Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 6 Drinking Soup
Lin Jiang's expression was strange.

Gongxuan had indeed said that he should absorb the medicinal power of spiritual objects to embark on the path of cultivation, but seeing such a lively little thing, Lin Jiang still found it hard not to associate the act of "drinking ginseng soup" with "drinking bathwater".

Spiritual roots that become spirits are also medicine, spiritual roots that become spirits are also medicine...

Lin Jiang mentally hypnotized himself with a couple of phrases.

"What good would that do me?" Little Ginseng asked, arms crossed. "What if you're trying to harm me? I heard you have a dish that requires stewing ginseng and a hen together! Cruel!"

"You can rest assured about that." Gong Xuan took out a talisman from his robes: "This humble Taoist is skilled in the art of laws. If you agree, we will take this mountain as our oath today. Young Master Lin must fulfill a great wish for you in the future, and he must not harm your life or damage your cultivation. In return, you must provide Young Master Lin with a portion of his cultivation essence every day to help him solidify his foundation."

"how?"

Upon hearing the Taoist's words, Xiao Shanshen's eyebrows, drawn with a brush, furrowed tightly.

After thinking for a long time, he finally said:
"Then let me go first."

"You won't run?"

"I won't run."

Lin Jiang released his grip.

The ginseng that had fallen to the ground looked up at the two people, but because of the huge difference in their height, even though it was almost lying on the ground, it could not see the tops of their heads clearly.

So Xiaoshanshen simply found a large rock nearby and climbed up it using both her hands and feet. Once she stood on top of the rock, she was about the same height as two people.

Xiao Shanshen examined Lin Jiang closely:

"Can he help me fulfill my wish?"

“Yes. But Young Master Lin is not a high-ranking official in a temple. He can’t have all his wishes granted. He can’t gain immortality, nor can he bring the dead back to life. You have to let him do what he can.”

Little Ginseng shook his head: "I don't want immortality, nor do I want to be a living dead. I want to find someone."

"Who is it?" Lin Jiang asked curiously.

“According to you, it was a woman,” Little Ginseng recalled. “A very beautiful woman, and the clothes she wore were also very beautiful. When she walked to the river, the river would make way for her, and when she walked to the tree, the branches would droop down to give her fruit. She also had a pen in her hand, and my face was painted by her.”

Lin Jiang and Gong Xuan looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lin Jiang lowered his voice: "A real immortal?"

“Where are there any real immortals…” Gong Xuan muttered twice, then looked at Lin Jiang’s body and hesitated for a moment:
"But he is indeed a highly skilled master. His painting skills are so profound that he can bring life to the eyes. He must be a master who has been enlightened."

What does "pointed to a star" mean?

I'll explain it to you when we get back.

"I need to help Xiaoshan Shen find this painter. Is it possible?"

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate." Gong Xuan said, "Besides, having a star doesn't mean you can hide. There are so many masters in the martial arts world who have also had stars. Some have started their own sects, some have established their own temples, and some have entered the palace to seek employment. If you want to find them, you can still find them."

Lin Jiang nodded, feeling more at ease.

"Have you two made up your minds?" Little Ginseng said, hands on her hips. "If it's not going to work out, then leave now and don't disturb my peace and quiet."

Gong Xuan then looked at Lin Jiang with an inquiring gaze:

"Her?"

"Just her."

Lin Jiang walked up to the little ginseng, and the little guy was startled again, immediately adopting a defensive posture.

"Don't worry, I can definitely help you find that master painter."

Lin Jiang's gentle tone did indeed calm the wary little guy down a bit.

"Words are not enough; we need the mountain god to be our witness."

Gong Xuan carefully took out three incense sticks from his pocket. The long incense sticks were carved with dark gold patterns, which must have cost a lot of money.

He picked up a tinderbox, lit the incense, found a sunny spot, and stuck the incense stick directly into the ground.

Incense smoke drifts with the wind, a gentle breeze wafts in your face.

It was as if something in the darkness had cast its gaze upon this flat area.

Gong Xuan's expression turned serious.

Yellow paper appeared in his hand without his noticing, and two dots of cinnabar appeared on his fingertips. He quickly began to write on the yellow paper:

"This decree has been made, this is a mountain oath. If the contract is broken, there will be divine punishment."

His voice boomed like thunder, his words were like a resounding bell, and a faint light appeared on the talisman as the oath was made.

Lin Jiang did indeed feel something fall onto his body, like thin threads, entangled him and the ginseng.

After speaking, a hint of fatigue appeared on Gong Xuan's face. He composed himself before smiling and saying:
"However, since we are looking for someone, Divine Herb Lord will have to go down the mountain with Young Master Lin. Is that alright?"

"Divine Herb? That doesn't sound good. Just call me Little Ginseng." Little Ginseng jumped off the rock and walked into the haystack. "I'll pack my things and then I'll come with you."

This ginseng even has luggage?

Lin Jiang was greatly shocked.

He simply couldn't imagine what personal belongings Ginseng would have.

So he simply squatted down and waited by the haystack where the ginseng had disappeared.

It didn't take long for Xiaoshanshen to emerge from the haystack. She was carrying a small wooden stick, the end of which was tied with a rag into a small bundle. Inside the bundle, some things were bulging and obscured, so they couldn't be seen clearly.

Lin Jiang looked at the small package and a sense of curiosity arose in his heart:

"Little ginseng, what's inside you?"

"My darling!" said Xiaoshan Shen, then immediately protected the small package on his back like a puppy guarding its food: "I won't give it to you."

Lin Jiang smiled broadly.

This little gadget is quite interesting.

Lin Jiang spread his hands out and placed them in front of Xiao Shanshen, who looked at him with some confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Let you climb onto my shoulders first, and I'll carry you."

