease, showing no sign of having done anything wrong!

If feelings have truly faded, Lady Qingqing can simply pack her bags and leave the Immortal Hall tonight to make room for Madam Xu.
Xu Qing hesitated for a long time before finally speaking:

"Immortal Xuanyu, would you like to take a closer look at what my grandchildren look like?"

What do they look like have to do with me?
Even so, Xuan Yu still subconsciously looked at the two children.

At first glance, it looks somewhat familiar.

At second glance, aren't these the two golden carp that Xu Xianjia saved back then? The golden carp gave Xu Xianjia the Huguang Cup to repay his kindness, and it's still in its hands.

"Is Xu Xian's wife a fish?"

"."

Xu Qing's face darkened. He had cats and foxes at home, both of which loved to eat fish. He even went out to find fish to mate with and gave birth to two fish. Do you think this is outrageous?
"This is our old neighbor, a descendant of the Azure Dragon God of Baijiang Water Mansion."

Xu Qing told Xuan Yu the whole story of how the Azure Dragon God entrusted his son to him.

Finally, he added, "I am a funeral director, so naturally I must go with the flow and follow the natural cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death."

Xu Qing, whose hair and beard were completely white, reached out and stroked his beard, and said with a smile, "In other people's eyes, I am already an old man in Jingxia Street. If I fake my death and escape in the future, I will have to have a new identity to inherit the business of the Funeral Gate."

"If the heir looks just like I did when I was young, it might attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. But if my biological children who were left behind inherit the shop, there will be no such problem."

It's only natural that a son resembles his father.

Besides, there was no camera to capture this scene. So many years have passed, and people's impressions of him when he was young are probably already blurred. Even if there are one or two people with exceptional memories, they will only assume that his descendants inherited his appearance, and they will not doubt that the manager of Xu's Shop is a psychic who has reversed the aging process.

“It smells so good.”

After learning the truth, Xuan Yu felt completely relieved. It strolled over to Qing Ya and Yao Guang, its nostrils flaring.

A special, fresh, watery fragrance wafted from the two golden carp.

The two children were so frightened that they clung tightly to Xu Qingyi's clothes. Fish might not be afraid of cats in the water, but they were on the shore.

This is cat territory!

Recalling what their benefactor had said before—that there was a cat in the house that could swallow a big fish whole—the two children became even more frightened.

Xu Qing said helplessly, "Xuan Yu, don't scare them. If you want to eat fish, I'll go find a few big fish another day and cook them for you properly."

"."

The two children were even more frightened when they heard this!

This is like one person saying to another, "I won't eat you tonight, I'll go and catch someone else to eat."
Qingya and Yaoguang's faces turned pale. If it weren't for the Azure Dragon God's prior warning and Xu Qing's repeated rescues, they probably would have fled long ago and never come back to the shore.

In the days that followed, Xu Qing, accompanied by two golden carp, made his first appearance to the various immortals in the hall, thus becoming familiar with them.

So that one day the two children might go out alone and let the spirits of their own shrine feast on them.

It was just dawn that day.

Xu Qing was planning to take Qingya and Yaoguang to Ziyun Mountain outside the city when he saw the former Boss Cheng, leaning on a cane and supported by Wang Yue'e, arrive at his shop.

Mr. Cheng is nearly eighty years old, which is quite old. However, due to his advanced age, the incense and candle shop across the street was handed over to Bai Qiuyu to manage more than ten years ago.

Now, Cheng Caiyun lives in the Wang family in Dingyuan, where she is cared for by the Wang family's younger sister.

Although Wang's younger sister is called the youngest sister, she is already over fifty years old and has become a veritable old woman.

Xu Qing nodded to Wang Yue'e, who smiled slightly and, just like many years ago when the eight or nine-year-old girl saw the young man in his twenties, greeted him with admiration and called him "Sir."

