Chapter 153: Old Steed in the Stable, Seeds from Afar

The weight pressing against his chest left Xu Qing feeling somewhat dazed.

The giant axe thrown by the preacher in his dream—how had it suddenly turned into a cat's head?

Xu Qing reached out, intending to scoop Xuan Yu up by its armpits, but before his hand could even extend, Xuan Yu leaped lightly onto the edge of the coffin.

"You slept for a long time."

"How long?"

"The big rooster crowed twice."

"Two days, then." Throughout the dream, Xu Qing had remained in a state between waking and sleeping. He could perceive changes in the outside world, including the cries of Jin Luan echoing through the mountain mists and clouds.

It was just that, due to the dream, this sensation had a surreal filter, much like being soaked in a barrel of hot water in the dead of winter; the hazy steam blocked all vision, yet he could still hear the sounds of the outside world.

"Is Immortal Xuan Yu protecting me?" Xu Qing asked curiously.

The black cat sat on the edge of the coffin, its tail flicking unconsciously.

"I thought you were dead."

Xuan Yu's tail stopped swaying. It jumped down from the coffin edge, landed in front of Xu Qing, stared at him intently, and said, "But your scent is the same as before, so I knew you were just sleeping."

"..."

Xu Qing reached out and rubbed Xuan Yu's head. This time, the creature didn't dodge; instead, it tilted its chin slightly, allowing Xu Qing to stroke it.

"Sorry to have worried you, Xuan Yu. Next time I go into seclusion, I'll write a little note with a small fish drawn on it and stick it outside the coffin. That way, even if I'm asleep, you'll know to just wait for me to wake up."

"How long will the next seclusion be?"

"Perhaps two months, perhaps longer."

Hearing Xu Qing's words, Xuan Yu immediately grew alert: "When you go into seclusion next time, are you going to undergo your tribulation?"

Xu Qing nodded: "I have nearly five hundred years of cultivation base. If we go by the Three Disasters and Five Tribulations, it is indeed time to face the tribulation."

Xuan Yu jumped back onto the coffin edge, its tail swaying uneasily.

"There are three thousand wisps of incense in the hall. Remember to use the incense when you face the tribulation. I won't be watching the shop for these next two days."

Xu Qing asked in surprise: "Where are you going?"

Xuan Yu looked at Xu Qing, much like a mother cat looking at her kitten: "I'm going to the homes of the incense masters who worship the Cat Immortal to help them drive away the rat infestation. If possible, I can also help anyone who has a request. That way, I can save up lots of incense for Immortal Xu to use to resist the disaster..."

Three thousand wisps of incense were still too little in the face of a cultivation disaster.

Xu Qing frowned: "Xuan Yu, you already have four hundred years of cultivation base; you aren't far from your own cultivation disaster. If you give all the incense to me, how will you resist your own disaster in the future?"

"Hmm," Xuan Yu blinked, looking earnest: "You forgot, cats have nine lives. I'm not afraid of disasters; even if I can't dodge them, I can still survive. But Immortal Xu only has one life..."

Xu Qing was speechless for a long moment.

In his eyes, Xuan Yu cherished its remaining lives dearly; otherwise, it would never have been so afraid to leave Jinmen even once after losing one of its lives in the past.

A cat's affection is hard to repay. If his taking the incense from the Cat Immortal Hall caused Xuan Yu to fail its future tribulation, his state of mind would certainly not be at peace.

"Don't worry about the incense for now," Xu Qing shook his head. "Tribulation is a major event. Before then, if I can find other ways to deal with the disaster, I imagine that would be a good thing for Immortal Xuan Yu as well."

Xuan Yu asked in confusion: "Aren't the Three Disasters and Five Tribulations something you must face once your cultivation reaches a certain level? Besides incense, are there other ways to deal with them?"

Xu Qing chuckled: "Who would be so careless about their tribulation? Since it is a cultivation disaster, there must be traces left by those who came before. As long as we find these traces and follow the guidance of our predecessors' experiences, we can naturally increase our chances of passing."

"It's just a pity that those who have survived cultivation disasters are far too rare. Perhaps I can ask Daoist Xiang Yizhen; she cultivates at the Five Olds Temple, and it is said that there were once enlightened true cultivators in the temple..."

