Outside of Linhe District, a city wall was built to keep out the refugees, preventing those fleeing from entering. At the same time, a porridge stall was set up outside the district to relieve the disaster victims.
Xu Qing couldn't understand the profound means of those officials. Maybe he had some guesses in his heart, but he was too lazy to dig deeper.
Whether it was to divert trouble or to prevent the refugees from disrupting the order inside the district, these had nothing to do with his Funeral Shop.
The weather was unkind today, and as the end of January approached, snowflakes began to fall again.
The boy from next door, Wu Yaohua's family, was chanting poetry with "of these and those", presumably preparing for the county exam in the spring.
To become a Scholar, one must first pass the county exam to become a child student, and then proceed to the prefecture city to take the prefecture exam. Only after passing it can one be called a Scholar.
It was hard to pass the Scholar exam in Dayong, but once passed, not only were various taxes reduced, but one was also exempt from labor service, and could even raise their head high before officials without suffering the indignity of kneeling.
Speaking of civil service exams, Xu Qing had a Scripture of Books in his mind, which covered various Dayong scriptures and articles, which he had obtained when transcending a passionate scholar.
Though that scholar was just an inconspicuous little fish in Su Hongxiu's fishpond, he had genuinely participated in the county and prefecture exams and was a bona fide Scholar.
Xu Qing pondered that perhaps this spring, he could find some time to team up with the boy from next door, Wu Yaohua's family, to take the exam.
He didn't have high demands, he just needed to demonstrate twenty to thirty percent of his ability, and casually getting a Scholar background would allow him to enjoy some privileges without drawing too much attention...
While Xu Qing was pondering over this matter, there was a sudden commotion at the shop's entrance.
He looked up to see a broker's assistant, whom he had met once before, directing people in moving corpses into his shop.
"What's the matter?"
Xu Qing went forward to inquire.
The broker's assistant pulled a long face, looking resentful as if his wife had run off with someone else, and said, "Don't even mention it, it's all caused by the Jinmen Gang from the prefecture city..."
Listening to the assistant's story, Xu Qing finally understood what was going on.
It turned out that a 'Overseas Dragon' recently arrived in Linhe District, named Jinmen Gang. They were an advance team sent from Jinmen Prefecture City to take a bite of the fat at Linhe Wharf and expand their influence.
To put it bluntly, they had their eye on the bustling port and wanted a share of the profits.
Matters like cargo transportation and fishing profits at the port were previously handled by the most powerful person in the broker, Grandmaster Chang Wu.
Seeing the Jinmen Gang coming to challenge, how could this local overlord just sit and watch?
So, early this morning, Grandmaster Chang Wu led his most formidable gold-medal enforcer, along with a group of lackeys, intending to give the Jinmen Gang a display of power and make them retreat in defeat.
But to Grandmaster Chang Wu's surprise, there was a traitor among his men. As soon as they arrived at the Jinmen Gang's territory, they were surrounded by a group of people wielding knives and sticks.
At first, Grandmaster Chang Wu was not worried. After all, he had brought his gold-medal enforcer, a disciple of Zhang Longhu from the Dragon Tiger Fist School in Luojing. Although he had only trained for seven or eight years, his robust martial arts combined with fierce fist techniques were so powerful that even three or two Inner Cultivation Martial Masters couldn't get close to him!
But to Grandmaster Chang Wu's utmost surprise, the Jinmen Gang not only had five or six masked Inner Cultivation Martial Masters but also a Meridian Realm martial arts expert overseeing the scene.
Damn it! How could he fight against that!
Grandmaster Chang Wu immediately had the intention to retreat, but the steward of the Jinmen Gang had other plans. They were wondering how to establish their authority in Linhe, and this gave them the perfect opportunity!
With the principle of making the most of it, the leader of the Jinmen Gang ordered a deadly strike in an instant.
If it weren't for Grandmaster Chang Wu's Inner Cultivation skills and the desperate efforts of his men to cover him, he probably wouldn't have survived!
But it was a pity for his two Inner Cultivation Martial Masters and seven or eight brothers.
The broker's assistant narrated the events vividly while directing the transport of the corpses.
