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

Chapter 76 Grave Digging
The commotion in the villa caused quite a stir, so Xu Qing couldn't stay for long. He put Qing Luo and the bodies of the believers into the box garden and didn't stay any longer.

When he reached the gate of the courtyard, he suddenly remembered something, so he took out pen and ink from the map of mountains and rivers and wrote a few lines on the door.

The general idea is that this is the stronghold of Tianxin Sect, which contains strange poisons, so please be careful when entering.

That was all he had to say. Whether others listened or not was none of his business.

After all, it's hard to persuade a damned person with kind words. This is his own fault, not that he didn't remind him.

"You know what, the almanac I bought at the temple fair is quite effective."

Sitting in the front room of the carriage, Xu Qing drove the carriage with one hand and took out a almanac produced by Shangqing Temple and read it with the other hand.

"On the fifteenth day of the third lunar month, it is auspicious to travel and meet friends; it is inauspicious to bury or bury the dead."

Today's meeting was a great success for both the host and the guests.

As a corpse driver, Xu Qing collected many corpses; as the doctrines they believed in said, the followers of Tianxin Sect would be led to the upper world by Maitreya God after death and their corpses would be transformed into immortals.

As for whether they will really be able to transform their corpses and ascend to heaven in the end, it is unknown. After all, this is not within his business scope and is not his responsibility.

In the city of Tianjin, after Xu Qing finished his last job, he returned to Linhe under the pretext of studying in Jiangnan and began to prepare for the breakthrough of the Silver Armored Corpse.

Wanshou Township is fifty miles away from Tianjin Prefecture.

"Whoa--" The prince's attendant Li Zhong and Zhang Jun and their group were carrying the coffin here. When the expressionless groom saw the boundary marker of Wanshou Township, he couldn't help but shout to stop the team.

In front of the boundary marker, two people and two horses have been waiting for a long time.

The colt is a thousand-mile steed, and the man is a phoenix among dragons, both of them have extraordinary appearance.

"Where are you going, Your Highness? You may dismount for now and allow the two of us to welcome you. It will be up to you whether to go or stay."

The groom reined in his horse and looked around, letting the horse under him kick its hooves restlessly.

"Banban, the capital is a long way off. If anything happens to me, you must take care of the Crown Prince's funeral and ensure he is safely buried in the Zhao Imperial Mausoleum."

Li Zhong looked at the two figures at the boundary marker and frowned.

"Your Highness!"

"Don't say anything more. This is the last thing I want to tell you."

The groom sighed softly, as if he had used up all his strength after saying this.

He pulled the reins and brought his horse to the boundary marker.

The first man was dressed as a scholar, wearing a feather fan and a long scarf. When he saw the expressionless groom, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply to him.

Zhao You, dressed in groom's clothes, ignored the other party and looked up at the stone tablet in front of him.

"Wanshou Township"

Zhao You stared at the mottled words engraved on the stone tablet in a trance. Most of the gold paint on it had fallen off, leaving only the engraved words still resisting the erosion of time.

"These three characters were bestowed upon me by my father, the Emperor, and were personally engraved by the Sword Saint Zhou Qifeng, who held the Emperor's Sword and enshrined it within the palace."

"It's been thirty-three years now."

Zhao You stretched out the hand that had been hidden in his sleeve, as if wanting to touch the words on the stone tablet.

Next to the scholar, an old man in casual clothes narrowed his eyes when he saw Zhao You's hand.

What kind of hand was that? Rotting and gray, as if covered in chilblains, exposed to the air for just a moment before the aloe vera powder that concealed its unsightliness fell away.

Zhao You's cheeks, which had been expressionless, finally twitched involuntarily.

No one knows what he is thinking at this moment.

"Father is now eighty-three years old. It seems he truly lives up to the title of Wanshou."

"But I'm not as good as him. I'm already fifty years old and fading into decay. I can only rely on witchcraft to survive."

Upon hearing this, the scholar finally couldn't help but speak up, "Although the Crown Prince looks about eighty to ninety percent like Your Highness, in terms of wisdom and forbearance, he is not even a fraction as good as Your Highness."

"If it weren't for the Crown Prince's straightforward character, Your Highness might have been able to pass himself off as the real one and let the Crown Prince inherit the throne in the future."

Zhao You was no longer moved by these compliments.

He turned his head to look at the staff and retainers around the Third Prince. The moment he saw them, most of the doubts in his heart for many days were cleared up.

Emperor Longping had five sons. Crown Prince Zhao You was gifted with intelligence and a steady character, but his only drawback was his frail health. To maintain his health, Zhao You began diligently practicing archery and horseback riding after coming of age. However, this only worsened his already frail health, and by the time he was over fifty, he was already exhausted.

The Second Prince, Zhao Yan, was a strong and healthy man. Though not particularly intelligent, he was a steadfast man who valued propriety and filial piety. A monarch would have been a capable and capable ruler. Unfortunately, Zhao Yan had contracted amnesia ten years prior, and neither the imperial physician nor the reclusive hermits of the medical field could cure him.

