Chapter 68: The Degradation of the Jianghu

Among the white martial attire, the leader was a young man who regarded Li Lin with interest and asked, “Are you here to aid Shunfu Escort Agency?”

Li Lin shook his head.

At that moment, Lin Qiyu called out from the side, “Li Xunshou, don’t fear them—my boss will return soon; Tianyi Sect is no threat. You only need to hold them off for a while.”

Li Lin cast a cold glance in his direction.

The young man across from him continued, “How do you prove you’re not here to lend support?”

“No proof needed—I’ll just leave.”

“Then please,” the young man stepped aside and gestured.

Li Lin did not walk in the direction he indicated; instead, he slowly retreated.

Su Huafang had once said that when in conflict, others may pretend to let you go, but they might strike the moment you turn your back.

Li Lin remembered it well.

Until Li Lin had withdrawn beyond the safe range, the young man across from him made no move.

Seeing Li Lin depart, the young man bowed and said, “Brother, forgive us—this is a matter of grievance between Tianyi Sect and Shunfu Escort Agency. Thank you for showing Tianyi Sect respect.”

Li Lin called from afar, “I never came to lend support.”

“No matter. Whether you did or not, Tianyi Sect owes you a favor,” the young man continued smiling. “If we meet again, I’ll treat you to fine wine.”

Li Lin bowed from afar, then turned and left.

Then he heard a faint voice from behind: Lin Qiyu, you’re as despicable as ever…

Li Lin left the intersection and decided to take a longer route.

Jincheng was large; taking a detour took considerable time. Nearly half an hour later, he arrived at the Artificer Bureau’s gate.

Two government office runners stood outside. Li Lin stated his purpose, and soon a middle-aged artisan received him.

Ordinary people could not directly order items from the Artificer Bureau, but Xunling were ‘officials’ with official status and could purchase here.

“I want a pill furnace—not large, about the size of a small pot.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged artisan chuckled, “For a large pill furnace, we’d need to custom-make it, but for a small one, we have many trial models. Would you like to take a look, Xunshou?”

“Yes.”

Li Lin selected a small lotus-shaped pill furnace, about the size of a small pot, paid five silver taels, and carried it out the Artificer Bureau’s gate—only to find himself facing an acquaintance.

“Li Xunshou, you’ve come to Jincheng too?” Zhao Hao looked surprised.

Li Lin nodded. “Senior Su invited me to assist with a job—earn a bit of silver.”

“Then why are you here…” Zhao Hao’s gaze fell on Li Lin’s pill furnace: “Your studies are remarkably diverse.”

“Just average,” Li Lin smiled.

“Alright, I’ve got something to attend to inside,” Zhao Hao grinned. “Come find me at the government office tomorrow—I’ll show you around. After all, I’m half a Jincheng native.”

“No need to trouble you—I’d rather wander freely.”

Zhao Hao paused, then “understood.” “Oh, I get it—you really should explore on your own. Remember to get red envelopes from them.”

Li Lin rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Zhao Hao burst into loud laughter and stepped into the Artificer Bureau.

Li Lin returned to the inn first, placed the pill furnace down, then went out to stroll again.

He watched acrobatics, chest-breaking stones, fire-spitting, and coins fished from oil vats. He ate many snacks until his stomach was full, then returned to the inn to sleep.

Just then, someone slammed on the door.

He instinctively grabbed the red tassel spear hanging nearby and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Zhao Hao.”

Li Lin opened the door to find Zhao Hao standing outside, his face tense.

“How did you know I’m staying here…”

“Emergency. Let’s talk as we walk.”

“Wait.” Li Lin went back, took a stack of paper charms and several Shengxi Pills from his satchel, tucked them into his clothes, then stepped outside and said, “Go.”

Zhao Hao led the way, striding quickly: “I came to Jincheng because my uncle-by-marriage wanted to introduce me to a noble person—but that noble person vanished recently.”

His face showed clear anxiety.

Li Lin suddenly remembered: not long ago, Huang Qi had mentioned that the upright scholar Zhu Laosan was coming to Jincheng.

And Zhao Hao’s uncle-by-marriage was the Assistant Prefect of Jincheng—so the noble person he meant to meet was Zhu Laosan?

Zhu Laosan had vanished?

This was a major matter.

Zhao Hao continued, “As for how I knew you were at the inn—this place is full of local riffraff; finding someone is easy.”

“Yet you can’t find the noble person?”

“Because this matter may involve a Gui,” Zhao Hao said helplessly.

Li Lin instinctively looked up at the faint divine image in the sky.

Zhao Hao understood his thought and added, “The True Lord doesn’t meddle in mortal affairs—they only oversee the grand scheme. Unless they actually see a Gui right before their eyes, they won’t intervene.”

The two soon arrived before the government office. The gate guards recognized Zhao Hao and let them in immediately.

Inside the government office’s main hall, a large crowd had gathered.

Both martial artists and Xunling were present—over thirty in total.

Li Lin even spotted Su Huafang, Bai Zhiwei, and Bai Bu Fan among them.

They saw Li Lin and Zhao Hao and waved them over.

The two walked over. Su Huafang sighed, “Never expected—thought we’d come to earn silver and enjoy a few days, but now we’ve gotten tangled in this mess.”

Li Lin asked, “Have you guessed what this is about?”

“We know a little.”

As they spoke, a middle-aged man in cloud-and-goose-patterned robes stepped from behind the screen.

Everyone bowed and chorused, “Your Excellency.”

Li Lin bowed and lowered his head as well.

The official on the dais was Fang Hua, a fourth-rank civil officer and Prefect of Jincheng.

“A noble person has vanished in this city, suspected to be the work of a Gui,” Fang Hua stood rigid, his face grim: “You are all my subordinates under Jincheng’s jurisdiction. From this moment, you must find the person within three days—or I lose my post, and none of you will escape punishment.”

With that, Fang Hua swept his sleeve and left.

From the martial artists, a man in black-banded robes, sword at his waist, strode forward: “Gentlemen, martial artists cannot resolve Gui matters. I’ll lead men to seal the city gates and search for suspicious individuals. The rest is yours.”

Among the Jincheng Xunling, a man around thirty bowed and said, “Thank you, Huang Jianxiao.”

The middle-aged man immediately led his men away, hurrying off.

Those left were all Xunling.

The young man turned and said, “As a Tui Guan, I’ll temporarily assume command. Any objections?”

Naturally, none.

A Tui Guan was a seventh-rank official—he had the authority.

Seeing no one speak, the young man continued, “Time waits for no one. Those who know methods to locate a person, step forward.”

Immediately, six men from Jincheng stepped out.

Li Lin thought for a moment, then stepped forward too.

The young man glanced at Li Lin in surprise, then said, “I don’t care how you do it—start your techniques now. Even if your methods are crude, it doesn’t matter.”

The six men immediately displayed their skills.

Some began chanting spells while dancing wildly.

Others pulled out small incense urns and lit incense.

Some sat cross-legged, rolling their eyes white.

Each had their own specialty.

Only Li Lin remained motionless.

The young man looked over and asked, “Friend from Yulin County, what trouble do you have? Why haven’t you begun your technique to find the noble person?”

Li Lin smiled awkwardly: “I don’t know what the noble person looks like…”

(End of Chapter)