The three red-clad disciples looked at each other, momentarily thrown off by Xu Qing's turning the tables on them.
"Aren't you afraid we're rebels?" the leading woman couldn't help but ask.
Xu Qing retorted, "So, are you rebels?"
"..."
"It's different; our Red Order is wanted by the authorities. Aren't you afraid of getting implicated?"
"Hah! What's to fear in that?" Xu Qing replied, "In wars between nations, the dead bodies on the battlefield are still buried by both sides. That's an ancient tradition. If no one takes care of these bodies, what if an epidemic breaks out?"
Xu Qing earnestly said, "After a great battle comes a great epidemic, and after a great epidemic, comes a great famine. This isn't just an idle tale. I'm a funeral director, one who doesn't understand grand virtues, only that I can't let bodies rot in the wilderness. Not just your bodies, even those of the officials, I would still bury them."
"Sir, your sense of chivalry is extraordinary. Why not join our Red Order and overturn this chaos..."
"..."
Xu Qing flatly refused.
As the red-clad disciples were leaving after paying the silver coins, Xu Qing suddenly remembered something and asked, "Why don't you go to the Funeral House to handle the aftermath?"
The leading woman explained, "The Funeral House has too many people and gossip. We've only been there twice, and the word reached the military. Now, the people from the Celestial Heart Sect are guarding day and night outside, so we had to look elsewhere. In Linjiang County, besides the Funeral House, only the Underground Street funeral business is left, no other places to go..."
Xu Qing understood. As the Red Order disciples left, Shang Shaoyang clicked his tongue and sighed, "They say the Red Order has a regiment of women under the direct command of the Holy Maiden of the Red Lotus, all of them valiant and heroic. It seems their reputation is indeed well deserved."
"What, Brother Shang, do you also want to join the Red Order?"
Shang Shaoyang was about to retort, but on the verge of speaking, he suddenly changed his mind, "It's not impossible."
Xu Qing watched Shang Shaoyang's eager expression, feeling a bad premonition. Is this second-generation rich starting to revert to his nature again?
For the next two days, Shang Shaoyang came every day with his little dog to Xu Qing's place for a cool rest. The problem was that he used to rest at noon, but now he came early in the morning and wouldn't leave until dusk.
Xu Qing couldn't figure out what he was up to until the third day when the Red Order brought thirteen bodies wrapped in lime powder.
Even with the lime powder to prevent dampness and bacteria, these bodies still had a strange odor.
In the summer heat, ordinary people couldn't preserve bodies for long, so handling the funeral arrangements as soon as possible was the only option.
However, Xu Qing wasn't bothered and, in front of the red-clad disciples, handled the preparation of the bodies, dressing them in funeral clothes.
Seeing Xu Qing's earnest demeanor, the leading red-clad woman unconsciously relaxed her tense expression.
"My name is Xie Hongying. I will remember Shopkeeper Xu's help," she said.
Xu Qing, busy with his tasks, replied without turning his head, "I have nothing to do with your Red Order. You pay for the funeral expenses, and I handle the preparation and burial of bodies. At most, it's a business deal, not a matter of friendship."
Xie Hongying smiled freely and said, "It's not the Red Order. It's my personal appreciation for you, Xu Qing. If you ever need my assistance in the future, you can draw a red circle with a red pen at the end of this street and tie a red ribbon at your door. As long as I am alive, I will come to help you."
Xu Qing waved his hand behind him and continued dealing with the bodies. He didn't take Xie Hongying's words to heart. A glance at her martial arts cultivation showed she had only just begun to condense her energy, even Dull Pillar was stronger. How could she help him?
The bodies of the Red Order were people without homes in life, and in death, they had no burial grounds. Xie Hongying handed over the rest of the funeral money, stating no need to purchase a cemetery plot. Even if one day her body was found, just having a place to be buried would suffice for peace.
Xu Qing had no objections. Customers without money to buy burial plots often didn't care where they were buried; they only cared about 'resting in peace.'
The Sutra of Salvation pages flipped as Xu Qing carried out the rites for the Red Order. He discovered that many of them shared an obsession similar to the Celestial Heart Sect, though the Red Order adhered to rules and did not bully the weak with their strength.
They even paid enough silver coins for each transaction at the Funeral House.
This point indeed surprised Xu Qing.
...
At the shop door, Shang Shaoyang stopped Xie Hongying and the others, and the group murmured among themselves. Xu Qing caught words like reform, Cangyi Group, silver, and manpower.
Xu Qing frowned slightly, noticing Shang Shaoyang's restlessness just days after coming to Jin Sect.
"Brother Xu, where will you bury these bodies?"
"Outside the city at the Chaotic Tomb Ridge."
"The Chaotic Tomb Ridge? Is that place suitable?"
Xu Qing called on Dull Pillar, guiding a cart filled with makeshift coffins and said, "The Chaotic Tomb Ridge isn't a bad place. It has individually marked grave zones, which might have better feng shui than some privately chosen plots. Besides, the Red Order loses people daily; is it feasible for each to have individual grave plots?
If they were truly buried, there would only be more trouble. On the contrary, burying them in the monument-cluttered Chaotic Tomb Ridge draws less attention."
"These people were restless in life, so perhaps resting in the bustling Chaotic Tomb Ridge suits their spirits. Don't you all agree?"
Xu Qing tapped the coffin on the wagon, jokingly, "See, they're not saying anything, which means they agree."
"..."
The Chasing Mourning horse, strong and energetic, pulling the piled-up coffins, showed no signs of struggle. Xu Qing took his time, leisurely driving the cart towards the city outskirts.