Chapter 47: The Grief That Bites

Li Lin was surprised; wasn’t the True Lord forbidden to leave his assigned territory at will?

And the Four Marvels True Lord hadn’t summoned any other True Lords either—how had the Tree Immortal Lady come here?

The Tree Immortal Lady drifted down, her long serpent tail extending into the darkness; she was silent, yet her eyes fixed on Li Lin seemed to churn with emotion.

“Go back!”

Li Lin blinked. Go back?

Now?

He looked out at the black night beyond the window—going back now wouldn’t be simple.

“Is it urgent? Did something happen in the village?” Li Lin asked.

The Tree Immortal Lady said nothing, only shook her head slightly.

Not something in the village?

Li Lin studied the cold expression on the Tree Immortal Lady’s face, then seemed to understand—he smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll return tomorrow night.”

The Tree Immortal Lady’s expression softened slightly.

It must be that spending the night in the county seat had upset her.

But he’d often stayed overnight in the county before—why hadn’t she reacted so strongly then? Why now? Li Lin glanced around, at the room, and his mind made up its decision.

“I bought this place only for convenience,” Li Lin said gently. “It’s not my true home—that’s Shangtikou Village.”

At these words, the Tree Immortal Lady’s figure slowly faded and vanished.

Li Lin wiped the cold sweat from his brow, stretched, and was about to lie down when he suddenly leapt from the bed, pushed open the window, and stared at the distant sky.

In his perception, a massive aura of grievance had just emerged there.

Li Lin estimated the distance and convenience—it was the location of the great lake outside the county seat.

The grievance he’d sensed in the pavilion during the day must be this one, suddenly surging now.

I should go out and check.

This grievance was far too immense; Li Lin felt uneasy.

He pushed open the main door and had just reached the second courtyard gate when a voice called from the side chambers: “Who’s moving about?”

“It’s me.”

“Master?”

“Yes.”

Zhang Afu stepped out, saw Li Lin by the moonlight, and bowed slightly. “Master, why are you going out so late?”

“I’m a Spirit Hunter,” Li Lin said, brushing his white jade token at his waist.

Zhang Afu bowed deeply in respect. “Master, you work hard.”

Li Lin waved his hand. “Leave the door unlocked—I don’t know when I’ll return.”

“Yes, Master.”

Li Lin left his home and reached the eastern city wall, preparing to climb up.

Patrols of village soldiers were here; seeing Li Lin climb, they called out: “Who goes there?”

“Spirit Hunter, Li Lin.”

After showing his white jade token, the patrol let him pass.

Li Lin reached the top of the wall and unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure standing there.

It was Zhao Hao.

“Young Master Zhao, what are you doing here?” Li Lin asked as he approached.

“The thing in the lake kept me awake—I came to take a look,” Zhao Hao said, smiling at Li Lin. “You’re the same, aren’t you?”

Li Lin nodded.

From atop the wall, they could see the distant lake surface.

Beneath the moonlight, the lake rippled faintly, appearing utterly calm.

But only Spirit Hunters knew: something stirred beneath its waters.

Soon after, Su Huafang arrived as well.

“Oh, what a coincidence,” Su Huafang greeted with a smile.

Li Lin couldn’t help asking: “Given how calm you both are, you must know what’s in the lake?”

“We know,” Su Huafang said with a bitter smile. “An old injustice—left a man with such grievance that even after being sunk in the lake, he never abandoned his desire for revenge. It stirs every one or two years.”

“An injustice?” Li Lin was startled. “The County Magistrate doesn’t seem like that kind of man.”

Su Huafang waved his hand. “It was the previous County Magistrate’s fault—he was stripped of office and his entire family exiled to Ningguta because of this case.”

“When it stirs, is it violent?”

Zhao Hao laughed. “Not violent—just noisy.”

“I see,” Li Lin yawned. “Then I’ll head back to rest. Thanks for your vigilance.”

“No need to thank us.”

The county was jointly managed by Su Huafang, Zhao Hao, and three other Spirit Hunters—after all, the county was large and troubles frequent; having multiple Spirit Hunters was normal.

Li Lin returned to his new home and fell asleep at once.

He didn’t wake until close to noon.

He gathered the five of them and said: “I won’t be staying here long, so I’m leaving the house in your care.”

The five stared silently at Li Lin.

Li Lin pulled out several silver notes, placed them in a box, and handed it to Zhang Afu. “There’s a hundred taels here. Use it to hire another cook. All expenses for rice, vegetables, and clothing will come from this— I’ll add more regularly.”

To be honest, last night’s meal had been terrible.

Li Lin felt his own cooking was better than theirs.

Zhang Afu bowed low. “Master, rest assured—I’ll keep this household in perfect order.”

Then Li Lin went to the tavern, sat by the window, sipping sweet fermented rice wine and savoring the food.

Soon after, two travelers arrived at a nearby table, dusty and weary.

Li Lin paid them no mind—taverns always had passing customers.

But their conversation while eating caught his attention.

They thought their voices were too low to be heard—normally, they’d be right.

But Li Lin heard them anyway—he was now a ranked Spirit Hunter, his hearing greatly enhanced.

“Where did Zhang Xianrui and Yan Hai disappear to? We’ve searched three places and found nothing.”

“Only Shangtikou Village remains unchecked.”

“The Young Master said it doesn’t matter if they’re alive or dead—those two garments must be found and brought back to the sect.”

“What if we can’t find them?”

“If we can’t find them, we kill everyone in the village—they’ll hand them over eventually.”

Hearing this, Li Lin calmly signaled the waiter for the bill.

Then he left the tavern, went straight to the blacksmith’s, bought a red-tasseled spear, and hid in the shadowed alley outside the tavern.

Soon after, the two men stepped out of the tavern.

They left the city gate and followed the country road toward Shangtikou.

Li Lin trailed them from afar, using the trees beside the road to crouch and advance.

At this moment, the long-absent [Stealth +1] appeared again.

Stealth now gave no familiarity gains when tracking wilderness Gui .

He hadn’t expected following these outsiders would bring unexpected gains.

The two men took long strides, but Li Lin kept pace easily—he’d trained Light Body Art for days and now walked far faster than before.

After walking a while, at a near-right-angle bend, Li Lin—who knew the terrain—used the trees as cover, sped forward, and quickly closed the distance.

They were now within his attack range.

His eyes turned icy; without hesitation, he drove the spearhead deep into the ground and peered through the gaps between the trees at the two men ahead.

His hands began forming seals!

(End of Chapter)