Filial Piety Requires Buying a Coffin

Yang Xuan wondered if he should slip away. According to the plot, Master Yixiu should be arriving soon. When that happened, Four Eyes would be in trouble, and as his junior disciple, it would be wrong for Yang Xuan not to help. However, Yang Xuan really didn't want to help Four Eyes. That old guy was always so sneaky and incredibly lazy. Yang Xuan needed to research the Corpse Control Technique, but Four Eyes wouldn't even lend him a corpse – he was stingier than a miser.

"Ah, Martial Uncle, I'm a bit hungry. I'll go see if Tingting has breakfast ready," Yang Xuan said, finding an excuse to slip out.

Four Eyes was completely focused, not answering, and desperately channeling his spiritual power. Unfortunately, the straw man showed no respect and remained motionless.

After Yang Xuan left, he wandered around outside and went straight into Four Eyes' morgue. Yang Xuan had always wanted to try controlling a corpse, but Four Eyes never let Yang Xuan touch his "guests."

He sneaked into the morgue. "Wow, quite a few corpses. This one won't do; its strength is too low. Damn it, this one can barely stand," Yang Xuan muttered, speechless. He really couldn't find any of these specimens appealing.

Looking at the two Corpse Control Techniques on the system interface, the Mao Shan Corpse Control Technique actually included how to cultivate them, requiring the use of talismans and incantations. The techniques learned from the Feng Shui Master were mostly for combat and increasing strength, with many having strong side effects. However, there was one thing the Mao Shan Corpse Control Technique lacked: the ability to carve formations and talismans onto a zombie's body, allowing control without incantations or bells. Yang Xuan highly favored this method. He walked around but still couldn't find a suitable zombie. "Forget it. I'll wait until the Royal Zombie arrives," he decided.

"Martial Uncle, why is your stomach bulging?" Yang Xuan slowly walked over to the altar and teased him.

Four Eyes ignored Yang Xuan and shouted towards the door, "You've got guts. You win. You made my stomach swell up."

Yang Xuan laughed until tears streamed down his face. He figured Four Eyes would be suffering from diarrhea for days.

Life went on like this, and then one day, a large group of people stopped in front of the courtyard. They looked like they had some connection to the imperial court.

There were only two households in this area, so everyone ran out to watch the commotion. They didn't expect to meet Four Eyes' junior brother, who was also Yang Xuan's martial uncle.

Finally, the day had come. Yang Xuan had waited for days, and it was finally here. That's right, this group was the imperial troop transporting the Royal Zombie.

Now Yang Xuan was conflicted again. If he went to rescue them, these people would definitely send the zombie to the capital. If he didn't, everyone would die, resulting in a total wipeout.

"Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs. I, Yang Xuan, only need to protect those I wish to protect. Everyone else has their own destiny, what does it have to do with me?"

As Yang Xuan was lost in thought, everyone walked out.

At this moment, a Taoist priest happily walked over. "Martial Brother, long time no see. May I borrow some glutinous rice from you?"

Upon seeing him, Yang Xuan realized it was Taoist Qianhe.

Four Eyes turned and said, "Jiale, go get some glutinous rice from Martial Uncle." Jiale responded and went.

"Martial Uncle, hello," Yang Xuan said politely.

"Who is this...?" Taoist Qianhe asked curiously. Had his martial brother taken on another disciple?

"My master is Lin Jiu," Yang Xuan replied.

"So you're Senior Brother Jiu's disciple," Taoist Qianhe said seriously. Among their brothers, besides the eldest, only Senior Brother Jiu had profound Taoist magic.

The group arrived at the coffin. Four Eyes said, "The copper-horned golden coffin is wrapped with ink fountain netting. Could it be that inside is...?"

"That's right, it's a zombie," Taoist Qianhe confirmed.

Four Eyes asked curiously, "Then why didn't you burn it?"

Taoist Qianhe sighed, "This zombie is royalty from the border. We can't burn it. We need to transport it to the capital quickly for the Emperor's judgment."

Master Yixiu began explaining the tent issue, and the two old rivals started bickering again. However, this time, Four Eyes was destined to be at a disadvantage.

Yang Xuan stood by the coffin and sensed the zombie with his spiritual power. As expected, the corpse energy was overwhelming. This was a top-quality Iron Armor Zombie, and it was on the verge of advancing. If cultivated properly, it could be developed into a Silver Armor Zombie, a Gold Armor Zombie, and so on.

Yang Xuan slapped his forehead. "Good heavens, I forgot about the most valuable thing! The coffin the zombie is in is pure gold! How much is that worth?" Yang Xuan's eyes began to gleam.

"Junior Brother, here is the glutinous rice. I hope you won't need it," Four Eyes said sternly.

This zombie was no simple matter. Yang Xuan, Master Yixiu, and Four Eyes could all feel that the zombie not only contained corpse energy but also an unknown, surging power.

After everyone bid farewell, the team set off again.

Jiale looked at the pure gold coffin, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I will definitely work hard to earn money in the future and buy an identical one to honor you, Master."

Yang Xuan slapped his forehead. This child was clueless and didn't know how to speak.

Four Eyes looked at Jiale with a dejected expression. Master Yixiu seized the opportunity to stir the pot. "A very filial young man, hahaha."

Seeing Master Yixiu looking like he had gained an advantage, Four Eyes gritted his teeth in annoyance.

Just then, Jiale walked over and said, "Martial Brother, can you teach Master and Qingqing National Arts?"

People in this era placed a high value on secrecy between different sects, so Jiale was being quite cautious.

"No problem, but as I said before, help me collect medicinal herbs, especially the rare ones," Yang Xuan said generously.

Yang Xuan's generosity made Four Eyes quite depressed. He had just started to feel a gap between himself and the monk, only to find that the monk also had a honey trap. Jiale had fallen for it, as he had taken a liking to the other party's disciple. Four Eyes couldn't say anything.

"Then from now on, everyone will gather at Martial Uncle's house every day at the Mao Hour Second Quarter. I will train you uniformly for three days. After three days, Tingting will train you," Yang Xuan declared. He then turned to look at Tingting, who nodded. The young couple had good chemistry.

"Jiale, hurry up and cook. I'm starving. Make a couple of extra vegetarian dishes. Master and Qingqing, come and eat with us today. We can eat and chat about tomorrow's matters," Yang Xuan said.

"Amitabha, I only eat vegetables, not meat or alcohol," Master Yixiu stated his intention first.

"Master, that's not quite right. As the saying goes, 'Meat and wine pass through the intestines, but Buddha sits in the heart.' Buddhism emphasizes the afterlife and doesn't focus on the physical body. If you focus too much on precepts, you might fall into anger. Furthermore, practicing National Arts requires careful attention to diet; meat is essential," Yang Xuan advised.

"Heh heh, Monk, can you finally eat meat openly now? Let me tell you, this monk always eats meat secretly. I saw him once, and he adamantly denied it," Four Eyes immediately chimed in, eager to expose him.

"Four Eyes, I think you want me to talk about your embarrassing moments too, don't you?" Master Yixiu said resentfully.

Watching the two of them expose each other, Yang Xuan suddenly felt a pang of envy. What good friends they were! Unfortunately, in his current life, although he knew many people, there were very few he could truly call friends. He had more female friends, but as he got older, more and more of them got married and stopped coming out. Slowly, contact was lost.

Late at night, everyone sat around the table, eating and drinking, discussing their views and experiences on the National Arts system. Tingting was chatting with Qingqing about matters concerning young women. The atmosphere was lively and warm.

Suddenly, a cry for help came from outside the house: "Help! Help!"