The Dying Seeker of Immortality

"Immortal fate? They actually treat something neither human nor ghost as immortal fate."

Ren Qing sat at the bedside while Black Rat Dao Child stood in his palm, bowing again and again.

After being used so many times, Yellow Mud Eye was already covered in cracks and not far from breaking.

The situation inside Treasure Gathering Pawnshop was naturally displayed with perfect clarity.

A cold sneer tugged at Ren Qing's lips as he said disdainfully, "A crooked path is still a crooked path. Three Incense Lady hides herself so thoroughly even from mortals—how could she possibly be mentioned in the same breath as the orthodox immortals of our Daoist faith?"

It could now be confirmed that Three Incense Lady was the one spreading Daoist inheritances throughout Water Mouth City.

The Immortal Ascension Sect's method of recruiting disciples was utterly unscrupulous, like raising venomous insects in a jar. They cast a wide net among mortals, and in the end, each method of becoming immortal would likely be cultivated to completion by only one person, who would then smoothly become a disciple under their seat.

"But with the Immortal Ascension Sect stirring things up like this, how are ordinary people supposed to survive?"

Ren Qing frowned in thought. By all reason, if the imperial court had no means of restraining these crooked paths, the realm should have long since fallen into chaos. Especially in places beyond the reach of famous orthodox sects, ordinary people could not possibly remain safe and sound.

"Could it be that the imperial court has some method as well?"

A trace of wariness flashed through Ren Qing's eyes, but it soon settled back into calm.

No matter what, he had to obtain the method of becoming immortal from Treasure Gathering Pawnshop. For now, Three Incense Lady did not seem to be paying attention to Water Mouth City's movements. Later, it would not be so easy to obtain Daoist inheritances again.

The sky outside the window was dim, and after the curfew was enforced, the city had fallen into deathly silence.

Chirp, chirp.

Sparrow Dao Child appeared by the window, gesturing animatedly as it tried to convey something.

"Wish-Fulfillment Abbey is a scourge as well. Any who disturb my quiet cultivation, any who throw my Dao heart into disorder—leave none alive."

"Sparrow Fairy, continue watching Wish-Fulfillment Abbey."

After gaining divine consciousness, Ren Qing could vaguely understand what the Dao Children were trying to express. Over at Wish-Fulfillment Abbey, they had already buried four coffins underground. Through the Rebirth Ascension Method, the people inside the coffins could be transformed into something like great medicine.

One of them was Zhao Xiaoliu. It seemed that after swallowing Yellow Mud, it was inevitable that one would be reduced to expendable material.

"Those Daoists at Wish-Fulfillment Abbey think of themselves as Song Baizhou's disciples, but they're most likely expendable material too. It's just that when resources are plentiful, they don't have to be thrown into the pot themselves."

Ren Qing's face was full of contempt. He deeply despised the practice of treating disciples as expendable material. A righteous man like this humble Daoist ought to find a chance to kick them while they were down.

He failed to realize that he, too, had once considered using the Dao Children as emergency rations.

If Toad Dao Child had been a bullfrog, it might already have ended up in a hotpot.

"Before Zhou Can becomes immortal, there should be enough time for this humble Daoist to complete another corpse-release rebirth."

Ren Qing calculated in secret. Garment release required a certain arrangement, while he could not find a suitable opportunity for fire release. It seemed he could only choose water release, which could be completed at the bottom of a well.

It was simply that water-and-fire release was exceptionally perilous. The slightest misstep would mean death and the dissipation of one's Dao.

He closed his eyes and rested through the night.

Early the next morning, Ren Qing made a trip to the market and bought all the yellow paper and cinnabar needed for water release.

Yet when he returned to the coffin shop, there was an extra guest in the otherwise deserted main hall.

Ren Qing's brows furrowed slightly. He recognized the visitor as the old beggar he had seen earlier at Wish-Fulfillment Abbey. The man was seventy or eighty years old and already limped as he walked, yet traces of his once-formidable external martial arts could be seen everywhere.

The old beggar stood uneasily in the corner, clutching a tattered bundle.

Ren Qing's first instinct was that the man had come with ill intentions. But seeing the old beggar's hunched back and how more than half of his martial arts had already gone to waste, that suspicion largely faded.

