Chapter 29: Returning to the County

Li Lin did not want anyone to know he had the Life-Restoring Pill.

So he moved with great secrecy.

As soon as the fat man saw Xu Saifeng dead, he activated the Bai Yu tablet and fled in a burst of red light.

He also took a Soul-Calling Banner along the way.

The formation immediately collapsed.

Bai Bu Fan wanted to chase after him and reclaim the Soul-Calling Banner, but his uncle held him back and shook his head: “Do not pursue a desperate foe.”

Then he turned to Li Lin beside him and said gratefully: “Thank you, Brother Li, for saving our lives. The Bai family will never forget this debt and will repay you handsomely.”

Li Lin waved his hand.

It wasn’t that he was putting on a cold demeanor—he was suffering from a clash of cold and heat within his body, and if he spoke, his voice would betray his condition.

He feigned greed, bent down, and took numerous silver notes from Xu Saifeng’s body, then went to the horse’s saddlebags and took some red flags and Soul-Calling Banners.

After that, there was nothing else of value.

What a pity!

It seems not everyone carries secret manuals on them.

All this took some time, and by then, most of the coldness inside him had dissipated—he felt much better.

He could speak now. Li Lin looked at Bai Liwei and asked: “Senior Bai, what should we do next?”

“Wait!” Bai Liwei said, staring at the broken formation. “Outside, the Wilderness Wraiths rule. Only by staying together and using our blood qi to temporarily scare them off can we survive. We’ll also wait for the other officers to return.”

He glanced at the three corpses nearby: “A pity for Comrades Wang Chao, Ma Si’en, and Yuan Li.”

Li Lin sighed as well.

Before setting out, he had sensed this mission would be troublesome—but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

“Are you hurt?” Li Lin asked.

“Superficial wounds,” Bai Liwei laughed. “I was faking them earlier.”

No wonder he’s a seasoned veteran… Li Lin guessed that even if he hadn’t appeared suddenly, Bai Liwei still had a way out.

As they spoke, light footsteps came from outside. The three turned to see an acquaintance returning.

“Great, you’re still here! Getting rid of that clingy pest was no easy feat.” This man was Cai Wei, another middle-aged Spirit Hunter, famed for his leg techniques and incredible speed.

When he saw the corpses of Ma Si’en and the others, his joy turned to sorrow.

Then he saw Xu Saifeng’s body, and his expression grew strange: “White Tiger Turnover Posture?”

Li Lin nodded.

“Brutal. Too brutal.” The man bowed to Li Lin. “Brother Li, please never use that move on your brothers. I beg you.”

In truth, those with experience knew the true killing technique of the White Tiger Turnover Posture wasn’t “White Tiger Carrying Corpse,” but “White Tiger Shatters the Dantian.”

Few people mastered it, and even fewer were willing to train it.

Not long after, two more comrades returned.

Their Bai Yu tablets glowed fiercely red—if they hadn’t come back, they’d have been lost in the Wilderness Wraiths’ illusions within half an hour more, their flesh drained, leaving only white bones.

Now there were six of them… their combined blood qi, though weak, could barely repel the invisible, gathering Wilderness Wraiths outside.

They waited another half hour. Bai Liwei said: “The rest won’t return. We must leave now—if we don’t, even if the Wilderness Wraiths don’t swarm us, the enemy might arrive. Head straight back to Rongxian. What follows involves other officials—it’s no longer our affair. What do you all say?”

Everyone naturally nodded in agreement. At this moment, returning alive was the only correct choice.

They didn’t want to stay in this cursed place another moment.

Bai Bu Fan asked: “Should we collect the remains of these three seniors?”

Bai Liwei shook his head: “No time. Let’s go.”

With that, the six mounted their horses and departed immediately.

For the rest of the journey, they rested by day and traveled by night.

There was no choice—they were like birds frightened by the sound of a bowstring. By day, they dared close their eyes for a moment; by night, they dared not relax for an instant.

