404: Chapter 62 Sparrow_1 404: Chapter 62 Sparrow_1 Noticing the paper doll shop owner’s hesitation, Xu Xiangqian repeated his old trick, “If that really won’t work, you can turn back and together with Old Zhang, go to Qingya Sub-court to ask for money.
It’s also fine if he brings it for you!”
As it happened, Old Zhang had just returned with two young n.
After hearing just a bit, he chid 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 cool and sinister, but he had a warm heart deep down.
Hearing Old Zhang say this, the middle-aged man from the paper doll shop just responded with a “That’s fine.”
He then lowered his head and went back to his paper dolls, his movents suggesting he was very skilled.
Old Zhang from the coffin shop then said to Xu Xiangqian, “Mr.
Xu, these two lads I’ve found are really willing to put in the effort.
Do you think they’re suitable?”
Xu Xiangqian waved his hand magnanimously, “They’ll do!”
He didn’t forget to add, “It’s best not to burden others with multiple tasks.
For their wages, you can also ask for them at Qingya Sub-court.”
“Yes, yes,” Old Zhang agreed repeatedly.
The two young n were indeed robust.
In the late autumn, they were dressed in just single layers, showing off their well-defined muscles.
They carried the coffin effortlessly, one at each end.
It wasn’t that a re coffin was too heavy for Xu Xiangqian or Jiang Wang to bear, nor were they so pampered that they needed others to attend to them.
Rather, having others carry the coffin was simply one part of the funeral rituals.
This was already a significantly simplified version.
Normally, there should be eight pallbearers during a burial, and these individuals had to be of high prestige and able to command respect within the clan, referred to as the “Eight Bearers.”
But Xu Fang had no blood relatives left.
His old ho was in Song City of Xinming County—those “neighbors” who had watched Xu Fang’s family die out for the “kiss of death” money.
If they were asked to carry the coffin, Xu Fang’s corpse might get so angry that it would climb out of the coffin.
The two robust n carried the coffin behind, while Xu Xiangqian, with a paper doll in each hand, led the way in front.
According to the full funeral ritual, besides the Eight Bearers, there should also be those who carry the white banners, lead the way, deliver paper dolls, scatter paper money…
All these roles were taken by Xu Xiangqian alone.
He had no kinship or personal connection with Xu Fang.
This task was both inauspicious and unseemly.
For a disciple of Qingya Academy, it was sowhat deed as “lowering oneself.” It was especially comndable.
Jiang Wang followed behind.
Now, in a sense, he could already represent Zhongxuan Sheng.
Attending the funeral procession was the limit, and was also understandable.
After all, Xu Fang was a man worth admiring and had indeed helped Zhongxuan Sheng substantially.
If the people from Zhongxuan Sheng’s side were completely indifferent, it would seem overly deliberate.
But taking a step closer, such as assisting with the coffin, was also inappropriate.
This situation required a delicate balance of human considerations.
Old Zhang from the coffin shop was also following along.
As soon as he had lifted the coffin out of the shop, he had closed up, eager to head to Qingya Sub-court for his money.
No matter how much he seed to trust outwardly, he was anxious inside.
They just walked together for a short distance before reaching the next street corner where they parted ways.
Jiang Wang looked around aimlessly, and sure enough, he spotted his target, but only brushed past, not alarming the person.
anwhile, he casually asked Old Zhang, “The paper doll shop next to yours, has it just opened?”
Old Zhang from the coffin shop was taken aback and said, “The shop has been open for quite a few years, but Old Li went back to his hotown to recuperate a few days ago and let his nephew take over the business.
The situation was quite sudden; he left in a rush without much chance to say anything…
What, are the paper dolls made by Old Li’s nephew not up to standard?
We’re not acquainted.
He’s only been here a few days and doesn’t talk much.”
These were people not to be offended, so Old Zhang imdiately disclaid any responsibility.
“Not at all,” Jiang Wang clarified.
“I just noticed that you seed sowhat unfamiliar with each other, so I asked.”
“I see.”
With that, Old Zhang from the coffin shop replied and the two of them fell silent.
