Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 353 White Mountain Sect

The carriage traveled along a winding path and soon arrived at the foot of a majestic mountain.

At the foot of the mountain are a few small towns, much smaller than those in Baishan or even Mingde, resembling scattered villages connected together.

These towns, like Mingde, all originated from the Baishan School.

However, compared to Mingde, Baishan Sect had few affairs to attend to. No one came to worship Buddha or seek marriage, greatly diminishing its functionality. Therefore, the number of people gathered there was already small.

Lin Jiang and his group's spacious carriage couldn't even make it into the muddy area at the town's entrance, as narrow wooden fences on both sides blocked the way to prevent the villagers' houses from collapsing. The group had to stay near the carriage and buy some food and other necessities, while Lin Jiang walked alone towards Baishan Sect.

Entering the village, following the slightly rugged mud path to the foot of the distant mountain, Lin Jiang then looked up and gazed at the distant peaks.

Many sects prefer to place their residences on mountain peaks, so that they can both hone their skills by climbing and find tranquility for cultivation.

However, the Baishan School is not one that values ​​tranquility and solitude, so its mountain peaks are not very high.

The mountain path is gentle, and climbing up and down is not difficult.

At this moment, a large crowd had gathered in front of the mountain gate, mostly young men and women; some were dressed simply, seemingly from nearby farm families, while others were dressed in fine clothes, their origins unknown.

Seeing this, Lin Jiang couldn't help but feel curious. He looked around and found a boy who was chatting incessantly with passersby.

Seeing that the boy was wearing a rather luxurious outfit, he looked like the son of some wealthy family in the neighborhood.

He was chatting incessantly, and Lin Jiang immediately recognized him as a complete chatterbox.

However, if you want to get information, a chatterbox is the best choice.

After all, once you get close to them, these people will tell you everything without stopping.

Seeing the obvious anger on the face of the passerby who had been pulled away, the other person pushed the talkative young man away and stormed off. The talkative young man scratched his head awkwardly and did not chase after him.

At that moment, Lin Jiang seized the opportunity and went straight to the talkative young man.

The other person spotted Lin Jiang immediately, and a bright, sunny smile returned to their face:
"Greetings, young master. Are you also here to join the White Mountain Sect?"

"Is this the Baishan Sect's disciple recruitment ceremony?" Lin Jiang asked curiously upon hearing the other party's words.

"It can't be considered a disciple recruitment ceremony. The Baishan Sect also serves as a martial arts school, and it recruits disciples for several months each year. Only those who can stay can officially become members of the Baishan Sect."

This talkative young man was indeed very knowledgeable, and in just a few words, he explained the ins and outs of this place to Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang nodded knowingly.

He had heard many folk tales before, and the storytellers often described joining a famous martial arts sect as being harder than ascending to heaven, as if these sects were an unparalleled star in the sky, forever hanging high above.

Looking at it now, it's clear that these sects also need to eat. They always have some kind of business to make a living. Even if they contract out land and become landlords, they can't always be worry-free about food and clothing.

After all, the poor are scholars and the rich are martial artists. For a martial arts school like the Baishan School, which requires martial arts skills, meat is a staple food. Without running a martial arts school, it would be difficult to survive.

"Brother, judging by your fine clothes, you've also come here to learn martial arts?"

Lin Jiang looked around and found that there were quite a few young men in fine clothes like the ones in front of him, many of whom were followed by servants, so they must have come to the White Mountain Sect.

“The White Mountain Sect is indeed renowned. If I could learn a move or two, it would save my father from nagging.” After explaining, the talkative brother looked at Lin Jiang: “Brother, you’re dressed in fine clothes, why are you asking me?”

"Because I didn't come here to become an apprentice," Lin Jiang said.

"Oh?"

The man immediately perked up, taking two steps at a time to get to Lin Jiang's side, and asked with wide eyes, "Then what brings you here, brother? Hiring bodyguards? Seeking revenge? Challenging the martial arts school?... Oh dear, this time we've stumbled upon something interesting!"

"Just asking them a question."

This person seems to enjoy watching a good show.

"What problem? Why don't you ask me, brother? My home is nearby, and I'm an expert on everything in this area!"

Lin Jiang didn't hide anything, only telling the young man about his search for the western town.

After listening, the young man shook his head blankly.
"A town in the west? I've never heard of that before."

He slapped his forehead hard again and began to think carefully:
“That’s not right. This is already the westernmost part of Daxing. Further west is a pass, and once you go out there, you’ll leave Daxing. If there were a town here, those of us who grew up in the west would definitely know about it.”

He spoke with certainty, as if that were indeed the case.

Lin Jiang frowned slightly.

There really aren't any towns over there?

If they really didn't, then where were their parents at that time?

As he was deep in thought, he suddenly caught sight of several figures walking in the distance.

The leader was a middle-aged man who looked like a chivalrous master.

Lin Jiang glanced at the man a few more times, feeling as if he had seen him somewhere before.

The middle-aged man, with an air of authority that commanded respect without anger, surveyed the noisy group of young people with a scrutinizing gaze.

The young man who had been making a fuss and trying to keep chatting with Lin Jiang changed his expression drastically when he saw that person.

He lowered his voice and introduced it to Lin Jiang:

"This is Bai Haochang, the leader of the Baishan Sect. He's a renowned expert in the martial world! A master of the inner circle! He's almost at the Star Realm level!"

