I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 102 - 76 Five-Colored Steed, Thousand Gold Fur Coat_2

Chapter 102: Chapter 76 Five-Colored Steed, Thousand Gold Fur Coat_2

From a young age, the Empress had taught him to be a good Crown Prince, destined to inherit the throne. Now, the established path had deviated, and Zhao You was utterly panicked.

That night, Zhao You had a late-night audience with his mother, and the two discussed for a long time. Finally, the Empress came up with a plan—swap the Crown Prince with a civet cat.

However, the "civet cat" was not a real animal but the Imperial Grandson.

The Imperial Grandson Zhao Cong and the Crown Prince Zhao You were father and son and looked quite similar, about eighty to ninety percent alike.

The Empress enlisted the help of her brother to find a master of disguise from the Jianghu, who dyed and dressed the Imperial Grandson’s beard. Henceforth, Zhao Cong became Zhao You.

At that time, the fifty-year-old Zhao You might not survive the elderly Emperor Longping. But the newly crowned Imperial Grandson Zhao Cong, could surely outlive his imperial grandfather.

To nurture Zhao Cong, Zhao You did not idle for the past three years. Besides consuming various rare medicines to prolong life, he sought many longevity techniques.

He hoped to protect Zhao Cong until he ascended the throne in his lifetime.

In that year, the Empress’s brother invited witches from the Shu Region, claiming they possessed exotic techniques for longevity. These could extend the Crown Prince’s life by at least ten years.

On the day of the ritual, seven highly skilled witches prepared the altar to extend the Crown Prince’s lifespan.

Fortunately, the nation’s trend of worship and blessing was prevailing at that time, allowing these witches to perform their rituals openly at the Crown Prince’s Mansion.

Xu Qing saw a group of shamans and witches in strange attire, wielding bells and chanting, "Respectfully invoking the True Monarch of Calamity and God from Southern Shu. We are the Zhao family’s subjects, representing Crown Prince Zhao You. On this auspicious day, we offer incense to fulfill our wish and labor to the witches, requesting the Great Ancestor Witch to bless and impart the technique..."

When the incantations were finished, the Empress’s brother instructed the servants to slaughter three animals for a blood sacrifice.

Xu Qing, observing the marquee, smelled a pungent stench emanating from the altar. The witches then requested the Empress’s brother to select seven maidservants and servants, totaling fourteen young men and women, as offerings to the Witch God.

In the prestigious Crown Prince’s Mansion, that night resembled the infernal hell.

When the fresh blood dyed the altar red, the ritual set up by the seven witches finally concluded.

Zhao You, bound tightly like a cocoon, was placed in a large vat, submerged in a stinking blood concoction prepared by the witches.

Zhao You awoke a hundred days later.

Before leaving, the witches left behind secret methods to preserve the body, essentially using aloe powder and other preservatives to prevent skin decay.

Zhao You uncovered the foul-smelling cloth strips from his body, revealing himself covered in bizarre witchcraft tattoos, now a half-dead living corpse.

Xu Qing frowned upon this sight.

In the marquee, Zhao You’s state differed from a typical zombie, appearing as though some drug had triggered bodily transformation through unorthodox means.

As for the so-called Witch God and the sacrificed young men and women, Xu Qing doubted they alone could grant Crown Prince Zhao You true resurrection.

Ten years passed, Zhao You’s physical condition deteriorated, as Xu Qing had anticipated, nearing complete decay.

"It’s a pity the Empress’s brother only invited seven witches back then, only able to extend your lifespan by fourteen years. If more witches had been summoned and a hundred pairs of lads and lasses sacrificed, you could have lived a century. How could you be so haggard today?"

Zhao You smiled faintly, "Fourteen years is enough. Now Cong’Er is the true Crown Prince. He is only thirty years old now and will surely inherit the throne one day."

Alas, fourteen lives exchanged for fourteen years of a living corpse’s lifespan. The lives of those lads and lasses, the maidservants and servants, were truly insignificant.

Xu Qing couldn’t comprehend these imperial matters. Zhao You was excessively cold-hearted.

In contrast, the Third Prince seemed more humane. After all, watching Zhao You’s life unfold in the marquee, this prince’s temperament appeared gentler.

Xu Qing continued to watch.

In the twilight years of Emperor Longping, anxious over the retired tiger in the Jin Sect, he sent the false Crown Prince to probe the loyal King Changting’s intentions.

Zhao You also worried about Zhao Cong and accompanied him to Jin Sect.

One day, disguised as a groom, Zhao You saw Zuo Zixiong refuse to ride the Thousand-Mile Steed and murmured, "Truly a loyal and righteous minister. The Yong Dynasty lacks such talent. Perhaps someday..."

