Chapter 18: Set a Small Goal

The villagers at the upper terrace stood at the village entrance, their faces grim.

Some were cursing loudly, using foul and harsh language.

Old Village Chief Zhang walked over, his face filled with shame: “Li Xunshou, we truly didn’t know the Han family would suddenly return.”

“It’s fine,” Li Lin waved his hand. “I expected this. I’ll just find another place to live.”

Seeing he wasn’t angry, the villagers all exhaled unconsciously.

They were truly afraid Li Lin would “walk away.”

This tiny village of Shangtikou had waited for years to get even one Spirit Hunter—and one with such a good temperament and skill. If he left because of this, where would they go to cry?

Li Lin smiled at the villagers, then carried his sack back to his “home.”

He cooked, prepared food, and brewed tea—all in one smooth motion.

After eating, he leisurely sipped warm tea, looking utterly relaxed.

Then he took out the silver dangling hairpin again, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He had a feeling those people had come for him… He’d been a Spirit Hunter for over half a year; no ordinary person feared him, let alone showed clear defiance and hostility.

The only thing he’d done recently was kill You Gui… and Xiu Niang.

If this silver dangling hairpin wasn’t Xiu Niang’s, then whose could it be?

Did someone want it back?

Or was there some secret behind it?

He turned the silver dangling hairpin over and over for a long while, but even after dark, he couldn’t spot anything unusual.

Since he couldn’t find any clues himself, perhaps asking someone else might work.

He stepped out of his house.

The village was eerily silent—not a single insect or bird chirped, only his footsteps echoed.

At the altar, he saw the Gowned Apparition “basking in moonlight,” her face tilted upward, fixed on the moon.

“Tree Immortal Lady certainly has leisurely tastes,” Li Lin said with a smile, bowing as he approached. “Care to chat with me?”

The Gowned Apparition looked down at Li Lin, her eyes holding a hint of longing.

But today wasn’t… the agreed feeding day.

She tilted her head slightly, curious why he’d come out—normally, this man preferred staying home to cultivate.

“Could you help me examine this dangling hairpin? Is there anything special about it?”

The Gowned Apparition stared at him a moment, then her long serpent tail whipped from behind, coiling around the silver dangling hairpin and snatching it from Li Lin’s hand.

Li Lin expected her to investigate its origin, but her tail simply stuck the hairpin into her own hair.

Then she gave her head a slight shake, looking almost delighted.

Uh… Li Lin could only say: “Tree Immortal Lady, wearing this hairpin makes you even more beautiful and ethereal.”

After all, she was a woman—and women still enjoy flattery.

The Tree Immortal Lady’s lips curved slightly, looking pleased.

After Li Lin had struck her a palm blow a month ago, she hadn’t spoken to him for over a month.

Now, with this hairpin as an apology, her mood had clearly softened.

Li Lin wasn’t particularly low in emotional intelligence—he saw the Tree Immortal Lady had clearly taken it as a gift, so he stopped asking.

Besides, striking her that day had indeed been his fault.

He chatted casually with her for a while, then returned to his room to rest.

The next day, after waking, he began practicing spear techniques.

[Spear Technique +1] [Yu Family Spear Art +1]

The spear he’d used before was just a stick he’d carved himself—poorly made, lacking resilience and flexibility, so he couldn’t execute the Sweep Spear or Thrust Spear moves at all.

These two red-tasseled spears were made of fine elm wood, fitted with iron spearheads.

Elm wood is exceptionally elastic, so when he linked the Sweep Spear and Thrust Spear moves, the spear tip with its red tassels blurred into a swirling red cloud, like a flame spinning in circles.

Whooshing loudly.

“Incredible!” Zhao Xiaohu watched with awe in his eyes: “Brother Lin, can you teach me this spear art? It’s way better than your messy fist techniques.”

“Not now!” Li Lin refused outright. “Your body is still too weak. You’re not ready for martial training. Wait until you’re stronger.”

Li Lin spoke the truth—he wasn’t the type to hoard techniques.

The Yu Family Spear Art was fairly common among martial arts, just slightly hard for ordinary people to obtain.

Zhao Xiaohu’s body was truly frail—he’d been soul-summoned twice, and though he looked imposing, his insides were hollowed out.

Without half a year of recovery, he wouldn’t return to his state from two months ago.

Training under these conditions was like asking an anemic patient to donate blood.

Zhao Xiaohu walked off, disappointed.

Li Lin watched him, thinking: If only the village had a doctor… Wait—he suddenly remembered: he’d bought many elixirs.

He immediately set the spear aside, returned to his room, and took out all the porcelain bottles from his sack.

These were common pills bought from the apothecary.

Things like Bao Gui Pills, Liu Mei Pills, and others.

He opened each bottle and sniffed them one by one.

Then a smile spread across his face.

It really works.

[Alchemy +1] [Alchemy +1] [Alchemy +1]

After sniffing through all the bottles, his mind gained a wealth of new knowledge.

He rose, picked up the spear in the courtyard, and headed up the mountain.

Whether day or night, the mountain was dangerous.

At night, there were Wild Apparitions; by day, wild beasts.

But for Li Lin now, these weren’t major concerns.

During the day, the mountain was lively—bugs chirped, birds sang, and distant wolf howls occasionally echoed.

He gathered plenty of “weeds” on the mountain and returned home before dusk.

Even though his Stealth Technique had improved greatly, he still didn’t dare challenge the world’s nights.

Back home, he didn’t cook—he began grinding herbs, sorting and processing them.

Then he placed the crushed herb paste, shaped into small balls, into the pot.

Light the fire!

No choice—he had no proper tools, so he had to use his cooking pot.

He carefully controlled the fire, and occasionally, text flickered in the lower-right corner of his vision.

[Alchemy +1]

[Alchemy +1]

A faint herbal fragrance slowly filled the room. After nearly three hours, he felt the elixir was done.

He lifted the lid—and a strong herbal scent burst out.

Each small ball had turned into a tiny pill, glowing emerald green.

A few were dark green-black—waste residue. Li Lin picked them out and tossed them aside.

Finally, a plate of translucent green pills sat on the table.

He took a deep breath, picked up two pills, and chewed them.

Soon, a cool sensation flowed from his throat down to his dantian.

It worked!

Li Lin’s eyes sparkled with uncontainable excitement.

Even without top-tier martial arts manuals or influential connections, he’d be fine.

With Alchemy, he himself was his greatest connection, his strongest background.

Swallowing pills could increase his cultivation.

As long as his cultivation was high enough, even the Dog-Beating Staff Art, wielded by him, would become a peerless martial art.

“Good!” Li Lin smiled, satisfied: “Starting today, I set a small goal—first, become the strongest in Jincheng!”

(End of Chapter)