Noticing the paper effigy shop owner's hesitation, Xu Xiangqian resorted to his old trick: "If it doesn't work out, you can go with Old Zhang later to Qingya Villa to get the money. He can bring it for you!"
Just then, Old Zhang returned with two young men. He caught the tail end of the conversation and chimed in: "This is a teacher from the Academy. What's there not to trust?"
Jiang Wang couldn't help but glance at him. The man's voice was cold and chilling, but inside he had a warm heart.
The middle-aged man from the paper effigy shop simply replied: "Alright."
He then lowered his head to continue working on his paper effigies, appearing quite skilled.
Meanwhile, Old Zhang from the coffin shop said to Xu Xiangqian: "Mr. Xu, the two I found are both strong young men willing to work hard. Do you think they'll do?"
Xu Xiangqian waved his hand grandly: "They'll do!"
He didn't forget to add: "Let's not bother two people for one thing. Their wages, you can also go to Qingya Villa to collect."
"Alright, alright," Old Zhang agreed repeatedly.
The two young men were indeed sturdy. In the late autumn, they only wore thin clothes, their muscles clearly defined. They carried a coffin on their shoulders, walking with ease.
It wasn't that a mere coffin was something Xu Xiangqian or Jiang Wang couldn't carry themselves, or that they were so pampered they had to have others serve them.
Rather, having people carry the coffin was already a step in the funeral rites. This was already the most simplified version.
Originally, for the burial, eight people were needed to carry the coffin. These eight people had to be respected elders in the family who could command respect, known as the "Eight Carriers."
But Xu Fang had no blood relatives left. His hometown was in Songcheng, Xinming Commandery. Those "fellow townspeople" who watched Xu Fang's family die because of the "Closed Door Gold" - if they were asked to carry the coffin, Xu Fang's corpse would probably climb out of the coffin in anger.
The two young men carried the coffin behind, while Xu Xiangqian held two paper effigies in each hand, leading the way with four paper effigies.
According to the complete funeral rites, besides the Eight Carriers, there should be people holding white banners, clearing the path, sending paper effigies, scattering joss paper...
Xu Xiangqian took on all these roles himself.
He had no kinship or friendship with Xu Fang. This matter was neither good-looking nor auspicious. As a disciple of Qingya Academy, it was somewhat "lowering his status." Which made it all the more precious.
Jiang Wang followed behind. He now represented Chongxuan Sheng to some extent. Attending the funeral was the limit, and it could be understood. After all, Xu Fang was a respectable person who had genuinely helped Chongxuan Sheng. If Chongxuan Sheng's side remained completely indifferent, it would seem too deliberate.
But closer actions like supporting the coffin were not appropriate.
A balance needed to be struck regarding people's perceptions.
Old Zhang from the coffin shop also accompanied them. As soon as the coffin was carried out of the shop, he closed the door, eager to go to Qingya Villa to collect the money. No matter how much he appeared to trust, he was anxious inside.
They only walked together for a short distance, planning to part at the intersection ahead.
Jiang Wang looked around aimlessly and indeed saw his target again, but only glanced past without alerting the person.
He casually asked Old Zhang: "That paper effigy shop next to yours, did it just open?"
Old Zhang from the coffin shop was stunned for a moment: "The shop has been open for many years. It's just that Old Li went back to his hometown a few days ago to recover from illness and had his nephew take over the business for a while. It was quite sudden - he left in a hurry without saying anything... What, are the paper effigies made by Old Li's nephew not good? We're not familiar either. He's only been here a few days and doesn't talk much."
These people couldn't be offended, so Old Zhang immediately shirked responsibility.
"No, no," Jiang Wang explained. "I just noticed you seemed a bit unfamiliar, so I asked."
"I see."
Old Zhang from the coffin shop responded, and the two said no more. At the intersection ahead, he turned toward Qingya Villa.
Jiang Wang followed the coffin bearers toward Green Stone Palace.
The middle-aged, dull man from the paper effigy shop had problems, even though he was skilled at making paper effigies and looked the part.
Jiang Wang noticed the shop was already quite old, and the middle-aged man's clothes were washed until they were faded, suggesting he was frugal.
But two paper effigies were credited without hesitation. The money wasn't much, and it wasn't a coffin made of golden nanmu wood. There was no reason to offer credit, and they weren't familiar with each other.
It really didn't seem like someone running a small business.
Later, the hesitation came because Xu Xiangqian asked to credit two more - if he had agreed immediately, it would have been too fake.
According to Old Zhang from the coffin shop, the middle-aged man was the nephew of the original paper effigy shop owner. This seemed fine, but it couldn't withstand careful scrutiny.
Recovering from illness not in Linzi, but traveling all the way back to his hometown? Also, if Old Li really had his nephew take over his shop, he would have introduced him to the neighbors and asked them to look after him.
From all this, Jiang Wang could conclude that the dull middle-aged man was definitely not there to honestly run a paper effigy business.
But this was ultimately none of his business. The safety of Linzi City was the responsibility of the Imperial Guard, and public order was handled by the Inspection Bureau. Moreover, the man might not necessarily be a villain.
He couldn't act just because of suspicion, so he kept this matter in his heart.
Carrying the coffin through streets and alleys, even in the densely populated Linzi City, people had to make way.
Outside Green Stone Palace, it was desolate. No one blocked them, and there wasn't even a person in sight.
There wasn't even an odd look, which made one's heart creep with fear.
Xu Xiangqian led the way in front, and aside from their footsteps, there was no other sound.
The two young men hired to carry the coffin chatted a bit at first to perhaps bolster their courage, but later they fell silent.
Outside the only door of Green Stone Palace, Jiang Wang saw the dead Xu Fang—
The man was still in a kneeling position, facing the palace door, hands clasped together holding a dagger, his chest and abdomen cut open... his appearance was extremely tragic.
Because he had been dead for some time without anyone to lay out the body, the corpse had undergone a certain degree of decay... but it was generally still intact, and his features could be distinguished.
The two young coffin bearers vomited on the spot.
Jiang Wang and Xu Xiangqian were both silent.
Xu Xiangqian directly used Haoran Qi to lift Xu Fang's body and place it into the coffin made for him.
Jiang Wang formed hand seals and summoned the Devouring Flower to clean the filth from the ground.
Green stone bricks, green moss. The cold, silent Green Stone Palace.
Jiang Wang asked with some concern: "If you directly use Haoran Righteous Qi to touch it, will it affect your cultivation..."
Xu Xiangqian said with rare seriousness: "A person like Xu Fang, even if he becomes a corpse, even if the corpse decays, is not filth. He is closer to Righteous Qi itself than Haoran Righteous Qi. I, Xu Xiangqian, am honored to lay him out."
Haoran Righteous Qi was after all just a cultivation method. Even someone like Master Liu from Jiacheng could cultivate it. But true "Righteous Qi" came from one's character and was indestructible.
Jiang Wang looked up and saw a tilting-headed sparrow on the flying eaves, seeming very curious about them.
"There's not even a fly to be seen here, yet there's a sparrow?" Xu Xiangqian seemed to have some thoughts.
Jiang Wang reached out and pulled him: "Let's go. Don't miss the time."
Xu Xiangqian naturally received this warning not to cause trouble. After thinking, he still called out to the coffin bearers: "Let's go."
The two young men had mostly recovered, and they lifted the coffin and left. This place was truly unsettling.
Outside Green Stone Palace, which rarely had any activity, the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
Green Stone Palace was like a dead object, like the green stone itself, letting the wind blow and rain beat, and letting people come and go.