Chapter 81: The Horse-Riding Disciple

Xu Qing did not know how long he had slept. Once he had rested enough, he felt something calling to him from outside the coffin.

The sensation was incredibly mystical, like a corpse being imbued with a breath of yang energy by a living person, or like a zombie long-seated in a coffin having its lid pried open, breathing in a mouthful of pure, lunar yin energy.

In any case, Xu Qing had an intense, instinctive urge to "corpse-rise."

After fumbling around in the cool, ghostly face-soil, he reached out and undid all twelve internal coffin locks. Then, he pushed against the lid.

The next moment, the heavy coffin lid flew off as if it were a light piece of bamboo, crashing heavily against the wall of the side chamber.

Struck by the immense force, the thick coffin lid shattered into pieces instantly, and even the iron-plated inner cover attached to it fell away.

Dust filled the room, and the grave soil packed tightly inside the coffin revealed a "sand painting" of a ghostly face.

If an ordinary person saw this, they would likely be scared into a sickness.

After all, everyone knows coffins are buried in the ground; no one has ever seen one filled with soil!

Not to mention the portrait of a ghostly face on the surface of that soil.

Xu Qing sat up straight, his fair face breaking through the ghostly visage like a sprouting bean breaking through the earth.

He shook his head to shed the dust from his hair, and the long-lost daylight fell upon his body, crystalline as snow.

Wandering corpses of the third category can determine their zombie rank based on sunlight. Xu Qing scanned his surroundings impatiently, searching for a spot illuminated by the sun.

When his gaze fell upon the doorway, he suddenly froze.

There, sitting on the door pier to the left, was a pitch-black cat.

At this moment, the sunlight from outside fell upon the threshold, with dust motes constantly rising and falling as they drifted in the air.

Xu Qing looked at the cat, which appeared iridescent under the light, and felt a wave of bewilderment.

Last time, when he broke through to Iron-Armored Corpse at the mortuary, he had just pried open the lid when he saw a large grey rat stealing the raw fish he hadn't finished.

Now that he had finished his seclusion and broken through to Silver-Armored Corpse, he had barely left the coffin when he encountered a large black cat squatting at his door, staring at him.

First a rat, now a cat—what kind of omen was this?

Xu Qing flipped up and stood, shaking the dust from his body. The cat at the threshold tilted its head. Upon seeing the humanoid creature "corpse-rise" from the coffin, it let out a satisfied "meow":

"You are quite good; of all the corpses I have awakened, you are the smartest one."

The black wild cat's voice was thin and childish, impossible to distinguish by gender, sounding only like the clear, ethereal voice of a child who had not yet hit puberty.

Was he possessed?

If the other party hadn't spoken so clearly, Xu Qing would have thought ghostly face-soil had entered his ears, causing auditory hallucinations.

A cat that could talk—it had to be either a demon or a ghost!

Xu Qing felt a surge of alertness. His Vajra finger-knuckles were already in his hand before he realized it. At the same time, he saw out of the corner of his eye the crisscrossing claw marks on the coffin.

This cat clearly hadn't just appeared today.

He turned his gaze back to the doorway.

The cat seemed weightless as it leaped lightly off the door pier. Then, it lifted its arrogant chin and walked with elegant steps, like a creator god inspecting a work they had sculpted.

Even though it was just a tiny thing, it gave Xu Qing the distinct impression of a king stepping down from his throne.

"You say you awakened me?"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. He suddenly realized why he had felt such an urgent need to "corpse-rise" after ending his seclusion.

It was this cat playing tricks!

His thoughts raced, and Xu Qing recalled a taboo in the funeral industry.

This matter was not only recorded in the *Corpse Treatise*, but even novices just entering the funeral trade had heard of this taboo to some extent.

That is, when a funeral is held after a death, one must prevent cats and rats from getting close.

Rats will gnaw on the corpse, and cats...

Cats can communicate between the yin and yang realms. If they encounter a dead body, it is extremely easy for them to borrow the corpse to return to life, usurping the deceased's shell.

