Chapter 95: New Arrivals

The old man was taken away.

In the man’s eyes was nothing but helplessness, despair, and confusion.

Back in the courtroom, before any torture could be applied, the old man confessed.

He had lost his wife in his youth and never remarried after that.

He endured over twenty years, raising his son alone.

After his son married, the three of them lived together.

Later, his daughter-in-law gave birth to two grandsons, and the family seemed truly happy.

But as time passed, the daughter-in-law grew accustomed to life in this small household, and over the years, she came to see him as an elder, letting down her guard between the sexes.

Occasionally, when changing clothes or bathing, she paid little attention to privacy.

Especially after the youngest grandson was born, she would breastfeed openly in front of him, unconcerned—successfully stoking the old man’s lust, after he had gone twenty years without release.

One day, while his son was away working, the daughter-in-law sat by the hearth cooking, her blouse open as she nursed; when he entered, she merely smiled, unfazed.

Then… he lost control. When she resisted, he struck her head with a piece of firewood.

The infant’s piercing cries drowned out the daughter-in-law’s screams.

When he had finally satisfied his beastly lust, the daughter-in-law was already lifeless.

He dared not dispose of the body elsewhere, so he dragged it to the back of the house and buried it shallowly, with no time to dig deep.

That was why the government office runners easily spotted the fresh earth and unearthed the corpse.

The case was solved quickly—less than half a day total.

And the investigation report was handed to Huang Yan.

After reading it, he smiled: “No wonder he’s the prodigy of a thousand-year clan—his investigative logic is clear, his commands natural, clearly the habit of someone accustomed to authority.”

Huang Qi nodded: “It seems he’s fully capable of the County Inspector’s post—we need not assist him.”

“Then you may go ahead and seek out the Third Imperial Prince.” Huang Yan smiled.

“From now on, I can no longer remain by my parents’ side.” Huang Qi’s expression grew somber.

Huang Yan chuckled: “It’s fine… I’ve already sent a pigeon message, summoning your younger brother back from Jingcheng.”

“Good. With my brother helping Father, I can rest easy.” Huang Qi smiled. “Also… I won’t be able to attend my elder sister’s wedding.”

“Such things are unavoidable—I’m sure your elder sister will understand.”

Huang Qi sighed softly.

…

After the case was closed, it was already late.

Li Lin returned home to find his entire family waiting for him.

Including Hong Luan.

The custom was this: only after the master returned and took up his chopsticks could the others begin eating.

Of course, special circumstances were another matter.

After dinner, after bathing, came another night of tangled embraces.

This time Hong Luan did not faint; she merely gasped for breath for a long while.

Then she nestled in Li Lin’s arms and said: “Lady asked if you had any other women. I didn’t mention the Tree Immortal Lady.”

“Mm.” Li Lin smiled. “Good.”

“I’m your wife now—I naturally side with you.” Hong Luan grinned.

“Then you should take charge of this household from now on.” Li Lin thought for a moment. “I’ll still need to return to the village from time to time.”

Hong Luan nodded vigorously. “Don’t worry, Master—I’ll run this household well. By the time the Young Lady arrives, she’ll find a peaceful, orderly home.”

The next day, Li Lin returned to the village.

He came to the altar. The Tree Immortal Lady did not appear. He smiled and said: “In two or three months, I’ll be staying in the county town for long stretches!”

No sooner had he spoken than the Tree Immortal Lady appeared.

Cold and distant, her eyes held reproach.

Li Lin continued: “But I haven’t abandoned you. When the County Magistrate leaves, he’ll take the Four Marvels True Lord with him. He asked me who should preside over the temple—I nominated you. Because I wish to remain where you are.”

The reproach vanished from the Tree Immortal Lady’s eyes, replaced by a touch of tenderness.

Li Lin went on: “We’ve grown so familiar. Yet aside from your name, Liu Zhe, I know nothing of you. For instance… when were you from?”

The Tree Immortal Lady glared at him, then vanished back into the altar.

Li Lin thought she was embarrassed.

He returned home and began to cultivate.

Lately, he had sensed that whenever he stayed in Shangti Kou Village, his cultivation speed noticeably increased.

Perhaps it was psychological—he felt safe here, with the Tree Immortal Lady present.

After all, during cultivation, one is mostly defenseless.

In the county town, he always felt uneasy, and his cultivation quality suffered accordingly.

After several days of undisturbed cultivation, his Nourishing Yin Technique improved greatly—but it brought an unpleasant side effect.

He felt a chill in his body.

At first puzzled, he soon realized: he was no longer a virgin—he had lost a portion of his yang energy.

To counter this, he reduced his Nourishing Yin Technique practice and increased his Reviving Spring Nourishment Art.

He also ate more blood rice and Life-Restoring Pills.

About ten days later, a government office runner rode over to notify him: the County Magistrate had summoned all Spirit Hunters.

Li Lin arrived at the government office’s back courtyard. Among the familiar faces were three new arrivals.

Two men, one woman.

All young, each with a face full of vigor and youth.

They stood together, forming their own small group.

Li Lin was nearly the last to arrive. He glanced around and noticed Su Huafang had not yet come.

Zhao Xiaohu ran over, grinning: “Brother Lin, I’ve entered the Reviving Spring Nourishment Art. Can you teach me the Nourishing Yin Technique now?”

“Extend your hand.”

Zhao Xiaohu obeyed. Li Lin felt his pulse, then said: “You’ve indeed entered the realm—but a month later than I expected… Stop sneaking off to brothels with Bai Xunshou. It’s not good.”

Zhao Xiaohu’s face turned bright red. He glanced at the woman nearby—she seemed not to have heard—and sighed in relief.

At that moment, Bai Bufen walked over. “Li Xunshou, don’t blame me—I only took him once. After that, he went on his own.”

The female Spirit Hunter’s gaze finally turned toward them.

Zhao Xiaohu panicked and clamped his hand over Bai Bufen’s mouth.

Just then, Su Huafang finally arrived.

Seeing everyone present, Huang Yan rose from the pavilion and said: “As you all know, our Yulin County lacks sufficient Spirit Hunters. I’ve petitioned the imperial court for reinforcements. The court, moved by our labors, has dispatched three experts. Introduce yourselves.”

The first to step forward was a man in black training attire. He spoke calmly: “Yan Han, eighth-rank Spirit Hunter.”

“Bai Yunfei, eighth-rank.” The younger man’s expression was icy, as if everyone here owed him money.

The female Spirit Hunter bowed and smiled: “Ding Yingqiu… ninth-rank.”

Ding Yingqiu?

Upon hearing the name, nearly every Spirit Hunter’s eyes lit with recognition.

Seeing all eyes on her, Ding Yingqiu looked embarrassed, then added: “You may know my cousin… Ding Yingchun. We’re family—similar names are natural.”

Ding Yingqiu and Ding Yingchun did resemble each other.

And both were equally unattractive.

But her upbringing in a noble family gave her an air of refinement.

Still, Li Lin recalled something: Su Huafang had once told him he should seek out the Ding family to exchange dual-cultivation techniques.

The Ding family was in Guicheng—a long journey, so Li Lin had put it off.

He hadn’t expected one of them to come to him.

At that moment, Su Huafang turned and smiled: “Fate arrives of its own accord!”

(End of Chapter)