Even combined, their blood qi could not fully block the Wilderness Wraiths.

They rode hard, and after two nights and one day, they finally returned to Rongxian.

The six were dusty and ragged, looking utterly broken. When they saw the city gate, they finally felt the relief of surviving disaster.

Half an hour later, the six sat in the magistrate’s backyard, while before them paced Huang Yan, the County Magistrate.

He looked extremely agitated.

After hearing the report, his face darkened: “Sixteen went out. Six returned. The military post is destroyed. The Qin family of Yuecheng dares to act with such audacity.”

No one answered him. Most Spirit Hunters didn’t understand the twists of officialdom.

“.”

The Spirit Hunters rose and left without a word—they had no energy for speech.

At the county office gate, Li Lin met Huang Qi.

He gave a casual bow and said: “Brother Kun Ge, I’ve prepared tea and wine in my backyard, waiting for you.”

“I’d like to rest first…”

“It concerns the true details of your mission to Bobai Military Post. Don’t you want to hear them?”

Li Lin paused, then nodded in agreement.

Soon they arrived at the Huang family’s backyard. No one else was present—it must have been Huang Qi’s specific instruction.

“On the third day after your departure, my father already knew the general outline of what happened.”

Li Lin narrowed his eyes slightly: “So quickly!”

“The Huang family still has some connections,” Huang Qi sighed. “What do you know about the Qin family of Yuecheng?”

“Nothing at all.”

Huang Qi smiled. He admired Li Lin’s straightforwardness—say yes when yes, no when no.

Unlike some who pretend to know things just to save face.

“Around Yuecheng, the land is fertile, rivers abound, and rice yields three harvests a year. It is our Great Qi’s granary and commercial hub. Its annual tax revenue equals that of five northern major cities,” Huang Qi sighed. “When a man grows extremely wealthy, he seeks power. With power, he seeks to hide weapons. Many know the Qin family of Yuecheng plans rebellion—it’s impossible to keep such things secret forever. But we never imagined they’d be so bold: killing every soul in a military post and smashing the True Lord’s altar.”

“Will the imperial court do nothing about such arrogance?”

“The Central Plains are in chaos. The northern Di tribes harass the borders. The court can’t manage everything,” Huang Qi said gravely. “Jincheng is still relatively stable—our people live in peace. But beyond Jincheng, you’ll see what ‘deep water and burning fire’ truly means.”

Li Lin fell silent. He truly knew little of conditions beyond Jincheng.

After all, this world had no such thing as “the internet.”

“That’s why that noble soul travels tirelessly—he seeks to restore the land,” Huang Qi said with a smile. “I sincerely hope you, Brother Kun Ge, will join us in propping up the tottering Great Xia.”

Li Lin shook his head slightly: “We’ll speak of that later. Right now, I only want to know—will those hundred lives at the military post, those eight comrades, die in vain?”

“Impossible!” Huang Qi laughed. “My father, after all, is the County Magistrate… Bobai Post falls under his jurisdiction. He will seek justice for those subjects.”

“What can we Spirit Hunters do?”

Li Lin couldn’t swallow this anger.

Not just for the dead comrades—but for himself.

“In a few days, the Demon Extermination Office will send someone down,” Huang Qi snapped open his fan. “To rebuild the altar at Bobai Military Post and station a new True Lord there. You’ll go with them—something good will come of it.”

Go back to Bobai Post?

Li Lin was reluctant.

As if sensing his reluctance, Huang Qi whispered with a smile: “There’s a Huang family member in the Demon Extermination Office. If you want to learn Spirit Hunter techniques, you can ask him.”

With that, Huang Qi gave a subtle wink.

Li Lin didn’t feel excitement—he paused, then asked: “What do I have to give in return?”

Techniques were more valuable than Spirit Control Scripture. In an age where even a cooking trick like “how to fry tofu” was passed only to sons, I’m not anyone’s son—why should they teach me?

There must be a reason.

(End of Chapter)