The matter of the Qingqiu Ruins has come to a temporary conclusion, and the next step for Xu Qing is to set up a ritual and perform the Immortal Seeking Art that can only be used once every twelve years.
In the courtyard of the Funeral Shop, under the bright moonlight, a zombie is performing a spell.
The immortals transformed the robes into a dark purple celestial robe, and Xu Qing held three sticks of incense in his hands. After praying to heaven and earth, he began to chant and perform the long-unused divine technique of seeking immortals.
"All methods return to the heavenly way, all immortals return to the camp. Tonight, we temporarily bid farewell to the guest from Penglai, and another day we'll speak of divine ties again..."
At three quarters past midnight, the moonlight was like frost.
Xu Qing walked in measured steps, chanting words under his breath.
When the mystery of the sun and the moon communicated the changes of heaven and earth, a trace of immortal fate hidden in the world also manifested!
This time, Xu Qing's consciousness did not soar as it did before, but went straight down three thousand feet below the ground, into the Netherworld, isolated from the mundane world.
Moments later, Xu Qing, as if drowning, suddenly raised his head, and in the final moment of his thoughts returning, he saw a deserted temple. The plaque of the temple had the words 'Celestial Lord General' written on it.
"Celestial Lord General..."
Xu Qing frowned deeply, but it reminded him of the treasured artifact of the Cat Immortal Hall, the Doumi Bowl.
This bowl has countless connections with that Celestial Lord General.
In the past, when the Celestial Lord General established the Path of Peace, he borrowed a treasured artifact from Crane Cry Mountain, which was also the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.
The name of that artifact is the Doumi Bowl.
The Doumi Bowl is the divine vessel of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect. Although it is small, it can hold countless grains of millet.
In times of famine, it can produce endless supplies of grain, truly an object born to meet calamities.
Later, after the Path of Peace perished, this bowl became hidden in the mortal world.
Some say it is a magic treasure concealing itself, retreating into the Netherworld; others say the time has not yet come.
Another theory is that the Celestial Lord General destroyed the Doumi Bowl with his own hands before he died.
But no one believed this last theory. After all, the bowl was an extraordinary treasure, and the Celestial Lord General was dedicated to saving the world. It made no sense to destroy such a precious artifact, did it?
"The Celestial Lord General might have had some Daoist skills in his lifetime, but he absolutely wasn't an Immortal. Could it have something to do with the Elder Immortal he was rumored to have encountered..."
The next morning, after Xu Qing left the matters of funerals, the Cat Immortal Hall, and the Bao Sheng Temple in the hands of Xuan Yu, he packed his things early, planning to visit the Netherworld to see what exactly the General's Temple was about.
But just as he was about to set off, a guest arrived at the shop.
This guest was none other than his longstanding partner, the young carpenter from the woodshop at the end of the street.
As soon as the young carpenter arrived at the entrance, he kneeled down and kowtowed three times to Xu Qing without saying a word.
Well! Seeing this scene, Xu Qing knew that another familiar person had passed away.
Sure enough, in the next moment, he heard the young carpenter say:
"Mr. Xu, my master has passed away, and with no other relatives around, the only ones who can help me are the neighbors. Please lend a hand; from now on, my woodshop will be part of our Funeral Business, and I will be Mr. Xu's carpenter..."
Xu Qing detected something unusual in the man's words. If it were merely about handling a corpse and organizing a funeral, why would he need to effectively sell himself and pawn his shop?
Something else must be involved...
Xu Qing recalled the old deaf-mute carpenter, and his mind stirred as he suddenly asked, "Did your master depart in an unsettled manner?"
The young carpenter became visibly more agitated.
Not just unsettled, but extremely so!
Upon hearing these words, Xu Qing's interest was instantly piqued.
The matter of seeking immortals was thus slightly postponed.
Collecting bodies and performing rites was, after all, his primary duty. Even the Celestial Lord would have to queue and register!
The young carpenter, named Shi Buque, was originally a beggar who had fled here seeking refuge. He was later taken in by the old carpenter, Lu Huashou, who named him 'Buque,' meaning 'Not Lacking.'
In his daily life, Shi Buque was always smiling at people and liked to help neighbors for free, repairing tables, chairs, benches, and doing small carpentry tasks.
Overall, he had a good character. If he had one flaw, it was that his carpentry skills were still significantly lacking compared to the old carpenter.
The old carpenter's creations had a spiritual aura, a special charm.
The young carpenter's work was purely technical, everything he made was by the book and perfectly crafted, so you couldn't find any fault, but neither could you find anything particularly remarkable about it.
Following the young carpenter, Xu Qing arrived at the end of the street, with Xuan Yu, who loved a spectacle, sneaking along the street as well.
Before entering, Xu Qing deliberately asked:
"How exactly is your master's unrest?"
Shi Buque opened his mouth but didn't know how to explain, so he simply replied, "You'll know once you enter, sir."
Xu Qing didn't think much of it. He reached out to push the door, but in the next moment, the seemingly intact wooden door fell to the ground, raising a large cloud of dust!
"..."
Xu Qing turned his head to look at Shi Buque, with an expression clearly indicating that it wasn't his fault, the door must have been leaning on its own, and it shouldn't be blamed on him!
Shi Buque hurriedly explained, "It's not your fault, sir. Earlier, when I left, I climbed over the wall instead. The door... it's just not to be touched..."
Xu Qing still didn't take it seriously as he stepped over the threshold, but suddenly he heard the sound of a wooden plank falling behind him.
Both turned their heads, only to see Xuan Yu squatting and pointing at the fallen threshold with a paw, indicating that the threshold fell on its own. All he did was jump on it to test, completely unrelated to him!
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and turned to Shi Buque, saying, "My family's cat eats well and might be slightly heavy, I'll fix that threshold for you later."
Shi Buque wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile, "It's fine, as long as you don't mind, sir. If you could help prepare my master's burial, I'd be very grateful!"