"Father, there's a customer!"

Hearing his youngest son call out, Ren Shanshi hurried into the main hall.

"May I ask who this old gentleman is?"

The old beggar quickly cupped his hands. "Su Huo. I apologize for the disturbance."

"No disturbance at all. Though we sell coffins, we still believe in opening our doors for business."

Ren Shanshi invited the old beggar to sit, but Su Huo shrank back. "No, no. I'm too dirty. Wouldn't want to soil the stool."

Ren Qing could sense that Su Huo's aura was waning. His lifespan was clearly nearing its end, and there was an eight- or nine-in-ten chance that he had come to Water Mouth City for Three Incense Lady's "immortal fate" as well.

"Old gentleman, are you here to order a coffin?"

When Su Huo nodded, Ren Shanshi could not help asking, "Then we'll need the measurements. How tall is the deceased? Any other requests?"

"Just... just make it according to my own body. Ordinary firewood-grade lumber will do. No need for anything elaborate."

Ren Shanshi froze. "According to your body? Old gentleman, are you... preparing a coffin for yourself?"

"Yes."

Su Huo let out a long breath. "I know my final days are approaching. So even if I die far from home, I still want a place to be buried. It's just..."

He poured all the copper coins from his arms onto the table. They were scattered and few, not even enough to pay for half a coffin.

Ren Shanshi hesitated slightly. But in the funeral trade, one did not make a habit of turning business away. Sometimes, even if the money fell a little short, one would still make a coffin for someone.

"Old gentleman, it's enough, it's enough."

Su Huo raised his eyes toward Ren Shanshi. "I can't take advantage of you."

"How about this? When I was young, I practiced some crude external martial arts for a few years. I also have some medicinal herbs to aid cultivation. They aren't worth much, but if the shopkeeper doesn't mind, could they count toward the coffin's cost?"

Ren Qing did not find Su Huo's external martial art shallow in the slightest. At least among ordinary mortals, it was truly first-rate.

Ren Shanshi had always been softhearted. "There happens to be a nearly finished coffin that's about the right size. Come pick it up tomorrow night."

Su Huo gave a deep bow and carefully set down the bundle. "Many thanks, shopkeeper. Young master."

With that, he limped away.

During the brief time Ren Shanshi saw him off, Ren Qing had already untied the bundle. Inside were bundles of dried herbs, neatly wrapped and sorted by type.

There was also a page of yellowed hemp paper, covered in crooked handwriting.

There was not much written on it. With his divine consciousness, Ren Qing had committed it all to memory after a single glance.

The external martial art was called the Iron Body Art. It emphasized using specific herbs to brew medicinal soup, soaking in it every day to temper flesh, skin, tendons, and bones, while pairing it with a unique stance technique. Once cultivated to perfection, ordinary blades and swords would struggle to harm one.

"Ah Qing, could this really be a genuine external martial art?"

Ren Shanshi leaned over for a look, muttering away. "Come to think of it, if our family hadn't been poor back then, your father here would've nearly joined an escort agency when I was young."

A trace of excitement showed in his words. Clearly, he still harbored thoughts about external martial arts.

Ren Qing carefully checked over the Iron Body Art, confirming that it concealed no drawbacks and contained no errors or omissions.

A faint glow appeared between his brows as his divine consciousness quietly influenced his old man. "Dad, I'm not that interested. You might as well give it a try. The herbs needed for martial arts practice aren't worth much anyway."

Ren Shanshi froze, then waved his hand. "Me? At my age, what would I train this for?"

Though he said that, he unconsciously tucked the hemp paper into his robes.

"Ah Qing, I... I'll find a chance to ask a martial artist who knows this stuff. Put the herbs in the storeroom for now."

"Alright."

Ren Qing agreed. Ren Shanshi was not actually that old. If he could cultivate an external martial art, with Ren Qing's help as well, he could keep the Ren family line branching and flourishing.

They could even change trades while they were at it. Funeral work was absolutely high-risk in this world.

Sigh.

The days at the mental hospital had been much more comfortable. Every day, he only had to focus on comprehending the Dao, without worrying about life's trivialities.