The scene shifted to Zhao You drinking poisoned wine meticulously blended by the Third Prince. Not only was the poison potent, but much refined sugar from Southern Shu was boiled in as tribute.

This Third Prince indeed remembered Zhao You’s fondness for sweets.

Xu Qing withdrew his earlier judgment. He had believed Zhao You’s scheming deep enough, but did not anticipate the Third Prince being even more calculating.

Great evil often lurks in gentleness, deep vengeance often stems from affection.

Who could have imagined that the seemingly harmless Third Prince, who deeply respected Zhao You, was the most venomous thorn?

Zhao You may not have been buried in the Imperial Mausoleum, but he was once a Crown Prince.

The Sutra of Salvation finally assessed the corpse, ranking it as upper-mid tier.

Xu Qing looked at the rewards: a Purple Star Astrology Inference Technique, a wisp of Emperor’s Purple Qi.

Additionally, there were Horse Inspection Skill, Stepping Creation Technique, and Paper Clothing Technique.

The Emperor’s Purple Qi was ranked highest on the human scale, a superior reward. Yet, when Xu Qing saw the majestic aura of royal fortune, he revealed a disdainful expression.

A thousand gold wouldn’t buy his liking; he truly didn’t care for the Emperor’s position!

He stored the Purple Qi into the Mountain and River Map, and in the next moment, a purple band appeared upon the mountains and rivers.

This useless thing, taking up so much space!

Xu Qing clicked his tongue; just one wisp of Purple Qi had occupied half the place on his Mountain and River Map.

Looking at the others, the Purple Star Astrology Technique was a method for predicting fortune and misfortune, ranked upper-mid tier.

Horse Inspection Skill allowed one to understand horses, distinguishing their qualities, ranked lower-mid tier.

Stepping Creation Technique enabled one to mold a five-colored steed using white bone clay.

Paper Clothing Technique required only two taels of yellow paper to craft a thousand gold treasure robe.

As a Corpse Driver, Xu Qing naturally did not lack yellow paper.

Retrieving yellow paper and scissors from the Mountain and River Map, he cut and folded the paper. As the paper took the form of clothing, Xu Qing blew a breath of Yin Qi onto it. freewёbnoνel.com

Instantly, the two-tael lightweight yellow paper expanded with the wind. When it settled upon him, it transformed into a noble, luxurious attire.

White fur and jade belt, fur-lined silver boots. Xu Qing looked at himself.

Isn’t this a mink coat?

Xu Qing thought this was quite helpful. If he wanted to be a Galloping Immortal in the Northeast someday, wearing this would surely add prestige!

He removed the flashy coat, which reverted to two taels of yellow paper.

"This five-colored steed should be practical, right?"

Xu Qing manipulated a puppet and retrieved mountain spring water by the Crown Prince’s Tomb, mixing mud with the soil from the tomb.

The five-colored steed was molded from white bone clay. Having prepared the mud, Xu Qing had no white bone nearby, so he utilized waste, employing the Crown Prince Zhao You’s remains as horse bones, encasing them in the clay.

After about a stick of incense time, a high-headed clay horse appeared before Xu Qing.

Blowing Yin Qi onto the horse’s face, the rigid clay steed immediately became lively.

Colorful fur emerged, cascading like clouds and waterfalls.

The five-colored steed’s mane spread as colorful strands, dazzling to behold.

What an ostentatious mount!

A new tomb in the wild, can’t we be practical, truly connecting with Earth Qi?

Xu Qing had just removed the mink coat, now this upper-mid tier five-colored steed; he couldn’t resist.

Emperor Longping might deserve this mount, but as a rural zombie, how am I worthy of riding such a treasure steed?

Xu Qing mounted the horse, riding the Crown Prince. With a mere thought, the five-colored steed beneath him raised its four hooves, galloping wildly.

Crossing mountains and streams as if on flat ground.

In just a few breaths, Xu Qing rode the flashy steed, circling the mountain.

In the end, he concluded with satisfaction that this was not a Thousand-Mile Steed but a Ten-Thousand-Mile Treasure Steed.

The only flaw was it being too flamboyant.

Xu Qing dismounted and placed the steed into the box garden to gather dust.

This time, the Crown Prince’s corpse seemed to offer numerous rewards, but upon closer examination, only the Purple Star Astrology Technique held substantial value.

Xu Qing stepped with the Seven-Star Step, calculating the fortune of breaking through to Silver Armored Corpse upon returning to Linhe using Purple Star Astrology.

The divination was exceedingly favorable, predicting smooth ascension and imperial fortune.