I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 240 - 136: Funeral Loan, The Enclosed Hall_2

Sun Erzhuang felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Sir, you have already helped so much. How dare I bother you further..."

Hearing this, Xu Qing’s smile became even more kind, "I am the Funeral Master you invited. These are all my duties, nothing worth mentioning."

"But now, if we are to bury the donkey, one coffin won’t be enough. It just so happens that I have a new coffin here..."

After finalizing the burial arrangements for the donkey, Xu Qing immediately began to gather and sew together the donkey hide and meat. He also re-stitched the damaged coffin.

After finishing all this, Xu Qing placed the donkey’s body into the coffin and took the donkey cart back to the Mountain Lord Temple as a burial accompaniment.

Using the Feng Shui divination method, Xu Qing found a satisfactory burial plot behind the temple. He then buried the coffin containing the donkey and the accompanying donkey cart together. novelbuddy-cσ๓

In front of the newly erected grave, the donkey rope was mourning.

Sun Erzhuang couldn’t bear it and burned more paper money for his donkey.

After burying the donkey hastily, it was time to handle Guan Flower Granny’s funeral arrangements.

Xu Qing selected a good coffin from the Mountain and River Map to bury the old lady.

Just as the old lady’s grave was erected, rain began to drizzle from the sky.

Xu Qing opened an umbrella, patted Sun Erzhuang’s shoulder, and said, "In our trade, there’s a saying: Rain on the coffin, ten years of hardship; rain on the grave, brings forth a nobleman. The old lady must have a spirit in the sky, blessing you to succeed!"

Rain falling on the coffin means ten years of hardship, rain moistening the grave indicates noble descendants.

Xu Qing’s words were not mere comfort. In the funeral industry, such a saying indeed exists.

In front of the grave, Sun Erzhuang, who was burning paper, felt a pang of sorrow upon hearing this.

He lowered his head, his throat feeling choked, and said, "I used to see you burning incense and praying for protection for this and that. How come now it’s your turn to bless me..."

Guan Dazhuang didn’t turn back into human form. It stood in front of the grave, staring at the tombstone, even as the rain soaked its fur.

Carved on the tombstone was a line of regular inscription: The Tomb of the Late Ancestor (Guan) Sun’s Mother Guan.

Xu Qing silently held the umbrella for the filial son. When the ceremony for the old lady was over, they returned to Guanmen Village, and it was nearly noon.

"Dazhuang, can you still transform into human form?"

Xu Qing suddenly asked.

Guan Dazhuang shook his head, "I need incense to maintain my form. After fighting that beast yesterday, the accumulated incense power is almost exhausted..."

"It’s a pity that the Mountain Lord Temple has lost its prestige. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in such a sorry state."

Hearing this, Xu Qing had a plan in mind. He smiled and assessed the mighty tiger before him, "It is indeed difficult to restore the Mountain Lord Temple. However, besides doing funeral business, I also serve as the Grand Sect Leader of the Cat Immortal Hall. If you are interested, you can join my hall as a Branch Hall Master. Then there will be no shortage of incense offerings."

Guan Dazhuang asked, "May I ask who the current Immortal Hall Master of the Cat Immortal Hall is?"

Xu Qing replied, "The Sitting Hall Master is a Cat Immortal. The Cat Immortal Hall is currently in need of talent. If you are willing to join, I can let Sun Erzhuang be the Circle Hall Master together with you."

A large Immortal Hall usually has a Grand Sect Leader overseeing it. Apart from that, there would be ten Sub-Branch Leaders managing various affairs.

These ten sub-branches have specific names: Sweeping Hall, Suppressing Hall, Transmission Hall, Supervision Hall, Protection Hall, Sitting Hall, Receiving Hall, Circle Hall, Feng Shui Hall, and Medical Hall...

These sub-branches have distinct grades and responsibilities.

The Circle Hall that Xu Qing mentioned mainly handles getting business for the Immortal Hall.

It means to solicit and acquire orders.

Hearing that he could only oversee a sub-branch and that the main hall was managed by a small cat, Guan Dazhuang declined Xu Qing’s offer.

A tiger, being a monarch of the mountain, holds great dignity and couldn’t be subservient to others.

