[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dark-and-dawn-light-years":3,"chapter-dark-and-dawn-light-years-dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-35":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Dark and Dawn Light-Years",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2264635,4420,"Chapter 35: The Qixi Gift","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>Li Lin went to the market to buy supplies, then visited a cosmetics shop to purchase several red flower diadems he found attractive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flower diadems, in essence, are forehead ornaments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re just called different names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t underestimate them—they cost far more than rouge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bought three different styles of diadems and paid with several silver notes, losing the equivalent of half a gold ingot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tree Immortal Lady!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin called out, but the altar remained still—he could sense she was inside, just not emerging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do ghosts even sleep?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin found it odd but didn’t dwell on it, and went home instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dinner, he eagerly pulled out his handwritten copy of the Thunderfall Spell and studied it intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Thunderfall Spell +1】【Thunder Art +1】【Cultivation +1】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin paused—the Thunderfall Spell increased his Thunder Art proficiency, which he’d expected, but what was 【Cultivation】?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immortal cultivation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that guess was right, the waters of this world ran far deeper than he’d thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t surprising—if ghosts existed, immortals were equally plausible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in over half a year here, he’d never heard a single tale of an immortal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued reading the book; by the time he finished, it was nearly midnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt he now understood how to cast the Thunderfall Spell—he only needed to try it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was eager to go outside and summon a bolt of lightning to see how it worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then he remembered it was deep night, and all villagers were asleep—summoning a thunderclap would disturb their rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he put it off until morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to get into bed, he saw a green snake tail slowly swaying by the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin knew the Tree Immortal Lady had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately took a silk-wrapped packet from his pack and stepped outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the courtyard, the Tree Immortal Lady hovered three feet above ground, her back to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tree Immortal Lady, I’ve brought back the diadems.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin unfolded the silk handkerchief, revealing three red forehead ornaments of different designs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tree Immortal Lady turned, floated down to the ground, studied them briefly, then took the silk and handkerchief away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She seemed quite satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now their eyes were level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin looked at her in confusion: “Today isn’t the day for offering essence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d had contact before—when offering essence, the Tree Immortal Lady would hold his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then… she removed her mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pale, beautiful face emerged—eyes slender and elongated, lashes unnaturally thick, radiating an eerie, otherworldly beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin had guessed she’d be beautiful, but not this beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her right hand now rested one of the diadems—the three-petal lotus leaf design.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pointed to her own forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin understood. He picked up the ornament and carefully pressed it onto her brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her skin was icy and smooth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After placing it, the Tree Immortal Lady floated half a zhang above ground, gazing down at Li Lin beneath the moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes held a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin exclaimed: “Beautiful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tree Immortal Lady’s eyes glowed with satisfaction, then extended her left hand, offering him the mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded, then slowly floated toward the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mask felt cold, its material strange—neither leather nor jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It emitted a faint aura of yin energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be a special artifact—otherwise, she wouldn’t have worn it constantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Li Lin put the mask on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint yin energy seeped into his eye sockets, but when he looked around, nothing seemed changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Li Lin couldn’t help but glance toward the hillside behind the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire hill was covered in dense, countless ghosts!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were minor ghosts—each shaped like a child, occasionally larger ones resembling three-foot-tall toddlers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their expressions were unnatural, eyes glowing red as they wandered aimlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within moments of Li Lin seeing them, they seemed to sense something—each turned their glowing red eyes toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, countless ghosts on the hill all fixed their gaze on Li Lin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight of countless glowing points overwhelmed him—he nearly suffered from claustrophobia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frantically tore off the mask—the “illusion” vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin had heard of those with the Heavenly Eye who avoided using it at night—now he understood why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was truly nauseating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped sweat from his forehead—he didn’t even remember when it had appeared—and returned indoors to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, his sleep was poor—alternating between the Tree Immortal Lady’s beautiful, eerie face and the hillsides swarming with child ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two scenes switched back and forth, maddeningly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he woke the next morning, he washed his face and stepped outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was overcast; Zhao Xiaohu was already waiting outside the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Lin, he waved excitedly: “Lin Ge! Today you’re teaching me spear techniques, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin glanced at the overcast sky and nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Thunderfall Spell is easiest to cast in rain, next best in overcast weather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clear skies are hardest—if you can summon lightning on a clear day, your Thunder Art is already highly refined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin looked at a stone in the courtyard—originally meant to be a bench, but never polished, left there unused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking the green stone as his target, he slowly formed hand seals, guiding his internal yin energy into his palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As each Dao seal formed precisely, he felt his yin energy drawn into the air, resonating with something unseen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the seals were complete, half his internal yin energy vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a crimson-blue lightning bolt curved down from the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green stone shattered instantly, spraying fragments everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after did the thunderclap boom across the entire village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu instinctively covered his ringing ears, eyes bulging like copper bells as he stared at the shattered stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My god… Lin Ge can use magic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin, too, was delighted—the Thunderfall Spell was easier to learn than he’d expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he had a true ranged attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Ge, I want to learn this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu rushed into the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1082,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e23cd9c02e13cee0ab7ca6fdfe7f744e36504a0d6b2d15cd379156eade189a42","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-36","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-34",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]