Those cats with royal insignia are the Imperial Cats of the Imperial City. Even the palace maids and eunuchs must bow and step aside upon seeing them, for none dare to speculate which noble concubine or prince's 'favored servant' they might be.
Xuan Yu remained silent for a moment, then suddenly leaped off the counter, sprinted to the threshold, and turned back to look at Xu Qing, saying:
"Being close to the monarch is like lying with a tiger; even if the palace is laden with gold and silver, it can't compare to my humble cat's nest. If the Xu Immortal Family can't forget mortal wealth and glory, then they may go if they wish; after all, it's just a mere few decades."
Seeing Xuan Yu head off without looking back, Xu Qing called after, "Where is the Profound Jade Immortal Family headed?"
Outside the shop, Xuan Yu's childish voice echoed:
"Obviously, I'm going to handle some Immortal Hall matters; certainly not going to the palace to assist the Emperor."
Ah, this cat really is sulking with me!
Xu Qing shook his head. Xuan Yu held grudges against both past and present emperors of Dayong, and naturally wished to avoid too much interaction with the Son of Heaven.
But speaking of which, will Xu Qing truly be led by the nose by Zhu Huai'an?
In the following days, Xu Qing convened small meetings with midwives from Jin Sect's eight counties and the province. Otherwise, he was holed up in his room, scribbling away. Whenever Huang Xiaoliu reported a birth, Xu immediately dashed there without delay.
Apart from midwives, Xu Qing also posted notices throughout Jin Sect, specifically recruiting pediatricians and mute doctors to expand the subordinate departments of the Medical Hall.
Pediatricians, as the name suggests, specialize in treating children's illnesses, including malaria, indigestion, parasitic diseases, whooping cough, and the like.
Mute doctors, due to infants and young children's incomplete mental faculties and inability to articulate their conditions verbally, must rely on observation and inference during diagnosis. In rural areas, they're commonly referred to as "mute branch," indicating the unique nature of their work.
Xu Qing offered high wages, attracting physicians, bell doctors, and village doctors, stretching a line from one end of the street to the other. Among them, some might have genuine skills, but many were charlatans hoping to stumble upon luck armed with merely one or two remedies.
Among those, there were even poison doctors and retired old gentlemen from the Imperial Hospital. Xu Qing meticulously selected, considering both medical skills and virtues, and after a month, only recruited ten practitioners.
During this time, Xu Qing personally led a troop, teaching them orthodox pediatric diagnosis methods, creating a separate therapeutic system for children.
To improve diagnostic efficiency, Xu Qing employed ingenious craftsmanship, creating instruments for auscultation; tools for mercury thermometry; and even nebulizers specifically for treating whooping cough and asthma, delivering medication directly to the lungs via respiration...
In the fifth year of Yong'an.
Across Jin Sect, numerous Life Protection Halls emerged, wherein not only mute doctors practiced differing diagnostic systems from today's norms but also an altar hosting Lady Bao Sheng's idol.
According to the Life Protection Hall, paying respects to the deity amounted to psychological therapy.
Strangely enough, children who'd been restless due to illness quieted significantly upon seeing Lady Bao Sheng's idol, even during needle treatments by physicians.
On this particular day, Xu Qing organized his Life Protection Scripture, encompassing fetal security, childbirth, birth protection, and health preservation, along with the Child Care Scripture detailing various diseases, hygiene issues, and pertinent precautions from birth to adulthood, placing them within the book box.
This was his grand tribute to Zhu Huai'an, and concurrently his generous gift to the mortal world, fulfilling Bao Sheng Temple's duty.
Generational grudges weren't meant to be sustained. The courtyard next to the woodwork shop at street's end, previously Red Coat's stronghold, was now transformed into an Infant Care Hall, effectively an orphanage.
Going back two dynasties, Hall Master Xie Hongying, of ancestral royal blood, no longer incited rebellions.
* After Dayong fell, her aspirations to restore the former kingdom waned, and dutifully nurturing children became appropriate for a woman.
Xie Hongying, now over forty, spent her youthful good years on national feuds and family vendettas. While similar to Cheng Caiyun, she harbored no intentions of marriage or family. Instead, she assumed the role of Hall Master, becoming a mother to those children.
Whenever Lu Xiu found the time, she'd go to the Infant Care Hall to provide elementary education, fostering close ties between the children and the relationships with the Funeral Shop street.
