Zombie World: Starting as an apprentice of the Thunder King

The soft moonlight shone on Shi Shaojian's bruised face, and his resentful gaze sent a chill down Lin Bei's spine.

"No, don't look at me like that, it's creepy!"

Little did he know that these words only deepened the resentment in Shi Shaojian's eyes!

"Why do you only hit me...and not you?"

Lin Bei: ......

For the next seven days, the three traveled south and finally arrived at the foot of Maoshan Mountain on the evening of the seventh day.

Maoshan Town was much more prosperous than Lin Bei had imagined.

The streets paved with bluestone slabs are wide and clean, lined with shops on both sides. Most of them sell incense, candles and paper money, with only a very few selling magic items, talismans and medicinal herbs. Moreover, those shops almost always sell the lowest-grade magic items, unless you are lucky enough to find a good treasure.

The streets were bustling with people, many of whom were dressed in Taoist robes and had peach wood swords or Bagua mirrors hanging from their waists; they were clearly Taoist practitioners.

What surprised Lin Bei the most was the town's residents.

They looked no different from ordinary people elsewhere, but everyone's expression was peaceful, without the fear and unease commonly seen in chaotic times.

An elderly man sat on his doorstep basking in the sun by the roadside. When he saw the three people in Taoist robes walk by, he would nod and smile.

"The people here all believe in the Three Mao True Lords," Shi Jian said as he walked. "In this town at the foot of Maoshan Mountain, every household worships their ancestor, and the incense has never been cut off for hundreds of years."

Lin Bei saw a small temple by the roadside, with the words "Sanmao Zhenjun Shrine" written on the temple gate.

Several sticks of incense were stuck in the incense burner at the entrance, and wisps of smoke rose from it. Several old women were kneeling inside, kowtowing, their faces devout, and chanting incantations.

"This is the faith of the people at the foot of Maoshan Mountain," Lin Bei sighed.

Shi Shaojian looked around, his eyes glazed over: "Master, where is the gate of Maoshan?"

"Of course it's on the mountain, not in the town!" Shi Jian pointed ahead, "The road up the mountain starts past the town."

The three of them passed through the town and sure enough, they saw a wide stone staircase winding upwards and disappearing into the clouds.

The pine and cypress trees on both sides of the stone steps are lush and tall, and their age is unknown. At the entrance of the stone steps stands a stone tablet with four powerful characters engraved on it: Maoshan Ancestral Temple!

Lin Bei looked up, the stone steps appearing and disappearing in the mist, their end nowhere in sight: "How big is Maoshan?"

"Three palaces, five temples, and seventy-two thatched huts; at its peak, there were seventy-two branches." Shi Jian stepped onto the stone steps. "Although there aren't as many now, there are still thirty-six branches."

"The Three Palaces refer to the Jiuxiao Wanfu Palace, the Yuanfu Wanning Palace, and the Chongxi Wanshou Palace."

"Jiuxiao Wanfu Palace is the main palace of Maoshan, where the sect leader, Qingwei Zhenren, resides. Yuanfu Wanning Palace is in charge of magical artifacts and inheritance, while Chongxi Wanshou Palace is responsible for ordination and transmission."

Lin Bei followed behind, asking as he climbed the stone steps, "Do the three palaces each manage their own affairs?"

Shi Jian paused, his expression turning serious: "Remember, the Maoshan Sect is not monolithic; there are internal conflicts. Jiuxiao Wanfu Palace and Yuanfu Wanning Palace inherit the Jingyi School of Maoshan's ancestral tradition, while Chongxi Wanshou Palace inherits the Qingwei School."

"The two schools share the same origin, but their lineages and cultivation methods differ."

"Furthermore, the successive leaders of Maoshan have all come from the Jingyi School, a fact that the Qingwei School has long been dissatisfied with!"

Lin Bei felt a chill run down his spine. He understood the meaning behind Shi Jian's words: even a major sect like Maoshan had internal factional struggles.

Shi Jian continued, "The art of talismans is profound and extensive. Maoshan, Longhushan, and Gezaoshan are collectively known as the Three Mountains of Talismans. Our Maoshan has been immersed in the art of talismans for over a thousand years, and its foundation is very deep."

"Once you have officially received your ordination, you will naturally be able to access deeper things."

The three walked along the stone steps for most of the hour before finally arriving at the mountain gate.

