These two were chatting away about Immortal things, then Xu Qing recognized the familiar names of Second Master Feng and Mr. Liu; it was the ’Second Lord Feng and Mr. Liu’ who hadn’t attended the immortal banquet all this time finally showing up.
"Daoist friends, I am Xu Qing, the head of the Cat Immortal Hall. Please come inside."
"Head of the Cat Immortal Hall? Could it be that Daoist friend Xu is also someone who invites immortals to assist and serves as their deputy?"
Xu Qing laughed, "I and the immortals are just companions in this mortal world, there’s no hierarchy between us."
Ji Ruinian’s eyes lit up and he looked at Xu Qing, nodding his head in approval.
This was quite an impressive immortal summoning, much more refined than Second Master Feng’s.
Meanwhile, as Second Master Feng stepped over the threshold, the first thing that caught his eye was a coffin.
Sitting on the flat coffin was a ghost girl in white.
"Your ghost here won’t bite, right?"
Upon hearing this, the embroidery girl’s eyebrows shot up and she immediately bared her ghostly fangs.
Calling her a ghost was one thing, but comparing her to a dog and asking if she bites?
"It doesn’t bite, my ghost is quite understanding."
The embroidery girl was so angry she almost came back to life.
Understanding, my foot, your whole family is understanding!
With a hiss, she spat out a puff of cold air and, sulking, floated to the backyard.
It was time to feed the old hen in the backyard again.
"Daoist Xu, I thought you ran the Cat Immortal Hall, why do you have a ghost too?"
Ji Ruinian asked curiously.
"Well, I thought if I’m opening one hall, why not open another? So I ended up with a ghost immortal, although this one was actually invited by the military..."
Ji Ruinian retracted his earlier praise; this young man did not seem as refined as he had initially thought.
"My last name is Ji, my immortal is the Willow Immortal, and we speak as equals. Around here, folks love calling me Brother Liu or Mr. Liu.
This fellow next to me is named Feng, a well-known playboy at the Jinmen Flower and Bird Market. Folks call him Second Master; his immortal is this spirit white chicken, which is half a scholar and half a warrior, invited from some great figure with silver!"
"Liu Bigmouth! What nonsense are you spouting? Explain yourself, what do you mean half a scholar and half a warrior? My dear, that’s my prized possession, I’ve always treated it like my own son. In terms of affection, it’s miles ahead of your scaly snake. Don’t try to sow discord between me and my dear..."
Second Master Feng, not one to be easily outdone, made his case vociferously before finally turning to Xu Qing.
"Daoist Xu, serving an immortal is much like caring for a pet. You need to feed it well, burn good incense, and take it to do good deeds."
With an air of superiority, Second Master Feng looked down his nose and said, "When it comes to experience with cats and dogs, your Second Master here is the best of the best!"
Second Master Feng gave a thumbs-up, followed by raising his middle finger, implying he was either the greatest or the longest-lasting.
The folks of that era didn’t know what raising a middle finger meant, but seeing the gesture, Xu Qing couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being cursed.
"By the way, where’s your Cat Immortal? I remember it being a pitch-black one. Go fetch it so I can take a look and see what breed it is..."
Ji Ruinian translated, "Second Master Feng likes to save face and enjoys taking care of young people, just play along and don’t mind him."
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, so they were trying to establish some sort of hierarchy?
"I don’t mind, but I’m afraid my cat might."
At that moment, Xuan Yu, who had just returned from a stroll outside, walked into the shop.
Having overheard Second Master Feng’s disrespectful comments, his tail was already in sweeping mode, swaying left and right.