Chapter 52: Revenge Not Delayed Until Tomorrow

After observing for a while, Li Lin memorized the general layout of the Qin residence, finished the food on the table, paid, and left.

He found an inn to stay at, as it was already dark.

The population of Fenyong County was smaller than Yulin County, and naturally less lively.

At night, it became much quieter here.

Li Lin could sense the presence of the True Lord of this county, said to be called “Golden Light True Lord.”

He swallowed two Life-Restoring Pills, then lay down on the bed fully clothed.

Two hours later, he suddenly sat up, donning the Concealing Apparition Robe—the very garment he had taken from the two grave robbers.

This item also served as a night-traveling robe, pitch-black and ideal for hiding his silhouette in the dark.

Li Lin did not take the red-plumed spear; instead, he concealed a short sword on his person.

Since he intended to conceal his trail, he must not reveal any trace of himself.

Deep into the night, few pedestrians remained on the streets; occasionally, a night watchman shuffled by, calling out his rounds.

Li Lin kicked off the wall for leverage, gliding onto the rooftop, then crouched low and moved swiftly forward.

The “Willow Fluff Thirteen Drifts” lightness technique Zhao Hao had given him was truly effective.

He ran across the rooftops for a while, making almost no sound and going unseen by anyone.

Then he arrived at the rooftop of the tavern opposite the Qin residence and crouched there.

He was waiting!

When all the lanterns inside the Qin residence had been extinguished, Li Lin flipped down and landed in the courtyard.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he felt a chilling cold pressing toward him.

His alarm bells rang loudly; he immediately crouched down and hid behind a tree.

He rolled over again, using a blind spot in the line of sight, and slid behind a patch of greenery.

At last, he had fully concealed himself; under the effect of the Stealth Technique, no one should have been able to see him.

The cold sensation grew heavier; through the gaps in the foliage, Li Lin saw a white-clad woman “floating” toward him.

Like the way the Tree Immortal Lady floated.

As the woman drew nearer, Li Lin saw her face.

A plain-looking woman, but her complexion was terrifyingly pale; he had never seen her before.

Yet from the “taste” of her resentment energy, Li Lin recognized her—this was the spirit who had recently come to Shangtikou Village causing trouble, only to be driven off by the Tree Immortal Lady, the one capable of possession.

The female spirit searched around for a while, her expression puzzled.

At that moment, a fat man holding a paper fan walked over from the side.

“Ancestress, what’s wrong?”

The spirit looked at the fat man and said, puzzled: “Just now I sensed a living person who doesn’t belong to our Qin family enter, but when I came over, I saw no one.”

“Maybe you’re mistaken,” the fat man chuckled.

“Possibly. After all, that wretched Liu Zhe isn’t easy to deal with—she struck me twice, and now my spiritual form is unstable.”

The fat man thought for a moment and asked: “Shall I find you a few more young girls to feed on?”

“That would be good,” the spirit smiled. “You’re thoughtful. In a few days, I’ll teach you the complete Mingtaixuancangfa .”

The fat man’s expression brightened; he bowed and said: “I’ll go arrange it immediately. Please wait a moment, Ancestress.”

The spirit nodded lightly, then floated away.

The fat man called toward the side pavilion: “Li Si, Zhang Wu, come attend to me.”

Two servants ran out of the room, yawning as they came.

“Have you found any leads on the matter I assigned you a few days ago?”

“Yes, yes!”

One servant said: “In Waterlogged Alley, east of the county, there’s a household. The husband drowned two years ago while fishing.”

Hearing this, the fat man laughed: “A fisherman who can’t swim? That’s ridiculous.”

“They say he was dragged under by a spirit and couldn’t surface.”

“Ah, that makes more sense.”

The servant continued: “The wife has recently fallen ill. They have two sons and three daughters… She’s run out of money for medicine and plans to sell her two youngest daughters to pay for treatment.”

“How much?”

“One tael of silver.”

