I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 116 - 82 The Banquet of the Immortals_2

Xu Qing’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Most likely, the Gray Patriarch and Gray Lady were Gray Immortals. As for the other two, he could ignore them for now. If they truly came as guests, perhaps they could also provide some counsel during the coffin inspection.

When he first returned to the shop, he considered appointing Xuan Yu to inspect the two coffins by the west wall. However, when the cat mentioned that the things inside might reanimate, Xu Qing refused to send Xuan Yu to inspect.

The taboo between cats and corpses seemed to imply some hidden rules—once violated, misfortune would follow.

To be safe, he finally decided to establish a galley and chant the Assist Soldier Spell to summon help to solve the problem.

Xu Qing was a half-baked Galloping Immortal Disciple, and Qing Qing, the lady cat, was also a half-baked cat.

Fortunately, the two half-full bottles swayed together and managed to set up a proper galley.

Xuan Yu sat in front of the spirit tablets, looking at Xu Qing with intense focus.

"Other immortals will soon come as guests. Xu Immortal Family must prepare and procure some offerings."

Seeing Xu Qing looking over, Xuan Yu added, "I have no silver, so don’t think about asking me to buy offerings. I only know how to steal, but doing so would tarnish the immaterial’s dignity."

Xu Qing rubbed his chin and said, "Red beams of trickling water and yellow-striped candles are available at the store. I’ll go to the market tomorrow to supplement the rest."

"The market?" Xuan Yu’s ears twitched, clearly very interested.

...

Early the next morning, Xu Qing and Xuan Yu arrived outside the brokerage.

During his few months of absence, all his business relationships with the broker had ceased. Now, he wanted to restore the funeral business to its former glory and had to rebuild his contacts.

"Shopkeeper Xu, had you come a month and a half earlier, you would have hosted the funerals of those brothers from the broker. But since you weren’t here then, I couldn’t leave their bodies hanging, so I had to find another Funeral House to host the ceremonies."

In the two months Xu Qing was away, there had been multiple conflicts between the Linhe broker and the Jinmen Gang, leading to quite a few deaths. Seeing he couldn’t find Xu Qing, Li Si turned to a Funeral House and secured burial services at the same price.

However, business affairs are never set in stone. Xu Qing explained the benefits to Li Si, pointing out that when it came to funeral and burial services, no one in Linhe could match his expertise.

"Li Si, starting with my Master Yang Qiying, our school has been in this line of work. We are a well-established funeral family with a continuous legacy, and my skills are reliable."

"Besides, this is my scholar certificate. Think about it, having someone with official status conduct the burial would surely add prestige. It might even bring blessings to the ancestor’s grave, possibly making a scholar or a degree holder out of a descendant."

"On top of these high-quality conditions, for any work introduced by the broker, I’ll give an eight percent discount on all funeral expenses—an eight percent market discount! The extra profit will go directly to the broker."

Li Si examined the scholar certificate repeatedly.

"A scholar, indeed! No wonder you were missing for two months; Shopkeeper Xu was off earning his official title."

"Of course, our education must keep pace to highlight our professional level."

"Very well! Simply for this business attitude, Shopkeeper Xu deserves to succeed!" Seeing this, Li Si had no objections and immediately agreed to re-establish business relations with Xu Qing.

...

Linhe Wharf.

Xu Qing purchased two fresh fish from the water market—both sturgeons.

Xuan Yu couldn’t take its eyes off the larger-than-its-body fish.

"This is your engagement gift. From now on, you must hold down the galley well and not disappoint my expectations."

Xuan Yu tilted its head and asked, "If you give me an engagement gift, shouldn’t I also give one in return?"

Xu Qing shook his head, saying he hadn’t heard of that custom.

Xuan Yu continued, "I once lived with an official’s daughter. Later, someone proposed to her, and she returned the gift."

"That’s for marriage between a man and a woman, not the same as getting a cat engaged."

Xuan Yu jumped onto the steps and followed closely behind Xu Qing, persisting, "What’s the difference?"

