I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 7: The Coroner's Shop

As soon as Xu Qingfu stepped into Jingxia Street, he smelled a scent that made all the pores on his body relax.

Passing by the street incense and candle shop, the wax oil and wax fat bring the fragrance of bayberry and the unique aroma of animal fat.

Passing by the paper-making shop, the smell is similar to the smell of incense money just burned on the grave, which is irresistible.

Not far away, although there was nothing in the coffin shop that made him salivate, the fragrance of the unvarnished coffins made him feel like he was coming home from working overtime in the middle of the night and throwing himself onto a soft bed.

I really want to rush into the shop right now and find a thick coffin to sleep in for a few days.
Walking on the funeral street, Xu Qing felt like he was being scratched by a cat or a dog. His mind was filled with the extravagant scenes of people chewing candles, drinking incense, and lying drunk in coffins after eating and drinking.

With the help of the self-control of his ego consciousness, he forced down those messy thoughts. When he came to his senses, he found that he had arrived in front of the shop opened by Liu Youdao.

The shop in front of you is made up of three panels connected together to form a door. When opening for daily business, you can choose to remove any door panel according to your needs.

For example, when the weather is bad, with strong winds and heavy snow, you can only remove one door panel. If it is a sunny and windy day, you can remove all the door panels and open the door to welcome guests.

Xu Qing looked up at the door plaque with black characters on the original background. The lacquer characters engraved on it were very clear, and it was obvious that it was a new store that had been renovated not long ago.

As for the words on the plaque, he, who was well versed in classics, could recognize them at a glance. It was exactly the three official characters of "Fugongpu".

The so-called coroner is the person who, in ancient times, moved corpses, dressed corpses, carried coffins, dug and buried corpses, collected and washed bones, and was responsible for funeral ceremonies.

"We've got it!"

Xu Qing took off the bag he got from Liu Youdao, searched through it, and finally found the key to the shop in the mezzanine.

He opened the lock and removed a door panel. The zombie's talent of seeing at night as if it were day allowed him to easily see the layout inside the shop.

There is a counter and two dark wooden coffins placed against the west wall. On the east-facing shelves are tools for cleaning corpses and various bottles and jars for burial preparations.

In the southeast corner, there is an altar.

Xu Qing walked in and saw that it was the tablet for Master Liu Youdao.

After looking at the outer shop, Xu Qing walked to the small courtyard behind the shop to take a look.

At this moment, he was like a customer looking at or buying a house, looking at the feng shui everywhere inside and out. He even opened the grille of the simple toilet in the backyard and took a look inside.

After looking at the entire shop, Xu Qing seemed very satisfied.

A horse will not be fat without night grass, and a man will not be rich without windfall.

Who could have imagined that in just one night, he would gain the wealth that a corpse driver would have to strive for his entire life to obtain.

However, if he wants to properly inherit these family assets, he still needs to polish every detail.

Not only is he proficient in the art of driving corpses, but his ability in moving souls for burial and determining the location of the burial site is no worse than that of an ordinary corpse driver.

With these business abilities, he can fully respect Liu Youdao as his master and reasonably inherit his master's legacy.

Back in the front shop, Xu Qingdong, who had an idea, searched around and found two things.

They are both the pens and inkstones used for accounting on the counter, and the empty tablets with words on them for sale on the shelves.

It is said that details determine success or failure. Since I have decided to play the role of Liu Youdao's apprentice, I have to play the whole role.

Now that Liu Youdao has passed away, he, as his disciple, naturally has to set up a longevity tablet for his deceased 'mentor'. Otherwise, if someone asks about it one day and wants to pay tribute to him, they will find that you, who call yourself a disciple, don't even worship the master's tablet.

Wouldn't that just arouse suspicion?
The thoughtful Xu Qing took the pen, ink and tablet and came to the altar in the southeast corner.

There was already a tablet on the altar with an inscription written by Liu Youdao himself. In the middle of the tablet was written "The honorable position of my mentor Yang Taigong Qiying", and on the right was a couplet with eight small characters "The immortal monarch guides you, and your merits are complete". In the lower left corner was written "Unfilial disciple, Liu Youdao stands here with tears and blood".

Xu Qing followed suit, picked up a pen and dipped it in ink, and set up a new tablet under the ancestor's tablet.

In the middle of the tablet is written "The honorable position of the teacher Liu Gong who has the Tao", and on the right is written "The teacher's merits and virtues are passed down far and wide, and the teachings of his disciples are boundless."

Finally, the lower left corner reads "The disobedient person, Xu's son stands respectfully with grief."

After doing all this, Xu Qing held three incense sticks in his hand and couldn't help but swallow a few mouthfuls. After tasting the saltiness, he presented them to Master Liu.

The newly lit candle beside it suddenly swayed, and the light and shadow in the room shook continuously.

Xu Qing raised his eyebrows and found that the second door leading to the backyard was not closed, so the wind blew in from the yard.

But he clearly remembered that he had closed the door to the yard long before he came over. How strong a wind would it take to blow it open?