Earlier, when Xu Qing encountered a corpse-driving practitioner controlling a walking corpse to attack him, there had been a "cat-faced corpse" among them, formed by a wild cat borrowing a corpse to return to life.

A cat-faced corpse is different from an ordinary zombie; it not only has emotions like joy, anger, surprise, and sorrow, but also possesses independent thought.

This was why that cat-faced corpse had shown a look of terror when facing him back then.

Now, as Xu Qing looked at the black cat before him, which insisted that it had awakened him, his subconscious thought was that the creature wanted to occupy his shell.

The mysterious cat seemed not to notice Xu Qing's cold, murderous gaze; it curiously circled Xu Qing, inspecting him.

After completing a circle, the mysterious cat leaped onto the coffin, sitting on the palm-wide rim.

"Of course it was me who awakened you. Two months ago, you called out to me at White Horse Temple, wanting to be my horse-riding disciple, so naturally, I paid extra attention to you."

"It's a pity you are so lazy; I called you for two whole months before you finally woke up."

Hearing this, Xu Qing tightened his grip on the finger-knuckles, then relaxed it, his gaze flickering.

"White Horse Temple? When did I ever call out to you at White Horse Temple?"

"You don't seem very smart!"

The mysterious cat looked Xu Qing up and down, its pitch-black face seemingly carrying a hint of confusion.

"At that time, you were watching the Gray Immortal Hall's horse-riding disciples playing in the street at the temple fair, and you said yourself that you wanted to find a cat. Now that I have come, as my horse-riding disciple, you shouldn't be so dull."

The mysterious cat jumped off the coffin again. It walked to the door and looked back, saying: "What are you standing there for? According to the rules of the Gray Immortal Hall for inviting an immortal, since you are inviting this immortal to sit in the hall, you should prepare incense and offerings to show your respect for this immortal."

Respect—who is respecting whom?

Xu Qing laughed.

He had woken up from a nap only to have a wild cat climb onto his head and act proud, acting all high and mighty, saying it wanted to be his master?

He was no cat-slave.

As for being a horse-riding disciple? Heh.

Xu Qing walked to the door with a smile. A ray of sunlight from the courtyard fell upon his face, reflecting the crystalline glow unique to a Silver-Armored Corpse, just like silver stars dotted upon him.

The mysterious cat was shrouded in shadow. It looked up in confusion, just in time to meet a palm strike descending from the sky.

Xu Qing lightning-fast extended his fingers, which were like steel pincers, and grabbed the mysterious cat by the neck, lifting it up.

"Meow—!" An abrupt cat cry rang out.

The mysterious cat kicked its four paws wildly, but was intimidated into a puddle of soft mud by a single corpse-roar from Xu Qing.

It flattened its ears, looking as if it had gone bald, and stared in disbelief at Xu Qing's open mouth.

Inside that blood-red maw were two pairs of corpse-fangs sharper and longer than those of a vicious dog!

This horse-riding disciple of its seemed a bit fierce...

Inside the haunted courtyard, Xu Qing moved and shifted, constantly adapting to the astonishing power contained within his corpse body.

He used seventy percent of his strength to leap from the flat ground, actually reaching a height of over ten zhang. When he landed, his heavy corpse body acted like an arrowhead, stabbing straight into the ground for over a chi. And that was only the impact after he bent his knees to absorb the force.

He picked up the feng shui stone in the courtyard that gathered evil from all directions; the thousand-jin boulder felt light as a feather in his hands.

He took out his finger-knuckles; the Dragon-Seal Tiger-Image Fist he had practiced earlier had been brought to perfection by Xu Qing.

He took out the precious sword confiscated from Bai Luo. Xu Qing pinched the Southern Dipper Sword Formula, and the sword moves for seeking enemies and meeting weakness emitted a startling hum, leaving even the mysterious cat, which was observing his martial practice from the side, dazzled.

