Chapter 174: Recognizing a Godmother for Old Age Support

Good and evil will eventually be repaid; the only difference is whether it comes early or late.

Boatman Zhang Da passed away very peacefully; after Xu Qing viewed his life's review, he obtained an Old Conch Pearl-Hiding Pill.

The Pearl-Hiding Pill is of the Human Grade, Mid-Tier; it is about the size of a fingernail, and rather than a pill, it is more like a conch pearl.

This pill-pearl is interesting: whether for the dead or the living, as long as the pearl is pressed under the tongue, one can hide one's light and assume the appearance of an old man; once the pearl is removed, the one who held it will immediately return to their original form.

Xu Qing casually pressed the pill-pearl under his tongue, then fetched a mirror to look, discovering that his hair, including those tiny corpse hairs, had all turned to a color like frost and snow.

Looking again at his eyebrows, eyes, and expression, he was a living, breathing, kind-faced old corpse from a mountain village.

What is this, an Old Man Pill?

Old Conch Pearl-Hiding; who could imagine that a hunched-over old man would be a robust, healthy adult zombie.

After putting away the Old Man Pill, Xu Qing turned his gaze to Boatman Zhang Da's corpse.

The matter of Boatman Zhang Da was not yet over; shortly after Boatman Zhang Da was brought to justice, his tongue was cut out while he was being transported for trial.

The one who cut out the tongue was none other than Constable Xue, who had previously abandoned Uncle Zhao Zhonghe and his nephew and ordered the boat to return to Linhe.

Xu Qing pondered in his heart that Yang Hong and Zhou Hang, the Tianjin Prefecture Constable, were both the masterminds behind this case; Constable Xue, who cut out Boatman Zhang Da's tongue, must have been acting under the orders of these two men. Since Boatman Zhang Da was illiterate, as long as he became mute, he would not be able to name Yang Hong or Zhou Hang.

When all the clues were linked together, a case of collusion between officials and bandits, oppressing and defrauding the innocent, presented itself before Xu Qing.

If an ordinary person encountered such a matter, it would surely be a death sentence with no hope of survival.

Although the Wu brothers were Licentiates, before these unscrupulous, black-hearted officials and bandits, they had not the slightest ability to resist.

Xu Qing shook his head slightly; he was not worried about the safety of the Wu brothers. Both Wu Zhiyuan and Wu Yaoxing carried Peace Talismans gifted by Hu Baosong; even if they fell into the river, as long as their luck was not too bad, nothing serious would happen to them.

Before Wu Wencai departed on his journey, Xu Qing was studying the Talismans of the Grotto-Heaven; at that time, he had drawn many talismans and also gifted a few to the two brothers.

Those talismans were not inferior to Hu Baosong's; in fact, they were even stronger by far.

For ordinary people, Xu Qing and Hu Baosong, acting secretly to assist, were no different from overpowered support.

As for how far the two Wu brothers, who received this 'favor', could go, it all depended on their own fate.

If, under such a boost of opportunity, they still died an unnatural death, then it could only be said that it was destined in their fate.

Ultimately, Xu Qing was just a zombie; before he had self-defense capabilities, he would not leave Tianjin. If the Wu brothers failed to return safely on this journey, the most he could do would be to collect a few more corpses in Tianjin; that was all.

On Jingxia Street, people came and went; on this day, Daoist Yizhen from the coffin shop at the street entrance suddenly came to the door.

Because of the matter concerning Hu Baosong, the female Daoist had been in low spirits for several days; only today did she finally make up her mind, planning to return to Five Elders Temple to cultivate in seclusion.

"Senior Sister, rest assured; I will take good care of Hu Senior's coffin shop for you."

Yizhen smiled, called for Jin Luan, and prepared to leave this place.

The big rooster looked back with every step, quite reluctant to part.

With Xu Qing, it could eat well and drink richly; but if it returned to Five Elders Temple, besides catching insects itself, it could only eat millet and coarse grains to get by.

Such days were truly visible from end to end.

Seeing Jin Luan's appearance, Yizhen felt both stifled and somewhat helpless; her mood was like taking a child to play on the street, only for the child to stubbornly refuse to leave the stall selling sugar figures.

"Junior Brother Xu, I see this chicken likes you very much; if not, I will give it to Junior Brother Xu; whether it is stewed or boiled, it will be up to Junior Brother to decide."

Xu Qing flatly refused; since that stupid chicken slept for half a month last time, its appetite had increased by more than ten times.

One does not know the cost of firewood and rice until one runs a household; a chicken like this should be thrown out to find its own food, saving the trouble of begging for food every day.

People came and went on Jingxia Street; Xu Qing had sent off many living and dead people. Now, having just seen off the female Daoist, a strange-looking female guest turned in from outside.

Xu Qing had some impression of this person; Huang Xiaoliu had once told him a story, saying someone had sent a menial maid to Sister Wu of the neighboring paper effigy shop.

He heard she was from the Jiangnan region.

The maid delivered some newly made paper effigies to the shop; with nothing else to do, Xu Qing drew the maid into conversation.

