Chapter 401: Chapter 211: That Year, That Month—The Season of Beheadings Returns
Zhao Zhonghe bent down to pick up the copper coin, looked up into the distance, only to see the Vegetable Market bustling with traffic and people, making it impossible to determine where the copper coin had come from.
"The aura of execution ground is heavy with the atmosphere of death. Look at this copper coin, it’s still sticking with blood, anyone unaware might think it’s a blood money dropped by some wronged ghost!"
Zhao Zhonghe half-jokingly said, then used his calloused fingers to rub off the blood stains on the copper coin.
Beside him, Xu Qing instinctively activated the Qi Observation Skill, only to see a wisp of ominous black aura surrounding the copper coin in Zhao Zhonghe’s hand. But strangely enough, as soon as the blood stains were wiped by the other, the black aura completely vanished, as if what he saw before was just an illusion.
"Chief Zhao, may I take a look at this copper coin?"
"You can have it!"
Xu Qing caught the copper coin casually tossed by Zhao Zhonghe, played with it back and forth for a while, but did not find anything unusual.
Strange...
Xu Qing looked up at Zhao Zhonghe’s departing figure and shook his head.
Perhaps it’s the evil qi on this constable that just happened to neutralize the gloomy aura on the copper coin. Other than that, Xu Qing could not find any other reasonable explanation.
...
Underground Street, Funeral Shop.
The big red lanterns hanging at the entrance of the Xu family’s shop seemed redder than usual today.
Inside the shop, numerous corpses were laid out from the front of the shop to the courtyard, numbering no less than three hundred if counted carefully.
That day, the Incense and Candle Shop diagonally opposite closed early, and at night, regardless of any noise outside the house, the mother and daughter would not open the door.
The old sister-in-law of the Wu family and Wu Yaohua next door had already followed Wu Zhiyuan to Pingqiu County, so now there was no need for them to be constantly worried at this time of year, fearing that the corpses might come knocking at midnight.
Before leaving, Wu Yaohua specially invited Xu Qing to the restaurant for half a day of drinking.
Although Xu Qing had foreseen it, when he heard that old Wu was going to hand over the Paper Mache Shop to him, he still remained silent for quite a while.
People in Underground Street come and go, just like the two lanterns hanging at his doorway, always welcoming and bidding farewell, yet unable to hold anyone back.
Wu Yaohua made it clear, Underground Street is the place where he grew up, and the Paper Mache Shop is his skill for making a living.
Now that his offspring have become talented, this skill for making a living has instead become an eyesore on their path forward.
What can he do? He can only abandon it!
He couldn’t drag his children back, but completely closing the shop was not an option either, and Wu Yaohua wasn’t comfortable selling it to someone else.
After much thought, he thought of Xu Qing.
In Wu Yaohua’s eyes, the favor Xu Qing did for his family was far more than a shop could repay, but if he entrusted the shop to Xu Qing to manage.
He was a hundred times reassured.
Xu Qing had nothing to say, after drinking the farewell wine, the Wu’s Paper Mache Shop was completely transferred to the Xu family.
However, Xu Qing also said that whenever Wu Yaohua wanted to come back, this Paper Mache Shop would always be kept for him.
Wu Yaohua was drunk at the time, his face red, and he agreed very cheerfully.
Xu Qing sighed helplessly, in just two short years, nearly half of the people on the entire Underground Street had left.
But fortunately, although the Funeral Shop didn’t have living friends, it was still very lively.
While Xu Qing was busy performing salvation on the corpses, the immortals in the hall weren’t idle either.
Huang Xiaoliu came and went without a trace every day, but whenever Xu Qing chanted the Assist Soldier Spell, this Yellow Weasel could always appear in the shop first.
The father and daughter, Gu Zixu and Gu Qiao’Er, one teaching students in the Shroud Shop and the other handling the daily affairs of the Feng Shui Hall, were two experienced Gray Immortals, and never caused Xu Qing much worry.
Sister Jin from the Baosheng Temple and Bai Xiaoxian had now become a pair, and as the temple priest, Sister Jin had a strong sense of responsibility. She was both the temple priest of Xu Qing and his most devout believer, though this believer had never known what Lady Baosheng’s true form was like.
Over the past two months, Xu Qing had often used the Dream Creation Skill to teach Sister Jin various birth and childcare techniques through the Blood Lake Dharma Realm. Since Sister Jin had given birth herself, she quickly grasped these matters.
Now under the care of Sister Jin and Bai Xiaoxian, the incense offerings at Baosheng Temple were increasing daily, and the influence of the childbirth manual was continuously enhancing the reputation of Lady Baosheng.
