Chapter 96: No Coincidence, No Story

Deep in the night, a little old man half-buried in the ground and then dug out asked a female Daoist nun all sorts of questions; if Xu Qing hadn't known Hu Baosong, he might have thought the old man was trying to play matchmaker for him!

Xu Qing looked at Daoist Yizhen, whose demeanor was serene and whose features were like a painting.

For some reason, he always felt the aura around this female Daoist was somewhat familiar.

"May this old man ask what your lay name was before you took the Jurchens as your master?"

Yizhen, who had always been calm and self-possessed, finally couldn't help but frown; this old man now dared to presumptuously ask her lay name, so was the next step daring to ask her birth date and hour, and whether she was married?

"This Daoist has no father or mother; since infancy, I was taken in by my master in the mountains. My master only said my lay surname is Hu." Yizhen paused, forcibly steering the conversation back: "Old sir, please do not ask these irrelevant matters again. Although this Golden Rooster of mine has taken the Pure Origin Pill, it can only temporarily suppress the poison; if the antidote is not taken in time, I fear it will be dire."

When Hu Baosong heard Yizhen say her lay surname was Hu, his withered, thin hands trembled uncontrollably.

Xu Qing was equally intrigued by this remark; it seemed he had overheard something extraordinary.

"Xu boy, this poison..." Hu Baosong turned his gaze to the young man surrounded by the blazing fire of the Eight Trigrams.

"Poison, what poison? Old Hu, why are you looking at me? I don't recognize this Golden Rooster."

Hu Baosong knew the other party hadn't cooled down yet; he turned to look at the frowning, silent female Daoist, then looked at Xu Qing, who was playing dumb.

"Ahem, Xu brother!"

The old man fished a few talismans out of his sleeve with a stingy motion.

Seeing this, Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "This chicken does look somewhat familiar..."

Hu Baosong gave a dry laugh at the female Daoist's suspicious gaze and said to Xu Qing, "Take another closer look."

As he spoke, the old man took out two Lost-Path Talismans and one Yin Thunder Talisman.

"I remember! This vicious beast broke into a private house at night and ran rampant in my chicken coop; the dozen or so old hens I raised were nearly ruined by it. When I discovered this beast, it even tried to peck and injure me; truly hateful!"

Hearing this, Hu Baosong's breathing hitched; beside him, Daoist Yizhen frowned and said, "This Golden Rooster in our temple has long possessed spiritual awareness and rarely harms people; perhaps there is some hidden circumstance."

"As for the hens in your chicken coop, Daoist friend..."

The female Daoist rarely showed such shame: "There is only one rooster in the Five Elders Temple; perhaps, having just entered the mundane world, it stirred up worldly desires."

"If there was any offense, this Daoist apologizes on its behalf to you, Daoist friend." Pausing, the female Daoist took a porcelain bottle from her sleeve again: "This Daoist has a few Pure Origin Pills here; these pills have the effect of calming the mind and spirit, and strengthening the foundation and nourishing the primal energy; I shall gift them to you, Daoist friend."

Xu Qing took the pill bottle, his expression inexplicable.

Such upright medicine was probably not very suitable for his zombie constitution.

But it could be taken back as cat food.

Xu Qing put away the medicine, then reached into his chest and rummaged around, finally pulling out a Hundred Herbs Pill.

Since superintending nearly two hundred corpses, he didn't have much else, but he had gathered quite a few pills of various effects.

Digging through the bottles and jars in the Shanhe Map: Cooling Powder, Strength Pill, Dog-Skin Plaster, Unfailing Spear Pill, Great Strength Vajra Pill, Self-Forgetting Pill—in short, a wide variety, with reserves of pills of all kinds of effects.

As for the Hundred Herbs Pill capable of curing a hundred poisons, he had placed it in the farthest corner, without even a bottle to wrap it in.

He was a zombie, immune to all poisons; this thing was useless to him, purely an object gathering dust.

