Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 88 Human Skin
Lin Jiang opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by only a living person and a dead spider.

Picking up the still-digesting tiger robe from the ground, Lin Jiang felt the robe...

It seems a bit heavy.

Ok……

Has Tiger Robe been eating too much lately?
I don't think I'm that bloodthirsty.

Lin Jiang cast aside distracting thoughts
He looked at the coffin in front of him again.

This is the most important.

The luminous pearl brushed against his shoulder blade and asked:
"Brother, what's the secret behind this coffin?"

"It's a treasure."

"Carry it away?" The luminous pearl flew onto the coffin and bounced twice: "It can't even talk."

"Not all babies can talk, right?"

"Most of those who haven't grasped the essence are just ordinary people." The luminous pearl floated back onto Lin Jiang's shoulder.

Ignoring the luminous pearl for the moment, Lin Jiang inspected the coffin.

The coffin base was deeply embedded in the earth's veins, and Lin Jiang knew with a few gestures that the Qiankun Bag couldn't contain it.

To break open the coffin and extract the contents?

Not suitable.

This is a rare and precious item; we can't let it all break.

However, speaking of which, both Tiepizi and Gongxuan probably have a small corner of this kind of coffin in their hands.

Lin Jiang walked to the southeast corner of the coffin, put his hand on it, and pried it down hard.

Click.

Looking at the palm of your hand, there is a small fragment right in the center.

It wasn't too strenuous.

At the cross-section, the soil peeled away, revealing the golden jade core inside.

As Lin Jiang reached out to pry it open, he immediately realized that the thing was very hard, extremely hard, as if he were poking at granite in his mortal body.

It's impossible to pry it off.

Lin Jiang withdrew his hand, realizing he had figured it out.

The outermost layer of the coffin was covered with a stone interlayer, and the real material of the coffin was inside.

Lin Jiang's thoughts drifted as he ran his fingertips along the broken surface of the coffin.

Even scraps from a coffin can serve as a connection to one's own residence.

But is it that the long years have allowed the stone deposits on this coffin to acquire a function similar to that of a coffin, or did the coffin maker originally hope that someone would remove the easily peelable material from the coffin?
Not sure.

Analysis alone is not enough to determine the coffin's efficacy. There is only one sample, and Lin Jiang is unsure what the reaction will be after cleaning off the stone grime, so he simply decides not to touch it.

If he were to encounter a second coffin, with a control group available, he could study it more carefully.

Just then, half a hand emerged from the shadows behind the coffin, its thin, cicada-shell-like knuckles spasming as it scratched at the coffin's texture.

Lin Jiang blinked, immediately got up, and went around to the back of the coffin.

He looked down and saw the withered human skin abandoned by the spider demon, which was now pupa-like, with its eye sockets staring straight at him.

Lin Jiang: "?"

This piece of parchment strained to lift its lips:
"anyone there?"

The luminous pearl spun around once, then jumped onto Lin Jiang's shoulder and whispered to him:

“Brother, it seems there was a wisp of remnant soul hidden on this human skin before, as if it was always bound by an obsession. To put it bluntly, it was a ghost.”

Lin Jiang pondered for a moment, then lowered his head and stared at the human skin on the ground:

"who are you?"

"Me? I...who am I again?" The voice of the human skin was dry and very awkward, as if someone had rubbed two pieces of bark together and forced it out: "I don't quite remember."

"So what do you remember?"

“I remember I had two disciples. I took them to a dilapidated Taoist temple. I wanted to build a Taoist temple here and teach them skills… I… what else did I want to do… I don’t remember.”

The man tried very hard to recall, but his voice immediately became low and somber:

"I've forgotten so many things, so many things I don't remember at all..."

"After all, it's a remnant soul, probably only one of the seven souls. It's normal that it can't remember anything," the bead sighed. "I'm afraid it won't last much longer."

Lin Jiang thought for a moment, sighed softly, and said:
"This is Ta Yunxia. I just killed a spider. You were in that spider's clutches the whole time."

"Treading on clouds...treading on clouds..." The human skin chewed on the name twice, and its voice suddenly became excited:

“Yes! Yes! Treading on Clouds and Clouds! I remember Treading on Clouds and Clouds! Ascending to the clouds and treading on clouds, that is the skill I cultivate! My two disciples also cultivate Treading on Clouds and Clouds. They are two young Taoists. Have you seen them? One is a Qian Taoist and the other is a Kun Taoist. The Qian Taoist is called Tai Nanzi and the Kun Taoist is called Tai Beizi.”

"You've certainly saved ink by coming up with this name."

"The Taoist name is certainly wonderful." The human skin was very proud: "But those two wicked disciples just don't like it."

"Yes, why is that?"

"But I heard you say... there's a spider?"

“Yes. A very large spider.” Lin Jiang pointed, and the human skin looked in the direction Lin Jiang was pointing.

"Spider...spider." The human skin slowly stood up, but he had no legs; his legs were just skin on both sides, making it impossible for him to stand. He couldn't see the spider either, and he didn't know where it was. "I remember the spider. I fought with him, but I didn't learn any killing skills, so I couldn't beat him...and then...what happened next?"

The human skin began scratching its head, which was flat, and its fingers couldn't reach it: "I can't remember, I can't remember anything at all."

