Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 269 What a blazing sun!
During a break from eating, Lin Jiang closed his eyes.

A moment later, the sound of the sea echoed in his ears again.

On his second visit to this calm coastline, Lin Jiang clearly felt that his mastery of the Dharma had improved once again.

No trace of Qi leaked out of his body, and the Dharma continued to flow and operate as usual.

The last time the illusion mirror appeared was clearly an accident; this time it's just a normal occurrence.

So they refocused their attention on the sea.

With a gentle wave of the hand, the scene on the sea instantly changed.

Lin Jiang could clearly see the bustling town operating as usual, with vendors' cries echoing through the streets.

It seems that the sudden heavy snowfall of the past two days has not affected the lives of the townspeople. At most, a few people on the roadside occasionally muttered a few words about "damn the weather."

Lin Jiang quickly noticed something unusual about the town.

Looking into the distance, my gaze fell directly on a house where people were making noodle soup, and there were four wandering swordsmen eating noodles.

These people are all made of flesh and blood, not transformed from Lin Jiang's mist.

Among them were two men and two women, all of whom appeared to be quite old and looked travel-worn.

Listening closely, Lin Jiang could clearly hear the four of them discussing privately:

"Is there really treasure here?"

"Perhaps."

"Did we come to the wrong place?"

"The letter from above confirms that Qingniwa is the same Qingniwa, and the route is the same. As long as the higher-ups haven't made a mistake about the location, then I haven't led you astray."

"Let's wait and look around the town."

Lin Jiang regained his composure and began to carefully observe the people in front of him.

Are these people from the General's Mansion?

Not like.

Upon entering the town, Lin Jiang could roughly discern the depth of their internal energy.

If no method is used to conceal their cultivation level, the strongest among them is only at the fourth level of the Heavenly Realm.

The remaining three had not even reached the Inner Hall realm.

Miss Jiang perished here last time. If the General's Mansion sends people, it will surely be a larger, more skilled, and more meticulous team.

Lin Jiang was even prepared to encounter Li Guang here.

So only these few little guys showed up?

This contradicts Lin Jiang's consistent understanding of the General's Mansion.

Where did these people come from?

They must have gathered intelligence to find this place.

After a moment's thought, Lin Jiang decided to observe further.

Let's see what these people are really up to.

……

"The food in this town is really delicious."

The youngest member of the group couldn't help but sigh as he devoured all the food in front of him.

For these江湖客 (jianghu ke, people of the martial arts world), eating and drinking are actually quite commonplace.

I've tried everything from wild game in the mountains to noodles and pastries in the city.

But the taste of this place is truly rare.

This bowl of noodles alone is so delicious and fragrant that you'll want to sip every last drop of the broth from the bottom of the bowl.

Along the way, there were many food stalls, offering not only common snacks but also some rare foods that the group had never seen before.

For example, a shop might coat crumbled steamed buns with egg and diced chicken, then deep-fry them until golden brown and crispy.

Although it can be cloying if you eat too much, a piece or two on its own is extremely oily and fragrant.

Listening to the young man's sentiments, the other three remained silent, only glancing around warily.

"Why isn't anyone eating?"

"It has an eerie feel to it," the leading woman said in a low voice.

"Strange? This town seems rather unusual." The young man looked puzzled.

"Ordinary?" The woman glanced at him. "There are no caravans or merchants traveling to the outside world, and their livelihoods far surpass other trades. The market is so bustling, and every town resident is wealthy. But what is the basis for this wealth?"

"this?"

The young man clearly hadn't thought that far ahead. In his view, if a town exists here, there must be a reason for its existence, and there was no need to delve into the reasons.

But once he was reminded, he suddenly realized what was going on.

It does indeed have a slightly strange feel to it.

No one can become rich out of thin air. Just like those in their line of work, they all need to survey the feng shui and examine the storefront beforehand, making many trips back and forth before they can dig out real gold from the cave at the bottom of the mountain.

In this small town, apart from the food vendors, the diners must also have plenty of money to afford food.

Otherwise, how could they enjoy such delicious food?

"Later, we'll find an inn, a quiet corner, and question someone. If we can't get any information from them, we'll use the 'treasure-hunting method' to search for it." The woman wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I think the town's wealth might be related to the treasure we're looking for."

"It makes sense."

Several people nodded in agreement.

They got up to go outside, but suddenly realized that the streets outside were shrouded in a sweltering heat.

Even the air seemed to be scorched and slightly distorted, and the shouts of the candied hawthorn vendor across the street were drowned out by the sudden, noisy chirping of cicadas.

"This awful weather, so unpredictable," the woman muttered under her breath. "Shouldn't the dog days of summer be over by now?"

"It's early autumn, so it's quite normal," someone chimed in, wiping sweat from their brow with their sleeve. "It's cool in the mornings and evenings, but scorching hot at noon. Just get through it."

Although this made sense, the woman still felt that the sudden heat was a bit strange.

She couldn't figure it out herself, so she kept it to herself for the time being.

The group left the noodle shop and wandered around the bustling town, asking around to inquire about any treasures the town might have.

