Late at night, it is the perfect time to dig for treasures and gold.
Inside the Funeral Shop, Xu Qing searched the bed, counter, under the stove, inside the rice jar, almost everywhere that could potentially hide valuable items, except the two coffins tied up against the west wall which he didn't dare to touch.
"Where on earth did that old fox Liu Youdao hide the treasures for Corpse Refining and Nurturing?"
Looking at the things he had found after all that effort, Xu Qing felt frustrated again.
Only a few taels of silver, a pile of copper coins, and the property deed hidden under the bed.
Besides these, there were no other materials or items that could be used for Corpse Refining and Nurturing in the Funeral Shop.
"Could he have hidden the real treasure inside the coffins?"
Thinking of this, Xu Qing's gaze fell upon the two Dark Wood coffins standing against the west wall of the room.
One coffin, bound with red strings in a particular pattern, horizontally with three ropes and vertically with two ropes, was tied very tightly.
The other coffin was even stranger. Instead of ropes, it used "false ropes" made of Vermillion water and rooster blood dipped in Ink Box and Ink Line, totaling eighty-one lines. There were also many yellow talismans stuck on the coffin boards, making it look like a loser in a card game, with yellow slips of paper everywhere.
The only similarity was that both coffins had canopies on top, seemingly to seal something inside the coffins.
Xu Qing paced back and forth in front of them several times but finally decided to obediently go back and slurp some raw eggs.
Only a fool would touch such ominous things!
As for him, a newbie zombie, it was better to stick to the kids' table obediently.
Although raw eggs were not very effective, at least they were within the Corpse Nourishing Scripture's diet range.
After slurping the eggs, Xu Qing lit two sticks of Spirit Incense, ate and drank his fill, then went to the backyard and started bathing in the moonlight.
Life was just too plain!
It felt like the last few days of the month from his working life in the past, being stuck with radishes and cabbages every day, without any oil.
After a night of bathing in the Moonlight Yin Qi, Xu Qing's mouth was so bland it felt like something was missing!
He went to the stove, started boiling water, and steamed all the pork blood and beaten egg mixture he had bought yesterday. He added a bit of chopped green onions, minced ginger, some salt, and sesame oil...
But by the time it was done steaming, the four or five pounds of pork blood had reduced to less than a pound!
What was going on?
Oh, it turned out the raw pork blood was tasted for salt by the cook before it was steamed, with three pounds scraped off by his tongue!
Raw blood tasted the best!
While eating the remaining pound of steamed pork blood in the pot, Xu Qing still missed the taste of raw blood.
At this rate, who knows when he could achieve the Iron Armored body.
According to the "Corpse Talk," Wandering Corpses were classified into three types: Iron Armored Wandering Corpse, Silver Armored Wandering Corpse, and Golden Armored Wandering Corpse, which represented the first stage of zombie evolution.
The external manifestation of the Iron Armored Corpse was skin as tough as iron stone, difficult to injure with common weapons.
Xu Qing extended his thumb, trying to cut it with a kitchen knife. As the pressure increased, the sharp blade eventually cut a thin line on his skin.
Although it was indeed much tougher than normal people, with some effort, a cut could still be made.
Estimating his current flesh strength, he was far from the lowest rank of Wandering Corpses, more like just crawling out of the grave but easily kicked back by a corpse handler.
"Whatever, there's still a long way to go, take it slow!"
Xu Qing knew that being anxious wouldn't help. Gathering corpse-nurturing materials wasn't easy, and right now, the most crucial thing was to get the Tooth Card. Once he had this small card, it would be much easier for him to search for materials in Linhe.
After all, Linhe District was the most prosperous hub of water and land commerce in the Dayong Dynasty. Once he established a foothold here, gathering materials for Corpse Nurturing and Refining wouldn't be difficult.
The rooster crowed at dawn.
At this time, when the sky was neither fully dark nor bright, the Night Soil Men were already pushing their carts, collecting 'night soil' from house to house.
Night Soil Men, also known as night soil collectors, had a very lucrative job, as recorded in the "Dream of the Red Chamber," mentioning a place where "with a dense population, many small families in the street alleys lack latrines and use chamber pots, every day, there are people who collect manure called 'night soil collectors.'
