Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 37 Not a ghost
Lin Jiang had met Gong Xuan before, so he naturally knew that monks and Taoists in this world all possessed the means to subdue evil spirits.

If it is truly a ghost, whether it is glutinous rice or Buddhist beads, it will sizzle and smoke after being thrown in.

The saying goes that in the warm spring of March, evil spirits are driven away, and the warm fire of spring roasts the evil spirits like roasting meat.

Lin Jiang then asked:

"What exactly happened at the time? Did the ghost react in any way?"

Chen Dajiang shook his head:

“There was no reaction at all, and it even tried to pounce on me. Luckily, I rowed the boat fast, otherwise I would have been drowning if I had fallen into the water.”

"Can I see that bead?"

"Oh." Chen Dajiang slumped over to the warehouse and returned shortly afterward with the items.

He was holding a bead with strands of gold thread rolling around it, and one could faintly hear Buddhist chants. Its specific functions and effects were unknown, but it certainly made a grand display.

Lin Jiang held it in his hand and examined it for a while before asking:
"What is the use of this magical artifact?"

"A mantra for rebirth is sealed inside. Once used, the surrounding souls will be liberated and go to the Pure Land. At least that's what the wealthy merchant who sold these prayer beads said."

"Can I use it?" Lin Jiang asked again.

"No, no," Chen Dajiang waved his hands repeatedly upon hearing this, "This treasure cannot be given to the young master."

"Why?"

Lin Jiangqi found it strange.

It's hard to tell that Chen Dajiang is someone who cherishes treasures.

“That precious thing will fall out, so I can’t give it to the young master.” Chen Dajiang pointed to his head: “I just lost all my hair, and it took a long time for it to grow back.”

Lin Jiang: "Using this product will cause hair loss?"

“Yes,” Chen Dajiang explained, “All precious things need to be carefully selected, and the precious thing in this case is hair loss.”

I can't believe such a thing actually happened!
Lin Jiang found the beads increasingly interesting.

What exactly are "valuable possessions"?

"I can't quite explain it either." Chen Dajiang shook his head: "I only know that although many treasures are very powerful, they also require a lot of valuables. In the end, they may not be as useful as ordinary items. Although the boss bought a few treasures to keep at the bottom, they have been sitting in the warehouse collecting dust and have never been taken out."

After hearing this, Lin Jiang finally understood.

Useful gadgets are like self-destructing bombs; you always have to be prepared to "go to hell with it" before using them. As the saying goes, you hurt the enemy a thousand but also hurt yourself eight hundred. In safe places like towns, you naturally use gadgets less often.

He returned the Buddhist prayer beads to Chen Dajiang.

Buddhist prayer beads should be useful.

The creature in the water is not afraid of Buddhist salvation at all. Could it be that it is not a ghost at all?
what is that?
A master of water magic who doesn't need to breathe?
Where does she usually live? What does she eat?
Lin Jiang racked his brains, but really couldn't come up with any ideas.

No.

If you stay inside the house, you'll never figure it out; you have to go out and take a look.

"Come with me to the riverbank." Lin Jiang stood up and walked outside.

Chen Dajiang followed behind Lin Jiang.

He could roughly guess what Lin Jiang wanted to do, but he didn't think Lin Jiang could succeed.

The old lady hired some very capable people, but they were all helpless against what was in the water. Can Young Master Lin solve this problem?
However, since Young Master Lin was concerned about his family business, Chen Dajiang couldn't say anything discouraging and could only silently follow behind Lin Jiang.

Outside the gate, the streets were still bustling with pedestrians, but there were noticeably fewer people along the riverbank.

Every now and then, a water ghost comes out to harm people. Everyone only has one life, and no one wants to risk their life on the riverbank.

But the boatmen and fishermen couldn't leave the river and had to stay at the ferry crossing.

At first glance, the ferry crossing was noisy and chaotic, with seven or eight people huddled together, making a racket.

There were also familiar faces.

At the ferry crossing, a middle-aged man with a somewhat wooden face frowned and spoke softly to the fishermen and boatmen before him:

"Didn't you say yesterday that you would go with me to the boss to demand an explanation?"

The man he questioned sneered:

"Yesterday is yesterday, today is today. Young master saved me, I can't be ungrateful! Besides, I've already seen the master's accountant go to your house, so I'm afraid you've already lost your position as manager, haven't you?"

The shopkeeper was so angry his teeth itched, his face flushed red, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time. Finally, he snorted coldly, turned around, and left. He didn't forget to leave with a parting remark:
"A despicable person."

Hearing the sound of spitting behind him, the vegetable vendor walked even faster.

He brushed past Lin Jiang, his gaze lingering on Lin Jiang with a somewhat gloomy expression, but ultimately left without saying a word.

Chen Dajiang whispered, "He caused trouble at the dinner table yesterday, and the employer fired him this morning. I guess he'll really be gone in the next couple of days."

What's the point?

Lin Jiang didn't understand the shopkeeper's idea.

He only remembered that he had spoken with Manager Cai when he came to Cangsong. At that time, he called Manager Cai "Uncle Cai". He never expected that after not seeing him for several years, he would have become like this.

Most people are driven by self-interest.

The fisherman, who had just finished arguing with the vegetable vendor, lit up instantly when he saw Lin Jiang.

He rushed over, taking three steps at a time, and before he could even speak, he knelt down.

"Young Master! Thank you so much for saving my life!"

Lin Jiang looked closely.

This is the fisherman we rescued yesterday!
Lin Jiang helped the fisherman up with both hands.

"No need to thank me, saving lives is the right thing to do."

Despite saying that, the fisherman's eyes were still filled with tears.

People who travel by water have cheap lives; they might be swept away by the Dragon King at any moment. How could he dare to dream of a nobleman like the young master risking his life to save him?

"what's your name?"

“My surname is Niu. When my mother gave birth to me, she said that I would have to rely on water for a living, so she made me go into the water.”

"...A good name, it sounds elegant."

"You flatter me."

Lin Jiang and his group found a clean spot, and coincidentally, Lin Jiang had some questions for Niu Xiashui:

"Did you see that thing in the water clearly yesterday?"

“I saw it clearly.” Niu Xiashui shivered. “It’s a woman.”

"Do you know that woman?" Lin Jiang asked.

Since it is a vengeful spirit in the water, it will naturally have some resentment. Since various groups of people cannot deal with it, Lin Jiang plans to start from the root.

Just like investigating a case, only by finding out the other party's identity can a reasonable solution be devised.

But Niu Xia Shui shook his head upon hearing Lin Jiang's words:

"I've never seen her before. If I had seen such a beautiful woman, how could I not remember her?"

Lin Jiang frowned: "Aside from those dragged down by the water ghosts, were there any other dead bodies in this lake before?"

“Many. Occasionally, people who are boating on the lake will fall in and drown, and occasionally some who can't think straight will jump into the lake to commit suicide.” Niu Xiashui said, “I know what you want to ask. No one has ever seen this woman before. She is not one of our Cangsong people at all. The other capable people who have recently arrived have also asked about this matter.”

A bit of a headache.

Doesn't that mean we have absolutely no clues?

Could it be that this water ghost swam all the way from Han Bai's direction?
They might have swum in from the sea, since this place is actually right next to the sea.

But seeing Lin Jiang's headache, Niu Xiashui hesitated:

"Young master's family."

"You said."

“Actually, besides that woman, I saw something else last night,” Niu Xiashui whispered. “I saw… a light underwater.”

"lamp?"

Lin Jiang was stunned, his mind went blank for a moment.

Something popped into his mind.

Could it be that thing?
But this is shallow water, how did it swim over here?

(End of this chapter)