[{"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-191":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},2264791,4420,"Chapter 191: Inner Unease","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-191",191,"\u003Cp>The air was thick with the stench of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captured civilians finally dared to cry out loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some clutched the bodies of their loved ones, glaring with hatred at the Yulin County soldiers and village militia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t you… surrender? If you had surrendered, we wouldn’t have died like this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single blow silenced the man, knocking out several of his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who struck was certainly not Li Lin, but an ordinary soldier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We came to save you—and already lost many brothers,” said the soldier, a youth of about sixteen or seventeen, his face dark as he yanked the man upright. “Now you want us to surrender? Do you want to get us all killed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man dared not speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say another word, and I’ll kill you all—even if the Superintendent punishes me, I’ll kill you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young soldier hurled the man to the ground, then swept his gaze over the crowd, his eyes filled with fury and hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a good brother who died not long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He died trying to save these ungrateful wastes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hated these people now, his gaze icy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captured civilians dared not meet his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin watched this from afar, pulling Tao De aside. “What’s that young soldier’s name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yue Shan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He looks promising. Nurture him well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Su Bei led a group out of the enemy’s tents, dragging a small, red altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the massive blood altar seen earlier, this one was no bigger than a dining table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin circled the blood altar once, then tapped its surface. “Come out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tiny True Lord, about a meter tall, with a cat’s head and a cat’s tail, floated out from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was terrified, glancing at Li Lin once before lowering its head again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Siamese cat… hmm.” Li Lin studied it with surprise. “You have no evil aura at all. No smell of blood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Siamese True Lord looked up at Li Lin again, then quickly lowered its head, whispering cautiously: “I only eat grilled fish…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder it had no evil aura—it was also weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just malnourished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Would you be willing to come back with us and become a True Lord of our Qi people?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if I refuse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled with narrowed eyes. “What do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go, I’ll go… don’t smile like that—I’m terrified!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little cat clutched its head, trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Am I really that frightening?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin was puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Tao De approached. “Superintendent, we’ve captured over a hundred Nanman soldiers. What should we do with them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill anyone who looks like a Nanman. Those who look like Qi people—take them back, throw them into the village militia to work as laborers in the fields.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tao De grinned. “Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An officer who acted so decisively made subordinates feel truly at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin ordered his soldiers to count the number of Qi civilians. After a night’s tally, the number was complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just over nineteen thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mostly because the Nanman had slaughtered over a thousand civilians on the battlefield last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin sighed, saddened by the dead civilians, but he felt no regret—under those circumstances, he could never have halted his advance, let alone surrendered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After counting the people, Li Lin led them back to Yulin County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Yulin County was large enough and had sufficient grain reserves; otherwise, accommodating twenty thousand more would have been impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was only responsible for bringing them back—their placement was the Assistant County Magistrate’s duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin sat in the barracks, drafting his battlefield report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These documents would eventually be submitted to the Central Secretariat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just finished summarizing the events of last night’s battle when Jiang Jili came over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“County Lieutenant, some refugees have accused you of ignoring their lives last night, trying to get them killed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled. “I expected as much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those people had been terrified by Yue Shan, but once removed from the scene, they’d dare speak again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re laughing? If this reaches the Central Secretariat, it’ll become a stain on your future advancement. Someone will use it against you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin waved his hand. “It doesn’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Jili studied him deeply. “Since you don’t care, I won’t press you. I’ll find a way to erase this impact—keep the report from reaching the Central Secretariat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why help me so much?” Li Lin was puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their relationship was not close—merely a fragile alliance born of mutual caution over each other’s strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With those words, Jiang Jili left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin found it utterly baffling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a government office runner approached. “County Lieutenant, the person you asked after has woken up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin nodded and went to the prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the black iron bars sat Qin Donglai, his face flushed crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gasped heavily, clearly in great pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re in poor health,” Li Lin said, looking at Qin Donglai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m dying…” Qin Donglai stared at Li Lin. “You shouldn’t have brought me back—it’s just a waste.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin shook his head. “That’s not true. I want to ask you some questions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t tell you anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled. “I knew you’d say that… so here’s my idea: if you refuse, I’ll have your ancestral shrine cut up and fed to dogs, then lock you up with male prisoners who favor men. What do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You vile little monster!” Qin Donglai’s hair seemed to stand on end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled. “A traitor to your own people, allied with the barbarians, slaughtering your own kin—you call me vile? Do you even have the right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Donglai’s face flushed even redder, filled with humiliation. After a long silence, he sighed helplessly. “Ask… My body is already ruined. The shaman’s medicine wasn’t for healing—it drained my life force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did your Qin clan collude with the Nanman to obtain White Elephant Flesh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Donglai looked at Li Lin strangely. “I thought you’d ask about the Qin King. White Elephant Flesh… I not only know of it—I’ve eaten it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“White Elephant Flesh was in Tang’s army. How did you get it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh… naturally, I traded with Tang’s army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin froze. A sudden sense of danger stirred within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Qin Donglai’s smile had been too… smug and reckless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin asked again: “Why ally with the Nanman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our clan chief wants to be emperor. The Nanman want to invade the Central Plains. We saw eye to eye.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his answer sounded plausible, Li Lin felt something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two incense sticks later, Li Lin emerged from the prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Donglai had revealed little of value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was merely a distant relative of the Qin family, generations removed, far from the political core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the prison gate, Li Lin told the government office runner: “Buy Qin Donglai a good jar of wine and a boiled white chicken. Let him eat and drink. When he dies, bury him well and erect a tombstone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin believed Qin Donglai had contracted tetanus—he had little time left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let him have a decent final meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he had revealed something important to Li Lin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Assistant County Magistrate had his duties; Li Lin had his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sent word via pigeon to his father-in-law Huang Yan—and arranged for compensation payments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1219,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","da1e67d33f8a1caeeec23d66300840585a4208938798aa58080fb26c83ae1937","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-192","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-190",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]