Moreover, competition among night soil collectors was fierce, each with their own clients in secret, afraid to overstep boundaries. If overstepped, they would dispute with the manure owners, potentially leading to lawsuits in the Government Office, only to cease when victorious. In addition, there were boats carrying manure and 'night soil,' transported in groups..."
This shows how desirable and competitive this trade was!
Unfortunately, human sorrows do not translate. As a zombie, Xu Qing's sense of smell was much sharper than that of ordinary people. At this time, the Night Soil Men were returning with buckets full of 'sloppy manure soup,' the stench enough to knock out an elephant!
Though he liked the earthly smells of human life, this wasn't it!
When daylight fully flooded the sky, the mysterious Night Soil Men vanished without a trace, and Xu Qing, as usual, set up a copper mirror before heading out, carefully applying various makeup powders, including corpse-reducing powders.
Once he looked lifelike, Xu Qing then stepped out to handle his affairs.
Today, he had three tasks: first, to visit the broker to see if there was a way to get a Tooth Card; second, to browse the market for zombie-edible ingredients.
Third, to purchase a dressing table for future use in refining his appearances.
At the broker, Xu Qing first observed the environment. He noticed the broker handled various matters, such as selling properties, buying and selling farming produce and textiles, offering high-interest loans...
There were people arranging for water transportation and boat hiring, self-proclaimed dock and fish market bosses, managing the welfare of thousands of fishermen along Baisha River.
Walking further in, Xu Qing even saw people openly dealing in human trafficking!
Yet, thinking about it, he felt relieved. All brokers in Dayong were official brokers backed by substantial entities; as long as profit could be made, not only human trafficking was feasible, even extracting a golden tooth from the former emperor's tomb and delivering it here was possible!
People might ask, if they wanted a tooth from the current emperor, would it be possible?
The answer is yes, but you'd have to wait a few years. Once the Dayong Dynasty changes, not only a tooth, but even the emperor's skull could be cracked and sent over, as long as the price is right.
If someone asks, what if there's no money?
No money is not a problem, just entering the broker will help you find a business deal.
Look at the corners, there's a brothel, a casino, and Xianggong Hall, there's always something suitable for you.
After wandering around, Xu Qing had a general idea.
This broker might look like a dangerous place, but if utilized properly, many tricky matters could be resolved.
Perhaps, besides the Tooth Card, the materials for Corpse Nurturing could also be found here.
After familiarizing himself with the broker, Xu Qing approached a broker's assistant to inquire about getting a Tooth Card.
The so-called Tooth Card was the identification card of the time; without it, moving around was nearly impossible.
The Tooth Card of the Dayong Dynasty had specific requirements. For example, the identity cards for imperial officials were mainly made of ivory or gold, indicating their high status.
Rich households and gentries used animal bones, copper, or iron.
For common people, as long as they stayed in their village, they rarely needed this card. But if they needed to travel far or move to urban districts, having a Tooth Card for identity verification became necessary.
The assistant knew this well and immediately started probing.
"Are you new to Linhe?"
Xu Qing nodded and said, "Doing some small business, having a Tooth Card would make things a bit easier."
"Definitely, let me tell you, in a couple of days, when the city walls at the outskirts are fully built, this Tooth Card will truly become essential!"
Speaking casually, Xu Qing asked keenly, "I apologize for my ignorance. You seem knowledgeable, could you tell me more?"
"It's nothing major, just the famine in Yaozhou, fearing that the refugees will flood here!"
While chatting, the assistant did not forget the main task: "The Tooth Card will definitely be more expensive later, but I like you; I'll keep yesterday's price, one hundred twenty copper coins."
Upon hearing the price, Xu Qing initially thought it wasn't too expensive, but as he prepared to make the transaction, he discovered a problem.
"You don't have a Travel Permit? Without a Travel Permit, that's a problem!" The broker's assistant immediately put down the wooden cards and stamps, saying, "The Travel Permit needs to be registered at the Government Office. Without it, I can't issue the Tooth Card."
Xu Qing immediately detected the unspoken implication.
The assistant only said it was difficult and daring, not impossible, indicating there was room for negotiation.