Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 134 Cook
The moonlight is hazy, the streets are bustling, and this is the most enchanting time in the capital.

However, Lin Jiang and his family's courtyard was empty; there wasn't a single person there.

It seems the owners have all gone out.

The courtyard was silent, save for the rustling of the old trees.

A half-shadowy figure suddenly emerged from the base of the wall, cautiously peering through the cracks in the brickwork.

The shadow wandered around the courtyard twice, as if searching for something, but clearly saw nothing. It then looked somewhat lost and seemed to want to leave through the wall it had just entered through.

Just as it was about to disappear into the wall, the entire wall suddenly glowed with golden light, and the shadow screamed as it fell to the ground and rolled around.

Gong Xuan jumped directly down from the top of the tree:
"Hey! What kind of monster are you?!"

"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me! My daughter only came to visit her neighbor and had no intention of disturbing you!"

Amidst the mournful wails, Lin Jiang peered out from behind the tree.

A semi-transparent woman was curled up on the ground.

He was wrapped in coarse linen clothes, his hair was tied up with a square scarf, and a rusty knife with a handle that had split open a skull was embedded in his hair, from which dark liquid was constantly gushing out.

This image does look rather frightening.

However, upon closer inspection, the person's face appeared quite youthful.

After rolling around on the ground for a while, the little girl finally came to her senses. She knelt on the ground, panting heavily, and her complexion was obviously not very healthy.

At this moment, he was filled with fear, huddled up in a ball, staring at Gong Xuan.

“It should be the one next door,” Gong Xuan glanced at it and said, “It’s a bound spirit.”

"How could a bound spirit float from his house into ours?" Lin Jiang remembered that bound spirits had a limited range of movement.

"Perhaps this courtyard was originally a side courtyard of a large mansion, and is still within its bounds."

Lin Jiang really couldn't figure out how the ghosts' mechanism was determined.

"Besides, how come there's a knife embedded in her head?" Lin Jiang pressed. "If the person is dead, the knife can't be dead too, can it?"

"Humans have three souls and seven spirits, while murder weapons contain the essence of the object. Murder weapons will be contaminated with some of the essence of the object in the body of the deceased. In return, they can take a few of the three souls and seven spirits from that person. If a weapon absorbs enough human souls, it will become spiritual. This is why murder weapons have often become treasures throughout history."

"That's interesting."

Gong Xuan spoke eloquently, but then he noticed that the little female ghost had also sat up and was staring intently at him.

"You...you know so much."

Gong Xuan was quite pleased, and even slightly puffed out his chest.

However, he immediately realized his mistake and put on a stern face:
Stop flattering me! Explain why you trespassed!

Gong Xuan tried to scare the little female ghost, but the light kept flashing and then stopped.

She hurriedly blurted out the words while keeping her head down:
“I… no one has come to my own house for a long time. I can’t go out during the day, and there’s no one to talk to. I’ve been feeling uncomfortable for a long time. Today, I saw people coming to this courtyard, so I thought I’d come and see. I really don’t mean any harm. I… I can cook for you gentlemen. I used to be a cook, and this is what I’m best at.”

Upon hearing this, Gong Xuan turned to look at Lin Jiang.

"No danger?"

"Yin energy harms the physical body of ordinary people, but it doesn't affect us."

Lin Jiang pondered for a moment, just about to say something, when he saw a movement in his sleeve, and the little ginseng's head pop out:

"Can't the Taoist priest perform a ritual to help her pass on to the afterlife? I read in comic books that in such cases, they set up an altar to help her pass on, and her soul would even say thank you when she left."

Although the cook was surprised by the little thing that had emerged from Lin Jiang's sleeve, she shook her head frantically after hearing what he said:
"No, no, I'm a good ghost. I haven't seen enough of the world yet. I don't want to die."

“She has a deep-seated obsession,” Gongxuan explained to Xiaoshan Shen in a low voice, “If you don’t let go of that obsession, you can’t help her pass on to the afterlife; you can only forcefully break it away.”

Xiao Shanshen was greatly surprised: "There are so many different interpretations of the ritual of deliverance."

"It is precisely because it is a ritual of deliverance that there are so many interpretations," Gong Xuan said. "The three souls and seven spirits are the most exquisite parts of a person's body, and they must not be neglected."

Xiao Shanshen nodded solemnly, clearly having taken it to heart.

Lin Jiang looked at the girl in front of him:

"You say you're a cook, but can you even lift a big ladle?"

"Yes! It definitely can!"

The little girl hurried over to the kitchen, wanting to prove herself.

When we got to the kitchen, there was indeed a stove, but no large pot.

Lin Jiang and his group had just arrived and hadn't had time to buy a pot yet.

Chen Dajiang pulled out an old kitchen knife and handed it over, but the handle slipped from the girl's hand, and the knife fell to the ground with a clatter.

The little girl panicked, knelt down and desperately tried to grab the knife with both hands.

But the mortal iron was far too heavy for her; she couldn't lift it even when her face turned red.

Tears streamed down her face, turning into wispy will-o'-the-wisps on the ground before merging back into the little girl's body.
"I can't pick up the knife... I can't get into the kitchen..."

"Ugh."

Lin Jiang wanted to reach out and pat the little girl on the back, but she was a ghost, and Lin Jiang couldn't touch her. He could only offer verbal comfort:
"Don't worry, we won't do anything to you. If you're free, you can come to our yard and chat with us."

"really?"

"I'm a gentleman, and a gentleman's word is as good as his bond." Lin Jiang patted his chest and assured him, "I don't even know your name yet."

