Chapter 219: All Are Acceptable

This young lady is quite pretty, and her voice is sweet.

But compared to his two wives, her figure falls far short.

Li Lin even suspected that this young lady had not had many good days in her childhood, and could not even get enough to eat.

"Junior Sister Lu, no need for such formalities." Li Lin waved his hand.

Lu Ying smiled sweetly, bowed slightly again, returning the courtesy.

"You plan to return to Yulin County, right?" An Xin continued, "Why not travel together? It would be good to have someone to look out for each other."

Li Lin looked at the other person: "Do you intend to protect us?"

"You can think that way if you like." An Xin nodded lightly.

"Then how should I thank your Tianyi Sect?"

Li Lin believed that favors were best repaid immediately; otherwise, the longer one owed them, the more guilty one felt.

"Just trouble Li Shixiong to explain the cultivation secrets of Paper-Making Art to my junior sister along the way," An Xin said.

Lu Ying, standing nearby, nodded vigorously.

She had seen how those paper men displayed their power, standing firm against over a hundred martial arts experts of Wu Lin without yielding an inch.

If she could learn it too, who would dare bully her in the future!

Moreover, hiding among a pile of paper men felt very safe.

Most women, in fact, do not like direct confrontation with others; they prefer to hide in safe places to fight enemies.

Besides, she also knows the Fallen Thunder Incantation; later, hiding among the paper men, she could use thunder magic to crackle and kill enemies—how wonderful!

Li Lin smiled and asked, "Is that all?"

"Yes!"

"Alright." Li Lin agreed.

"Thank you."

"We are friends; why be so polite?" Li Lin looked around: "I need to enter the city to buy some spare paper. Where are your senior and junior brothers?"

"They are also in the county town," An Xin said. "Afraid you might misunderstand, we did not dare bring more people out."

"Then let's go in and have a couple of drinks first?"

An Xin nodded: "I would be delighted."

After entering the county town, Li Lin and An Xin drank some wine, while Lu Ying served wine on the side, looking very obedient.

Another cup of yellow wine went down, and An Xin seemed a bit intoxicated; he said, "Li Shixiong, to be honest, this time you were too... arrogant."

"What do you mean?"

"You are a County Commandant, a... Military Commissioner, already considered a high official, yet you came to Yuecheng without bringing a single trusted confidant; this is not good."

Li Lin smiled: "That is because my time as an official has been too short; I do not yet have any truly usable confidants."

Several of his Soul-Hunter colleagues were more friends than confidants willing to lay down their lives for him.

Su Bei counts as one, but his strength is not yet sufficient; bringing him along might only get him killed.

As for Xiao Chunzhu of the Lingxiao Sect... Li Lin did not yet truly trust him.

The matter was simply that.

Essentially, it was still the problem of Li Lin rising too quickly.

There was no time to settle and solidify.

"Indeed... from being a Soul-Hunter to where you are now, it has not even been a year, yet you are already a Third Rank official with real power." An Xin's face wore an expression of envy: "From an outer sect disciple to an inner sect disciple, then to the Eldest Senior Brother, it took me a full fifteen years."

Li Lin said nothing.

The most important reason he could 'rise' so quickly was that he married a good wife.

With the help from his father-in-law's side.

Of course, this was also directly related to his having sufficient strength.

Otherwise, Huang Yan would not have dared to promote him so swiftly to the position of Military Commissioner.

An Xin took another sip of wine and said, "Now you are famous throughout the Jianghu, and the fact that you took the Linglong Jade Box is known to almost everyone in the Jianghu. Ordinary Jianghu people dare not oppose you, but one cannot prevent some foolish folks from seeking trouble with you in various ways."

Li Lin nodded: "I am mentally prepared for this."

In fact, when he decided to cultivate the Dao, he already had this resolve.

This was also one of the reasons he taught martial arts techniques to his two wives.

Besides, his Li family is not to be trifled with; with Tree Immortal Lady in Yulin County, that is her home ground.

At the same time, the family also has Li Yanjing, this Possessing Apparition; although her combat power is not very strong, her abilities are very eerie and very suitable for guarding the home.

Without a Soul-Hunter of Third Rank or higher, no one could even think of sneaking into his home.

"That is good."

An Xin did not find it strange, because he believed the former Jin Commandery Li family must have had many methods to preserve their lives.

Protecting a small family should not be difficult.