Xu Qing, exasperated, turned around and asked, "Did the lady have a dowry? Do you?"

"Besides, I have no interest in cats! Compared to that, I prefer Cuiyun Building’s roasted chicken."

"Roasted chicken? Isn’t that the crooked-neck little phoenix we need for the offerings?"

Xu Qing was speechless.

Hosting immortal guests required careful preparation, including a feast with offerings.

The crooked-neck little phoenix referred to roasted chicken, not the one from Cuiyun Building, but a proper five-spice roasted chicken.

In addition to the crooked-neck little phoenix, the feast required snowflakes, large bowls of clear tea, phoenix eggs, aromatic treasures, and red beams of trickling water.

These items sounded mystical but were essentially immortal jargon.

To put it plainly, snowflakes were white steamed buns; a large bowl of clear tea was plain water; phoenix eggs were chicken eggs; aromatic treasures were incense coils, and red beams of trickling water were just common wine.

With his Wine Worm, Xu Qing usually didn’t need to buy wine unless necessary.

In his view, there was no point letting a bunch of small animals drink wine, as they’d get drunk and act wildly when possessed.

After gathering the necessities for the immortal’s feast, Xu Qing took a detour to the Patrol Office.

Since he hadn’t brewed wine with his Wine Worm for some time, he bought a few jars of good wine.

The gatekeeper, Grandpa Qin, saw him and instantly put down his chopsticks, quickly inviting him inside to chat.

"I haven’t seen you in days. Where have you been lately?"

Xu Qing presented a freshly purchased jar of wine, saying, "I went on a study tour. Try this; it’s a local specialty from Jiangnan, fine wine."

Grandpa Qin was having breakfast. Seeing the side dish for wine, he was overjoyed.

Pouring a cup and savoring the taste, Grandpa Qin commented, "Good wine is good wine, but I still think the wine you brought before had more flavor. However, you refuse to tell the truth; I’ve tried every wine shop and can’t find that same taste."

Xu Qing thought to himself, "Is he addicted to fake wine? He’s complaining about the genuine wine I bought with real silver."

Leaving the gatehouse, Xu Qing encountered Zhao Zhonghe practicing with new officials in the courtyard. He didn’t intend to engage, but the other greeted him first.

Xu Qing wondered if the sun had risen from the west or if the man was possessed. Even a brute could show politeness for once!

Arriving at the examination room, Xu Qing felt right at home in the morgue. He couldn’t be happier.

With corpses in the morgue, Xu Qing warned Xuan Yu to hide its presence and not disturb the bodies.

Wang Lingyuan saw the smiling young man at the door and felt comfort, like a wandering son returning home.

"Senior brother, I hope you’ve been well!"

While speaking warmly, Xu Qing’s gaze involuntarily drifted behind Wang Lingyuan.

After two months without examining corpses, he was hungry for work.

Xu Qing recounted his journey, describing Jiangnan’s landscapes as if he had truly been there.

These were tales Guo Dongyang told about Jiangnan, now coming in handy.

While talking, Xu Qing’s eyes fell on the nearby cold slab.

"Is senior brother working on a new case?" he naturally moved closer to the naked corpse on the slab.

"You came just in time," Wang Lingyuan lifted several layers of quilt, revealing bodies of all ages and genders.

"This is a case of family extermination, and the County Captain wants it solved within three days. If not, his cap is in jeopardy."

"Were these people from a prominent family?"

Wang Lingyuan shook his head, "Not prominent, but their matriarch once served in the Grand Commandant’s Mansion and was a salt smuggler on the Linhai Salt Road."

"The Commandant manages the Capital Camp, holding substantial power. Now he’s pressing for answers. The County Captain pledged to solve the case shortly. If not dealt with promptly, the entire Patrol Office could be implicated."

Xu Qing observed the bodies and said seriously, "Don’t worry, senior brother. When a bird flies past, it leaves a shadow. When wind blows across a lake, ripples remain."

"I don’t believe there’s a case we can’t solve together."