Chapter 153: A Family Should Help Each Other

In the magistrate’s backyard, Zhang Guangqi and Li Lin sat facing each other.

Between them was a blue stone table.

Zhang Guangqi smiled: “This Yulin County is unbearably hot—even mid-October and it’s still like the height of summer. In the north, and even many places in the Central Plains, frost has already begun to form.”

“The south is indeed hot.”

Li Lin smiled.

He was a Hunting Spiritman, practicing a yin-based cultivation method; his body naturally leaned cold, so he wasn’t afraid of heat, but feared cold.

Now that he had switched to Foundation Establishment cultivation, his spiritual energy grew steadily, making him even less bothered by heat or cold.

Of course, he was merely more resistant to heat and cold than an ordinary person—not immune to fire or water.

Moreover, lately his intake of spiritual energy had slowed dramatically, far slower than at the beginning.

Zhang Guangqi looked at Li Lin’s clear, sweat-free skin, unlike his own slick with sweat, and said enviously: “It’s truly good that Hunting Spiritmen aren’t bothered by the heat.”

Li Lin disliked roundabout talk; he asked: “Magistrate, why did you summon me?”

“Brother, you’re so direct.” Zhang Guangqi chuckled. “Actually, I just wanted to discuss something with you—we’re family, after all. We should help each other, don’t you think?”

“That’s true,” Li Lin said quietly.

“The fact is, my household also venerates a True Lord.”

Li Lin regarded him silently.

“But my family has few descendants, and now he’s grown weak.”

Li Lin nodded: “That’s normal. Shall I ask a few Hunting Spiritmen to offer their blood qi for him?”

He himself could no longer supply it.

Because the Tree Immortal Lady required regular blood qi from him, and since she took residence in the True Lord Temple, her appetite had grown larger.

He could barely keep up now.

That was only thanks to the physical enhancement from spiritual energy—otherwise he couldn’t have held out.

“I heard the Tree Immortal Lady’s temple venerates your family’s True Lord.”

Li Lin now understood the man’s intent; he said: “Yes.”

Zhang Guangqi took a deep breath: “I wonder if my True Lord could receive a few days of incense offerings in the temple, until his spiritual form stabilizes, then we could return the Tree Immortal Lady.”

Li Lin’s smile vanished; his gaze turned cool, fixed on the man’s eyes.

Then he asked: “Magistrate, do you think this is possible?”

“We’re family…”

“Impossible,” Li Lin shook his head. “That place is now the Tree Immortal Lady’s temple—I have no authority over it.”

Zhang Guangqi sighed: “I know this puts you in a difficult position, but for the sake of…”

“If you know it’s difficult, then don’t say more, Magistrate,” Li Lin said calmly. “If your True Lord is weak, I can ask acquaintances among the Hunting Spiritmen to help—but don’t mention incense offerings again.”

“Sigh—we’re both sons-in-law of the Huang family. Why can’t we stand together?” Zhang Guangqi looked at Li Lin. “Is there truly no room for negotiation?”

“None,” Li Lin stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

With that, Li Lin left the backyard.

Zhang Guangqi remained seated, expression blank and calm, as if nothing had happened.

Li Lin returned home.

Huang Qing noticed his furrowed brow and asked what was wrong.

Li Lin recounted the entire matter.

“Zhang Guangqi,” Huang Qing thought for a moment. “He’s my third uncle’s son-in-law—my seventh sister’s husband.”

“What’s his character like?”

“I’m not sure,” Huang Qing said. “Father came to Yulin County over ten years ago and served as magistrate for over a decade, rarely returning to Jingcheng. I know little about affairs at the Huang ancestral home.”

Li Lin nodded, understanding.

Huang Qing snorted: “But for him to say such a thing, he’s greedy. He claims ‘just a few days’ of incense—what if his True Lord refuses to leave? Where would the Tree Immortal Lady go then?”

At this point, Huang Qing had fully identified herself as part of Li’s household, acting from the perspective of Lady Li.

Li Lin sat down: “I’ve refused. Let’s set this aside for now. Have you gathered all the materials I need?”

“All prepared,” Huang Qing smiled.

Li Lin went to the eastern annex.

It had been converted into an alchemy chamber; only Li Lin, Huang Qing, and Hong Luan were allowed inside.

A large bronze alchemy furnace stood in the center, surrounded by piles of materials in the corners.

Minerals, herbs, and more.

Li Lin opened the furnace mouth and placed the materials inside one by one, then piled firewood beneath it.

Soon, the furnace glowed red.

Light blue smoke drifted slowly from the furnace’s top.

Li Lin controlled the heat while sniffing the air.

This was a small alchemy technique: judging the elixir’s condition by the scent released during refining.

Thus allowing better heat control.

It was a special ability he gained after mastering alchemy.

Alchemy took a long time.

This batch was refined from afternoon until midnight.

Finally, it was done.

[Alchemy +1]

[Alchemy +1]

The proficiency prompts flashed repeatedly.

Li Lin waited until the furnace cooled enough, then opened it.

Inside lay half a furnace of blue powder.

He took it out, studied it, pinched some between his fingers, and smiled: “Success.”

Next, he needed to shape the powder into brick form.

Huang Qing entered. She asked: “Husband, did you succeed?”

Li Lin nodded.

Huang Qing smiled: “Then let’s eat first—you’ve been fasting half the day.”

Li Lin left the alchemy chamber and went to the main hall.

The meal remained untouched on the table.

Generally, servants didn’t eat until the master had.

Hong Luan dozed off, but at the sound of footsteps, she opened her eyes, saw Li Lin, and rose to smile: “I’ll reheat the food.”

“No need,” Li Lin smiled. “It’s cool enough now—cold food is fine.”

“But it’s bad for your health…”

Huang Qing sat down: “Hong Luan, just do as your husband says.”

Hong Luan poured Li Lin a bowl of white porridge and asked: “Husband, what did you refine this time?”

“Yu Jie Powder,” Li Lin drank the porridge, swallowed, then said: “Tomorrow I’ll mix it with water, form it into bricks—I call them Spirit Gathering Stones.”

“Bricks?” Hong Luan blinked. “What are they for?”

Li Lin said: “If my guess is right, when stacked, these Spirit Gathering Stones will form a small spiritual chamber.”

Hong Luan’s eyes shimmered with admiration: “For cultivation?”

“Also for dual cultivation,” Li Lin smiled. “Once made, I want to try dual cultivating inside—see if the effect improves.”

Both women blushed but said nothing in protest.

The next day, when Li Lin went to work, he met Magistrate Zhang Guangqi.

Though Zhang still nodded to him, a clear distance now existed between them.

Li Lin paid it no mind.

He entered the Criminal Office and saw Jiang Jili waiting at the door.

Seeing Li Lin, Jiang Jili stepped forward and whispered: “I used my family’s resources and uncovered something interesting.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember the magistrate of Beiliu?”

Li Lin nodded—he remembered the Beiliu magistrate well.

In Beiliu County’s internal power struggle, he used Li Lin to eliminate all the Hunting Spiritmen there.

“He died a few days ago.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Li Lin didn’t want to get involved in such court corruption.

“The warrior you killed that day was the magistrate’s personal vassal.”

Li Lin was startled: “If the magistrate is dead, why did that warrior come after us? And why try to drive a wedge between us?”

“Could he have been taken over by someone else?”

Li Lin nodded: “That’s plausible. If we find out who took control of the magistrate’s men, we’ll find who’s secretly trying to harm us.”

“Exactly.”

Li Lin thought a moment: “You came to me—you need my help. Say it: how?”

"Lend me some personnel. Not many—twenty government office runners will suffice."

(End of chapter)