Chapter 228

Inside and outside the Shang mansion, guests were full, and the banquet tables alone occupied two streets.

This did not include the main hall garden that received distinguished guests in the Shang mansion.

Xu Qing took the little girl, whose eyes were full of curiosity, to go sightseeing all the way. During this period, there was no lack of acquaintances coming to greet him, but more were people Xu Qing knew unilaterally.

High officials and nobles, wandering knights, scholars and poets, actors and servants...

Xu Qing had heard of a six-person theory, which is "the number of people between you and any stranger will not exceed six."

This theory is very difficult to implement, but Xu Qing truly experienced this strange feeling of "having the voices and smiles of old friends everywhere in the world."

Miss Gu, who married into the Shang family, was originally a descendant of Marshal Eight Banners who was lost in the Ancient Path of the Yin River.

The Flower Garden Old Man, Cui Shiyuan, had met Miss Gu's grandmother once.

There was also the eunuch who came to congratulate with the Emperor's decree at the wedding banquet, who happened to be the nemesis of Liao Jinzhong's adopted son, Lou Xiaowu.

In the main hall, the figure of Zhu Huaian's uncle, Yin Chengshan, flashed by. Xu Qing looked sideways and only saw him pulling someone behind the screen, as if they were plotting something.

Among these people, most did not know Xu Qing, but Xu Qing could call out their names.

The old customer of Fourth Master Li of Linjiang County, the Western Region Hu merchant Jiang Mingqi, and the two Hu people who often followed him, Yizhannu and Qifuluo.

These were the information Xu Qing obtained when he performed funeral rites for the tooth-firm martial arts master Li Fan.

In addition, there were Jiangnan talents, Beizhao Prefecture generals, Qinyinfang musicians and actors, and even officials who had just returned to Qianzhou after finishing their exile from the distant Yazhou territory.

People from all walks of life who had nothing to do with each other were now like trembling threads on a spider web, all overlapping and resonating with the revolving lantern Xu Qing had seen.

At this time, Xu Qing wandered through the courtyard, and the guests coming and going flashed by like fast-forward images. The whole wedding banquet was like a water-ink scroll, only Xu Qing, who was holding the little girl, was like the only colored brush in the painting, traveling through this Ukiyo-e scroll.

And Xu Qing's "Scripture of Saving People" was like a huge spider web woven from the memories of one after another, a vast star map woven from the memories of thousands of dead people. No matter which thread trembled or which trajectory changed, it would eventually be transmitted to his mortician's shop.

Xu Qing stopped, and the Ukiyo-e scroll around him seemed to freeze.

It turned out that he, who had not traveled far, had inadvertently touched places thousands or tens of thousands of miles away.

And this footprint was not just a simple walk, nor was it just an extension in the geographical dimension, but a memory leap that crossed the obstacles of time and ran through the entire ancient and modern times.

Whether it was the palace secrets of emperors and generals, the market fireworks of ordinary people, or the historical fragments sealed for thousands of years, they had all turned into little sparks on the star map, and quietly, they had spread for thousands of miles.

Xu Qing suddenly quickened his pace. The little girl beside him was caught off guard and had to lift her skirt with one hand, chasing after Xu Qing in a near-running posture.

In front, a three-story pavilion was particularly eye-catching.

Xu Qing walked faster and faster, and finally he simply held the little girl's small hand behind him with his backhand, taking big steps, and walked toward the pavilion with a clear purpose.

Three steps into two, climbing up the stairs, when he reached the highest point of the pavilion, all the scenes below, including the fireworks of the streets outside the Shang mansion, could be seen clearly.

The wind blew across his temples, and Xu Qing smiled.

Beside him, the little girl with beautiful hanging hair widened her eyes, staring blankly at the scenery that only humans could see.

It's just that compared to others, what Xu Qing saw was the rise and fall of every dynasty, and even every person, in the rolling red dust tide.

Shang mansion banquet.

Xu Qing, who was proficient in the one-stop service of funeral and white affairs, saw the ceremony officer of the red affair for the first time.

That ceremony officer was an official invited by the Shang family from the Ministry of Rites. He had presided over wedding celebrations for many officials and nobles in the past, and his professionalism was beyond reproach.

Xu Qing was not very good at red affairs; this thing clashed with him a bit.

But this didn't prevent him from watching the fun of the red affair industry.

Welcoming the sedan chair, crossing the brazier, the newlyweds worshiping the hall, drinking the nuptial wine...

Xu Qing watched all the way, and felt quite touched in his heart.

This wedding banquet, compared to the funeral banquet, although the path was very different, was equally cumbersome and particular.

You know, besides marriage and marriage, the wedding banquet also includes birthday celebrations, full-month wine, birthday banquets, celebration banquets, deer-calling banquets, fame banquets, and other joyous banquets.

