Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 180 Qingniwa

"Brother, why would you go to that godforsaken place? You must never go there!"

When Tiepizi heard Gongxuan say this, he immediately became anxious and tried to stop Gongxuan.

Gong Xuan couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing Tie Pi's excited tone:
"I accepted a different bounty, which has nothing to do with the place you were previously trapped in."

"Ever since I suffered in the dungeon, I get scared just hearing the words." Ironhide realized he had made the mistake of speaking too quickly again: "But thinking about it carefully, the fortune teller has already dug a hole in the cave, so there is a safe way to enter. Going down shouldn't be a problem."

Lin Jiang couldn't help but prick up his ears when he heard this.

He also planned to go to the cave after finishing this matter. If it worked, he could unlock a teleportation point in Qingniwa as well.

In this way, it would only take about ten days to walk back to the capital from any other place.

However, Gongxuan and Tiepizi then avoided the topic of ruins and instead chatted about the local customs and traditions of Qingniwa.

Lin Jiang didn't think it was anything important and was planning to ask Tiepizi about it in private when Gongxuan suddenly asked, "Brother Tiepizi, what's the deal with that underground palace you mentioned earlier?"

"So, brother, you still want to go and take a look?"

"Not really, I just suddenly became a little curious."

"Sigh." Tin Man sighed, "But that makes sense. The eldest young master's coffin is in that place, so he's probably interested in it too."

Lin Jiang simply responded with an "Mmm".

Seeing Lin Jiang's tacit agreement, Tiepizi gathered his thoughts and said:
"The original site was outside Beishan Pass. You had to go north from Qingniwa to Beizhen, then go northwest for thirty miles into the mountains, and it was at the bottom of the valley."

"This place sounds like it's really hard to find."

"It is indeed quite difficult to find," Ironhide sighed. "However, we definitely can't get through the main gate. There is a Dragon-Slaying Stone there, which is impenetrable. Unless you have a powerful enough martial artist by your side who can forcefully open that Dragon-Slaying Stone, you can only search along the southern mountain range."

“There’s a cave there, dug out by my friend Bu Suanzi. It’s big enough for one person to go in and out, and the soil is relatively loose, so even if it collapses, you can still go in through there. But when we left, Bu Suanzi buried it, so it will probably be a bit difficult to find.”

At this point, Tinplate paused.

Lin Jiang could clearly see that inside the coffin, the young man's face grew increasingly grim:
"As for what's inside that underground palace... I don't really remember clearly anymore. I only remember that there were many, many coffins inside, and there was a river that connected to a lake. There were things in the lake, so don't go near it. It's very dangerous there."

"The rest... I really don't remember anything else."

Tin Man might still remember those things, but the events in the dungeon made him deliberately forget them. Gong Xuan could tell that he couldn't force Tin Man to recall these events, so he directly ended the topic:

"Thank you, Brother Iron Skin."

"It's okay, as long as I can help you, brother."

……

The next day at noon, the convoy entered the Qingniwa area.

The scale of this coastal metropolis far exceeded expectations. As the carriages entered the city, Lin Jiang's nose twitched slightly, and the salty sea breeze from afar quietly entered his nostrils.

Shops lined both sides of the street, with a layout similar to Cangsong City, except that shellfish swimming in earthenware jars replaced freshwater delicacies. Vendors constantly patted the rim of the jars, and their shouts rose and fell, carrying the fishy smell of seafood.

Lin Jiang glanced at the street food and thought that he would be able to taste some local specialties from the coast today.

At that very moment, Lin Jiang suddenly noticed some rather unique-looking people on the street.

A man dressed in the coarse linen coat commonly seen on fishermen was sitting next to a water vat selling fish. His skin and face were covered with what looked like fish scales, and there were closed, gill-like marks on his neck.

He recalled the rumors about the inhabitants of Dragon Palace Island in the Middle East, whose appearance might be the descendants of islanders who intermarried with people on land, or people who had lived on land for a long time and crossed the sea.

The northern border is full of unique scenery, and this extraordinary landscape perfectly matched Lin Jiang's expectations for adventure.

This time, instead of looking for local inns, the group went directly to the governor's mansion in Qingniwa.

Upon arriving at the governor's mansion, Jiang Jinyue produced a six-door token. The gatekeeper immediately went inside to announce their arrival, and the group was led to the main hall to wait.

A moment later, an elderly man with white hair and beard walked into the hall, a gentle smile on his face:
"Several distinguished guests from the capital have come to visit, and I have failed to greet them properly."

This is the prefect of Qingniwa, surnamed Lü.

Although his voice was polite, his eyes shone brightly.

What I just said was just a polite formality.

The Prefect of Qingniwa was quite different from Prefects Hanbai and Liu. Hanbai was located in a remote and small city, and his so-called prefect was actually acting as a county magistrate. Moreover, he was from a humble background and his position was naturally lowly and his words carried little weight. Qingniwa, on the other hand, was the most important pass in the northern border, and Lord Lü was quite influential not only in the local area but also in the imperial court.

