Chapter 32

Li Lin’s tea water, how to put it… was just drinkable.

After taking a sip, Bai Liwei said calmly, “Li Xunshou, next time I’ll have Bu Fan bring you some roasted tea.”

Li Lin smiled. “Apologies—my home only has tea of this quality; it’s not out of disrespect to my honored guest.”

“I can see that.” Bai Liwei glanced around, then added, “But hardship forges talent. You, Li Xunshou, are far stronger than we were at your age.”

“Too kind, too kind.” Li Lin waved his hand.

Bai Liwei took another sip of tea. “I’ve come here today mainly to thank you for saving our lives a few days ago. If you hadn’t turned back, both my nephew and I would’ve died there.”

“I was only saving myself.”

“Regardless, you saved us—that’s the truth. Drink!”

Li Lin returned the gesture; after both drank a cup, Bai Liwei said, “I heard you’re acquainted with Wang Tianyou, the young master of the Wang family?”

“Not really—just did a few favors for him.”

Bai Liwei chuckled. “Then you’d best avoid the county town for now.”

“The Qin family actually came knocking?”

Bai Liwei nodded. “Yes. They even clashed with County Magistrate Huang.”

“That’s audacious indeed.”

“They’re still a once-great clan, full of pride!” Bai Liwei sneered. “But now they’re in trouble—Wang, Ding, and Huang families are all opposing them. They’ve got a hard road ahead.”

Speaking of the Qin family, Bai Liwei’s tongue was loosed—he rambled on about the Qin family of Yuecheng, his anger palpable; clearly, he now despised them.

It was natural—just a few nights ago, the Qin family had driven them to the brink.

After that, Bai Liwei continued hurling crude insults at the Qin family until dusk approached.

“My apologies, Li Xunshou.” Bai Liwei downed a large bowl of tea—he was thirsty after speaking so long. “Let me add one more thing: for the next few days, avoid the county town entirely. Wait until the Demon-Slaying Office arrives.”

“Don’t worry—I’ll stay in the village and train.”

Bai Liwei laughed, then rose to leave.

As they stepped outside, they saw Bai Bu Fan and Zhao Xiaohu chatting merrily in the courtyard.

Seeing his uncle emerge, Bai Bu Fan asked, “Are you leaving?”

“Yes.”

Bai Bu Fan turned to Zhao Xiaohu. “Brother, we’ve taken to each other at first sight—you’re my elder brother now, and I’ll be your younger brother. May I ask your surname, Elder Brother?”

Zhao Xiaohu looked exactly like a grown man.

“I’m Zhao Xiaohu. Thirteen years old!”

Bai Bu Fan froze. Li Lin could almost hear his soul cracking.

Then, with a blank stare, he followed his uncle, leading the donkey home.

After the guests left, Zhao Xiaohu carried their gifts inside, then began washing rice and cooking.

Li Lin was counting the gifts.

The Bai family’s offerings were indeed generous: ten silver ingots, totaling a hundred taels.

Plus jade ornaments, rare medicinal herbs—wild ginseng, polygonum, and the like.

And a few translucent mushrooms.

The total value was substantial—clearly, the lives of Bai Liwei and his nephew were worth a lot.

Li Lin felt such people, who treasured their own lives, were worth cultivating ties with.

He arranged the gifts neatly, and by then, Zhao Xiaohu had cooked the meal.

After finishing a large bowl of red rice, Zhao Xiaohu, drenched in sweat, hurried home before the moon rose.

Sated and rested, Li Lin practiced the Reviving Spring Art for a while, then prepared to bathe and sleep—when he saw a green snake tail slip through the window.

The scales on the tail reflected the moonlight, gleaming clean and beautiful.

Any ordinary person seeing this would’ve been terrified.

Li Lin merely stepped out calmly and saw the Tree Immortal Lady hovering in the courtyard, her back to him, her long tail extending through the window.

“Lady, you sought me?” Li Lin asked.

The Tree Immortal Lady turned her head and pointed toward the mountainside.

Li Lin had an excellent sense of direction—he immediately recognized the spot: Xiuniang’s grave.

“Someone’s up there?”

The Tree Immortal Lady nodded.

"Aren't they afraid of the wild gui?"