If you are not a professional in the industry, you really can't figure out the ways in this.

To some extent, red and white affairs are much the same.

After watching the cumbersome wedding etiquette of a big family, Xu Qing had many different feelings in his heart.

When the guests sent congratulatory gifts, Xu Qing thought about it and sent out a room-middle technique of yin and yang harmony that he had obtained.

I think this thing will be helpful to this newlywed couple.

Beside, Xuanyu struggled for a long time, and finally put its pair of decorative walnuts on the gift table.

Seeing this, Xu Qing blocked it and said: "You and I came to the banquet together, just one gift is enough."

The gift book gentleman saw that the little girl was so obedient and sensible, and couldn't help laughing: "Since the young lady came with this young master, collecting one congratulatory gift is enough."

"Besides, my master is generous to guests, even if the guests don't bring gifts, it doesn't matter."

The gift book gentleman laughed, then suddenly remembered something and asked: "By the way, I haven't asked what the name of this congratulatory gift is from this young master, it looks like a book."

Xu Qing didn't avoid it and said: "This is a room-middle health technique, worth a thousand gold."

"..."

The hand of the gift book gentleman holding the pen shook, and after hesitating for a moment, he wrote down again.

"What is a room-middle health technique?"

After sending the gift, on the way back to the banquet, Xuanyu asked curiously.

"It's a method for the groom and bride to exercise their bodies."

"Can I and Immortal Xu exercise?"

"..."

Xu Qing lowered his head and looked sideways, just meeting the clear eyes cast by Xuanyu.

"No!"

"Why?"

"No means no, this method can only be used by the groom and bride."

"Hmm..."

Seeing that Xuanyu still wanted to speak, Xu Qing decisively changed the subject:

"When Xuanyu sent the congratulatory gift just now, why did you send out the thing you liked most?"

Xuanyu said seriously: "Because those walnuts were sent by Second Master Feng, I don't like them too much."

"..."

Xu Qing suddenly realized.

It turned out that this cat looked at the person who sent the thing, not the item itself.

"Why are you reluctant to send other things?" "Because many of them were sent by Immortal Xu."

When the banquet officially started, Xu Qing specifically chose the viewing pavilion in the distance, where most of the people sitting were martial arts people.

Compared to the false and polite officials and merchants in the main hall, Xu Qing still felt that these people in the martial arts world were more interesting.

The martial arts world, all walks of life, all kinds of people, Xu Qing just stepped on the pavilion and saw all kinds of people holding swords and swords.

No wonder the Shang family invited these people in the martial arts world outside the hall.

These people in the martial arts world came from all over the world, and everyone knew some things that others didn't know. Xu Qing was just in a pavilion, and actually had a feeling of returning to his own mortician's shop.

The colorful people in front of him were like the corpses he had performed funeral rites for in the mortician's shop. Everyone inside had different experiences, but the ones telling the news in the mortician's shop were dead people, while the ones bringing news in the pavilion in front were living people.

Xu Qing listened to everyone's discussion, many of which were news he already knew when he was staying in Jinmen.

For example, the Beizhao Prefecture excavated an ancient tripod in its jurisdiction, and there were inscription characters on the tripod.

"That tripod was seen by my own eyes, and it was written on it: 'The imperial mausoleum collapses, the nine states crack, the one who rises will be the master of the north.' However, although I saw this tripod with my own eyes, I don't believe in such strange things. After all, the imperial mausoleum is fine, why would it collapse for no reason? This matter is thought to be someone faking it..."

The swordsman, whose skin color and decorations were full of Northern Xinjiang style, was recounting what he saw and heard.

However, when his voice fell, a gold-hanging dart master who had been to the capital said: "I have been to the capital. At the beginning of the year, thunder clouds gathered outside the capital, above the Fuyong Imperial Mausoleum, and it struck for half an hour before dispersing. I heard people say that the imperial mausoleum was struck by thunder and had a big hole!"

"That thunder, let alone me, even the whole capital could hear it..."

The swordsman from Northern Xinjiang was surprised: "There is such a thing."

Besides the news from the north, there were also divine turtles with "Cangtian cracks, Ziwei dims, dragons and snakes rise to set a new era" carved on their backs emerging from the water in the territory of the Cangyi Army and the Red-Clothed Sect.

Xu Qing heard these words, but put his eyes on the swordsman.

This person looked familiar.

In the past, when he performed funeral rites for the mansion soldiers killed by Bai Luo of the Tianxin Sect in the Prince Changting mansion, he had seen this person in their memories.

If he remembered correctly, this swordsman should be the personal guard of Prince Changting.