Xuan Yu pondered: "I've heard that human disasters are different from those of demons and monsters. Humans are uniquely favored by heaven, making it much easier for them to avoid disasters than it is for demons."

At this, Xuan Yu's eyes clearly brightened: "Immortal Xu is human; in the future, you will surely be favored by heaven and avoid the disaster."

"..."

Xu Qing sucked his teeth. Zombies were considered an anomaly, lumped in with demons and monsters—they didn't get the same treatment as living humans!

"Xuan Yu, do you still remember the White Immortal Lady of Mount Yuehua?"

"White Immortal Lady? You mean that big white snake who invited you to visit?"

Xu Qing nodded: "The White Immortal Lady seems to have already avoided one cultivation disaster. Since she is also an anomalous demon, perhaps we can go and seek her advice."

Xuan Yu looked at Xu Qing, and after a moment of silence, it rubbed its head against him.

Xu Qing was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

The cat probably thought he was going to find the White Immortal Lady solely for its sake.

But could Xu Qing tell Xuan Yu that seeking the White Immortal Lady would actually be of great benefit to himself as well?

That was certainly impossible!

"I'm most afraid of snakes. If it weren't for Immortal Xuan Yu, I definitely wouldn't go to Mount Yuehua."

Hearing this, the cat rubbed against him even more diligently.

The Thirty-Six Methods of Tiangang corresponded to thirty-six axe techniques. Holding the Mountain-Opening Axe, Xu Qing danced it in the backyard with such force that it whistled through the air.

The three-hundred-catty axe felt as light as nothing in his hands. In the chicken coop, Jin Luan watched, dazzled, terrified that the axe might split its own head open.

"What exactly did that preacher see?"

Xu Qing recalled the final axe strike the white-robed youth had unleashed toward the mountains in his dream.

The axe appeared to be striking the mountain, but Xu Qing could feel that the white-robed youth's gaze had been fixed on what lay behind the mountain.

Of the thirty-six axe techniques, even with his full effort, Xu Qing could only execute the first nine. While he knew how to perform the subsequent ones, he lacked the corresponding strength to support them; at most, he could only put on a show, lacking the Daoist rhyme present in the white-robed youth.

However, compared to Hong Baoya, he had already far surpassed him.

Hong Baoya had only grasped the most basic first five Tiangang axe techniques and had already vaguely touched the threshold of a martial arts master.

Xu Qing was very curious: if a true martial arts master were to come, he wondered how many strikes they could take.

Over the next few days, Xu Qing became thoroughly busy.

Xuan Yu was busy helping incense masters and the sick drive away rat infestations and evil spirits, while Xu Qing stayed in the side room, using the Yin-Burning Fire to melt all the burial money into blocks, finally forging them into the shape of a coffin.

After about five or six days of work, a ten-thousand-catty Yin-Gold coffin appeared in the mortician's shop.

Xu Qing reached out and stroked the coffin, which was covered in coin patterns.

Burial objects buried underground for years, long hidden from the sun, absorbed a great deal of earth-vein energy. This dark, heavy aura was the key to nurturing a Golden Armored Corpse.

And the Five Elements metal energy contained within the burial money was related to the quality of the Golden Armored Corpse once it took form.

This was also why Golden Armored Zombies were mostly found in ancient imperial tombs.

Because only in large tombs would the quality of the burial money be higher, and it would be easiest to gather the Yin-Gold energy from the earth veins.

Covering the Yin-Gold coffin with a shroud, Xu Qing went to the Flower and Bird Street.

These burial coins were worth a fortune, but to him, they were nothing.

The gold and silver wealth he had scavenged from the Jinmen gang members alone was no less than ten thousand taels, and combined with the wealth accumulated from past funeral rites, it was enough to settle the expenses paid by Second Master Feng.

On Flower and Bird Street, Second Master Feng was feeding "Big Uncle." Beside him, Mr. Liu had a small white snake draped around his neck. The moment the snake saw Xu Qing approaching, it began to "nod and bow."

The fame of the Cat Immortal Hall had spread throughout the circle of immortals these days. Whether it was punishing human traffickers, tearing down the Fertility Temple, or eradicating the demon tiger, these were things other immortals couldn't accomplish. Now, who didn't know how formidable the Cat Immortal Hall was?