As the Jin Sect was a commercial hub, people from all over the world came to trade daily, and it was not uncommon for the childbirth manual to be spread to other places. As Baosheng Temple was a temple associated with progeny and blessings, it naturally attracted more believers.
It’s a pity that the dog emperor does no proper work, as Chen Guangrui highlighted the benefits of popularizing the childbirth manual in a memorial sent to the capital, but it was stopped in the cabinet, never reaching the imperial desk.
Emperor Jingxing had already decreed that the memorials from the provincial governors and the three offices could be presented, but those from the prefectural and county administrations needed to go through multiple layers of screening by the local authorities, three offices, and the cabinet.
In short, Emperor Jingxing’s desk was currently clear.
Xu Qing didn’t pay attention to these court affairs, as he had other things to worry about at the moment besides these worry-free immortal employees under him.
One was Crow Grandpa, an immortal far from his homeland, voyaging overseas to bring back seeds from other lands.
As for the other...
Xu Qing spared a moment to glance at the cat guarding the shop counter for him.
At this moment, the cat was possessing Sun Erniang, leisurely playing with the Dream-eating Gu.
The plump, soft little creature was ’baring its teeth and claws,’ letting out random cries. Even without the Tongue and Ear Recognition Skill, Xu Qing could tell how foul the words the creature used were.
The Dream-eating Gu spent the full day lazing about, the only time it was slightly more active was when it changed sleeping positions.
Xuan Yu noticed Xu Qing looking over and turned its head, staring at him unblinkingly.
Xu Qing smiled, turned his head, and continued performing salvation for the corpses.
From Xuan Yu, he could always see a tranquil side of life, even if he were to face a life-and-death catastrophe the next moment, this cat would not have a single worry before that moment.
The only time Xu Qing saw Xuan Yu worried was when he had to face the five-hundred-year thunder tribulation.
And now, it was Xuan Yu who might be facing a disaster at any moment.
...
A sleepless night, and more than three hundred and fifty dismembered corpses were now restored to a whole.
The prisoners sentenced to execution almost all had some unique skills on them, even if they had no talent, being able to make one’s head disappear was at least a commendable dedication.
Xu Qing saw everything from vendors to corrupt officials, and from chivalrous heroes to honest officials...
The vast world couldn’t hold these hundreds of people, yet this small Funeral Shop contained everything, presenting one extraordinary performance after another.
Movable type printing, carved lacquer techniques, sugar blowing painting, flute playing and zither strumming, patchwork clothing, the people’s umbrella offering, and also the unspeakable skills of lock-picking, forging official seals, and chicken and dog theft.
Xu Qing finished checking the Sutra of Salvation rewards, learned several skills, but the one that interested him the most was a unique art of creating ’Celestial Thunder.’
A sleepless night, and more than three hundred and fifty dismembered corpses were now restored to a whole.
The prisoners sentenced to execution almost all had some unique skills on them, even if they had no talent, being able to make one’s head disappear was at least a commendable dedication.
Xu Qing saw everything from vendors to corrupt officials, and from chivalrous heroes to honest officials...
The vast world couldn’t hold these hundreds of people, yet this small Funeral Shop contained everything, presenting one extraordinary performance after another.
Movable type printing, carved lacquer techniques, sugar blowing painting, flute playing and zither playing, a patchwork of skills, commoners offering umbrellas, and those secretive talents like lock-picking, forging official seals, thieving chickens and dogs, and more.
Xu Qing finished checking the Sutra of Salvation rewards, learned several skills, but the one that intrigued him the most was a wondrous art of creating ’Celestial Thunder’.
A sleepless night, and more than three hundred and fifty dismembered corpses were now restored to a whole.
The prisoners sentenced to execution almost all had some unique skills on them, even if they had no talent, being able to make one’s head disappear was at least a commendable dedication.
Xu Qing saw everything from vendors to corrupt officials, and even those righteous chivalrous men to honest and upright officials...
A vast world couldn’t contain these hundreds of people, yet this small Funeral Shop accommodated everything, staging one extraordinary performance after another.
Movable type printing, carved lacquer techniques, sugar blowing painting, flute playing and zither plucking, the people’s umbrella offering, and also the unspeakable arts of lock-picking, forging official seals, chicken and dog stealing, and other arcane skills.
Xu Qing finished checking the Sutra of Salvation rewards, learned several skills, but the one that interested him the most was a wondrous art of creating ’Celestial Thunder.’