In the second year after Zhao Yan suffered from amnesia, Emperor Longping ordered the third prince to volunteer to fight against the Nancuo Kingdom, which was home to many witches and sorcerers. The reason was that the second prince's amnesia was suspected to be related to Nancuo witchcraft.

The third prince, Zhao Rong, is smart and clever, and is considered extremely filial by outsiders. The four words "brotherly love and respectful brother" seem to be written for the third prince.

The fourth prince was dull by nature. When he came of age, he could not even calculate the most basic numerology. He was the least capable of important tasks among the five princes.

The fifth prince was born with the appearance of a dragon, but unfortunately he died unexpectedly at the age of three, so there is no need to say more.

At this time, Zhao You looked at the counselors and capable generals around the third prince, and still had some questions in his mind.

"When did Zhao Rong know that the Crown Prince was actually the Crown Prince in disguise?"

The scholar smiled and said, "Everyone knows that besides his royal parents, the Third Prince has the greatest respect for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince loves sweets, so the Third Prince would always keep the preserved fruits and candied fruits given by the Empress Mother and give them to His Highness. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince doesn't like sweets, so the Third Prince has been keeping an eye on the Crown Prince ever since. After all, if anyone knows His Highness the Crown Prince best, it's probably the Third Prince."

Upon hearing this, Zhao You immediately recalled the scene of his younger brother Zhao Rong, who was young and followed him around happily, calling him "royal brother".

Zhao You let out a long sigh and suddenly said, "I have one more thing to ask, Mr. Cai, please tell me the truth."

"Your Highness, please speak."

"The Second Prince's amnesia and the Fifth Prince's sudden death, are they related to the Third Prince?"

Cai Shichun fell silent.

Zhao You understood instantly.

"Why would he go to such lengths? Dayong is already facing internal and external troubles. Even if he doesn't care about brotherhood, he shouldn't do something so outrageous." Zhao You couldn't hide his disappointment. "Even if he wanted to be emperor again, I'm over sixty, and how many more years can I live? Why would he do this?"

"Your Highness, have you forgotten the Crown Prince? His Majesty is over eighty, the Third Prince is nearly fifty, and the Crown Prince is only thirty. If the Crown Prince succeeds His Highness, wouldn't the Third Prince have to wait until old age like Your Highness?"

Cai Shichun shook his head and said, "Besides, even if the Crown Prince abdicates in the future, the throne will only be passed on to his own descendants. When will it be the Third Prince's turn?"

"It is not good for Your Highness to be lamenting over these things now."

Zhao You sneered, his face grim as he said, "My methods may be shameful, but they can't be called despicable. He killed his brother and nephew. Even if he could sit on the throne, I'm afraid he would be punished by fate sooner or later!"

Beside Cai Shichun, the old man who had remained silent frowned and said, "Military Advisor Cai, delay will lead to unexpected events. You and I have been delayed for many days. It is better to wrap up as soon as possible and return to the capital."

Cai Shichun nodded and said, "Your Highness, you shouldn't have been alive ten years ago. Now, in the eyes of the world, the fact that you died at the hands of the Tianxin Sect's demonic hands cannot be changed."

"Before leaving, the Third Prince specifically instructed me that the Crown Prince's offspring would be protected by him, the Emperor's uncle, so that Your Highness could rest assured."

Zhao You fell silent again. The Crown Prince's descendants, his grandchildren, were now considered the Crown Prince's orphans in the eyes of outsiders.

His grandchildren are actually a generation older for no reason.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao You suddenly felt relaxed all over.

In the past, he worked day and night to ensure that his eldest son Zhao Cong would inherit the throne safely, but now he is unloading the burden in this way.

Cai Shichun took the wine jug handed to him by the old man and filled a cup for Zhao You.

Zhao You looked at the thick paste with some alcohol mixed in with poison and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

At this moment, he suddenly felt the same resistance as when he was weak as a child and had to drink various soups and medicines.

Looking at the wine in this glass now, it seems to be more expensive than the medicine from the Imperial Hospital.

"This old man looks familiar. I wonder if he is the Heavenly Master of Yunzhao Mountain?"

The old man who handed over the drink said indifferently, "It's rare that Your Highness still remembers me."

Zhao You held up the wine cup and asked in surprise, "Yunzhao Mountain is a secluded place. People here have always been indifferent to worldly matters and have always practiced the way of immortality. Why, after all these years, are they interfering in worldly affairs?"

"Your Highness, I have already warmed this wine with my True Yang Qi. If you don't drink it now, it will get cold."

"Oh, never mind." Zhao You raised the wine in his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Then he drank three more cups in a row.

Finally, Zhao You muttered in a daze:
"I have too many regrets in this life. If God has mercy, I only hope that I won't be born into an imperial family in my next life."

Cai Shichun put away his wine pot and cup and looked towards the distant countryside where smoke was curling up from cooking fires.

"Please, Master Tianshi, find a good feng shui site for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to reside."

The old man with white eyebrows, hair and beard, and an immortal look nodded, then took out a compass from his sleeve pocket, and while observing the feng shui, he kept calculating with his other hand.

In the city of Tianjin, Xu Qing drove a horse-drawn carriage all the way to Linhe.