Having said that, a hint of longing crept into his voice:

"This is wonderful. I wonder if I will ever attain such profound spiritual power in the future."

"That's really awesome."

Lin Jiang finally remembered where he had seen this person before.

When he was dealing with Feng Aoshan's accountant, this man was being beaten up on the side, and it was he who stepped in to save him.

This person, is he a star-pointer?
Unless he had some other peculiar hobby, Lin Jiang simply couldn't understand how a master of the Star Point technique could end up like that.

Of course, there's another possibility: it's just common boasting in the underworld.

Although there is a huge gap between the levels of breaking through the stars, it can always easily fool laymen.

In the distance, Bai Haochang and his group from Baishan were heading back to the mountain. Bai Haochang continued to look around at the young men.

Immediately afterwards, his gaze fell directly on Lin Jiang's face.

After scrutinizing Lin Jiang's face for a moment, an incredulous look of astonishment appeared on his face. Then, in full view of everyone, the leader of the Baishan Sect actually jogged to Lin Jiang's side.

With a smile on his face, he bowed to Lin Jiang and said:

"Greetings, sir. Do you still remember me?"

"I remember."

"I never expected that you would grace our Baishan Sect with your presence. Please come in, please come in."

He gave a direct greeting, while the disciples following behind him still looked bewildered, saying:

"You will be in charge of today's admissions matters for the time being, and you must strictly control the process."

"Yes."

The disciples responded in unison, but many eyes remained fixed on Lin Jiang's face. Several disciples who had traveled with Bai Haoshan recognized him and immediately looked enlightened.

As for the young man who had just been chatting with Lin Jiang, he was now completely dumbfounded.

Lin Jiang had clearly stated that he had come to inquire about information, but the young man never expected that such a prominent figure as the leader of the Baishan Sect would treat him with such utmost respect.

What is their identity?

He was utterly bewildered, feeling his face burning with shame at his boastful words in front of such a distinguished guest.

Unfortunately, there was nowhere to crawl into, so they had to dig furiously with their toes, almost creating a replica of the Imperial Palace in Beijing.

……

"What brings Young Master Lin to the White Mountain Sect today?"

Bai Hao poured Lin Jiang a cup of tea and then asked gently.

The two were not actually close, having only met once.

Bai Hao treated Lin Jiang with such courtesy because of the extraordinary abilities he displayed in that fleeting glimpse that day.

Such a seemingly young cultivator possessed such profound cultivation that he couldn't help but suspect that the other party might be a senior master with the art of preserving youth.

Such people should not be offended lightly, so Bai Haochang respectfully welcomed him in and waited for his words.

Lin Jiang took a sip of tea and responded with a smile:

"Sect Leader Bai, you are too kind. I have come here with a favor to ask of you."

"Please speak freely, young master."

"May I ask Sect Leader Bai if there are any other towns near the White Mountain Sect?"

Lin Jiang raised his question again, and Bai Haochang frowned and unconsciously tapped his fingers on the table.

Clearly, he was deep in thought.

"The town you mentioned, young master... I must admit I have absolutely no clue about it. If this place suffered a great disaster, and I was so close by, how could I be completely unaware?"

This is indeed a question that is difficult to avoid.

Could it be that Lin Shengfeng has misremembered?
Given his circumstances at the time, it's understandable that his memory might be inaccurate.

But Lin Jiang had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly said:

"Does Master Bai have a detailed map of this place?"

"Have."

The map was not a secret to begin with. Bai Haochang deftly waved his hand behind him, and disciples immediately responded and stepped forward.

He whispered a few words to the other person, who then quickly walked down and soon presented him with a finely bound map.

Judging from its appearance alone, this map is exquisite and beautiful, and it was obviously made at a great cost.

Bai Haochang unfurled the scroll directly in front of Lin Jiang, and the entire scroll immediately came into Lin Jiang's view.

The map was indeed extremely detailed. After a brief look, Lin Jiang could clearly discern the detailed markings of the surrounding villages and towns.

"This drawing is exquisitely done," Lin Jiang couldn't help but praise.

"You think so too?" Bai Hao's voice revealed a hint of joy. "Others have different tastes; some love mountains and rivers, others love beautiful women, but I am particularly fond of this exquisite map, and I am quite obsessed with it."

"This preference... is indeed rare."

Although Lin Jiang did not understand this, he did not say much, but instead asked thoughtfully:
Where is the White Mountain Sect?

"Look, it's right here."

Bai Haochang pointed to the very center of the map:
“Look around, all we see are towns surrounding the White Mountain Sect, and we certainly don’t see the place you mentioned.”

Lin Jiang followed Bai Hao's long, sweeping fingertips and suddenly spoke:
"Hold on."

"Ok?"

Bai Haochang stopped what he was doing, puzzled.

Lin Jiang stared at the map. Just now, Bai Hao's fingertip clearly brushed over a town on the map, but he seemed not to have noticed this and confidently said that there was nothing around Baishan Town.

Lin Jiang pointed directly at that spot:
"Sect Leader Bai, what is this?"

Bai Hao stared intently at it.

"Here? This is Xidu Town, how come..."

The words caught in his throat. His expression froze.

There used to be a town here.

However, Bai Haochang ignored it.

P.S.: The increase in book collections has hit rock bottom. I'll have to talk to the editor about the new book title on Monday.

(End of this chapter)