Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 407 Where did this thief come from?

Lin Jiang pondered for a moment after hearing what the Taoist Master Xunzhen had said.

In his view, everything has a cause and effect; if one cannot see clearly in the present moment, it is either because one's spiritual cultivation is shallow or one's vision is not open.

The most typical example is Gong Xuan's "fate".

Initially, this destiny was something that Lin Jiang could not understand at all.

Its mere presence here is like a mountain weighing down on Gongxuan's life journey.

Now that he has mastered the cultivation of life and nature, Lin Jiang has also glimpsed the black energy that has always surrounded Gong Xuan, which is the true face of destiny.

If Lin Jiang's prediction is correct, there must be a reason why these people are near the immortal mountain.

However, he currently has no clue what to do, and he thinks that only by going to the sacred mountain in person can he find out the truth.

“Young friend, it’s less than ten days from here. Would you still like to stay and discuss the scriptures and the Dao?” the Seeking Truth Daoist asked again.

Lin Jiang remained silent for a moment, then shook his head regretfully.

"We can discuss this again when the time is right."

If Lin Jiang continues to discuss the Dao with fellow Daoists, he fears he will forget the passage of time.

It would be more prudent to head to the sacred mountain as soon as possible.

Although the Taoist Seeking Truth felt a slight pang of regret, he also knew that Lin Jiang's trip to the immortal mountain was of great importance.

There will be plenty of time in the future; we can discuss the opportunities and karmic connections of the Dao again.

He composed himself and said gently:
"In that case, I will escort you on your way."

The Taoist priest pointed to the guide carriage, indicating that everyone should wait inside.

After everyone was seated in the carriage, the Taoist priest casually picked up a wisp of cloud from beside him.

The cloud gathered in my palm, and with a gentle flick, it instantly transformed into a wisp of dust.

After a moment's thought, I felt that this chance encounter was quite interesting, and I should leave a few words before parting.

Then he recited aloud:
"I wave goodbye to my kindred spirit on the cloud-bound journey, our discussion of the Dao is not yet over, but the meaning is already profound. Let us cut the wind of heaven as a broom for our guests, and after the matters of the immortal mountain are settled, we will drink together again."

He seemed quite pleased with his impromptu poem, and finally stroked his beard with a smile, flicking away the dust.

The entire carriage then gracefully took off into the air.

Looking around, everything was vast and boundless; the clouds and mist spread in an instant.

A strong sense of disorientation enveloped everyone in the carriage, and the entire carriage suddenly disappeared into the clouds.

Looking in the direction where the carriage disappeared, the Taoist priest couldn't help but sigh softly.

The donkey slowly walked up to the Taoist Seeking Truth, and upon seeing his appearance, couldn't help but purse its lips:
"If you're really that reluctant to leave, why don't you go with them? This pretentious act is disgusting to me!"

The old Taoist priest glared at the donkey, then swung his whisk and struck the donkey hard on the head.

The blow was extremely powerful, and the donkey was immediately knocked senseless, crying out for its parents.

In the end, the old Taoist priest only snorted and muttered, "You donkey, I've already been more than kind to you by not holding it against you for going down there to cause trouble, and yet you have the nerve to come and humiliate me."

"But what I said makes sense!"

The donkey's toughest spot was probably its mouth; even after suffering such a good beating, it still showed no sign of yielding.
"You just stay here day and night, waiting there, not knowing if you'll ever have another chance to ascend to heaven in this lifetime."

Upon hearing this, a deep and somber expression flashed across the old Taoist priest's face.

The donkey suddenly realized it had misspoke and immediately shut its mouth.

The Taoist Seeking Truth did not do anything to the donkey.

He simply raised his head and gazed up at the clear sky before him.

For a long time, no one said a word.

The Taoist Seeking Truth felt that there were some things he couldn't understand as well as the donkey he rode.

But sometimes, certain obsessions will inevitably linger in people's hearts.

No matter how profound one's cultivation, it cannot be shaken off.

The so-called carefree life

Perhaps only the true immortals above the nine heavens can reach that level.

……

A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over the carriage.

While Xiaoshan Shen was shouting and yelling, the carriage landed safely back on the ground.

Lin Jiang lifted the carriage curtain.

The surrounding area was a vast wilderness, and at the edge of this wilderness, Lin Jiang saw a dilapidated city.

The white city sits on the Gobi Desert, one side of its wall has collapsed, making it look desolate and forlorn.

Lin Jiang naturally remembered this city; it was the capital of the Lanke Kingdom, which had been destroyed by war.

However, when Lin Jiang looked at the city at this moment, he suddenly realized that something seemed a little off.

Normally, the capital city of Lanco should be completely destroyed and empty.

But Lin Jiang saw wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys over there.

It was as if there were still people living there.

"This is Lanco?"

"This is Lanco."

"It doesn't look that big," Yu Wenyun muttered, "but it does resemble a large city."

"The situation is generally the same for the countries in the Western Frontier," explained Yi Er San beside him. "Not all countries are as vast as our Daxing."

Yu Wenyun started scratching his head.

Although he often dealt with the sorcerers of the south, this was his first time venturing into this area.

As the group was talking, Lin Jiang suddenly noticed several fast horses rushing out of the city not far away.

Lin Jiang's brows furrowed even more.

