"Junior Brother, don't make fun of your Senior Sister, or the consequences could be unpredictable."
Unpredictable consequences?
Xu Qing always felt something was off with Yizhen today. Usually, when he joked with this Senior Sister, she would just laugh it off, occasionally feigning annoyance, but never really taking it to heart.
So why did she suddenly say such a random thing today?
Xu Qing just thought it had been a while since they last met, and it was natural for his Senior Sister to feel a bit reserved, so he didn't take it too seriously.
He then turned his attention to the Wooden Box resting on the coffin lid beside Yizhen, his eyes lighting up:
"Hey, it's great that Senior Sister is visiting, but why did you bring a gift!"
"..."
Yizhen hurriedly stood up, her hand pressing against the Wooden Box as she stammered, "What gift?"
Xu Qing blinked again: "Today is the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, and in a few days, it will be the New Year. Isn't Senior Sister here to pay a New Year visit? A New Year visit must come with a New Year's gift, right?"
Upon hearing this, Yizhen's face flushed crimson, and she said somewhat embarrassedly, "There are no time seasons in the mountains, so I wasn't aware that the New Year was coming..."
"Hasn't Senior Sister ever celebrated worldly festivals at the Five Elders Temple?" Xu Qing asked in surprise.
"Never."
"..."
Xu Qing clicked his tongue and said, "Has Senior Sister forgotten what Master Hu has said?"
Yizhen's eyebrows raised.
Indeed, her irresponsible father did say such a thing.
Back then, Hu Baosong said that Xu Qing from the Funeral Shop isn't ordinary, just that the lad is quite cunning; you can listen to his words but shouldn't believe them entirely.
To this day, Yizhen still didn't understand the reasoning behind that statement.
What does it mean to listen but not believe?
If you can listen, why can't you believe?
Yizhen thought Xu Qing was going to solve this long-standing mystery for her, but the next moment, Xu Qing said, "Master Hu once said, for the Fox Race to cultivate, they must enter the world. Whether it's Qingqiu or the Hu Yang clan, they were once strong because the heavens and the earth were still connected, and others feared the immortal fate gathering under Qingqiu and the Earth Mountain."
"Just like the Five Elders Temple, which has deep roots and inherited immortal fate. Born in the temple, you already have this karmic connection."
"But if Senior Sister wants to go further, she must enter the world."
Yizhen Taoist nodded in deep agreement: "I naturally understand this principle. To be honest with Junior Brother Xu, I descended the mountain this time with my master's order, specifically to enter the world and cultivate."
"In the past, my master never trusted me to travel far alone, hence never allowed me to go far."
Xu Qing nodded: "In this age of great calamities, even immortals cannot ensure their own safety; hence your master's worry is understandable."
"But why did Senior Sister's master allow her to descend the mountain and enter the world?"
Yizhen Taoist smiled warmly: "Because my master has accompanied me down the mountain..."
"..."
Xu Qing's expression froze, and he used Qi Observation Skill to scan around, but found no unusual figures.
"Since when did Senior Sister also learn to joke?"
Watching Xu Qing's tense demeanor, even the always dignified Yizhen Taoist couldn't hold back her laughter.
"A poor Taoist never lies, nor jokes. Actually, my master has been here all along, and I reckon all your earlier words have also been overheard by her."
"..."
Xu Qing fell completely silent.
As he refocused to perceive his surroundings again, inside and outside the Funeral Shop, besides Yizhen Taoist, he still couldn't detect any other living presence.
Eliminate all possibilities, then even the most unlikely place becomes possible.
Xu Qing's gaze fell on the Wooden Box sitting on the coffin lid beside Yizhen Taoist.
The Wooden Box stood upright on the coffin cover, measuring just over two feet long and one foot wide, with yellow talismans adhered outside and no evident flow of energy inside.
Yizhen Taoist noticed Xu Qing's unwavering gaze on the Wooden Box and immediately cupped her hands and bowed: "Junior Brother Xu has helped the disciple greatly, and even my father acknowledged him before he passed. Master needn't be so cautious."
Just as Yizhen finished speaking, the talismans affixed to the Wooden Box suddenly fluttered despite no wind, emitting a faint blue light from the words on them, forming an arrangement akin to the nine palaces and eight trigrams, suspending in the air and encircling the Wooden Box within.
Accompanied by the faint sound of wooden gears, the box lid opened like a portal, and out from it stepped a tiny figure.
