[{"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-203":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},2264803,4420,"Chapter 203: Wait Until I Think of a Way","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-203",203,"\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhou Qingqing’s appearance was ugly, but her crying voice was quite pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the little boy named Xiao Hua rushed over, spread his arms, and stood in front of Zhou Qingqing, staring at Li Lin with fearful eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was clearly trembling with fear, yet stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on Li Lin, shielding his mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin patted the boy’s head and smiled: “Don’t worry—I won’t harm your mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the boy didn’t believe him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After crying for a while, Zhou Qingqing wiped the black dust from her face with her sleeve and said: “Qin Donglai wants to kill me—did he send you to take Xiao Hua away?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all. He only asked me to check on his child; in return, he’ll give me the five-colored bone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if… I refuse to give it to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled slightly and said nothing, but Zhou Qingqing understood his meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of silence, Zhou Qingqing said: “I can give you the object, but can you take my son and me away from here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, Zhou Qingqing had now been slandered—though not with false rumors, the truth was far more deadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do you want to go?” Li Lin asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anywhere—so long as my son and I can live in peace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin thought for a moment and said: “I can take you to Junchun. Whether you survive or which county you choose to live in is none of my concern.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we get out?” Zhou Qingqing looked at Li Lin: “Last time I tried leaving through the city gate, I nearly got caught by those martial artists. They’ve got many men watching every woman who tries to leave the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin pondered for a while and said: “There is a way—but it might be troublesome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those martial artists prefer to bully the weak and fear the strong.” Li Lin smiled: “If you walk out as an ordinary woman, they’ll harass you. But if you ride in a four-horse carriage with dozens of attendants, no one will dare search you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingqing frowned: “But I can’t do that—I’m not Qin Donglai’s lawful wife, and now his lawful wife and eldest son are both dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin nodded: “Qin Donglai guessed this—he knew his wife and children couldn’t survive, which is why he sought you to bear his child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhou Qingqing’s face lit up with joy: “So my Xiao Hua will become the Qin family’s legitimate eldest son?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin looked at her strangely: “The entire Qin lineage is finished now—why do you still care whether he’s the Qin family’s legitimate heir? You could just as well call him the Zhou family’s legitimate heir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhou Qingqing said: “A wife follows her husband—I am Qin’s in life, Qin’s in death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Lin’s expression, Zhou Qingqing asked: “You look down on me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not exactly. It’s that Qin Donglai misunderstood you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did he say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin spoke plainly: “He said you’d last no more than three months—once the money ran out, you’d find another man and abandon your son.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could he say that about me?” Zhou Qingqing trembled with rage: “Because I was once a courtesan? Did I choose that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why I say he misunderstood you.” Li Lin smiled: “Keep the five-colored bone for now. I’ll come back when I’m ready to take you out—then you can give it to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhou Qingqing exhaled in relief: “My husband misunderstood me, but he didn’t misunderstand you, Squire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin waved his hand: “He had no other choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingqing smiled involuntarily—she hadn’t dared smile in over a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay here and rest well. When I’m ready, I’ll come back for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Li Lin left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Qingqing exhaled, then immediately shut the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin departed cleanly, but two small paper figures on the roof had been watching them all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And more paper figures were arriving from all around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could say the entire area around Zhou Qingqing was covered in surveillance—she couldn’t escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin returned to the brothel, where the madam greeted him with great delight: “Oh, Young Master’s back! Our girls have all been waiting for your favor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin glanced around and upstairs—he saw many women staring at him intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their expressions seemed ready to strip his clothes off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled and said: “I’m here to check out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master, you came just to sleep? Not for fun?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are too many martial artists elsewhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!” The madam sighed, disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin took his satchel from the brothel and led away his steed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, the brothel’s windows were packed with faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many women watched him depart with mournful gazes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin led his horse to the broker’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged broker bowed respectfully: “Young Master, are you looking to buy maidservants or laborers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin said: “Do you have any quiet little houses for sale? Preferably with a courtyard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is it located? How much?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sixty silver taels,” said the broker. “I’ll take you to see it now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin followed the broker to view the house, was satisfied, and bought it on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The extremely excited broker asked: “Young Master, do you need servants?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The broker handed over the land deed and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin tied his steed in the backyard, then went to the market, bought large quantities of cinnabar, inkstone, ink, and white paper, and returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also bought many large sheets of yellow paper—uncut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hired laborers to carry everything into his courtyard, purchased sufficient rice and grain, and began cutting paper figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large paper figures—about the size of a normal person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That same evening, Zhou Qingqing, as usual, prepared for bed—she now pretended to be a poor, ugly woman, so she had no candles to spare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most nights, she simply slept when darkness fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, she suddenly screamed—several pink-purple paper figures drifted down from the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She scrambled into the corner, clutching her child tightly, staring in terror at the paper figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she didn’t understand paper-figure arts, she knew anyone who could summon such things must be a strange martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant… she had finally been found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as fear gripped her, two paper figures “carried” a sheet of white paper and stopped before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them gestured, urging her to pick up the paper and open it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Zhou Qingqing dared not move—but the paper figure kept repeating the gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time passed, her fear lessened, and trembling, she reached out and took the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading it, she exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she looked again at the small paper figures—and somehow, she felt they seemed proud, almost playful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1139,"2026-06-19T19:39:19.696Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f79ef4de7a7d32fc38ac02fae8145e3149aa09f2102eab5346f609451bbc4518","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-204","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-202",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]