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

Chapter 42 Double Zombie
It is March when the orioles are in bloom, and the peach and plum blossoms are in bloom in the spring breeze.

The locust tree in Xu Qing's yard has sprouted new buds, and the wind chimes in the shape of animal heads and skulls under the eaves are ringing slightly. The well-camouflaged traps dug deep at the base of the walls or in front of and behind the doors are quietly waiting for the right person to visit.

After Xu Qing practiced for a night, the Yin energy in his body became thicker and richer. Through his common sense, he could vaguely feel the scene of inner strength turning from clouds to mist.

Unfortunately, he only has a lot of skills but no means to transform them into magic. In layman's terms, he is now a zombie in the red state, who only knows how to fight against enemies with brute force.

With such a huge accumulation of negative energy, a wizard who should be proficient in evil magic, wears brass knuckles all day long and uses some cheap street moves. What kind of look does that make him?
Xu Qing learned from his mistakes and reflected on himself, and decided to make more poison powder and lime powder and put them on his body to strengthen the shortcomings of magic attack.

As for visiting outside, that was out of the question. His funeral shop was doing very well, the neighbors were all very nice, and the customers who came never gave him a bad review.
Having such a peaceful life, he went crazy and wanted to go out to seek the truth and learn the law?

Besides praying for the souls of corpses and eating melons for free all day long, you can occasionally gain some self-defense and physical fitness skills. Isn't this safer than running around outside in troubled times?

Besides, zombies have no lifespan, so he can just guard a shop or a yard, pray for the souls of the dead, practice his skills, and be a quiet traveler in the hustle and bustle of the world, watching the clouds change and the sea dry up and the rocks crumble.

As for Taoism, magic, demonic magic, etc., he would come if he had the chance, otherwise he would not pursue them specifically.

After all, only the one who endures to the end is the winner.

At dawn, outside the Shuimen Bridge house.

Xu Qing was wearing a black-collared gown with a green cloth bag hanging on one side of his body. If he had held a cloth banner, he would have been a wandering fortune teller.

But unfortunately, he has not yet learned the skills of fortune-telling or physiognomy, otherwise he could go to Cuiyun Tower and read the palms of those girls who are too poor to afford clothes and calculate their fertility.

After leaving the house, Xu Qing wore this outfit and walked through the streets and alleys. Occasionally, passers-by would ask him if he had any secret medicine for strengthening yang and nourishing the kidneys. After all, his outfit made him look like a walking medicine seller.

Diao Men refers to the unofficial doctors among the eight major sects in the underworld who treat syphilis and sell folk remedies.

Xu Qing touched his chin and wondered how he became a syphilitic doctor, except for his pale complexion and the smell of rouge.

Does he look like that kind of person?

Xu Qing was too lazy to argue with the other party. He was just wondering why he felt that the flow of people in Linhe had suddenly increased a lot these days. At first, he thought it was an illusion. It was not until he met scholars and servants carrying book boxes and baskets one after another that he suddenly remembered that it was the time for the spring examination.

Linhefang was already bustling, and now with the arrival of this group of scholars, it was even more lively than before.

Poorer scholars set up book stalls on the street and did work reading and writing letters for others, which was considered a way to earn money for their studies.

Xu Qing was feeling emotional as he watched a few poor scholars gathered there vying to name someone's one-month-old baby.

As a result, when the scholars received the red envelopes they received for their names, he heard the poor scholar in the lead say, "I've inquired, and the worst brothel in Linhe costs several thousand coins a night. This is still far from enough. We still need to work harder."

Xu Qing silently retracted his comment. It turned out that these poor scholars were not working to earn money for their studies, but were working to earn money for prostitution!
Look at those scholars from wealthy families with slicked-back hair and powdered face. Most of them are followed by attendants, page boys or maids. If you know they are here to take the exam, then those who don’t might think they are some young master who came here for an outing to kill time!
Xu Qing was not the same kind of person as these scholars. He first went to a breakfast shop to eat a bowl of duck blood soup, then went to the vegetable market to order a few old hens, and then wandered back to the coroner's shop.

