[{"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-48":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},2264648,4420,"Chapter 48: Do You Think I","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-48",48,"\u003Cp>Perhaps due to the stealth technique’s effect, the spiritual energy drawn by yin energy was heavily concealed; only when the lightning was about to form did a faint fluctuation occur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two men walking ahead suddenly sensed something was wrong, but by the time they reacted, a crimson-and-azure lightning chain had already split down from the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man standing on the far right had his clothes blasted into tatters, even one arm severed and flung away; he collapsed without a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin exhaled softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For ordinary martial artists, thunder arts were too brutal; the man’s blood qi had been decent, yet a single lightning strike had taken his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other man spun around instantly, his gaze locking onto Li Lin in the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face twisted with fury; he drew his waist saber and charged forward without a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His movement was extremely swift—he closed half the distance between them in just three steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin was already forming the second thunder incantation seal, but it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, his spellcasting speed was still too slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin broke the seal, drew the red-plumed spear beside him, shook its shaft, and thrust forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thrust was the fastest attack among all weapons, and the red-plumed spear was over half a zhang long (over two meters); the man instinctively halted and raised his blade to block!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this was precisely the essence of spear technique: if the opponent cannot close the distance, the longer weapon dominates the shorter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin thrust three times—at throat, heart, and chest—each blocked by the man’s blade; clearly, the man’s saber skill was excellent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin shook the spear shaft again, executing a rising thrust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many believed a rising thrust meant only upward motion, but downward strikes were also rising thrusts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spear shaft, made of white elm, was highly elastic; the man thought the tip aimed for his head, but as it rose, it instantly reversed into a downward strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tip bent the shaft into a half-arc and pierced straight into the man’s thigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aah!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man grunted and collapsed to his knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not everyone is a berserker who can keep fighting wildly despite grievous wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the spear tip still remained embedded in his thigh muscle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He propped himself up with his saber, glaring at Li Lin with hatred: “Friend, we’re strangers, no kin, no grudge—why ambush us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a spirit hunter from Shangtikou Village,” Li Lin smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words were cut off; the man fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin continued smiling: “Who sent you to cause trouble in Shangtikou Village?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin shrugged: “Fine, I can investigate slowly. But when I trace your nine clans, I can’t guarantee what’ll happen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You dare!” The man’s eyes bulged with rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin glanced at the charred corpse ahead: “Do you think I’d dare?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man fell silent for a moment, then said: “Feirong County, the Qin family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's definitely them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin nodded, acknowledging he understood, then said: “Close your eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man understood. He drew a deep breath, his face filled with longing, then slowly shut his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, the spear pierced his heart; his body shuddered once, then slumped lifelessly, without much pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin wiped the blood from the spear tip and began looting the corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two were poor—besides a few silver notes, they had nothing else of value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin then used the spear to fling both bodies into the grass beside the country road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t worried about the corpses rotting and stinking; by nightfall, wild ghosts would come to devour their flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He headed toward the village, pondering—he needed to strike back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting Feirong County keep sending people to harass him wasn’t sustainable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one can defend forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, he returned to the village entrance and saw the Tree Immortal Lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her silver dangling hairpin swayed slightly, complemented by the three-petaled red forehead adornment—she looked exquisitely beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Lin, she turned and walked away, moving swiftly, vanishing back into the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village was unusually quiet; the atmosphere felt strange—many looked at him with relief after tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin didn’t ask. He decided to eat first—everything could wait until his belly was full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had barely returned to his courtyard, still outside the door, when Zhao Xiaohu rushed up, panting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Lin, you’re finally back! We were terrified.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin was puzzled. He’d often stayed overnight in the county town before—never had they been this anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Last night, while we slept, we suddenly heard strange noises—so loud,” Xiao Hu’s face still showed fear: “Father said they were wild ghost sounds, but thankfully, they vanished just as suddenly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin suddenly remembered: last night, the Tree Immortal Lady had come to him—likely then, without the True Lord present, the wild ghosts had begun approaching the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the Tree Immortal Lady returned early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did anyone get hurt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu shook his head: “The noises lasted only a short time; we checked everyone this morning—no one was harmed. Brother Lin, is something wrong here? Or is it… the Tree Immortal Lady…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin gently tapped Zhao Xiaohu’s head: “Don’t imagine nonsense. Everything’s fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Also…” Zhao Xiaohu rubbed his head, cautiously asking: “Is the Tree Immortal Lady a huge snake? I’ve seen a massive snake tail swaying around the village these past few days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh—he can see the Tree Immortal Lady!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a moment, then said: “Go get your father. Tell him I have something important to discuss with him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Hu guessed what was coming and ran off excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin prepared two cups of tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, Uncle Zhao arrived, carrying a bamboo basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside were homemade liquor and two small dishes of snacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Zhao, it seems you already guessed what I want to say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Zhao nodded: “Yesterday, Xiao Hu kept telling me he saw a giant snake—I knew he’d finally entered the path.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed,” Li Lin said calmly. “Though Xiao Hu seems average in talent, he has something special—perhaps because his mother was a ghost. His growth has outpaced my expectations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Zhao’s lips trembled slightly; he drank some liquor and said: “So now he must register at the county office?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Li Lin nodded. “Then he’ll be assigned to a nearby village as a patrol hunter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Xiao Hu would have to stand on his own—but he’s only thirteen, not yet fourteen after the New Year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Zhao fell silent for a moment, then asked: “Could he stay with you longer? Skip registration for now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin shook his head: “Spirit hunters need blood rice. Without it, their growth is severely limited. The blood rice I receive from the county office won’t sustain two hunters long-term.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Technically, he could manage—he still had Life-Sustaining Pills—but they were too “sensitive.” He didn’t want anyone to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Uncle Zhao, his savior, couldn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Zhao said nothing more, drinking silently until dusk, when Xiao Hu came and helped his father away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin closed the door and asked beside him: “Lady, I want to learn talisman arts—do you know any way?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tree Immortal Lady had already been there for a while—she’d simply remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Uncle Zhao couldn’t see her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice remained cold as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1226,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c056907b502fa2078032f66d561a111561730dc2f9f72b15aea5f3d013864dde","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-49","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-47",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]