Chapter 75: If You

The fifteenth day of the third lunar month, suitable for travel and meeting friends; unsuitable for burial and encoffining.

Xu Qing specifically checked the almanac today and felt it was a good day to return to Linhe before setting off.

However, before that, he had a few things to do.

At the entrance of the teahouse, Xu Qing chatted with Guo Dongyang, who hadn't slept all night, and then drove the carriage he came in, moving further and further away along the streets of the prefecture city.

Gold is easy to get, but a soulmate is hard to find.

Guo Dongyang folded his hands together, squinting as he watched the other party disappear completely from his sight, before turning back to the teahouse.

Outside Baishui Temple, the temple fair that had lasted for seven days was coming to an end.

At this time, the dusk was slightly cold, and the sky was not yet bright. Xu Qing parked the carriage on the road that must be taken to the temple fair. When two figures, one old and one young, appeared on the dirt road in the distance, he grinned.

"Grandpa, we earned a lot of silver yesterday, just enough to get you a new outfit."

"You little girl, Grandpa doesn't need a new outfit. This money should be saved for your dowry."

"I don't want to get married. If I get married, there will be no one to take care of Grandpa."

The little girl had two braids and was swaying in front of the cart, obedient and lively.

Beside her, the grandfather driving the donkey cart had a hunched back. In the collar of his wide, half-open jacket, there was a large gray rat with shiny fur and oily skin, clutching with its little claws and staring with mung bean eyes.

Here, the grandfather and granddaughter, along with a little pet, were rushing to the temple fair on the cart, but just as they turned a corner and hadn't merged into the main road, they met an uninvited guest.

The person was wearing a paper shroud, with strange bones, and limbs of equal length. Looking at the face, it was covered with a piece of white paper, and a red-dotted die was drawn on it with ink, indescribably eerie.

The morning mist blew, and a voice sounded, as if it were the words spoken by the person with the die face, but also as if it came from somewhere else.

"Old sir, this junior would like to ask for a favor today. I wonder if it is convenient?"

The old man, who had been smiling and accompanying his granddaughter, had already pulled down his face at this time.

"Where did this dirty thing come from, daring to block the path of an immortal? If you have any sense, get out of the way. If you don't have any sense, this old man might have to open your eyes for you!"

The blocker, called a dirty thing, was not angry and said with a smile: "Old sir, then this junior will ask for advice."

While speaking, the person wearing the paper shroud shook his hands, put on brass knuckles, and set up a stance commonly used by martial artists when challenging a gym.

"Old sir, I am a rough person. If there is any offense later, please forgive me."

The little girl with braids jumped off the cart and just wanted to step forward, but was stopped by her grandfather.

Seeing her grandfather give a wink, the little girl straightened the donkey-skin waist drum tucked at her waist and began to chant.

"The sun sets behind the western mountains, the sky turns black, every household closes their doors, magpies and crows run to the big trees, sparrows and turtles run to the eaves, the big road is short and the galaxy is bright, the small house is broken and the road is difficult..."

Xu Qing controlled the automaton and listened from afar to the girl singing the "Inviting Immortal Tune." At first, the voice was crisp, with the cleanliness unique to a little girl.

But before she could chant a sentence or two, the girl suddenly began to speed up, and the drumming of the waist drum was like raindrops, making people feel irritable.

"Old Immortal, I know you are coming, don't be noisy, don't be rowdy, there is majesty and much murderous aura..."

In front of the donkey cart, the fat gray rat in the old man's arms seemed to have been deflated, visibly shrinking.

At the same time, the old man who was possessed by the immortal had his body strangely twisted. His originally turbid eyes suddenly became agile, and a pair of tiny, blood-red pupils swayed back and forth in the foggy, gray-white eyeballs, wandering uncertainly.

In addition, fine gray fur grew out of the old man's cheeks, and even his missing teeth grew sharp rodent teeth.

"..."

Xu Qing gathered all his energy to control the automaton to deal with the agile old man who was pouncing.

Eighteen Routes of Spring Leg Kung Fu, Bone-Dislocating Hands, eye-poking, crotch-grabbing, lime powder...

After a set of small combos, the immortal possessing the old man screamed and yelled. I don't know what it was saying, but it felt like it was cursing very dirtily.

In less than half an incense stick of time, the girl's "Help-Soldier Decision" was only halfway through, but the gray immortal working for the grandfather and granddaughter refused to do anything more.

The person in front of him, with limbs of equal length and steel-like bones, seemed to have no sense of pain. No matter how it tore and scratched, it couldn't make the other party frown.

If you want to fight, continue fighting. I am tired of possessing this body. If we continue, I will be fine, but I am afraid of breaking my own "out-of-horse" disciple.

It is not easy for an "out-of-horse" disciple to live to this age. I should admit defeat when I should, and surrender when I should.

A gray smoke drifted out of the disciple's nose, and the thin rat hidden under the old man's jacket was inflated again, becoming fat.

