Liaozhai Great Sage

Chapter 22 Funeral
"Eldest young master, I was lucky enough to bring the golden lock to you, and also arrested the best Doctor Fan in our Guobei County. Now I can treat Miss Qingmei."

Not long after, Tieshan rode a fast horse back and forth and returned to Lanruo Temple.

But when he found Li Xiuyuan, he saw Li Xiuyuan standing in the courtyard of the meditation room, with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky calmly.

After hearing Tieshan's voice, Li Xiuyuan came back to his senses and took a look: "There is no need for treatment anymore, Qingmei is dead."

"Dead?" Tieshan was also stunned.

"Dead, already died half an hour ago." Li Xiuyuan shook his head helplessly.

There is a distance between Lanruo Temple and Guobei County, and even calling a doctor won't help.

Dr. Fan shook his head slightly at this moment and said: "The old man just said that the woman's heart was pierced by the incense of Buddha, and the blood flowed continuously. When the old man arrived, the blood was all drained, and there was no way to save her."

"Eldest young master, what should we do now?" Tieshan asked.

Li Xiuyuan said: "Naturally, we have to prepare for Miss Qingmei's funeral. First, take Dr. Fan to help a guard treat his hand, and then take two people back to Guobei County to buy a good coffin, incense candles, paper money, etc. Also prepare. There is one more thing to do, to call my Li family’s servants to a hundred riders, and let them prepare their axes and steel knives, and I will call them tomorrow.”

Tieshan was a little puzzled and said, "Young master, if you dispatch a hundred cavalry, I'm afraid the master will disagree."

Baiqi is a very large force in Guobei County. Although the Li family has far more power than this, they seldom dispatch it on such a large scale.

"If my father disagrees, just say that I have an urgent need. I believe my father will understand, go back quickly, and try to finish these two things within today." Li Xiuyuan said.

"Yes, Eldest Young Master, the younger one will do it now."

Tieshan responded, first took Dr. Fan to help other people heal, then quickly left Lanruo Temple, and returned to Guobei County on a fast horse. Of course, he did not forget to hand over the golden lock to Li Xiuyuan during the process.

Looking at the brocade box in his hand, Li Xiuyuan had a sad look in his eyes.

He sighed softly, turned around and walked into the meditation room.

In the meditation room at this moment, the maid Xiaodie is holding a basin of clear water to wipe the blood stains on the dead body of Qingmei, at the same time, she changed into dry clothes, and even dressed up, so that Miss Qingmei can be clean after leaving, Not a trace of filth.

At first glance, if it wasn't for the fact that her face was so pale without a trace of blood, at this moment Li Xiuyuan would have thought that Qingmei was sleeping soundly at this time, and hadn't died yet.

"Li, Mr. Li."

When Xiaodie saw Li Xiuyuan walking in, she saluted immediately, and saw that her eyes were red and swollen, obviously crying very sadly just now.

Li Xiuyuan nodded, he walked to Qingmei's body, and opened the brocade box in his hand.

Inside the brocade box is a pair of exquisite long-lived locks made of pure gold. The back of this long-lived gold lock is engraved with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water, but the front is engraved with the three characters of Li Xiuyuan, which represents whoever wears it. This longevity lock means that she is Li Xiuyuan's woman, who will never be separated from life to life.

Li Xiuyuan took out the golden lock and put it on Qingmei's body.

With a slight clicking sound, the mechanism on the Longevity Golden Lock was triggered, and this golden lock would not be able to be removed for a lifetime without brute force.

"Miss Qingmei, don't worry, I, Li Xiuyuan, will definitely do what I promised you." Li Xiuyuan said seriously.

After finishing speaking, he looked at Xiaodie who was waiting at the side and said: "Xiaodie, you will follow me from now on, and I will take you back to the Li Mansion. From now on, you will be my personal maid, and I will take good care of you." .”

Xiaodie was moved when she heard it, her nose was sore but she couldn't help crying: "Slave, slave, I thank Mr. Li for your great kindness."