Under the application of the Authority Technique, the maid was like a criminal under trial in the hall; within a short while, she spilled everything like beans, revealing where her family lived, why she became a maid, and why she was serving as a maid for the Wu family.

After obtaining the answers he wanted, Xu Qing put away his 'Authority', revealed a kind smile, and said, "So you are family of Lord Yin from Jiangnan. In that case, your Young Master Yin is Sister Wu's nephew, Wu Wencai?"

The maid shook her head and waved her hands, her eyes turning red with urgency.

Lord Yin had warned her that she must absolutely not tell outsiders about family matters; she had now committed a grave mistake!

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Rest assured; this matter is known to Heaven and Earth, known to you and known to me; I certainly will not tell anyone else."

The maid did not know how she walked out of the Coroner's Shop; she only felt as if she had lost her soul. The Shopkeeper Xu who sat in the shop was like a Yama's Judge in the Underworld; she involuntarily felt fear and spilled out everything she knew.

Inside the Coroner's Shop, Xu Qing chuckled while playing with a paper ingot in his hand.

Beside him, Xuan Yu asked curiously, "Since the Wu boy recognized an official as his godfather, why did he not return directly to overturn the case for his uncle?"

Xu Qing put down the ingot and shook his head, saying, "That Lord Yin, surnamed Yin, is a subordinate Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Rites in Jiangnan; perhaps he has some authority in Jiangnan, but in Tianjin, he has little official power."

"Moreover, the Wu family case was personally sentenced by the Prefect of Tianjin. If there were truly a grievance, where would the Prefect's face be? If my guess is correct, it is not that Wu Wencai is unwilling to return, but that Lord Yin knows the problems involved, so he let him focus on studying for next year's Spring Examination. As long as Wu Wencai obtains an official position, the situation will be different."

Pausing for a moment, Xu Qing smiled, "There are many talented scholars in Jiangnan. Wu Wencai participated in the Autumn Examination in Jiangnan this time and managed to place in the top three. If he studies diligently, when he goes to the capital next spring to participate in the Metropolitan Examination and the Palace Examination, he can at least secure a ranked official post."

"These are not even the main point. If, after entering the capital, he can meet a benefactor who promotes him... heh heh, then the sky of Tianjin will probably change."

Xuan Yu heard this in a daze, but upon hearing that Wu Wencai seemed very likely to turn his fortunes around, he also felt happy.

"Before, I saw Wu Wencai and knew this person could achieve great things; now it seems I was right. Just this ability to bend and stretch to recognize relatives shows it clearly."

That Lord Yin in Jiangnan had only one daughter and no son; Wu Wencai's move this time left Xu Qing in awe.

The only thing that made him uncertain now was Wu Zhiyuan, who had been silent and without news until now.

Wu Zhiyuan had considerable literary talent; his ability to study and take exams seemed to surpass Wu Wencai's by far, but in terms of conduct and dealing with people, he was not as shrewd as Wu Wencai.

Hearing Xu Qing praise Wu Wencai's ability to recognize relatives, Xuan Yu pondered, "Does Immortal Xu also want to recognize a godparent?"

"..."

Xu Qing's gaze was deep; Hu Baosong, who wanted to be his godfather last time, had now become a handful of yellow earth.

But speaking of recognizing godparents, it seems he really did do it once!

Xu Qing glanced sideways at the spirit tablet of Liu Youdao on the offering altar; recognizing a dead person as a master should also count as being able to bend and stretch.

"Xuan Yu, do you want to go with me to recognize a godparent?"

Xuan Yu's eyes lit up—it sounded like it might be fun.

"Which mortal does Immortal Xu wish to take as adoptive parent?"

Xu Qing stood, straightened his robes, and answered without addressing the question: "My master once adopted an ancient willow tree as his adoptive mother in Shitou Village, Xiangyin County. Since then, he took 'Willow' as his surname and named himself Youdao."

"I understand! Immortal Xu wants to go to Xiangyin County and adopt that old willow as his adoptive grandmother!"

"."

Xu Qing glanced at Xuan Yu and raised an eyebrow: "Xiangyin County is a thousand li from here. To get there, you must leave Jinmen. I've heard there are many zombies there who kill without blinking—would you dare come with me to find that old willow?"

No sooner had Xu Qing finished speaking than Xuan Yu, who had just been eager to go, instantly fell silent.

"There are willow trees in Jinmen too."

"We're not paying homage to willow trees today." Xu Qing teased the cat, his mood greatly improved.

"If not willow trees, then who? Are we going to bow to the official my lord?"

"That's what ordinary people and ordinary cats do. Are you an ordinary cat?"

"No!" Xuan Yu shook its head, then looked up at Xu Qing: "Then is Immortal Xu an ordinary person?"

"Only those who raise ordinary cats are ordinary people. Do you think I'm an ordinary person, Xuan Yu?"

"." Xuan Yu widened its eyes, its cat brain whirring furiously.

"Immortal Xu is certainly not an ordinary person."

"That's right. Who in their right mind would go out of their way to adopt an official as kin? Despicable!"