After smacking his lips for a while, Xu Qing seemed to sense something and suddenly began to talk to himself.

"Liu Youdao, ah Liu Youdao, I don't blame you for turning me into a zombie. After all, without you, I would have long since turned into a pile of wasteland. Now that you have died an untimely death, not only will I not laugh at you, but I will also inherit your mantle so that you will not ruin the inheritance of your master."

"Speaking of which, you should be thanking me. When the Tianxin Sect that harmed you is finally wiped out by the imperial court, I might even burn incense and announce the good news to you. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Strangely enough, as soon as Xu Qing finished speaking, not only did the wind in the yard die out, but even the candle that was about to flicker and go out became bright again.

I don't know whether it's the night wind that's naughty or the lingering thoughts of a lonely soul.
By the fifth watch, Xu Qing was still full of energy. He was holding a sharp kitchen knife and scraping the fine hairs on his cheek in front of a bronze mirror.

These are all corpse hairs. If they are not handled properly, no matter how well he conceals his breath, people will notice something unusual.

After shaving off the hair, Xu Qing took a bunch of bottles and jars used for funeral makeup from the grocery shelf and tried the colors one by one, just like a girl in the boudoir putting on makeup in front of the mirror.

At dawn, a thin-looking "Young Master of Kidney Deficiency" appeared in the bronze mirror.

Xu Qing looked at him carefully and found that apart from his sickly pale face, there was nothing unusual about him.

At this time, morning birds are singing outside the window, and the hawking sounds on the street are getting louder and louder.

A new day has arrived in Linhefang.

Xu Qing was wearing a green long coat with thick soles. Before opening the shop door, he first peeked through the gap in the door panel to watch the occasional passers-by on the street.

After looking for about half a cup of tea, he finally stood up straight, patted the non-existent dust on his sleeves, and raised his hand to adjust his collar.

Finally, he pinched his Adam's apple, coughed twice, and tested his voice.

After confirming that everything was correct, Xu Qing took down a door panel and walked out of the shop openly for the first time.

It was still early at this time, and there were only a few people walking on the street. The door of the funeral clothing shop next door had not yet opened, but the limestone shop opposite had opened early, and strong men were carrying large bags of lime and loading and unloading them onto a donkey cart.

Xu Qing had already prepared a plan in his mind, just waiting for someone to come and ask about his background. He would be able to deal with it calmly at that time.

Unfortunately, things don't go as one wishes.

He hung around the door for a long time, but no one came over, let alone greeted him.

Although things did not develop in the expected direction, he was still happy and at ease.

If no one cares, then no one cares!

Thinking this way, Xu Qing's tense mind relaxed. Walking on the bluestone-paved streets, watching the constant flow of vendors and pedestrians, he enjoyed the feeling of returning to the human world.

Crossing the Jingxia Street, he arrived at the busier Caishikou. Looking at the old men, women and young wives who came out to buy vegetables early in the morning and squatted on the ground to pick and choose, Xu Qing inhaled the rich aroma of fireworks with intoxication.

Linhefang is close to the Baisha River and has developed water transportation and cargo trade. It is a very important water and land hub outside the city of Tianjin.

So don’t think that Linhefang is just a market town. If you really compare it to other places, even the capital of Tianjin may not be much stronger!
Passing by a stall selling eggs, Xu Qing suddenly felt hungry. He took out a few copper coins, bought a few raw eggs, cracked them into a small piece, and slurped them while continuing to stroll around.

A butcher was sorting pig offal on a clean bluestone slab, and next to him was a whole basin of pig blood that was still steaming!

"Hiss--" Xu Qing took a deep breath of air, and the egg in his hand immediately lost its fragrance!

"Young man, what do you want? I've got freshly slaughtered fish, so they're super fresh!"

The butcher took out a greasy rag, wiped his hands left and right, and looked at the pale-faced young man standing in front of the stall.

“How much is pork?”

"Lean meat is eighteen cents a pound, and pork belly is twenty-two cents."

People these days are short of oil and water, so fatty meat is more expensive than lean meat. If someone comes to buy pork belly, and you cut too much lean meat, you may even get scolded!

"Where's the elbow?"

"The pork elbow has been ordered by the owner of Chunfenglou and will be delivered soon. If you want it, you can wait until tomorrow."

"Okay! Then give me a few pounds of pig's blood. I think other people's pig's blood is pretty delicious."

The butcher didn't think too much about it. Without saying a word, he pulled out a piece of oilcloth and put four or five pounds of pig blood that had been salted into it.

"These are just mixed water, there's no need to weigh them, just give me your estimate. I'll give you eight cents!"

Xu Qing took out eight copper coins and carried the pig's blood out of the vegetable market.

He had never eaten braised or fried pig's blood before, but today he wanted to try it.

As for raw blood, he probably didn't want to touch it. Although raw blood was more tempting, the humanity in his bones still made him hope to be more like a normal person.

When passing by the rouge shop, Xu Qing bought a lot of rouge and powder. These things are indispensable strategic items for him now.

