Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 285 Traveling by Boat
Lin Jiang's physical body was still far from the coffin; he was merely using it to hear the sounds. But precisely because of this, he had no worry about being discovered.

After all, no one was around. Even if the elders holding the meeting opened the door, they would only see a coffin lying inside.

Just listen without worry.

Just as he expected, someone in the room immediately asked a question:

"Why not seize this opportunity to fully assist the Imperial Preceptor? Once this is accomplished, the Imperial Preceptor will be on our side, and His Highness will have no power to contend with us anymore. We can then take advantage of this opportunity to rise up and achieve our grand ambitions."

These words were reasonable and insightful, and many people nodded in agreement.

The person who had just spoken let out a long, drawn-out sigh:
"How could I not know what my colleagues have said? The capital is the foundation of our great expansion. If we were not forced to do so, why would we treat the Imperial Preceptor this way?"

At this point, Lin Jiang caught a faint sob in his voice.

He was secretly astonished: Who is this master? How could he have cultivated such exquisite shamelessness! Judging from his level of skill, he is probably superior to me!
And that voice sounds familiar.

As Lin Jiang listened to the voice, he carefully considered the situation, and the face of a familiar person gradually came to mind.

Zhou Canshen.

That's clearly the Grand Secretary!

I never expected to hear his voice here.

Sure enough, when it comes to shamelessness, experience counts.

The sobbing subsided, and everyone in the room sighed. Zhou Canshen took this opportunity to explain what had happened:
"The Imperial Preceptor's divine might is unparalleled, invincible in this era. Even if the Dharma Ancestor and the Cultural Ancestor joined forces, they would still be no match for him. To truly defeat him, it would probably require the combined efforts of most of the city's elites. If the Third Prince truly ascends to the throne and the capital keeps its promise to refrain from interfering in state affairs, then it would be fine. However, such a good thing is not something that can be easily accomplished."

As soon as Zhou Canshen finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang understood what these people wanted to do.

Logically, the First Prince's subordinates plotted to trap the Imperial Preceptor but failed, only managing to hold him back. If the Imperial Preceptor escaped, the First Prince would surely lose popular support at court, presenting the Third Prince with an opportune moment to launch an attack. Logically, he should also lend a helping hand to the Imperial Preceptor.

However, this is precisely the crux of the problem.

The Imperial Preceptor's cultivation was truly too high, like the sun high in the sky above the city, scorching the heavens.

The old emperor could be controlled, but the two princes were far from capable of doing so.

As an emperor, what he would find most unacceptable is having an uncontrollable factor by his side who is beyond his control and whose power far surpasses that of all his subordinates.

Even though this uncontrollable factor was outwardly expressed as a sign of absolute loyalty to Daxing, the emperor was suspicious, and verbal promises could not bring them any security.

Therefore, the Third Prince's side was unwilling to get deeply involved in this whole affair.

This move may seem incredibly foolish and even absurd, but from the perspective of the princes, it is perfectly reasonable.

Power that cannot be controlled by me is not good power.

Lin Jiang declined to comment on the matter. Personally, he felt that these people were blinded by greed and could no longer see the bigger picture.

"So what do we do next? Should we also take action covertly?"

"Hey, how can you say that? The Grand Preceptor is, after all, a pillar of the Great Xing Dynasty. We only hope that he won't block the Third Prince's path, so naturally we would never actually hurt anyone. However, the generals we sent this time don't need to go all out; just make a show of it."

Whispers could be heard from inside the room, but this level of restraint was tolerable to them.

With the matter settled, the meeting adjourned.

After the rustling sounds of packing things subsided, Lin Jiang stopped listening.

He immediately composed himself, his thoughts drifting back to the village far away in Qingniwa.

After lying in bed for a while, Lin Jiang suddenly sat up.

It's best not to hide this matter.

……

The next morning, the group arrived in Qingniwa City.

The fastest way to travel south from here is by boat, and one must specifically take a warship from Qingniwa.

The ship carries the secret techniques and cultivation methods of the Great Yin Dynasty, ensuring that it can withstand wind and rain and sail smoothly.

From here, it only takes four days to sail to the southernmost city, a speed that rivals that of a bird soaring through the sky.

Upon arrival at the southern port, the group will need to change horses, which will take several more days of travel.

After boarding the ship, everyone settled their belongings. Lin Jiang took the opportunity to find Old Zhao, who was counting the treasures in the cabin, and briefly explained what had happened the day before.

"Is that really what they plan to do?"

“I have some informants in the capital, so I naturally heard it with my own ears.”

Lin Jiang responded with a smile.

Old Zhao couldn't help but take a closer look at Lin Jiang:

"I thought you were a passionate and chivalrous young man, but I never expected that you would fall into the murky vat in the blink of an eye."

"This is not something I wanted to get involved in," Lin Jiang sighed helplessly. "Do you know my grandfather?"

"I had heard of him before, but we were not close."

“My grandfather had a priceless treasure, which many people in the capital coveted and stole. I was forced to do so. Some time ago, those people even murdered my grandfather’s old friend, Sun Zhong. If I hadn’t done that, I would probably have been completely devoured by them, even drained of my marrow.”