What's going on? Where did these people come from? Could it be that those people from Lan Ke who weren't completely dead returned and found that this place is habitable again?
The thought had barely crossed Lin Jiang's mind when he saw several wildly dressed men leap off their horses.

These men brandished long swords and emitted strange howls as they charged straight at Lin Jiang and his group.

"A beautiful carriage! Money! Money!"

Their shouts had a strange accent, but their words were somewhat similar to those in Daxing dialect, and Lin Jiang could barely make out a few words.

Upon hearing the contents, Lin Jiang's expression changed drastically.

Could it be...

Those barbarians who dragged down Lanco back then?
When he left Lanco, he found no trace of the barbarians, assuming they had been wiped out in a fierce battle.

I never expected to meet you here again.

Seeing that the other party was about to kill and rob, Lin Jiang felt quite helpless.

He stepped down from the carriage and faced several bandits. Behind him, Yi Er San and Jiang Jinyue also got off the carriage one after another.

Seeing them land, an even greater fanaticism suddenly blazed in the eyes of these bandits:

"Woman! Beautiful one! Take her away!"

Lin Jiang understood the intention from the ambiguous words.

He pressed his forehead in exasperation.

This might be their standard procedure for robbing people.

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. They were nomadic by nature, always raiding wherever they went.

Furthermore, after crossing the Gobi Desert, their strength was significantly reduced, and most battles depended entirely on whether they had horses or swords.

Thus, these bandits naturally gained a huge advantage.

Seeing a rider swinging his sword at him, Lin Jiang casually reached out his hand.

He gripped the cold blade with his five fingers.

Lin Jiang remained motionless, while the bandit wielding the knife seemed to have crashed his horse into a giant tree, his entire body flying off the horse's back.

He crashed heavily to the ground, the sound of bones cracking clearly coming from his legs.

The other bandits also noticed something was wrong, but the horses were going too fast, and they were powerless to stop them.

Yu Wenyun suddenly appeared behind the bandits. Standing on the horse, he lifted them up one in each hand as if they were chicks.
"It's not worth killing Marco for a few stupid thieves."

After saying that, he casually tossed the bandits down, sending them flying.

Seeing that their heads were ringing from being thrown, Lin Jiang slowly walked up to them.

It's uncertain whether interrogating these people will yield any information given the language barrier.

A short while later.

Lin Jiang felt that the interrogation had finally yielded some results.

Although they couldn't understand each other's languages, they managed to figure out why these people were staying there by asking questions, answering questions, and using gestures.

Strictly speaking, they were not the same group of barbarians who fought against Lanco back then.

This region was dotted with tribes, and the one that fought against Lanko back then was actually the largest of them. Just as Lin Jiang had predicted, only one-tenth of that tribe remained.

Other tribes in the surrounding area naturally seized the opportunity to rise to power.

Just as a whale falls and all things come to life, the collapse of the two major powers left behind abundant resources. Before long, the nomadic tribes to which these bandits belonged gathered refugees and formed their own bandit gangs.

Lacking knowledge of governance, they were captivated by the grandeur of the high walls and mansions left behind by Lan Ke, and decided to seize them. Whenever resources were scarce, they would ride out on horseback to plunder.

After learning the whole story, Lin Jiang couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

Decades ago, the once-greatest nation of Lanco was overthrown by rebels and underwent a dramatic transformation, becoming the Lanco nation we know today.

Unexpectedly, after decades of twists and turns, Lanco has returned to its original state.

The people among them are probably different now.

There was another point about what these people were saying that caught Lin Jiang's attention.

Among them was a "strategist," who was said to have come from Daxing.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang immediately realized that the person might be someone from the former general's mansion.

If it were a mountain seeking immortality, they might indeed have sent people to guard it.

After snapping the necks of several people, Lin Jiang turned his head to look at the city in front of him.

"Let's clean up this den of thieves. If we leave it here, it will only continue to harm others sooner or later."

The others around him nodded in agreement, and they boarded the carriage and headed straight for the city.

……

Huang Daozi lay on a large, soft-leather chair, with a voluptuous concubine in each arm, looking extremely content.

Looking back on the past year, he felt it had been incredibly tumultuous. After the old mountain stronghold was forced to abandon it, he fled in a sorry state all the way to Feng'ao Mountain; Feng'ao Mountain was utterly destroyed, so he fled south again, eventually arriving at the General's Mansion. Little did he expect that not long after settling in the General's Mansion, this place would also suffer the same fate.

Huang Daozi couldn't understand it.

Am I destined to be a cursed lone star? Wherever I go, I am doomed?
Goodness, that's really strange.

Fortunately, the General's Mansion's foundation was not destroyed, and he was recognized as a "Deputy General" and given a weakening and ascension pill. After taking the pill, he was sent to a place called Lanke. Following the old village's methods, he gathered a band of bandits and, relying on plundering the surrounding area, lived a rather prosperous life.

Although he didn't know what those people in the general's mansion were really up to, he was happy as long as he was comfortable.

It's not like I'm just sitting here and getting beaten up for no reason.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly saw several of his old subordinates, who had followed him from the very beginning, rushing in through the door.

Seeing them kneel down on one knee with urgent expressions, Huang Daozi felt a sense of foreboding.

Why are you in such a panic?

"Boss!" the subordinate's voice trembled, "A carriage came from the north gate and nearly smashed all our men to pieces!"

Huang Daozi: "?"

(End of this chapter)