Chapter 53: Newcomers and Old-Timers Are Very Different

The next morning.

The Fat Man's corpse had already been moved back to the main hall of Qin Fu.

He had even been thoughtfully dressed, no longer in a state of nudity.

A middle-aged man with half-white hair looked at the corpse on the ground, his face filled with grief.

"Who did this?"

The gatekeeper shook his head vigorously: "Master, I did not see."

The middle-aged man lifted his leg and kicked the gatekeeper flying with a single kick.

The gatekeeper was sent flying several meters, crashing into the wall; ignoring the blood he was vomiting, he immediately got up and kowtowed, the sound thudding loudly: "Master, spare my life, I beg Master to spare my life!"

"Get out!"

The gatekeeper scrambled away on hands and knees.

Another middle-aged man standing nearby, named Qin Wu, said: "Big Brother, I have already examined Lang'er's wounds. He was struck directly in the kidneys by a short weapon, twice. As far as I know, none of the sects in our southern region possess such a technique. Even in an ambush, one would stab the heart or slash the throat; I have never seen, nor heard of, someone specifically targeting the kidneys."

The head of Qin Fu was named Qin Feng; he had a rugged appearance, a long beard, and was known as the Long-Bearded Gentleman of Fei Rongxian.

His tone sounded somewhat weak: "Could the murderer have deliberately concealed the origin of their technique?"

"That is possible," Qin Wu agreed, saying: "But Lang'er's wounds are very narrow at the point of impact, and clean and decisive, with no extra scars. This clearly requires a specialized weapon and a unique method of applying force. The murderer is very skilled in this method of attack, so the murderer..."

At that very moment, a servant rushed in from outside, covered in blood, his face terrifyingly pale.

The two men looked over, and their expressions immediately changed drastically.

Because this servant was clutching his kidney, his lower body was almost soaked through with fresh blood, his trousers black.

Wherever he passed, there was one bloody footprint after another.

"What happened!" Qin Feng strode a few steps to the servant's front: "You are Tian'er's attendant... how did you end up in this state?"

This servant had only his last breath left; clutching his kidney, the fact that he could run here while bleeding was already a miracle.

"The Young Master... went to find the murderer..." The servant's voice grew smaller and smaller.

At this time, Qin Wu immediately reached out and pressed his hand against the servant's back, injecting a wisp of Yuan Qi into him.

A glimmer of spirit returned to the servant's eyes; he spoke in broken fragments: "In Shui Jin Alley... at the end of the alley, there were people in black... stabbing someone. The Young Master and we all..."

Speaking to this point, the servant's body convulsed for a while, then fell silent.

"Tian'er!"

Blood vessels appeared in Qin Feng's eyes; his face was terrifyingly gloomy, and his hands were trembling.

"Second Brother, you stay here to guard the house; I fear this is the enemy's plan to draw the tiger away from the mountain," Qin Feng said, forcing back his grief: "I will go over and take a look."

Qin Wu's face was also full of sorrow: "Very well, I will stay here and not let anyone cause trouble."

Qin Feng turned and left, departing in a hurry.

After everyone had left, Qin Wu's expression shifted from sorrow to a certain kind of delight; then he rubbed his face and said softly: "No, no, do not be like this."

Then he began to examine the servant's wounds; after looking for a while, he shook his head and said: "So cruel. Although it was not a fatal blow in one strike, it was enough to make one lose the ability to resist, with unbearable pain. Such a killing move could rightly be called torture. When did such a ruthless person appear in our Southern Border?"

At this moment, Li Lin, wearing ordinary clothes, was crouching on a tree, hiding.

Although he was quite far from the 'crime scene', the advantage of his higher position still allowed him to see the situation there clearly.

He watched a middle-aged man holding the corpse of the deceased, wailing in pain; he watched him go mad nearby, punching and kicking, injuring several of his own servants who followed him.

He also watched that middle-aged man there in impotent rage: "Beast! If you have the guts, come out! My Qin family will fight you to the death!"

"Hmm, this must be the head of the family, Qin Feng," Li Lin nodded lightly, memorized the other's face, then flipped off the tree and moved away from the place.