The donkey rope and paper horse decorations outside the Funeral Shop resumed business; the knot of the donkey rope envisioned vast grasslands, while the child astride the paper horse harbored hopes for the future.
Xu Qing contemplated perhaps, after meeting Zhu Huai'an and dealing with pressing matters, he might create more sound-enhanced paper horses outside for children to ride.
Under Lady Bao Sheng's watchful eye, even orphans should enjoy a colorful childhood...
...
On this day, Chief Eunuch Sun Mingli arrived at the Funeral Shop once more, from the look of it, Your Majesty could no longer wait.
Sun Mingli, acting as a liaison, clearly conveyed to Xu Qing that, regardless, it's a matter of twenty years' national fortune. If Shopkeeper Xu were to neglect the debt, the Emperor might not outwardly express displeasure, but surely would feel discomfort within, utterly growing into a thorn that would be difficult to mend in the future!
Xu Qing, steady as a mountain, replied, "Eunuch Sun, when I returned from White Cloud Cave, I conveyed a message through Dingyuan Marquis to Your Majesty: it's not that I'm unwilling to repay this favor, but rather it's time that is necessary."
"Indeed, I could repay Your Majesty now, but when I undertake a task, if I endeavor to do it, I aim to do it excellently."
"Mr. Xu, Your Majesty has waited long, and amidst talents crossing like in a tide, the one to truly catch His Majesty's interest would be none other than Mr. Xu himself. We earnestly hope Mr. Xu..."
Before Sun Eunuch finished his words, he saw Xu Qing abruptly turn to look outside, while simultaneously a shadow dashed out from the counter to the shop's entrance.
Xu Qing suddenly stood up, spoke without turning back, "Eunuch Sun, I have pressing matters to attend to, thus cannot host further. As for when repaying His Majesty's favor..."
"Today it shall be!"
Sun Eunuch barely managed to utter a few words when he witnessed a human and a cat turning into streams of light, soaring into the sky, heading straight for Jinmen Harbor.
While airborne, he still caught Xu Qing's voice transmitting: "Tiezhu, swiftly send word, Crow Master is nearing Jinmen sea harbor, we ought to extend a grand welcome across ten miles to honor Crow Master."
Immediately, Sun Mingli noticed streams of light flying toward Jinmen Harbor from across the skies of Underground Street, while across the Paper Mache Shop, a burly giant enveloped in Innate Astral Essence employed Martial Arts Celestial status and soared to distant reaches.
...
Already, Sun Mingli's cultivation attained Martial Arts Grandmaster status, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.
Exactly whom did His Majesty invite?
Seeing Xu Qing, who played every part openly, shook Sun Mingli with shock yet connected dots toward more situations.
"Could this possibly be a show of force against our household and His Majesty?"
Standing at the Funeral Shop's entrance, faced with a paper horse neighing like a donkey, expressing longing to follow the Sect Leader's departure, but as the store was deserted, it had to remain, thus harboring melancholy.
Standing next to the paper horse, Sun Mingli was startled and sweating at this sounds emanating from the paper horse!
At that moment, upon glancing at the streets, besides empty streets clustered with paper wreaths, echoing sounds and deepening eerie atmosphere, Sun Mingli found himself feeling trapped on deserted Chaotic Tomb Ridge despite daylight.
...
At Jinmen Harbor, upon the salty and sandy beach.
Xu Qing led a group of immortals, standing atop the prominent Eagle's Beak Cliff, gazing out to the unending expansive sea.
Then, amidst the misty waves, a tiny black dot emerged over the horizon, gradually enlarging until it faintly resembled a crow's form—Xu Qing smiled broadly upon recognizing it.
Twenty years ago, during the Riverside Wharf farewell, Cat Immortal Hall was far from today's prosperity, with merely a few branches.
Nowadays, after twenty years, the Immortal Hall has transformed remarkably.
A seasoned horse with weighty duty, Crow Master had not disappointed Xu Qing nor the stalwart clan's hope, finally returning to the long-awaited homeland.
At Eagle's Beak Cliff, tens of thousands of crows excitedly swirled, led by Bai Gentleman, watching the familiar dark shape approach with tearful eyes.
Through these twenty years, the clan's guardians relied on Crow Master to restore the honor of the ruthless children, and today the ancestor grandpa finally returned from sea, fulfilling their long-held anticipation.