Chapter 5: Both Emotion and Reason Are Acceptable

Hearing Li Lin's words, Wu Shu's face was filled with disbelief: "She got lost by herself, how could she get lost by herself!"

Aunt Wu also murmured to herself nearby: "It won't be, Sister Xiu Niang is so sensible, so obedient, she never runs around recklessly."

The people around were also discussing it in a flurry.

The whole village is that small, almost visible at a glance, where could she have gone?

Moreover, the sky is already beginning to darken; if she doesn't return home soon, it will be easy for something to happen.

Uncle Zhao asked in a low voice: "Li Xiaolang, are you sure she got lost by herself?"

"Anyway, I didn't detect the aura of any strange object," Li Lin thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go ask Tree Immortal Lady, she should know where Sister Xiu Niang went."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

A group of people nodded in agreement.

Tree Immortal Lady has great supernatural powers; she definitely knows what happened to Sister Xiu Niang.

But ordinary people cannot see strange objects at all and cannot talk to them.

Furthermore, ordinary people are also very afraid of strange objects and dare not deal with them.

Li Lin came to the blue stone altar, cupped his hands, and asked: "Tree Immortal Lady, may I ask if you know where Sister Xiu Niang went?"

The Gowned Apparition appeared, hovering in mid-air.

She made no move, simply staring fixedly at Li Lin's left hand.

Li Lin smiled and said: "It is not good for a woman to be too greedy!"

The Gowned Apparition's ashen pupils moved slightly, seeming somewhat displeased, but she still reached out and pointed toward the east of the village.

"Did she leave by herself, or was she kidnapped?"

The Gowned Apparition's mouth corner pulled up a bit, as if mocking, but she had no desire to continue the conversation and simply vanished.

This strange one is very willful; Li Lin had known that long ago.

He shook his head and left the altar, and the villagers immediately surrounded him.

"Li Xunshou, where did Sister Xiu Niang go?"

"What did Tree Immortal Lady say?"

Li Lin raised his head slightly, waited until the villagers had all quieted down, and said: "Tree Immortal Lady said that Sister Xiu Niang left by herself and went toward the direction of the village east."

"Village east?"

Everyone looked at each other, and finally Uncle Zhao said: "She wouldn't be trying to return to Feirong County, would she?"

The atmosphere fell silent.

Because they all knew that Sister Xiu Niang was originally from Feirong County; when she was young, her family had some misfortune, and later she was fostered in Wu Shu's home.

Over these ten-plus years, Wu Shu's family had already treated her as their own daughter.

At this moment, someone said: "The sky is about to darken; she cannot walk back to Feirong County, there isn't enough time."

Everyone clearly understood how terrifying the night in the wilderness is!

Upon hearing these words, Aunt Wu immediately rolled her eyes back and fainted.

And after Wu Shu stood stunned for quite a while, he knelt down before Li Lin, kowtowed vigorously, said not a single word, and just kowtowed vigorously.

He kowtowed very heavily.

Seeing this scene, no one around spoke.

They all quietly watched the situation develop.

Li Lin was just about to refuse; he is indeed a Spirit Hunter, but he also does not want to spend the night in the wild, which is very dangerous.

And at this time, two more men knelt down and kowtowed along with Wu Shu.

One youth, one boy.

Both were children of the Wu family.

The three men were all silent mutes; they did not say a single extra word, they just kowtowed.

Dong dong dong resounded, never ceasing in the ears.

Before long, bloodstains appeared on the foreheads of the three, mixed with sand and soil, looking painful just to see.

The villagers around were still watching quietly.

No one spoke out, because they clearly understood that on either side, there was 'reason'.

The Wu family was eager to save a life; although there was a suspicion of coercion, it was understandable.

For Li Xunshou, helping is a matter of affection; not helping is also within reason; no one could blame him.

Just seeing that the blood had been kowtowed out of the three men's foreheads, Li Lin sighed and said: "Forget it, I will chase after and take a look, but I may not be able to bring her back safely."

