Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 282 Disaster
The three Zeng brothers sat at the tea table, chatting with Gong Xuan and Jiang Jinyue.

Although it was supposed to be a casual chat, since it was the first time everyone had met and Lin Jiang was absent, the conversation faltered for a moment, and most of the questions were about Lin Jiang's situation.

The three Zeng brothers recounted how Lin Jiang risked his life to save people from two cities during the time of Cangsong, proving himself to be a trustworthy and chivalrous individual. Gong Xuan and Jiang Jinyue also shared stories of the various experiences they had with this young master from the capital.

"And listening to you, young master is still as chivalrous as ever." Zeng Mu couldn't help but sigh, and then turned his gaze to Jiang Jinyue: "I didn't expect that young master would become such a close friend with Constable Jiang."

The Northern Prince's Mansion was more or less involved in the struggle in Daxing. Although they could not say they knew Jiang Jinyue, a person of considerable status in the capital, they had heard about her past experiences to some extent.

Other things are fine for now, but the main issue is that her status as Li Guang's adopted daughter is a bit sensitive in the Northern Prince's mansion.

Jiang Jinyue also understood the implied meaning in Zeng Yan's words, and waved her hand dismissively:

"The reason I left the capital was because I had some conflicts with my mother."

She stopped there and didn't say anything more, and the three Zeng brothers didn't ask any further questions.

As they were talking, Zeng Wen, with his exceptional hearing, instantly caught the footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Lin Jiang strolling towards him, and a smile immediately spread across his face as he cheerfully waved in Lin Jiang's direction.

The others also looked over, and the tense atmosphere at the table instantly dissipated, with everyone's attitudes easing considerably.

“Young Master Lin, you are truly hard to find,” Zeng Yan said with a smile. “We came here specifically to look for you, but we ran into these two friends. They said you left the village and have not returned, and it is difficult to predict when you will return. We have been waiting for you for quite some time.”

Jiang Jinyue glanced at Lin Jiang sideways: "Young Master Lin is often like this."

Lin Jiang's lips trembled slightly:
"He is always busy every day and has to leave the village from time to time."

Jiang Jinyue glanced at Lin Jiang indifferently, and Lin Jiang turned his head slightly.

The little ginseng on top of Lin Jiang's head grabbed his hair with both hands and pulled it upwards forcefully, making Lin Jiang's smile even more awkward.

Ultimately, it was Zeng Mu who stepped in to mediate:
"I came here today to invite you to the Northern Prince's residence, but I unexpectedly ran into two of your friends here, so I decided to go with them."

"Won't this bother you?" Gong Xuan asked shyly.

"How could I possibly bother you?" Zeng Mu nodded. "To entertain you, young master, the old master specially prepared a whole cow and a whole sheep. Who would have thought that the cook would go to such lengths and prepare a little too much food? It would be just right if a few more people came."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang laughed loudly:
"The sky is high and the clouds are light today, so let's go for a stroll together. I don't think the old man will mind."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinyue and Gong Xuanfang nodded in agreement.

A sense of curiosity quietly welled up in both of their hearts.

The Northern Prince.

This man was almost completely hidden in the capital, yet he truly held the reins of military power throughout the north.

Such a powerful figure, who rarely appeared in the imperial court but whose name alone could intimidate the petty officials in the court.

What kind of personality would someone of such high status and power have?

……

Gong Xuan and Jiang Jinyue's palms trembled slightly.

Inside their large tent, a commotion erupted as the soldiers clapped enthusiastically around them, while in the center of the tent, Lin Jiang was wrestling with the Northern Prince.

Neither of them expected things to develop this way.

At first, everything was fine. The Northern Prince was a bold and cheerful man, and he was even more delighted to see the Zeng brothers leading Lin Jiang's friends.

Even after learning Jiang Jinyue's identity, he showed no displeasure and continued to treat her with great hospitality.

As the Zeng brothers had said, the banquet was filled with delicious beef and mutton dishes, cooked in extremely simple ways, mostly by salting and roasting. However, the meat from the grasslands was of superior quality, requiring no complicated cooking methods; the succulent fat on the surface was enough to make one's mouth water.

Until then, everything in the camp was as usual, and everyone ate and did their work as before.

After a few rounds of drinks, Old Master Zhao seemed a little drunk. He stared at Lin Jiang for a long time and suddenly asked Lin Jiang if his skills had improved a lot compared to before. Lin Jiang naturally did not hide anything and told him the truth.

This piqued the old man's interest, and he insisted on having a match with Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang couldn't refuse, so he could only persuade him that a real fight would take too much time, and that it would be better to try a simple contest of strength first.

Jiang Jinyue and Gong Xuan thought that someone in the tent would try to dissuade the old man, but to their surprise, the soldiers around them gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Not only did no one stop them, but they also clapped and cheered.

Especially the young ginseng, who never seemed to mind making a scene on the table, jumping around and making them demonstrate.

Amidst the commotion, the two began to compete in strength inside the tent.

Although Master Zhao was a veteran of many battles and had also practiced martial arts, he was quite strong. However, in a pure contest of strength, he was no match for Lin Jiang. Lin Jiang didn't even have to exert much force to throw the old man to the ground.

The latter lay stiffly for a moment before glaring defiantly at Lin Jiang:

"If you were to truly fight me head-on, you would definitely be no match for me!"