“Too expensive. Two worthless maidservants for a tael? Do you think my money grows on trees?” The fat man sneered. “I won’t waste my coin. Take your tools and go bring them back.”

“Young Master, this isn’t right,” the servant hesitated.

“What’s not right? If you won’t do it, get out of the Qin household right now.”

SLAP!

The servant slapped himself hard, blood trickling from his lip: “Young Master, I spoke foolishly just now—please don’t take it to heart.”

“That’s better,” the fat man laughed, his face filled with satisfaction.

“Then we’ll go take care of it,” the servant said, turning to leave.

“Wait!” the fat man suddenly asked: “Is that woman whose husband died… pretty?”

“Decent enough.”

“Then I’ll come with you,” the fat man suddenly perked up.

The two servants dared not object; the three set out together.

The fat man swung his paper fan as he walked, swaying side to side—clearly excited.

It was deep night; the streets were nearly empty.

Li Lin had returned to the rooftops and was now crouching, following them.

[Stealth +1]

The proficiency of the Stealth Technique appeared again.

Li Lin realized that moving half-crouched could still improve the Stealth Technique, but the stealth effect from crouching was far weaker than that from squatting.

Still, it was sufficient.

Mainly, crouching allowed him to move much faster than squatting.

Li Lin trailed the fat man to a district of low, densely packed houses—all old, dilapidated, and small.

The two servants brought the fat man to a tiled-roof house and said: “Young Master, they’re inside.”

“You two guard the door. I’ll go in, have my fun, and come right out.” With that, the fat man entered, his greasy face twisted in lewd delight.

The two servants stood like door gods, one on each side of the wooden gate.

Soon, screams echoed from inside.

The servants remained calm—they’d seen this too many times.

Li Lin had now slipped to the rooftop from behind and gently lifted a tile, revealing the scene within.

Five children, all bruised, huddled in the corner, too terrified to move.

The fat man had stripped off his clothes and pants and was tearing at the woman’s garments, pinning her to the ground.

At that moment, the fat man’s back was directly facing Li Lin.

A massive red frame glowed with unique radiance, shining brightly in Li Lin’s eyes.

Li Lin dropped down.

The fat man let out a pained roar, veins bulging on his face.

He spun around violently, his hands whirling in a swift circle with a sharp *whoosh*—clearly trained in fist techniques, aiming to strike whoever was behind him.

But Li Lin had already retreated; his short sword dripped blood.

The fat man glared at him with bitter hatred, forgot to put his clothes back on, and immediately turned, leaping through the window.

He didn’t care whether his nakedness violated propriety.

Seeing their young master burst out like this, the two “door gods” froze, about to speak.

Yet both felt a sudden pain in their kidneys and collapsed, unconscious.

Li Lin leapt onto the rooftop and continued stealthily pursuing.

“Help! Someone’s killing!”

The fat man knew a lightness technique and ran fast.

He screamed shrilly as he ran.

His cries echoed through the streets.

But the more he screamed, the fewer people dared to emerge.

More people slammed their windows shut.

The fat man ran a while, his body weakening; he had covered great distance, leaving a trail of blood behind.

To be fair, the fat man’s physical condition was indeed strong—he’d run so far and lost so much blood, yet hadn’t fainted.

He ran further, his face and lips turning white; he felt his body growing cold.

In the distance, he could see two lanterns for illumination, each bearing the character “Qin.”

Clutching his lower back, he quickened his pace toward them.

If he reached the Ancestress, he’d be saved!

Soon, he endured the pain and reached the gate; his vision was already blurring, dark specks flickering rapidly in and out.

This was the precursor to unconsciousness.

He looked back; no one was behind him, the assassin had not followed.

Fatty unconsciously exhaled, his left fist striking the wooden door with a thud.

But in that instant, his movement halted, his gaze growing distant.

A sound of steel piercing flesh came from behind.

Moments later, the Qin family’s grand vermilion gate opened, and Fatty’s body tumbled forward as the door swung wide.

“Ah, Young Master, what happened to you!”

The gatekeeper cried out in terror.

(End of Chapter)