Even if he becomes a zombie, he still needs to take good care of his skin on a daily basis so that he can better integrate into the circle of living people.

As for the remaining rouge and powder, they can be placed on the shelf and used when the shop needs to make up the dead.

After walking around like this, when Xu Qing was ready to go back, his hands were already full of bags.

Tsk, if he keeps on spending like this, it won’t be long before all the money Liu Youdao has saved for coffins is used up!
After all, the old guy spent most of his money on buying real estate and shops, and there wasn't much money left!

Back at Jingxia Street, Xu Qing walked towards the coroner's shop. Halfway there, he saw a man standing at the door of the shop from afar. He was shrinking his neck, stamping his feet and breathing heavily.

"Could this person be trying to get into my shop?"

Xu Qing came closer with doubts in his mind.

"Hey, who are you? Why don't you see Master Liu?"

Seeing Xu Qing take out the key to open the door, the man who was stamping his feet with cold immediately started asking questions.

Xu Qing laughed when he heard that. He had been writing the draft all night, just waiting for this moment!

He raised his frustrated face and said in a hoarse and low voice, "You came to see my master?"

"Are you his apprentice?"

Xu Qing nodded.

"That's great! Go and ask your master to come out. We promised the Liu family the day before yesterday, and today is the day to do it. We can't delay!"

Xu Qing was silent for a while after hearing this. When the other party couldn't help but want to ask again, he said, "My master unfortunately passed away yesterday. I'm afraid your family's affairs cannot be handled today."

The servant sent by the Liu Mansion to run errands was visibly stunned and subconsciously said, "Master Liu was still alive and kicking a few days ago, how come he's gone today?"

"."

Xu Qing glanced at the outspoken Liu Mansion servant and said, "Everyone is subject to misfortunes at any time. Yesterday, Master Liu and I went to the Liu Village Charity Cemetery to do some work. Unfortunately, we encountered soldiers chasing a heretic demon. If I hadn't run away quickly, you probably wouldn't even see me today."

What he said was seven parts true and three parts false. Even if someone really investigated it, they would not find anything.

Upon hearing this, the Liu family servant didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he anxiously asked, "Master Liu is gone, so what are we going to do about our master's funeral today? Your master actually took the deposit!"

Xu Qing said without hesitation: "Since Master is not here, I will be the one in charge here. I will return the deposit you gave me."

"This isn't about money! My son said when he came here that the funeral must be held today no matter what. If you delay the auspicious day, no amount of money will help!"

Xu Qing was puzzled, "What nonsense are you talking about? I just checked the almanac this morning. Today is auspicious for getting married or moving, but not for breaking ground or demolishing a house. How can it be an auspicious day for a funeral?"

"Why do you care if it's an auspicious day? These are all things agreed upon by your master, my wife, and my son. How can they be wrong?" The servant stamped his feet anxiously. Then he suddenly said, "That's right! You are the master's apprentice, so you should be able to do these things, right?"

"Of course, Master knows how to do it, and I, as his disciple, am not much worse."

Xu Qing's heart moved. This matter was a good opportunity to consolidate his status as Master Liu's "disciple"!
"Well, you don't have to pay back the deposit. Just come with me and take care of this important matter first. As for the remaining balance, as long as you do a good job, you will definitely get it when the time comes!"

After taking over the unfinished order from Liu Youdao, Xu Qing returned to the shop and, following the index of the funeral book in his memory, gathered all the necessary items for the funeral and burial, then went to Liu's house with the servant.

It is said that a big event happened recently in the Liu family mansion.

A few days ago, Mr. Liu, his wife, son and housekeeper went to a newly opened hot spring bathhouse in Linhefang to clean up. However, Mr. Liu died mysteriously in the hot spring bathhouse.

The young master and the housekeeper of the Liu family who witnessed the entire incident both claimed that a ghost appeared in the pool and that Mr. Liu was dragged into the pool by the ghost and drowned alive!
Afterwards, the resident government office sent people to investigate and found that not only the two sons of Mr. Liu's family saw ghosts, but even other guests who went to the hot spring bath that day said they saw dirty things.

However, these people said all kinds of things. Some said it was a yaksha with a green face and fangs, and some said it was a water monkey from the river outside the town that swam into the hot spring through the underground sewer.

In short, after that day, no one went to Tangchi Manor anymore!

Xu Qinggang did not know the cause of Liu Yuanwai's death, nor had he heard of the strange stories about Tang Chi.

He only knew that today was his first business since taking over the coroner's shop, so he had to do it well!

Arriving at Liu's house, Xu Qing saw a familiar face in the crowd before he even entered the mourning hall!
In front of the heavy nanmu coffin, there was a young woman in mourning clothes, with a charming face, a slim waist and fair skin, arguing with someone.

Isn’t this the brothel girl, Su Hongxiu, whom the infatuated scholar risked his life to lick?

Xu Qing, who had been feeling reserved, suddenly became cheerful.

(End of this chapter)