I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality-Chapter 272 - 151: The Preacher, Heavenly Gang Arts_2

"Junior brother, where do you sell all those corpses?"

Upon hearing Wang Lingyuan’s question, Xu Qing replied unhurriedly, "Most of these corpses from the Government Office were not upright citizens before their deaths; they mostly did wrongdoings. I’m not looking to earn a lot of silver coins; I sell them to mines and mills. Who knows, the tofu you ate today, the coal that was burned, might have traces of these corpses."

"..."

Wang Lingyuan silently put down his chopsticks; perhaps he would never eat tofu again.

...

Later that evening, Xu Qing returned to the Funeral Shop and couldn’t wait to enter the side room, where a corpse was waiting for him.

Huang Xiaoliu looked at Xu Qing’s eager expression and said with some doubt, "The Sect Leader seems to really like corpses."

Xuan Yu, already accustomed to it, said, "This is a burial place; isn’t it normal to like corpses?"

In the side room, Xu Qing looked at the rewards from the Sutra of Salvation: a mountain-splitting axe and two Dragon Tiger Pills.

The mountain-splitting axe was a heavy black iron axe weighing about a hundred pounds, and the Dragon Tiger Pills had a simple effect: they could temporarily unleash one’s potential, granting the power of a dragon and tiger.

This was an enhanced version of the Strength Pill.

This kind of thing was only of Human-level; it didn’t even touch the edge of Earth-level. Xu Qing wasn’t very interested, but he was quite intrigued by Hong Baoyan’s revolving lantern.

Years ago, Hong Baoyan had chased someone, who, in a panic, hid in a cave. The walls of the cave were engraved with tadpole symbols and martial arts murals corresponding to those symbols.

If one followed the plots of storybooks, the young man being chased in panic would find an opportunity to comprehend these Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts, ultimately defeating his enemies and becoming famous in the martial world.

But was that truly the case?

Hong Baoyan searched outside for three days, and finally, in one of the caves, he found the young man who had just learned unknown techniques.

At that time, Hong Baoyan knew only the common martial arts techniques taught in martial halls, while the young man had learned the top techniques from the cave.

The young man’s confidence soared, but he forgot that Hong Baoyan was already a Meridian Realm Martial Master, while he had only been an external practitioner.

Even with martial arts techniques comparable to Celestial People, it was like a three-year-old child holding a sharp weapon; with just one encounter, Hong Baoyan easily took his life.

Hong Baoyan, a rough man, barely recognized any characters, let alone the tadpole symbols on the cave walls.

Though he knew the treasures were right before him, Hong Baoyan scratched his head, unable to comprehend anything.

Since he didn’t recognize the characters, he decided to memorize them by rote; finding someone who knew these symbols would mean he could still learn the skills from above, wouldn’t it?

Hong Baoyan acted on his idea, staring intently at the wall murals and tadpole symbols as if his eyes were bronze bells.

Two cups of tea later, the sound of snoring echoed in the cave.

But things didn’t end there. Xu Qing watched the revolving lantern and, a day and night later, Hong Baoyan suddenly got up in the cave.

He waved his fists, overjoyed, and said, "I’ve comprehended it! I’ve comprehended it!"

However, less than half a cup of tea time later, Hong Baoyan, grabbing his hair anxiously, said, "It’s over, it’s over, why can I only remember the first five forms, but not a single move of the ones that follow...?" ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Inside the Funeral Shop, Xu Qing resisted drowsiness and continued watching.

After mastering the incomplete technique and five forms, Hong Baoyan became the second most influential person in Jinmen Prefecture within two years.

The first person was Changting Wang.

"When will I become the first in Jinmen?"

Hong Baoyan often sighed until a few months ago when Changting Wang took his own life at the river mouth, making Hong Baoyan the top figure below the Martial Arts Grandmaster.

In Jinmen, at least on the surface, he became the foremost figure in the martial world.

Once a person has power, it’s easy to become unsatisfied.

Believing himself to be the first in Jinmen, Hong Baoyan started colluding with the aristocrats in the Capital City, allying himself with Chief Eunuch Feng Dehai and Elder Shi Song.

Subsequently, he consolidated control over the Jinmen Salt Gang, massacring the entire family of Salt Smuggler Cao Xiuying, who was under the command of Captain He in the Capital City.

