Chapter 35: The Qixi Gift

Li Lin went to the market to buy supplies, then visited a cosmetics shop to purchase several red flower diadems he found attractive.

Flower diadems, in essence, are forehead ornaments.

They’re just called different names.

Don’t underestimate them—they cost far more than rouge.

He bought three different styles of diadems and paid with several silver notes, losing the equivalent of half a gold ingot.

But he didn’t mind the expense; he’d earned quite a bit lately, and above all, the Tree Immortal Lady had helped him multiple times—this gift was still pitifully meager.

He returned to the village just before dusk; some villagers were still moving about, rushing through their final chores, so he headed straight for the altar.

“Tree Immortal Lady!”

Li Lin called out, but the altar remained still—he could sense she was inside, just not emerging.

“Do ghosts even sleep?”

Li Lin found it odd but didn’t dwell on it, and went home instead.

After dinner, he eagerly pulled out his handwritten copy of the Thunderfall Spell and studied it intently.

【Thunderfall Spell +1】【Thunder Art +1】【Cultivation +1】

Huh?

Li Lin paused—the Thunderfall Spell increased his Thunder Art proficiency, which he’d expected, but what was 【Cultivation】?

Immortal cultivation?

If that guess was right, the waters of this world ran far deeper than he’d thought.

But it wasn’t surprising—if ghosts existed, immortals were equally plausible.

Yet in over half a year here, he’d never heard a single tale of an immortal.

He continued reading the book; by the time he finished, it was nearly midnight.

He felt he now understood how to cast the Thunderfall Spell—he only needed to try it.

He was eager to go outside and summon a bolt of lightning to see how it worked.

But then he remembered it was deep night, and all villagers were asleep—summoning a thunderclap would disturb their rest.

So he put it off until morning.

Just as he was about to get into bed, he saw a green snake tail slowly swaying by the window.

Li Lin knew the Tree Immortal Lady had come.

He immediately took a silk-wrapped packet from his pack and stepped outside.

In the courtyard, the Tree Immortal Lady hovered three feet above ground, her back to him.

“Tree Immortal Lady, I’ve brought back the diadems.”

Li Lin unfolded the silk handkerchief, revealing three red forehead ornaments of different designs.

The Tree Immortal Lady turned, floated down to the ground, studied them briefly, then took the silk and handkerchief away.

She seemed quite satisfied.

Then she moved closer to Li Lin, crouching slightly—her body was remarkably tall; her serpent tail meant even on the ground, she towered over him by a full head.

Now their eyes were level.

Li Lin looked at her in confusion: “Today isn’t the day for offering essence.”

They’d had contact before—when offering essence, the Tree Immortal Lady would hold his hand.

Then… she removed her mask.

A pale, beautiful face emerged—eyes slender and elongated, lashes unnaturally thick, radiating an eerie, otherworldly beauty.

Li Lin had guessed she’d be beautiful, but not this beautiful.

In her right hand now rested one of the diadems—the three-petal lotus leaf design.

She pointed to her own forehead.

Li Lin understood. He picked up the ornament and carefully pressed it onto her brow.

Her skin was icy and smooth.

After placing it, the Tree Immortal Lady floated half a zhang above ground, gazing down at Li Lin beneath the moonlight.

Her eyes held a question.

Li Lin exclaimed: “Beautiful.”

The Tree Immortal Lady’s eyes glowed with satisfaction, then extended her left hand, offering him the mask.

“For me?”

She nodded, then slowly floated toward the altar.

The mask felt cold, its material strange—neither leather nor jade.

It emitted a faint aura of yin energy.

It must be a special artifact—otherwise, she wouldn’t have worn it constantly.

Thinking this, Li Lin put the mask on.

A faint yin energy seeped into his eye sockets, but when he looked around, nothing seemed changed.

Then Li Lin couldn’t help but glance toward the hillside behind the village.

His eyes widened.

The entire hill was covered in dense, countless ghosts!

All were minor ghosts—each shaped like a child, occasionally larger ones resembling three-foot-tall toddlers.

Their expressions were unnatural, eyes glowing red as they wandered aimlessly.

Within moments of Li Lin seeing them, they seemed to sense something—each turned their glowing red eyes toward him.

Instantly, countless ghosts on the hill all fixed their gaze on Li Lin.

The sight of countless glowing points overwhelmed him—he nearly suffered from claustrophobia.

He frantically tore off the mask—the “illusion” vanished.

Li Lin had heard of those with the Heavenly Eye who avoided using it at night—now he understood why.

It was truly nauseating.

He wiped sweat from his forehead—he didn’t even remember when it had appeared—and returned indoors to sleep.

That night, his sleep was poor—alternating between the Tree Immortal Lady’s beautiful, eerie face and the hillsides swarming with child ghosts.

The two scenes switched back and forth, maddeningly.

When he woke the next morning, he washed his face and stepped outside.

It was overcast; Zhao Xiaohu was already waiting outside the courtyard.

Seeing Li Lin, he waved excitedly: “Lin Ge! Today you’re teaching me spear techniques, right?”

“Wait a moment.”

Li Lin glanced at the overcast sky and nodded slightly.

The Thunderfall Spell is easiest to cast in rain, next best in overcast weather.

Clear skies are hardest—if you can summon lightning on a clear day, your Thunder Art is already highly refined.

Li Lin looked at a stone in the courtyard—originally meant to be a bench, but never polished, left there unused.

Taking the green stone as his target, he slowly formed hand seals, guiding his internal yin energy into his palms.

As each Dao seal formed precisely, he felt his yin energy drawn into the air, resonating with something unseen.

When the seals were complete, half his internal yin energy vanished.

Then a crimson-blue lightning bolt curved down from the sky.

The green stone shattered instantly, spraying fragments everywhere.

Only after did the thunderclap boom across the entire village.

Zhao Xiaohu instinctively covered his ringing ears, eyes bulging like copper bells as he stared at the shattered stone.

“My god… Lin Ge can use magic.”

Li Lin, too, was delighted—the Thunderfall Spell was easier to learn than he’d expected.

Now he had a true ranged attack.

“Lin Ge, I want to learn this!”

Zhao Xiaohu rushed into the courtyard.

(End of Chapter)