Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 335 Returning to Cangsong

Lin Jiang's smile remained unchanged, as if he were chatting with a new friend, his tone completely unaffected.

But Lingkong could clearly sense that Lin Jiang seemed to be hiding something.

This oppressive feeling caused Lingkong to break out in a cold sweat down his back.

However, after a moment of contemplation, Ling Kong's face revealed a calm expression:
"This humble monk has traveled the world for many years and has indeed slain many demons. Although I dare not say that every demon I have destroyed is harmful, I swear that I have never killed a demon who holds a court attendant's certificate. If I am ever killed by a demon in return, that is karma."

Lin Jiang stared at the monk.

Despite its self-proclaimed bloodthirstiness, its spiritual energy was exceptionally pure, without the slightest hint of turbidity.

Although Lin Jiang could not determine the number and innocence of the ghosts and demons he had destroyed, he deduced from the clarity of the spiritual energy that this person probably had not slaughtered all the harmless demons and ghosts.

After all, the number of certified members of Daxingtang is extremely large, and many of the uncertified evil spirits are actually real villains.

“Young master, I have traveled the world for many years and have seen many people. I can sense that you and your companions are all capable individuals.” Lingkong suddenly said, “Young master is dissatisfied with my actions and may even want to kill me.”

"You are not afraid?"

“I am not afraid. I am bloodthirsty and prepared to be destroyed. If I can travel with you, young master, I only wish to die after we reach the temple.” Lingkong said, “This is my humble wish.”

“I will not kill you,” Lin Jiang said. “Even the Buddha has guardian deities. When he is not angry, the Buddha’s face is gentle, but when he is angry, he is like an Asura. Killing is also a path of cultivation.”

“Guardian deity…” Lingkong pondered the word, then smiled helplessly, “This humble monk’s cultivation is still shallow; I am far from sufficient.”

"Speaking of which, I once went to Feng'ao Mountain and met a hero there, who was also a monk. He claimed to be a former disciple of Mingde Temple, with the Dharma name Nianyuan. Do you know him?"

Ling Kong's expression changed slightly upon hearing this:
“That man… is my senior brother. Didn’t I mention that I often provide some unscrupulous monks with meat and wine that are not from the three pure meats? He was one of them, and he always ate the most.”

"Senior brother? Your Dharma names start with different characters."

Lin Jiang asked in confusion. He had thought the two were from different generations, but they turned out to be from the same generation.

"Young master, you may not know this, but Mingde Temple is divided into the School of Principles and the School of Martial Arts. The School of Principles focuses on various methods of cultivation, while the School of Martial Arts focuses on martial arts techniques and physical training. The lineage of Dharma names in the two schools is separate. If one can stand out from both schools, one can change the first character of one's Dharma name to '1' and enter the main school of Mingde Temple."

"That's quite a peculiar rule. All the monks in the main academy have the same first character in their Dharma names? Is there no distinction of seniority?"

"No."

Lingkong shook his head and said:
"According to my master, once you enter Mingde Temple, there is no distinction of seniority. However, for those of us who have not yet fully grasped Buddhist etiquette, the lack of seniority will surely lead to confusion about manners. If one can obtain a Taoist title, then one is a fellow practitioner regardless of age or seniority. It is simply a matter of some arriving first and some arriving later."

The concept of Mingde Temple was quite novel, and Lin Jiang noted it down.

"Speaking of Nianyuan, this humble monk has indeed not seen him for a long time. At that time, besides the two of us, there was also Nianwu, who was also a notorious mischievous monk. The fact that the three of us were able to stay in the temple for so long can be considered as the old abbot's mercy."

"And what's his situation?"

"He was usually quite normal, but he had an extremely volatile temper and acted without any restraint. That day during the martial arts academy competition, his opponent used the rules to force him off the stage, which completely enraged him. He even rushed onto the stage and dislocated both of his opponent's arms. This incident became the fuse, and the temple held a meeting to expel all the troublemakers from the temple."

At this point, Lingkong couldn't help but express some nostalgia for the past, while Lin Jiang found it hard to describe.

Mingde Temple already has two extraordinary talents, Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick, but unexpectedly there are also people like Tomb Tiger.

Heaven knows what calamity Mingde Temple suffered.

The conversation was drawing to a close when everyone arrived at Ta Yunxia and had dinner with Tai Nanzi and his disciples. The group then stayed there for the night.

The next morning, everyone bid farewell to Tai Nanzi and the others. Tai Nanzi wanted to persuade them to stay a few more days, but Lin Jiang was eager to return to Cangsong. Upon learning this, Tai Nanzi did not insist, but hoped that they could stay a couple more days when they met again so that he could entertain them once more.

Without delay, Lin Jiang and his group continued their journey south.

This time, Lingkong's figure was also seen outside the carriage.

He rode alone, keeping pace with the carriage, and took the initiative to scout the way.

Lingkong knew that Lin Jiang was going back to his hometown to visit relatives. After learning that he planned to visit his relatives first and then go to Mingde Temple, he was still willing to accompany him.

After all, it seems that only this group of people can cure the abbot's strange illness, and Lingkong thinks it's harmless to follow in their footsteps.

The rest of the journey was quite peaceful, and Lingkong often chatted with Yu Wenyun.

Lingkong gradually noticed many strange things about the coachman.