It thought to itself, if this sword were to land on it, it didn't know how many of its nine lives would remain.

"Duo duo duo—"

Eight plum blossom needles were fired from between Xu Qing's ten fingers, sinking deep into the feng shui stone.

He flicked his wrists, channeling yin energy into the silk threads, and the thousand-jin boulder was tossed back and forth by Xu Qing like a marionette.

After warming up and thoroughly adapting to the power of his body, Xu Qing finally turned his attention to the mysterious cat, which was staring at him in a daze.

He walked to the stone table and sat on an antique chair he had scavenged from a general store.

The chair, which usually wobbled incessantly, was now surprisingly stable, as if an invisible leg were supporting it on the ground.

In front of Xu Qing, the black wild cat sat obediently.

"Name?"

"An immortal's name cannot be spoken directly..."

Seeing the zombie, who was trimming its nails, look up with an unkind expression, it immediately changed its tone:

"This immortal has not yet opened a hall, so I have no name. Only when I was guarding houses for mortals in the past did I occasionally have some nicknames..."

Xu Qing asked what nicknames it had, but the mysterious cat hemmed and hawed until finally, it recited a string of Daoist names like "Meow-Meow, Mimi, Charcoal, Coal."

"Since you had a master who raised you, why come to me to be a horse-riding disciple?"

"Mortals are born fragile; they die after a mere few decades, the longest living no more than a hundred years. I can guard their homes, but I cannot extend their lifespans..."

The mysterious cat had lived for three hundred years. The first time, it was adopted by a farming family; the second time, it was adopted by a pawnshop to act as a lucky cat; the third time was at a restaurant; the fourth was a farmer; the fifth was an official's daughter...

Xu Qing watched the creature recount its history like a treasure, his expression becoming increasingly strange.

This cat seemed a bit unlucky; could it be thinking of outliving him too?

"If a mortal wants to be my horse-riding disciple, it is very easy to lose lifespan. You are different from them. Apart from not being as smart as them, I feel you can live longer and serve me for a longer time."

"Stop!" Xu Qing said with an unkind expression: "I'm afraid you haven't figured out your own status. It's not you looking for me to be a horse-riding disciple, but whether I want to agree to let you be my horse-riding disciple."

"???"

The mysterious cat looked at Xu Qing in shock.

Who is the horse-riding disciple? Me?

Xu Qing didn't give it a chance to think, directly starting the interview.

"Tell me, what skills do you have? I see that the Gray Immortal can see through walls, perform divination, and move wealth and treasures to bring prosperity to their masters."

"The Yellow Immortal can remove evil and disasters for people, and can possess bodies to borrow power."

"The Hu Immortal has profound magic power; not only can they predict good and bad fortune, but they can also assist in horse-riding to eliminate demons and ghosts."

You've lived for three hundred years; you should be proficient in these basic industry skills, right?"

The mysterious cat looked at the humanoid creature scrutinizing it, and for some reason, it felt an inexplicable competitive pressure.

"I can guard houses, ward off evil, and attract wealth!"

"Not enough! I am better at these things than you. Think carefully; I'll only give you one stick of incense worth of time to consider."

The black cat racked its brains, finally saying weakly: "I can also catch mice."

"..."

Xu Qing said with a ghostly gaze: "I am indeed not good at that, but I don't need to catch mice either."

"Let me ask you, do you have the ability to see through coffin lids to guess what's inside?"

The black cat nodded subconsciously: "I have yin-eyes; I can see some things that mortals cannot."

Xu Qing smiled upon hearing this: "Very good. From now on, you are my intern horse-riding disciple. If you perform well, perhaps I will give you a chance to become a full member."

"As a horse-riding disciple, setting up the hall is your duty; it should be done by you. Of course, I won't treat you poorly..."

Xu Qing took out the red rope obtained from the transcendence of the Wang Qiao couple, tying one end to his own wrist and the other to the black cat's neck.

The mysterious cat hurried to catch up with the young man leaving the residence. Its head was still buzzing, and it hadn't yet come to its senses.

