[{"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-95":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},2264695,4420,"Chapter 95: New Arrivals","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-95",95,"\u003Cp>The old man was taken away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the man’s eyes was nothing but helplessness, despair, and confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the courtroom, before any torture could be applied, the old man confessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had lost his wife in his youth and never remarried after that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He endured over twenty years, raising his son alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his son married, the three of them lived together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, his daughter-in-law gave birth to two grandsons, and the family seemed truly happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occasionally, when changing clothes or bathing, she paid little attention to privacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then… he lost control. When she resisted, he struck her head with a piece of firewood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The infant’s piercing cries drowned out the daughter-in-law’s screams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he had finally satisfied his beastly lust, the daughter-in-law was already lifeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why the government office runners easily spotted the fresh earth and unearthed the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The case was solved quickly—less than half a day total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the investigation report was handed to Huang Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qi nodded: “It seems he’s fully capable of the County Inspector’s post—we need not assist him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you may go ahead and seek out the Third Imperial Prince.” Huang Yan smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From now on, I can no longer remain by my parents’ side.” Huang Qi’s expression grew somber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Yan chuckled: “It’s fine… I’ve already sent a pigeon message, summoning your younger brother back from Jingcheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such things are unavoidable—I’m sure your elder sister will understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qi sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the case was closed, it was already late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin returned home to find his entire family waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including Hong Luan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The custom was this: only after the master returned and took up his chopsticks could the others begin eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, special circumstances were another matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dinner, after bathing, came another night of tangled embraces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time Hong Luan did not faint; she merely gasped for breath for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.” Li Lin smiled. “Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m your wife now—I naturally side with you.” Hong Luan grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Li Lin returned to the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken than the Tree Immortal Lady appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold and distant, her eyes held reproach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reproach vanished from the Tree Immortal Lady’s eyes, replaced by a touch of tenderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tree Immortal Lady glared at him, then vanished back into the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin thought she was embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He returned home and began to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, he had sensed that whenever he stayed in Shangti Kou Village, his cultivation speed noticeably increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was psychological—he felt safe here, with the Tree Immortal Lady present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, during cultivation, one is mostly defenseless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the county town, he always felt uneasy, and his cultivation quality suffered accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several days of undisturbed cultivation, his Nourishing Yin Technique improved greatly—but it brought an unpleasant side effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a chill in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first puzzled, he soon realized: he was no longer a virgin—he had lost a portion of his yang energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To counter this, he reduced his Nourishing Yin Technique practice and increased his Reviving Spring Nourishment Art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also ate more blood rice and Life-Restoring Pills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About ten days later, a government office runner rode over to notify him: the County Magistrate had summoned all Spirit Hunters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin arrived at the government office’s back courtyard. Among the familiar faces were three new arrivals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two men, one woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All young, each with a face full of vigor and youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood together, forming their own small group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin was nearly the last to arrive. He glanced around and noticed Su Huafang had not yet come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu ran over, grinning: “Brother Lin, I’ve entered the Reviving Spring Nourishment Art. Can you teach me the Nourishing Yin Technique now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Extend your hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu’s face turned bright red. He glanced at the woman nearby—she seemed not to have heard—and sighed in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female Spirit Hunter’s gaze finally turned toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu panicked and clamped his hand over Bai Bufen’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Su Huafang finally arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first to step forward was a man in black training attire. He spoke calmly: “Yan Han, eighth-rank Spirit Hunter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bai Yunfei, eighth-rank.” The younger man’s expression was icy, as if everyone here owed him money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female Spirit Hunter bowed and smiled: “Ding Yingqiu… ninth-rank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Yingqiu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the name, nearly every Spirit Hunter’s eyes lit with recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Yingqiu and Ding Yingchun did resemble each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And both were equally unattractive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her upbringing in a noble family gave her an air of refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Li Lin recalled something: Su Huafang had once told him he should seek out the Ding family to exchange dual-cultivation techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ding family was in Guicheng—a long journey, so Li Lin had put it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected one of them to come to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Su Huafang turned and smiled: “Fate arrives of its own accord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1295,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","71e54fac63ee3dbfc125e703f20e0cc70bcc16de2fa56cb3bb2e2ea92c3f1c6a","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-96","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-94",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]