He arrived at a small stall on West Street and began drinking tofu pudding.

Sweet... the taste was excellent.

Opposite him, a man was eating spicy tofu pudding, splashed with red oil.

The two exchanged a glance, then looked at each other's bowls, and both snorted, expressing mutual disdain.

After finishing the tofu pudding, Li Lin began searching here; soon he found a shop, on whose plaque was written 'Fang Family Paper Horse Shop'.

This must be the place.

Li Lin entered; inside were many paper effigies, including paper horses and paper money, and there was a strange scent of sandalwood.

The scents of various things mixed together, creating a strange smell.

"Is the shopkeeper here?" Li Lin called out.

"Here!"

Not long after, a middle-aged man with a mouse-whisker mustache shaped like the character 'eight' walked out from inside; the other had small eyes and was very thin.

At the same time, this person's clothing was also quite unconventional.

On his head was a red Buddhist Pilu hat, he wore a black Taoist robe, and on his feet were a pair of thonged wooden clogs, looking particularly contradictory.

But Li Lin knew clearly that such a person was a local 'Witch-Doctor' of the Southern Border, formally known as a Dao Gong.

They could perform at both funerals and weddings.

The shopkeeper came out, saw Li Lin, and was slightly stunned: "The guest's background... is extraordinary."

His eyes held a cunningness like that of a fox.

Li Lin clasped his fist and smiled: "Lady Shu Xian sent me over."

Hearing these words, the shopkeeper's eyes widened greatly; his expression became very joyful, also carrying some nostalgia; finally, his expression softened, and the cunningness in his eyes vanished.

"Is Lady well?"

"She should be fine, just speaks little."

"Haha, she has always been like that." The shopkeeper invited Li Lin to sit, then asked: "What matter did Lady send you to find me for?"

"I wish to learn talisman art; she recommended you to me." Li Lin looked at the other person, then asked: "Shopkeeper, you originally should have been a Li Xunshou as well."

"Yes!" The shopkeeper said with a sighing tone: "Talisman art... according to the rules, I should not transmit it to you, but since Lady sent you, then there is no problem. You must currently be a Li Xunshou of Shang Ti Kou Village."

"Yes."

"Twenty years ago, I was too."

Li Lin was quite surprised: "Aren't you from Feirong County? Going to Yulin County to become a Li Xunshou?"

"There are... many Spirit-Hunters here." The shopkeeper wore a strange expression: "So I could only go outside to make a living back then. Later, some things happened... never mind, let's not speak of the past. Please wait a moment; I'll go get the item for you."

The shopkeeper turned and went back into the inner room, and not long after, he walked out again.

In his hand appeared a yellowed old handwritten copy: "This is the talisman art the Noble Lady mentioned."

Li Lin took it and found four large characters written on the cover: "Detailed Account by the Dao Gong."

Dao Gong?

"This book is the inheritance of the Dao Gong. Although its contents are quite mixed and even somewhat chaotic, it does indeed record the basics of talisman art. My talent is limited; I only learned some minor tricks like paper horse crafting. I cannot master the great path of talisman art." The shopkeeper's eyes held a touch of envy: "But since the Noble Lady sent you here, I suppose you must have talent in this regard."

Li Lin took it and asked: "How much silver?"

"Give whatever you like. After all, it's a handwritten copy; I have one for myself too."

Li Lin presented a hundred-tael silver note.

The shopkeeper did not look at the amount; he took it and slipped it into his sleeve, then subconsciously said: "Actually, I am somewhat worried about the Noble Lady. She does not consume blood and qi; I don't know how much longer she can endure. I should find a time to go back and visit her."

She does not consume blood and qi?

"She does eat," Li Lin said subconsciously.

"Eats?" The shopkeeper paused, then instinctively asked: "Eats whose?"

Li Lin said nothing.

The shopkeeper stared at Li Lin's handsome face for a while, then suddenly grew furious: "Get out! Get out!"

Li Lin instinctively stepped back.

Then the shop's main door slammed shut with a boom.

From inside came the shopkeeper's faint sobbing.

"Noble Lady, my Noble Lady..."

(End of this chapter)