Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 168 Death
Over the next two days, Lin Jiang took care of something that had been delayed.

He went to Zhenping Division to apply for a waiter's certificate for Cook Song.

This matter should have been done long ago, but too many urgent matters suddenly arose in the past two days, which made Lin Jiang a bit flustered. After things calmed down, he immediately went to Zhenping Division in the capital.

Upon arriving at Zhenping Division, Lin Jiang encountered an acquaintance.

Jiang Jinyue changed into her usual clothes again, but this time, the color of her outer coat and inner lining was different, making them look brighter.

Jiang Jinyue's face was still a little pale, clearly indicating that her injuries had not fully healed.

She was talking about work with people from the Zhenping Division when she suddenly heard footsteps. She turned her head and saw Lin Jiang.

"Mr. Zhu."

Upon seeing Lin Jiang, Jiang Jinyue greeted him with a smile: "What brings you to Zhenping Division today?"

"Come and get a waiter's certificate."

"Hmm?" Jiang Jinyue asked after a moment of confusion, "Is it for your family's divine herb?"

"No, Shencao-jun already has a waiter's certificate."

Lin Jiang told Jiang Jinyue what had happened in the house, and Jiang Jinyue was slightly surprised upon hearing it:
"I didn't expect things to turn out this way. I'll go find someone to handle this for you."

With Jiang Jinyue's assistance, Lin Jiang was spared the tedious time of going through procedures and queuing. After hearing about Lin Jiang's story, the people from Zhenping Division all showed surprise to varying degrees.

Those who conduct business in the capital have generally heard of the unruly Liu Ning and her rather useless husband. The people in Zhenping Division naturally know that something happened in their house, which is a notorious haunted house in the capital.

I had heard that someone had bought the house and thought they would come to Zhenping Division to "slay demons and monsters" in a couple of days, but I didn't expect them to come to get a certificate to become a courtesan.

It sounds like the ghost's cooking skills are actually quite good.

That's quite strange.

The department sent a young man to go back with Lin Jiang. Before leaving, Lin Jiang waved goodbye to Jiang Jinyue, which made the young man glance at Lin Jiang a few more times.

While waiting on the road, the deliveryman couldn't help but ask:
"Brother, what's your relationship with Jiang Xing?"

Lin Jiang thought for a moment: "Comrades-in-arms."

The young man glanced at Lin Jiang's face a couple more times, seemingly lost in thought.

The two returned to the house. When the young man saw Chef Song, he was amazed, which frightened her so much that she mistakenly thought that Lin Jiang didn't want her anymore and wanted to borrow the Zhenping Division to exorcise the demon.

The subsequent procedures were completed quickly; the young man left his documents and turned to leave in no time.

The waiter's certificate is a token that has been specially processed by the Zhenping Division, so even a cook like Song could pick it up.

She was still somewhat dazed as she held the waitress's certificate, not even quite sure what it meant to her.

However, this thing is indeed very important to her.

This is the proof that allows demons and ghosts to walk proudly through the streets.

In the past, when Zhenping Division was slaying demons and monsters, they would simply cut them down as soon as they encountered them. One person could not defeat a group of people, and they would continue until they killed the enemy.

Later, someone felt this was inappropriate, so they issued a waiter's certificate.

Nowadays, when the Zhenping Division sees a demon, they first ask if it has any identification. Only if it doesn't will they take out their swords to attack it.

After finishing that, Lin Jiang started studying the box again.

I got up early and shut myself in to study the two wooden boxes, but after a long time I made no progress.

The key and the box seem unrelated, yet they emit a faint glow when touched, as if they resonate with each other.

He was convinced there was a hidden secret, but he just couldn't figure it out. In the end, he rubbed his throbbing temples and pushed open the door to leave.

By the time he came out, it was already dark.

It was already dark, with dark clouds looming over the eaves, and the air was filled with a damp, earthy smell. There was no one in their small courtyard. Lin Jiang turned his head and saw that Cook Song was beckoning him over from the second-floor building in the courtyard.

When they moved to a different courtyard, they discovered that Chef Song had already set out dinner in the spacious hall, a place that provided shelter from the rain and allowed the food to steam—a truly excellent spot.

After dinner, Chef Song leaned closer to Lin Jiang and couldn't help but ask:
"Young master, when will we move in?"

She hoped that Lin Jiang and the others would move into the mansion, so that she wouldn't have to live alone in the empty courtyard.

"There are too few people now, but if there were more, we would move in."

"Oh……"

The young cook lowered her head to hide her disappointment. The cleaver almost hit Lin Jiang, but she understood him and quickly cheered up.

With nothing to do, Lin Jiang pushed open the door and suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing in from the window, carrying a few drops of water on his face.

I looked out at the sky.

Dark clouds gathered, and a strong wind whipped up raindrops that pelted the ground. He reached out to touch the rain; the droplets had already formed silvery threads.
Suddenly, lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a rumble of thunder rolling across the ground.

The cook covered her ears with her hands and chanted three or four times, "The Thunder God is unleashing his power."

"Are you afraid of this?"

Seeing the girl like this, Chen Dajiang couldn't help but ask.

After hearing what Chen Dajiang said, Chef Song showed a slightly troubled expression:

"When I was alive, I was not afraid. I just thought the Thunder God was so powerful, making such a loud noise in the sky. But after I died, I was always worried that the Thunder God would think I was a filth that could not live, and that a bolt of lightning would strike me down and take my life."