The little girl tensed up immediately after hearing Lin Jiang's question:
"I... my surname is Song. I didn't originally have a given name; I was called Song Shi. After entering the manor, I was given a name: Song Chu Niang (Chef Song). I am skilled in Beijing cuisine, Chongqing cuisine, and Northern cuisine. My knife skills are first-rate. My goal is to save enough money to open my own small restaurant..."

As the girl was talking, she suddenly realized she had said too much, so she immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

Lin Jiang couldn't help but think of the new doctors he had interviewed before. Some of the young people who had just graduated liked to talk a lot when they were nervous, always revealing their ambitions, which was very similar to the girl in front of him.

Seeing her unease, Lin Jiang pulled Gong Xuan aside and whispered something to her for a moment.

After receiving approval, Lin Jiang cleared his throat:

"Chef Song, are your culinary skills truly exceptional?" "Excellent!" Chef Song immediately puffed out her chest. Although her eyes were still a little red, she remained very confident in her cooking skills: "Even the head chefs of high-end restaurants can't compare to me!"

Anyone can talk the talk.

Lin Jiang shook his head.

Cook Song panicked immediately:

"If you don't believe me, I can make it for you!"

However, she immediately remembered that she seemed unable to lift anything, and tears streamed down her face, falling to the ground and turning into flickering flames.

"I... I really can't cook right now, but please believe me, I'm not lying."

“Words are no proof. Tomorrow, this Taoist priest will prepare a special pot and a specially made cleaver for you. I will go and buy the ingredients. You’ll have to show off your skills.” Lin Jiang pointed to his nose: “I’m very picky. If what you make isn’t good, I won’t be happy.”

"Really?" Upon hearing this, Chef Song's face lit up with joy.

She had no doubt that Gong Xuan possessed this ability.

For a moment, he didn't know whether to thank Lin Jiang or Gong Xuan.

In the end, he could only kneel on the ground and kowtow repeatedly.

The knife above her head crackled and popped with her movements.

In the end, it was Gong Xuan, the only one who could reach her, who helped her up.

"Then...then I'll head back tonight." Cook Song gave a silly, goofy smile. "I'll cook for you tomorrow."

"no problem."

"Then I'll be going now." Cook Song floated into the sky, and when she reached the wall, she was still looking back at the courtyard.

"I'll be waiting for you tomorrow night."

"I'll come tomorrow night."

The cook just turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared into the old house.

She peered out the window of the towering three-story building in the courtyard, watching Lin Jiang and the other two, and waved happily.

Lin Jiang waved as well.

Even after the cook had gone far away, Gongxuan couldn't help but sigh with emotion:
"He was also a tragic soul."

Lin Jiang remained silent.

The capital city.

Despite its seemingly glamorous appearance, strange things still happen.

Composing himself, he suddenly heard Chen Dajiang ask from the side:

"Young master, we're going to visit Mr. Sun in a couple of days. Should we prepare some gifts?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang stroked his chin and began to ponder.

That is indeed a problem.

Sun Zhong is recuperating at home. Lin Jiang doesn't know the extent of his injury yet, and if he can't receive guests, it would be a waste of his time to go.

Secondly...

Lin Jiang wasn't actually sure what Sun Zhong's attitude towards his grandfather was after all these years.

If you don't make prior contact and sound out their intentions, and instead just show up at their door and pull out the box from your arms, Sun Zhong will see it, slam his hand on the table, shout "Good!", and then five or six stars will jump out and gang up on you...

While this may be a bit of an exaggeration, it's always wise to be cautious.

Lin Jiang felt it was better to play it safe.

That raises a question.

How can we approach Sun Zhong through official channels?
Worth pondering.

……

The white-haired old man finished turning the pages of the case file, and when he looked up, the candlelight danced on his silver beard.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"It's your job."

Jiang Jinyue was very respectful to the old man.

This is Gao Xuan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Jiang Jinyue's superior. He only has the cultivation level of the third level of the Dao, but his ability to investigate and handle cases, as well as his reputation and status in the capital, are not low.

When those officials in the capital met him, they all respectfully addressed him as "Gao Qing".

"The young master who came to the capital with you this time is called Zhu Da?" Gao Xuan placed his finger on the case file that Jiang Jinyue had submitted, ran his fingertip over the ink, and memorized the name.

"Yes."

"Pointing Star Realm?"

“It’s strange. His external martial arts skills must have already exceeded the level of the sixth heaven, but he has no skills that should be required for the Star Pointing stage.” Jiang Jinyue pondered for a moment: “I suspect that he has already reached the Star Pointing stage, but he has lost the method.”

"What do you think we should do about him?"

“Be wary, but also show goodwill,” Jiang Jinyue said. “He hasn’t shown any inclination towards any of the factions in the capital. I think even if we can’t win him over, we shouldn’t make enemies of him.”

“That makes sense.” Gao Xuan sighed, “The news of your dealings with Northwest Feng Aoshan has spread throughout the capital. Now, the people on the General’s side are quite hostile towards you. I imagine some of them will also find out about that Young Master Zhu. Based on my understanding of those people, they will probably make trouble behind the scenes.”

"Dealing with a martial arts master with some minor skills in the capital?" Jiang Jinyue frowned. "They shouldn't be that stupid."

“Sometimes, it’s not always necessary to resort to force.” Gao Xuan stood up, walked to the window, and looked out.

The moon is bright tonight, and the streets are still bustling with activity.

"Those people are incredibly wicked."

(End of this chapter)