The most striking feature was his eyes, which seemed to never blink. From the beginning of the conversation, Ling Kong had not seen his eyelids tremble even slightly.

Secondly, this person seems tireless and doesn't need sleep.

Every night, he would keep his strange eyes wide open all night until dawn.

An ordinary person would surely suspect that this person is a demon in disguise, but Lingkong, who has seen many demons, can tell that this person has no connection with demons whatsoever.

It's just that the method they practice is exceptionally unique.

During their conversation, Lingkong was even more astonished to discover that Yu Wenyun was thoroughly familiar with all kinds of Taoist arts and divination techniques. His Taoist cultivation was profound and his magical skills were far beyond Lingkong's reach.

In his view, Yu Wenyun must have reached the Inner Hall realm, and is probably a rare sixth-level master in the martial arts world!
Why would such a master be willing to work as a coachman?
Who exactly is that handsome young man in the car?

Lingkong could tell that the other party was extremely skilled. Remembering how the pills he had given the female ghost could reverse her injuries, a bold idea sprouted in his mind. Perhaps the young master in the carriage was Dianxing! Because in his view, only Dianxing could possibly cast such a profound spell.

Having realized this, Lingkong naturally became even more respectful towards Lin Jiang.

I just don't know which famous master he is in the martial arts world.

And so, the journey continued for several more days and nights, until one midday, when Lin Jiang heard the noisy roadside sounds again.

He got up early in the morning, went to the window, pushed it open, and looked out.

Just like when I first arrived, the main road leading to the pine trees was still bustling with activity, crowded with carriages and horses.

Merchants from all directions and scholars and literati who came from afar because of its reputation.

When he lifted the curtain, the girls outside all saw his handsome face, and several of them blushed, as if the scene from before was repeating itself.

Lin Jiang responded with a smile. The three people next to him saw this, pondered for a moment, maintained their changing forms, and then opened the other window to look outside.

Clearly, her altered appearance had no effect; she simply lay by the window and no one paid her any attention.

This was a huge blow to Yi, Er, and San, and they visibly began to decline.

Jiang Jinyue leaned closer to Yi Er San to comfort her.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Jiang Jinyue appeared, her figure was obscured by the car window, attracting the attention of many young men once again.

One, two, three—the more they thought about it, the more heartbroken they became.

Lin Jiang paid no attention to the little incident over there. At this moment, he was eager to return home and hoped to reach Shuixing as soon as possible.

After entering the city, Lin Jiang told Yu Wenyun the location, and Yu Wenyun immediately accelerated his horse. Before long, Lin Jiang returned to the familiar lakeside and saw the familiar waterway.

When the carriage came to a stop at the gate, several waiters came to greet it.

They noticed the carriage's luxurious appearance and assumed it was a distinguished guest. However, when they rushed to the carriage and the door opened, Lin Jiang calmly stepped down, only to realize that it was actually the young master returning.

Several servants who recognized Lin Jiang immediately stepped forward to greet their young master, while the rest quickly went into the courtyard to report to the old lady.

Lin Jiang beckoned his entourage into the courtyard hall. Before long, an old woman walked over from the other side of the pavilion.

It was Wen Xiangyi.

Upon seeing the old lady appear, Lin Jiang quickly stepped forward and embraced her with open arms.

Wen Xiangyi smiled and gently patted his back:

"Hey, look at you. You've been running around all this time, and you haven't even taken care of yourself. You've gotten so thin." Lin Jiang smiled and opened his arms.

After turning into gold, one's physical form should not change, but in the grandmother's eyes, if her children and grandchildren haven't gained weight, then they've lost weight.

The ginseng nimbly emerged from Lin Jiang's sleeve, waving its roots at Wen Xiangyi, who nodded in return.

"These days, I am grateful to Lord Shencao for taking care of my grandson."

"No thanks, no thanks." Little Ginseng hurriedly waved his hand, looking embarrassed. "I'm the one who's always being taken care of."

Wen Xiangyi nodded with a gentle smile, then launched into a barrage of questions at Lin Jiang:
"How are you doing in the capital? Did you catch a chill last night? I heard you opened a shop there. My grandson is really something, building such a large business in such a short time... Also, have you found your ideal girl?"

At this point, Wen Xiangyi suddenly turned her head, her gaze passing over Lin Jiang and looking at the people behind him.

When she caught sight of Yu Wenyun and Ling Kong, she simply smiled politely and nodded slightly; but when her gaze fell on Jiang Jinyue and Yi Er San, she lingered for a few more moments.

Then, a hint of hesitation appeared on Wen Xiangyi's face: "That girl is too young. She should wait two more years."

Lin Jiang: "?"

He felt that if he didn't shut his grandmother up, she would say even more outrageous things, so he quickly coughed lightly and asked directly:

"These two are just friends. Let's not talk about that now. Grandma, how is Grandpa's health?"

Wen Xiangyi looked worried, hesitant to speak, but then, thinking that Lin Jiang would be staying there for some time, she finally sighed softly:
"Your grandfather's condition has worsened, and now he's bedridden and unable to move."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang frowned slightly.

"Grandma, can I go see Grandpa?"

"He probably doesn't want his grandson to see him like that..."

“I might have a way to cure Grandpa,” Lin Jiang suddenly said.

Wen Xiangyi glanced at her grandson, but for a moment she felt a little awkward.

What has my grandson been through during this time?

(End of this chapter)