"It's been many days, Fellow Daoist Xu. Your cultivation seems even better than before."

It was Mr. Liu, the snake-keeper, who spoke.

Mr. Liu's surname wasn't actually Liu; his original name was Ji Ruinian. It was only because he was a practitioner of the Willow Immortal that people in the trade called him Mr. Liu.

Hearing Ji Ruinian's words, Second Master Feng smiled and interjected: "This isn't because Brother Xu's cultivation is high; it's clearly all thanks to the setting provided by his peers."

"If we could just be a bit more capable, how could we let those filthy things run wild?"

Xu Qing smiled and shook his head: "Second Master, you've got that wrong. The Cat Immortal Hall's recent successes were largely thanks to the assistance of other immortals. If not for the guidance of Old Crow from Craggy Mountain or the help from the Yellow Immortal of Yellow Strip Cave, I'm afraid I wouldn't even know where those filthy things were."

After some pleasantries, Xu Qing explained his purpose. When Second Master Feng heard that Xu Qing had come to deliver silver, he immediately waved his hand.

"Consider those things a gift from me. Besides, I'm not short of that little bit of money. If those things are helpful to you, I'm happy in my heart."

Second Master Feng sighed: "Speaking of which, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but although I like the business of immortal practitioners, I've actually been afraid of this stuff since I was a child."

Listening to Second Master Feng ramble, Xu Qing realized that this Second Master before him was also a solitary, clean-living person.

In his early years, Second Master Feng's family was haunted by evil spirits. His grandparents and parents were not spared. At the height of the haunting, even Second Master Feng, who had fled a thousand miles away, couldn't escape the evil spirit's entanglement.

It was at that time that a passing immortal practitioner helped him drive the evil spirit out of his body.

But this practitioner had offended the evil spirit because of it. About two years later, the practitioner, covered in poisonous sores, found Second Master Feng and left him with one sentence: find a Phoenix Immortal as soon as possible and become its disciple, so that he might still preserve his life.

After saying this, the practitioner fell forward and breathed his last.

It was said that when he died, many poisonous insects crawled out of the rotting, foul-smelling sores on his body.

Since then, Second Master Feng had asked around and found an old woman from the north.

In the immortal practitioner trade, male disciples are called 'Di Ma' (Earth Horses), and females are called 'Xiang Tong' (Incense Children) or 'Da Shen' (Great Gods).

The old woman was the most prestigious person in the northern 'Great God' circle. She took Second Master Feng from village to village in the mountains, and finally found this psychic white chicken, "Big Uncle."

Second Master Feng reached out and picked up Big Uncle, stroking the rooster's feathers as if it were his own son.

"My life was given to me by an immortal, so I respect those immortals who help people from the bottom of my heart, as well as those disciples and incense children."

Second Master Feng let out a long sigh and mocked himself: "I'm a cowardly person afraid of death; otherwise, I wouldn't have run a thousand miles away when trouble hit my family. It's still the same now. I'm clearly an immortal practitioner disciple, and I have Big Uncle by my side, but I've never performed a reading for anyone to this day."

"Because I'm afraid. My benefactor died too miserably. I'm afraid I'll end up like him, one day, because I performed a reading to save someone, I'll end up covered in insects, and in the end, be gnawed until there isn't even a piece of fresh red meat left..."

"Brother Xu is someone I respect from the bottom of my heart. I have nothing but money. If my money can help Brother Xu, I'm happier than doing anything else."

Second Master Feng's words were sincere, and Xu Qing couldn't help but be moved. However, he knew in his heart that whether the Cat Immortal Hall saved people or helped them, it was ultimately within his capabilities.

If the situation exceeded his control, he wouldn't necessarily step in and put himself in danger.

"Then many thanks, Second Master."

Xu Qing bowed in thanks, but before leaving, he still asked about the matter concerning Second Master Feng.

"Second Master, what exactly was that evil spirit?"

"I really don't know. My family was almost wiped out by this evil spirit, but in the end, I didn't even know which god I had offended. Isn't that funny?"

Second Master Feng was laughing, but he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes no matter what.

Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then asked: "Does that evil spirit still have its eye on you, Second Master?"

"It does, how could it not! That thing holds a grudge!"

Second Master Feng patted Big Uncle and said: "Guess why Big Uncle and I have been inseparable?"

