Before leaving, Xu Qing glanced back at the village and shook his head.
The human heart is hard to fathom. If he wanted to find the parents of the abandoned infant, it wouldn't be difficult, but doing so might not be in the child's best interest.
Soon after Xu Qing and Xuan Yu left, a woman with an anxious expression was searching along the riverbank, moving from upstream to downstream.
The woman didn't find what she had expected but instead noticed a washbaton by the riverbank.
"My house lacks such a thing for doing laundry; what a pleasant surprise."
The woman picked up the washbaton that a village woman had dropped by the riverbank. Her anxious expression vanished, replaced by an extremely cheerful smile.
...
Linjiang County, on Funeral Street.
Returning to familiar territory, Xu Qing felt a mix of emotions.
To think that he, a zombie in the business of dealing with the dead, had now become a savior of infants and mothers, a living Bodhisattva saving the world.
This cycle of death and life, and life and death seemed to come full circle.
Perhaps due to more time spent in the temple practicing, Xu Qing felt different from his usual self as he walked down the street.
If at this moment, a supreme expert skilled in Xuan Sect feng shui, able to see through the secrets of heaven's concealment, were to observe the feng shui aura of Underground Street from above, they would find that amidst the deathly atmosphere, a faint sign of life had quietly sprouted. And that hint of life emerged from Xu Qing, the one least likely to be alive amid the heaviest aura of death.
Walking a few steps down the street, sensing something amiss, Xu Qing suddenly stopped.
The living atmosphere on Underground Street seemed unusually dense today.
This was highly unusual.
Xu Qing swaggered back to his shop, with a black cat curiously peeking around. Perhaps from being with Xu Qing too long, even the cat walked with a little bit of Xu Qing's demeanor.
"So many big horses!" Xuan Yu exclaimed.
Xu Qing glanced over and saw four carriages parked at the entrance of the Paper Mache Shop, the carriage bodies draped with silk, even the windows covered with sheer fabric.
Such carriages clearly belonged to people of wealth or high status.
"What a pity. I thought there would be a big client."
Feeling the lingering aura on the carriages, Xu Qing already knew who had come.
Xuan Yu didn't care about humans; its attention was fixed on the horses.
One horse was particularly excited, tossing its head and flicking its tail when it saw Xu Qing, restlessly stamping its hooves and neighing anxiously.
Xu Qing paid it no mind until he listened to the horse's neigh and realized the sound.
Before becoming Hidden Corpse, Xu Qing had studied the language of birds and beasts. After becoming Hidden Corpse, he awakened the ability of Tong'er comprehension, enhancing his ability to understand animal languages, and even allowing him to hear the voices of spirits and gods.
Listening to the horse express excitement, calling him master as if thrilled after a long separation, Xu Qing suddenly remembered the horse's origin.
Originally, when he went to the Capital City Imperial Mausoleum, he had obtained a precious thousand-mile steed for travel.
During the journey, he fed the horse Fasting Pills and Strength Pills, thankful it didn't get sick, safely delivering him to the Imperial Mausoleum.
At the mausoleum, Xu Qing had let the horse go free. He had since forgotten about it, and now, almost a year later, he unexpectedly encountered this thousand-mile horse at his doorstep.
After a long absence, the horse seemed even more splendid than before, appearing at least like a fine steed now.
Xu Qing stepped forward, cheerfully brushing the horse's mane.
Hearing the horse snorting and neighing outside, someone from the Paper Mache Shop came out to check.
The moment they saw Xu Qing, a man dressed in fine official robes immediately called out:
"Brother Xu!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Qing paused his horse-soothing actions and looked toward the youth at the shop entrance, brimming with joy.
After more than a year apart, Wu Zhiyuan looked quite different from before, even sporting a short beard under his chin.
"Zhiyuan, how have you been?"
From the Paper Mache Shop, Wu Wencai, along with some unfamiliar faces, came out upon hearing the commotion.
Seeing the Wu Family seemed more lively than before, Xu Qing couldn't help but smile in relief.
The old man Hu from the coffin shop, Shopkeeper Yao from the burial clothes store, and now the Wu brothers, coming back from the Capital City with their families.
These people came and went, constantly changing almost every day, yet he, the funeral master of the Funeral Shop, remained the same. Even as the Wu brothers donned official robes and became important figures, he was unchanged.
"During our absence, Wencai seems to have matured quite a bit."
Wu Wencai shook his head with a wry smile: "It hasn't been just a few days. This over a year felt longer than the past ten years combined."
Beside him, Wu Wencai's foster father, Steward Yin, offered a salute and said: "I often hear Wencai mention this worthy nephew. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary..."
Xu Qing, surprised, asked: "And this is?"
Wu Wencai cleared his throat and said: "Father Yin is my benefactor, also my adoptive father."
"..."
Before Xu Qing could think further, Wu Zhiyuan approached the elderly couple at the entrance and introduced them as well: "These are my godfather and godmother. Without them, I certainly wouldn't have survived, nor would I be reunited with Brother Xu today."
"..."
Even as a lifeless zombie, Xu Qing couldn't help but take a deep breath.
These two brothers were truly capable—taking the scholar exam together was one thing, but even acknowledging godparents together?
Does Old Wu know about this? Did you get his approval?
At this moment, Wu Yaohua's wife couldn't hide her glee.
Looking at this lively family, the gossipy desire within Xu Qing was fully ignited.