Chapter 61: Qin Feng Dies

Qin Feng's roar, fueled by blood qi, was deafening—nearly half the county heard it.

But Li Lin still remained where he was, using the terrain between buildings to find a hidden corner no one could spot, slipping back into stealth.

Then, he bent low and moved away, taking up a new position.

Qin Feng scanned his surroundings, saw no one, and turned to search—when Ding Junhui and Wang Tianyou lunged at him again.

The three clashed once more.

Li Lin seized the opportunity, crouched in a suitable spot, surveyed the battlefield, and began rapidly forming hand seals.

The intense surge of qi immediately drew the attention of nearly everyone on the battlefield.

Qin Feng glanced toward a direction and snorted.

He unleashed a palm strike through empty air, knocking Wang Tianyou back several steps, then braced himself to dodge.

"Filth, such despicable tricks cannot be repeated again and again."

Qin Feng laughed loudly—he believed he could easily dodge such an obvious Fallen Thunder Incantation.

Then, a dual-colored blue-and-red dry thunderbolt descended.

Qin Feng was about to leap backward when his expression changed.

He whirled his head—and saw one of his own trusted men, brought from his household, struck by lightning, his clothes exploding into ash, his body blackened and collapsed.

In that moment, he understood Li Lin's plan.

The enemy intended to weaken his side.

"Filth, dare to face me directly!" Qin Feng roared.

He had spotted Li Lin and was about to charge—when Ding Junhui and Wang Tianyou's attacks grew even fiercer.

These two, of course, could see Li Lin's intent—and naturally cooperated.

Meanwhile, with the opponent slain, Ding's elite fighter now joined the encirclement against Qin Feng.

Suddenly, three heroes battled Lü Bu.

Li Lin ducked behind cover again, then crouched out—ten breaths later, another lightning bolt struck.

Another Qin family expert fell.

The Fallen Thunder Incantation had little effect on Qin Feng—but for mid-tier "experts," it was a death sentence.

Two men fell in succession; Qin Feng panicked—and worse, another Ding family elite joined the encirclement.

"Find that filth!" Qin Feng roared.

Too late—the next Fallen Thunder Incantation struck, and another Qin family expert died.

Now five men surrounded him.

Qin Feng was driven back step by step, no longer the effortless fighter he had been.

Ten breaths later, the fourth thunderbolt fell.

Almost all Qin family experts lay dead; only a few stragglers still fought desperately.

Li Lin shouted: "Brothers, I've done all I can—rest is yours!"

With that, his figure vanished from the rooftop.

A Wang family expert who had just broken free picked up the fallen copper wire net and shouted: "All of you, pin his footwork—don't let him escape!"

The encircling fighters instantly understood—they unleashed their strongest killing techniques simultaneously.

Qin Feng's blood qi surged as he barely blocked three attacks, but two others seized the opening to slash his back and strike his body with palms.

He spat blood, staggered forward two steps.

Then a massive net came crashing down over his head.

He could no longer dodge.

The copper wire net wrapped his body; iron hooks along its edges sank into his flesh, blood streaming.

Qin Feng screamed wildly, straining both hands to tear the net apart.

But this net was made specifically for experts—he hadn't even ripped it open when five attacks struck him at once.

Four weapons and two bare palms—Qin Feng spat blood, his body nearly unrecognizable.

His eyes filled with disbelief—he had never imagined he would die today.

He would die so cleanly, so easily.

He still had decades of wealth and comfort ahead…

But no matter how unwilling, he collapsed.

"You'll… die too… someone… will avenge me!"

With those words, Qin Feng closed his eyes.

Wang Tianyou looked at Qin Feng's closed eyes and exhaled in relief.

"We truly owe your friend a great debt," Ding Junhui said, approaching with lingering dread: "I never thought this old dog of the Qin family was so strong."

"Neither did I," Wang Tianyou admitted, his face still pale with fear: "The Qin family only established itself here in the last twenty years—I assumed they were nothing special, brought only a few household guards… yet we nearly capsized in a puddle."

"Regardless, Qin Feng is dead," Ding Junhui asked: "What now with the Qin family?"

"I'll go to the county magistrate and speak with him," Wang Tianyou said: "You handle the rest of the Qin family affairs. Also, divide whatever you seize from the Qin household into three shares—you, me, and him. Understood?"

"Naturally," Ding Junhui smiled: "Our Ding family always acts fairly. Rest assured."

The two parted, each to their tasks.

At this moment, Li Lin had retreated to the upper floor of the spring pavilion, seated in meditation to rest.

Five consecutive Fallen Thunder Incantations had drained his yin qi to near exhaustion; if he didn't recover soon, his dantian and heart meridians might be damaged.

About six hours later, Li Lin finally opened his eyes.

He pulled out several paper dolls and sent them to find Wang Tianyou.

Soon, the paper figures began to show signs of movement.

Because the paper figures were under his control, he could sense the location of every single one.

After the burning of one incense stick, he arrived at the gate of Qin Fu.

Wang Tianyou was standing there; upon seeing Li Lin approach, he immediately waved his hand.

After the two entered Qin Fu, the main gate was shut immediately.

Wang Tianyou walked ahead and saw that in the hall of the fourth courtyard, a huge amount of treasure was piled up.

Gold, silver, medicinal herbs, and bolts of cloth!

For Soul Hunters, these were merely icing on the cake; the truly valuable items were the six secret manuals placed on the table.

"There happen to be exactly six; how about each of us picks two?" Ding Junhui said with a smile.

Wang Tianyou nodded.

Li Lin, however, said, "Why not make several copies of all six? Wouldn't that mean the three of us would each possess six secret manuals?"

Wang and Ding exchanged glances.

Finally, Wang Tianyou spoke in a low voice, "According to the rules of the Jianghu, one does not make handwritten copies of secret manuals when dividing the spoils."

Oh!

So there was such a strange rule?

It seemed the mindset of "exclusive skill" was at work.

Strange rules usually arise from some strange cause leading to that result; Li Lin did not wish to challenge such a rule, so he nodded and said, "Then I will follow your lead."

Wang Tianyou said, "The one who contributed the most this time is Brother Li, so you shall choose first."

Without Li Lin, he would have died long ago.

Ding Junhui had no objection either; a Soul Hunter who wielded the Fallen Thunder Incantation so skillfully was someone the Ding family was willing to befriend.

Li Lin did not decline; he walked over, glanced at the covers of the secret manuals for a moment, and took the "Sutra of Nurturing Nature" and a copy of the "Obscure Character Art".

As for the gold, silver, and treasures, he took none of them; instead, he took three pieces of women's gold jewelry, which were clearly of imperial manufacture and exquisitely crafted.

"Are these three items acceptable?" Li Lin asked.

"No problem."

"It is fine."

Both Wang and Ding waved their hands.

Li Lin looked at the sky and said, "Then I shall go rest first; we shall meet again another day, gentlemen."

The two bowed to Li Lin and escorted him out to the gate.

Afterwards, the gate closed, and the atmosphere within Qin Fu instantly became solemn.

In the eyes of Wang Tianyou and Ding Junhui, there was a cold cruelty.

(End of this chapter)