Chapter 208: The Combined Effect of Artistic Techniques

After leaving Yuecheng, the funeral procession increased its pace.

By noon, under the glare of the sun, all the paper figures reverted to their original forms.

But since they could still walk, they simply lost the feel of living people.

Because they traveled along the official road, they encountered many travelers and merchant caravans; each person who saw the paper figures walking down the great road was terrified, scrambling to either side of the road.

Only after the paper figure procession had passed far away did these people dare emerge from the grasses and regroup.

Zhou Qingqing sat inside the paper sedan, yawned, and said, “Do the paper figures need to rest?”

Li Lin shook his head: “No. Walk as far as you can.”

At this moment, Li Lin was idly playing with the five-colored divine bone.

Although he wasn’t meditating—this situation wasn’t suitable for meditation—the divine bone still slightly increased his spiritual energy recovery rate.

Li Lin estimated that by evening, he could use the Paper Figure Art again to reanimate these paper figures.

“Sir, I still don’t know your identity,” Zhou Qingqing said, looking at Li Lin with gratitude.

Li Lin smiled: “It’s better if you don’t know.”

“I understand,” Zhou Qingqing said, grasping Li Lin’s meaning.

Zhou Qingqing took some dried meat from her satchel, gave a piece to her son Xiao Hua, then pulled out a sweet pastry and asked, “Want some?”

Li Lin was indeed hungry; he took it, tasted it, and said, “Tastes good—not too sweet.”

“I’m quite skilled at making pastries,” Zhou Qingqing sighed. “Of course, back in the brothel, this was one of my ways to attract clients.”

As Li Lin ate the pastry, he asked, “You gave away all three of your children back then—why not find them again?”

“It’s not so much that I gave them away as that their fathers sent people to quietly take them away,” Zhou Qingqing said with a smile. “They didn’t want a brothel woman tainting their bloodline.”

Though Zhou Qingqing smiled now, her eyes were filled with sorrow.

Li Lin smiled: “Qin Donglai truly misunderstood you—he thought far too poorly of you.”

“Actually, it wasn’t like that. If he hadn’t redeemed me… in the brothel, to survive, I would have naturally acted exactly as he imagined—flattering and compliant,” Zhou Qingqing said slowly. “But since he redeemed me, I naturally wanted to be a good woman, a good wife, a good mother. Don’t you think it’s ridiculous—a mere brothel woman wanting to reform?”

Li Lin shook his head.

People’s thoughts change depending on their environment.

In the brothel, Zhou Qingqing only cared about earning money—for her future, for her old age.

But after becoming Qin Donglai’s concubine, her environment changed, so it was natural for her ideals to change too.

Li Lin smiled and said, “Having such thoughts is always good. I believe you’ll become a good woman in the future.”

“Thank you,” Zhou Qingqing said gratefully, smiling.

Evening arrived quickly.

Li Lin directed the paper figures to the roadside and led them into the woods beside the official road.

These paper figures were now somewhat worn.

Fortunately, Li Lin had prepared in advance: the procession included paper packhorses and paper wheelbarrows.

All the cargo they carried was paper.

Li Lin first scattered Divine Barrier Powder around, then processed several sheets of paper.

Soon, over a dozen paper figures resembling retainers approached, picked up the processed yellow paper, and distributed it to all the paper figures.

Paper figures with damage would tear off a corner of the yellow paper and stick it onto themselves.

Then the damaged areas would be restored as good as new.

Paper figures with more damage tore off more yellow paper; those with little damage simply tore off a small piece.

Watching the paper figures work, Zhou Qingqing asked curiously, “Why aren’t they coming alive this time?”

Now the paper figures looked like nothing but paper figures—they didn’t resemble living people as they had in the morning.

“That was illusion art!” Li Lin explained. “Illusion art requires spiritual… vital energy to sustain long-term. It’s a completely different concept from Paper Figure Art.”

As Li Lin said, in the morning he had used both illusion art and Paper Figure Art simultaneously.

The illusion art consisted of several characters he learned from the Northern Flow Goulin Cave Sect, each painted on the back of the paper figures.

Through long practice, he had now mastered the basic applications of the Immortal Characters and could be considered a minor adept in illusion art.

One must admit: arts related to Immortals are powerful.

These so-called illusions, when refined to their deepest level, cease to be illusions—they become real.

After all, if an illusion perfectly replicates all information of a living being or object… then the false becomes true.

Immortal illusion art possesses this ability.

But Li Lin could not yet achieve it—he was still far from it.

He could only barely maintain the false information in the paper figures for a short time.

Even so, it was still impressive.

Almost everyone had been fooled by his illusion art.

Zhou Qingqing looked at Li Lin and asked, “Do you think my son might one day have the chance to become your disciple?”

Li Lin smiled but said nothing.

Zhou Qingqing bit her lip, her eyes glistening: “I’m willing to do anything, sir.”

Her declaration was unmistakable.

But Li Lin still shook his head.

He felt nothing for Zhou Qingqing, even though she was attractive and well-formed.

But… Li Lin was unwilling to casually teach his arts to others.

After all, Zhou Qingqing wasn’t like Uncle Zhao—he hadn’t saved Li Lin’s life.

Zhou Qingqing lowered her head in disappointment, and suddenly, many thoughts weighed on her.

Women, after all, are emotional creatures.

Children had fewer such thoughts; he ate his dry biscuit, stared at the paper figures with wide eyes, then slowly leaned against his mother and fell asleep.

Zhou Qingqing spread out a carpet, placed the child on it, and covered him with a blanket.

Li Lin dug a pit beside them, moved the fire inside it, reducing the risk of the flame being spotted from outside.

At this time, many small paper figures climbed down from the larger ones and began patrolling nearby.

These small paper figures had always been with the procession—Zhou Qingqing simply hadn’t noticed them.

Li Lin spread out a carpet beside the fire pit and lay down to rest.

Zhou Qingqing had been somewhat afraid, but seeing Li Lin sleep peacefully and hundreds of paper figures standing guard around them, she relaxed and lay down to sleep.

Li Lin slept for two hours, then suddenly opened his eyes.

He walked over and gently nudged Zhou Qingqing.

Zhou Qingqing woke up; by the dim firelight, she saw Li Lin crouched beside her, and her face flushed: “Sir… could you move somewhere else? Xiao Hua is right here—what if he hears?”

Li Lin gave her an exasperated look and said, “Someone’s coming after us. I’ll give you a black cloth—cover yourself and Xiao Hua completely. No matter what happens, don’t leave this circle. Understood?”

Zhou Qingqing froze, her expression tightening. She bit her lip, looked at him with a pitiful gaze, and nodded softly.

(End of Chapter)