Near home, one's feelings grow timid; timidity doesn't have to mean fear, but rather that after a long separation, the yearning on the verge of returning is too intense.
The closer Xu Qing drew to his own Funeral Shop, the more he nostalgically recalled the days of collecting corpses and performing Rescue, and his own cat at home. He had no idea, now that he'd come back this time, why Xuan Yu was still nowhere to be seen...
Outside the Incense and Candle Shop, Xu Qing was gossiping idly with Xiu Niang and the Wang Family's Little Sister, yet couldn't help constantly letting his attention stray toward the Funeral Shop.
When it comes to long-parted reunions, the reactions of beasts and birds are far more straightforward than those of reserved humans, and much fiercer.
Those dogs raised in ordinary households—if their masters are gone just two or three days—will be so overjoyed it's ridiculous, wishing they could burst through the courtyard wall, knock their owner flat, lick and nuzzle and prance around. Even the Immortal Dog General who has already Ascended to Immortality beside the True Monarch Xiansheng can't overturn this instinctive reaction.
Just like when Xu Qing had first returned, the ones who rushed to greet him were all the various Immortal Families from the halls.
But what was going on with his own cat? Surely it couldn't be that while he was away the cat had raised a new Zombie...
The house was only one step away from the gate, yet that certain Zombie was stubbornly holding back from stepping in even half a step.
Outside the Incense and Candle Shop, Xiu Niang watched the distracted Xu Qing, raising a hand to wave in front of his face, calling: "Sir, sir?"
"Huh? Oh, what were you just saying? Whose cat isn't obeying?"
"..."
Xiu Niang pressed her lips together, quietly watching Xu Qing put on a show.
Beside them, the Wang Family's Little Sister, who had been cultivating for many years, blinked and likewise pretended to be confused.
At the door, drawn by the rocking horse and currently riding the paper horse in play, Stone Grandson Daoist asked doubtfully, "Cat? What cat?"
On the left, Lianpeng Daoist urged, "Quick, quick! It's my turn to play!"
That half-grown paper Armored Horse had been made years ago by Xu Qing, using Bashu Skill combined with Immortal Craftsmanship and the Lu Ban Scripture; they were all set out at the Funeral Shop's doorway.
Back then, it wasn't uncommon for children to come in groups to play—just toss a copper plate into the slot and the Armored Horse would creak and sway; if a Mystic Person fed it with Immortal Spirit Marvels, the horse would even carry people running back and forth. It was simply a divine tool for attracting children!
But after all, riding a paper horse wasn't exactly a thing of good omen. Those kids would be bubbling with snot from laughter one minute, and the next their indescribable father-gods and mother-gods would drag them home to feast on a stir-fry of hide and whip.
"What's Daddy's daddy called, Daddy's daddy is called..."
The paper Armored Horse shook and swayed, and the Sound-Collecting Conch hidden inside shouted merrily, making the Sea Assembly Great God green with envy!
Though widely experienced and knowledgeable, even he had never seen such a demonic little contraption!
The youth born of the Demon Pill even felt the impulse to put this thing at his own celestial doorway in the Celestial Realm, replacing the pair of Qilin Jade Beasts by the gate.
Yet whenever he thought of that indescribable Exquisite Pagoda, he couldn't help curling his lip.
"Monkey! That's enough, it's my turn to ride!"
"Shoo, shoo! Who told you to feed it all that nonsense? Now you've spoiled the horse, serves you right to suffer!"
"Horses' Fortune! Don't think you're so great just because you can keep horses!"
There had originally been two Armored Horses outside the Funeral Shop, but sadly, paper horses couldn't withstand the Magical Treasures and artifacts the Sea Assembly Great God kept feeding them, and they ended up literally bursting themselves to death.
Shi Sun was different. That monkey had at least raised horses before, even led horses and set stirrups in the mortal world; he knew the difference between common nags and divine steeds, understood how to commune with a horse's spirit in advance, and grasped the principle of precise feeding.
Now, feeding a paper horse that already bore a rough hint of Spiritual Light was even more of a sure thing in his hands!
"Want to ride? Then call out 'Grandpa' for me to hear first!"
Monkey and lotus root traded jests and curses, driving all worries completely from their minds.
On this side, after holding back for so long, Xu Qing really couldn't endure it anymore. Just as he was about to stride into the Funeral Shop, drag out the cat inside, shut the door and give it a fierce round of petting, the door of the Funeral Shop swung open!
A little girl in black clothes and a black skirt darted anxiously out of the shop; the instant she saw Xu Qing, she flew at him like a fledgling swallow diving back into the forest!
Xu Qing lowered his head to look at the house cat clinging tightly to him without saying a word, and finally allowed a gratified smile to surface.
In that moment, everything he'd been thinking went without saying.
With the cat purring against his chest, Xu Qing felt the naturally drooping soft hair, and forced himself to resist the itch in his hands, keeping a straight face as he said, "I've been back for so long—why are you only coming out now?"
Xuan Yu raised her head, fixing her gaze steadily on Xu Qing, and then that clear childlike voice, like emerald dropping onto stone, rang out:
"While Xu Immortal Family was away, I collected many gifts from the dead, all waiting for you to return so they can be given to Xu Immortal Family."
"All those gifts are stored in the Ghost King Mausoleum. I was just at the Ancient Yin River Dao fetching treasures!"
Xu Qing opened his mouth, and the last bit of discomfort in his heart completely vanished.
With a cat like this, such a Zombie life is more than enough!
Shi Sun, whose ears heard in all directions, caught the word "treasures" and immediately dropped the reins, sidling over:
"Treasures? What treasures?"
Xuan Yu only then shifted her gaze onto the Daoist with all that monkey energy about him. "Good treasures! The kind of good treasures Xu Immortal Family likes best!"
"Heh! What Magical Treasure has Old Sun not seen? The Dragon Palace of the East Sea, Douluo Celestial Palace—what treasures do they not have..."
Shi Sun still hadn't caught on, not until he followed Lady Qingqing into the Funeral Shop and saw that mountain of piled-up corpses in the backyard. Then he belatedly said, "These treasures you're talking about—don't tell me you mean these dead people?"
Xuan Yu ignored Shi Sun, only pacing back and forth around the corpse pile. If she were in her original form, her tail would probably already be sticking up to the heavens by now, just waiting for Xu Immortal Family to praise her for being so good at managing the household!
Seeing those perfectly preserved corpses, Xu Qing only felt his lips go dry. In all the years he'd been gone in seclusion, it had been a long time since he'd last flipped the Corpse Consort's brand.
Stone Grandson Daoist watched as Xu Qing left him to the side and started performing salvation rites for those corpses, and in his heart he found it all extremely bizarre.
To think that back in the day he had once tricked Tianpeng, telling him there was a fine treasure in the water well of the Imperial Garden of Wuji Kingdom—never imagining that today he'd be the one getting played by a junior fellow disciple.