Chapter 525: Chapter 268: Yin Soldiers Borrowing Lifespan
The principle of being discerning is clearer to Xu Qing than to any immortal.
The immortals of the Jin Sect, and immortals scattered throughout the world, are mostly beastly in nature, and faced with increasing offerings, they find it difficult to remain rational.
Not Xu Qing though, he has lived as a human and has seen thousands of ephemeral lives through the Sutra of Salvation.
If all of these experiences were accounted for, they would span over a hundred thousand years.
The more souls he rescues, the more Xu Qing perceives the complexity of human nature.
Yet those immortals, and even gods in temples dealing with mundane matters, rarely comprehend these simple, obvious truths.
Perhaps some do understand, but how many can remain clearheaded amidst countless offerings?
Xu Qing plans ahead and uses opportunities to lay out strategies, so that someday, even if the temple is without his guidance, there would be trustworthy individuals to manage on his behalf.
In short, as long as no fire breaks out in the backyard, he can feel secure anywhere.
After settling the spirits great and small, Xu Qing turned to inspect the villa by Shuimen Bridge once more.
Since two years ago, this villa has undergone two more rounds of reinforcement and reconstruction, with Xu Qing using Baiyun Daoist’s Phantom Protection Technique to replace the Yin Locust Tree Substitute.
The Daoist’s Substitution Technique surpasses his Substitute Stake technique, as the Phantom Protection Technique could utilize not only tree stumps but also architectural feng shui as a substitute.
This means that now, the entire feng shui of the Shuimen Bridge Villa, including the Yin Locust Tree in the backyard, has become his substitute stake.
The feng shui of the Shuimen Bridge Villa is superb, the only necessary improvement is the structural strength.
Xu Qing specifically visited the Ancient Yin River Dao for this matter, requesting the Eight Banner Marshals to gather "Heavenly Skull Bones."
The Heavenly Skull Bone, also known as the top of the skull, is an essential material for crafting the Celestial Punishment Brick.
Legend says that the Celestial Punishment Brick is a special stone used by the ancient royal family in tomb construction, similar to the criminal’s grave stone, which records the criminal’s identity and birth and death dates, akin to a simple tomb inscription, but crudely made and not durable.
However, the Celestial Punishment Brick differs, being a special tomb brick researched and developed by the founding emperor, bringing together feng shui masters and experts in the yin sect.
The hardest, most brick-shaped bone in the human body is the top of the skull; by extracting it from living criminals and combining it with brick materials, you can craft Celestial Punishment Bricks.
Since the founding emperor, the method for making these bricks has been intermittently passed down for nearly a thousand years, ultimately banned for being too cruel, and eventually abandoned.
Nowadays, the crafting of Celestial Punishment Bricks has been lost.
The last craftsman to inherit the ancient method was buried by Xu Qing himself.
The Ancient Yin River Dao lacks everything except for abundant corpses.
The top of the skull is one of the hardest bones in the human body; under the erosion of the wind and sand of the Yin River, other skeletal parts decay first, leaving only the skull in the end.
The Heavenly Skull Bone Xu Qing acquired from the Eight Banner Marshals was enough to renovate a villa.
Now, the seemingly ordinary Shuimen Bridge Villa is actually pieced together from these skull tops.
In addition to bricks, Xu Qing also sought out Shang Shaoyang to purchase locally produced ironwood from Qianzhou, the same kind used by Baiyun Daoist in constructing the Joyful Temple.
Now Xu Qing’s villa is fortified, rightly described as a fortress.
Even so, Xu Qing still warns the seamstress, telling her that if the villa ever starts shaking as though an earthquake, don’t hesitate and just run!
The seamstress is bewildered, only the Yin Locust Tree included in the phantom feng shui layout can truly understand.
It has long seen Xu Qing is not a good person, but didn’t expect him to be unkind to such an extent!
Tree spirits differ from other spirits and monsters; ordinary tree spirits are bound by their physical form, unable to move freely.
Even those with some cultivation, who can take human form and walk in the world, won’t reveal the location of their roots.
Should they disclose it and someone with intent hears, their tree could be chopped down, at best harming their foundation, at worst costing their life.
This is why the Yin Locust Tree in the villa is desperately trying to have the seamstress transplant its body elsewhere.
