Chapter 125: Spear Intent: Minor Mastery

Li Lin took a moment to return to Shangtikou Village.

From afar, he saw the Tree Immortal Lady floating at the village entrance.

By the time Li Lin drew near, she had vanished again.

Arriving at the altar, Li Lin saw that the withered tree... had fully grown into its normal form.

It had even bloomed with flowers.

Peach blossoms!

The flowers were beautiful, with deep and shallow hues blending together, making one feel an urge to put them in their mouth and eat them.

Li Lin smiled and said, "Lady, I am back."

The Tree Immortal Lady did not appear.

Li Lin took a deep breath and raised his voice: "Liu Zhe, I am back."

Only then did the Tree Immortal Lady emerge.

Li Lin extended his palm to her.

The Tree Immortal Lady gazed into Li Lin's eyes for a long while, then finally bent down and, as in the past, licked Li Lin's palm.

That pleasurable sensation made Li Lin squint his eyes once more.

Unlike the joy of male-female intimacy, this was a different kind of strange pleasure, yet no less satisfying.

After a while, the Tree Immortal Lady released Li Lin's hand; her eyes lowered, seeming somewhat disappointed.

Li Lin took a small box from his clothes: "I thought your rouge from before must be used up by now. This time I bring you this, called 'Sandalwood Heart Pale,' the color of peach blossoms..."

Li Lin glanced again at the blooming peach blossoms nearby and smiled: "It suits you very well."

The Tree Immortal Lady accepted the box, and her expression finally became much happier.

"I have already reached Eighth Rank," Li Lin said with a smile. "Moreover, I have obtained many Yin Qi Stones; reaching Sixth Rank will not be difficult."

The Tree Immortal Lady looked at him, and a hint of shyness seemed to appear on her face.

Li Lin continued: "I also obtained the Dual Cultivation Art from the Ding family. Once I reach Seventh Rank, I can..."

"Third Rank!" the Tree Immortal Lady suddenly said.

Li Lin was stunned: "What? Third Rank?"

The Tree Immortal Lady nodded.

"Didn't you say Seventh Rank was enough to dual cultivate with a Ghost?"

"Third Rank."

After repeating it once more, the Tree Immortal Lady hid inside the altar.

Clearly, she was extremely shy.

Li Lin took a deep breath.

Third Rank! What concept was that!

A Third Rank Spirit Hunter; there were fewer than twenty in all of Great Qi.

And almost all of them were old men.

Wait until I am old, then have relations with the Tree Immortal Lady?

Won't I be directly drained into a dried husk?

Li Lin suddenly felt a chill at his lower back.

No... I must find a way.

Li Lin immediately returned to his room and found it very clean.

It seemed someone had been cleaning it all along.

Li Lin sniffed; the air was filled with a clear, cold Yin Qi, and it seemed to carry a hint of floral scent, so he knew who it was.

The Tree Immortal Lady.

After putting away his luggage, Li Lin immediately cut out three Soul-Calling Paper Men and sent them up the mountain to gather herbs.

He himself began practicing the Fallen Thunder Incantation.

Once the Yin Qi was nearly exhausted, he started practicing spear techniques.

He practiced for three hours; it was already near dusk. Sweating profusely, he finished a set of spear forms and was just about to bathe and rest when suddenly a proficiency notification slid up.

【Spear Intent: Minor Mastery】

Li Lin paused.

Spear Intent: Minor Mastery?

I didn't feel anything.

He performed another set of the Yu Family Spear Technique, and only then finally noticed the difference.

In this rural village, winter had not yet arrived, so insects were quite numerous.

When he held the spear, he could sense any insect flying past nearby.

Then, with a mere thought, the spear tip would already have jabbed toward it.

The flying insect split in two and fell to the ground.

In other words, the so-called Spear Intent: Minor Mastery meant that within a radius of about three meters, perception was greatly enhanced.

At the same time, control over the spear's force had reached a level as natural as using one's own arm and fingers.

After practicing spear techniques for so long, there was finally obvious progress.

Li Lin was overjoyed; he took a bath, then went to eat.

