Chapter 132: Fifty Autumns in the Mortal World

Evening.

Li Lin cut down over a dozen leafy branches by the side of the official road and set them up into a simple triangular little hut.

He scattered a ring of protective barriers around it, then dug a pit inside the hut and lit a fire in the pit.

He added another piece of cured meat to roast, and only then took out the red talisman paper and fed Yin Qi into it.

Sister Yan Jing 'flowed' out from within.

First a ball of white mist, finally condensing into a human shape.

After coming out she looked around and said with a smile, "Looks like you know a thing or two about life in the wild — doesn't seem like something a noble family's son would know."

Li Lin gave a careless smile.

This kind of simple little hut was something he had learned from videos before.

It has a certain ability to keep out the rain… of course, a heavy downpour definitely won't do.

"You brought me out just to ward off the wild ghosts, right?" Sister Yan Jing said with a smile. "I'm the ghost you're keeping now, and it's nighttime — whatever you want to do is fine."

She reached out and lightly touched Li Lin's arm.

Li Lin picked up a piece of cured meat and held it in front of her, asking, "Want some?"

Sister Yan Jing rolled her eyes: "You know perfectly well I'm a ghost, I don't eat this stuff."

"Then put yourself in my shoes — you know perfectly well I won't touch you, so why do you keep trying to tempt me?" Li Lin said with a smile.

Sister Yan Jing sighed softly: "You just think I'm dirty, that's all."

Li Lin said nothing, and his expression didn't change.

Sister Yan Jing let out a sigh, sat to one side, and said nothing more.

Li Lin couldn't be bothered to pay her any attention either.

Now that she was the ghost he 'kept,' she was harmless to him.

If she wanted to harm him, he would be able to sense it.

The reason for bringing Sister Yan Jing along was very simple — to serve as a second layer of 'backup.'

On this journey, it wasn't possible to find a suitable camping spot every single time. If he were camping in the wild and ran into a night rain, the protective barrier powder would be washed away, and then Li Lin would only be able to survive by relying on his stealth art.

But even so, Li Lin didn't feel it was very safe.

There were no shortage of strange people in this world who could see through stealth arts — perhaps some among the wild ghosts could too.

Therefore… having one more Sister Yan Jing could put his mind a little more at ease.

Li Lin finished eating the cured meat, and just as he was about to sleep, Sister Yan Jing came close again and asked, "You're out here all alone — what is it you're trying to do?"

Li Lin closed his eyes and pretended to rest, saying, "To seek immortal fate."

"You're really going?" Sister Yan Jing couldn't help leaning closer: "Last time I was just saying it casually."

Li Lin said calmly, "A person has to have some ideals."

"Your ideal is cultivating immortality?" Sister Yan Jing covered her mouth with her flowing sleeve: "It's not like it can't be done, but what makes you think you're the exception? So many people can't do it — they can't even get started with the simplest Dark Character Art."

Li Lin smiled and said, "Just giving it a try — I've got to find something to do anyway."

Sister Yan Jing looked at him with a pair of bewitchingly watery eyes, then gently shook her head and walked off to sit on one side.

The night passed without a word.

By dawn, Li Lin casually ate a couple bites of dry rations, then continued on his way.

Five days later, he arrived at Guicheng.

Compared with Jincheng, Guicheng's population was slightly smaller, but the level of prosperity was about the same.

Li Lin paid a one-copper-coin head tax and entered the city to rest and resupply.

Li Lin had taken a bath at the inn, and just as he was about to get into bed to rest, he felt the talisman paper vibrating, so he fed Yin Qi into it.

Sister Yan Jing emerged from within and said, "Someone has set their sights on you."

"I know." Li Lin nodded.

When he paid the head tax, there had been someone on the city wall watching him for a long time.

"Then why aren't you leaving?"

"That one is also a Spirit Hunter." Li Lin sat on the edge of the bed and put on his outer robe: "If I'm not mistaken, it should be someone from the Ding family."

"How do you know?"

Li Lin explained: "That person's gaze held no ill intent, and as far as I know, the Ding family has a lot of power in Guicheng. Almost every Spirit Hunter in Guicheng comes from the Ding family. Ding Xunshou from our side knows I've come here, and she must have already sent a message home by carrier pigeon."

"You told Ding Xunshou about this? Aren't you afraid of the trouble?"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. One person's plans are short — the more people, the better to get things done." Li Lin said with a smile: "Clues are important, but I don't have the resources on that side, so I can only trade with others."

Sister Yan Jing said with a smile: "You really are…"

Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Sister Yan Jing transformed into a streak of light and returned to the talisman paper.

Li Lin put the talisman paper away and went to open the door.

The first thing he saw was a young man. Seeing Li Lin, the man cupped his fist and said, "May I ask if this is Li Lin, Li County Magistrate of Yulin County, Jin Prefecture?"

"That is correct."

"My cousin Ding Yingqiu sent word by carrier pigeon, saying that County Magistrate Li is a friend of ours. If you need anything, please be sure to discuss it with us."

Li Lin cupped his fist and smiled: "Many thanks. If there's a need, I will certainly come to trouble you in person."

The man cupped his fist and left.

Sister Yan Jing reappeared from the talisman paper and said, "The Ding family really does have quite the air of a gentleman about them."

Li Lin said with a smile: "Because there's no need 【for them not to be】… the place we're going, they should have already been to many, many times — probably without finding anything."

"Then why are you still going?"

"They didn't find anything, but that doesn't mean I can't."