“I don’t know!”

With that, she glided away, her tail swaying slowly.

Li Lin returned inside, retrieved his red tassel spear, and went to the trail leading up the mountain.

Beyond the village lay the domain of the gui.

With the altar and the Tree Immortal Lady present, the wild gui could not enter.

Li Lin donned his Concealing-Gui robe, crouched, and activated the Stealth Technique, moving slowly uphill.

The Stealth Technique was wondrous—it silenced his footsteps.

The moonlight was unnervingly bright. After more than half an hour, Li Lin reached the mountainside.

Xiuniang’s grave lay ahead.

He crept forward crouched, and indeed heard the sound of shoveling earth.

He circled around to the back of a large tree, peered out, and saw two figures clad entirely in black, digging fiercely at the grave mound.

They cursed as they dug.

“We dug this open the day before yesterday and placed the placenta inside—why’s it been filled back in?”

“No doubt the villagers did it. After we finish here, I’m going down to slaughter a few—unless I kill some, I won’t feel better.”

“There’s a Spirit Hunter guarding the village.”

“I heard he’s a greenhorn—two cuts and he’s dead.”

“What if he doesn’t die?”

“If he doesn’t die, I’ll treat you to Hongxiuzhao—let a courtesan play the qin for you.”

“You promise?”

With that, they fell silent and dug harder.

Li Lin waited a while, but they said nothing more—he felt disappointed. He’d hoped they’d talk longer, maybe reveal something important.

Then he crept closer.

He had a feeling these two weren’t “sharp”—he could easily sneak up on them.

He did just that, gliding silently from their blind side.

After digging a while longer, one suddenly said, “Wait—I can’t sense any evil energy. The placenta isn’t down there anymore.”

“Who else would dare touch that?”

“Could it be the village’s Spirit Hunter?”

“Of course. Only Spirit Hunters and martial cultivators would dare touch such cursed things.”

“Then let’s go down and kill that Spirit Hunter—take back the item.”

“This village worships the True Lord!”

"The True Lord doesn’t care about living humans; they only block gui—lazy creatures."

“Then let’s go… ah!”

A scream pierced the silent hills.

One black-clad man was pierced through the heart by a spear and collapsed.

The other turned and ran.

Not a trace of fight in him.

Li Lin paused, pulled the spear from the corpse, and hurled it.

The black-clad man heard the whistling behind him, dodged—barely—and slowed for an instant. Li Lin lunged forward, seized his head with both hands, and slammed him to the ground.

Thud!

Li Lin gave him no chance to react—he twisted with all his strength, rotating the man’s head three hundred and sixty degrees.

The black-clad man twitched a few times, then lay still.

So weak!

Far weaker than Xu Saifeng—probably just minor thugs.

Normally, Li Lin would’ve kept one alive for interrogation—but it was night, out in the wilderness, and too much noise might attract wild gui.

Killing them outright was simpler than questioning.

Still, how did these two manage to chat at night without alerting the wild gui?

He crouched in Stealth mode and examined the corpses—then was stunned to find their black robes were "Concealing-Gui robes."

The other’s too.

His own Concealing-Gui robe was a tiny scrap, barely enough for a blanket, thin as a cicada’s wing—these two’s robes were thick, dense, and sewn into full garments.

No wonder—they could move freely at night without being detected by the wild gui.

Fortune! These were valuable items.

Li Lin immediately stripped both men of their robes and searched them, finding several banknotes.

Then he slipped to one side.

Watching the two corpses, they were discovered by the invisible huang gui, their flesh and blood vanishing, leaving only white bones.

Li Lin, holding the two shu gui garments, crouched and slowly "walked" down the mountain.

Upon returning to the village, he saw the Tree Immortal Lady waiting at the village entrance below the mountain; seeing Li Lin return safely, she slowly drifted away.

Li Lin immediately rose and chased after her, asking, “Lady, thank you for the warning. In half a month it will be the Qixi Festival—I’ve recently earned some silver. Is there anything you’d like as a gift? I can buy it for you.”

The Tree Immortal Lady stopped and suddenly turned around, her silver dangling hairpin swaying, reflecting brilliant light under the moon.

“Red flower forehead decoration!”

(End of Chapter)