"You weren't at the scene, were you? Otherwise, how would you know so much detail, even remembering Grandmaster Chang Wu's vow to avenge his brothers so clearly?"
The broker's assistant vehemently denied: "I'm just an errand runner; I'm not made for licking blood off the blade. These are all told personally by Grandmaster Wu."
"Alright! Let's not dwell on that. See these brothers here? They all died blocking the blades for our Grandmaster Wu. They are genuine heroes! You have to give them a proper send-off, don't make it look bad during the funeral procession."
Saying that, the assistant took out five taels of silver from his money pouch and continued: "This is for you to manage the funeral. It must be grand, buy the best coffins, and perform the most impressive rituals, don't let our Grandmaster Wu lose face."
Five taels of silver, seven or eight corpses, Xu Qing still had to buy the coffins himself. Calculating it, there might not be much left in hand.
But it could drive the business of the whole street, making the neighbors lively.
With this in mind, Xu Qing saw off the assistant, closed his shop door, and prepared to start beautifying and transcending the newly arrived guests.
"Tsk, it's said that wandering in the martial world, it's impossible not to get cut. But this cut is too ruthless."
Xu Qing looked at the one with the tiger-like back and bear-like waist, a burly figure resembling a leopard but covered in wounds and blood. He was still shocked.
How painful must that have been!
After stripping the clothes off the corpse, cleaning and wiping it, Xu Qing took a closer look and discovered something incredible.
Goodness! How did he get two more holes on his buttocks?
It seemed that the Jinmen Gang not only struck hard but were also damn sneaky!
After taking a puff of Spirit Incense to calm his mind, Xu Qing began to systematically prepare and transcend the corpses.
Stitching wounds, applying makeup, powdering, scraping where necessary, and using dough to fill and block certain areas.
When the body was almost ready, Xu Qing put on the sheepskin gloves and took out the leather straps, wrapping the most brutally killed corpse from head to toe around the coffin.
As the saying goes, past experiences make one wiser. After being startled by a resurrection scam during a previous soul-calling ritual, Xu Qing had learned his lesson.
For such brutally killed corpses, it's an invitation for trouble!
Ten out of ten, resurrecting them meant they would rise as zombies seeking revenge!
He didn't want to be a punching bag for these dead people.
After wrapping the corpse tightly in three layers, Xu Qing finally shook the Soul-Driving Bell and chanted the Rebirth Spell.
When a familiar gust of gloomy wind blew in from outside the window, Xu Qing's eyebrows furrowed.
Something felt off! He clearly remembered it was bright daylight outside his shop, but now the room seemed covered by dark clouds, with not a trace of light.
If he couldn't see at night as during the day, he wouldn't even be able to tell direction at this moment!
The six door panels of the shop creaked, and the nearby window kept banging as if a naughty child kept opening and closing it.
Xu Qing gently put down the Soul-Driving Bell, but his other hand already grasped the Corpse-Driving Whip.
"Moaning and groaning..."
At this moment, a vague sound suddenly came from beside him. Xu Qing lowered his head to look and saw the tightly wrapped corpse struggling and writhing.
He listened carefully and finally understood what the corpse was saying.
"I hate so much..."
Well, who wouldn't? Getting two holes on your butt for no reason, any guy would be pissed!
If a man went to the Underworld, and King Yan ordered a Ghost Messenger to examine him, pulled down his pants, and scribbled a note on the reincarnation register, turning a sturdy man into a maiden, who would he complain to!
"Be open-hearted, you are dead already, don't dwell on hate. I've patched up those two holes for you, even in your next life you'll still be a hero!"
Xu Qing felt that transcending a corpse should not only be physical; when encountering those with heavy resentment, suffering post-mortem stress, he needed to console them a bit too.
Sure enough, the body on the coffin lid struggled much less after he spoke.
Seeing that the corpse showed no sign of breaking its bonds, Xu Qing also breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he had been prepared in advance, using special leather soaked in Holy Spirit Water to control the corpse.
Holy Spirit Water was actually a concoction of several substances that specialize in countering the yin and evil spirits.
Like Moon Gazing Sand, Five Spirits Ointment, Human Yellow, Left Coiling Dragon, Poria Water, Celestial Mallow Water, and the like, these were all good things for countering the yin and evil.