[{"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-18":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},2264618,4420,"Chapter 18: Set a Small Goal","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>The villagers at the upper terrace stood at the village entrance, their faces grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were cursing loudly, using foul and harsh language.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Village Chief Zhang walked over, his face filled with shame: “Li Xunshou, we truly didn’t know the Han family would suddenly return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine,” Li Lin waved his hand. “I expected this. I’ll just find another place to live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing he wasn’t angry, the villagers all exhaled unconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were truly afraid Li Lin would “walk away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled at the villagers, then carried his sack back to his “home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cooked, prepared food, and brewed tea—all in one smooth motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eating, he leisurely sipped warm tea, looking utterly relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he took out the silver dangling hairpin again, his eyes narrowing slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing he’d done recently was kill You Gui… and Xiu Niang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this silver dangling hairpin wasn’t Xiu Niang’s, then whose could it be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did someone want it back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or was there some secret behind it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned the silver dangling hairpin over and over for a long while, but even after dark, he couldn’t spot anything unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he couldn’t find any clues himself, perhaps asking someone else might work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped out of his house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village was eerily silent—not a single insect or bird chirped, only his footsteps echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the altar, he saw the Gowned Apparition “basking in moonlight,” her face tilted upward, fixed on the moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tree Immortal Lady certainly has leisurely tastes,” Li Lin said with a smile, bowing as he approached. “Care to chat with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gowned Apparition looked down at Li Lin, her eyes holding a hint of longing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today wasn’t… the agreed feeding day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tilted her head slightly, curious why he’d come out—normally, this man preferred staying home to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you help me examine this dangling hairpin? Is there anything special about it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin expected her to investigate its origin, but her tail simply stuck the hairpin into her own hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she gave her head a slight shake, looking almost delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh… Li Lin could only say: “Tree Immortal Lady, wearing this hairpin makes you even more beautiful and ethereal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she was a woman—and women still enjoy flattery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tree Immortal Lady’s lips curved slightly, looking pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Li Lin had struck her a palm blow a month ago, she hadn’t spoken to him for over a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, with this hairpin as an apology, her mood had clearly softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, striking her that day had indeed been his fault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chatted casually with her for a while, then returned to his room to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, after waking, he began practicing spear techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Spear Technique +1] [Yu Family Spear Art +1]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two red-tasseled spears were made of fine elm wood, fitted with iron spearheads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whooshing loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not now!” Li Lin refused outright. “Your body is still too weak. You’re not ready for martial training. Wait until you’re stronger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin spoke the truth—he wasn’t the type to hoard techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yu Family Spear Art was fairly common among martial arts, just slightly hard for ordinary people to obtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu’s body was truly frail—he’d been soul-summoned twice, and though he looked imposing, his insides were hollowed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without half a year of recovery, he wouldn’t return to his state from two months ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Training under these conditions was like asking an anemic patient to donate blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu walked off, disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin watched him, thinking: If only the village had a doctor… Wait—he suddenly remembered: he’d bought many elixirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately set the spear aside, returned to his room, and took out all the porcelain bottles from his sack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were common pills bought from the apothecary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things like Bao Gui Pills, Liu Mei Pills, and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened each bottle and sniffed them one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a smile spread across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It really works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Alchemy +1] [Alchemy +1] [Alchemy +1]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sniffing through all the bottles, his mind gained a wealth of new knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose, picked up the spear in the courtyard, and headed up the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether day or night, the mountain was dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At night, there were Wild Apparitions; by day, wild beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Li Lin now, these weren’t major concerns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the day, the mountain was lively—bugs chirped, birds sang, and distant wolf howls occasionally echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gathered plenty of “weeds” on the mountain and returned home before dusk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though his Stealth Technique had improved greatly, he still didn’t dare challenge the world’s nights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back home, he didn’t cook—he began grinding herbs, sorting and processing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he placed the crushed herb paste, shaped into small balls, into the pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Light the fire!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No choice—he had no proper tools, so he had to use his cooking pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carefully controlled the fire, and occasionally, text flickered in the lower-right corner of his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Alchemy +1]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Alchemy +1]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint herbal fragrance slowly filled the room. After nearly three hours, he felt the elixir was done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted the lid—and a strong herbal scent burst out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each small ball had turned into a tiny pill, glowing emerald green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few were dark green-black—waste residue. Li Lin picked them out and tossed them aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, a plate of translucent green pills sat on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, picked up two pills, and chewed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a cool sensation flowed from his throat down to his dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It worked!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin’s eyes sparkled with uncontainable excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without top-tier martial arts manuals or influential connections, he’d be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Alchemy, he himself was his greatest connection, his strongest background.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swallowing pills could increase his cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as his cultivation was high enough, even the Dog-Beating Staff Art, wielded by him, would become a peerless martial art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!” Li Lin smiled, satisfied: “Starting today, I set a small goal—first, become the strongest in Jincheng!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1209,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","515bd5755fa903e6c7fb72466026558dd2761d5dfe22cffaf6bfc965d170dee4","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-19","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-17",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]