I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 318 - 175: Bidding Farewell to the Old Year (Part 2)

Gu Zixu clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, bowing three tis in succession.

"The kindness of the Sect Leader is sothing this elderly man will never forget for eternity. In the future, Sect Leader can rest assured that whatever you require of , I will fully commit to it."

Gu Zixu was once slandered by the grain officials at the grain storage warehouse, resulting in the Gray Immortal Hall being torn down by the villagers. It was Xu Qing who stood up for him, helping him quell the anger in his heart. Now Xu Qing has given him a chance to resu cultivation through incense offerings; how could he not be grateful?

Guan Dazhuang and Huang Xiaoliu felt similarly.

It can be said that all the immortals present have received favors from Xu Qing without exception, and the favors were not small.

In the circles of immortals where gratitude and favor are emphasized, even selling themselves to Xu Qing would not be excessive.

Yet, in the end, Xu Qing still distributed so many incense offerings to everyone. Such an immortal hall would be difficult to find anywhere.

By comparison, other halls, including Yellow Immortal Hall where Huang Xiaoliu was once favored by the esteed Huang Immortal, have never received such high benefits.

Faced with the bows of the immortals, Xu Qing remained silent.

After all the immortals were seated again, Xu Qing slowly opened his mouth and said:

"Next year, I may have to go wander far away, with an uncertain return date. During this ti, Cat Immortal Hall will depend on all of you to manage diligently."

"While I’m away, Cat Immortal Hall should act low-key, avoiding greed for incense offerings. When dealing with people, let Dazhuang take the lead."

After saying this, Xu Qing added, "Dazhuang, if Cat Immortal Hall faces trouble from ordinary people that you can’t resolve, you can go to Flower and Bird Street and seek Mr. Feng Er. He owes a few favors and might be able to help."

"If he’s not there, you can also find Chief Zhao at the Governnt Office. Although not very likable, he’s a righteous man. Most importantly, he also owes a few favors..."

"Apart from mundane issues, if you encounter demons or highly skilled cultivators that you can’t defeat, don’t force it and temporarily retreat. Wait for my return."

Beside him, Xuan Yu listened to Xu Qing’s arrangents with great anxiety.

After the banquet was over, Xu Qing and Xuan Yu walked toward the Funeral Shop on the way back.

Xuan Yu kept his head down, following behind, almost bumping into Xu Qing several tis.

"Can’t you watch where you’re going? If you’re too tired to walk, I don’t mind carrying you for a while."

Xuan Yu finally spoke, "When do you plan to undergo the tribulation?"

Xu Qing blinked and suddenly laughed, "That’s not up to ; it’s whenever the heavens decide to be in a bad mood!"

Seeing Xuan Yu silent, Xu Qing restrained his smile and pondered, "Probably in these few days. My cultivation has far exceeded five hundred years, and if I continue suppressing it, even if the heavens were very short-sighted, it should not be hidden."

"When will Xu Immortal Family return?"

Xu Qing was silent.

Until they reached Underground Street, he finally spoke:

"Xuan Yu and I are different from ordinary people. Ordinary people have no more than a hundred years of life. Xuan Yu and I consider years as days and months as monts. The ti of my wandering is destined not to be long."

"I’ve already arranged everything for Cat Immortal Hall; during this ti, Xuan Yu should just focus peacefully on cultivation."

Xuan Yu calculated the days. Considering years as days, a year is over three hundred days.

"I’ll wait for you for at most two months. If you don’t return, I’ll co to find you."

Two months is like a cycle.

Xu Qing was dumbfounded with laughter at this.

The way this cat calculated ti was indeed not as he had anticipated.

...

After the New Year, on the first day of the first lunar month, a few visitors ca to Xu Qing’s shop for New Year greetings, which was unprecedented.

The rough and straightforward Zhao Zhonghe, and Wang Lingyuan from the Governnt Office’s morgue—these two were not surprising to Xu Qing. What he hadn’t expected was that Guo Dongyang from Jinn Prefecture braved the wind and snow and brought cured at to his shop for New Year’s greetings.