Trading one useless Hundred Herbs Pill for five or six talismans and a bottle of cat food was a very profitable deal!

In the coffin shop, the Golden Rooster, whose spirit was listless, saw Xu Qing approach and still struggled to rise and resist.

Roosters naturally possess blood of supreme yang, inherently suppressing yin ghosts and evil spirits; the Golden Rooster is a mutated oddity among roosters, born with a body of pure yang.

When it saw Xu Qing, whose body was so full of yin qi that it reached the very bones, approach it, how could the Golden Rooster sit still!

"Jin Luan, do not be rude!" Yizhen spoke out to reprimand.

The Golden Rooster clucked twice in a low voice and stopped resisting.

"Its name is Jin Luan?" Xu Qing placed the medicine before the Golden Rooster and said with some amusement, "A chicken has been given the name of a phoenix!"

Hearing this, the Golden Rooster struggled again.

Xu Qing continued, "Hey, this chicken can even understand human speech; how did the Daoist train it? Coincidentally, I will train my dozen or so old hens in the backyard too."

"Jin Luan is a spiritual bird from the mountains; it has been raised since before my master was alive, and it has now been over fifty years."

"Truly fifty years?" Xu Qing asked in surprise, "May I ask how many years the Daoist has?"

"..."

Yizhen lowered her brows and eyes, remaining silent; instead, Hu Baosong beside her, with a somewhat strange expression, said, "Daoist Yizhen should be thirty-six this year; her birthday is mostly in February."

The female Daoist suddenly raised her eyes, asking in confusion, "How does the old sir know my age?"

Hu Baosong looked at Yizhen, paused, then said half-jokingly, "This old man understands some principles of the Yi and mystical arts; looking only at the facial features, I calculated seven-tenths; as for the other three-tenths... this old man is an old acquaintance of Daoist Zichen."

"It is a pity I have no fate to see her face again."

As soon as the words fell, Hu Baosong stood up, went to the inner room, and took out a wooden box.

Xu Qing saw the old man holding the wooden box carefully and thought something precious was hidden inside, but when the other party opened the box, it contained only some small, miscellaneous items.

Pouches, kites, cloth dolls, wood carvings, jade pendants, and some old letters.

Xu Qing leaned in to look; the names signed on the letters, just from his rough glance, included Yang Yingying, Cui Miaoyin, Wei Sangu, Zichen, and several others.

Hu Baosong moved all the items aside; in the wooden groove beneath, half a jade ring was placed just right.

Yizhen exclaimed in surprise; she took down the half jade ring from her own waist, and when the two touched, a clear, warm halo suddenly arose; the two halves of the jade ring grew together as if yin and yang were merging.

Xu Qing was proficient in Ziwei Doushu and well-versed in astrology.

Looking at the patterns carved on the jade ring, he recognized at a glance that the pattern was the Heart Mansion among the Twenty-Eight Mansions—the Heart Moon Fox.

"May I ask what the old sir is called? And why do you have the missing half of the jade ring?"

Hu Baosong put away the wooden box and only gave the jade ring to Yizhen.

His gaze was kind as he said, "This old man is merely an old friend of your master while she was alive; you may call me Junior Uncle."

Yizhen's lips moved, and she hesitated several times before speaking.

Xu Qing, watching from the side, was anxiously impatient; why were these two so twisted? Couldn't they just speak plainly?

Making this spectator feel stuck in the middle, neither here nor there!

Hu Baosong intended to stay the night, but Daoist Yizhen politely refused.

"This poor Daoist has urgent matters to attend to and cannot stay long."

Hu Baosong asked what urgent matters he had, and Daoist Yizhen recounted how he met the female ghost Xiuniang at the old tailor's house, kindly guided her cultivation, only for her to secretly flee and return to her old residence to harm people.

Having finished speaking, Yizhen opened his mouth and said, "The rooster is a bird of five virtues, capable of illuminating the night; the golden rooster raised in our Five Elders Temple is even more outstanding among them. Just now, Daoist Xu mentioned a golden phoenix pouncing and pecking people; most likely, that yin ghost has hidden itself in your residence."