The once radiant beauty now had graying temples. Stepping into the shop, Cheng Caiyun's previously cloudy eyes immediately brightened. She looked around and asked Xu Qing:
"I heard you got married and had children, including a grandson and a granddaughter. Is that true?"

Indeed, the only way to revitalize elderly gossip lovers is through gossip!
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "Boss Cheng is far away in the Prince's Mansion, how would he know about my recent situation?"

Beside her, Wang Yue'e smiled and said, "My godmother can't forget her neighbors, so she has her servants come to Jiangcheng to buy things often, and they can also bring back some messages along the way."

With his hunched back and hands resting on his cane, Boss Cheng sneered, "Your scandalous affairs are all over Tianjin. People say you seduced a nun and even had an affair with someone and had a child."

"I heard she's a Taoist nun from the Five Elders Temple. Could she be the one from the coffin shop?"

"."

Xu Qing changed the subject, saying, "These are all old stories, nothing to talk about. Boss Cheng has come all this way, so why don't I treat you to a meal and invite the neighbors to get together and have a chat with you, sir?"

"Chatting?" Upon hearing this, Cheng Caiyun immediately perked up, but she still glanced at Xu Qing and said, "I wonder what's so good about that Taoist nun, can she compare to my Yue'e?"

"Godmother!"

Wang Yue'e quickly interrupted, saying, "Sir is an elder, and I have always respected him. Godmother, please don't say such things to make fun of me."

Xu Qing looked at Wang Yue'e and finally sighed.

Wang Jiajian was favored by the emperor, and marriage between them was not something that could be easily decided in a few words. Wang Yue'e, on the other hand, came from a poor background, had seen the coldness of human relationships, and had never liked those court marriages.

He dislikes dealing with the sons of powerful and influential people who are eager to curry favor with the rich and powerful.

Besides these, there may be other reasons.

As Wang Yue'e finished speaking, she unconsciously looked at Xu Qing again. When she realized that her husband's gaze had turned elsewhere, a trace of loneliness still appeared in her eyes.

Cheng Caiyun had some complaints about Xu Qing's lack of romantic understanding, but when she saw Qingya and Yaoguang, the old lady's heart melted instantly.

"Oh my, how come these two little ones are so adorable?"

Cheng Caiyun had been a widow for most of her life. Although she had a goddaughter named Wang Yue'e to keep her company, she had no grandchildren. Now, seeing the children of her old neighbor Xu Qing, the old lady was naturally very happy because of her affection for Xu Qing.

"Is this really your grandson?"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, thinking that Old Lady Cheng had figured something out, but the next moment he heard her say, "If your Xu family can produce such a lovely baby, then how beautiful must that nun and your daughter-in-law be!"

"."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing was immediately displeased. Praising the child is fine, but why the sarcastic and insulting tone?

He wasn't ugly when he was young. If he were in the funeral industry, he would be a top-notch handsome funeral director. Why couldn't he be Qingya and Yaoguang's grandfather?

While talking to the two children, Cheng Caiyun also took out a red envelope that she had prepared in advance, as well as a pair of gold locks that she had made for longevity.

What was given to Qingya was a Qilin lock, with a Qilin stepping on clouds pattern on it, and the words "May the auspicious beast protect you and grant you a long life" written on the front and back respectively.

Yao Guang received a crane lock, decorated with a crane carrying a lingzhi mushroom, and inscribed with the words "exquisite beauty and gentle heart" on both sides.

As Cheng Caiyun put the crane lock around Yao Guang's neck, she suddenly remembered the two cranes she had raised years ago.

"Scholar Xu, how are those two who came to welcome and see off you doing now?"

Xu Qing nodded and said, "Very good! All cranes live to around fifty years old. These two are in their prime now, and they are always honored guests at funerals, even higher in status than me!"