Old Zhao remembered the crazy old man in the pine tree.

At that time, while the old man was causing trouble in the capital, Old Zhao happened to be dealing with the invasion of the grassland people in the north. Therefore, he had indeed heard about the various deeds of the playboys in the capital, but he was not familiar with them.

At the time, rumors circulated in the capital that the playboy possessed miraculous magical arts, which Old Zhao scoffed at. Unexpectedly, many years later, those people were still striving for it.

That child has been driven to such extremes.

“If what you say is true… sigh…” Old Zhao sighed deeply, then pressed his temples.

He pondered for a moment and realized that he was truly powerless to do anything about it.

Now, let alone the fact that he lacks the position of inspector, even if Old Zhao really had this power, how could he tell whether the other party was doing their best?

At this moment, the only thing he could do was to inform the Stars who would definitely help him about this matter and warn them to be wary of these people to prevent them from plotting against him.

"Sir, you don't need to worry too much. The spies I've planted around them are extremely well-hidden and will never be discovered. I will inform you immediately if the cabinet makes any moves," Lin Jiang said sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao nodded slightly.

After saying this, Lin Jiang got up and left the cabin, returning to his own room.

No sooner had Lin Jiang left than a series of loud clattering sounds came from the bag in front of Old Zhao:
"Sir, is this boy lying?"

"I think so. Those people in the cabinet are as shrewd as monkeys. How could a mere kid have overheard a secret meeting?"

"So what exactly is his purpose? Is he trying to incite us and the cabinet?"

"But our relationship with the cabinet is already poor."

The treasures inside the bag argued amongst themselves, until Old Zhao gently patted the bag, and they finally quieted down.

"Don't talk nonsense. This young man may not be lying."

"Where did he get this information from?" Baby still asked anxiously.

"Perhaps it's Sun Zhong. He has some influence in the capital."

"Sir, you should be more careful. I know you have always appreciated talented young people, but not all young people are well-intentioned."

Old Zhao was annoyed by what he heard, and slammed his hand heavily on the bag:
"Go talk to Zhu Zi if you have something to say! I've already sent Zhu Zi to follow that young man. Since Zhu Zi didn't come to me this time, he can't be a bad person."

The children immediately fell silent.

While they do not readily trust outsiders, they undoubtedly trust their colleagues.

After calming the children down, Old Zhao still subconsciously looked in the direction Lin Jiang had left.

When he first met Lin Jiang, he thought he was just a young man in the martial arts world worth promoting. But after Lin Jiang killed the pageboy, Zhao Lao knew that this person was extraordinary.

Later, the young man said he wanted to travel the world, and Old Zhao also felt that he should go out and make his way in the world. However, he went straight to the capital and stayed there for a while. When he reappeared, Old Zhao found it difficult to understand him.

For some reason, Zhao Lao saw a hint of the Imperial Advisor in him.

He always speaks with a hidden agenda, hinting at a future plan.

However, he was a little better than the Imperial Advisor; he didn't hide much.

……

This was Lin Jiang's first time spending the night on a boat.

The bed swayed gently, as if I were floating on a rootless duckweed.

This swaying motion made him unhappy; lying on the unstable duckweed, the shaking was truly uncomfortable.

He slept quite restlessly on the first night and needed to adjust his breathing to soothe his mind the next day; he still couldn't adjust on the second night; by the third night, he simply stayed awake and focused on adjusting his breathing.

Although the impact did not reach his physical or mental well-being, he was ultimately not used to this rootless, floating state.

For several days, the only thing that comforted him was the fish and rice on the river.

That was a common dish on board, made entirely from fresh fish.

Simply steam the fish you caught, and serve it with sauce as you eat.

Fish that have just been caught are especially fresh, with a tender and smooth texture that is exceptionally delicious.

On the evening of the fourth day, after finishing his meal, Lin Jiang went straight back to his room.

He will arrive at his destination tomorrow, and he needs to conserve his energy and remain vigilant throughout the journey.

Lin Jiang lay down on the bed and closed his eyes to rest.

Feeling the bed swaying slightly, Lin Jiang's thoughts drifted away, towards the distant horizon, towards the palace with its coffin-like walls that perfectly matched the sky.

He was still pondering what had happened in the world, questions that had lingered in his mind for several nights.

Thoughts drifted like the current, unknowingly heading in an unknown direction.

Just then, Lin Jiang suddenly sensed an unusual commotion coming from inside the palace.

With a slight thought, he went straight into the inner palace.

As soon as you step inside, you see the little golden figures rolling around on the ground with tense expressions.

He subconsciously approached one of them, and just as he was about to ask a question, it suddenly sprang up and grabbed Lin Jiang's clothes, pulling him deeper into the palace.

Lin Jiang was completely bewildered and was dragged to the map room without really understanding what was going on.

Then, he watched as the little golden figure leaped onto the map and landed precisely next to a red dot.

It anxiously tapped the location on the map.

The red dot was right in the middle of the surging waves!

Lin Jiang immediately looked at the map, and his face suddenly darkened.

The golden statuette points to the route they plan to take.

And that red dot, symbolizing calamity, is blocking the way!

(End of this chapter)