Chapter 280: Saint Maiden, Saint Spirit, The Extinction Clan Poisonous Fungus

A Daoist with five shadows?

Even Xu Qing, who had seen much, could not help but whistle in amazement.

According to the Heavenly Master Mansion's tradition, one shadow represents one life; thus, the fat Daoist had at least four lives on his conscience, all of them his own kin.

"What are Zuo Zixiong and the people of the Heavenly Master Mansion doing here?"

Xu Qing put away the Mirror of Illuminating Darkness, whistled, and immediately several crows flew in from afar, landing before him.

These crows often attended classes at the school, understood human speech, and were very intelligent; after Xu Qing gave them a few instructions, several of them set off in pursuit of the direction the Five-Shadow Daoist had taken.

"Are those crows raised by Brother Xu?"

Liu Su'e was full of curiosity.

"Crows announce death; it is only fitting that the Gate of Death raises some crows!"

When approaching the Wellside Street, a yellow weasel ran up to Xu Qing, chattering away incoherently, while constantly gesturing with its hands.

Upon hearing that the Cangyi Group had rushed to the coffin shop under cover of night to snatch eggs, only to be sent into coffins by the Red-Tailed Monkey with a few blows, Xu Qing nodded with satisfaction.

This Temple Guardian Monkey King was indeed diligent and responsible.

However, the next moment, Xu Qing heard Huang Xiaoliu say: "Hall Master Hou couldn't stand it and charged up to the Cangyi Group's branch headquarters with his staff."

"..."

Xu Qing hesitated, then instructed Huang Xiaoliu: "When Hall Master Hou returns, have him bring the corpse here to see me!"

Watching the yellow weasel hop away and disappear into the dark, deep alley, Liu Su'e tentatively asked: "Is this little yellow wolf also raised by the Gate of Death?"

Seeing it was impossible to explain, Xu Qing simply laid his cards on the table: "Besides crows and yellow wolves, our Gate of Death also has monkeys, tigers, great horses, and little ghosts; if Boss Liu wishes to adopt a tree spirit as a godmother, that is not impossible either."

"I don't believe it; you're just teasing me."

Hearing this, Xu Qing laughed; how could no one believe the truth?

In the following days, besides teaching Liu Su'e how to manage the coffin shop, Xu Qing also set up a ghost opera troupe for her; the performers in it, besides the Embroiderer, could be hired from the Pear Garden Opera House for a fee.

If absolutely no one was available, Xu Qing still had the Picture of Opera Ghosts to hold the stage; as long as the stage was set and the picture unfurled, all the performers in the Fragrant Pear Garden could be put to his use.

Besides these, Xu Qing also transmitted the Kan Yuan Breathing Method to Liu Su'e; this was a true cultivation technique he had originally obtained from the Water-Worker Daoist, and it was currently the most suitable method in his possession for her cultivation.

The Kan Yuan Breathing Method can absorb the Qi of Water Spirit to nourish the body; once some proficiency is achieved, one can then study the Water-Commanding Art to practice the methods of controlling and commanding water.

Xu Qing was secretly calculating: Elder Sister Jin of the Bao Sheng Temple is advanced in years and, unlike Liu Su'e, does not possess a cultivation constitution; now that the Path to Heaven is severed, once Elder Sister Jin completes her merit, she will be able to do nothing but, like the Embroiderer, transform into a Yin Ghost.

The Bao Sheng Temple cannot be without a living person to attend to it; now that Liu Su'e is here, the situation is different again.

On this day, Xu Qing took Liu Su'e to Ziyun Mountain to visit the temple.

Liu Su'e, a maiden in her prime, where had she ever been to a place like the Bao Sheng Temple?

No sooner had they arrived before the temple and seen the three characters "Bao Sheng Temple" than Liu Su'e instantly came to her senses; wasn't this the temple of Lady Bao Sheng from the operas!

Why had Xu Qing brought her here?

Not knowing what she had thought of, Liu Su'e gave a mental "Oh my," and a layer of fiery clouds instantly rose to her cheeks.

This, this is far too fast...

Xu Qing noticed the anomaly and asked: "What is wrong, Boss Liu?"

The latter lowered her head and remained silent.

Xu Qing did not think much of it; he walked into the Incense Hall, spoke a few words with Elder Sister Jin, and was just about to turn around to find Liu Su'e when he saw her kneeling on the cushion, having offered three sticks of incense, her eyes slightly closed, her eyelashes trembling, her lips painted with rouge moving and murmuring as if praying for something.

What is this girl praying for?