“Wilderness spirits and monsters must indeed be wary of heavenly lightning,” Gong Xuan said, stroking his beard.

This terrified the cook, Song, so much that she trembled all over.

"But once you have the clerk's certificate, you're a legitimate ghost, and Thor naturally won't harm you."

"Is this little token really that powerful?"

The cook, Song, held up the token, and her eyes lit up when she looked at it again.

"Very impressive," Gong Xuan laughed. "With this, you could open a shop in the capital."

"Really?!" Cook Song's eyes lit up when she heard this.

"Can I open a shop now?"

But she immediately became melancholy again.

"If you can't go out during the day, who will walk on the streets at night?"

“Not necessarily,” Gong Xuan said. “There is a special ghost market in the west of the city. If you have a permit, you don’t have to observe the curfew. Some people go there to stroll around when they can’t sleep at night.”

"Really?!" Cook Song perked up immediately: "Can I set up a stall over there?"

Gong Xuan's face showed a hint of difficulty: "This is indeed a bit... not very feasible. Most of the people who go there to buy and sell are shady characters, and very few of them would actually eat."

The cook, Song, immediately lost her spirits, slumped her shoulders, and sighed.

But she still reached out and touched the token.

Her eyes seemed to have a brighter light than before.

It seems there is more hope now.

The sudden rain pounded against the green tiles. Summer rain is always like this. Although the courtyard was right next door, none of the three of them really wanted to go back in the rain.

I recently moved in two thin quilts, but the room, supported by carved beams and pillars, felt too empty, and even wrapped in brocade quilts, I still felt chilly.

Lin Jiang tossed and turned to the sound of rain. When thunder ripped through the sky, the damp, earthy smell filled his nostrils. He pulled the covers tighter around himself and turned over, only stretching and getting up when the morning light streamed through the window.

Pushing open the door, the fresh air after the rain refreshes the lungs.

Today I'm sending Xiaoshan Shen to Lianghua Mountain for training, and then I should go to Dali Temple to pick up some errands. Last night I was already thinking about how I should buy some more money.

After putting on his sleeves and taking the little ginseng that had been running around and shouting in the house last night, he came out and saw Gong Xuan.

"I never thought I would be able to live in such a big room in my lifetime."

Gong Xuan was quite moved by this matter.

In the past, they lived a life of hardship and sleeping in the open, but after hanging out with Lin Jiang, their lives visibly improved.

Lin Jiang told Gong Xuan about his desire to be sent to the Dali Temple for an external post. Upon hearing this, Gong Xuan's expression turned somewhat strange.

"I can assist you, young master, but all the money I earn... I will lose."

He sighed as he spoke.

Lin Jiang blinked:
"Actually, I've long wanted to ask you, Master, why don't you become someone's retainer? Earning a living won't hinder your cultivation, will it?"

Upon hearing this, Gong Xuan's expression became somewhat subtle, and his words became somewhat ambiguous:

"It's just that the time isn't right yet. In our line of spiritual practice, we value the concept of fate most. Forcing opportunities only leads to entanglements of cause and effect."

Lin Jiang sensed a hidden meaning in the words, but didn't delve into it, simply smiling and saying:

"It seems that the Taoist priest and I have a deep connection."

"really."

After finishing our conversation, I pushed open the door, intending to leave, but suddenly noticed something amiss at the entrance.

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Jiang suddenly sensed something unusual at the courtyard gate the moment he pushed open the door.

Just as I was about to take a closer look, large patches of dark red mottled marks were clearly visible on the door panel, which had been washed by the torrential rain.

what is this?
Lin Jiang frowned slightly.

The colored marks were barely visible after last night's heavy rain, looking almost like a silly prank.

Gong Xuan also witnessed this scene, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Unlike Lin Jiang, Gong Xuan brought his nose close to the door and sniffed it slightly.

Then his brows furrowed even more:
"Is this blood, or blood from internal organs?"

"Did someone splash blood at our gate?"

Lin Jiang was slightly taken aback.

He remembered that he hadn't offended anyone, so how could someone suddenly do such a despicable thing?
At this moment, even the thought of going to the Dali Temple faded; he only frowned and looked around for clues.

The night before, a torrential downpour washed away the bloodstains and traces completely.

Just as Gong Xuan was about to turn back to retrieve some special talismans, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves pounding on stones behind him.

The familiar blue-curtained carriage stopped at the alley entrance, and Gao Qing's personal guard stepped onto the carriage shaft to land.

Still with a cold expression, and still not good with words, he stared at Lin Jiang for a long time without uttering a single word. Finally, Lin Jiang broke the deadlock:

"Is it Minister Gao who is looking for us?"

"Ah."

"We still have some things to take care of."

Lin Jiang pointed to the pool of blood on his wall.

The guards also looked over:
"My coming to see you is also related to this."

Lin Jiang summoned Chen Dajiang to guard the courtyard before he and Gong Xuan boarded the carriage.

Once inside the carriage, seeing that the guard still couldn't utter a sound, Lin Jiang finally let out a long sigh:
“We would never have gone with you if we didn’t approve of Gao Qing’s character.”

Hearing this, the guard's face flushed slightly. He struggled for a moment before finally managing to utter these words:

"Someone died."

"Who died?"

"Liu Shuwen," the guard said. "Liu Shuwen, the Minister of Personnel."

(End of this chapter)