"I can walk by myself."

“But you’re too small. It’s easy to lose you while we’re walking.” “So what if I’m big!” Little Ginseng stomped its foot angrily, but in the end, it still stubbornly took Lin Jiang’s hand.

Lin Jiang placed her on his shoulder, and Xiao Shanshen firmly gripped her clothes, gazing into the distance.

It was still dark.

It's time to head back.

……

"Master, you still haven't explained to me what 'pointing the star' means."

On the way back, Lin Jiang asked.

Even the little ginseng sitting on Lin Jiang's shoulder tilted its head, clearly intrigued.

Gong Xuan coughed twice, and his normally normal steps became large and sweeping, as he shook his head:
"People learn cultivation by starting with each breath. When a baby is born, there is innate Qi in the dantian of the chest and abdomen. If you can grasp it, you have embarked on the journey of cultivation. If you cannot grasp it, you will return to heaven and earth with the mountain wind after you grow up."

"Once you have successfully entered the gate, you can gradually accumulate spiritual energy, or you can train your body through martial arts, light a small furnace in your dantian, and use your yang energy to fight ghosts and exorcise evil spirits; or you can enter the Tao and learn magical arts, study the sixty-four calculus, and ask the patriarch to possess you and slap evil spirits across the face."

Our ancestor has so many abilities.

"With prolonged cultivation, one accumulates more Qi, which allows one to communicate with heaven and earth. For cultivators, this is equivalent to ascending to heaven."

"Ascend to the heavens?" Little Ginseng blinked. "Is it really possible to climb up to the sky?"

“How could that be?” Gong Xuan shook his head: “It’s just a title. Those who have just started learning the art are called the outer hall. If you go to the temple fair and see those performers doing martial arts for money, most of the servants they have with them are at this level. But if you are willing to spend more than ten years of hard work, then you have officially entered the threshold and become an inner hall.”

"The inner hall is something to brag about in the martial arts world; most people can't beat it."

"But the so-called outer and inner halls are both weak. They are just a few more people they can deal with and a little better at fighting. In essence, there is no difference."

"But it's different if you add a star."

"Once one's cultivation reaches a certain level, the Qi will enter the Danfu (lower abdomen), instantly becoming dazzlingly bright. From then on, this person will no longer be an ordinary mortal, and can even change their own destiny."

Lin Jiang nodded knowingly:

"Sounds awesome."

“Being marked with a star is very powerful, but not being marked with a star is not enough.” Gong Xuan shook his head. “Young Master Lin, if you throw a punch like that, you can easily kill even an inner-class cultivator who isn’t a body cultivator.”

"Did you mark the stars, Taoist priest?"

"No, so you could kill me with one punch."

After finishing our idle chatter, we finally arrived at the entrance of the Lin family mansion.

The bell didn't ring, and after entering the house, the old man lay on his side and fell fast asleep; nothing unexpected happened.

May you be safe and well.

Gong Xuan first went to the side to boil a pot of water. When Xiao Shanshen and Lin Jiang were staring at each other, Gong Xuan took out a clay pot and poured the boiling water in.

"Divine Herb, go in and check the temperature yourself."

Little Ginseng nodded, tested the water temperature with his little hand, and feeling that it wasn't too far off, he flipped over and lay down in.

The ink painting depicted a face that even showed a human-like expression of comfort.

It felt just like taking a bath.

Although Lin Jiang was mentally prepared, he still felt strange when he actually saw this scene.

In my past life, when I was watching videos, I would always see people jokingly saying in the comments, "Move aside, I'll drink it all."

Unexpectedly, today, Lin Jiang will actually have to taste the saltiness.

After waiting for a while longer, the water turned tea-colored, and the ginseng emerged from it.

After she came out, she asked for a cloth to wipe herself. Lin Jiang glanced at the shiny ginseng and said:

"How about I prepare some clothes for you later?"

"clothing?"

Little Ginseng had always been running around in the mountains and had never thought about clothes. Now, looking up at Lin Jiang, he saw that the clothes made of good brocade were indeed bright and beautiful.

Pretty.

"Then...then I want it like this!"

Xiao Shanshen rummaged through her small backpack, and under Lin Jiang's curious gaze, she pulled out a yellowed piece of paper and handed it to him.

Lin Jiang picked it up and discovered that it was actually a sketchbook.

There was a great swordsman above, dressed in the rough linen clothes commonly seen on those who travel the martial arts world, carrying a large sword with imposing presence.

I took another look at the ginseng's pouch and found that it seemed to be filled with thick layers of paper.

Lin Jiang then understood what kind of luggage the mountain spirits, who didn't need worldly things, needed to prepare to descend the mountain.

The sketchbook was exquisite and expensive, and most people couldn't afford it. No one knew where one of the sketchbooks was destroyed, but some fragments of pages ended up in Xiaoshanshen's hands.

"Alright, it's late today. I'll find a skilled embroiderer to make you a set tomorrow."

After calming Xiaoshanshen down, Lin Jiang walked over to the bowl of ginseng soup.

The soup made from the ginseng that had become a spirit was indeed different; it was clear and bright, and had a faint fragrance.

After Lin Jiang picked it up, he hesitated for a moment.

He glanced around and saw that both the person and the ginseng were looking at him expectantly, so he simply straightened his neck.

Damn it! Let's do it!
Lin Jiang tilted his head back and gulped down the entire bowl of ginseng soup.

He put down the earthen bowl and smacked his lips twice.

It tastes pretty good, kind of like ginger soup.

However, Lin Jiang immediately sensed that something was amiss.

A surge of heat was rising from my abdomen and spreading throughout my body.

Looking down,
Lin Jiang noticed that his stomach was glowing.

(End of this chapter)