How, in the blink of an eye, had it become a horse-riding disciple?

Catching up to the pace of the Xu Immortal, passing through the water-gate stone bridge where the river flowed, the mysterious cat, full of question marks, was soon distracted by the worldly atmosphere.

"Lingnan sweet potatoes, freshly roasted Lingnan sweet potatoes..."

"Selling coal, high-quality anthracite from Xijing Mountain—"

In front of the roasted sweet potato stall, Xu Qing's horse-riding disciple smelled the fragrant sweet potato and paced around anxiously.

"You're a cat, why are you eating sweet potatoes?"

Xu Qing had never fed a cat, but the old man selling sweet potatoes nearby laughed and said: "Cats, they love eating mice the most. 'Potato' (shu) and 'mouse' (shu) sound the same, so they naturally like eating this thing. This is called one thing subduing another; it's the law of nature."

People rely on their mouths, goods rely on their appearance.

These merchants are the best at saying pleasantries; sometimes, at first listen, there actually seems to be some truth in it.

"Sir, you might as well buy a few. Not only to satisfy your own cravings, but the leftover skins and bits can also be used to feed the cat."

At this time, Xu Qing's newly acquired horse-riding disciple had completely forgotten its reserve. Now, it was rubbing its silk-satin-like body against Xu Qing's leg.

Not only that, it was purring, hooking Xu Qing's leg with the tip of its tail—where was there any trace of a cat-immortal?

Carrying a paper bag of roasted sweet potatoes, Xu Qing blew a breath of yin energy, and the sweet potatoes, which could blister a person's lips, cooled down instantly.

The mysterious cat ate happily. With half a sweet potato down, it felt as if the entire cat had been sublimated.

Xu Qing watched it eat happily, thinking that his newly acquired horse-riding disciple still didn't have a name, so he said: "Since you like eating sweet potatoes so much, why not take a horse-riding Daoist name called 'Happy-to-See-Potato'."

The mysterious cat turned a deaf ear, only concerned with dealing with the delicious food before it.

On the way to Jingxia Street, Xu Qing heard many things: the old Emperor had passed away, the new Emperor Zhao Rong had ascended the throne, and the Prince of Changting had committed suicide at the river mouth, following the late Emperor...

Now, the Dayong era had passed eighty-three years, finally changing from Qianyuan to the first year of Jingzhi.

"Never thought that the one who finally won the throne would be the Third Imperial Prince."

Xu Qing thought of the strand of Imperial Purple Qi stored in the Mountain and River Map.

He focused his mind and looked; the purple qi occupying most of the grid on the scroll of mountains, rivers, and marshes remained as it was.

"The new Emperor has ascended; what is the use of keeping this thing?"

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then looked at a beggar begging by the roadside.

Just before he had the thought of bestowing the Imperial Purple Qi, the beggar by the roadside suddenly stood up, snatched a copper coin from another small beggar's hand, and kicked the other person viciously.

"..."

Sure enough, not every beggar can be an Emperor.

Xu Qing shook his head helplessly; this Imperial Purple Qi still could not be bestowed casually.

If this thing were to fall into the hands of someone with poor character, I fear the worldly people would have to endure another catastrophe.

Returning to Jingxia Street, Xu Qing hadn't walked many steps when he was blocked by a figure darting out from the entrance of the coffin shop.

"I've finally waited for your return! If you hadn't come back, I would truly have had nowhere to go!"

Looking at Hu Baosong, who was on the verge of tears from excitement, Xu Qing looked puzzled.

What was this old man trying to pull now?

"Old Hu, don't block the way. I'm in a hurry to get back to the shop to prepare for opening; I don't have time to mess around with you!"

"Opening is good, opening is great! Little Xu, don't you like collecting corpses? I have a ready-made corpse here; do you want it or not?"

"If you are sincere about wanting to collect it, I can give it to you right now, and it won't cost a cent!"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 82 =====