Among the sixteen salt routes along the Huai River, Jinmen had six, Cao Xiuying controlled four, and Jinmen Gang occupied two.

With Lady Yama Grandma Cao gone, the private salt affairs in Jinmen now fell entirely into Hong Baoyan’s hands.

Perhaps because his influence was too overwhelming, the Jinmen Gang became even more reckless, occupying docks, interfering in the Linhe governmental business transactions, and openly engaging in banditry by leveraging water transport...

Ultimately, they provoked Xu Qing.

Hong Baoyan died not knowing what had happened; he never even saw Xu Qing’s face, yet the body ended up being transported to the Funeral Shop.

After forcing himself to finish watching Hong Baoyan’s revolving lantern, Xu Qing fell asleep.

The reason was simple: when Hong Baoyan was memorizing those tadpole symbols in the cave, Xu Qing was synchronizing his own memory.

The symbols themselves weren’t important; the key point was in the dream triggered by the symbols.

Lying in the coffin, half asleep and half awake, Xu Qing saw between the mountain mist a white-robed youth with three eyes, wielding a mountain-splitting axe, practicing forms.

Initially, the youth swung the axe slowly, but each move and form could cut through the clouds between the mountains.

After the first five forms, the white-robed youth suddenly started to increase speed abruptly, as if before the five forms was an old lady climbing a slope, the subsequent forms were like a young general on the training ground riding a horse and drawing a bow.

The speed with which the white-robed youth practiced was like the arrows shot from the young general’s hand.

Xu Qing finally realized why Hong Baoyan only remembered the first five forms.

Because this thing wasn’t meant for ordinary people!

The first five forms were techniques, but the later ones clearly bore the mark of the Dao.

Between the continents of misty mountains, the speed at which the white-robed youth practiced the forms reached a point where even Xu Qing had difficulty keeping up.

Inside the coffin, the sleeping Xu Qing’s eyelids trembled as he murmured, "Slow down, it’s too fast..."

When Hong Baoyan entered the dream, he too had murmured like this, but the propagator in the dream ignored him.

Though Xu Qing spoke instinctively, in the dream, the white-robed youth actually slowed down.

"Slower, slower."

The white-robed youth paused, seemingly having some trouble breathing, but he still followed Xu Qing’s words, slowing down to an unprecedented pace.

"I didn’t understand that last form; could you demonstrate it again?"

"..."

The white-robed youth retracted the mountain-splitting axe and repeated the previous form several times.

Outside the Funeral Shop, the sun set and the moon rose.

After Xu Qing had proficiently practiced the thirty-five forms, the white-robed youth stood still, his solemn gaze fixed on the horizon, as if there was something terrifying there.

"May I ask your honorable name, elder, and what is the name of these thirty-five techniques?"

The white-robed youth still remained silent.

Just when Xu Qing thought he was just an endlessly repeating transmission device, the white-robed youth suddenly spoke:

"This set of techniques is called the Thirty-Six Methods of Heavenly Twisting; the axe is the weapon of all arms, the only one that can push martial arts to its peak."

"Now I will pass on the last axe to you. This axe is called—Heavenly Split!"

As soon as he spoke, the aura of the white-robed youth surged, and his previously calm eyes instantly sharpened.

Before the towering mountains, the white robe of the youth fluttered like a flag, the tendons on his arms knotted like dragons.

Xu Qing saw the mountain-splitting axe grow tremendously in the wind, its length and width immeasurable, with fierce winds whistling across its blade.

In the next moment, the youth swung the massive axe down, a white rainbow shot from the mountain’s summit, cutting through until a thunderous boom resounded, and the youth stood upright, axe withdrawn.

The mist like ephemeral clouds vanished entirely, and Xu Qing saw at a glance that the distant mountains reaching into the sky had been cleaved in two.

The cross-section of blue rock was as hot as molten lava, and the dragon energy dormant within the land veins wailed and dissipated.

Looking at that axe, Xu Qing’s heart remained unsettled for a long time.

Was this really martial arts?

Turning his head, Xu Qing’s lips were dry as he spoke, "Might you demonstrate it once more, elder?"

"..."

This time, the white-robed youth didn’t accommodate Xu Qing. Instead, he lifted the mountain-splitting axe that had returned to its original form, and with a flick of his hand, he threw the axe upon Xu Qing.

Xu Qing woke from the pressure.

He opened his eyes to find a black cat sitting on his chest, staring at him unblinkingly.