"Thank you, Li Xunshou; if even Li Xunshou cannot bring her back, then this is her fate." Old Man Wu knelt on the ground, then shouted at the woman beside him: "Dead old woman, don't lie on the ground, quickly lead the family's little donkey out for Li Xunshou to ride."

Li Lin rode the little donkey, walking along the country road.

Actually, the little donkey did not run faster than Li Lin, but to save strength, it was better to ride; moreover, after finding Sister Xiu Niang, if she was willing to return, having a little donkey carry a woman was much more convenient.

The Wu family was actually risking everything; this little donkey was their family's greatest capital.

It could be used to pull a millstone, it could be used to pull goods; even if sold, it would be worth several taels of silver.

Being able to use the little donkey for this purpose, not caring whether the little donkey would be seen again the next day, showed that the Wu family truly treated Sister Xiu Niang as a daughter.

The sky gradually darkened, dark clouds hung low in the sky, and at this time it was almost impossible to see the road ahead clearly.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet; apart from the sound of the night wind blowing through the grass and trees, there was no other movement at all.

But Li Lin clearly understood, this was merely the 'calm before the storm'.

The little donkey walked for a while longer, the last wisp of sunset glow on the horizon also disappeared, and the entire heaven and earth became completely dark, so dark that one could not see five fingers in front of one's hand.

Then, the entire world suddenly began to boil.

Everywhere there were sounds, the sounds of 'people' speaking.

On both sides of the road, a mass of whispering emerged, as if countless invisible people stood along the road, watching Li Lin, staring at Li Lin, slandering him.

Although every single sound was very faint, there were simply too many 'people', making it very noisy.

He even began to suffer from auditory hallucinations.

"Li Lin, I am Wang Shang, your desk mate. We haven't played LoL together in ages. Come on, let's play."

"Li Lin, I am Liu Ruyan. Why won't you read the love letter I wrote you?"

"Li Lin, I brought your meal back. Call me 'Father' quickly..."

Such sounds flooded directly into his mind.

Li Lin pulled the little donkey to a halt, listened quietly in the darkness for a while, then wore an expression of some loss on his face.

In truth, he also wanted to go back.

This damn world; if he could, he wouldn't want to stay even a moment longer.

After listening for a while longer, he felt a bone-chilling cold and knew he could delay no longer.

His right hand gripped the white jade token at his waist.

As blood qi flowed in, the white jade token glowed with red light.

Soon, those noisy sounds around him vanished.

Li Lin gathered his spirit and continued on his way.

Not long after, he heard movement ahead, seemingly the sound of a woman laughing loudly.

And it was somewhat familiar; it should be Sister Xiu Niang.

He continued to channel blood qi into the white jade token, and the red light of the token grew brighter.

After walking a while longer, he saw a woman sitting in the middle of the road, seemingly cuddling and nuzzling against something invisible.

She was laughing very happily, and very licentiously.

"This is the place I should live, the comfort I should enjoy." Sister Xiu Niang swayed her body, emitting a stench of 'rotten wine' from her person: "Qin Lang, you are so good to me. I will bear you a whole bunch of chubby boys."

"Beauty, your mouth is truly sweet. Let me taste it."

A rough male voice rang out, yet no figure was visible.

Li Lin walked over and brought Sister Xiu Niang into the red light of the white jade token. That male voice shrieked "Ah!" before the sound vanished.

Sister Xiu Niang's body trembled, and she came to her senses.

She looked around in disbelief, then stood up, frantically searching for something while shouting loudly.

"Qin Lang, where are you? Where have you gone?"

"Where is my new home? Where are my fine clothes? These clothes are too ugly! Someone! Someone! Bring my fine clothes forward, quickly!"

"Qin Lang, come out. Don't scare me."

Li Lin sat on the donkey, looking at this seemingly mad woman, and frowned.

"Sister Xiu Niang, stop pretending. I can see you aren't mad. Come back with me."

Sister Xiu Niang's body froze instantly.

Then she slowly turned around, looking at Li Lin on the donkey's back with a gaze full of resentment.

"I don't want your interference!"

She roared with all her might.

(End of this chapter)