Chapter 156: Mutual Accusations

Su Huafang was among the fifty left behind.

As he worked on setting up camp, he kept glancing at Li Lin standing not far away.

His eyes were filled with gratitude and reverence.

Lately, he had trained his martial arts obsessively; his late grandfather had left him several secret manuals, which also served as a form of assistance.

Though no one had taught him, he felt he could still understand and practice them.

But even the best talent struggles to flourish in an extremely harsh environment.

That had been his situation before.

Martial training requires abundant blood and qi.

But his family was poor—they couldn’t afford meat or enough food, so his blood and qi were weak.

The more he trained, the weaker he became.

Back then, he had pushed himself to the point of dizziness and blurred vision, yet he never stopped, because he knew martial arts were his only hope of turning his life around.

He wanted his mother to live well, wanted his younger brother to have enough to eat.

But he had no power to change his fate.

Just as he was about to lose hope, three important figures came to his home.

To him at the time, they were indeed important figures.

Three Spirit Hunters.

Spirit Hunters like his grandfather.

He received redemption. He received hope.

Even though their family had recently committed some mistakes… Li Lin still helped him resolve them, and even gave him an even greater hope.

The hope of being able to use those gold ingots with pride.

After one glance at Li Lin, Su Huafang carefully prepared the tent.

At that moment, Li Lin waved to him.

Su Huafang immediately ran over, clasped his fists, and asked: “County Wei , is there something you need?”

“How is your martial training coming along?”

“I have not disappointed you, my lord—I’ve entered the ranks.”

Hearing this, Li Lin smiled: “Good. You’ve worked hard.”

Hearing the praise, Su Huafang’s heart warmed.

“In a few days, Deputy Commandant Leng will retire and return to his hometown. You’ll take his position. Start preparing now—go ask around what the handover procedures are and how you should speak.”

“Yes!” Su Huafang dropped to his knees: “I, Su Huafang, will never forget your grace, my lord.”

Though their conversation was quiet, those nearby could still hear it.

The soldiers looked at Su Huafang with envy.

“Rise,” Li Lin nodded. “Get back to work.”

Su Huafang obediently stood and stepped aside.

He was about to resume driving the stakes when a man laughed: “Brother Su, you don’t need to do such rough work—we’ll handle it. Rest.”

Several other soldiers chimed in agreement.

Su Huafang froze. Looking at the soldiers’ deferential gazes, he suddenly felt like crying.

Then he looked at Li Lin and imitated him, forcing himself to stand straight.

One stood naturally; the other looked awkward, like a man trying to mimic someone else’s gait.

But… imitation is always the foundation of progress.

There was nothing wrong with that.

Soon after, a man ran out of the village and approached Li Lin, clasping his fists: “Report, County Wei —we’ve searched the entire village. No living souls found, but we discovered countless skeletons. Commandant An asks you to come—there are many clues requiring your judgment.”

Li Lin nodded and went inside.

He quickly reached the village center, where the altar was usually located.

He had anticipated this—upon arrival, he confirmed the altar had been shattered.

A hundred village soldiers and Commandant An stood beside it.

Seeing Li Lin arrive, Commandant An stepped forward and bowed: “County Wei , there are bones everywhere. No living people.”

Li Lin looked around and said: “Disperse. Count the skulls. I recall Fuxin Village had four hundred thirty-two souls. See if the number matches.”

Commandant An stared at Li Lin in surprise—he hadn’t expected the County Wei to know the exact population.

Surprise gave way to admiration; he immediately obeyed.

The village soldiers scattered.

Li Lin examined the altar.

It had been cleaved cleanly in two, the fracture smooth and even—clearly cut by a sharp blade.

But it was unclear whether it was a sword or a knife.

Li Lin remembered the True Lord of Fuxin Village was a giant moth.

Almost no human likeness—by all accounts, it should have been powerful.

Yet he saw no signs of struggle around the scene.

Could the Yellow Moth True Lord have been slain in a single blow?

If so, the killer was formidable—and likely a Spirit Hunter.

Only martial artists of the fourth rank or higher could threaten a True Lord.

But a seventh-rank Spirit Hunter could do it easily.

A fourth-rank martial artist rarely appeared in the countryside.

But a seventh-rank Spirit Hunter!

Su Huafang barely qualified—he was already dead.

The rest: Bai Zhiwei was still short, everyone else was ninth or eighth rank.

Could it be an outsider?

Li Lin frowned.

He stood in place, thinking. After a short while, Commandant An and the hundred soldiers returned.

After verifying the count, Commandant An said: “Report, County Wei —we found four hundred thirty skulls. Two are missing. Could they be the killers?”

“They might have escaped—or we might have missed them,” Li Lin mused. “Check every household’s cellar. See if you find anything.”

The village soldiers scattered again.

Soon they regathered.

Commandant An’s expression was grim: “In one family’s cellar, we found two new skeletons—both child-sized.”

Li Lin sighed softly.

During the disaster, the elders must have hidden these two children in the cellar, hoping to save them.

But… the ghost’s sense for blood and qi could penetrate thick earth.

And all ghosts possessed the ability to pass through walls and tunnel underground.

Those two children ultimately could not escape their fate.

At that moment, loud shouting and screams erupted from outside.

Then came the twang of bowstrings.

“Go, see what’s happening.”

Li Lin used his Light Body Technique to rush outside; Commandant An and the hundred soldiers sprinted after him, but he quickly left them behind.

In less than ten breaths, Li Lin reached the village gate.

There he saw the camp soldiers already formed into formation, facing five martial artists in tight-fitting attire.

Another fifty archers stood on a nearby hill, bows drawn and aimed at them.

Li Lin walked forward, his face stern: “What happened?”

Su Huafang stepped forward: “These five came from the country road, behaving rudely. They tried to force their way into the village. We stopped them, but they attacked. Fortunately, Commandant Fang’s archers provided cover—otherwise we…”

The village soldiers had suffered no serious injuries—only a few were dusty and bruised, as if thrown down.

Li Lin’s gaze turned to the five men standing defiantly across from them.

One man had an arrow in his shoulder, his face twisted in fury.

“Who are you?” Li Lin’s eyebrows rose sharply, his voice cold.

One of them clasped his fists: “My lord, we are disciples of Lingxiao Sect. We are escorting our seventh brother home for ancestral rites. Along the way, we heard…”

Before he finished, a youth stepped forward, pointing at Li Lin and crying out bitterly: “Corrupt official! Did you massacre this village?!”

Li Lin laughed coldly: “Lingxiao Sect dares to accuse an official without cause? Are you conspiring with the Qin family of Yue Commandery to rebel?”

(End of Chapter)