Most of the townspeople shook their heads, indicating they had never heard of it.

However, the woman in the lead was slightly luckier; she encountered a man with a dull expression. After inquiring for a moment, he said:
"A treasure in town? I don't know, but there's a knowledgeable old man in town who should know. He's also a kind person. Go ask him, he'll surely answer."

The woman nodded, then asked for the old man's location and memorized it.

Then he led a few of his men to the old man's residence. They left the bustling town center and soon arrived at a secluded grove outside the town, where they found a small courtyard.

The small courtyard is nestled among the trees and enclosed by a fence made of tree branches. Inside, the courtyard is very simple, and a kind-faced old man is watering the vegetables.

The old man clearly saw the four visitors outside and smiled at them:
"Gentlemen, it's so hot outside, would you like to come here for a drink of water?"

The woman gave a wink, intending to get straight to the point, but the weather was getting increasingly hot, and just as she was about to speak, her throat felt like it was on fire.

So they simply changed their tune:

"Could you please lend us a few bowls of water?"

The old man smiled and invited them into the house, pouring each of them a bowl of water. The cool water slid down their throats, and the heat in their bodies instantly subsided by more than half.

Taking advantage of a moment of clarity, the woman asked directly:

"Old sir, are there any strange or unusual things happening in town?"

The old man clearly looked doubtful upon hearing this:

"Why are you asking about this?"

"There's a storyteller in the capital who collects folk tales. He's very generous, and we brothers earn a meager living through hard work."

The old man hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head.
"They're all just old rumors."

"Please feel free to speak up, it won't cause any trouble."

The old man stubbornly shook his head, clearly unwilling to talk any further.

The woman pleaded and begged for a long time, but seeing that the other person remained silent with his lips pursed, she finally had to ask for another bowl of water and sit there silently.

As soon as the old man turned around, the group quickly gathered together and lowered their voices:

"Sis, that old man is definitely hiding something."

"Am I blind or deaf? Do you need to spout nonsense here?" the woman retorted coldly, rolling her eyes.

"Then what should we do?"

"Has your brain been completely emptied of shit? Do I need to teach you this?"

"I have to ask you for permission."

The young man forced a smirk and then turned his gaze to the old man whose back was to him.

He licked his dry lips and quietly walked behind the old man.

"Old man."

"Eh."

The old man turned his head at the sound, and in an instant, a cold light flashed in the young man's palm.

The young man's wrist suddenly dropped, and the dagger plunged straight into the old man's heart.

The sharp blade pierced his chest without any hesitation.

The old man's body stiffened, and he fell straight backward to the ground.

No breath at all.

The young man lightly traced the dagger with his fingertips, a clear hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

When the dagger pierced through, I felt no resistance whatsoever.

It was as if what was being pierced was not flesh and blood, but a piece of tender tofu.

This feels far too strange.

"what happened?"

"fine."

The young man shook his head.

Perhaps it's because my wrist strength has increased dramatically and my kung fu has improved.

Next, all that's needed is to set up an altar and perform a ritual, using the art of soul-slaying to extract the old man's soul, and then create a shadow puppet to guard the place.

They were already very familiar with this method.

At first, he tried to bribe people with gold and silver, but he always encountered greedy people.

Later, they resorted to forced confessions using violence, which was time-consuming, laborious, and noisy, easily attracting the attention of the local government officials and constables.

Although those yamen runners might not be very skilled, they were, after all, constables from Daxing. If they were killed or wounded, Daxing would issue a bounty, and then they would be facing a large force.

After trying many methods, it was finally discovered that the Soul Punishment Method was the most reliable.

There is no sound, yet all clues can be gathered, and the soul does not lie.

Three birds with one stone.

What happens if someone dies?

As long as they stay away from towns, they can lie low for a long time in peace.

After all, neighbors don't see each other that often. It's perfectly normal to not see each other for a few days.

All preparations were complete, and just as they were about to gather the materials and begin the ritual, the surrounding heat suddenly intensified.

The young man raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, beads of sweat sliding down his temples. But just as his palm brushed past the corner of his eye, the old man's body, which had been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly vanished from his sight.

He blinked.

……ah?

Is it too hot and my eyes are blurry?
Before my mind could process it, a sharp, tearing pain shot up my wrist. Looking down, I saw my arm was swollen and red like a peach, and my elbow was bent at an odd angle.

The taciturn man stood before him, his withered hand resting on his deformed arm, and asked without a trace of emotion:

"Does it hurt?"

The belated pain finally exploded, and the young man gasped sharply, letting out a hoarse, shrill scream as he staggered and nearly collapsed.

The man grabbed his wrist:

"Stand firm, falling is bad for your health."

The young man's face turned green with fear. He desperately tried to escape, but an extremely powerful force surged through his wrist.

He had let his hand become one with the stone.

The screams drew the attention of onlookers.

Under the blazing sun, the intense heat steamed across the earth.

Under the blinding light that could melt a person, they watched in horror as the expressionless man kneaded their companions like soft wax.

It was forcibly rolled into a ball of flesh.

(End of this chapter)