At this moment, Lu Ying suddenly spoke up and asked, "Li Shixiong Shixiong, why are the paper men you make pink-purple, while the paper men I make are more blood-red, looking so scary?"

Li Lin pondered for a while and said, "The color of the paper men has a certain relationship with the maker's personality, and a great relationship with the maker's 'Qi'; you must have learned a Yin-type mental cultivation method, so that blood-red color is normal. Even your thunder magic is mostly inclined toward blood-red."

"I see." Lu Ying nodded in relief: "I thought I had practiced incorrectly."

"If Junior Sister Lu has any other doubts, feel free to ask."

Lu Ying nodded and asked excitedly, "Right now, I can at most draw three Soul-Guiding Paper Men; to be able to make a whole group of paper men at once like you, what level of cultivation must I reach!"

Li Lin pondered for a while and said, "The number of paper men is related to your divine soul! It is not merely a matter of 'Qi', but also related to your proficiency in Paper-Making Art; this question is quite complex, but more cultivation is never wrong. If you have time, learn more techniques to strengthen your soul."

"I see, I understand."

Lu Ying now wore a face full of excitement; she was already imagining the scene where she could lead hundreds of paper men and slaughter everywhere.

But in reality, Li Lin had not told her that his ability to control over a hundred paper men was purely due to his unique nature.

The use of spiritual energy was one aspect; the other was Li Lin's 'nature', meaning his soul was exceptionally strong.

The 'Foundation Establishment Method' not only enhanced Li Lin's 'spiritual energy' but also tempered his divine sense.

An Xin looked at his junior sister with some indulgence, then glanced at the sky outside and said, "It is getting late; we should leave the city now, otherwise once the city gates close, it will be troublesome to get out later."

Li Lin stood up.

The three of them left the tavern together.

At this moment, the disciples of the Tianyi Gate were already waiting outside.

They had simultaneously purchased a large quantity of paper for Li Lin's use.

The Tianyi Gate had more personnel, making them more convenient to command.

They left the city and then arrived in the forest.

Li Lin introduced An Xin and the others to Zhou Qingqing, which made Zhou Qingqing feel even safer.

It was not that she did not trust Li Lin or felt he could not protect her.

It was simply that she felt the more people there were, the safer it would be.

That was all.

With the addition of the Tianyi Gate, the journey ahead became very simple.

They walked and stopped intermittently, occasionally encountering a group of martial artists; these people had the intention to attack, after all, they themselves had come for the exquisite jade box, but they had arrived too late.

But seeing the over one hundred paper men, plus the thirty-plus members of the Tianyi Gate, they lost the thought of 'robbing'.

Especially those over one hundred paper men, which looked terrifying, feeling much like a small army.

Thus, the rumor of Li Lin's profound mastery of the Paper Crafting Art spread ever wider.

By the time Li Lin spent a few days and returned to Yulin County, no one in the martial world called him Young Master Zixiao anymore; all called him the Paper Young Master.

Outside the city gate, the Tianyi Gate bid farewell to Li Lin, as they had to return to Jincheng.

An Xin clasped his fists and said, "Li Shixiong, we are friends; if you ever need my help in the future, please do not hesitate to command me."

"Likewise, you as well."

An Xin smiled, then left with his junior brothers and sisters.

Li Lin then ordered these paper men to enter the city.

If an ordinary person made such a grand display, they naturally would not be allowed into the city.

But Li Lin was the County Commandant here; all the gate guards knew him, so how could they possibly stop him?

The paper men walking on the streets caused quite a stir.

However, upon seeing it was Li Lin, the citizens were no longer afraid and even gathered on the side to watch the spectacle.

Li Lin brought Zhou Qingqing back to the county government office, arranged temporary lodging for her, and then said, "Tomorrow I will give you a new household registration, find you a place to live, and provide you with a sum of money, but for the rest of your life, you must rely on yourself."

"This humble woman understands." Zhou Qingqing bowed gracefully: "The great kindness of County Commandant Li, this humble woman will never forget."

Li Lin shook his head: "Do not be so; I have merely completed the transaction with Qin Donglai."

Zhou Qingqing looked up, gazing gratefully at Li Lin: "Had it been anyone else, I would have been utterly consumed, and both mother and child would have perished; how could there be such peace at this moment? Your great kindness cannot be repaid; if County Commandant Li speaks, this humble woman will do anything!"

As she said these words, her face turned red.

(End of this chapter)