Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 402 Discussion
Upon hearing the old Taoist's words, Lin Jiang's face first showed a hint of surprise, which then turned into genuine joy. However, this joy did not last long before it quietly turned into hesitation.

The old Taoist priest, initially confident that Lin Jiang would gladly follow him in cultivation, was puzzled by Lin Jiang's changing expression. He frowned slightly, his gaze settling on Lin Jiang's face:
"What? Do you think I can't teach you?"

“That’s not what I meant at all,” Lin Jiang hurriedly said. “Master Xunzhen’s cultivation is profound, and many practitioners of various methods admire him and are eager to learn from him. However… I still have some urgent matters to attend to, and if I stay here now, I fear I might miss the opportunity.”

"What could be more important than the Dharma I have taught you?"

Lin Jiang remained silent for a moment before finally recounting the events of the Immortal Mountain to Daoist Xunzhen. At the same time, he also shared his speculations about the emptiness and calamities of the outside world with the Daoist before him.

After hearing Lin Jiang's words, even the highly skilled Daoist Xunzhen was momentarily speechless with astonishment. He stared intently at Lin Jiang.
"The emperor of Daxing sent you out to resolve this matter?"

"Yes."

Facing one of the few remaining masters of the Ninth Heaven in the world, Lin Jiang felt it was best to be frank.

After all, if a major disaster were to occur, this Taoist priest would still be one of the top combatants at present.

There is really no need to cover this up for him.

The Taoist Seeking Truth stroked his chin, paced back and forth a couple of times, and then looked up at the vast sky.

After pondering silently for a moment, he finally let out a long sigh:
“This humble Taoist is not a castle in the air, nor can I be without roots or a foothold. If this place I reside in were to collapse and be destroyed, I would not know where to go.”

“It is not that I am unwilling to help, but my cultivation limits my ability to leave this place. The location of Nalan Ke is a place I cannot go to, and I truly cannot accompany him.”

Although a trace of regret crossed Lin Jiang's mind, he did not ask for anything more.

Just as I was about to take advantage of this evening to properly disturb the Taoist priest and see if I could learn some profound secrets, I saw the Taoist priest suddenly lightly pinch his knuckles:
"How long will it take you to reach Lanco from here?"

Lin Jiang was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then briefly considered the matter:

"Based on the current pace, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should be able to reach our destination in about a month."

"Why don't you stay here for a month?" the old Taoist priest said. "I have my own methods to directly send you to the Blue Examination. Staying here for a month or so, I can also teach you some things."

"Really?" Lin Jiang's face lit up with joy.

"I have no reason to lie to you about this matter." The Taoist Seeking Truth gazed at Lin Jiang. "I can see that your words just now came from the bottom of your heart. Although much of it was speculation, your intentions were very sincere. If there is no harm in telling you some of the true essence of Taoism, why not?"

Lin Jiang dared not be negligent and immediately bowed respectfully.

The Taoist Seeker didn't care at all:

"This is hardly instruction. Your cultivation is profound, and you have gained some understanding of spiritual practice. To me, it is merely a new friendship, a month-long chat that has brought me great joy. How could I possibly offer any guidance?"

"Let us rest well today. The time for discussing the Dao and expounding the scriptures is auspicious; tomorrow, when the sun rises, it will be just right."

The Taoist Seeking Truth returned to his room first, but before leaving, he summoned a donkey and called the other person into the room as well.

Once the gate is closed, the inside and outside are cut off.

I don't know what they were talking about with the donkey.

Lin Jiang and the others then moved closer to Yi Er San.

After waiting in place for a moment, he slowly opened his eyes on the count of one, two, three.

She glanced around, her gaze landing on Lin Jiang and the others, and immediately showed a hint of nervousness.

"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"

The group looked at each other, exchanging glances.

"Is she... cured?"

Jiang Jinyue couldn't help but whisper:

"To me... it doesn't look like it's healed."

"Perhaps? There's no reason for that Taoist priest to deceive us."

Lin Jiang stared intently at the bodies of Yi, Er, and San, and found that the layer of smoke and dust that had surrounded her had indeed dissipated.

The few remaining traces are slowly fading away.

He met Yi Er San's gaze and noticed a certain clarity that was hard to describe deep in her eyes.

It was as if something inside had indeed changed.

Yi Er San noticed Lin Jiang's gaze and suddenly gave him a faint smile. By the time Lin Jiang came to his senses, the smile had vanished without a trace.

It was as if what he had just felt was merely his illusion.

Lin Jiangxin thought to himself, "Perhaps I've misread it."

……

The next morning, Lin Jiang arrived at the courtyard.

Everyone else had gathered except for him.

The Seeking Truth Taoist had previously instructed that this discussion should not be limited to one person. Since we are here, let us all sit together and discuss the differences between the various methods and the origins of different techniques.

Even the two demon cores and the small ginseng came.

Naturally, if they can't keep up during the discussion, they will leave immediately to avoid being disturbed by too many external teachings and having their foundation shaken.

Upon arrival, Lin Jiang noticed that Yi Er San had not yet appeared. He looked towards the carriage with a slight puzzlement, only to see that the carriage door was already open. A figure that was both familiar and unfamiliar to Lin Jiang slowly stepped down from the carriage.