"Ouch, my waist!"

Without the protection of the immortal, the old man who was getting on in years immediately withered. At this time, let alone fighting with the automaton, even walking was difficult.

"You junior, if you want to spar, then spar, why are you so shameless and despicable!"

Xu Qing was still unsatisfied. After such an encounter, he had a little understanding of the "Out-of-Horse Immortal."

This Out-of-Horse Immortal, besides possessing some special magic to eliminate diseases and disasters, is not very good if you really want to fight with people!

"Junior, since you won, then speak openly. What exactly do you want the old man to do? It can't be that you want to rob money..."

"I don't rob money, I rob people."

The old man's eyes widened, and he turned his head to look at his precious granddaughter, his heart shocked and angry.

The gray rat in his arms couldn't sit still either, sticking its head out and screaming and yelling again. Xu Qing couldn't understand it, but felt that it was cursing even dirtier.

"As long as the old man still has a breath, I won't allow you..."

Before the other party could finish speaking, Xu Qing saw that the sky was about to dawn and there were more pedestrians, so he controlled the automaton, hoisted the old man, and ran away.

Not far away, the little girl who was preparing to beat the drum and sing the "Help-Soldier Decision" for the second time stood there blankly, and it took a long time for her to recover.

She called out for Grandpa in a panic, unable to think about why the other party had kidnapped her grandfather, and drove the donkey cart to chase in the direction where the automaton disappeared.

Outside Baima Temple, in an inconspicuous corner.

Xu Qing looked at the old man who had been tossed around and felt a little sorry in his heart.

Blame it on the fact that he was too greedy for the old man's skills.

Back at the temple fair, he saw the other party use the gray immortal possession to see things from a distance, and perform strange arts like "rat moving wealth" and "calculating good and bad luck," so he kept it in mind.

To say "rat moving wealth" and "calculating good and bad luck," he didn't have much interest. Xu Qing mainly wanted to learn the skill of "guessing objects through boards."

In his own morgue shop, there were still two coffins of unknown origin placed there.

Now that he had finally seen the ability to see and take things from a distance, he naturally couldn't miss it.

After all, only by knowing what was hidden in those two coffins could his heart be at ease.

In the corner, the fat gray rat began to bow to Xu Qing. Xu Qing didn't know what it was saying, but could only feel that the big rat's voice was not as loud as before, and even carried a hint of flattery.

Xu Qing wore a human skin mask and a straw raincoat given to him by the Wang family's little sister when he was in Wanshou Village, just like a wandering guest walking in the rivers and lakes.

On the side, the old man, who had thought Xu Qing was going to rob a girl, was completely panicked.

"What exactly do you want to do, junior?"

Xu Qing didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "Your Out-of-Horse Immortal skills are good, I want to learn, teach me..."

"..."

The old man had a stubborn temper and didn't want to teach, thinking, who asks for things like this?

On the contrary, the immortal, while bowing flatteringly to Xu Qing, turned his head and cursed, urging the old man to quickly teach the immortal-inviting skills to Xu Qing.

The immortal had defected first and became a traitor. What could he, the Out-of-Horse disciple, do?

Unwillingly, he passed the method of "inviting the family immortal to set up a hall" to Xu Qing.

In the end, the old man felt helpless in his heart.

The family immortal he supported had been passed down for three generations. It was much smarter than a human on weekdays, not only able to calculate but also having a very vicious eye.

Someone who could make it rush to please must not be an ordinary martial artist.

After writing down the detailed method of inviting the immortal, Xu Qing was afraid that the old man was hiding something, so he took out a "Truth Pill" and made him swallow it.

The two sides verified each other, and there was no big mistake. The old man answered every question, and Xu Qing learned a lot about the underworld business from it.

For example, inviting immortals includes "civil invitation" and "martial invitation." Civil invitation is beating waist drums or blowing flutes, shaking rattles; singing civil ballads, divining with yarrow stalks, burning incense, etc.

Martial invitation is much more violent, such as immortal whips, willow wood circles, ten thousand immortal banners, etc. As long as the Out-of-Horse disciple is the manager and the immortal is the long-term worker, it counts as martial invitation.

Some even let the immortal sing little songs and warm the bed for them.

These are all crooked paths, and only those who raise Willow Immortals, Hu Immortals, and Sorrow Immortals like to do this.

The Willow Immortal's body is transformed by a snake demon and is mostly a house-protecting immortal. The male is usually handsome and literate; the female is more charming and mostly repays kindness.

The Hu Immortal is a fox. This type is not only a heavy disaster area for martial invitation but also for civil invitation.

Xu Qing learned from the gray immortal old man that the lifespan of Out-of-Horse disciples is generally not long, among which the Hu Immortal is often the shortest. The reason for this is known only to the parties involved.

