CHAPTER 197: CHAPTER 119 FUNERAL PROCESSION, WANDERING IN THE CLOUDS

You can never speak ill of those who feed you, nor can you betray those who gift you.

Huang Immortal Hall has received people’s offerings, so it must wholeheartedly perform its duties for them.

However, despite their best efforts, Huang Immortal Hall doesn’t necessarily have to complete every task it takes on.

Even the most efficacious deities have moments when they fail to deliver.

Huang Lao Xu originally shared this belief, but when the gossipy crows from Chaotic Stone Mountain spread the word about Huang Immortal Hall helping the hunter, and the whole deity circle got wind of it, the nature of the matter completely changed.

Now, the problem is, regardless of whether it’s the mourning Willow Immortal or any other type of deities, whenever they see Huang Lao Xu, each one gives it the thumbs up and says it’s exceptional, worthy of being in charge of Huang Immortal Hall, truly dependable in times of need!

Huang Lao Xu ground its old tooth to pieces, but could only swallow its pride.

Can it not do it?

Yes! It must do it, and it must be done splendidly!

If it backs out halfway, how will Huang Immortal Hall continue to mix in the deity circle, and where will it put its old face?

Besides the deity circle, in recent days, villagers from ten miles around keep offering to its hall.

It appears as offerings, but in Huang Lao Xu’s eyes, it’s more like putting it on the grill, and it can’t refuse.

With offerings from dozens of villages rotating, Huang Immortal Hall’s Little Phoenix eats till it’s full, drinks from the narrow water till it’s bloated, and Phoenix eggs are never lacking—its descendants get to celebrate an early feast.

But the more favors received, the more uneasy Huang Lao Xu felt, if it failed the task, not to mention the deity friends gossiping behind its back, even the believers from various villages could tear its hall apart.

These days, people worship deities that answer prayers, useless ones, what’s the point in keeping them?

"Daoist Xu, Profound Jade Immortal Family, I’m truly out of options, if we drag on any longer, and that shepherd wanders out of Jin Sect territory, we’ll be out of solutions!"

Huang Lao Xu, impatient as if its butt was on fire, paced anxiously.

However, Xu Qing, focused solely on the corpse before it, had no time to bother.

As Huang Lao Xu saw that it couldn’t persuade Xu Qing, it ran to Xuan Yu, hoping the Cat Immortal could put in a good word.

"Profound Jade Immortal Family, old me greets you with respect..."

They say cats and mice are enemies, yet today Huang Immortal bowed thrice and kowtowed nine times to implore the raccoon slave.

After finishing its fish porridge, Xuan Yu became lazy, gazing at the endlessly talking Huang Lao Xu, couldn’t help but yawn.

Huang Lao Xu’s straight posture instantly slumped, it put all four limbs on the ground, and sighed dejectedly.

Xuan Yu, unaware of the other’s thoughts, pondered, then said: "Daoist Huang, don’t worry, once Xu Immortal Family finishes the current task, they will naturally inform Daoist of the result."

At Cat Immortal Hall, Grand Sect Leader manages externally, while Cat Immortal manages internally, in the end, it still depends on Xu Qing.

Meanwhile, after sending off the corpse, Xu Qing began preparing the hunter’s funeral arrangements.

This treatment is reserved for VIPs at the Funeral Shop, ordinary corpses would need to see if Xu Qing is in the mood to provide such services.

Huang Lao Xu watched as Xu Qing calmly powdered and made up the hunter, anxiously scratching its ears.

After finishing the makeup, Xu Qing went to the shroud shop down the street to fetch a large shroud and dressed the corpse.

Additionally, he placed some customary burial items in the hunter’s coffin according to funeral procedures.

Like bricks and arrows, money for laying under the body, paper-crafted five-way gods ingots, alongside grains and straw, divine yeast blocks, realgar, and red dates.

Bricks and arrows can ward off heaven dogs, with auspicious and disaster-averting effects.

The money for laying under the body consists of seven copper plates arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper, meaning the deceased will still have money to spend after entering the Netherworld.

The grains symbolize a bountiful harvest, straw symbolizes endless life.

Additionally, divine yeast blocks, realgar, with seven red dates, symbolize escaping to life early, transcending suffering.

As Xu Qing placed the grains and dates, the Golden Simurgh in the shop thought it was feeding time, fluttered its wings and rushed over.

Xu Qing’s ears twitched, he heard the chicken’s implication.

"I am hungry! I want to eat those sweet dates!"

"Eat, eat, eat, eat your grandpa!" Xu Qing slapped it, still unsatisfied, picked up the hunter’s discarded beastskin boots and threw them at the dumb chicken’s head.

"Your grandpa!" Golden Simurgh clucked chaotically.

Next to it, Huang Lao Xu, who had just approached to speak, retreated silently.

This Daoist Xu seemed a temperamental and difficult person.

After chasing away the unskilled big rooster, Xu Qing took scissors and cut yin yang paper to place in the coffin.

The so-called yin yang paper is actually yellow and white strips—the strips serve two purposes: one, paste on the deceased’s forehead, if the deceased is in a coma and restores breathing, the yin yang paper’s flutter can be used to treat them; the second purpose is ghost sealing, preventing evil spirits from reincarnating through the corpse.

After finishing the tasks at hand, the remaining step is to move the coffin.

Yet moving the coffin requires preparations: two kinds of fruits and two kinds of pastries, four of each, symbolizing smooth and steady transitions.

Huang Lao Xu watched as Xu Qing gracefully took the coffin away, feeling a sudden tension.

"Daoist Xu, this corpse must be sent back, if we lose the hunter’s corpse, and those troublesome black crows find out, it won’t be easy to handle."

Xu Qing turned, somewhat displeased: "What kind of talk is this, I’ve heard of those who covet fame or wealth, but not of those who covet corpses—am I really likely to keep this corpse to myself?"