CHAPTER 574: CHAPTER 292:

In the backyard of the coffin shop, Xu Qing was pacing back and forth, eyeing the large peach tree in front of him.

As he observed, he nodded and shook his head alternately, seemingly calculating something.

"Tsk, this old peach tree didn’t grow for nothing. Look at this slender waist, almost as thick as a water tank. If it were made into Peach Wood Swords, even if not ten thousand, it could definitely make a thousand."

"And if it’s Thunderstruck Wood, that would be even more phenomenal!"

Xu Qing, like a hyperactive rogue, occasionally reached out to measure the tree’s girth with his thumb and forefinger, and other times he patted it like a watermelon, lying against the tree to listen for any sounds, as if the tree could bear little peach trees after ten months of pregnancy.

"Thunderstruck Wood is rare, and Thunderstruck Peach Wood is even more precious. Even with a small profit and quick turnover, a Thunderstruck Peach Wood Sword could fetch ten taels of silver, a thousand swords would amount to ten thousand taels of silver."

"I’m rich! I’ve struck it rich!"

Xu Qing clapped his hands in delight, and finally, the peach tree, which never voluntarily revealed itself, couldn’t hold back anymore.

"What do you intend to do? I am the sworn godmother you acknowledged, what you’re doing is outrageously disrespectful!"

As the voice fell, a pale red light leapt out from the peach tree. Xu Qing turned his head to see a woman, dressed in a pink dress and with a face as delicate as peach blossoms, sitting by the stone table under the tree.

The woman’s charming face held a hint of anger, and she huffed, "I’m running out of time, hoping to return to dust after I wither. If by some chance new buds sprout someday, perhaps I could continue the past."

"Yet unexpectedly, I’ve run into you, my nemesis!"

Xu Qing looked at the peach tree demon before him with interest.

He had suspected something about the tree demon in the coffin shop when Hu Baosong was still alive.

Hu Baosong’s mother was a Fox Girl, his father a mortal. In his early years, the old fox, being playful, roamed the world for decades before returning home, only to find his mortal father was on his last breath.

Initially, Xu Qing thought perhaps the old man held on for one last breath just to see his son return.

But now it seemed, that last breath more likely had something to do with the peach demon before him.

Hu Baosong, guided by the Fox Girl from Qingqiu, rushed back home to see his father one last time. After handling his father’s affairs, Hu Baosong developed a heartache, drowning his sorrows in alcohol and deeming himself selfish, disloyal, and unfilial!

How could he indulge in worldly matters and forget his father was a mortal?

Until later, when Hu Baosong drunkenly lay in the backyard, he had a dream where a woman in a peach blossom dress spoke to him.

The woman said, "Your mother practiced for hundreds of years without stealing a moment’s rest. It was only when disaster approached that she descended the mountain to form a marital bond with your father. Although your father’s life was short, he never wasted a day. If they are blessed in heaven, how could they bear to see you live aimlessly..."

After hearing these words, Hu Baosong suddenly came to his senses and lived a renewed life.

During that period, the old fox couldn’t help but suspect that the peach tree in the coffin shop was the benefactor who visited him in a dream.

However, no matter how much he burned incense and kowtowed, the woman never appeared again.

Conversely, Xu Qing didn’t burn a single stick of incense but merely moved his lips and managed to summon the person out.

In comparison, the difference was clear.

Seeing the woman in pink’s defense crumble, Xu Qing cheerfully said, "Don’t worry, let me break it down for you. Since you claim to be the godmother that Xuan Yu and I recognized, when you grow old, shouldn’t your inheritance be shared with Xuan Yu and me?"

The woman blinked, seeming to find some truth in his words.

"Since the inheritance belongs to Xuan Yu and me, this peach tree in the yard naturally counts as part of that inheritance. When godmother doesn’t survive the thunder tribulation in a few days and ascends to heaven, won’t there be an extra thunder struck peach tree in the yard?"

"By then, Xuan Yu and I could leave the roots for godmother to use to sprout, while the stump would be made into Peach Wood Swords to exchange for some silver to support the younger generation. It’s like godmother blessing the descendants and accumulating fortune for them."

"Isn’t that right, godmother?"

"..."

What kind of crooked logic is this?

The peach tree demon snapped out of her daze, angrily glaring at Xu Qing, and spat, "Who’s your godmother? You recognize me as your godmother; I never agreed!"

"Really?" Xu Qing nodded thoughtfully, "In that case... why are you in my house?"

Xu Qing retrieved the property deed from the coffin shop, presenting his argument, "This shop was transferred to me by Hu Baosong. My name is on the deed, stamped by the Government Office, so this is my home. How did you sneak into my house? You’re trespassing, a thief at best!"

"You! I..."

"Whatever your excuse is, you’ve lived in my house for years without paying rent. How should this account be settled? Everything must be reasonable, even if this goes to the Government Office, it would be your fault!"

The woman under the peach tree widened her eyes, looking at Xu Qing incredulously.

She had lived here for nearly a thousand years, and now he was asking her for rent, what logic was that?

"I’ve been rooted here for many years, back when there were no houses..."

"I have the Government Office’s deed as proof!"

"Even Hu Baosong’s mother treated me with respect..."

"I have the Government Office’s deed as proof!"

"I saved Hu Baosong’s father’s life, pulling the last breath from his lips..."

"I have the Government..."

Before Xu Qing could finish, he saw the woman before him break down and say, "You have the Government Office’s deed as proof!"

Tsk, this tree demon even learned to talk back!

Before Xu Qing could act unscrupulously, all he did was bully this poor, good family demoness. He has never seen someone so shameless, especially since he stands on the moral high ground, sounding so righteous. Isn’t this just bullying an honest demon?