Xu Qing went to the Yin Locust Tree in the backyard, raising his head to look at it.
Suddenly, he asked, "Do you truly want to leave this villa?"
The Yin Locust Tree swayed frantically, its branches and leaves trembling all over, meaning absolutely not!
"I’m a reasonable person; if you really find this place unsuitable for your growth, I won’t hold you back. This world is vast, surely there’s fertile soil suitable for you, right?"
Now, the Yin Locust Tree not only swayed its body but also bent forward, if not for its rigidity, it would’ve knelt to express allegiance.
"Good, since you so enjoy this place, you must wholeheartedly take care of this villa. You should know, as long as the villa remains unbreakable, your body will always be secure."
Xu Qing put away the mountain axe, his expression slightly relaxed, saying, "Now that chaos lurks everywhere, it’s just a grand gamble; outside may not be safer than here. For now, your only path is diligent cultivation."
You have the axe, so everything you say is right!
The Yin Locust Tree’s branches swayed up and down, nodding repeatedly.
A teachable child.
Having dealt with the instability of the Yin Locust Tree, Xu Qing finally felt at ease.
Before the Yin Locust Tree developed intelligence, it had witnessed him digging pits to bury bodies in the yard, knew of his Substitution Technique practices, and was aware of him keeping a ghostly servant to sing songs for entertainment in the villa.
The employees at Cat Immortal Hall mostly remain unaware of these things—If the tree insists on leaving, Xu Qing really has only one option, which is to make a new Yin Locust Wood coffin and place it for sale in the Funeral Shop.
And the secrets would inevitably be buried underground with the coffin.
On a rainy night, stark white lightning slashed across the villa, illuminating the young man digging a pit to bury the body beneath the tree.
As Xu Qing dealt with the rebel’s corpse from the Cangyi Group, he spoke to the Yin Locust Tree beside him:
"As long as you diligently guard this house, I’ll surely fertilize you often in the future!"
Another flash of lightning, the Yin Locust Tree could only pray to the heavens, beseeching forgiveness for this demon’s crimes, and hope lightning doesn’t strike the villa.
As he buried the body, Xu Qing also saw the pasts of the rebels from the Cangyi Group.
These two individuals held noteworthy positions—one was the Incense Master of the Rizhao Hall of Jinmen Prefecture, the other the Steward of the Linjiang County branch.
They came to Jin Sect not just to incite the populace and meddle in commerce, but with a primary task: gathering information on Dayong.
Had they targeted common intelligence, Xu Qing wouldn’t have been surprised. In terms of Jin Sect’s military layout, no force understands it better than him.
He even knows how many concubines each official keeps.
The Funeral Shop is like a natural intelligence network, all deceased individuals act as his eyes and ears, most importantly, they cannot lie.
The Cangyi Group’s intelligence on Jin Sect intrigues Xu Qing because they weren’t probing for earthly information but investigating the Ancient Yin River Dao and the fate of the Dayong Kingdom.
Dayong’s destiny hasn’t run its course—To change the world, Dayong’s national fortune must be depleted first.
And the Ancient Yin River Dao hosts the former emperor’s Celestial Guardian Marshal, whose spirit still roams the Dao even after death.
The Celestial Guardian Marshal is linked to Dayong’s fate; should harm befall the guardian within the Yin River Dao, Dayong’s destiny shall likewise diminish.
...
The following morning, after a night of tumultuous storm, the wind and rain finally subsided, and the Funeral Shop opened for business as usual.
Xuan Yu reverted to its original form, crouching on the stone post at the door, face upturned, observing intently the raindrops dripping from the eaves.
When one drop fell, the black cat on the post extended a small paw to catch it precisely.
Then, as if its paw was tainted by dirt, it shook incessantly.
As the cat watched the rain, Xu Qing watched the cat.
The following morning, after a night of tumultuous storm, the wind and rain finally subsided, and the Funeral Shop opened for business as usual.
Xuan Yu reverted to its original form, crouching on the stone post at the door, face upturned, observing intently the raindrops dripping from the eaves.
When one drop fell, the black cat on the post extended a small paw to catch it precisely.
Then, as if its paw was tainted by dirt, it shook incessantly.
As the cat watched the rain, Xu Qing watched the cat.