Upon reaching the intersection ahead, Old Zhang turned toward Qingya Sub-court.
Jiang Wang, on the other hand, continued following behind the coffin bearers towards Blue Stone Palace.
There was sothing off about the wooden middle-aged man from the paper doll shop, despite the fact that he was good at making the dolls and seed to know what he was doing.
Jiang Wang noticed that the shop was very old, and the middle-aged man’s clothes were washed white, showing he must be frugal.
But with the two paper figurines, he offered to buy on credit.
The money was not substantial; they weren’t made from valuable golden nanmu for longevity.
There was no reason for credit, especially since they were not acquainted.
It really didn’t seem like the way to run a small business.
Hesitation arose later because Xu Xiangqian requested to buy two more on credit—if he had agreed to that too easily, it would have been far too suspicious.
According to the old coffin shop owner Zhang, the middle-aged man was the nephew of the original owner of the paper figurine shop.
This seed unproblematic, but it didn’t stand up to close scrutiny.
Not resting in Linzi to recover from illness, but enduring the hardship of traveling back to his hotown?
Moreover, if Old Li were truly letting his nephew take over his shop, he would have introduced him to neighbors for support.
It simply didn’t make sense.
From all these clues, Jiang Wang concluded that the middle-aged man was certainly not there to peacefully run the paper figurine business.
But after all, this was not his concern.
The safety of the Linyi City was the responsibility of the Forbidden Army, the law and order the duty of the Patrol Inspection Bureau, and besides, the man might not necessarily be a villain.
He couldn’t possibly act on re suspicion, he would simply keep it in mind and stay alert.
Carrying a coffin through the streets, even in the crowded Linyi City, people made way.
The area outside the Blue Stone Palace was deserted and eerily silent; no one obstructed them, and there weren’t even any onlookers.
The absence of even a curious glance made one’s skin crawl.
Xu Xiangqian led the way, and aside from their footsteps, there were no other sounds.
The two young n hired to carry the coffin initially chatted to bolster their courage, but they too fell silent eventually.
In front of the only gate of the Blue Stone Palace, Jiang Wang saw the deceased Xu Fang—
The man still knelt, facing the gate, hands clasped around a dagger, his chest and abdon cut open…
The sight was indeed ghastly.
Having died so ti ago and left unattended, the body had begun to decompose…
though it was still largely intact, clearly identifiable as human.
The two young coffin-bearers vomited on the spot.
Both Jiang Wang and Xu Xiangqian remained silent.
Xu Xiangqian, with his impressive aura, directly lifted Xu Fang’s body and placed it into the coffin made for him.
Jiang Wang ford a hand seal and summoned the Eating Flower, cleansing the filth from the ground.
Blue stone bricks, green moss.
The Blue Stone Palace was cold, silent, and lifeless.
Jiang Wang voiced his concern, “Direct contact with your pure energy might affect your cultivation…”
Xu Xiangqian, uncharacteristically serious, said, “A man like Xu Fang, even as a corpse, even if the body rots, does not count as filth.
He was closer to the essence of pure energy than pure energy itself.
It is an honor for , Xu Xiangqian, to conduct his funeral rites.”
Pure energy is, after all, just a cultivation technique—even soone like Master Li from Jia City could cultivate it.
But true “integrity” emanates from one’s character and cannot be eradicated.
Jiang Wang looked up to see a sparrow tilting its head on the eaves, seemingly very curious about them.
“Not even a fly in sight, yet there’s a sparrow?” Xu Xiangqian seed to have so thoughts.
Jiang Wang reached out and tugged at him, “Let’s go.
Don’t delay.”
Of course, Xu Xiangqian received the warning not to stir up trouble.
After thinking it over, he still called the coffin bearers, “Let’s move on.”
The young n were feeling better and picked up the coffin to leave; the place was indeed unsettling.
The Blue Stone Palace was finally stirred with activity, but the sound of footsteps faded into the distance.
The Blue Stone Palace seed as lifeless as the rocks themselves, enduring wind and rain, and the comings and goings of people.
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