At that moment, Wu the Great Scholar, laboring over his books far away in Jiangnan, suddenly shivered.

I wonder whether my adoptive father passed through Jinmen and saw my aunt—did he carry word back that I'm still alive?

Jingxia Street.

The stiff corpse and the cat shut the shop door. Xu Qing walked ahead; Xuan Yu followed beside him, stumbling unevenly.

When they reached the coffin shop, Xu Qing glanced at the empty interior and the wicker chair in the corner, now dusted with a thin layer of grime, and felt a strange pang inside.

He stuck a Purifying Dust Talisman to a pillar. Instantly, an invisible ripple spread through the entire shop, sweeping away every speck of dust and cobweb.

Passing through the front shop, he entered the courtyard, where stood a peach tree, thick as two people could embrace.

Ordinary peach trees have short lifespans and rarely live past a hundred years. But this peach tree in the coffin shop looked as if it had lived at least three hundred.

Beneath its lush branches stood a stone table, carved with a go board. Xuan Yu leapt onto it and stared at the unfinished game.

It wasn't studying the game—cats don't understand go. It was merely restraining its out-of-control paws.

It longed to nudge the stones, preferably knocking every single one onto the ground!

Xuan Yu struggled fiercely against its inner demon until Xu Qing spoke, snapping it back to awareness.

"Xuan Yu, come help me!"

Xu Qing set up an offering table, placed incense, candles, and offerings, tied red cloth strips to the peach tree as a medium to bind kinship, and then pulled up the weeds around its base.

Xuan Yu copied him, biting a stalk of grass and tugging hard to pull it free.

Though it didn't know why Xu Qing was doing this, it felt there must be reason in it!

After pulling the weeds, Xu Qing fetched a gourd of water and poured it at the tree's roots. Though Xuan Yu disliked water, it obeyed, carrying a small teacup in its mouth and pouring with solemn ceremony.

When all was done, Xu Qing stood before the offering table, now laden with snowflake-patterned ornaments, a crooked little phoenix, a pork head, and even a raw salted giant fish.

Xu Qing bowed with clasped hands. Xuan Yu imitated him, half-crouching, half-standing beside Xu Qing, bowing to the peach tree.

When the adoption ceremony ended, Xu Qing spoke: "Peach Immortal above, today Xuan Yu and I have cleansed your immortal dwelling and offered garments, merely to express our humble hearts. If the Peach Immortal does not reject us, today Xuan Yu and I wish to bind kinship with red silk as covenant and clear dew as libation—begging you to become our adoptive mother. May you protect our Dao paths, free from calamity and misfortune, and grant us your shelter when hardship strikes, turning misfortune into auspiciousness."

"If your blessings prove true, Xuan Yu and I shall forever honor you, our adoptive mother, offering incense and tending to your needs until your final rest."

No sooner had Xu Qing finished than, in the still, windless courtyard, the peach branches trembled. Xuan Yu looked up to see two peach leaves drift down—one floating gently before it, the other landing on Xu Qing's shoulder.

Xuan Yu reached out a paw, hooked the fallen leaf, and exclaimed joyfully: "I've heard that once you adopt a kin, they shield mortals from calamity. Now that Immortal Xu faces the Five-Hundred-Year Thunder Calamity, surely our adoptive mother will secretly protect him and help him pass through it safely."

No sooner had Xuan Yu spoken than the red silk tied to the peach tree suddenly fell loose, and the half-burned yellow incense on the offering table snuffed out.

"."

Xu Qing glanced sideways at Xuan Yu, who had spoken without thinking.

After a pause, Xuan Yu said: "The big peach tree doesn't want to be our adoptive kin anymore."

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow: "The Peach Immortal is reasonable. We pulled its weeds and watered its roots—why would it refuse us?"

"Besides, this coffin shop has already been transferred to me by Master Yizhen. Old Hu himself said that after his death, the shop would pass to me."

"If so, this coffin shop is my home. The Peach Immortal grows within my home—it must, by nature, be tied to us in some way. If it's not tied at all, then it's merely an intruding evil guest!"

"Xuan Yu Immortal, how should we deal with an unwelcome evil guest? Should we dig up its roots, or burn it down?"

The peach tree, silent until now, trembled its branches again—whether from fear or anger, no one could tell.

But the red silk, now fluttering back onto the branches of its own accord, suggested the Peach Immortal was quite pleased to be their adoptive kin.

After the ritual, Xu Qing and Xuan Yu both felt, in some ineffable way, a bond had formed between them and the peach tree—but when they tried to sense it clearly, the connection slipped away.

After impulsively adopting kin with Xuan Yu, Xu Qing packed up the offering table and left the coffin shop.

Inside the coffin shop, beside the stone table carved with the go board, a young woman in a peach-red dress suddenly appeared.

She looked down at the red silk shawl now draped over her shoulders and sighed in annoyance: "That Hu boy was so foolish—how could he just give away his home? If he ever needs to hide here from calamity, won't I be dragged into his misfortune too?"

(End of Chapter)