That was the first, second, and third person Lin Jiang had seen in the past. Her face was no longer covered in heavy makeup, and her gorgeous long dress had been replaced with a relatively simple and appropriate skirt and pants. Her long hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and her whole demeanor was instantly much closer to Jiang Jinyue's.

This surprised Lin Jiang slightly.

He carefully examined the other person's face, feeling that it seemed familiar yet also somewhat unfamiliar.

If the mansion hadn't been completely deserted, Lin Jiang would have thought it was just a girl who looked similar to Yi Er San.

Everyone had seen the newcomer and, after witnessing her dramatic transformation, was utterly astonished.

Only when she approached with three quick steps, meeting the surprised and suspicious gazes of the crowd, did she let out a slightly disgruntled hum:
Why are you all looking at me like that?

"In the past, we were always dressed in fine clothes, so it's natural that it's hard to get used to this new attire."

One, two, three explained frankly:

"I need to change to a new style eventually. Wearing the same clothes day and night would be rather unseemly."

"It seems the old Taoist priest is indeed quite skilled." Yu Wenyun said with emotion, "I never expected that he could make you take off those clothes that are practically welded to your body."

Yi Er San glared at Yu Wenyun.

Last night I couldn't see it clearly, but now the numbers one, two, and three are much more vivid than before.

If the previous "one, two, three" were more like dolls draped in human form, then at this moment she truly resembled a human being.

The old Taoist priest stepped out of the thatched hut, the donkey silently following behind. Lin Jiang noticed that the donkey had a bluish-purple tinge around one of its eyes, as if it had been punched.

After a moment's thought, he guessed that the donkey had probably been punched and kicked the night before.

The old Taoist priest claimed he didn't hold grudges, but his actions clearly showed no sign of magnanimity.

Seeing that everyone had gathered, Master Xunzhen nodded slightly, flicked his fingertips, and the surrounding clouds and mist surged like waves.

The clouds drifted across their faces in the wind, and before they knew it, they had left the courtyard and found themselves on a spacious bluestone platform.

Lin Jiang looked up and saw several square grids drawn on the platform above, with a separate round platform on each side. Next to the round platforms were piles of stone bowls, each containing black and white chess pieces.

These are clearly the two pieces of a Go game.

“Preaching is really boring; it should be accompanied by some activities.”

With a gentle gesture, Master Xunzhen and his donkey sat down directly on the side where the black piece was.

"I am a terrible chess player. Today I am merely using the game of chess to discuss Taoist principles. I will take the black pieces and make the first move."

He lightly tapped one of the black stones, which was as tall as a person, and the stone suddenly rose into the air, circled once, and landed steadily in a corner of the board.
"All things in this world are composed of Qi. The origin of Qi is also called the primordial state. Because it is like a dream, difficult to touch and reach, like the thin mist under the morning sun after rain, it is called the Great Fog, or the Great Enlightenment. That is, the essence of all things is the primordial Great Fog."

As the old man spoke, a mist rose from the black stones and spread outwards.

From within the mist, the shapes and postures of some beasts were conjured up, a giant tree chessboard appeared out of thin air, and round fruits grew on the treetops. The fruits burst open from the inside out, and a squirrel leaped out from them. In the end, this strange scene was like a fleeting moment, all of it turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing completely.

This is the primordial fog.

Lin Jiang stared at the chessboard in front of him and roughly understood the profound meaning of Master Xunzhen.

The so-called Go is more of a stage for discussion than a true discussion of the principles of Go.

So he walked over to the side of the chessboard and picked up one of the pieces with one hand.

He pondered for a moment, then decided that it was inappropriate to place the piece on the original center point, so he randomly chose another spot to place it:
"This place served as a coffin, where the immortal who created the world was buried. After the immortal died, his spirit and flesh separated. His flesh transformed into a hundred rivers, and his spirit followed his flesh. When the spirit and flesh merged, all living beings on it became filthy, thus giving rise to calamities, which he then cleansed himself."

Lin Jiang revealed what was on his mind.

As he spoke, some images appeared on the chessboard.

First, there was complete darkness, followed by a rosy glow like stars. It was clear that something in my thoughts was being reflected on the chessboard.

When they came to their senses, a sea of ​​stars had already filled the entire chessboard.

This chessboard is not only for holding chess pieces; it can also reflect people's thoughts and ideas.

The scene on the chessboard before him was just like the coffin in the Boundary Sea that Lin Jiang had seen when he flew beyond this world of mortals.

……

Zhang Shang walked out of the ruins holding the precious lotus flower. Since obtaining the lotus flower, he felt that his luck had become extremely good.

The delivery went incredibly smoothly, and the employer was in a great mood upon arrival, even giving him an extra reward.

Now, he is on his way home, and there is no dust or sand to disturb him along the way.

Zhang Shang originally planned to sell the treasure to a wealthy family after returning home, but now he has no intention of selling it at all.

Money can be earned anytime, but a treasure that can protect people is a rare find!
If I were to sell such a treasure, Zhang Shang would probably laugh at me for being short-sighted!

Just as he was walking back excitedly, intending to make the best box to enshrine this treasure, he suddenly heard what sounded like a violent storm in the sky behind him.

I subconsciously looked back.
In the distance, half of the sky had condensed into a vortex.

Shocking!

(End of this chapter)