Chapter 270

The Ancient Path of the Yinhe runs through the Great Yong and extends to the four barbarians and eight directions, with entrances scattered throughout the sixteen prefectures of the Great Yong.

According to the Eight Banner Marshal, there are twelve "sacred" beings guarding the Ancient Path of the Yinhe and forbidding the opening of the Heavenly Road, collectively known as the Twelve Gate Heads.

And the entrance in the Beijing-Jinmen area is the jurisdiction of the Gate Head "Ghost Law."

Beijing is where the Great Dragon of National Fortune resides, gathering the atmosphere of a country. After the founding emperor discovered the existence of the Yinhe entrance in the capital, he modified the river channels of the capital, excavated the second Beijing-Jinmen Canal, and laid stones on the old river channel as a foundation, serving as a Yang Spirit sacrificial site used by the emperors of the Great Yong to sacrifice to heaven and earth.

Outsiders don't know the inside story; only those in the know understand that the Emperor Tianzhi went to such great lengths to block the Yinhe entrance to prevent future trouble.

With the capital's entrance gone, the Jinmen entrance, closest to the capital, became the burial place for the Eight Banner Marshal after his death.

As for why the founding emperor of the Great Yong wanted to send the Eight Banner Marshal into the Ancient Path of the Yinhe...

Founding emperors mostly have the ambition to contain the universe and the will to swallow heaven and earth. In the eyes of Emperor Tianzhi, under the whole heaven, is it not the king's land; on the shores of the land, is it not the king's minister?

Since the Ancient Path of the Yinhe is under his feet, why can it not be the land of the Great Yong?

Emperor Tianzhi wanted to use the Eight Banner Marshal as an advance army to explore the Yinhe. If the layout was appropriate, it was not impossible for him to become the Emperor of the Yinhe after his death, continuing his imperial life in the underworld.

Unfortunately, heaven did not follow human wishes. When Emperor Tianzhi passed away, the Ancient Path of the Yinhe was still wrapped in chaotic fog. The Eight Banner Marshal conquered for many years but only explored a radius of a thousand miles.

Beyond that, it was no longer something that a secular dynasty could influence.

Even so, over several hundred years, the Eight Banner Marshal relied on cannibalizing the old subordinates of the Yin-Erosion Dharma King, influencing the general trend of the Yang world through victories and defeats in the underworld, which still caused the ancestral veins of the various tribes in the Southern Region to wither. To this day, the various tribes and villages in the Southern Region are still fighting, and the Southern Court has long existed in name only.

The Eight Banner Marshal followed the late emperor to establish the foundation and create unparalleled achievements during his lifetime, and continued to output after his death, but unfortunately, the descendants of the Great Yong were not up to the task. Even with such powerful assistance, they still managed the country in a mess.

Emperor Tianzhi had foresight, predicted the impact of the Ancient Path of the Yinhe on the Yang world in advance, and put the management plan on the table.

However, the descendants of Emperor Tianzhi had their own ideas. They predicted the ancestors' predictions and made a series of decisions that went against the ancestors, causing the people to lose their sense of belonging to the Great Yong. The entire national fortune was lost by more than half, and the Eight Banner Marshal, who relied on national fortune to maintain himself, also had his strength halved as a result.

Now the Cangyi Group is taking advantage of the chaos to support the Yin-Erosion Dharma King, tricking the people of the Great Yong into believing in the Yin-Erosion Dharma King in every possible way. Not only do they organize Dharma assemblies and preach doctrines every few days, but they even distribute rice, oil, and eggs on the streets and alleys every morning before the government officers arrive. The scale is so large that even Xu Qing is tongue-tied.

It seems the eggs in Jinmen have been monopolized by you!

Xu Qing doesn't look up to these crooked ways, but sometimes, you have to admit that it is indeed simple and effective.

There are roughly two types of incense in the world: one is ordinary vows, and the other is meritorious vows.

The former are wild shrines and obscene sacrifices, or proper temples where people sit in high positions and do nothing, enjoying incense while neglecting their divine duties. This kind of incense, obtained by drawing cakes and tricking people, although as numerous as smoke, has no merit blessing and will eventually collapse one day.

But before the building collapses, they can always trick some foolish believers into offering, and these vows become the continuous incense divine power for those false deities.

The Cangyi Group clearly knows this. The Yin-Erosion Dharma King is at odds with the Great Yong. If the people believe in the Yin-Erosion Dharma King, the corresponding momentum of the Great Yong must be reduced.

Xu Qing has never practiced this kind of left-handed way. His temple halls are always efficacious. The food for disaster victims in the Cat Immortal Hall has never been fake, and the Baosheng Temple's childcare manual also benefits all living beings.

He, the Baosheng Goddess, who is sacred and inviolable in people's eyes, also often manifests himself to the people, allowing pilgrims and believers to have their wishes fulfilled.

