The funeral parlor is divided into three parts: left, right, and back.
The store is on the left, the room where the offering furnace is placed on the right, and the warehouse and workshop are behind it.
As for Ling Yi's resting place, it was on the second floor.
Of course, Ling Yi doesn't usually live in the shop. He used to feel awkward living there, but after what happened these past two days, Ling Yi doesn't feel awkward at all.
From now on, we'll be eating well and enjoying good food thanks to this restaurant and their current culinary skills. What's there to be awkward about?
He wished he could live here every day and equip all the dead in the Underworld with high-tech weapons so they could earn him Merit Points 24/7.
"Why do you only make AK paper replicas?" Bai Xiaoyao squatted down next to Ling Yi, munching on a hamburger as she asked, puzzled.
Fu Qingyun, standing beside him, was also very curious, looking at Ling Yi with curiosity and waiting for his answer.
"Otherwise what?" Ling Yi knew what Bai Xiaoyao wanted to ask, but still asked back.
"From what you and Sister Qingyun were saying, the Underworld is currently being invaded by monsters, and the spirits of the dead, or rather, the ancestors of the Underworld, are fighting to resist the monster invasion, right?"
Ling Yi nodded.
"Then why not make a more powerful weapon? At least make Rocket, or just send a few giant mushroom cloud over there. Boom, and they'll all be taken care of."
"Two questions!" Ling Yi said without looking up as he rapidly Weaving the paper Dragon Bones with bamboo strips.
Fu Qingyun's eyes were drawn to Ling Yi's hands.
Ling Yi's hands were fast and steady; the bamboo strips seemed to come alive between Ling Yi hands as he quickly Weaving and combined them.
In a short time, the shape of a gun was made.
It looks like a work of art.
This process is quite stress-relieving and comfortable to watch.
"First of all, those things are too troublesome!"
"What's so troublesome about it?" Bai Xiaoyao retorted. In her opinion, it was just a matter of weaving bamboo and then pasting paper on it!
Do you think it's very simple?
"Is there anything difficult about this?"
"So why do you think, in today's industrialized and mechanized world, people still only buy handmade paper offerings from funeral parlors?"
Ling Yi countered with a question.
Bai Xiaoyao paused for a moment, tilted her head, and asked, "Yeah, why?"
"Paper offerings are about communicating between the living and the dead, and about the living's fortune connecting with the ancestors."
Seeing the two girls' blank expressions, Ling Yi explained, "It's because this paper has been imbued with human energy."
"If our ancestors haven't Reincarnation yet, then the paper offerings we burn for them can be used directly by them in the Underworld, such as carriages, horses, cattle, sheep, sports cars, villas, and the like."
"The more comfortable our ancestors are in the Underworld, the more it will increase the Karmic Luck of us living people; it's a mutually beneficial thing."
"This is what is known as the protection of one's ancestors. Conversely, it is the same. Those who disrespect their ancestors generally do not have a good end. Disrespect is a loss of virtue, and a loss of virtue leads to a loss of fortune."
Ling Yi's hands didn't stop moving. In just a short Kung Fu Hustle, he had already finished the Dragon Bones of three paper AKs, which was quite fast.
The two women listened with great interest.
"If ancestors have already been Reincarnation, then burning paper effigies is a way to store up good fortune. The more good fortune stored up, the better it is for both the reincarnated ancestors and future generations."
Actually, the term "good fortune" is not accurate; a more accurate term would be "accumulating Hidden Merit."
Ancestors who have already Reincarnation will naturally not receive the paper offerings burned on their backs.
These paper-made items were usually shared and used by ancestors and clansmen.
Only if the ancestors and their clansmen have all been Reincarnation will the spirits of the dead share and use it.
But as long as someone uses it, it will generate Hidden Merit.
There is actually no difference between Hidden Merit and Merit; the only difference is that Hidden Merit virtue is always bestowed upon the deceased, while Merit bring blessings to both the deceased and their living descendants.
However, the deceased receiving the blessings of Hidden Merit is equivalent to increasing the Karmic Luck of their descendants, which is not much different from the effect of Merit.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, people who understand this profession rarely explain the difference between Hidden Merit and Merit.
Generally, it is discussed in terms of Merit.
More often, however, people like Ling Yi simply explain it using the concept of good fortune Karmic Luck.
It's pretty much the same anyway.
Ling Yi's grandfather Ling Beishan Qing'er, knew everything about this and taught it West City to Ling Yi.
In Ling Beishan's words, regardless of whether Ling Yi works in this line of work in the future, he must master the skill and find a suitable person to pass it on.
This will prevent the tradition from being lost.
Ling Yi used to think that it didn't matter if this kind of "dross" was lost, so he did learn it, but he didn't take it too seriously.
But now, Ling Yi dared not think that way anymore.
"If that's the case, then burning more paper offerings for our ancestors, burning mountains of gold and silver, wouldn't that bring us boundless good fortune?"
Bai Xiaoyao grabbed the third hamburger, saying as she unpacked it.
"It's not that simple. There's a saying, 'Too much of a good thing is bad.' Each spirit has a limited capacity. It's not like the other side can accept as many as you burn, unless..."
"Unless what?"
"It's a secret!" Ling Yi said with a mysterious smile.
"Tch!" Bai Xiaoyao rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction.
Unless what? Unless you can have a Nether Domain Seal like Ling Yi!