These days, nobody knows what a burrowing bird is. But look at its head shape, and with the exaggerated propaganda surrounding the "Funeral God" (a mythical bird associated with death), the black and white burrowing bird has been transformed into the embodiment of the Black and White Impermanence (a figure in Chinese mythology associated with death), a lucky and precious bird that can guide the deceased on their way home.

Cheng Caiyun was happy to hear that the two cranes were alive and well. She said half-jokingly, "I'm relieved. Who knows, when I close my eyes one day, I can have them see me off and let me experience what it's like to ride a crane to the west."

"."

Wang Yue'e, standing to the side, said anxiously, "Godmother is in good health and will surely live to be a hundred years old. I still want to take good care of her. You mustn't say such things again."

Xu Qing remained silent.

Cheng Caiyun seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "Living too long is not a good thing. Being able to leave peacefully at the right time is a blessing from one's past life."

After saying this out of the blue, Cheng Caiyun continued, "Scholar Xu went out to make a living a few years ago and was gone for more than ten years. When Old Wu from the paper-making shop was about to leave, he told his family that no matter what, they should make sure that the neighbors in Jingxia Street would take care of his funeral arrangements."

"Unfortunately, even when Old Wu arrived, he couldn't get Scholar Xu to see him off."

Xu Qing opened his mouth, but in the end he only sighed.

How can anything in this world be perfectly coincidental? Wu Yaoxing was nearly twenty years older than Cheng Caiyun, and he was already ninety-three years old when he passed away. However, Xu Qing was playing a game with Gui Lu in the Yin River at that time and missed Wu Yaoxing's funeral.

“Three months ago, I went to Wujiu Slope outside the city to visit Old Wu. He has a large family with many children and grandchildren, all of whom are successful. He has lived a very fulfilling life. Boss Cheng, there is no need to be too sad.”

Xu Qing was not a sentimental person after all. After dealing with the Yinhe affairs and returning to the secular world, he immediately went to Wujiupo to hold a special ritual for Wu Yaoxing.

Old Wu's life was truly without regrets. If there was one regret, it might be that he abandoned his paper-crafting business halfway through.

However, the Wu brothers were quite open-minded towards their old man. Although they couldn't run a paper-craft shop, they gave Wu Yaoxing enough freedom, letting him make paper figures and horses as he pleased, which satisfied the old man's hobby.

After a lifetime of twists and turns, Wu Yaoxing's life ultimately became nothing more than paper effigies in Xu Qing's hands.
In the evening, Xu Qing had just seen off Boss Cheng and Wang Yue'e when the abbot of Jingxu Temple, accompanied by Bai Qiuyu and Daoist Yizhen, stormed over in a menacing manner!
"Xu boy! Explain yourself clearly to this Taoist priest. What do you mean by saying that you seduced a disciple of my Five Elders Temple and even fathered a child?"

"."

Xu Qing glanced at Bai Qiuyu, who had inherited Cheng Caiyun's shop and also Cheng's gossipy nature, then looked at Daoist Yizhen, who wished he could disappear into the ground, and couldn't help but cough lightly.

"Abbot, you've misunderstood. It's not what you think."

However, after Xu Qing explained things clearly, the abbot of Jingxu Temple became even more furious, saying, "If you want to find a Daoist nun, go somewhere else. Why bring up my Five Elders Temple? Now everyone thinks that one of my disciples has had a child with you. You've completely ruined the reputation of my Five Elders Temple."

Wasn't the reputation of the Five Elders Temple already ruined by Hu Baosong? Even so, Xu Qing was in the wrong and could only let Old Lady Jingxu rage on.

Standing to the side, Daoist Yizhen couldn't bear to watch any longer and stepped forward to say, "Junior Brother Xu did this for the sake of cultivation. I didn't take it to heart. Master, please don't blame him anymore."

If the disciple hadn't spoken, things would have been fine, but once he did, Abbot Jingxu was even more furious.

It's true that once apprentices grow up, they become uncontrollable; why do they all always side with outsiders?

(End of this chapter)