One hall and one temple, towering in the heart, with grace in the people. The people are sincere in their gratitude, and when they return their vows, their hearts are free of dust, communicating with heaven and earth. What they offer is all meritorious incense shining with golden clouds.

Therefore, Xu Qing has never put the crooked ways of the Cangyi Group in his eyes, but now...

Xu Qing feels that occasionally being a rogue seems not bad.

The next morning, Xu Qing went to Flower and Bird Street.

Second Master Feng has money, connections, and his own bank. Xu Qing took the funerary objects, gold, and silver he obtained from corpse-touching and grave-digging, intending to exchange them all for currency here.

Second Master didn't even ask. In his heart, Xu Qing was his reborn father and mother. Even if he asked him to call him father, he would be happy, let alone these small favors.

After handling the money, Xu Qing sought out the dental firm, saying that he would celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Mortuary Shop in a few days and give back to the fellow villagers. He wanted as many eggs as there were in the Jinmen area; he could take as many as he could, and it didn't matter if the price was a bit expensive.

In addition, Xu Qing also went to the Pear Garden Opera House to find the troupe leader, wanting to order a play about the Eight Banner Marshal, "Eight Banners Open Territory to Stabilize the Mountains and Rivers," as the anniversary performance.

The opera troupe leader was in a dilemma when he heard this. There had been plays about the Eight Banner Marshal before, but they didn't sell well. Xu Qing wanted to arrange a new play on the original basis, and the time was so tight...

Not to mention him, even if the ancestor of opera, "Old Lang God," came out in person, it wouldn't be done!

Because this was simply not something a mortal could do!

Xu Qing, as the leader of the funeral business in Jinmen, had given the opera house many jobs for underworld plays over the years. He said kindly: "We are brother industries. Think of a way again. At least you have to let my face look good, right?"

The old troupe leader spread his hands helplessly: "No way!"

"Really no way?"

The old troupe leader just wanted to nod, but suddenly said: "If it were before, maybe there would be a chance."

"Before? How do you say that?"

The old troupe leader looked around, and seeing no one paying attention, he leaned close to Xu Qing and whispered:

"Boss Liu Su'e is the pillar of our Pear Garden Opera House. She is a famous actor. Boss Xu should know..."

Xu Qing nodded: "Boss Liu is my sister's teacher. My sister learned opera from her, so I naturally know."

The old troupe leader chuckled and said meaningfully: "Boss Xu hasn't learned opera in the garden, so you don't know the difficulty of learning opera. For an ordinary person to sing and perform a role well, it takes a lifetime of effort!"

"But Boss Xu, think carefully. How can Boss Liu, this 'Flower Shirt' female role, learn the proper female role, flower female role, martial female role, and sword-horse female role so vividly..."

Xu Qing raised his eyebrows: "Because she is gifted?"

The old troupe leader laughed and said with a strange expression: "Then what if I say she can do all the roles of male, female, painted face, clown, and old man?"

"..."

Is this a vocal cord that has become a spirit?

Xu Qing suddenly recalled the anomaly he had seen when he performed the Qi-Watching Technique on Liu Su'e.

At that time, Liu Su'e was performing on the stage. Xu Qing saw willow leaf reflections rippling back and forth on the stage, just like a big willow tree hanging down silk ribbons by the embankment on the refracted water surface.

And under the ripples, there seemed to be a black shadow hiding, like a fish under the river surface on a cloudy day, shadowy.

After Xu Qing noticed the anomaly, he observed carefully and found that the black shadow was Liu Su'e's shadow, but for some reason, he always had a strange perception.

It was like the sound and image were not synchronized, and the shadow and the real person each had their own ideas.

But when he observed carefully, the sound and image became surprisingly synchronized, as if everything was an illusion.

Combining the old troupe leader's words, Xu Qing recalled the scene at that time and confirmed that it was not his illusion.

This Boss Liu might also be hiding some unknown secrets.

"If Boss Liu were still here, maybe she could meet Boss Xu's needs."

The old troupe leader straightened up, folded his hands, and sighed.

Xu Qing frowned and asked: "Boss Liu is not in the opera house, so where is she now?"

"Look at how you ask. Boss Liu is the teacher of Boss Xu's sister. Privately, I'm afraid you are more familiar than I am, so why ask me?"

Xu Qing shook his head: "My sister has already mastered the female role she practiced. Since then, Boss Liu hasn't appeared for more than half a year. How would I know where she went?"

The old troupe leader frowned and said helplessly: "Then there's no way. Boss Liu just hung a name in my opera house. The last time I saw her was half a year ago. At that time, I saw her face was pale and her lips had no blood, as if she had a serious illness, so I asked her what was wrong."

"Boss Liu didn't say what illness she had, only that she was unwell, couldn't go on stage for a short time, and wanted to go home to recuperate for a few days."

"It's strange to say. Boss Liu has been in the opera house for so many years, and no one actually knows where she lives..."