Chapter 142: Only the Great Qi Can Let One Survive

The altar of the Tree Immortal Lady was placed on a cart and dragged to the county seat.

Li Lin sat on the edge of the cart and said, “Once we reach the county seat, first put this altar in my home. After some time, the Four Marvels True Lord will depart, and then you can establish yourself in the county.”

The Tree Immortal Lady floated above the altar, moving along with it.

She nodded lightly, gazing toward the county seat, her eyes seeming to hold a hint of anticipation.

Li Lin knew the Tree Immortal Lady was aloof and untalkative, so he said no more, merely sitting on the cart’s shaft, quietly keeping her company.

Soon, the convoy returned to Yulin County.

Li Lin had people place the altar inside his home.

But when the Tree Immortal Lady saw another altar in the backyard, her eyes instantly shifted from dull gray to the vertical pupils of a serpent.

Her long serpent tail whipped out and hurled Li Yanjing’s altar outside.

Li Lin blinked in surprise, then suddenly remembered—the Tree Immortal Lady was fiercely possessive.

Logically, it shouldn’t be kept inside, but placing it elsewhere made him uneasy.

Li Yanjing had been sleeping inside her altar, and since her aura was masked by the Four Marvels True Lord’s presence, she didn’t know the Tree Immortal Lady had arrived.

When the altar was thrown out, she tumbled dizzily and crawled out, ready to rage.

Then she saw the Tree Immortal Lady floating midair—and immediately cowered.

She dropped to her knees on the spot.

“Your humble servant greets True Lord Liu.”

It turned out Li Yanjing recognized the Tree Immortal Lady.

“Go.” The Tree Immortal Lady spoke coldly.

Li Yanjing bowed her head. “I am now a spirit kept by the Li family.”

The Tree Immortal Lady snapped her gaze to Li Lin: “She is tainted.”

Li Yanjing looked wounded.

Li Lin waved his hand. “I have no intimate ties with her.”

Hearing this, the Tree Immortal Lady’s expression softened considerably.

Then she curled her tail around the altar, righted it, and placed it in the corner of the room.

Her own altar was placed in the center.

“Understood?” the Tree Immortal Lady asked.

Li Yanjing nodded vigorously.

Then the Tree Immortal Lady waved her hand, and the peach tree, heavy with blossoms, reappeared beside the altar.

Fortunately, the main hall of the backyard was tall enough to accommodate the peach tree.

At that moment, Huang Qing walked over.

She had heard the commotion of altars being tossed about.

“What happened here?” Huang Qing asked.

She could see Li Yanjing but not the Tree Immortal Lady.

Because Li Yanjing was a possessing spirit, possessing a physical form.

Yet Huang Qing was clever—she noticed the altar in the center… was not the one she had begged from her father.

That altar had been moved to the corner.

Huang Qing immediately bowed slightly toward the altar and smiled: “Sister greets Elder Sister Liu’s divine arrival.”

The Tree Immortal Lady had originally regarded Huang Qing with disfavor, but after hearing this, she gave a slight nod and returned to her altar.

Li Yanjing also exhaled in relief, stood up, and drifted back into her own altar.

Huang Qing looked at Li Lin and asked, “How is Elder Sister Liu?”

“She has accepted you!”

“That’s good,” Huang Qing said, smiling brightly.

Li Lin had told her about the Tree Immortal Lady when he had the chance; she understood she could never have Li Lin to herself.

She had long prepared herself mentally for this.

Li Lin exhaled in relief—the matter seemed resolved, though not perfectly.

He told Huang Qing, “I’m going to the tavern for an appointment. I won’t be home for lunch.”

“Very well, Master, you’ve worked hard.”

Li Lin arrived at Fugui Tavern.

On the second floor, he saw Jiang Jili already waiting.

“County Lieutenant Li, you’re late.”

Li Lin bowed his fist. “I was occupied with urgent matters—you should know. I apologize here.”

Jiang Jili paused, then said, “It seems you understand propriety.”

His tone was neither warm nor cold.

“I show propriety only to those who are reasonable.”

Jiang Jili was momentarily speechless, then said, “A few days ago, two of my household guards set out from Jingcheng and vanished.”

“Oh? What does this have to do with Yulin County?”

Li Lin meant: if they disappeared in Jingcheng, go report to the Jingcheng government office.

Jiang Jili snorted. “Let’s cut the pretense. We Jiang family admit fault regarding the guards. From now on, let us each live in peace—how about that?”

Li Lin laughed outright: “You think I don’t know what those two came here for… You can’t suddenly want peace only when things turn against you.”

Jiang Jili fell silent for a moment, then asked, “What do you want?”

“Better to ask: what can you give me?”

Jiang Jili thought for a moment. “I know you’ve allied with the Ding family of Guicheng—you’re both pursuing cultivation.”

Is it that obvious?

But then again, it made sense—the Ding family of Guicheng’s obsession with cultivation was no secret.