When passing Wanshou Township, he slowed down and glanced sideways at the farmhouses in the distance.

When he came, he stayed here for half a day, taught Wang Liang the methods of martial arts practice, and gave him some powerful pills and elixirs to enhance qi and blood.

When he was about to leave, the weather blocked his way and a sudden storm came. The seven or eight-year-old little sister of the Wang family specially brought a straw raincoat to protect him from the wind and rain.

Thinking of the past, Xu Qing couldn't help but smile.

It’s hard for a zombie uncle like this to like such a sensible little girl.

After driving the carriage to the familiar cottage, Xu Qing pushed open the fence and saw Wang's younger sister helping her grandmother make pancakes in the yard.

Next to the stove made of mud and wheat straw, Wang's little sister squatted at the entrance of the stove and kept stuffing dried millet stalks into it.

When Grandma Wang saw Xu Qing, she quickly patted her hands on herself, and then warmly invited him to sit inside.

Xu Qing waved his hand to stop them and said, "I'm here to return the raincoat. Don't worry about me. Just keep doing what you need to do."

"Mr. Xu, would you like some pancakes? These are made with millet flour and are so delicious!"

Xu Qing looked at the little girl stuffing millet stalks into the stove and asked curiously, "Where's your brother? Why didn't he get you some firewood? Why did you have to use these things that don't burn well?"

The Wang family's younger sister said crisply, "Today is the tenth day of the lunar year, and my brother has gone to pay his respects to our parents. We still have plenty of firewood at home, but grandma said that using millet stalks to make millet cakes is less likely to burn, and it can also be recycled. What is it called?"

"The best of both worlds?"

"Yes! It's the best of both worlds."

Without waiting for Wang Liang to come back, Xu Qing put a handwritten booklet and a bag of silver in his straw raincoat and planned to leave.

Before leaving, he said to Wang's younger sister, "There is something left by the master in the straw raincoat. When your brother comes back, remember to tell him."

Grandma Wang packed some millet cakes and forced them on him.

Xu Qing did not refuse and took it with a smile.

Now that the raincoat has been returned, his fate with the Wang brothers and sisters is almost over.

After leaving the hut, Xu Qing had not driven the carriage far when he saw a young man rushing home in a hurry.

When the young man saw the figure sitting in the front room of the carriage, he was obviously stunned, and then he asked with great joy: "When did you come back, sir?"

Xu Qing smiled and shook his head. "I just happened to be passing by, so I'm returning the raincoat. I'll be traveling and studying elsewhere. And you, what are you doing in such a hurry?"

Wang Liang slapped his forehead and said, "I almost missed something important! Sir, I went to pay my respects at my parents' grave today, but out of nowhere, a new grave appeared not far from my family's."

"I don't know who the hell is, setting up a new grave without even saying hello."

"I've been asking around, asking several villagers, but no one knows anything about this. I'm undecided, so I'm thinking of going back to ask grandma what to do."

Xu Qing was surprised and said, "I specially chose the burial site of your parents for its Feng Shui treasures. If you say so, I'm afraid that some expert from somewhere has taken a fancy to this place."

"Let me ask you, is there an inscription on the grave?"

Wang Liang thought for a moment and said, "There is indeed a tombstone on the grave, but there is no inscription on it."

"Strange thing."

Xu Qing suddenly felt that this matter was strange. He thought about it for a moment and suddenly remembered a legend in the corpse-carrying business. It was said that after some ghosts in the tombs had achieved a certain level of Taoism, they would move the tombs on their own and look for a Feng Shui treasure land as their own place of practice.

This situation is called "running to the grave".

Could it be that a zombie or ghost that can run around the graves has appeared next to the Wang family cemetery?

Xu Qing immediately became interested. He had just learned the skill of asking an immortal to establish a temple. If there was a ghost in the tomb, he might be able to obtain his first sad immortal.

At that moment, Xu Qing no longer hesitated. He came alone to the hilltop where he had chosen a grave for Wang Liang's parents. Then he controlled the puppet and headed towards the Feng Shui treasure land not far away.

Xu Qing quickly crossed the rugged mountain road covered with weeds, crawling on all fours like a monkey, and soon arrived in front of a grave.

The joint tomb of the Wang couple remained the same as when he had just left, without any abnormality.

Only in front of the tombstone, there were some more incense, candles and offerings.

Xu Qing passed by the graves of Wang Qiao and Li, and his eyes fell on a new grave not far away.

The soil of the grave was still new, even a little moist. Looking at the tombstone, it was exactly as Wang Liang had said, without a single word engraved on it.

Yanou couldn't perform the magic of looking at the sky, and Xu Qing couldn't tell for a moment whether it was done by humans or ghosts.

If it was man-made, why is there no writing on the stele?
Besides, Wang Liang asked the villagers, so it is certain that no one knows about it.

Even if you are transporting coffins and tombstones, you have to pass through the country road.

Weird.

Xu Qing walked around the tomb several times and still found nothing, so he took out a shovel and controlled the puppet to start digging the grave.

No matter whether it is a human or a ghost, dig it out first!
(End of this chapter)