About half an hour later, a poultry dealer from the vegetable market brought over a dozen hens. Xu Qing let them roam freely in the backyard of his shop, and usually sprinkled some wheat and millet on them so that he didn't have to go out to buy eggs in the future.

Xu Qing really wants to live a good life.

As for why he didn't raise chickens in the new house he bought near the Watergate Bridge, it was because the house was too ominous and it was difficult to keep poultry alive.

After settling the hens, Xu Qing returned to the front bunk and heard a bustle outside. He went out and saw Wu Yaoxing cheering on two young men at the door. One of the young men was Wu Yaoxing's biological son, and the other was his distant nephew, who had just come from the countryside to stay with him in order to pass the imperial examination.

"Zhiyuan, you've passed the examination for a Tongsheng before, so you need to learn more about literature. After all, we are all family, written in the same family tree!"

Wu Wencai is the child of Wu Yaoxing's distant relative. When he saw his elders winking at him, he greeted Wu Zhiyuan a little stiffly.

"I'll have to trouble Brother Zhiyuan from now on."

Xu Qing murmured something in his heart when he heard the names of the two brothers.

Wu Zhiyuan, Wu Wencai, the Wu family’s naming skills are really extraordinary.

"Brother Xu—come here quickly, this is your Uncle Xu, our neighbor, he's a very nice guy!"

When Wu Yaoxing saw Xu Qing standing at the door of the shop, he called out to the two men to come over and pay their respects.

"Uncle Xu."

Xu Qing almost fainted when he heard this. How could he become an uncle at such a young age?
Wu Yaoxing said with a smile: "Speaking of which, this kid of mine stays at home studying all day and has never met you. But now we meet for the first time."

What do you mean? Do I have to give your kid a red envelope?

Xu Qing was helpless in the face of this matter that had taken a lifetime to achieve.

Who told him to become the head shopkeeper at such a young age?

After chatting with a few people for a while, Xu Qing learned that these two nephews were preparing to go to the government office for identity verification before the spring examination.

The so-called review actually means reporting to the yamen in advance with your pass. Once they confirm that you have a clean background and no criminal record, the people in the yamen will give you a written receipt, which is similar to an admission ticket.

When Xu Qing heard this, he thought it was a good thing!

Let’s go together, let’s go together!
The current situation is turbulent, and chaos is frequent in various border areas. Not to mention the mutiny in Beizhao Prefecture, let’s talk about Nancuo’s repeated invasions of Dayong. If it weren’t for the brave soldiers of Shu and the natural barrier of Taodu Mountain, I’m afraid they would have already entered the heart of Dayong.

Not to mention that the Tianxin Sect is already showing signs of rebellion, and the imperial court will have to conscript men into the army. Xu Qing doesn't want his funeral business to be doing well only to be forced to close down one day because he is suddenly conscripted into the army.

But if you pass the exam and become a scholar, you won’t have these troubles.

After all, according to the laws of Dayong, anyone with the title of scholar can be exempted from military service, and they also have many conveniences such as not having to kneel when meeting officials and not having to pay taxes.

"The end of the world is still the civil service exam."

Xu Qing thought, if the Korean country in his previous life had such a regulation, the number of people taking the imperial examination every year would probably line up from the south to the north of the city!
You want to ask where he got the confidence to take the exam? This has to mention the book scriptures he obtained by saving the soul of the dog-licking scholar at the Corpse Mill.

What the Book of Documents lacks the most is the scriptures for taking imperial examinations. Now that he has the chance to pass the examinations for the titles of Tongsheng and Xiucai, Xu Qing must seize it!

Once he has the background of a scholar, he can be called a double zombie who is proficient in both civil and military affairs!

(End of this chapter)