Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 386 Can I Be Myself?

Ye Wanzhuang agreed to paint for Liang Huashan, so she went straight to the wooden table, rolled up her sleeves, and began grinding ink.

Xiao Shanshen, curious, wanted to get closer to the desk to take a look, and cautiously asked Ye Wanzhuang:
"Master Ye, what are you planning to paint next?"

“I think the landscape painting is quite good,” Ye Wanzhuang said. “Landscape paintings are the most evocative, and all the emotions can be conveyed in the flow of the landscape. They are among the best of all types of paintings.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Huashan, who was standing some distance away, gave a faint, bitter smile.

Although Lin Jiang did not speak, he could clearly see that Liang Huashan actually hoped that Ye Wanzhuang could paint a self-portrait.

But how can I bring myself to say this?

Liang Huashan absolutely could not speak directly to Ye Wanzhuang.

When he says it, there's always a strange undertone to his words.

Like the overflowing infatuation of those who cannot obtain what they desire, if he were to express it so directly to Ye Wanzhuang, he would likely only be met with a "disgusting" rebuke.

Lin Jiang naturally couldn't convey these words on his behalf.

At this moment, Lin Jiang was also hesitant to speak, his lips moving but then falling silent again, unable to find a single word to comfort him.

This is just... too outrageous.

When Lin Jiang listened to Liang Huashan recount his experiences with Ye Wanzhuang, he genuinely believed that the two shared a poignant love story. However, after actually getting to know them, he realized it was nothing more than a one-sided fanboy act.

What can an outsider like him do?
Was Ye Wanzhuang wrong?

of course not.

To be precise, she was simply too straightforward, even to the point of being hurtful. However, she really didn't need to coax an old man like Liang Huashan, who looked quite old, like a child.

She spared no effort to create a painting as a gift; by any measure, she had done more than enough.

even
Ye Wanzhuang still doesn't know that what Liang Huashan truly craved was not actually that painting.

Lin Jiang sighed helplessly and looked up at the three numbers beside him.

Did you know about this beforehand?

Yi Er San sighed softly, wiping away the tears that silently streamed down her face with her sleeve. Lin Jiang didn't understand why she was crying, but he surmised that she was probably inexplicably moved by Liang Huashan's unrequited love and heartbreak.

Seeing Lin Jiang ask about this, Yi Er San gently shook his head:
"I don't know much about this matter yet. I only remember that Ye Wanzhuang did teach quite a few students when she was alive. It was only after her death that I met Liang Huashan and learned that he was quite attached to my old friend, so I assumed that the two had a close relationship. Who would have thought..."

At this point, Yi Er San's expression suddenly changed slightly, as if she had remembered something. She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice:
"Actually... I have a guess."

"You speak."

With a flick of her fingertips, a faint candlelight silently ignited. In the dim candlelight, an invisible aura quietly spread, gently enveloping the two and isolating them from sound.

Liang Huashan, oblivious to everything, remained sitting alone, staring blankly in Ye Wanzhuang's direction.

Once everything was settled, the first, second, and third parties spoke in hushed tones:
"I reckon Ye Wanzhuang has regained her senses some time ago, but she is trapped by various reasons and unable to get away. Today, upon seeing this little ginseng that is exactly the same as her, she invited us to this place."

"That's certainly possible..."

After saying this, Lin Jiang's words suddenly caught in his throat.

He roughly guessed what Yi Er San wanted to say.

Liang Huashan came here almost every year at first, but he never saw Ye Wanzhuang.

Could it be that Ye Wanzhuang had actually glimpsed Liang Huashan on the lake shore, but didn't recognize him and thus failed to activate the forbidden technique on the lake?

When this thought crossed Lin Jianghai's mind, even he couldn't help but shudder.

He really dared not tell Liang Huashan about this.

"I need to take this time to ask some questions about my friend, otherwise, knowing her personality, once she starts painting, she might not talk to us for a long time."

One, two, three also gathered around Ye Wanzhuang, who was still grinding ink, and said:
"Ye Zi, what is the reason for your current state? Your appearance is really strange. You don't seem like a living person, nor do you seem like a ghost."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wanzhuang paused, her knuckles turning white as she held the inkstone.
"As for me now? To be honest, I don't really know what state I am in. When the iron cavalry charged in that day, they did crush my body to pieces, and my three souls and seven spirits were also impacted by the churning sea of ​​qi."

"Logically, I should have been completely annihilated, but deep in my mind, a sliver of clarity remained. Using this sliver of clarity, I used my three souls and seven spirits as ink to paint a lake on this land, hiding myself within it."

Upon hearing this, one, two, three couldn't help but cover their mouths and gasp:
"So, in that case, could it be said that you've turned yourself into a painting?"

"I suppose so."

Ye Wanzhuang showed no dissatisfaction with her condition, and said with a light laugh:

"If I had to say, my current state is probably more like a painting of myself. I can't even say for sure if I can be considered myself."

If these words were spoken by someone else, they would likely be extremely heavy, but in Ye Wanzhuang's words, they had no profound meaning.

She seemed completely oblivious to her own situation.

"Ye Zi, don't you want to leave here?"

One, two, three, and so on.

Ye Wanzhuang pondered for a moment:

“I’ve lived in this area for many years. Those cavalrymen are really annoying. Occasionally, people from the old Divine Kingdom also visit. Now they’ve changed their country name to something like Great Dust, which is also quite irritating. Thinking about it, it wouldn’t be bad if I could leave.”

