Chapter 60: Returning to Roots

Wanshou Township is a good place, facing White Water to the south and connecting to the capital to the north. Besides the convenient geographical location, the people here are all exceptionally long-lived.

Some jokingly say that the longevity stars of the two commanderies and twenty-four counties of Jingcheng Prefecture combined don't add up to the longevity stars of Wanshou Township.

When the current Emperor heard of this, he specifically visited this place and stayed for half a month.

Before returning to the capital, Emperor Longping bestowed the name "Wanshou" (Ten Thousand Longevities) upon this township.

It implies that this is a place where the Son of Heaven patrols, and the Son of Heaven should share in its blessings and extend his longevity.

On this day, on the dirt road of Wanshou Township, a carriage creaked into the township.

The surrounding fields were crisscrossed, and chickens and dogs could be heard. Xu Qing sighed, stopped the carriage, and asked the old farmer working in the fields for directions.

After getting the confirmation, he reached out and patted the wrapped coffin in the carriage.

As if to wake the person sleeping inside.

The carriage carrying the returning person passed through the village dirt road, and the unique cottages and tile houses of the township appeared. The scenery here was clearly different from the continuous streets and alleys of Linhe Ward.

Linhe Ward had the prosperity unique to towns; even in the poorest areas, it was hard to see thatched houses.

But the Wanshou Township in front of him not only had thatched cottages but also courtyards built with fences and thorns.

It was the month of spring, and the fruit trees planted in front of and behind the houses in the township were already dressed in pink.

Peach red and plum white, various colors, attracted bees and butterflies to gather.

Xu Qing rarely saw such scenery, so he deliberately slowed down his journey, enjoying the flowers along the way, feeling quite at ease.

Looking at the local villagers, they seemed to be used to it and didn't care about the rural scenery.

Scholars look at flowers, villagers look at fruit; it is nothing more than that.

Xu Qing watched the scenery along the way, and he really had the high-class temperament of a city zombie visiting the countryside.

Passing by several cottages and tile courtyards, crossing several fields planted with rape, he saw smoke rising from the foot of the mountain in the distance; it turned out that a village of people lived here.

Xu Qing drove the carriage to the entrance of the village and saw a group of villagers arguing chaotically. Vaguely, he could hear words like "report to the officials," "invite a shaman," and "burn it with a fire."

"Old man, may I ask if Wang Qiao, Master Wang's home is here?"

As soon as Xu Qing finished speaking, the air instantly fell silent. The villagers looked at him with deep, dark eyes, like judge's ghosts.

The old man sitting under the old elm tree stood up, looked him over for a long time, and asked back: "You know Wang Qiao? Then do you know where he is?"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, thinking that the person is right in front of you; isn't that who is lying in the wrapped coffin?

However, he didn't want to say it clearly, just smiled slightly: "I was entrusted by someone to find Wang Qiao's family and deliver a message for him."

On the side, a gossiping villager muttered: "The wife is already dead, and she's about to become a consumption ghost to harm people. If he doesn't come back to handle the funeral, what's the use of just sending a message..."

Another villager chimed in: "Don't dawdle, let's report to the officials first, and we must invite a shaman. That consumption ghost died ugly, who knows what bad intentions she's harboring, just waiting to harm people!"

Xu Qing frowned upon hearing this. The old man on the side was kind enough to explain the situation to him, and only then did he understand.

It turned out that Wang Qiao's wife, Li, had died of consumption the day before. When Wang Qiao's old mother and his pair of children were handling the funeral for Li, they didn't expect Li, who was lying in the thatched hall, to suddenly rise as a corpse and run outside the Wang family's courtyard gate, wandering back and forth.

The villagers had never seen such an evil thing and were all terrified. That's why they united, planning to report to the officials or invite a shaman to handle this matter.

Xu Qing's heart stirred upon hearing this. A corpse rising?

This is really a case of meeting a ferryman when crossing the river; it's a coincidence!

He immediately stepped forward, scanning around with his head held high.

Don't you want to invite a shaman? No need to bother; I am one!

When the crowd heard this, they thought it was nonsense. You, a young man without even hair on your lips, can you be more capable than a shaman?

"Young man, this is no joke. Wang Qiao's wife is a living consumption ghost!"

A living consumption ghost? Xu Qing felt happy upon hearing this description. If a living zombie is in front of you, you aren't necessarily afraid? What are you afraid of a consumption ghost for!