Finally, there is the Sorrow Immortal. This type of martial invitation is also easy to turn into crooked paths, and the number of Out-of-Horse disciples is small. The reason is none other than that the Sorrow Immortal is a ghost, with the heaviest Yin Qi, and it is very easy to affect the Out-of-Horse disciple when possessing the body.

The reason the old man could live to such an old age was largely thanks to the fact that he supported a Gray Immortal.

Just such a big rat, thinking about transforming into a human form, must also be a thief-eyed one. If it were replaced by a Hu Immortal lady or a Hu Immortal gentleman, this old man might have been buried for several feet long ago.

Fox immortals are affectionate, and it has always been so.

After squeezing everything the old man knew, Xu Qing didn't "whore for free." He fed the old man some elixirs to restore vitality and enhance blood and Qi, and after throwing down a few pieces of broken silver, he left Baima Temple without looking back.

Outside Baima Temple, the old man's granddaughter couldn't find her grandfather and had to return to Jinmen to report to the officials. After a day and a night passed, her grandfather returned to the inn by himself, but at this time, the grandfather was no longer the same as before.

I saw the old man's face was ruddy and shiny, and even his turbid eyes had a bit more clarity, looking like a different person.

Jinmen Prefecture, a carriage passed through the winding streets and finally stopped in front of an alley.

Xu Qing changed into the human skin mask he got from Bai Luo, and the whole person changed his appearance immediately.

Arriving in front of a residence deep in the alley, he knocked on the door knocker rhythmically according to the Heaven Heart Sect's secret code.

A voice came from the courtyard: "It's the secret code. It must be Protector Bai Luo who has returned. Go open the door quickly."

This residence was not any other place; it was a Heaven Heart Sect stronghold that Xu Qing learned from Bai Luo's revolving lantern.

The person hidden inside was none other than Qing Luo, one of the Heaven Heart Sect's Five Luo Protectors.

By logic, when reading the life of the deceased, only the most profound and most cared-about memories of the deceased would be clearer.

When Xu Qing read Bai Luo's life, although the number of times this Protector Qing Luo met Bai Luo was not many, every time was remembered clearly by Bai Luo.

Now walking into the residence and seeing the appearance of the cold woman in front of him again, Xu Qing finally understood where this feeling came from.

The bride Bai Luo strangled on his wedding night was 70% similar to the Qing Luo in front of him.

"Which incense mouth are you from? Why do you look so unfamiliar?"

Qing Luo's face was pale, and there was a strong smell of gold-wound medicine on her body, clearly her injuries had not yet healed.

"Which incense mouth I am from is not important. What is important is that Protector Bai Luo is dead. Before he died, he entrusted me to bring a word to Protector Qing Luo."

"What word?" Qing Luo's eyebrows furrowed, looking at the mysterious young man who leaned in front of her.

"How would I know? What specific word, the Protector will have to go down and ask herself."

Qing Luo was always cautious and liked to leave a few backhands every time she did things. When the young man in front of her came into the room, she had already made preparations.

At this time, seeing Xu Qing not even acting, Qing Luo secretly thought it was a pity.

As long as the other party took one more step closer, she would have the confidence to use the Sinan Sword Art taught to her by Bai Luo to lock and strike the other party's vital points.

By then, even if the young man in front of her reacted quickly, he would not be able to escape the sword art's blockade within the sword force range.

Although she didn't get the best opportunity to strike, she still had backhands to defeat the enemy.

Qing Luo's pretty face was cold. While Xu Qing shot the sleeve arrow, she also scattered a handful of poison needles that would seal the throat upon contact with blood.

*Pada—*

The sleeve arrow was slapped to the ground by the water sleeve stirred by Qing Luo.

At the same time, the sound of poison needles falling to the ground also sounded in front of Xu Qing.

"Hard-body kung fu?" Qing Luo's face changed slightly. Fortunately, she still had ways to deal with it.

The ears, nose, mouth, and eyes of a hard-body martial artist are a major weakness. Qing Luo reacted quickly, took out a bag of poison powder from her sleeve, and threw it toward the other party's face with her water sleeve.

What kind of dirty and poisonous means!

Xu Qing, who threw the specially made lime powder at the same time, was instantly shrouded in the sky-filling dust.

At this moment, the whole room was filled with poisonous powder smoke that stung the eyes and burned the throat.

A cultist who heard the movement arrived in the room, but before he could figure out the situation, he fell to the ground.

How could Qing Luo have thought that the young man in front of her was also a person who didn't talk about martial arts, and the specially made lime powder he used was clearly more fierce than hers.

Even if she immediately took the anti-poison antidote, she could only suppress the poison powder she threw.

Qing Luo held a long sword, her vision gradually blurring.

Before her consciousness disappeared completely, she used all her strength to ask: "Why are you not affected?"

In the colorful dust, Xu Qing, covered in poisonous powder, came to Qing Luo and bared his teeth:

"If you're bad, practice more!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 76 =====