"So what's your idea?"

“I can pour all of myself into that little ginseng.” Ye Wanzhuang pointed to the little ginseng, her tone extremely matter-of-fact: “In this way, I can naturally regain my life through her body.”

Lin Jiang, who was comforting Liang Huashan, frowned deeply upon hearing this.

The surrounding crowd fell silent instantly, and even Liang Huashan, who was deep in thought, froze.

All eyes were on Ye Wanzhuang.

Ye Wanzhuang stopped what she was doing, looking puzzled.

Lin Jiang got up and walked to Xiao Shanshen, who was still somewhat dazed, and pulled her to his side, feeding her a Jing Wuchen pill.

Ye Wanzhuang tilted her head slightly when she saw Lin Jiang's posture. Lin Jiang could clearly see that she looked genuinely confused.

She sensed Lin Jiang's anger and intense hostility towards her.

However, she seemed not to understand:

"Did I say something wrong? If so, do I need to apologize? You all seem very unhappy."

Ye Wanzhuang was sincere and approachable.

Lin Jiang gently pulls the small ginseng:
"You said you wanted to borrow the ginseng's body to revive your soul."

"Yes."

"This is not good."

"Isn't this a problem?" Ye Wanzhuang's face was filled with deep confusion. "I should be able to revive myself using my artwork. Right now, I am also using a painting as a substitute, only this painting cannot be moved."

“The little ginseng has its own will. Although you gave it form and spirit, it is an independent individual and should not exist for you.”

Ye Wanzhuang was even more confused:

"In the art of creation, those who reach the pinnacle of mastery understand that all things possess inherent nature. I have used painting to achieve this more than once or twice, and many other artists have done the same. Moreover, this should be a good thing for her, as it adds to her cultivation and enhances her skills. Isn't that a good thing?"

Lin Jiang was speechless for a moment.

He was not unaware of how to refute this argument; in fact, it was not difficult to refute such a statement.

But the difficulty lies in,
After hearing those words, Lin Jiang suddenly felt something was amiss.

Ye Wanzhuang's current state of mind is unlike that of a human.

It was like...

A painting scroll.

The first half of her statement was indeed as those who deny that derivatives have independent thought said, but the second half of her statement regarded herself as an object as well.

In her mind, being reborn into a body and having her soul entrusted to Xiaoshan Shen was not a bad thing; in fact, it could be said to have added a lot of spiritual power to her.

Clearly, she did not still recognize her reincarnated self as Ye Wanzhuang.

You could even say that she didn't care whether she was Ye Wanzhuang or not.

She had absolutely no attachment to the subject matter, and the three Buddhist questions that had troubled countless eminent monks were less important to her than the filth on the roadside.

I am not myself, I don't need to be myself.

With this in mind, she naturally couldn't understand why Lin Jiang was favoring that small ginseng.

Lin Jiang then let out a long sigh and slowly said:

“I brought the little ginseng out of the mountains, and it has been with me for a long time. Now that it is close to me, it naturally belongs to me.”

"Oh!" Upon hearing this, Ye Wanzhuang suddenly realized and smiled brightly: "I see. It is indeed wrong to take what others like. It was my fault."

After saying that, she lowered her head and calmly continued grinding the ink stick, as if nothing had happened.

A deep sense of exhaustion welled up in Lin Jiang's heart.

He was startled to realize that most of the people he knew who shared his passion for the Star Path were somewhat different.

Mr. Guo adhered to the golden rule of transactions, while Liang Huashan had long since become as dejected as an old man in his twilight years.

Yi Er San was immersed in his feelings all day long, while Yu Wen Yun's emotions were like a sudden storm.

The same is true of Ye Wanzhuang in front of me now.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems that Zhao Liulang, who simply relied on his lack of freedom to force his way up in cultivation, is actually the most normal.

Dot the stars, oh dot the stars.

Was all that cultivation worth it?
Sitting down next to Liang Huashan again, Lin Jiang noticed that Liang Huashan was looking at him cautiously.

"Young master, Lady Ye has always been like this, her longing is extraordinary, but she definitely has no ill intentions..."

Lin Jiang stared intently at Liang Huashan.

Even so, Liang Huashan still protected Ye Wanzhuang.

Although Lin Jiang understood this feeling, he felt that it was by no means true cultivation.

If one's spiritual cultivation progresses but one finds it difficult to achieve true freedom, then how can that be considered true cultivation?

His current cultivation level is actually close to the fifth level, and because of the special nature of his cultivation technique, if he wants to break through to the sixth level and then reach the Star Pointing stage, he probably only needs to fight two more battles with the Calamity.

He also had to carefully consider the matter of selecting stars.

Why is this happening with the star-shaped decoration?

Is this what the immortals who have passed down their lineage are like?

Becoming inhuman because of an obsession?
But how does Zhao Liulang explain this?
He felt no strangeness or attachment between himself and Jiao Gong, whom he had also taught.

Among the highly skilled individuals Lin Jiang knew, these two were the least troubled by their thoughts.

Could this be related to different methods of spiritual practice?

He couldn't help but think of Gong Xuan.

Gong Xuan hasn't contacted him for a long time. How is he doing in his pursuit of the Star Point?

Lin Jiang always felt that when someone divided and separated the world's traditions, their intentions were probably not so simple.

There are probably some deeper things hidden in the shadows of the world's laws and principles.

Few people know this.

(End of this chapter)