I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 253 - 142: Rely on the Flag, Corpse Roar Skill_2

Second Master Feng felt his brain buzzing. This young man’s temperament was even more forceful than his own.

"Second Master, please don’t say any more. My father went out on an escort two years ago and hasn’t returned. In this escort agency, there are hundreds of mouths to feed, and I must support them all. Therefore, the rules of this business cannot be broken. I can’t let everyone down!"

Finally, Xie Yunyan clasped his hands and said, "Second Master, you are a regular guest in our escort agency. From my grandfather’s time, our families have been friends. To call it a friendship of three generations is not an exaggeration. Today I must trouble you with looking after the remains of my brothers. Once I have sorted this matter out, I will come to thank you properly."

After burning incense and paying respects to his brothers, Xie Yunyan led the other escort masters out in a hurry.

As he reached the door, Xie Yunyan glanced at Xu Qing, who was watching the commotion with a black cat at his feet, and suddenly stopped, saying, "Is this your cat?"

Xu Qing nodded.

"The mourning hall is a sacred place. No cats, wild or domestic, should enter and disturb the dead..."

Xu Qing interrupted, "I am a mortician, and this cat has been with me for a long time. It understands and won’t disturb the bodies."

"If you don’t believe me, I can demonstrate."

Saying this, Xu Qing signaled Xuan Yu with a nod, "Come, perform a backflip for this gentleman."

...

Xuan Yu looked at Xu Qing expressionlessly, then darted out of the courtyard without looking back.

Seeing this, Xie Yunyan smirked but did not argue further.

As long as the cat stayed out of the mourning hall, it was not a big issue.

...

After the escort masters from Taian Escort Agency left, Xu Qing turned and walked into the mourning hall.

"Second Master, what brings you here?"

Second Master Feng’s face turned red when he saw Xu Qing.

"Don’t mention it! Brother Xu, to be honest, I’ve failed to fulfill my promise to you..."

Second Master Feng started rambling, detailing all the unfortunate events of the past few days.

After hearing Second Master Feng’s account, Xu Qing frowned deeply.

He had previously asked Second Master Feng to help him find some high-quality yin gold funerary coins. There were many of these coins in the antique markets of the Capital City, so Second Master Feng had someone purchase a sufficient quantity and entrusted them to Taian Escort Agency to have an escort master transport them to Jinmen by water.

Jinmen’s waterways were well-developed, so barring any unforeseen circumstances, the grave goods and yin gold should have arrived at Linhe within a few days. However, as the convoy reached Linhe Wharf, people from the Jinmen Gang seized Second Master Feng’s ship under the pretext of searching for contraband salt.

The ship didn’t only contain Xu Qing’s goods; there were also many funerary items and coffins. Although these items seemed valuable, only Second Master Feng knew that they were filled with death money such as wuzhu coins, horse-hoof gold, and linzhi gold.

Even now, Second Master Feng could not understand why the Jinmen Gang would steal these items.

Though ancient, these items were far less valuable than paintings or ceramics. Pondering it over, perhaps the Jinmen Gang’s looters didn’t understand their true value and mistook the grave goods for a massive fortune!

A gang dealing in contraband salt had daringly seized legitimate ships under the guise of searching for contraband salt and even claimed that the death money on the ship was actually Dayong Dynasty’s salt.

Who could you argue with about this?

The Jianghuai Salt Gang, a malformed organization closely tied to the state-run salt and iron industry, had bullied the whole local community at Linhe into silence. Even Second Master Feng, a powerful figure in the Capital, had suffered a setback.

Looking at the neatly arranged corpses in the mourning hall, Xu Qing stepped forward, picked up three sticks of incense, and silently placed them in the incense burner.

"Brother Xu, this matter has nothing to do with you. Please don’t worry about it..."

Second Master Feng sighed, "The Salt Gang is not something our Galloping Immortal family can handle. The waterways of Jianghuai are dangerous, and the Jinmen Gang moves unhindered, meaning they must have powerful figures backing them. It’s best not to provoke them. As for the goods..."

"In a few days, I’ll send someone to the Capital City again. This time we won’t use the waterways. It might take a month or two, but we can still acquire the goods."

Xu Qing shook his head, "There’s no need to trouble yourself, Second Master. I don’t need these goods for now."

Changing the subject, Xu Qing said, "I’d like to perform a ritual for these escort masters. Would that be convenient?"