Sister Yan Jing finally let out a snort of laughter: "I've discovered that you're extremely arrogant. On what basis can you, a single person, accomplish what an entire clan could not?"

Li Lin said nothing more. Many things did not require others' acknowledgment.

But this attitude only seemed to make Sister Yan Jing even more displeased.

Sister Yan Jing shook her head: "I had thought you were a gentle and refined young master, as modest as a valley, but I never expected you to be such a wildly arrogant person."

Li Lin gave a smile.

Seeing that he did not retort, Sister Yan Jing gave a hum, transformed into a streak of flowing light, and vanished into the talisman paper.

Li Lin paid it no mind either. He lay on the bed and rested for two hours, then went to the market to buy some dry rations before setting out again.

Following the map's indications, Li Lin began searching for that cave abode outside the city.

Now, apart from the area 'shrouded' by Taowu Zhenjun, all other places outside the cities were wild, barbaric lands.

Especially in the southern regions, trees and vines grew intertwined, building up layer upon layer of green barriers atop the mountains.

Moving forward in such terrain was extremely difficult.

In many places, one either had to take a detour, or hack out a path with a machete.

Drawing on his previous experience, Li Lin had prepared a fairly sharp machete this time. Combined with his blood energy, it was indeed 'slicing through vines like mud'—the machete wrapped in green blood energy came down, and no vine could withstand it.

And it saved quite a bit of effort too.

After an entire day of this, Li Lin had not covered much distance outside.

He looked at the sky, found a shallow mountain cave nearby—just big enough to fit three or four people, with a very shallow entrance.

Inside, he scattered protective barrier powder, lit a fire, and ate cured meat and dry rations.

Sister Yan Jing was also released, serving as backup.

But this time when Sister Yan Jing came out, she no longer cared to chat or chatter. She simply sat to one side, watching the sky outside.

Through the 'Ghost-Rearing Art,' Li Lin could sense her coldness, but no malice.

That alone was enough.

Li Lin slept another good sleep.

At dawn, Sister Yan Jing watched Li Lin stretch lazily, gave a soft hum, and returned to the talisman paper.

Li Lin packed up, put out the fire, then scattered a dozen or so paper figures.

The little paper figures set off in one direction.

Li Lin picked up the machete and continued hacking a path.

Time quickly approached noon. Li Lin paused, then smiled, and continued walking in one direction.

Cutting through thorns and brambles along the way, sometime after early afternoon, Li Lin arrived at a cave entrance hidden by weeds.

The little paper figures were bouncing and leaping about here, holding a forest gathering.

Above the cave entrance was a smooth, square-shaped stone with three faintly visible characters carved on it.

Perhaps due to the passage of too much time, much of it had weathered away and could not be made out clearly.

Li Lin pushed aside some weeds from the side, used thirteen willow catkins to float up, and wiped it a couple of times.

The weeds' juice darkened the carved grooves, confirming they were indeed intaglio characters.

Supreme Mystery Cave.

The cave was pitch black inside. Li Lin lit a fire striker and walked in.

The entrance had been artificially chiseled, using the terrain to create steps of varying heights. Though a bit troublesome to walk on, it was still better than having no steps at all.

This cave was a standard karst cave… holding up the fire striker, the walls were composed of crystalline minerals, reflecting countless tiny points of light.

The passage twisted and turned, sometimes high, sometimes low. In many places, Li Lin had to crouch to get through.

After walking for about the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, he finally reached the end.

This was a circular space, its layout very similar to the Hooked Mystery cave abode—a stone table, a few stone chairs, and a small pond.

But without the sunlight or moonlight streaming down from above, it was very dark here.

Apart from that, there was nothing else.

Sister Yan Jing manifested. A faint, mocking smile on her face, she said: "It does look like a cave abode, but there don't seem to be any clues at all."

Li Lin was in no hurry. Holding the fire striker, he looked left, then right.

Then he walked here, walked there.

Sister Yan Jing crossed her arms over her chest, watching from the side.

Watching Li Lin 'doing nothing' as he walked about for a while, she could not help but speak up: "Don't bother looking. As far as I know, the Ding family pursued this immortal's fortune for hundreds of years—something over a dozen generations of them failed to accomplish. On what basis can you, a single person, do it?"

Li Lin still ignored her.

Then he suddenly jumped onto the round table, looked around in a circle for a moment, and a smile appeared on his face.

Next, he leapt down from the round table and placed the four round stools in four different positions.

"What are you doing?" Sister Yan Jing could not help but ask.

But just as her words fell, a sudden blaze of light appeared, so bright it was impossible to keep one's eyes open.

And Sister Yan Jing, being an apparition, was flashed by this light until her very 'self' was on the verge of dissipating.

After she barely managed to stabilize her body that was on the verge of falling apart and opened her eyes, she was astonished to discover that she and Li Lin were in a brightly lit secret chamber.

There was a white jade bed, a green jade table, and a glazed wine pot.

On the wall hung a painting.

Additionally, there was a cattail hassock on the floor.

"There really is one…" Sister Yan Jing said in astonishment as she looked at Li Lin, then awkwardly added: "So you weren't talking nonsense after all."

Li Lin still ignored her. He began examining that painting.

The brushwork of this painting bears a striking resemblance to that of the painting in the Gou Lou Cave Mansion, yet it depicts a Daoist standing atop a high peak, looking down upon all other mountains as small.

The poem inscribed in the lower right corner reads:

The illusion passes in an instant; fifty autumns in the mortal world.

(End of this chapter)