"If it's not a high monk, then it's Buddha, and if you're safeguarding the path for him... then you can only be an Arhat!"
"..."
Xinyuan's expression grew even more severe, but just as he was about to respond, he saw the young man in front of him burst into laughter:
"I'm just teasing you. You're a crazy monk, how could you be an Arhat? At most, you're a wild monk expelled from the temple for breaking the precepts by eating meat and drinking wine!"
Xinyuan breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away the nonexistent cold sweat, and thought fearfully after watching Xu Qing leave:
"That gave the monk a fright, this place in Jin Sect is truly strange!"
"This monk, since I arrived here, has been on edge every day and hasn't had a single day of peace."
"Even the weather here seems abnormal."
"Chen Liu'Er, please grow up quickly, this monk really doesn't want to stay here any longer."
...
Outside the Funeral Shop on Underground Street.
Two yellow weasels, one big and one small, were pulling on each other outside.
"Ancestral Grandpa, if there's an illness, we must treat it. The Sect Leader knows the Python Immortal of Moonlight Mountain, and the Medical Hall has the Little White Immortal who can sit in consultation. A headache or fever is no problem..."
"Xiaoliu, don't drag your Ancestral Grandpa. This illness cannot be treated with medicine, it's truly a matter of fate. I want you to visit more often since I'm old now, and my time is like this snow before us, beautiful but short-lived..."
If Huang Xiaoliu hadn't heard these words, it would have been better. After hearing them, he pulled even harder, determined to drag his Ancestral Grandpa into the hall.
"The Sect Leader is knowledgeable and experienced, surely he'll have a way to help Ancestral Grandpa!"
"If it comes to that, Ancestral Grandpa can join me in the Cat Immortal Hall, and I'll give all the incense I've earned to Ancestral Grandpa!"
As the two yellow weasels were pulling, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"It's too late, the main purpose of incense is to ward off disasters. As for the immortals of my Cat Immortal Hall, they are either close to a lightning disaster or have already survived one."
"But your Ancestral Grandpa, for a lifetime, would never need to worry about lightning disaster."
Huang Laoxu turned around to see Xu Qing, who had returned from salutations, ignoring its presence and walking directly into the shop.
"Xu Qing, are you indirectly saying that this old man is stupid and lacks the talent for cultivation..."
Huang Laoxu followed suit into the shop, its mung bean-like eyes wide open.
Xu Qing finally looked down at the self-aware old yellow wolf.
"Daoist Huang, do not belittle yourself. At least Xiaoliu has good talent, so you do have successors."
"..."
The old yellow weasel was speechless; the youth before it spoke far too rudely.
The little yellow weasel, remembering the kindness of its Ancestral Grandpa, began to both soothe the 'old man' and seek advice from Xu Qing.
"The Sect Leader's magical power is vast; there must be a way to prolong my Ancestral Grandpa's life..."
"Extend life? While ordinary people's frail bodies can be nursed to extend life, it's only by prolonging their existing lifespan."
Xu Qing chuckled lightly: "I'm not an all-powerful immortal. If I truly had a method for prolonging life and achieving longevity, perhaps the coffin shop on the street corner would still be watched over by an old man."
Zombies have no lifespan to speak of; Xu Qing has already passed on and fears no death, naturally remaining unfazed by life's sufferings.
Yet for others, attempting to escape life's sufferings in this cataclysmic world is not an easy task.
Cultivators practicing the Sixth Realm Technique must borrow lifespan to repay lifespan.
Otherwise, many like Baiyun Daoist and Abbot Dingguang use every means, treating people as great medicine, practicing contrary techniques, just to cling on to life.
Evil techniques can extend life, while righteous techniques are costly, so who would choose to practice righteous techniques?
Only in parts of the Jin Sect do some immortals still uphold the tradition of practicing merits and incense, allowing them to maintain themselves independently. Though they can't seize the ultimate path, they manage to avoid the extreme effects of the great disaster, staying away from evil paths.
Even so, some immortals in Jin Sect have tasted the 'benefits of the era' and, as a result, made a series of ancestor-defying decisions, stepping into evil ways.
Take for example the Sad Immortal of Qushui Stockade Xu Qing met; that red-dressed female ghost tasted the sweetness of the Beast Creation Skill and led the entire Sad Immortal Hall into an endless abyss.
Even though Xu Qing found it hard to get along with Huang Laoxu, this yellow weasel consistently adhered to the ancestral teachings and never strayed into evil paths.
No matter how slow the progress of its cultivation, even when hope was out of sight, the yellow weasel did not resort to any means and abandoned its own bottom line.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have taught an immortal like Huang Xiaoliu.
Xu Qing glanced at the much less spirited Huang Laoxu, suddenly turned around, and inexplicably asked:
"Xiaoliu, were you the one who posted the couplets at the Paper Mache Shop's door?"
"It was me and a Galloping Immortal Disciple who posted them together."
"They're crooked; go back and straighten them before you return."
Huang Xiaoliu, being very astute, sized up both the Sect Leader and his Ancestral Grandpa and immediately agreed. As the little yellow weasel left, it even made a face at Huang Laoxu.
Huang Laoxu pretended not to see.
As a wild and unruly creature, in its eyes, how could a proper immortal be like a house servant, letting a person who should be a Galloping Immortal Disciple command?
Inside the Funeral Shop, Xu Qing leaned back in the Master's Chair, reaching out to stroke the mysterious cat lying on the coffin board nearby, only to have it nimbly evade his touch and retreat several steps to a spot just out of Xu Qing's reach.
Xu Qing retracted his hand quietly, turning to beckon the Golden Simurgh instead.
The Gold Simurgh pranced over, allowing Xu Qing to stroke its wings.
"Daoist Huang, you must have a reason to come to me today. You are Huang Xiaoliu's Ancestral Grandpa, so you can simply state your business without putting on an act."
Huang Laoxu's eyelid twitched as it looked up at the young man petting the golden chicken, who didn't deign to look at it.
"How is the old crow doing now?"
Huang Laoxu asked.
"How would Daoist Huang like Crow Lord to be?"
Without waiting for Huang Laoxu to respond, Xu Qing continued: "The Crow Lord is doing well. The Immortal Hall distributes incense to suppress the hall every year, and now the crows of the Chaotic Stone Mountain are not what they used to be."
Huang Laoxu stared at Xu Qing and suddenly asked: "How high is Daoist Xu's cultivation?"
"What does Daoist Huang think?"
Huang Laoxu was silent for a moment, then sighed: "I do not know."
"However, if one day I do indeed leave first, I would still shamelessly request that the Daoist take good care of the descendants of my Yellow Stripe Mountain..."
Xu Qing stopped stroking the Golden Simurgh and turned to look directly at Huang Laoxu.
"You want me to treat your Yellow Stripe Mountain's yellow wolves as I do the crows of Chaotic Stone Mountain?"
Huang Laoxu became flustered under his gaze and spoke with forced courage: "Daoist, should you ever need this old man to do something in the future, you can instruct me at will. Anything within my capability shall not be refused."
Xu Qing stood up, walked to the shop door, looked at the street outside, and spoke in a solemn tone:
"Daoist Huang, what have I done to earn such disrespect from you, that you are unwilling to even call me Sect Leader?"