Chapter 218: The Paper Young Master

Through the forest, Li Lin wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

He looked badly injured, but it was merely internal damage—already healed by spiritual power.

The effect of spiritual power was truly immense, whether for offense or healing, it was unmatched.

If he still relied on yin energy as his base, he could never have defeated those three monks, let alone escaped unscathed.

Thinking of this, Li Lin couldn’t help but laugh.

From now on, I must cultivate more, and practice dual-cultivation more often.

I thrive, and so do they.

In the dark forest, Li Lin soon found the paper doll of the Tree Immortal Lady.

She was guarding before a tree hollow.

Though she lacked the Barrier Powder, the “aura” emanating from the Tree Immortal Lady kept the wild Gui s at bay.

Seeing Li Lin, her serpent tail slithered over, circling him to confirm he was unharmed, then she seemed to exhale in relief.

Then she reached out with both hands, tugging at his face, her expression full of grievance.

“Alright, I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have embarrassed you in front of so many.” Li Lin immediately apologized.

The Tree Immortal Lady paused, then pulled harder.

She wasn’t angry because of that.

After tugging twice, as if venting her fury, her spirit departed—the paper doll returned to its lifeless state, coiling its tail nearby, silently guarding the spot.

Li Lin leaned into the tree hollow and found Zhou Qingqing still wrapped in the Concealing Gui Cloak—she had obeyed his words absolutely, refusing to emerge or lift the cloth.

“Alright, you can come out now,” Li Lin smiled.

Zhou Qingqing didn’t move, but the slight trembling of the Concealing Gui Cloak suggested she was unharmed.

“I’m Li Lin.”

He added again.

After a long silence, Zhou Qingqing’s trembling voice finally came: “I heard Gui can mimic familiar voices to trick people into believing them, and then...”

Li Lin couldn’t help laughing and tore open the Concealing Gui Cloak.

Zhou Qingqing let out a startled cry.

Li Lin stepped back two paces and said, “Come out.”

As he spoke, he dug a hole in the ground and relit the fire with his tinder.

The firelight illuminated the area; seeing Li Lin, Zhou Qingqing finally relaxed, then emerged clutching her son.

Many paper dolls returned from outside—maids and cavalry paper dolls who hadn’t fought.

They once again surrounded and protected Li Lin and Zhou Qingqing.

They also brought the palanquin inside.

It was no small feat—they’d managed to carry the palanquin into this cramped forest without much damage.

Li Lin walked over and reapplied the Barrier Powder.

“You and the child rest now—this place is safe for now.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qingqing exhaled in relief, found a blanket, lay down with her son, and soon fell asleep.

Li Lin used the paper carried by the paper maids to craft new paper dolls.

But since spare paper was scarce, he could only make thirty knife-and-shield soldiers and forty-seven paper archers.

He realized that for fighting martial artists, the combination of knife-and-shield soldiers and archers was far superior to knife-and-shield soldiers with spear formations.

When he finished, dawn had broken.

Zhou Qingqing awoke, looked around, and saw Li Lin stretching.

“Did the Squire not sleep all night?”

“Mm. Had to prepare.”

“Squire, you’ve worked hard—rest now. I’ll prepare breakfast.”

With that, Zhou Qingqing went to the nearby paper cart, fetched dried rations and a small pot. She set up a simple stand, placed the pot atop it, scooped water from a nearby mountain stream, boiled the rations into a porridge, and added some cured meat.

Finally, she woke Li Lin.

After resting half an hour, Li Lin felt much more refreshed.

The porridge looked unappetizing, but tasted surprisingly good.

After eating, Li Lin looked up, judging the time by the sunbeams piercing the canopy, then sat up and said, “Let’s go.”

Xiao Hua licked the bowl clean and obediently followed her mother.

The three of them reentered the palanquin.

The nearby small paper dolls ran back and stuck themselves onto the other paper dolls.

The paper doll procession set off again.

A force of nearly a hundred paper dolls reappeared on the road.

Paper dolls couldn’t move quickly—they advanced only slightly faster than ordinary people.

Riding a horse would be much faster.

But... neither Zhou Qingqing nor little Hua could endure the jolting of a horse.

That’s why noblewomen usually traveled in palanquins or carriages, not on horseback—this was the reason.

Long-distance horseback riding was also a physical ordeal.

Inside the palanquin, Li Lin closed his eyes to rest.

With his strength, he could go several nights without sleep.

But crafting paper dolls consumed spiritual power—he was exhausted.

He could only rest, holding the Southern Barbarian God’s Bone to recover his spiritual power.

The procession traveled on, encountering many merchant caravans and travelers; the eerie appearance of the paper dolls terrified them, forcing them to hide in the woods beside the road until the paper dolls passed.

As evening approached, the procession neared a county town.

Li Lin awoke; his spiritual power had nearly fully recovered.

“We won’t stay in the county tonight—the paper doll procession is too conspicuous. I fear martial artists might ambush us inside.” Li Lin smiled. “You and the paper dolls stay in the nearby forest. Don’t wander off. I’ll go into town to buy spare paper.”

Paper dolls degraded during travel; they had no spare paper left and needed to restock.

Zhou Qingqing nodded obediently.

Li Lin stepped out of the forest and saw An Xin standing on the road.

Beside An Xin stood a young woman in martial attire.

He saw Li Lin and bowed with a smile.

Li Lin walked over and said, “You waited here specifically for me?”

“Yes.” An Xin smiled. “I guessed you’d stop here.”

Li Lin nodded. “Thank you for helping last night.”

“I didn’t help you. Why thank me?”

“You didn’t join them in attacking me—that was help enough.”

An Xin laughed heartily. “The Tianyi Sect never takes advantage of others’ vulnerabilities.”

“So when I’m not in danger, you’ll come looking for trouble.”

“When you’re not in danger, I dare not seek trouble.” An Xin suppressed a grin. “You’ve become famous in the martial world now—Purple Xiao Young Master, or Paper Young Master!”

“My nickname?”

“Yes.”

“It spread this fast?”

“In the martial world, news travels fast. But one of those two names will fade, leaving only the one that truly represents you.” An Xin added, “Also, I’m curious—the Linglong Jade Box is in your possession, right? What’s its use?”

“It’s indeed related to cultivation!” Li Lin thought a moment. “Its true name is the Southern Barbarian God’s Bone!”

An Xin nodded slightly, then pointed to the girl beside him. “This is my junior sister—the one who can use thunder arts. She’s now learning paper-doll crafting too.”

The girl gazed at Li Lin with admiration, clasped her fists, and said clearly, “I am Lu Ying, honored to meet Senior Brother Li!”

(End of Chapter)