Lin Jiang was silent for a while: "I know Tai Nanzi."

"Really?"

“It’s true, but he’s not a young Taoist priest; he’s an old one now.”

"Old Taoist priest?" "Yes, old Taoist priest." Lin Jiang said, "This is Ta Yunxia, ​​one of the famous sects in the martial arts world. After your body is filled with qi, you will become the leader of Ta Yunxia. You are being manipulated by that spider. Some bandits will supply money to that spider, turning Ta Yunxia into... a bandit's den."

"Huh?" The human skin trembled slightly.

"But now that I've killed the spider, you're awake too."

"I...I..." Human skin is very unstable.

His remaining soul was already struggling to sustain his thoughts, and it was nearly dissipated; now his mental state was clearly even worse.

He started twisting and turning on the spot, like a piece of dry grass being blown by the wind, spinning and twisting into a big ball.

It began to wander aimlessly throughout the stone chamber.

It looks like a kite.

It flew for quite a while, until Lin Jiang was worried that it might just dissipate and the human skin would fall back in front of Lin Jiang.

Where is Tai Nanzi now?

"He's in some trouble down the mountain."

"Can you take me to see it?"

"You look like this now..."

"Then I'll wait for you here. Can you bring him here?"

The human skin clearly misunderstood Lin Jiang's meaning. Taking the skin down the mountain would be a simple matter; the troublesome thing is that Tai Nanzi is already half-mad. What would he think if he saw his former master transformed into human skin?
After thinking it over, Lin Jiang said, "I'll go down the mountain first and tell your disciple. You wait for me here."

"Okay, I'll wait for you here. I'm not going anywhere."

Lin Jiang nodded, turned around and left the cave.

……

Inside Xinglinfang, the candles were almost extinguished, and Tai Nanzi's face was as still as a dry well.

He seemed a little listless. Although he didn't have another episode of hysteria, he still didn't look very well.

Fang Xuanzi was no longer sleepy and sat there quietly with her master, afraid that her master might have a fit of hysteria and run out of the shop.

Staring at his master's aged face, Fang Xuanzi felt a mix of emotions.

Master's Taoist name was Tai Nanzi. He was quite old and approaching the age of fifty. He was a second-generation disciple of Ta Yunxia and held a high position in the sect. However, due to various events, he ended up being "forever relegated to the outer sect".

As for that senior uncle, that junior sister of Tai Nanzi, Fang Xuanzi had actually heard others talk about her often.

As the second immortal to ascend to heaven within the sect, which outer disciple wouldn't call him an "immortal" upon seeing him?
But after hearing his master say that today, how could he possibly hold his thoughts back?

It's clearly a complete mess.

He covered his head and sighed, but afraid that his sighs would disturb Tai Nanzi, he lowered his voice.

But the house was too small and the night was too quiet, so Tae Nam-ko still heard it.

Tai Nanzi turned his head to the side.

"My disciple."

"I'm here."

Why the sigh?

"For...for my master."

"For me?" Tai Nanzi could easily see what his disciple was thinking. He straightened his expression and suddenly said seriously:

"Fang Xuanzi."

"Please speak, Master."

"You know I have a vanity mirror, right?"

"know."

Tai Nanzi would stare at the dressing mirror for a long time every time she did her makeup, and she treasured that mirror very much.

“That was originally a gift from your martial uncle, who is also my junior sister.” Tai Nanzi said in a very calm tone: “When I was young, I was unkempt and always looked sloppy when I went out, which made others laugh. So your martial uncle gave me a mirror so that I could tidy my appearance in front of the mirror every time.”

Fang Xuanzi had never seen his master lose his composure except during the day today. His master had always maintained that otherworldly and dignified demeanor.

But my uncle was eaten by a spider, and my master's mirror was shattered.

"After she left, I found it quite interesting to fuss over my appearance." Tai Nanzi's tone remained very calm as she spoke, even using her hand as a comb to smooth her hair. "I'm fine, no need to be nervous. I'm used to what's happened. The mirror broke today, but don't worry about it. It wasn't the original mirror. I've already replaced it. How could a mirror last for almost twenty years?"

"Then why are you confined to Ta Yunxia?" Fang Xuanzi really didn't understand.

“Someone has to pull the weeds off your uncle’s grave,” Tai Nanzi said calmly. “And your grandmaster’s grave is also on the mountain, but outsiders only think that your grandmaster is still alive.”

Just for tomb sweeping?
It must be more than just for tomb sweeping.

"Master, I... I don't know anything." Fang Xuanzi was very sad. His master had been in so much pain, but he couldn't see anything.

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Tai Nanzi said, "You've learned enough skills, leave Ta Yunxia tomorrow."

"master?"

"Go wander the world, see the scenery, and don't come back." Tai Nanzi reached out and patted Fang Xuanzi's shoulder: "Go to a place with government offices, a place where people are in charge, a place where if you report a case to the Zhenping Division, the Division will send demon hunters. Don't come back."

"I can't leave."

"why?"

"Because you are here, Master."

“I’m used to it now, you have to go.”

"I just don't like that."

The master and apprentice seemed to be at odds for a moment. Suddenly, Fang Xuanzi heard a strange sound coming from the window. He subconsciously turned his head and looked towards the window.

Lin Jiang climbed in through the window.

(End of this chapter)