[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dark-and-dawn-light-years":3,"chapter-dark-and-dawn-light-years-dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-159":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Dark and Dawn Light-Years",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2264759,4420,"Chapter 159: An Unexpected Person","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-159",159,"\u003Cp>“Why wouldn’t the wraith be sucked in?” Li Lin asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know,” Li Yanjing said helplessly. “Before I became this, I was just a woman who happened to be a bit more beautiful—not anyone important.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then all these years, you never investigated the reason?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanjing sighed. “More than ten years ago, my spirit was still foggy, barely aware of anything. It wasn’t until I accidentally possessed a courtesan that I finally gained my own consciousness. All I ever thought about was how to eat and how to avoid being found and killed by Spirit Hunters—how could I have time to ponder such things?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin fell into thought unconsciously. Logically, if a world has wraiths, it should have immortals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world does have immortals, but their whereabouts are unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Spirit Hunters alone bear the burden of fighting the wraiths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the True Lords… they too are the result of an agreement between the elder Spirit Hunters and the wraiths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Lin frown, Li Yanjing leaned close to him and urged, “Don’t overthink it. You’re just a County Commandant. The world has taller people holding it up. Just keep your two sisters safe, and me and Lady Dai, and that’s enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, Li Lin thought she had a point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only as much ability as you have can you do as much as you can.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His current strength was only enough to protect a small household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overthinking truly served no purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he must push harder to improve his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep making spirit stones at home. Keep building the house at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tragedy in Fuxin Village was terrible, but it was also the norm in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the County Magistrate was the one burdened by this matter—not him, the County Commandant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Days passed, and the spirit stones piled higher in the backyard storage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He estimated he could soon begin construction on a small house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin personally looked forward to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qing and Hong Luan looked forward to it too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was on this day that Li Lin arrived at the county government office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Guangqi sat above, expression neutral, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone: “Commandant Li, Military Governor Huang of Jincheng has ordered you to lead the village militia to Jincheng and bring back one hundred southern barbarian women to our county.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?” Li Lin was puzzled. “Our county has no laundry bureau.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Guangqi replied calmly: “Though we have no laundry bureau, we do have a certain broker’s office.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, Li Lin understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They intended to place these women at the broker’s office for “marriage arrangements.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a benefit for ordinary men: captured foreign women could be assigned to old bachelors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin nodded and asked: “When do we depart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood,” Li Lin bowed, preparing to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhang Guangqi suddenly said: “Commandant Li, have you considered my earlier suggestion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The temple’s incense altar for the True Lord?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Zhang Guangqi’s voice softened slightly. “After all, we are truly one family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin shook his head. “Sorry. I won’t switch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood,” Zhang Guangqi’s voice turned cold again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Lin stepped out of the government office, he saw a man hiding in a corner, gesturing to him, then vanishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin had seen this man before—he was one of Jiang Jili’s men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin followed the man into an alley, arriving before an old, rundown house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man made a gesture of invitation. Li Lin pushed open the door and entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, he saw Jiang Jili seated, sipping small amounts of wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re here!” he laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin sat down. “It seems you’ve found something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jili said with pride: “Do you know how I found it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You didn’t really investigate… at least not visibly,” Li Lin smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jili chuckled. “So the County Commandant is quite invested in this matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Naturally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jili beamed. “I asked you for twenty government office runners only as a cover—I had other men investigating this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I guessed as much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Lin wasn’t surprised, Jiang Jili said: “What I’m about to tell you will shock you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked into Li Lin’s eyes and smiled: “The dead assassin was very likely sent by the Huang family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin’s expression remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you startled?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am startled,” Li Lin nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Lin so composed, Jiang Jili felt a pang of disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he first uncovered this information, he had been thrilled, eager to see Li Lin’s disbelief upon learning the Huang family had turned hostile toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Huang family was Li Lin’s backing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he never imagined Li Lin would remain so calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t seem surprised.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled. In truth, he was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had prepared himself mentally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, his relationship with Zhang Guangqi had grown strained lately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued: “Do you have proof?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jili handed Li Lin a piece of paper and a black token.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found these by tracing the trail,” Jiang Jili said with a grin. “This is as far as I can go—further investigation would trigger open war between my Jiang family and the Huang family. Besides, this matter seems more directly tied to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin nodded. “I’ll take these. I owe you a favor. What do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll discuss it later,” Jiang Jili said, full of satisfaction. “I’ll find a chance to call in that favor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin chatted with Jiang Jili for a while, shared another cup of wine, then left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jili was delighted, swaying gently as he sipped wine and hummed a tune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin returned home and found Huang Qing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you still contact your father?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father?” Huang Qing thought a moment. “Ask Brother-in-law Zhang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s exactly who we can’t ask.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qing’s expression turned serious at once. As someone raised in a great family, she understood many things implicitly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin handed her the list and the black token.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading them, her expression turned furious: “This Seventh Brother-in-law has gone too far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not so much that County Magistrate Zhang has gone too far—it’s that the Huang family is splitting apart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could this happen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s normal,” Li Lin smiled. “Your father is the eldest legitimate son, but he’s long been away. The capital holds more resources; someone else rose up and developed other ambitions—it’s natural.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qing looked at Li Lin. “What do you plan to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m leaving for Jincheng tomorrow, so… be careful yourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With Sister Yanjing here, it won’t be a problem,” Huang Qing smiled. “Besides, I’ve been practicing fist and sword techniques lately. I can’t beat experts, but ordinary people are no match for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled. “The Tree Immortal Lady will help too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qing nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin gave a cold laugh, then pulled Huang Qing into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed a good rest—tomorrow he was leaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1159,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8eb0019a49549ad5959d7f21aedafc85d8d07bb5128fea858d78b3c9aa270538","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-160","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-158",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]