After exchanging pleasantries, the old governor sat down, sipped his fragrant tea, and glanced at everyone's faces:
"Gentlemen, what brings you to Qingniwa today?"

"Prefect Lü, it's like this..."

Jiang Jinyue told Governor Lü everything that had happened, and after listening, the governor frowned slightly.

"Such a shocking thing has happened. I wonder how you all intend to investigate the missing organs?"

The crowd exchanged glances, their gazes all turning to Gong Xuan. The Taoist priest remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"I plan to set up a ritual altar to determine the location of the internal organs."

“No problem.” Governor Lü waved his hand. “Just tell me what this Taoist priest needs, and I will arrange it for him.”

"it is good."

Gong Xuan didn't stand on ceremony. He was quick to handle matters that could be accounted for on behalf of the government, and soon he wrote up a list and handed it to the governor in front of him.

Governor Lü didn't even glance at it before handing it directly to his subordinate, instructing him to prepare it. He then spoke to the men before him:

"A fleet from the East China Sea will be arriving at the port today. I will be receiving guests from the East China Sea this afternoon, so I will not be able to accompany you any longer. If you need anything, please feel free to ask my adjutant." After saying this, Governor Lü did not linger and turned to leave.

"This governor looks very busy."

Lin Jiang couldn't help but sigh.

Jiang Jinyue, standing nearby, was not surprised by this:

"Qingniwa is a strategic location, so it is only natural that Lord Lü was diligent in his duties."

Lin Jiang then thought of Governor Liu.

I just feel that the gap between people is indeed quite large.

The subordinate official entrusted by Governor Lü had already finished reviewing the list. He bowed respectfully to the group and said, "I will prepare it immediately."

After saying this, he hurriedly left.

The group waited in the courtyard from noon until evening, until the tea in their cups had faded, but still no one appeared.

Gong Xuan couldn't take it anymore. He coughed twice, summoned the minor officials around him, and asked:
"Why hasn't your lord returned yet?"

The junior official on duty explained in a pleasant tone:
"The procedures at the Prefectural Governor's Office are complicated. Ordinary materials are easy to obtain, but the ritual requires Lord Lü's personal signature. Unfortunately, the East China Sea Fleet is visiting today, so I'm afraid there won't be time to stamp your documents."

Gong Xuan's face darkened upon hearing this:

"Didn't Lord Lü himself say it was okay at noon?"

"Lord Lü nodded, but the official seal didn't." The clerk smiled without a hint of sarcasm. "Acting without proper documentation will lead to accountability in the future. Whoever handled this matter will be punished."

Gong Xuan rolled his eyes.

He simply couldn't understand the intricacies of officialdom.

"Then give me the things, and we'll go outside and set up a ritual altar."

"Distinguished guests, you may not know this, but any ritual performed in the city requires the signature of the registrar, and the registrar has already left the office."

Gong Xuan, exasperated, exclaimed, "Let's leave the city!"

The minor official then said nothing.

After Lin Jiang put the pile of materials into his Qiankun bag, the group left the mansion directly.

On the way, Gongxuan still couldn't stop muttering:
"Is this how all officials behave?"

Li Fang and the square-faced woman were clearly embarrassed, but Jiang Jinyue said, "In the capital, I would just start cursing when I encountered this kind of thing."

In the capital, Jiang Jinyue could be directly insulted, since she had the Dali Temple as her backer. However, outside the capital, she restrained herself somewhat.

Finally, when they reached the outskirts of Qingniwa, Gongxuan found a suitable place.

With open spaces on all sides and no obstructions, it is perfect for making a ritual altar.

Lin Jiang poured everything out of his Qiankun bag, and Gong Xuan began to set up the altar.

Seeing that it would take Gongxuan some time to finish setting up the altar, Lin Jiang got bored and wandered around.

On a clear night, the moon hangs high in the sky, and countless stars are scattered across the heavens like broken silver.

There are far more stars here than in Lin Jiang's original world, almost filling the entire field of vision.

The little ginseng peeked out from the cuff, staring at the patch of stars in the sky:
"If I were to draw, could I draw this?"

Liang Huashan also peeked half his head out from the scroll:

"If you have multicolored ink, you can paint with it if you want. But if you only have pure ink, then you can't."

"Why?"

"The night sky is adorned with starlight, and the colors black and white cannot fully capture its charm."

After careful consideration, Xiao Shanshen felt that what Liang Huashan said made a lot of sense.

Lin Jiang stared at the stars for a while, and for some reason, he felt that the stars in the sky seemed a little different from the ones he had seen recently.

Just as I was about to listen carefully, I suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the grass beside me.

I looked down subconsciously.

A little girl suddenly emerged from where the wormwood was swaying.

The little girl was only about ten years old, reaching Lin Jiang's waist. She was wearing a light blue dress with a ribbon around her arms.

Lin Jiang's gaze fell on the little girl's head. He saw that there were scales growing on her forehead, and two curved horns like coral growing on either side of her temples.

The little girl was also staring intently at Lin Jiang.

The more she looked at Lin Jiang, the wider her mouth opened.

"You're so handsome!"

The young girl couldn't help but sigh.

(End of this chapter)