[{"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-6":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},2264606,4420,"Chapter 6: The Secret Rite of the Wángliǎng Womb","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-6",6,"\u003Cp>“I don’t need you to manage me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shrill, piercing voice spread through the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin frowned; he could sense that more “resentment” was gathering from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiumiang, if you don’t go back now, you won’t be able to leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t go back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiumiang suddenly screamed at Li Lin with even greater volume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t want to return to that poor, broken place,” she said, glaring at Li Lin as she stepped backward: “My real name isn’t Xiumiang—I’m the daughter of the Zhou family, I’m Zhou Xiuqing, and I won’t be called Xiumiang anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her current attitude made it clear she had no intention of cooperating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with their voices spreading, more and more “ghosts” were gathering toward this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under normal circumstances, these weak, petty wild ghosts had little deterrent power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was… there were too many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they were invisible—because they were too weak to be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most Spirit Hunters couldn’t see them either; only those with special abilities, like the Heavenly Eye, could perceive them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Li Lin had heard that even those with the Heavenly Eye disliked activating such abilities in the wild at night—apparently, seeing too many was nauseating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she refused to cooperate, he’d have to be forceful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had come out to bring her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dismounted from his donkey and said: “Going back to Feirong County won’t help—there’s no one left in the Zhou family except you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I still have Qin Lang,” Xiumiang sobbed. “He promised me an eight-person palanquin, a proper wife’s status!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you believe what a ghost says?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s not a ghost!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin raised his hand and slapped her across the face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman was stunned into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still holding out?” Li Lin stared coldly at her. “Do you know that to beg me to save you, three men from the Wu family knelt on the ground?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiumiang froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You have ten breaths to decide,” Li Lin said, watching her. “If you don’t come with me now, I can’t protect you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On her darkened face, hesitation flickered; she instinctively stepped farther away, afraid he’d slap her again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if recalling the family affection the Wu household had shown her over the past decade, her eyes grew clear and calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at that moment, beyond the red glow of the White Jade Tablet, a faint shadow called out: “Xiumiang, where are you? Where are you? I’ve already prepared the eight-person palanquin—waiting only for the bride.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qin Lang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the voice, Xiumiang turned and dashed outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin cursed inwardly, lunged forward two steps, and reached out to grab her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xiumiang had retreated several paces earlier—there was now distance. She stood at the edge of the red light, and as she ran out, she escaped its coverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin took two steps forward, then stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched as Xiumiang sank back into the ghost’s illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She began acting mad, wild, unrestrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around her, the gathering ghosts had multiplied—dense, countless, watching him beyond the red glow. Though Li Lin couldn’t see them, he sensed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the previously silenced murmurs of the ghostly voices were growing louder again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red glow of the White Jade Tablet flickered erratically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he delayed further, he wouldn’t just fail to save her—he’d die here himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was only a novice Spirit Hunter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a long look at Xiumiang nearby, then took a black thin blanket from his donkey’s back, wrapped it around himself, and the red glow of the White Jade Tablet vanished. The murmurs around him erupted violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Li Lin rolled over, tumbling off the country path into a patch of tall grass, where a small tree pressed against his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crouched there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Stealth +1】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Stealth +1】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Stealth +1】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Stealth +1】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a Spirit Hunter, and one officially recognized by the government, he enjoyed many privileges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, fifty catties of blood rice each month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the black thin blanket he’d just used—the Ghost-Shielding Cloak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t ordinary material; its exact composition and manufacturing process were classified secrets. Its function was to drastically reduce the chance of being detected by ghosts when worn at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course… it was nearly useless against ghosts with exceptional spiritual power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But combined with Li Lin’s practiced “Stealth Technique,” the effect was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Lin rolled off the path, several ghosts could still “see” him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once he crouched, not a single ghost could detect him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ghosts searched nearby for a while, couldn’t find Li Lin, and, lacking sufficient spiritual awareness, drifted toward Xiumiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiumiang had changed—her belly swelled as if inflated, her face filled with maternal tenderness as she caressed it endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, she screamed in agony—and soon after, a transparent ghost-child was born.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiumiang’s belly deflated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could catch her breath, her belly swelled again; screaming, she gave birth to another ghost-child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two ghost-children were clearly stronger than the others—Li Lin could now see their forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two ghost-children floated above Xiumiang, holding hands, mouths stretched wide enough to swallow a melon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then… Xiumiang’s belly swelled again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hair had turned mostly white, her skin lost its luster, becoming wrinkled and dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiumiang screamed again—this time, she had awakened from the illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the two ghost-children floating above, she cried out: “Someone save me! Who will save me? Ah… I want to go home… home!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she screamed again, as her belly swelled once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, her appearance aged rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Secret Rite of the Wángliǎng Womb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin sighed inwardly and slowly closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shut out the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the 【Stealth +1】 prompt kept flashing furiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long time, dawn broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When sunlight touched Li Lin’s face, he opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ghosts had vanished; he felt his feet were nearly numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed himself up with the nearby tree, stood in place for over a dozen breaths, then slowly regained feeling in his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waiting longer, he could finally shuffle his legs forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the country path, Xiumiang was dead—no flesh or blood remained, only a bleached skeleton and a tattered dress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why? You knew the night was dangerous—why did you run out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin sighed, picked up a stick nearby, scooped Xiumiang’s bones into her dress, bundled the clothing into a pack, and slung the bones over his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he found his little donkey grazing not far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ghosts were only interested in humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin rode the donkey back to the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Shu and Wu Shen, along with many villagers, waited anxiously at the village entrance; seeing only Li Lin return, Wu Shen fainted immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene was utterly silent—only the sound of a nearby stream flowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin handed the bundle to Wu Shu: “Too late. She’s inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Shu recognized his daughter’s clothes; he trembled as he took the bundle: “Thank you, Li Xun…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed his eyes, unable to speak further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Shu didn’t cry, but several nearby aunts began weeping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all villagers, always seeing each other daily—within a single night, Xiumiang, a living woman, had become a small bundle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many couldn’t bear it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin didn’t go home directly—he went to the village’s central altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tree Immortal Lady, why did Xiumiang run outside?” Li Lin’s expression was puzzled. “Don’t tell me… you know nothing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gowned Apparition smiled, bent down, embraced Li Lin’s left arm, her forked tongue hissing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1244,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e16883bbb0027e556c0d0e69f32064bf24f2753b023d6af9a04baa54ff62186c","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-7","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-5",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]