"To resolve this matter, this poor Daoist can go to your residence to exorcise the evil spirits within."

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and immediately became displeased.

He had previously collected two idle ruffian corpses and performed a superstitious rite for nothing; now he was just planning to claw back his costs from the female ghost, yet you want to snatch business from me?

The fellow practitioner who snatched business from him last time is now nothing but dust and bone fragments!

"A mere female ghost, why trouble the Daoist with your efforts?"

"That female ghost has caused great harm; Daoist friend, do not be deceived by her."

Deceived? If she were a corpse, perhaps that would be possible, but unfortunately, she is not.

"Daoist Yizhen, I know a little about rituals, understand how to transform ghostly beings, and also have methods to guide ghostly beings into reincarnation."

"Daoist, you can rest assured about this matter."

Hu Baosong nodded along from the side and said, "Brother Xu is a fine young man; I trust his abilities."

Yizhen's expression was strange, thinking to himself: You trust his abilities, but what does that have to do with me?

"Daoist Xu, our cultivation requires clarifying the original heart; the reason this female ghost harms people is because this poor Daoist earlier felt compassion and taught her cultivation arts; otherwise, she would not have her current cultivation level."

"Where there is a cause, there is an effect; if Daoist friend possesses true methods, that is naturally even better, but this poor Daoist has a request: I must see her submit to justice with my own eyes before I can feel at ease."

"No problem, no problem!"

Xu Qing felt delighted in his heart; as long as he wasn't snatching business from him, it wasn't an issue!

As the two prepared to leave the coffin shop together, Hu Baosong suddenly pulled Xu Qing aside.

"Old Hu, do you have something to say?"

Hu Baosong's old face turned red as he said, "The Dongxuan Talisman book I gave you, please copy a portion and give it to her when you have time."

"In two days, come find me, and I will teach you all I have learned in my life."

Xu Qing reacted quickly, instantly figuring out the flavor of the situation.

"Old Hu, when you transmit the Dao and teach the art in two days, won't I be the only one? Will Daoist Yizhen be coming too?"

"When did you young man become able to divine and calculate?" Hu Baosong was utterly surprised.

Xu Qing smacked his lips, thinking to himself: You've written 'having an affair' all over your face, and I'm not blind.

"Old Hu, give me the bottom line; what exactly is the relationship between you and that female Daoist?"

"Cannot say, cannot say." Hu Baosong raised his hand and patted Xu Qing's shoulder, speaking with genuine emotion: "Young Xu, I must thank you; if you hadn't pulled me up, I might have remained in the dark for a lifetime."

Xu Qing removed the old man's hand from his own shoulder and said somewhat displeased: "Speaking only half the truth, beware of having a son with no anus!"

"Son?" Hu Baosong chuckled: "No anus, then no anus! Young Xu, remember to come find me in two days!"

Xu Qing waved his hand backward and walked with Daoist Yizhen, who was standing and waiting outside the coffin shop, toward his own shop.

Behind the two, the big rooster, whose internal toxins had not yet been completely cleared, followed behind like a drunk, three steps left and two steps right, wings propping up the ground, swaying unsteadily.

"Daoist Xu, may I ask which region that old gentleman is from, and what is his surname and given name?"

"You mean Old Hu? I have known him for over half a year; when I first arrived, he was selling coffins on the street, with no children or relatives by his side, quite pitiful."

"His name is Hu Baosong; speaking of which, your lay surname is also Hu, which is truly a coincidence! What does Daoist Yizhen think?"

The female Daoist with a pure and exquisite temperament paused for a moment and asked, "Think what?"

"You both surnamed Hu; perhaps five hundred years ago you were one family; do you not find the fate within this clever?"

Xu Qing had been watching Daoist Yizhen's expression, but the other party merely made an 'hm' sound and then stopped speaking.