"We're comparing strength, and you're no match for me in that regard," Lin Jiang laughed heartily, reaching out to pull Master Zhao up, who then used his arm to get up.

Zhu Zi peeked halfway out from Lin Jiang's sleeve: "Old boss, you're too old to be competing with young people. It's not good if you get hurt."

Old Zhao glared fiercely at Zhu Zi: "Damn it, I bet you've gotten too good of following this kid, you don't even recognize your old boss like me anymore!"

Zhu Zi chuckled and secretly slipped the beads back into Lin Jiang's sleeve.

Old Zhao sighed, rubbing his lower back: "I'm getting old, really old. When I was young, I could take on ten of you by myself."

"You really are a good fighter."

"Hmph, brat." Old Zhao sat back in the main seat. "Since you've come here to build a village, are you planning to join me? I value your abilities. If you could go to the grasslands and kill a few barbarians, you'd become a great general in no time." "I really don't have that intention." Lin Jiang sighed softly as he spoke, the scene he had witnessed that morning flashing through his mind again.

Thinking of the huge hole left by the array, he suddenly felt that the fighting in Daxing City was utterly boring.

Old Zhao keenly sensed that Lin Jiang's emotions were unusual, and simply asked:

"Hey kid, what's bothering you?"

“Indeed, there are some.” Lin Jiang pondered for a moment, looked around, and found that Jiang Jinyue and Gong Xuan were both looking at him with concern.

Even the little ginseng was quiet, turning its head and staring intently at Lin Jiang's eyebrows and eyes with its round eyes.

Lin Jiang remained silent for a moment, feeling that it would be inappropriate to handle the situation on his own. He could trust everyone present, and it wouldn't hurt to reveal a little bit of information.

That is to say:
"I have a technique that allows me to observe celestial phenomena and survey the four directions."

"That's impressive." Old Zhao understood Lin Jiang's underlying meaning: "What did you see?"

“Looking around the world, at the ends of the earth, where the waves are raging, calamities are sweeping across the land, and beyond this world, calamities continue to pour in.”

Lin Jiang described his observations in extremely concise language, yet the information contained within was astonishing.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao frowned slightly and remained silent.

Gong Xuan, however, looked somewhat confused and asked in a low voice:

What is a calamity?

This matter had not yet spread throughout the martial arts world, and Gongxuan had not gone with Lin Jiang to Sun Zhong's place, so he asked out of curiosity.

"It's the place where Bai Zifeng fell when we dealt with him," Jiang Jinyue pointed out.

Upon hearing this explanation, Gong Xuan immediately snapped back to reality, his expression changing drastically:
"Those things are everywhere around the ends of the earth?"

Bai Zifeng, a sixth-level expert, turned into a monster after falling into the calamity. Gong Xuan already found it extremely troublesome, and it was hard to imagine what a terrifying scene it would be if those filthy things were everywhere.

Old Zhao remained silent for a moment before speaking:
"This matter... the old bald man mentioned it before."

"National Division?"

"Yes," said Old Zhao. "Back then, that old bald man invited me for drinks. He told me that we should be uniting our forces to deal with the disaster, but since the external enemy is nowhere to be seen, it is difficult for the people of Daxing to work together as one, and it is also difficult for him to stay away from the capital for long."

"Does the Imperial Advisor have some hidden difficulties?"

Masters of the Ninth Heaven should be free and unrestrained. Even when maintaining order in the capital, they shouldn't be too restricted.

"It's mainly my old brother."

"Which one?"

"The one whose butt is sitting on the throne." Old Zhao waved his hand.

Lin Jiang suddenly realized.

The Emperor.

Perhaps only Old Zhao dared to address the emperor in that way.

"My old brother and the Imperial Advisor are close friends. They did make many plans to resist the disaster. However, now that my old brother is seriously ill, he must have entrusted some words to the old bald man. Since then, the old bald man has rarely left the capital."

"If the General hadn't broken a taboo this time, I don't think the old bald man would have made the trip."

At this point, a wry smile appeared on Old Zhao's face:
"The calamity is troublesome, but it is impossible for us young men to join forces with the grassland people in order to deal with it. The strength of both sides will inevitably be entangled on this battlefield. Even if you tell me that tomorrow we will be forever buried under the western mountains, the grassland people will not be able to set foot in Daxing today."

At this point, he sighed:
"That fellow in the south is probably the same."

Lin Jiang remained silent.

There's no way to resolve this. Even Lin Jiang, if he were truly in Zhao Lao's shoes, would probably make the same choice.

“But if there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me,” Old Zhao waved his hand. “I can make the decision.”

"Does Elder Zhao have any relatively complete historical records?"

"History books?" Old Zhao hadn't expected Lin Jiang to want this.
"I do have a library, but I'm not sure if it contains what you need. You can go and take a look when the time comes."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Zhao."

The group returned to their seats, intending to continue eating and drinking, when suddenly a soldier stumbled in from outside, looking tense.

He quickly came to Old Zhao's side and whispered in Old Zhao's ear.

The soldier tried to keep his voice down, but the people present were all quite skilled, and what the other person said still reached their ears:

"A calamity has befallen the Southern General's Mansion!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang frowned immediately. He closed his eyes and instantly arrived at the inner hall.

He hurried towards the map room, taking three steps at a time.

Upon arriving at this location, Lin Jiang also looked towards the south.

He clearly saw that on the map, which had originally been empty,
Four red dots appeared.

(End of this chapter)