Zombie World: Starting as an apprentice of the Thunder King

Master Qingwei turned around and walked back to the futon to sit down, his gaze falling on Shi Jian.

"Shi Jian, fifteen years have passed, and your temper hasn't changed at all."

Shi Jian remained expressionless. "This is my nature, I cannot change it."

"If you can't change it, then don't change it." Master Qingwei waved his hand. "Your junior brothers are pretty much the same, each one more stubborn than the last."

"Simu left the mountain in a huff back then and hasn't returned even once since. Qianhe, on the other hand, occasionally sends messages saying that he's too busy with royal affairs to get away."

"Xuanzhen has been on the mountain the whole time. He was overjoyed to hear you were back."

Shi Jian's brow twitched slightly: "Si Mu... is he still angry with me?"

"You know his temper all too well." Master Qingwei smiled bitterly. "You scolded him so harshly back then, and after you left the mountain in a huff, you haven't written a single letter in all these years."

"But don't take it to heart. He's just stubborn but soft-hearted. He actually cares about you a lot."

"Xiao Jiu also sends messages back frequently; that guy Si Mu is living a very comfortable life!"

Shi Jian didn't say anything more, he just nodded silently.

Lin Bei listened from the side, secretly memorizing a few names: Simu, Qianhe, and Xuanzhen!

Besides Xuanzhen, he had a particularly deep memory of Simu and Qianhe. Simu was skilled in divine strikes and weapon crafting, and his bronze sword, as big as a door panel, made the royal zombies scream in agony.

As for Chizuru, who was good at playing in the peak competition, her strength was slightly weaker, and she was eliminated early on.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the palace gate.

A middle-aged Taoist priest strode in, wearing a blue Taoist robe and with a thin face. As soon as he entered, he saw Shi Jian, paused for a moment, and then rushed over.

"Senior brother!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest was none other than Xuanzhen. He rushed up to Shi Jian, looked him up and down for a while, his face showing both surprise and admiration.

"Senior brother, you...you've lost weight."

Shi Jian looked at Xuanzhen with a complicated expression: "Junior brother, you've had a tough time all these years."

"What's so hard about it? It's you who's been wandering around alone for fifteen years." Xuanzhen's eyes were a little red. "When you left, I was still practicing swordsmanship in the back mountain. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Shi Jian didn't reply, but simply reached out and patted Xuanzhen's shoulder.

Xuanzhen wiped his eyes, turned his head and saw Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian, and laughed again.

"These are your two disciples? I read them in the letter. The one with the Pure Yang Dao Body is called Lin Bei, and this one is called Shi Shaojian. Come, come, let your master take a good look at them."

Lin Bei quickly bowed and said, "Disciple Lin Bei greets Martial Uncle."

Shi Shaojian also bowed, saying, "Disciple Shi Shaojian greets Martial Uncle."

Xuanzhen smiled and looked the two over. "Not bad, not bad. They are full of energy and spirit. Senior brother, you have a good eye. These two are top-notch talents even in Maoshan."

Master Qingwei sat on a futon, watching his disciples reminisce, a smile on his face.

"Alright, you can stop standing there. Xuanzhen, go and arrange two rooms for Shi Jian and the others to stay in first."

"Let them explore the mountain for a few days; we'll discuss the ordination ceremony later."

"Yes, Master." Xuanzhen responded, then turned and waved to Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian, "Come, come, your uncle will show you where you'll stay."

The two followed Xuanzhen out, and Lin Bei glanced back at the main hall.

Shi Jian was still standing in front of Master Qingwei, his back to the palace gate, his back straight. Master Qingwei sat on the futon, looking at his back with a mixture of relief and worry in his eyes.

Xuanzhen led the two through several courtyards to a row of side rooms.

"These two rooms are for you to stay in. You can gradually get used to the rules on the mountain. If you need anything, you can come to your master anytime."

"By the way, the day after tomorrow is the first day of the lunar month, and as usual, we will be holding a sermon. If you want to listen, you can come and listen."

