Chapter 63: A Chaotic World

Li Lin walked along the official road, the path quiet and serene, the mountains and forests lush as velvet.

Soon it was noon; Li Lin sat beneath a tree and ate his dried rations.

Just as he was nearly finished, faint, rapid footsteps approached from ahead.

He picked up his satchel and long spear, stepping behind the tree to hide.

In this world, anyone you meet while traveling might turn into a ‘ghost’.

Not long after, nearly two hundred village soldiers passed slowly along the road, kicking up a moderate cloud of dust.

The man leading them rode a chestnut mare, his gaze sharp—he was clearly a formidable martial artist.

Li Lin immediately averted his eyes upon seeing him.

Indeed, the man on horseback turned his gaze toward him, his eyes filled with suspicion.

The man scanned twice, found nothing amiss, then turned his gaze forward again.

Only after the village soldiers had passed did Li Lin step out from behind the tree.

This unit was likely heading to reinforce Tang Qibian’s troops, and from the direction they came, they were probably from Beiliu County.

For apart from Yulin County, only Beiliu County’s people traveled this official road.

He finished his last bite of dried rations, then continued toward Yulin County.

Halfway there, his expression turned grim—he caught a faint scent of blood, followed it, and found traces of it on the road ahead, along with over a dozen corpses in the grass beside the road.

All were men; the broken two-wheeled wooden carts nearby confirmed they had been a merchant caravan, ambushed and slaughtered.

Li Lin sighed helplessly—this was the world they lived in.

He turned back, gazing toward the direction he had come from.

The blood had not fully congealed—the massacre had happened recently.

Ordinary bandits couldn’t wipe out a whole caravan; that meant the Beiliu County village soldiers who had just passed were the most likely culprits.

But he had no intention of delivering justice.

Because he couldn’t.

Nearly two hundred soldiers, equipped with sword-and-shield troops, spear-bearers, and archers—this was a fully organized military unit.

And they were led by a county commandant who looked extremely powerful; Li Lin was alone. To confront them would be like an egg striking a stone.

He pushed the matter from his mind and pressed on.

Using his Light Body Technique, Li Lin finally returned to Shangtikou Village before nightfall.

The village, as always, was eerily quiet as evening approached.

Most people had already returned home, barred their doors, and gone to rest.

He went straight to the altar, and the Tree Immortal Lady appeared.

Li Lin extended his left hand; the Tree Immortal Lady wrapped both arms around him.

As always, the sensation was blissful; after feasting, she returned to the altar to rest.

Li Lin returned home, cooked some blood rice to eat, bathed, then lay down on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

This time he slept soundly.

Unlike other places, here, with the Tree Immortal Lady present, he felt especially at ease.

The next day, Li Lin was woken by Xiao Hu.

“Lin Ge, Lin Ge, are you awake?”

Li Lin yawned as he rose, stepped into the courtyard, looked up at the sky—it was nearly noon.

“What is it?”

“Lin Ge, I’ve decided to settle in Shadong Village,” Zhao Xiaohu said with a smile. “In two days, we’re moving there.”

“Decided? What did your father say?” Li Lin asked.

“Da said the whole family—me, Mom, and me—will go.”

Li Lin waved him in. “Come inside and talk.”

Zhao Xiaohu entered the courtyard and said, “Lin Ge, what do you think of this?”

“It’s good. You’ll have people looking out for you in Shadong Village,” Li Lin smiled.

“Actually, I didn’t want to go,” Zhao Xiaohu said, head lowered. “I want to stay with you.”

“If you don’t go to Shadong Village and fulfill your duties, you won’t get blood rice,” Li Lin patted his head and smiled. “No blood rice means no way to strengthen your blood qi, and without that, you can’t learn the Nourishing Yin Scripture.”

Zhao Xiaohu sighed. “I understand, but without someone to guide me, I just feel uneasy.”

“Don’t worry. If you have questions later, come find me. Shadong Village isn’t far—half a day’s walk round trip. Once you’ve saved enough to buy a horse or donkey, it’ll be even faster.”

Zhao Xiaohu could only nod, though his expression was somewhat downcast.

Over the next two days, Li Lin diligently taught Zhao Xiaohu techniques in spearplay, fistwork, and the Spring Nourishing Art.

How much he absorbed depended on his own insight.

Three days later, Li Lin saw off Zhao’s family at the village gate, promising to watch over their old house until the day they returned.

Soon after bidding them farewell, a government office runner arrived on horseback seeking him.

“Li Xunshou, the County Magistrate summons you to the government office.”

Li Lin nodded.

He quickly reached the county seat and entered the government office’s rear courtyard.

There he saw Su Huafang, Bai Liwei, Bai Bu Fan, Zhao Hao, and others already present.

Huang Yan spotted Li Lin, smiled, and nodded. “Everyone is here except Zhao Xiaohu. I now announce a major matter: reliable reports confirm Yue Commandery has fallen.”

The atmosphere grew heavy.

“Qin Tuo, patriarch of the Qin family of Yuecheng, colluded with southern barbarians, seized Yuecheng, murdered the Prefect, and declared himself king,” Huang Yan snorted. “Now our Jincheng Commandery has become a frontier.”

“How dare he!” Zhao Hao exclaimed.

Huang Yan grunted. “Of course he dares—the imperial army is mostly stationed in the north, holding back the Di tribes. Central Plains governance is in decay; our southern borders lack troops. This is the perfect moment for a warlord to rise.”

Many of the Spirit Hunters shook their heads in sorrow.

They traveled constantly—they knew the true state of the Great Qi.

“But don’t worry too much. Tang Qibian’s troops are no pushovers,” Huang Yan continued. “Also, the court has issued a new decree: all Spirit Hunters’ monthly blood rice rations will increase from fifty catties to seventy.”

At this, none of the Spirit Hunters cheered—instead, all frowned.

Blood rice yields were normally stable, never fluctuating wildly.

The sudden increase in monthly rations meant one thing: many Spirit Hunters had died.

That’s why so much blood rice had become available.

Huang Yan observed everyone’s expressions, then added: “As you suspect—the Spirit Hunters in the Central Plains have been disappearing one after another. I submitted inquiries to the court, but received no reply.”

The Spirit Hunters remained silent.

“Therefore, remain vigilant, protect yourselves, and support one another.”

The gathering dispersed. Huang Yan motioned for Li Lin to follow him to the Huang residence.

In the Huang family’s rear courtyard.

Huang Qing, accompanied by the young girl from the pavilion, served tea to her father and Li Lin.

“Li Xunshou, this is a letter we recently intercepted. Take a look.”

Huang Yan pushed an envelope toward Li Lin.

Li Lin opened and read it, surprised: “A plea for aid from the Qin family of Feirong County!”

“Yes, intercepted by our Huang family and delivered here,” Huang Yan smiled. “You did well handling the destruction of the Qin family of Feirong County!”

(End of Chapter)