However, matters concerning the Nether Domain Seal should not be discussed lightly.
According to my grandfather, there's only one of its kind in the world, and this Nether Domain Seal possesses incredibly powerful abilities. What if someone with ulterior motives finds out and tries to steal it?
It's something you can't steal, but it's still a hassle, isn't it?
What if some Big Smarty, in a moment of impulsiveness, just killed Ling Yi? Wouldn't that be terrible?
It's better to be safe than sorry.
Before you've proven yourself, it's best to keep a low profile.
"Going back to your question, making giant mushrooms is troublesome, but another problem is that I don't have the capability right now. Even if I could make them, I wouldn't be able to deliver them."
Even if we send it over, they won't be able to use it.
It's not that it can't be used, it's that it can't Manifestation at all.
The Nether Domain Seal is only level 1 now. At level 1, sending a giant mushroom is like trying to make something out of nothing.
"So, after all that talk, you're still the worst!" Bai Xiaoyao chuckled.
Ling Yi shrugged; there was no way to refute that, he was indeed a novice.
"However, I do have an idea now. We can't make the giant mushroom, but perhaps we could try the Mark Armor."
Upon hearing Ling Yi's words, Bai Xiaoyao and Fu Qingyun's eyes lit up.
"Then why don't you do it?" Bai Xiaoyao asked.
Ling Yi shrugged and said, "We still need to get this batch of weapons manufactured and send them to Grandfather and the others now!"
"Why don't you just make a Mark Armor and solve everything? Why bother with AKs? A Mark Armor is way better than a bunch of AKs, isn't it?"
"You don't think you can just blow this thing out, do you? This thing is so complicated to even think about!"
"Oh, is it that difficult?" Bai Xiaoyao seemed a little skeptical.
"Can I try this?" Fu Qingyun asked, pointing to the bamboo strip beside him.
"Give it a try, it's not worth much anyway!" Ling Yi said nonchalantly.
I guess Fu Qingyun was just curious.
"I want to play too! I want to build Iron Man Armor!" Bai Xiaoyao also became interested.
"Sure!" Ling Yi laughed.
Bai Xiaoyao is clearly one of those "anyone can do it" types.
Fu Qingyun wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
She's the kind of girl who's not very good at communicating with people, so she seems quite aloof.
In reality, Fu Qingyun is a very understanding and warm-hearted person.
She didn't want Xiaoyao to waste the materials, but seeing Xiaoyao's enthusiastic attitude, and since Ling Yi had agreed, she naturally felt embarrassed to say it again.
As for herself, she simply wanted to help Ling Yi.
Soon, the three of them were busy with their own tasks.
Bai Xiaoyao was just messing around aimlessly, fiddling with the bamboo for ages, but she didn't even get a clue.
On the contrary, Fu Qingyun impressed Ling Yi greatly.
They actually Copy more than 80% of Ling Yi's process for making AK paper replicas.
Although it has some flaws, it is perfectly acceptable in appearance.
"You're really good!" Ling Yi gave her a thumbs up, genuinely praising her.
Fu Qingyun wasn't immune to being stepped over by men, but for some reason, she felt nothing when other men praised her.
There might even be some disgust.
But she felt very happy to be praised by Ling Yi.
Perhaps it was an affirmation of her achievements? Fu Qingyun didn't know, but she liked this feeling very much.
"Is it okay?" Fu Qingyun asked softly.
"Yes, but there are some flaws in the barrel area, you see..."
As Ling Yi spoke, he placed a bamboo strip, which had been cut down to only three or four centimeters in size, into the chamber of his AK.
Pulling the bolt slightly, a bamboo strip bent into an arc appeared in the rear chamber.
As Ling Yi pulled the trigger, the bamboo strip suddenly straightened, and the small section of bamboo in the gun barrel was actually ejected.
Judging by the force, it was quite strong.
"My god, this thing can actually shoot?" Bai Xiaoyao, who was standing next to her, looked on in shock.
"Of course! You think it's just for show? This is Manifestation a weapon in the Underworld. Just having a showy appearance won't do!"
"Is it really necessary?" Fu Qingyun asked doubtfully.
She remembered that the first batch of paper offerings her great-grandmother gave her were just for show.
When my great-grandmother Dream Visitation for the second time, she only said that it wasn't easy to use, but didn't say that it couldn't be used.
"It's not that it has to be this way, but only in this way can a sufficiently powerful AK Manifestation in the Underworld. Otherwise, the power of the Manifestation AK will be greatly reduced."
"Even in the Underworld, I could only unleash 60% of my power."
"Strictly speaking, the more realistic the paper effigy, the greater its power Manifestation in the Underworld. If I can completely replicate the AK's manufacturing method, it will be able to unleash its full power in the Underworld."
"Unfortunately, it's too much trouble to perfectly recreate an AK using bamboo; we can only make a simplified version."
"Doesn't that mean the Mark Armor is completely hopeless?" Bai Xiaoyao was dumbfounded.
"A complete version is definitely not acceptable, but a defective one is still acceptable."
I'm a craftsman, so I can't really make a full Iron Man Armor, but I can manage to put together one to help the undead in the Underworld withstand damage.
"It seems I underestimated things," Fu Qingyun said with a wry smile.
"That's because you don't understand. You've already done a great job; it saves me a lot of time."
Such a valuable asset is rare; we must make good use of it.