The three Soul-Calling Paper Men had already returned from the mountain, and they had cooked the blood rice.

After finishing the meal, Li Lin told the paper men to wash the pot clean.

He lay on the bed to digest for a while, then began practicing alchemy again.

Life-Reviving Pills, Body-Strengthening Pills, Youth-Preserving Pills, Poison-Averting Pills.

One pot, two pots, three pots!

Until all the herbs gathered by the Soul-Calling Paper Man were used up.

Watching his alchemy proficiency surge, Li Lin felt a deep sense of fulfillment in his heart.

He believed alchemy surely had realms, but he had not yet touched upon them.

The Life-Reviving Pills he produced could be used by himself; items like the Body-Strengthening Pills could be given to others, or even sold, adding considerable income to the family.

Now that he had a wife, he was no longer a lonely man.

He must learn to gather money for the home.

After finishing the pills, he sat cross-legged on the bed to cultivate his internal energy.

First the Spring-Restoring Health Art, then the Yin-Nourishing Heart Sutra.

This was also why Li Lin had come to the village.

At his home in the county town, he did not have so much time to allocate to himself.

Especially at night, with Hong Luan and Huang Qi, he had to ensure equal attention to both, leaving no time for personal cultivation.

If he stayed in the village for three days, he would cultivate for three days.

Then he had to return to the county town to "go to work," for he had only requested three days off.

Before leaving, Li Lin went to the altar.

The peach blossoms seemed to have bloomed even more; looking at the Tree Immortal Lady floating above, Li Lin asked, "Can these flowers bear peaches?"

"Yes."

"Give me one to eat when the time comes."

"Mm."

Li Lin waved to the Tree Immortal Lady, then returned to the county town.

The Tree Immortal Lady came to the village entrance and kept staring in the direction of the county town.

First, he returned home to report his safety to Huang Qi, then changed his clothes and went to the county government office to start work.

Upon arriving at the county government office, a government office Runner standing nearby said, "County Lieutenant Li, the Magistrate says he wants you to see him in the rear courtyard of the government office."

Li Lin thanked him and went to the rear courtyard.

Just upon arriving there, he saw Huang Yan sitting in the pavilion, with a young man sitting beside him.

Outside the pavilion stood Bai Zhiwei and several other Soul Hunters, along with several Commandants, and his brother-in-law Huang Ying.

Seeing Li Lin arrive, the crowd parted to make way; Li Lin walked in, approached the pavilion, clasped his fists and said, "Magistrate."

Huang Yan nodded: "Sit!"

Li Lin sat as instructed.

In the past, when Li Lin was still a Soul Hunter, he had no qualification to sit in the pavilion; now he could.

He was the County Lieutenant.

Sitting opposite was a young man.

This man, judging by his features, was about twenty-five years old; his looks were passable, though far inferior to Li Lin's.

For when he saw Li Lin, he seemed somewhat displeased; his eyes were like swords, carrying a stern aura as he scrutinized Li Lin.

"This is the newly transferred County Assistant, Jiang Jili, courtesy name Yunshu."

"Li Lin, courtesy name Kunge!" Li Lin clasped his fists and smiled.

The other man withdrew his stern aura and said with a smile, "The County Lieutenant looks more like a scholar than a warrior or a Soul Hunter."

"In the County Assistant's eyes, should the County Lieutenant look like a fool?" Li Lin retorted.

"Either a burly warrior or a Soul Hunter radiating dark qi; you are neither."

Li Lin nodded and smiled: "I also think the County Assistant does not look much like a scholar."

Jiang Jili's expression turned displeased; that stern aura pressed down again: "Oh, you misjudged."

"I also think you misjudged," Li Lin smiled: "You think I am neither a warrior nor a Soul Hunter; shall we try? Exchange a few moves?"

Li Lin's Spear Intent had now reached a small mastery; he was eager to test his mettle.

This County Assistant before him seemed not weak; he would make a perfect test subject.

Jiang Jili snorted: "Vulgar."

"Thank you for the compliment; does this mean you admit I am a warrior or a Soul Hunter?"

Jiang Jili's expression froze.

(End of this chapter)