"You don't need to call me Mr. Li anymore. In front of Miss Qingmei, let's pay a formal visit. From now on, you will call me Young Master." Li Xiuyuan said.

"The servants pay homage to the young master."

Xiaodie knelt down in front of Li Xiuyuan with a plop and kowtowed.

This obeisance means that starting from today, Xiaodie is no longer Qingmei's maidservant, but Li Xiuyuan's maidservant. It also means that she is no longer alone, she will have her own family and her own home.

"Get up, you are not allowed to kneel again after kneeling today, my Li family doesn't have so many rules." Li Xiuyuan helped him up.

"Servant, thank you young master." Xiaodie stood up and saluted.

Li Xiuyuan said: "Continue to sort out Miss Qingmei's remains. I have ordered my servants to prepare for the funeral. Soon, Miss Qingmei will be buried."

Fluttershy nodded.

Around dusk, Tieshan brought people to Lanruo Temple again.

A total of one hundred riders, all of them were men with knives and axes hanging from their waists. They were all strong and strong, not like farmers or ruffians, but like well-trained soldiers.

At the same time, several chariots and horses brought a heavy coffin from Guobei County, and prepared a lot of incense candles, paper money, wreaths, and white satin.

After some arrangement.

A mourning hall has been set up in the Zen courtyard, the coffin is already in place, and Miss Qingmei's body is also placed in the coffin.

"Young master, if the burial is early tomorrow morning, the coffin will be sealed today." A coffin bearer came over and said respectfully.

Li Xiuyuan stood in the mourning hall, staring at the coffin in front of the coffin, slightly absent-minded.

He came back to his senses only after hearing the voice.

"Let's seal the coffin now, let Qingmei girl rest in peace early, so as not to be disturbed again." Li Xiuyuan said.

According to normal funeral customs, the coffin is sealed after everyone worships, and then carried to the grave for burial.

However, Miss Qingmei is a woman from a brothel, and now she has no father or mother, and no relatives come to worship, so she can only keep everything simple.

"Yes, Eldest Young Master." The coffin bearer responded and greeted: "Eldest Young Master has orders, seal the coffin now."

Several craftsmen responded and sealed the coffin. From then on, Yin and Yang were separated, and there was no relationship between them.

"The hundred riders that the young master wanted are waiting outside Lanruo Temple. The young one didn't let them all come because he was afraid that there would be too many people in the temple." At this time, Tieshan came over and said in a low voice.

Li Xiuyuan said: "Let them go to Lanruo Temple to rest for a day. I have something to order before they are buried tomorrow." After finishing speaking, he looked in the direction of the Daxiong Hall slightly: "So far, are the monks in Lanruo Temple still chanting scriptures? ?”

"Yes, the sound of chanting sutras has never been heard before."

"What scripture is it, do you know?" Li Xiuyuan asked.

"It seems to be a sutra about saving the dead. I've heard about the little one attending a funeral before." Tieshan said.

Li Xiuyuan nodded: "Go back and donate 500 taels of silver to Lanruo Temple."

"Little one, write it down."

"You all go away, I will keep watch for Miss Qingmei." Li Xiuyuan said.

Tieshan responded, and then greeted some irrelevant people to leave quickly.

Immediately, only Li Xiuyuan was left in the monastery, and Xiaodie, dressed in hemp and filial piety, knelt in front of the altar and burned paper money.

Not saying a word to each other, they all silently kept vigil for Ome.

In the middle of the night, the wind picked up at night, and the cool wind blew up the ashes in the brazier, forming a vortex in mid-air, and then disappeared into the night, and the burning candle was also blown by the wind. Swinging, as if there is a possibility of going out at any time.

"Young master, is it Miss who is back?" Xiaodie hurriedly asked.

"No, it's just a gust of wind, not Qingmei." Li Xiuyuan said calmly.

He has seven apertures and an exquisite heart, standing here at this moment, how can there be any ghosts appearing, if there are, he wants to see if he can meet the soul of Miss Qingmei.

However, he can't even see it now.

(End of this chapter)