The mountain gate is magnificent, with two huge stone pillars supporting a gatehouse with upturned eaves and corners. A plaque hangs on it with the words "Nine Heavens Palace of Ten Thousand Blessings" written in gold lettering.

The walls on both sides of the gate tower are carved with reliefs. On the left is a green dragon stepping on clouds, and on the right is a white tiger roaring at the moon, which are lifelike.

Two young Taoist priests, dressed in blue robes, stood in front of the mountain gate. When they saw Shi Jian and his two companions approaching, they quickly came to greet them.

"May I ask if you are Senior Uncle Shi Jian?"

Shi Jian nodded slightly.

"The sect leader has been waiting for a long time, please follow me, senior master."

Two young Taoist priests led the three through the mountain gate and along the path paved with bluestone slabs.

The path is lined with evergreen pines and cypresses, their canopies blocking out the sun, making it very cool to walk under. In the distance, the melodious sound of bells echoes through the mountains, bringing a sense of tranquility to the mind.

Lin Bei walked and looked around, feeling like he couldn't take it all in.

The Jiuxiao Wanfu Palace was much larger than he had imagined. The main hall was magnificent, with double eaves and overlapping tiles, and the glazed tiles on the roof gleamed golden in the sunlight.

Behind the main hall are several courtyards, built against the mountain, layer upon layer, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The two young Taoist priests led them to the entrance of the main hall and then stopped.

"Please come in, Master Uncle. The Sect Leader is waiting inside."

Shi Jian stood at the entrance of the main hall, silent for a moment.

He hasn't returned for fifteen years.

The palace door was ajar, and the orange candlelight and the scent of sandalwood wafted out. Shi Jian took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The main hall was quiet. The statue of the Three Mao Patriarchs sat upright in front of the statue, with incense and candles burning in front of it.

An old Taoist priest with white hair and beard sat cross-legged on a futon, his back to the temple door, holding a whisk in his hand, and closing his eyes to meditate.

Shi Jian stepped into the main hall, his footsteps light, but his voice was still clear in the empty hall.

He walked a few steps behind the old Taoist priest, knelt down on both knees, and respectfully kowtowed nine times.

"Disciple Shi Jian greets Master."

Master Qingwei slowly turned around, his cloudy eyes looking at Shi Jian kneeling on the ground. After a long while, he let out a soft sigh: "Get up."

Shi Jian stood up and stood with his hands at his sides.

Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian followed them in and stood behind Shi Jian.

Lin Bei secretly glanced at Qingwei Zhenren. He saw that this Maoshan sect leader looked to be about the same age as the Quanzhen patriarch. His beard and hair were all white, and his face was ruddy without any wrinkles. Although his eyes were cloudy, they revealed a clear understanding of the world.

"These are your two disciples?" Master Qingwei's gaze fell on Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian.

Shi Jian nodded: "Lin Bei, Shi Shaojian, hurry up and pay your respects to your grandmaster."

Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian exchanged a glance, then knelt down at the same time and kowtowed three times.

"Disciple Lin Bei greets Grandmaster!"

"Disciple Shi Shaojian pays respects to Grandmaster!"

Master Qingwei, with a kind face, smiled and said, "Get up, get up, let your grandmaster take a good look at you."

The two stood up. Master Qingwei looked at Shi Shaojian first and nodded.

"He has good potential; if he puts in the effort, he may one day reach the level of a master."

Then he looked at Lin Bei, his gaze lingering on him for a long time, "Pure Yang Dao Body... indeed it is a Pure Yang Dao Body."

He walked slowly to Lin Bei, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Good lad, your master has taken on a good disciple."

Lin Bei grinned, "Grandmaster, you flatter me. This disciple is still far from being good enough."

"It's good to be humble when you're young," Master Qingwei said with a smile. "But there's no need to be too modest. When your master left Maoshan fifteen years ago, his cultivation level was at the mid-stage of the Earth Master realm."

"You're only nineteen years old this year, and you've already achieved quite a bit of skill."

Lin Bei felt a surge of excitement. To be praised by the head of Maoshan Sect was something he could brag about for the rest of his life.

(The following chapters will gradually introduce the leaders of the three palaces and five temples of Maoshan, as well as the minor grudges between them, but Lin Bei will be the one to resolve them! Feel free to offer any suggestions!)