Seeing Guan Dazhuang decline, Xu Qing did not mind. He cheerfully headed to Sun Erzhuang’s home. Soon after entering, he straightforwardly said, "I have taken care of the old lady’s affairs. Now I must return. If there’s nothing else, why don’t you two filial sons settle the funeral expenses..."

Guan Dazhuang, with his tiger’s head, sat to the side, apparently unaware of the severity of the issue.

Sun Erzhuang suddenly realized, "Oh my, my memory! I invited you to preside over the funeral. Now that everything is done, it’s right to settle the costs."

"Please tell me the price, sir."

Xu Qing smiled, took out an abacus, and began to calculate.

"One oak coffin, five taels; incense candles and paper money, four hundred and fifty cash; sewing the body and ritual services cost four taels of silver..."

At the end, Xu Qing added, "Repairing the coffin is two cash of silver. The boiled eggs you two ate were top-quality double-yolked eggs, each costing at least five cash, totaling over a hundred cash."

"Plus, the cost for treating Dazhuang’s wounds is one hundred taels of silver."

"Adding up all the miscellaneous costs, the total is one hundred twenty-one taels and four hundred cash."

After tapping the last abacus bead, Xu Qing generously said, "I have always done business without fussing over gains and losses. The small change I’ll waive for you two. Just give me one hundred twenty taels of silver!"

The coffin trade, dead or alive, always requires payment.

This is the consensus in the funeral business.

Upon hearing the amount, Sun Erzhuang’s fat trembled.

It’s known that whether it’s a shaman or a Galloping Immortal Disciple, there’s a rule that they only charge for their travel or meal expenses per job.

If they charge more, they are con artists roaming the world, not true practitioners.

Therefore, Guan Flower Granny hadn’t saved much silver, which was related to her way of handling things and Sun Erzhuang’s appetite.

Now, hearing the huge cost of a hundred taels, the fat man was startled at first and then became somewhat troubled:

"Sir, you have a life-saving grace for me. Let alone a hundred taels, even a thousand or ten thousand, I would be willing to give. But you can see, my family is not wealthy..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing didn’t mind. Instead, he smiled and said, "No worries, I also offer funeral credit services. There are notices posted at the city gate, and there’s no interest."

"But..." Xu Qing paused and then continued, "But this credit convenience is only for funeral-related expenses and does not cover other expenditures."

"Let me calculate. Excluding the cost of treating Dazhuang, the funeral expenses total twenty taels. You brothers only need to clear Dazhuang’s treatment costs for now."

"..."

Guan Dazhuang, who had been uninvolved all along, finally realized the seriousness of the matter.

"If I don’t have silver, what does sir plan to do?"

Guan Dazhuang rumbled in a deep voice.

Xu Qing smiled slightly, "No silver is fine too. My Cat Immortal Hall is just short of a Circle Hall steward to run errands. If you come over to work off your debt, it can be arranged."

This was the moment Guan Dazhuang realized his predicament.

No wonder Xu Qing was so indifferent when he declined the Cat Immortal Hall earlier; he had been waiting for this moment.

"What if I refuse?"

Xu Qing smiled, "A brother’s debt is a brother’s responsibility. You are a tiger, I never expected you to repay the debt. If you refuse, Erzhuang might not. I think Erzhuang is more suitable to manage the Circle Hall than you."

Sun Erzhuang, having been brought up by Guan Flower Granny and influenced by her, knew some of the jargon.

"Sir wants me to help manage the hall. I don’t mind, but about the Circle Hall..."

Xu Qing looked at Sun Erzhuang and said, "The Mountain Lord Temple isn’t being used, right? Hire craftsmen to repair it, and it can be used as a branch hall."

Guan Dazhuang questioned, "The Mountain Lord Temple has long lost its incense offerings. Even if repaired, who would come to worship?"

"That’s easy. In the future, we can turn the Mountain Lord Temple into the Cat Immortal Hall. I will invite various Immortal Beings to hold a dewdrop ceremony, and we will spread the word that the Cat Immortal Hall has eliminated the evil monster on Old Platform Mountain. Just parade Guan Xiaohu’s body around the surrounding villages, and we will have no shortage of incense offerings."

Guan Dazhuang’s tiger eyes widened; was such a plan really possible?

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