Let’s say, Jinn Prefecture isn’t far but not close either. With rain and snow on the road, you’re no longer young. If sothing happens in the middle, it’d be less of a visit than an addition to the Funeral Shop’s business.

Guo Dongyang was indifferent, saying he’d road the Jianghu for years, knowing so skills and wouldn’t fall ill from so wind and snow.

Yet, before nightfall, the old man caught a cold.

Confused, Guo Dongyang murmured, "Isn’t that strange? There’s charcoal burning in the room, and it’s not so cold; yet in this mont, I feel chilled all over, as if I’m not going to make it through..."

Isn’t that nonsense? Even the youngest would feel chilly if a zombie were holding their wrist to take their pulse.

"If you’re sick, speak less!"

Xu Qing also felt helpless. He didn’t know what the old man was thinking; despite having a cold, he didn’t ask the inn staff to call a physician, but instead had them fetch him from the Funeral Shop.

He was a funeral director for burials, yet had to co to save lives. Isn’t that absurd?

Let’s say, having bloodthirsty bandits lead an old lady would be more reliable!

Brewing a bowl of Talisman Water and pairing it with a Hundred Herbs Pill, by nightfall, the old man was lively and out of bed.

"What dicine did you give ? How is it so effective?"

Xu Qing replied irritably, "dicine from the pharmacy, with a physician’s Cold and Fever Relieving Decoction. The physician said it’s fast-acting; if there’s no response, then it’s fast to pay filial respect, though the filial is with mourning bands."

Guo Dongyang was skeptical, but seeing Xu Qing be so serious, he had to believe.

Could there be such a miraculous formula in the world? If true, it must be recorded in Dongyang’s travel notes.

When the fifth day of the first lunar month ca, Guo Dongyang visited Xu Qing’s Funeral Shop, saying, "Brother Xu, I plan to stay in Linhe County for a while. If Brother Xu has ti, feel free to visit Fuji Teahouse for tea and listen to stories."

"If I have ti, I’ll definitely go." Xu Qing agreed verbally, but hardly took it to heart.

After this New Year was fully over, he had to leave the Funeral Shop to face the five hundred-year Thunder Tribulation.

Before that, he had many matters to handle; where would he find leisure for tea?

Leaving the Funeral Shop, Guo Dongyang stood at the door, gazing at the couplets for quite a while.

"Don’t worry about posthumous affairs, often help worldly n..."

Even with funeral shop couplets, he still felt delight.

"The mist condenses like dew, separating yet not breaking, with spirit reaching through, vividly lively—truly splendid writing!"

Leaving such a review, Guo Dongyang then turned away.

...

In the Funeral Shop, a black cat sat majestically on the counter, watching the insects in the Gu jar fight.

Glancing at the black cat, Xu Qing was slightly surprised and asked, "Why isn’t Xuan Yu turning into a human form today?"

Xuan Yu raised his head at the words, earnestly replying, "Xu Immortal Family said during the New Year one needs to transform into human form; now that the year is over, naturally, I revert to my true appearance."

"..."

A special transformation card for Lunar New Year?

Why did he seem to have trapped himself in a dead end? Xu Qing was thinking about how to change this limitation, when suddenly Xuan Yu asked, "Has Xu Immortal Family ever said that the one least likely to beco the insect king in the Gu jar is that lazy bug?"

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to Xuan Yu so a zombie and a cat simultaneously peered into the Thousand Insect Gu Jar.

There, after months of battle among a thousand Gu insects, only a few remained.

With a glance, apart from the white insect still snoozing in the corner, the jar only had three insects standing as a tripod, seemingly reaching a balance.

"Why does this lazy insect seem even fatter?"

Next to him, Xuan Yu bright-eyed said, "I know! This insect goes around eating corpses at night and then sleeps—a practice never attacking any other insect until now."

"..."

Hearing this, Xu Qing sucked his teeth slightly; why did this corpse-collecting insect seem oddly familiar?

Gazing at its fleshy, plump form, resembling almost identically the larvae in a rotten tree stump, Xu Qing couldn’t discern any special quality.

"Does Xu Immortal Family think it’ll beco the last living insect king?"

"Who knows?" Xu Qing laughed, "But by the ti I return, we’ll naturally know who the insect king is."