A former prince's personal guard, who had nothing to do, ran over to pretend to be a martial arts swordsman, talking about some gods and ghosts. If there was no article in this, Xu Qing wouldn't believe it.

Referring to the high ancestor beheading the snake, the fish belly pill book, Xu Qing roughly understood what Zhu Huaian and those rebels of the Cangyi Army were doing.

It was nothing more than wanting to use strange phenomena and prophecy to build momentum for themselves, while weakening the morale of the Great Yong generals.

Xu Qing could even predict that there might be things like the theory of destiny in the future.

For example, a certain prince has the dragon energy, should point his sword at Ziwei, or the true dragon is in the wild, the false emperor should be punished...

But having said that, the prince who went to Northern Xinjiang to drink cold wind seems to really have a wisp of dragon energy.

Xu Qing listened to everyone's discussion and found that the things inside were true and false, and not all things were the same as what he knew.

Perhaps this is the difference between living people and dead people.

The dead in Xu Qing's shop never lie, while the living in the pavilion in front, although they also have the possibility of building news context and observing the world, the results obtained from their mouths cannot be fully believed.

After listening to the martial arts rumors for a while, Xu Qing was somewhat regretful. If he could hear the name of his own mortician's shop thousands of miles away, that would be great.

Beside, Xuanyu listened with great interest. The gossip of humans is far more exciting than those of their monsters.

Later, the banquet officially started.

Xu Qing walked through several tables, during which the dart masters of the Tai'an Escort Agency wanted to invite him to sit at the same table, but he politely declined.

Those dart masters had extensive social connections and were famous in the martial arts world. Eating a banquet would not know how many people would toast and disturb him.

If it were usual, he could take the opportunity to win over guests and promote his own business, and he might be very willing to join in, but on this occasion...

Xu Qing was not very willing to get mixed up with them.

Passing through the pavilion corridor, Xu Qing continued to move forward. When he arrived at the top floor of the pavilion, a place most suitable for viewing the scenery, he suddenly stopped.

Beside Xu Qing, Xuanyu also stopped.

I saw a monk and a Daoist talking at the table side by side not far away.

The monk and the Daoist were fat and thin, and Xu Qing knew them all.

And the fat monk, when the Flower Garden Old Man Cui Shiyuan went to Cizhao Temple, he had met this monk more than once.

Not only that, Xu Qing had also met a fat monk riding a donkey backward on his way back from going to Jinmen to store grain and manage the rat disaster with Guan Dazhuang and others, and that fat monk was exactly the fat monk sitting at the banquet.

According to the time point when Cui Shiyuan met this fat monk, it has been at least several decades ago.

Excluding other reasons, just talking about age, this old monk should be at least nearly a hundred years old.

However, the appearance of this monk has not changed at all.

Xu Qing finished looking at the monk, and then looked at the Daoist.

Although the Daoist's appearance had changed slightly, Xu Qing could still recognize his identity!

The Daoist in front of him was none other than the Old Daoist Bai Yun who refined the life-extending immortal pill in the Ruyi Temple on Mount Yunmeng!

Xu Qing originally planned to visit the Ruyi Temple on Mount Yunmeng to visit this old Daoist, but he didn't expect to meet him here in advance.

This is really a narrow road for enemies!

Xu Qing raised his spirit to twelve points and was about to take action, but found that someone was desperately pulling his sleeve backward.

He turned his head and saw Xuanyu, whose face was pale, following behind him, pulling his sleeve and pulling hard toward the outside of the pavilion.

The fear in Xuanyu's eyes was something Xu Qing had never seen before.

"Don't be afraid, I am here to eat with you today, there is nothing to be afraid of."

Xu Qing reached out and grabbed the little girl's hand beside him, his tone unusually calm.

The monk and the Daoist sitting at the table noticed the unusual movement not far away, and both turned their heads to look at Xu Qing.

A calm-faced young man, a little girl who seemed to be afraid of strangers and wanted to go home.

When the two looked sideways, Xu Qing also saw the faces of the two.

One was kind-hearted, even without any emotion, he brought a smile.

The other was not saying anything, looking completely like a pure-hearted and low-desire Daoist.

Four people who looked completely different, at this moment, their eyes met together.

Xu Qing pulled Xuanyu, who was following him closely, and came to the table.

"Amitabha." The fat monk, out of politeness, gave a Buddha name.

Daoist Bai Yun frowned, clearly not liking this uninvited person who interrupted his conversation with the big monk.

Sitting at the table, Xu Qing suddenly smiled: "It's really unexpected that I can see monks and Daoists sitting at the same table at this wedding banquet. No wonder the fortune teller would say that I have a lot of Huagai in my life."

"I just don't know if I have the blessing to be saved by the two masters."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 229 =====