“And then?”

Jiang Jili smiled. “You actually chase such illusory nonsense? How laughable.”

“You care whether I’m laughable or not,” Li Lin snapped. “If you invited me here just to mock me, I’m leaving now.”

Jiang Jili snorted. “Though our Jiang family doesn’t pursue cultivation, we know a thing or two—after all, we’re a family with centuries of heritage, and some depth remains.”

Li Lin grew interested. “Continue.”

“Our family possesses several items suspected to have been left by immortals.”

“You’ll give them all to me?”

“Don’t be greedy!” Jiang Jili growled. “We’ll give you one item—clear enough?”

“Fine,” Li Lin raised his cup. “When the item arrives, we’ll live in peace.”

Jiang Jili snorted but raised his cup and clinked it against Li Lin’s.

Even the finest wine or tea turns bitter when shared with someone you dislike.

Li Lin casually picked at a few dishes, drank a few sips, then left.

When he returned home, Huang Qing immediately brought him a sobering soup.

“I’m not drunk.”

“Drinking harms the body…” Huang Qing said softly. “It’s better to sober up.”

Li Lin took the soup and drained it, then smiled: “I recall it’s wine and lust that harm the body… You only help me sober up, yet don’t ask me to give up lust—what’s your motive?”

Huang Qing flushed with embarrassment: “Master, you… you… you’re wicked.”

Li Lin burst into laughter—such was the playful intimacy between husband and wife.

He rested at home for half a day.

The next day, he went to the southern gate of the county.

Several battalion commanders had already assembled five hundred local militia outside the city.

Bai Zhiwei and Zhao Hao were among them.

Li Lin mounted his horse, waved his hand, and the army set out.

Five hundred militia, plus three Spirit Hunters, radiated powerful martial energy—no need to fear wilderness spirits.

Marching steadily, they reached Bóbái Military Garrison five days later.

Seeing the militia approaching from behind, bearing the “Li” banner, the garrison’s gates immediately opened.

The five hundred militia entered.

In the open space at the center of the garrison, over a hundred soldiers stood in formation, awaiting his inspection.

Ahead, three battalion commanders bowed respectfully.

Li Lin dismounted, walked over, and helped them straighten up. “No need for such formality—we’re colleagues.”

The three relaxed upon seeing Li Lin was approachable.

One said, “County Lieutenant, you’ve probably never met me. I’m Xie Shuyou, garrison commander and chief battalion commander.”

Li Lin nodded. “Commander Xie, the County Magistrate sent me because he says there are issues on your end.”

“Indeed there are!” Xie Shuyou pointed to the barracks’ side, where many newly built small houses stood: “We captured a group of southern barbarians and locked them inside—we don’t know how to handle them.”

“Captured southern barbarians?” Li Lin was surprised. “How did they cross the border and evade the Tang family’s patrols?”

“We interrogated them!” Xie Shuyou pointed to the mountaintop in the distance: “They climbed over from the mountains.”

How many people are there?

Four hundred!

Li Lin’s eyes widened.

If four hundred men can cross the mountains, then it means four hundred southern barbarian soldiers might cross in the future too.

If that happens, things will be very troublesome.

Take me to see them.

Xie Shuyou led Li Lin to the row of small houses.

Before they even got close, they smelled the stench.

The smell of human excrement.

Li Lin covered his nose, kicked open one of the doors, and saw many adult men crammed together inside.

All the men were unkempt, with filthy faces and tattered clothes.

Their skin was clearly dark red, emaciated, and obviously had not eaten in a long time.

It seems you haven’t fed them in a long time.

No… we actually gave them some food, Xie Shuyou said bitterly. Your Honor doesn’t know—when they were first captured, they were even thinner, even more horrifying. They even ate their own… shit.

Li Lin glanced around the huts and pointed to a woman whose complexion was slightly better and who clearly held some status: You. Come out.

The woman was also thin, but her skin was at least pale.

Not the sickly black-yellow hue that looked like death.

Can you understand Daqi speech?

Yes!

The woman’s hair was disheveled, her clothes old, her whole body reeking.

Seeing Li Lin’s fair face, fine robes, and elegant bearing, she bowed her head in shame.

How did you get here? Aren’t you afraid of the Wasteland Wraiths?

We are afraid, the woman whispered. But if there are enough of us, the Wasteland Wraiths won’t come near. Staying in the south means… dying.

What’s going on? Li Lin frowned. I know the southern lands are hot and full of miasma, but food is always available. Bananas alone won’t run out. There’s plenty of wild game—you can survive easily. Why risk crossing over to Daqi?

Li Lin didn’t think they were merely refugees.

The woman suddenly looked up. Our forests are disappearing, swallowed by the tribal kings. Everything is sand now. When I was a child, my village had trees. Now it’s all sand. The water’s gone. The bananas are gone. The game has all died of thirst. We had no choice but to migrate. Only Daqi can let us live.

(End of Chapter)