"It’s fine, it’s just that I feel embarrassed for not being able to help you, Brother Xu, and now asking you to go out of your way again..."

Xu Qing shook his head, "You’ve already done a great job, Second Master. I’m very grateful to you."

"Oh, no thanks needed!" Second Master Feng waved his hand, "I was thinking of going to the temple to invite some monks and Daoists for the ritual. With you here, it saves me the trouble."

...

In the mourning hall, Xu Qing burned incense and performed rituals, transcending the souls of the deceased escort masters.

As he turned the pages of the Sutra of Salvation, the Wangchuan River appeared.

Xu Qing successively transcended five bodies, reaping great rewards.

Five Martial Arts Classics, a Four-sided Lean Banner, a Dark Cloud Mace, a Poison Dragon Nine-Section Whip, and some Strength Pills and Golden Healing Powder frequently used by escort masters.

The Dark Cloud Mace and Nine-Section Whip were both Human-level items, and the Four-sided Lean Banner also had its own significance.

The Lean Banner was originally a flag carried by military generals on stage, symbolizing the presence of a thousand troops.

The Four-sided Lean Banner in Xu Qing’s possession had a similar function, allowing the bearer to create four illusory clones. These clones had no physical form, but the bearer could freely move between them.

As for the origin of Xu Qing’s Four-sided Lean Banner...

In the escort sect, there were four types of escort masters: escort master, banner-hanging escort master, gold-hanging escort master, and town-guarding escort master.

To become an escort master, skill in martial arts alone was insufficient; one also needed a reputation in the Jianghuai. Only then would others give way and show respect when the banner was unfurled.

During an escort, each escort master would fly their own banner as a symbol of their presence.

The five escort masters Xu Qing transcended just made up a complete escort team.

The leading town-guarding escort master was almost fifty years old, having lost a leg before. Although his martial skills didn’t match the gold-hanging escort master, his prestige and experience were unmatched among the escort masters. freewebnσvel.cѳm

This town-guarding escort master carried a deep purple commanding flag.

The gold-hanging escort master was the most skilled among the five, wielding a Fine Steel Mace and reaching the Condensing Gang Realm in martial arts.

This master carried a golden flag.

The banner-hanging escort master was the all-rounder in the team, adept at scouting terrain, negotiating, and fighting to protect the escort. However, individually, these skills were no match for the gold-hanging or town-guarding escort masters.

Therefore, the banner-hanging escort master acted as a substitute, ready to step in if the commander or lead escort master was killed.

The remaining escort masters and porters acted as guides, responsible for navigating, arranging accommodations, and handling all other miscellaneous tasks.

The banner-hanging escort master carried a red flag, and the escort master carried a blue flag.

Now that Xu Qing had the four flags, he could create four clones, and along with himself, he formed a complete escort team configuration.

Tsk, if he were to join an escort agency, he would surely be paid five times the salary!

Overall, the rewards were quite good, even though they were Human-level, it was still a valuable set, acquired all at once.

Considering he had to have a chat with the Jinmen Gang soon, he figured he could test the effectiveness of the Lean Banner set then.

Refocusing his thoughts, Xu Qing turned his attention to the five Martial Arts Classics he had obtained.

Lion’s Roar Skill, Mountain-Opening Mace, Six Harmonies Spear, Ghost Head Whip, Eagle Split Eighteen Hands...

Lion’s Roar Skill came from a porter in the escort team.

Porters were responsible for leading the way and shouting signals.

The signals were usually two words: ’He Wu’.

Meaning friendly people.

When crossing bridges or stopping at inns, they would give a long call, He——Wu.

If there was no threat, they could safely proceed or rest, then it was short and clear, He Wu.

The long call was also called the Phoenix’s Three Nods, and when encountering bandits, if an agreement was reached, they would also call He Wu.

These were the porters’ skills, and the one Xu Qing transcended was skilled in Lion’s Roar Skill.

In the mourning hall, Xu Qing tried using the breathing techniques of Lion’s Roar Skill. However, as a zombie, he lacked the innate breathing ability of the living.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Qing decided to replace breathing with yin energy. At that moment, he felt an intense urge to roar.

Suppressing that urge, Xu Qing opened his eyes and couldn’t help but smile.

Although Lion’s Roar Skill might not suit him, Corpse Roar Skill seemed not hard to master.

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