Chapter 110: Deception

Bai Yunfei drew his sword and stepped back, a faint look of triumph on his face.

“Bai Yunfei, what are you doing!” Bai Zhiwei roared.

He lunged forward, grabbing Su Huafang, who was about to collapse, and dragged him backward with all his strength.

The others froze; Li Lin walked over, saw the blood gushing from Su Huafang’s chest like a fountain, and his face darkened.

Can’t save him!

Everyone stared at Bai Yunfei; the man smiled with sinister glee.

Yan Han looked at him, eyes filled with disbelief: “Bai Yunfei, how could you…”

“Who told you I was Bai Yunfei? When he first entered Jincheng, I killed him. Then I stole his transfer documents and assumed his identity, slipping into your ranks without effort. Pretending to be a martial fanatic was easy—just challenge someone to a duel, and you believed.”

Li Lin gritted his teeth: “So… you never stumbled upon Eunuch Qi meeting someone—it was all a staged performance.”

Bai Yunfei nodded.

“That’s why Eunuch Qi only struck you once and kept you alive,” Li Lin said, his voice calm despite the fury inside him: “Because you were already among us.”

Bai Yunfei nodded. “Clever.”

Yan Han stepped behind Bai Zhiwei and glanced at Su Huafang.

His face was filled with helplessness.

Ding Yingqiu’s face twisted in bitterness: “Why does Yulin County have so much trouble? My cousin died here—am I going to die here too?”

Bai Bufan muttered beside him: “Beiliu County is worse—every Spirit Hunter there is dead. No one knows when the court will send replacements.”

Su Huafang’s face grew pale; his eyes slowly closed.

Bai Zhiwei gently laid Su Huafang’s body on the ground; his own clothes were soaked in blood.

“From Yuecheng?”

“Bai Yunfei” nodded.

“What’s your real name?”

“Qin Shuang.”

“From the Qin family?”

“Yes.”

Bai Zhiwei fell silent, his expression grim.

After a moment, he roared: “If you Qin family wants to dominate the realm, march north! Why keep targeting us Spirit Hunters?”

“We’ve targeted Huang Yan, that old bastard, time and again. Kill him, and the two military outposts under Yulin County will collapse without a fight. But every time, you Spirit Hunters ruined our plans. Who else should we target?”

Bai Zhiwei sighed helplessly.

Qin Shuang smiled: “Huang Yan is capable. Though he’s only the County Magistrate of Yulin, he’s used his family connections to turn the entire Jinyin Command into a sealed iron pot. We in Yuecheng have no hope of taking Jinyin by force—so we resort to deceit. Who else should we target if not those loyal to that old bastard?”

At that moment, the red glow in the distance grew brighter; Eunuch Qi was nearly upon them.

The situation was clear now: this was a trap, using Eunuch Qi as bait to lure out every capable Spirit Hunter in Yulin County—and kill them all.

Li Lin suddenly remembered something: “What about Stone Captain…?”

“Don’t worry—he has his own ‘reinforcements,’” Qin Shuang chuckled. “Huang Yan is good at using talent, but if you kill all his capable subordinates, he’s a tiger without teeth—his skills mean nothing.”

Bai Zhiwei said: “No more talking. He’s just buying time… you run. I’ll hold them off.”

He gripped a short knife in each hand, his expression icy.

Bai Bufan stepped beside him: “Uncle, I stand with you.”

“Get the hell out! I don’t need your help,” Bai Zhiwei barked. “You have no children. You’re your brother’s only son. If you die, you commit the greatest filial sin. Get out!”

Bai Bufan pouted. “I’m not leaving. Don’t think I don’t know—you’re my real father. I was adopted by Big Brother when I was a child.”

Bai Zhiwei froze. “When did you find out?”

“Two years ago. I overheard Big Brother and Mother talking.”

“Then you must leave even more. You’re not even my son anymore. Dying with me? What’s the point? Get out!”

Bai Bufan snorted, turned his head away, but didn’t move.

Qin Shuang clapped from the side: “Touching. But neither of you is leaving. Give up.”

Everyone turned; the red glow ahead was now unmistakable.

Eunuch Qi’s figure was barely visible.

“Attack!”

Bai Zhichuan charged forward.

Yan Han and Ding Yingqiu followed swiftly.

Bai Bufan clutched a poison pouch, ready to aid his “uncle,” when his sleeve was tugged.

Li Lin looked at him: “Do you have anything that blocks sight—something to hide me from view?”

“Yes,” Bai Bufan nodded, pulling out a white wax pill.

“Wait.”

Li Lin quickly stripped off his outer robe, drew his short sword, and stabbed his left hand—blood gushed freely.

“That’s enough.”

Bai Bufan didn’t understand what Li Lin planned, but trusting him, he tossed the wax pill to the ground beneath Li Lin.

Plop!

A cloud of white mist engulfed Li Lin completely; he vanished from sight.

Qin Shuang, standing alone, held off three attackers with ease.

His movements were lightning-fast; each step left behind a dark afterimage.

Seeing Li Lin vanish into the mist, he flicked his sleeve from afar—a gust of wind scattered the fog.

But there… no one was there.

Qin Shuang smiled: “Daoist invisibility spell! Li Xunshou, you’ve learned many tricks. But are you fleeing… or waiting to ambush me?”

At that moment, Bai Bufan charged forward, hurling a cloud of lime powder—but Qin Shuang merely flicked his left sleeve, and the powder flew back.

Fortunately, the others reacted quickly, avoiding the powder in their eyes.

But now, the Bai family’s poison techniques were useless.

Still, four against one gave them an edge; Qin Shuang kept retreating, yet he wasn’t worried—Eunuch Qi was nearly here.

Li Lin now crouched behind a patch of tall grass.

Before him, he had spread out his robe and used his own blood as ink to draw talismans and images on its back. Soon, the figure of the Tree Immortal Lady was complete.

Eunuch Qi arrived, raised his hand, and unleashed a blast of qi that sent all four men flying to the side.

Seven couldn’t stop Eunuch Qi—how could four?

All four lay on the ground, unable to move.

Eunuch Qi glanced left and right: “Where’s the other one—Li Lin?”

“He hid using a Daoist invisibility spell—either fled or is hiding…”

Eunuch Qi sniffed, then struck with both palms.

One palm slammed into Su Huafang’s corpse; the other struck a patch of grass.

The force hurled Su Huafang’s body aside.

Li Lin was also forced out of invisibility.

He felt every bone in his body might shatter; after rolling several times, he barely rose to his knees, spread the robe in his hands, and pressed his right palm against it.

“You hid well,” Eunuch Qi chuckled. “But your blood stench is strong. Wait—what’s drawn on your robe?”

At that moment, Li Lin had finished channeling yin energy.

“Li Lin welcomes the Tree Immortal Lady’s divine presence!”

The robe rose on its own; the blood-red image of the Tree Immortal Lady came alive upon it.

Eunuch Qi felt a chill crawl up his spine.

(End of Chapter)