Chapter 105: The Stubbornness of the Spirit Hunter

I have to admit, An Xin’s words make a lot of sense.

Ranking people is inevitably going to offend someone.

It even borders on inciting trouble.

Li Lin, however, looked somewhat disappointed.

Seeing this, An Xin asked, “Why does Inspector Li look so gloomy?”

“Without these rankings, the martial world just feels less vibrant.”

An Xin’s expression grew even more confused.

What even is “martial world flavor”? He, a true man of the martial world, had no idea what kind of strange taste that was.

Li Lin asked again: “But in the martial world, there must be some towering figures or major sects, right?”

“Well, there are,” An Xin thought for a moment and said: “The most renowned sect right now is Ximing Palace in the Central Plains.”

“No one is discarded, nothing is wasted—this is called Ximing?”

An Xin was stunned: “There’s a classical reference like that? We only know it’s called Ximing Palace.”

“A Daoist sect?”

“Yes.”

Li Lin nodded: “Then that must be it. Are they powerful?”

“Of course they are. The Thunderbolt Spell originated from them,” An Xin said, looking at Li Lin in disbelief: “You don’t know this? But you’ve already mastered the Thunderbolt Spell!”

“That’s exactly why I said I know nothing about the martial world.”

An Xin gave him a peculiar look.

At that moment, the waiter brought over the wine and dishes.

The two clinked cups and drank their wine in one gulp.

An Xin asked: “Inspector Li, your Hunting Spirits group is closely tied to the government—what’s the real situation in Yue City? Will the court launch an attack or not?”

“It’s hard to say,” Li Lin sighed. “The Northern Di are more dangerous; the court’s attention is probably focused on the northern frontier right now.”

“But if Yue City attacks, won’t it lead to widespread devastation?”

Li Lin fell silent, because this was very likely to happen.

Then he said: “All we can do now is hope Tang Qi’s border troops can hold out.”

At that moment, An Xin slammed his hand hard on the table.

He growled: “Tang Qi’s border troops? They’re all useless! It’s better to hope the court wipes out the Northern Di within half a year and sends a massive army to reclaim Yue City!”

His outburst drew the attention of many nearby patrons.

Among the diners, a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat stood up: “Brother, I won’t stop you from criticizing the court, but if you insult the Tang family’s border troops, then I have something to say.”

Li Lin sighed helplessly—so this is what happens when you engage in online political debates, no matter where you are.

Just like now—he’d stirred up trouble.

An Xin also stood up, annoyed: “What do you have to say?”

“The Southern Barbarians aren’t as brutal as the Northern Di precisely because the Tang family’s border troops have always practiced a ‘mow-down-the-grass’ policy against them. Without the Tang troops, the south would suffer even more than the north.”

“Nonsense! The Tang border troops just kill innocent civilians to inflate their kill counts!”

“Fine, fine! Spreading baseless rumors—who are you?”

“I’m telling the truth,” An Xin snorted. “A true man doesn’t change his name or hide his identity—I’m Lin Qiyu of Shunfu Escort Agency.”

Upon hearing this, Li Lin nearly spat out his wine.

The man in the hat snorted: “I’ll remember that.”

Then An Xin shouted: “I don’t want to waste words with you, Tang family lackey! Waiter, the bill!”

Outside the tavern, An Xin walked quickly ahead.

After a while, he slowed his pace: “Inspector Li, I’m sorry—I ruined your mood.”

Li Lin realized An Xin must have some personal grudge against the Tang family’s border troops.

He smiled: “Back there, you just blurted out your real name—aren’t you afraid someone will recognize you?”

“Not at all,” An Xin said. “Those who know me won’t expose me—they’re afraid I’ll come after them. Those who don’t know me will just think I’m Lin Qiyu.”

That made perfect sense.

After walking a bit further, An Xin said: “Inspector Li, you’re a good person. Few in the Hunting Spirits profession live to old age—better to quit while you still can.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yin energy damages the body and shortens lifespan—even blood rice can’t fully eliminate it, only slow it down. I’ve seen Inspector Su’s vital energy—it’s already at the point of guttering out.”

Li Lin froze: “What?”

“Hunting Spirits carry yin energy, so they’re less sensitive to vital energy than martial artists. Besides, our Tianyi Sect has special techniques to sense a person’s vital energy,” An Xin continued. “I can guarantee it—Inspector Su doesn’t have much time left.”

Li Lin fell silent for a moment, then bowed: “I need to go back for a while.”

“Understood,” An Xin said. “Let’s meet again another day.”

Li Lin hurried back to the inn and knocked on the door next door.

“Who is it?”

It was Su Huafang’s voice.

“It’s me.”

The door opened.

Su Huafang’s expression was calm as ever; he smiled and invited Li Lin inside.

“Inspector Li, you’re not out enjoying yourself—what brings you to this old man?”

Li Lin said: “I suddenly want to take your pulse.”

Su Huafang hesitated, then extended his left hand.

Li Lin’s medical skills had improved considerably—he wasn’t a miracle healer, but he could now diagnose most ailments through pulse reading.

After a moment, he released Su’s hand and said: “You’ve got half a year left. Why didn’t you tell us?”

Su Huafang sighed: “I didn’t expect your medical skills would improve so fast! How did you find out I was ill? I’ve been taking potent medicine and masking it well.”

“Inspector An reminded me.”

Su Huafang smiled wryly: “No wonder Tianyi Sect members are so formidable.”

Li Lin said: “Quit this line of work. Take a rest.”

“No.”

“Your body won’t hold out much longer—why not go home and dote on your grandchildren?”

Su Huafang replied: “Someone has to do these things. I’ve never regretted becoming a Hunting Spirit. If I have any regret, it’s that I didn’t become one sooner—I wasted over a decade of my youth wandering aimlessly.”

“But you only have half a year left—what can you possibly accomplish?”

“Plenty,” Su Huafang smiled. “Helping ordinary people deal with supernatural horrors brings me great joy.”

Li Lin said: “If you break the yin martial art, you might live five more years.”

“Five years as a useless invalid?” Su Huafang smiled warmly. “I wouldn’t wish for that.”

Li Lin sighed deeply—he knew he couldn’t change Su Huafang’s mind.

Seeing Li Lin’s gloomy expression, Su Huafang said: “Also, Inspector Li, bringing you into this path was my mistake. I knew long ago that yin martial arts shorten life, but for my own selfish desires, I still did it. I’m sorry.”

“I heard you’ve recruited many Hunting Spirits.”

“Yes.”

“Many of them died young.”

“Yes.”

“Do you regret leading them to their deaths?” Li Lin asked.

“Never. In fact, I’m almost grateful,” Su Huafang said, looking at Li Lin as if he were admiring a masterpiece nearly complete: “You have extraordinary talent for this path—you’ll surpass me a hundredfold, a thousandfold. You’ll destroy more horrors and save countless lives.”

Li Lin sighed: “How many people know this?”

“Not many,” Su Huafang said with a sly smile. “Keep it secret—you don’t want the Hunting Spirits to quit en masse, leaving the people unprotected, do you? Without them, the True Lord, deprived of worship and restraint, could go mad and kill many.”

(End of Chapter)