Well, it seems this melon cannot be fully eaten today!

Returning to the coroner's shop, the coffin where Xiuniang had hidden her form still had its lid sealed, with not a single sign of movement.

At the narrow end of the coffin facing the shop door, Xuan Yu sat on the ground with his back to the door, staring at the coffin before him.

As Xu Qing entered the coffin shop, Xuan Yu turned his head to speak, only to discover a female Daoist beside Xu Qing, and the drunken chicken following behind the female Daoist.

Xuan Yu fell silent for a moment, jumped onto the coffin, scratched the coffin lid with his claws, producing a sour sound, and even pressed his ears back against his head.

Seeing this, Xu Qing coughed lightly and said, "Xuan Yu, this is Daoist Yizhen from the Five Elders Temple; that golden chicken is a spiritual bird raised by Daoist Yizhen, much like an immortal."

After introducing the guest, Xu Qing spoke again to Yizhen: "Xuan Yu is an immortal from my Cat Immortal Hall, capable of attracting wealth and guarding the house, and is quite learned."

Hearing the praise, Xuan Yu immediately stopped scratching, then leaped lightly off the coffin lid and came to Xu Qing's side.

Xu Qing reached out and picked up Xuan Yu.

The cat, which had never allowed him to hold it before, now surprisingly did not dodge away.

This made Xu Qing extremely happy.

After raising this cat for so many days, he could finally touch it once.

Feeling the silk-like softness in his hands, Xu Qing felt extremely pleased.

Indeed, all things love petting cats, even zombies.

After petting it a couple of times, Xuan Yu broke free from Xu Qing's arm, jumped down, and with one leap, jumped onto the counter.

Xu Qing turned his head and looked with lingering desire at the expressionless Daoist Yizhen.

"Daoist, please enter; that yin ghost has already been sealed by me inside the coffin and has absolutely no power to resist."

Inside the coffin, Xiuniang heard the commotion outside and felt her ghostly life turn completely gray.

So, that young man who looked like a human but acted like a ghost was truly not a good person!

So, he and that female Daoist who raised evil beasts were in it together!

It is said that ghosts have many schemes, but in Xiuniang's view, she, a newly emerged ghost, was as simple as a little white flower.

This pair of dog-like lovers before her eyes were truly full of bad water!

Hearing the implication in Xu Qing's words, the embroiderer curled up inside the coffin, filled with regret.

She was truly foolish; she had failed to see that this coffin was a cage meant to lure her, not a haven for her.

Jin Luan, staggering with the gait of a drunkard, heard the female ghost inside the coffin, then forced her spirits up and lurched forward to subdue the demon.

Xu Qing grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, tossed it onto the stove opening, and ordered, "Xuan Yu, watch this chicken; do not let it run wild!"

Xuan Yu twisted its waist from the counter, gathered a bit of strength, and leaped onto the stove.

Jin Luan still wanted to turn and pounce on the coffin, but saw a afterimage slash past before her eyes.

In the next instant, it was felled by a cat paw striking it.

From then on, whenever Jin Luan tried to prop itself up on its wings to stand, Xuan Yu, sitting upright by the stove, would inevitably extend a cat paw and swiftly slap it on the head, until it was completely subdued; only then did the cat on the stove withdraw its paw, still unsatisfied.

Seeing Jin Luan and Xuan Yu getting along very well, Xu Qing ceased paying them any further attention.

"Bang, bang, bang!" He knocked on the coffin lid with his hand and spoke: "Embroiderer, do you intend to come out yourself, or should Daoist Yizhen climb in to find you?"

"..."

Yizhen glanced at Xu Qing and remained silent.

The embroiderer fell silent for a while, then finally lifted the coffin lid; upon seeing Yizhen's familiar face, she turned her head and glared resentfully at Xu Qing.

That look was as if she had seen a faithless man returning with a mistress; the more resentful it was, the more resentful it was.

(End of this chapter)