The small figure glowed with a luminous white light, resembling an old lady with white hair and youthful features. More crucially, the breath emanating from this little old lady was extremely pure, completely unlike the people cultivating in this era!
When Xu Qing compared himself to the small old lady, it was like comparing a bloodthirsty demon to a compassionate believer sustaining the world with vital energy.
However, Xu Qing soon noticed something unconventional; the pure energy radiating from the figure didn't seem welcomed by this world, compelling the small old lady to use talismans to set up an array that acted like filters, gradually seeping pure energy from the chaos into her body.
When Xu Qing scrutinized the Temple Master of the Five Elders Temple, the tiny old lady kept reciprocating his gaze.
Finally, the old temple master took the lead and spoke: "A poor Taoist is called Master Jingxu, you brat..."
Master Jingxu eyed Xu Qing with a hint of disapproval, having heard every word he had spoken earlier!
"Well, given your decent behavior, a poor Taoist won't hold it against you."
Master Jingxu eventually suppressed her slight aversion, turning instead to say, "Your shop is too shady, hindering righteous cultivation..."
Xu Qing cautiously responded: "You are benevolent to others, patient with juniors; evidently a kind and pleasant person, naturally won't mind these trivial matters."
"As for this shop... It's originally a Funeral Shop, dealing with funerary affairs daily; some ominous air is unavoidable."
Next, Master Jingxu inquired about Xu Qing's birthplace, birthdate, and various miscellaneous things, almost like conducting a household registration check.
On the side, Yizhen Taoist repeatedly tried to intervene but was ignored by her master.
These details Xu Qing had long prepared for; casually responding for a while, seeing the other still questioning, he hurriedly interrupted:
"You've traveled a long distance and must be weary, it's best to rest..."
Master Jingxu nodded: "Indeed, I should rest, but a poor Taoist won't stay here; the place is too heavy with corrupt energy, a poor Taoist dislikes lingering here."
Xu Qing chuckled: "The coffin shop at the street's end is the most serene place; you can rest there."
After some coaxing and persuasion, he managed to let Yizhen Taoist's master go, allowing Xu Qing to breathe a sigh of relief.
Who would have thought that the little old lady would hide inside a tiny box?
However, Xu Qing suspected that the small figure might not be the old lady's actual body.
It seemed more like something akin to a Primordial Spirit...
———————
The street coffin shop hung new white paper lanterns, its couplets ink-black, with pinkish-white paper, appearing particularly unique.
Shops on Underground Street mainly dealt in funerary services, and their New Year customs naturally differed from ordinary households.
Xu Qing took the lead in pasting the first shop's couplets, the rest handled by various halls and immortals who collaborated to decorate their shops.
Outside the Paper Mache Shop, a nine-foot-tall iron pillar was holding brand-new couplets, while on his shoulder, Huang Xiaoliu babbled away, adamant that Iron Pillar had pasted them crooked.
Xu Qing observed the impeccably aligned couplets, unable to discern any imbalance.
He refrained from intervening, allowing the spirit mediums and immortals to communicate and adjust themselves.
After Iron Pillar pasted the couplets, retreating to the middle of the road to inspect, both pairs of couplets, originally straight vertical bars, had turned into inward-opening lines.
Xu Qing shook his head helplessly; the best-pasted couplets would have to be credited to Boss Liu of the Shroud Shop.
Not only was Liu Su'e's opera singing exceptional, but her handwriting was beautifully delicate.
The street coffin shop hung new white paper lanterns, its couplets ink-black, with pinkish-white paper, appearing particularly unique.
Shops on Underground Street mainly dealt in funerary services, and their New Year customs naturally differed from ordinary households.
Xu Qing took the lead in pasting the first shop's couplets, the rest handled by various halls and immortals who collaborated to decorate their shops.
Outside the Paper Mache Shop, a nine-foot-tall iron pillar was holding brand-new couplets, while on his shoulder, Huang Xiaoliu babbled away, adamant that Iron Pillar had pasted them crooked.
Xu Qing observed the impeccably aligned couplets, unable to discern any imbalance.
He refrained from intervening, allowing the spirit mediums and immortals to communicate and adjust themselves.
After Iron Pillar pasted the couplets, retreating to the middle of the road to inspect, both pairs of couplets, originally straight vertical bars, had turned into inward-opening lines.