Chapter 219: All Is Acceptable

The girl was quite pretty and spoke sweetly.

But her figure paled in comparison to his two wives.

Li Lin even suspected she had never had a good day as a child, barely enough to eat.

“Little Sister Lu, no need for such formalities,” Li Lin waved his hand.

Lu Ying smiled sweetly and bowed slightly in return.

“You’re heading back to Yulin County, right?” An Xin continued. “Why not travel together? We can look out for each other.”

Li Lin looked at him: “You plan to protect us?”

“You can think of it that way,” An Xin nodded lightly.

“Then how should I repay Tianyi Sect?”

Li Lin believed that favors, if repayable, should be settled immediately; the longer they lingered, the more guilty one felt.

“Just explain the cultivation essentials of paper-making to my little sister along the way,” An Xin said.

Beside him, Lu Ying nodded vigorously.

She had seen those paper figures in action—holding their own against over a hundred martial artists.

If she could learn it too, who would dare bully her again?

Besides, hiding among paper figures felt safe.

Most women disliked direct confrontation; they preferred staying safe while striking from afar.

And she could cast Thunder Spell too—imagine unleashing lightning from within a horde of paper figures, obliterating enemies!

Li Lin smiled: “That’s all?”

“Yes!”

“Fine,” Li Lin agreed.

“Thank you.”

“We’re friends—no need for thanks,” Li Lin glanced around. “I need to buy extra paper in town. Where are your fellow sect members?”

“They’re in the county town too,” An Xin said. “We didn’t bring more, afraid you’d misunderstand.”

“Want to grab a drink first?”

An Xin nodded: “I’d be delighted.”

Once inside the county town, Li Lin and An Xin drank some wine, while Lu Ying served them, demure and attentive.

After another cup of yellow wine, An Xin seemed slightly drunk. “Brother Li, to be honest, you were too…reckless this time.”

“How so?”

“You’re a County Constable, a Military Supervisor—you’re a high-ranking official. Yet you came to Yuecheng with not a single trusted man. That’s unwise.”

Li Lin laughed: “I’ve held office too short a time to have anyone truly loyal.”

My fellow Spirit Hunters are more friends than men who’d die for me.

Su Bei counts as one, but his strength is still insufficient—bringing him might get him killed.

As for Xiao Chunzhu of Lingxiao Sect… I haven’t fully trusted him yet.

It’s that simple.

Fundamentally, it’s still the problem of Li Lin’s too-rapid rise.

No time to build depth.

“True… you went from Spirit Hunter to eighth-rank actual power in less than a year,” An Xin said, envy in his voice. “I took fifteen years to go from outer disciple to inner disciple to senior disciple.”

Li Lin said nothing.

His rapid promotion came chiefly because he married well.

His father-in-law’s backing helped.

Of course, it also stemmed directly from his own strength.

Otherwise Huang Yan would never have rushed him into the position of Military Supervisor.

An Xin took another sip. “Now you’re famous in the martial world, and everyone knows you took the Linglong Jade Box. Ordinary martial artists dare not oppose you, but some dim-witted fools will still find ways to trouble you.”

Li Lin nodded: “I’ve prepared for this.”

In truth, since deciding to cultivate, he’d already accepted this reality.

That’s one reason he made his two wives learn martial arts.

Besides, the Li family isn’t defenseless—Yulin County has the Tree Immortal Lady; that’s her domain.

And at home, there’s Li Yanjing, the possessing spirit. Though weak in combat, her abilities are strange and perfect for guarding the household.

No Spirit Hunter below third-rank could even enter his door.

“Good.”

An Xin wasn’t surprised—he believed the old Jincheng Li clan must have had many survival methods.

Protecting a small family shouldn’t be hard.

At that moment, Lu Ying suddenly asked: “Brother Li, why are your paper figures pink-purple, while mine are blood-red? They look so terrifying.”

Li Lin thought a moment. “The color of paper figures relates to the maker’s personality and, more importantly, their inner energy. You’re practicing a yin-style scripture, right? Blood-red is normal. Even your Thunder Spell is likely tinged red.”

“Oh, I see,” Lu Ying nodded, relieved. “I thought I’d trained wrong.”

“Little Sister Lu, feel free to ask anything else.”

Lu Ying nodded eagerly: “I can only make three soul-guiding paper figures now. To make a whole horde like you, what level do I need to reach?”

Li Lin thought again. “The number of paper figures depends on your spiritual soul—not just energy, but also your mastery of paper-making. It’s complex, but more cultivation never hurts. When you have time, learn techniques to strengthen your soul.”

“I see. I understand.”

Lu Ying’s face glowed with excitement—she already imagined herself commanding hundreds of paper figures, slaughtering all who stood before her.

But Li Lin didn’t tell her that his ability to control over a hundred paper figures came from his uniqueness.

Spiritual energy was one factor; the other was Li Lin’s “nature”—his spiritual sense was exceptionally strong.

The Foundation Establishment Method didn’t just strengthen his spiritual energy—it trained his spiritual sense too.

An Xin looked fondly at his little sister, then glanced outside. “It’s getting late. We should leave the city—otherwise, once the gates close, it’ll be troublesome to get out.”

Li Lin stood up.

The three left the tavern together.

At that moment, Tianyi Sect disciples were already waiting outside.

They had bought Li Lin a large quantity of paper for his use.

Tianyi Sect had more people—it was easier to command.

They left the city and entered the woods.

Li Lin introduced An Xin and the others to Zhou Qingqing, making her feel safer.

It wasn’t that she doubted Li Lin’s ability to protect her.

She simply felt safer with more people.

That was all.

With Tianyi Sect joining, the rest of the journey became simple.

They walked, paused, occasionally encountering martial artists—those who had come for the Linglong Jade Box but arrived too late.

But seeing over a hundred paper figures and thirty-plus Tianyi disciples, they abandoned any thoughts of robbery.

Especially those hundred paper figures—they looked like a small army, chilling to behold.

Thus, rumors of Li Lin’s deep mastery of paper-making spread further.

By the time Li Lin returned to Yulin County after several days, no one in the martial world called him “Purple Thunder Young Master” anymore—they all called him “Paper Young Master.”

Outside the city gate, Tianyi Sect bid Li Lin farewell—they must return to Jincheng.

An Xin bowed. “Brother Li, we’re friends. If you ever need me, just say the word.”

“Of course. Same goes for you.”

An Xin smiled and led his junior disciples away.

Li Lin then ordered the paper figures into the city.

For anyone else, such a spectacle would never be allowed inside.

But Li Lin was the County Constable—all gate guards knew him; they’d never stop him.

The paper figures walking through the streets caused a stir.

But once people saw it was Li Lin, they weren’t afraid—they gathered to watch, amused.

Li Lin brought Zhou Qingqing back to the government office, arranged temporary lodging for her, and said: “Tomorrow I’ll give you a new household registration, find you a place to live, and give you silver. But your future life depends on you.”

“Your humble servant understands,” Zhou Qingqing bowed deeply. “Your grace, County Constable Li, I shall never forget.”

Li Lin shook his head: “Don’t thank me—I merely fulfilled my deal with Qin Donglai.”

Zhou Qingqing looked up, grateful. “If it were anyone else, I’d have been devoured, mother and child both dead. I’d never have this peace. Your kindness is beyond repayment—if you ask, I am yours entirely!”

As she spoke, her face flushed red.

(End of Chapter)