Chapter 56: The Fated Lovers

The chill grew ever stronger, and a woman Gui , dressed in lavish robes, appeared beside Li Lin.

Blood dripped from her lips; her eyes were two swirling pools of water.

Li Lin was now clad in a full set of Concealment Robes, and with the Stealth Technique, the Gui could not see him.

Yet this woman Gui seemed to sense he was here, pacing restlessly within the pavilion.

Li Lin dared not breathe.

Because he “saw” the text 【Stealth Technique +1】 constantly refreshing.

Out in the wild, with countless Huanggui passing nearby, his familiarity had stopped increasing—but this one kept climbing.

Clearly, this thing was extremely powerful.

After a long time, the woman Gui finally left.

The chill in the air vanished.

Li Lin still did not move.

He even closed his eyes.

After a while, the woman Gui suddenly reappeared, launching a surprise return.

She searched the pavilion once more before truly departing.

Only then did Li Lin exhale a long, slow breath.

That was dangerously close.

If he had moved when the woman Gui left, he would surely have been discovered.

Li Lin rolled over and left the pavilion—this place could no longer be stayed in.

Though the woman Gui had not found him, her controller likely suspected this location already.

Indeed, just a quarter-hour after Li Lin departed, several members of the Qin household arrived at the brothel and began searching, eventually reaching the pavilion, where they found traces of disturbed dust, confirming someone had been here.

But they did not ask whether the person was male or female.

After all, Li Lin had not entered the pavilion through the main entrance.

The next day, Qin Wu arrived at the main chamber, looking exhausted: “Big brother, are you there?”

“Come in.”

Qin Wu opened the door and froze—he saw his brother Qin Feng standing before the bed, face twisted with malice.

On the bed lay his “elder sister-in-law,” nearly naked.

He immediately turned to leave.

“No need to go. Come here.”

Qin Wu hesitated, turned back, and saw his sister-in-law’s belly swelling at an unnatural rate; then her body shuddered, and a tiny, horrifying Huanggui was born.

The little infant Gui laughed hysterically, flying around Qin Feng and the woman, calling them “Father” and “Mother,” before slowly dissolving into the air.

“The Wandering Womb Secret Rite?” Qin Wu’s face darkened with sorrow as he looked at his brother: “Why use it on her? She’s Xiao Huan’s mother!”

Qin Feng snorted: “The Soul-Tracking Spell didn’t work. She’s only useful for this now. Otherwise, why would I marry a commoner?”

“What about Xiao Huan…?”

“Don’t let him know.”

Qin Wu nodded.

The woman on the bed gave birth to several more Gui infants, her body growing weaker by the moment, shrinking from plumpness to skin stretched over bone, barely clinging to life.

Qin Feng said: “It’s disgusting. Take her away and discard her. Be careful—don’t let anyone else see. And watch yourself. That wild bastard hiding in the shadows is still near our Qin household.”

“Yes, big brother. I’ll be careful.”

Qin Wu nodded, walked over, rolled up the bedding, wrapped the woman—now a grotesque thing—into the bundle, slung her over his shoulder like a sack, and strode out.

Invisible to others, the infant Gui still hovered in the air—but Qin Feng could see them. His smile turned sinister: “My children, don’t worry. Tonight, I’ll let you go out and play.”

Then he opened the door and called: “Old Chou, come here.”

A middle-aged man ran over.

“You’re the best rider,” Qin Wu handed him a sealed letter stamped with the golden seal: “Ride hard to Jingcheng. Deliver this to Prefect Fang, and have him pass it to the main household in the palace.”

The man took the letter, bowed, and turned away.

Meanwhile, Li Lin, hiding in a tree near the Qin household’s back courtyard, watched as someone from the Qin family carried a bundle out the back gate.

He recognized the man—Qin Wu, second-in-command of the Qin household.

The man looked frantic, moved quickly, and deliberately avoided crowded areas.

Li Lin dropped to the ground, bent low, and followed.

From the shape of the bundle, Qin Wu was carrying a person.

Li Lin continued trailing him.

Qin Wu carried the burden faster and faster; outside the quiet outskirts of the county, he broke into a run.

Li Lin swiftly drew his red-tasseled spear and caught up.

Soon, Qin Wu reached a secluded wooden hut.

Li Lin arrived at the window, pressed against the wall, listening.

Qin Wu carefully removed the woman from the bundle, afraid of breaking the frail creature reduced to little more than skin and bone.

He held her in his arms, pressed his right hand against her back meridians, tears in his eyes: “Yanzi, don’t worry—I’ll save you. Qin Feng abandoned you, but now I finally have the chance to rescue you from him. Our family’s reunion is near.”

As he spoke, his right hand glowed with red light.

Vast amounts of blood qi flooded into the woman’s body; her form gradually regained plumpness.

In contrast, Qin Wu’s face grew steadily ashen.

The woman slowly opened her eyes.

“Wu Lang… is it really you…?”

Her voice held disbelief.

“Thank heaven and earth—I saved you.”

“Stop helping me. Your body matters more.”

“It’s fine. You’ll hide here. Once we find the intruders, I’ll find a way to kill Qin… Feng…”

The man gasped for breath, clearly exhausted—saving her had drained him severely.

Now was the moment. Li Lin smashed the window with a punch and leapt in, spear in hand.

“You’re…”

Aaah!

Both man and woman screamed in unison and died, clutching each other.

One spear, two lives.

Li Lin stared at the woman on the ground—he realized she looked exactly like the woman Gui who had searched the pavilion last night!

“This feels deeply unnatural,” Li Lin’s hair prickled.

Isn’t a person only turned into a Gui after death? How can she shift between human and Gui ? Will she turn back into a Gui tonight and come looking for me?

Li Lin scanned the small hut—its furnishings were surprisingly complete.

There was a bed, pots, pans, bowls… and naturally, a fire-starter.

He picked up the fire-starter, lit a flame, and tossed it onto the bed.

Soon, the wooden hut burst into flames.

Li Lin had already left.

A small fire outside the county drew some commotion—but did not catch the Qin household’s attention.

At this moment, Qin Feng waited long in his study, but Qin Wu did not return; a sense of dread stirred in his chest.

Soon, someone knocked on the study door: “Lord, we’ve found Wang Tianyou’s hiding place.”

“He hasn’t left the county yet?”

“We’ve stationed men at the city walls and gates. They can’t escape, especially wounded as he is.”

Qin Feng beamed: “Excellent. Gather the men. Move out immediately to execute the traitor.”

(End of Chapter)