Without a word, he let the villagers lead the way, and the horse pulling the carriage followed him step by step.

This horse had spirit and knew who was capable; it had a better eye for people than humans!

The crowd loved to watch the excitement but were also afraid of being entangled by ghosts. A group of people took knives and sticks, some even lit torches, and followed noisily behind Xu Qing.

When they arrived at Wang Qiao's cottage, Xu Qing looked back.

Well! A group of people were hiding a hundred paces away, none of them daring to step forward.

In front of the cottage, Li, whose eyes were turbid and sunken, having become a walking corpse, was wandering back and forth around the courtyard.

Xu Qing got closer and could hear the murmurs of "Wang Qiao... Wang Qiao."

Li's mouth was kept tightly shut, and the sound seemed to come from her chest.

"Sir, my mother never harmed anyone after she died. It's just that my father has been away from home for many days, and my mother didn't get to see him before she left, so that's why..."

Beside Xu Qing, only three people remained: Wang Qiao's old mother and his pair of children. The one speaking now was Wang Qiao's twelve-year-old son, Wang Liang.

For the closest and most beloved person, even if they turn into a ghost, there won't be much fear, only sadness in one's heart.

Xu Qing looked at the bowls and chopsticks placed in front of the door and knew that Wang Qiao's parents and children still treated Li as a living person.

It's just a pity that the Li in front of him was just an ordinary walking corpse maintained by a breath of dead energy, no different from an earth-bound spirit. Both were bound by obsession and thus could not be transcended.

Xu Qing had seen many corpses, so his eyes were naturally sharp. After a look, he saw the cause of the illness.

The next step was how to prescribe the right medicine.

It's just that this prescription...

Xu Qing looked back at the tightly wrapped coffin in the carriage, then glanced at Wang Qiao's old mother and children.

This prescription might be a bit fierce; the dead are fine, but he feared the living couldn't bear it!

Otherwise, should he hide it from the living and bury Wang Qiao elsewhere, to avoid them suffering the pain of losing their mother and daughter-in-law, while also suffering the pain of losing their father and son?

Xu Qing thought for a moment and finally shook his head to reject it.

The husband went out to seek a cure for his wife, but accidentally died in a foreign land. The wife was unaware, and after dying of illness, she still missed her husband's safety, which is why she rose as a corpse and stood outside the door, waiting for her husband.

She never harmed anyone while alive, and after death, she held a breath, just to wait for the person she wanted to see. At the moment of life and death, should this longing be missed?

As for Wang Qiao's family...

When a person dies, the lamp goes out. Rather than letting them worry about the "missing" Wang Qiao and spending their energy searching for him every day, it is better to let them experience the pain of parting early, so they don't even have a place to worship and miss him in the future.

"Sir, is there still hope for my mother?"

"Yes, once she sees someone, she will naturally be able to rest in peace."

"Who (who)?" The old woman and the child asked almost at the same time.

Xu Qing didn't respond, just reached out and pulled the coffin out of the carriage, then untied the wrapping and opened the coffin lid in front of everyone.

"Dad!"

"Qiao Nan!"

Stopping the few who wanted to pounce forward, Xu Qing quietly watched Li wandering at the door.

Li seemed to have sensed something, and the frequency of her muttering Wang Qiao's name increased significantly. She stumbled to the front and lay beside the coffin. Once the two dead people met, there was no more movement.

Xu Qing saw clearly that at this moment, Li's tightly shut lips opened a thin slit, and the last breath wrapped in her throat after death dissipated completely with the fading of her obsession.

At this time, the winter was over and spring had returned, and the north was gradually warming up. Wild geese flying north passed by with a honk. Xu Qing paid out of his own pocket to perform a free ritual for the affectionate couple who had reunited, and then encoffined and buried them.

After finishing the ritual, he had two red ropes of high-grade human level in his hand.

Wherever the red rope is tied, no matter how far apart, one can sense the person they are longing for.

Xu Qing was a loner and had no one to tie it to, so he simply tied the two red ropes on his wrists, one on the left and one on the right. Then he found that he always subconsciously tucked his hands into his sleeves. The key was that the weather wasn't cold, and he, a zombie, didn't fear the severe cold.

Seeing that his left and right hands were always stuck together, it wasn't a good thing. Xu Qing was helpless, so he threw both ropes into the Mountain and River Map for peace.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 61 =====