Lin Bei pushed open the door. The room was small but very clean, with a wooden bed, a desk, and several changes of Taoist robes hanging on a wooden shelf. A pot of asparagus fern, lush and green, sat on the windowsill.

"Thank you, Uncle-Master."

Xuanzhen waved his hand: "Don't be so polite. You are my senior brother's disciples, so you are my own junior disciples. Get some rest, and I'll show you around tomorrow."

After Xuanzhen left, Shi Shaojian plopped down on the bed and let out a long sigh.

"Finally here. My legs are so thin from all this walking."

Lin Bei stood by the window and looked out. Outside the window was a vast sea of ​​bamboo, rustling in the wind, much like the bamboo forest on the back of Qingzhu Mountain. He suddenly felt a pang of longing for Qingzhu Mountain.

"Senior brother, what kind of person do you think our grandmaster was?"

"Could someone who can become the leader of Maoshan be an ordinary person?" Shi Shaojian lay on the bed with his legs crossed. "But he seems quite amiable, much easier to talk to than our master."

"Don't let Master hear you say that."

"Is there a master in this house?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

As night deepened, the lights on Maoshan Mountain became sparse, and a few long, drawn-out bell tolls echoed through the mountains.

Lin Bei lay on the wooden bed with his eyes closed, but his mind was on Maoshan. He wondered if he would be able to meet the legendary Master of Ten Thousand Realms.

But for him, being able to formally enter the Maoshan ancestral temple and receive ordination meant that all his hard work along the way was worthwhile.

Lin Bei turned over and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the sound of bells rang out on Maoshan Mountain. The deep, resonant tones echoed through the mountains, waking Lin Bei from his sleep.

Lin Bei sat up, put on his Taoist robe, pushed open the door, and went out.

In the courtyard, Shi Shaojian had already gotten up and was squatting by the well washing his face. When he saw Lin Bei come out, he shook the water off his hands.

"Oh, you're awake? I just heard people talking outside, like they were doing morning prayers."

The two followed the sound toward the front of the hall and indeed saw dozens of young disciples standing in the square in front of the hall, dressed in uniform blue Taoist robes, arranged in a square formation, chanting scriptures with the transmission elder.

Lin Bei stood at the edge of the square for a while and watched. The disciples were chanting the purification mantra. Although the voices were not loud, the fact that dozens of people were chanting at the same time created a solemn atmosphere.

"Is this what morning prayers at Maoshan are like?" Shi Shaojian asked, leaning closer.

Lin Bei glanced at him. "You're asking me? Who should I ask? But... you can't neglect your fundamental skills for even a day."

At this moment, Xuanzhen walked over from the side door and waved to the two of them when he saw them from afar.

"Lin Bei, Shao Jian, come and have breakfast. I'll take you for a walk in the mountains today."

Breakfast at Maoshan is simple: porridge, steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and a few side dishes. There are quite a few people eating in the canteen, sitting in twos and threes, chatting as they eat, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Xuanzhen sat opposite the two men, drinking porridge while introducing them to the various palaces and temples of Maoshan.

"You have already seen the Nine Heavens Palace of Ten Thousand Blessings, the place where the Sect Master resides."

"Yuanfu Wanning Palace is located halfway up the back mountain. It contains magical artifacts and scriptures passed down through generations of Maoshan. You can go and take a look when you have time."

"Chongxi Wanshou Palace is located at the foot of the front mountain, and the ordination and transmission of rites are conducted there."

"There are also five other temples: Deyou Temple, Renyou Temple, Yuchen Temple, Baiyun Temple, and Qianyuan Temple, which are scattered throughout Maoshan, each with its own lineage and cultivation path. As for the seventy-two thatched huts..."

Xuanzhen smiled and said, "Now there are only thirty-six left, each with its own incense offerings and temple."

Even though the two had already heard Shi Jian's account, they were still somewhat shocked when they heard Xuan Zhen's words. This was the foundation of a top-tier sect.