Puzzled, Xu Qing instinctively connected with the Blood Lake Dharma Realm, and Liu Su'e's wish immediately rang in his ears without reservation.

"Lady Bao Sheng above, Brother Xu has a debt of kindness to this commoner woman; this commoner woman also has quite, quite a fondness for Brother Xu. If in the future the two of us can become a married couple, I pray that Lady Bao Sheng will grant this commoner woman and Brother Xu both a son and a daughter."

"..."

No, what kind of wish are you making blindly?

Xu Qing's brain almost failed to turn; who taught you to make wishes like that?

After worshipping Lady Bao Sheng, Liu Su'e, with flushed cheeks, rubbing her skirt hem, chest hunched and head bowed, returned to Xu Qing's side.

"I..."

Xu Qing, who had originally intended to explain the circumstances of the Bao Sheng Temple and have Liu Su'e follow Elder Sister Jin to learn midwifery and childbirth assistance knowledge, found himself unable to speak for a moment.

If one day this girl found out that he was the deity enshrined in the temple...

Xu Qing frowned tightly, and only after a long while did he speak: "Su'e, this is Elder Sister Jin, the temple keeper of the Bao Sheng Temple, and also the earthly manifestation of Lady Bao Sheng."

"Our Gate of Death and the Bao Sheng Temple have an extremely close relationship; the Bao Sheng Temple can also be called the 'Gate of Life'. Now that you have already stepped onto the path of cultivation, you must cultivate your body and nature, accumulate merit, so as to better cope with the cultivation calamities of the future."

"The path Elder Sister Jin follows is to assist in childbirth and protect mothers, and to impart the methods of human nurturing. In the future, you may follow Elder Sister Jin to learn."

So it was not temple worship, but learning the methods of protecting the Dao.

Liu Su'e's face turned red again, feeling somewhat ashamed in her heart.

Fortunately, she had only made a petition to Lady Bao Sheng, and no one else knew; otherwise, she would truly have no face to see people in the future!

Elder Sister Jin was also unaware of the relationship between Xu Qing and Lady Bao Sheng; she only knew that Bai Xiaoxian and Xu Qing had a very good relationship. According to information revealed by Bai Xiaoxian, the Bao Sheng Temple and the Cat Immortal Hall were truly 'neighbors', very friendly.

And as the Hall Master of the Cat Immortal Hall, Xu Qing naturally had an extremely close relationship with the Bao Sheng Temple.

Putting aside these factors, Xu Qing was also the manager of the Bao Sheng Temple authorized by the County Magistrate; for both public and private reasons, Elder Sister Jin regarded Xu Qing as the highest-ranking decision-maker after Lady Bao Sheng.

Xu Qing strolled around inside and outside the temple on his own, while Bai Xiaoxian walked by the Hall Master's side, following anxiously, fearing that any mistake would affect the selection of excellent Immortals for the hall this year.

Inside the Bao Sheng Temple, Liu Su'e and Elder Sister Jin were chatting happily; when she heard that Liu Su'e had once sung in the Pear Garden, Elder Sister Jin was overjoyed, as she loved listening to opera the most.

Elder Sister Jin was someone who had been through it; after chatting with the girl like a mother and daughter, she saw through Liu Su'e's thoughts: "Daughter, do you have a crush on your Brother Xu?"

"No, Brother Xu is my benefactor; I thank him, and also..."

"And what?"

"Oh, good sister, please stop asking."

After strolling around once, when Xu Qing returned to the temple, Liu Su'e was holding the Childcare Manual and flipping through it.

Upon seeing Xu Qing, she hurriedly hid the manual inside her robe, fearing he might see such a book.

Xu Qing was speechless; this childcare manual had been written by his own hands, so what could there be inside that he did not know?

Nevertheless, he could understand; in this era, strict boundaries were maintained between men and women, and men delivering babies was not encouraged, otherwise those who delivered babies would not be called midwives, birth attendants, or sitting matrons.

Leaving the Baosheng Temple, on the way back to Linjiang County, Xu Qing passed by a community school currently under construction.

Chen Guangrui was not only developing education within the city but had also established two academies outside the county seat.

Xu Qing approached for a closer look; the main structure of the academy was already completed, with ten thousand bamboo poles and a thousand bundles of thatch placed behind it, and by rough estimate, this academy could accommodate nearly a thousand students.

Stepping out of the academy, a carpenter arrived delivering timber; as the two passed each other, they were squeezed together in an aisle filled with wood and stone, and just as Xu Qing was about to yield way, the carpenter suddenly shrugged his shoulder, instantly shifting the load from his right shoulder to his left.