"Because I know in my heart that as soon as Big Uncle leaves me, that thing will come knocking."

Xu Qing looked at the white rooster, thinking to himself: how formidable could an evil spirit be if even a chicken is afraid of it?

Remembering the big rooster in his own shop that ate for free all day, Xu Qing already had a plan: "Second Master, I've been quite busy lately. Once I'm done with these next two days, I'll give you a surprise."

"That would be great, I'll definitely wait for you, Brother Xu."

Second Master Feng was delighted, unaware of how much psychological trauma the "surprise" Xu Qing spoke of would bring him.

Leaving Flower and Bird Street, Xu Qing didn't stop. Once he passed the city gate and reached an uninhabited area, he switched to his Five-Flower Horse and, in less than half a cup of tea, arrived at Guanmen Village.

Finding Sun Erzhuang, Xu Qing gave him instructions on purchasing a storefront in the city, then hurried off to Craggy Mountain without stopping.

During these past few days, Xuan Yu watched the shop during the day and went to the homes of the commoners who worshipped the Cat Immortal Hall at night to drive away rats and secure their homes. Xu Qing saw this and knew the cat was working day and night because it knew he was in urgent need of incense.

But how could that little bit of incense be enough?

Xuan Yu had always treated him as a human, but it didn't know that he was also an anomalous being. The disasters faced by such anomalous demons were many times more difficult than those faced by living humans.

Both a cat and a zombie needed incense as a safety net. If they relied solely on catching rats, securing homes, or doing ordinary immortal practitioner business, they would likely not be able to withstand the power of a five-hundred-year lightning tribulation.

Xu Qing had never experienced a disaster, so he could only prepare for the worst.

On the other hand, he didn't want Xuan Yu to be constantly anxious because of the incense.

On Craggy Mountain, Xu Qing whistled. Amidst the mountain mists and clouds, a crow descended with a caw.

Xu Qing was proficient in the language of birds and beasts. After communicating with the crow before him for a while, the little crow flew back into the mountain forest.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Old Black Crow flew down before Xu Qing.

"Little Xu, you're in such a hurry to find this old fellow—is there something urgent?"

Xu Qing bowed in greeting, his expression solemn: "I would like to invite you, Old Crow, to come to my Cat Immortal Hall to preside over the hall."

An immortal hall has ten halls. Besides the transmission hall, the circle hall, and others, there is one important hall: the Presiding Hall.

The Presiding Hall is the department that holds the line, belonging to the hall's reserve forces. The hall master managing the Presiding Hall must also be old, steady, and prestigious, so that they can suppress unruly immortals and ensure the stability of the hall.

As the saying goes, old people are shrewd, old horses are slippery.

Crows are born as intelligent birds, and crows that have reached a certain age are even more shrewd.

The Old Black Crow tilted its head to size up Xu Qing and laughed: "Little Xu, you have great ability, and Lady Qingqing has great ability too. Why do you need an old fellow like me to preside?"

Xu Qing also laughed: "Having an elder in the house is like having a treasure. I came to find you, Old Crow, naturally because I know you have abilities other immortals don't. If you are willing to come, who knows, the crows of Craggy Mountain might have endless incense to enjoy in the future."

"Endless incense?" The Old Black Crow looked at Xu Qing; the earnest expression on the other's face didn't look fake.

"What help can I give you?"

There is no free meal in the world. The Old Black Crow was clearly not dazzled by the pie in the sky Xu Qing had drawn.

"Does Old Crow know what is on the other side of this mountain?"

"Isn't it just more mountains on the other side of the mountain?"

"And further away?"

"Further away is the Jinmen sea mouth."

Hearing this, Xu Qing smiled: "Have you ever been to the other side of the sea, Old Crow?"

The Old Black Crow shook its head: "I have not."

"I haven't been either, but I know that at the end of the sea, there are also human habitations. The things they eat are not entirely the same as ours. There are crops there that the Yong Dynasty doesn't have, some of which might have higher yields and be more resistant to drought."

"The Yong Dynasty has had many natural disasters in recent years. How many hundreds of thousands of commoners are starving?"

"If you could cross the ocean and bring back seeds from afar, how much merit would you gain?"

The Old Black Crow opened its eyes wide, shocked and speechless for a long time.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 154 =====