[{"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-98":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},2264698,4420,"Chapter 98: The Situation Shifts","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-98",98,"\u003Cp>That night, the three slept in a large dormitory room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu’s snoring was extremely loud, slightly disrupting Li Lin’s sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, the three ate casually on the street, then went to the government office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magistrate Ma was already waiting: “Gentlemen, how may I assist you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring out the portraits of all missing Spirit Hunters in your county, let me see them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t have their portraits, but the court artist can draw them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magistrate Ma immediately sent someone to summon two artists from the Criminal Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the faces of four local Spirit Hunters were drawn on paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two were skilled in detailed brushwork; while not perfectly lifelike, their likenesses were accurate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin memorized the four men’s faces, then bowed and said: “Magistrate Ma, we’ll be off now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, of course,” Magistrate Ma said earnestly. “There are only four Spirit Hunters left in my county. Please, Li Xunshou, do your best to find them. Without them, my county will have none left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin gave a slight nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three arrived at the city gate, where Li Lin laid a stack of paper figures on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the small paper figures turned from white to pink, then hopped and skipped away, vanishing into the wilderness shortly after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Lin, how did you know those three disappeared outside the city?” Zhao Xiaohu asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin smiled: “Just a hunch. Magistrate Ma’s men must have already searched the city, so it’s likely they vanished outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai BuFan glanced around and asked: “Li Xunshou, what should I do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing for now. Just wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai BuFan stepped aside and chatted idly with Zhao Xiaohu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin waited patiently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About two sticks of incense later, Li Lin said: “Found one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin immediately rushed off in one direction, and the other two followed at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After running about half a stick of incense, Li Lin saw several small paper figures circling a corpse, hopping in a strange dance, as if performing a ritual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Lin drew near, the paper figures instantly fled, seeking another target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin looked at the man and froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was clearly dead—his face was pale!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin was astonished. He had used the pathfinding paper figures under the assumption that the four might still be alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now he found a corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange—why hadn’t the corpse been devoured by the wilderness spirits after several days?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he have died this morning?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin wasn’t skilled in corpse examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Bai BuFan stepped closer, studied it for a moment, then his expression turned strange: “Li Xunshou, this man died at dawn, no more than two hours ago. And his wounds…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin looked at the corpse’s wounds—several short, sharp blade cuts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected Bai BuFan to have coroner’s skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai BuFan fell silent for a long while, then said: “It seems to be my uncle’s Twin Serpents Leaving Water Sword Technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This truly surprised Li Lin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were Bai Zhiwei and the others in Beiliu County?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What connection did their presence have with the missing Spirit Hunters here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu walked over and asked: “Brother Lin, what should we do with the corpse? Should we notify them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go back and tell them to come collect it. Bai and I will wait here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu nodded and ran off immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin sat down on a nearby rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai BuFan fell silent again—his uncle had killed Beiliu County’s Spirit Hunters. This could be a big or small matter; he didn’t know which it would turn out to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Zhao Xiaohu returned with several government office runners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the corpse, their expressions turned grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One man, resembling a constable, glared at Li Lin: “What happened? Why is he dead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s your job to investigate,” Li Lin coldly replied. “Or do you think we killed him? If so, we’ll return to Yulin County immediately. Find the rest yourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhao Xiaohu and Bai BuFan had already gone on guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially Zhao Xiaohu—he had already taken a ready stance with his spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waited only for Li Lin’s order to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The constable froze, then lowered his head: “Sorry. I spoke out of line.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t truly blamed Li Lin—seeing one of their own dead, anger had flared, and they’d lashed out at the nearest target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave the corpse to you,” Li Lin waved dismissively. “Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then led Zhao Xiaohu and Bai BuFan away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The constable watched their backs, slapped himself hard, then shouted: “A few of you, carry Lu Xunshou’s body back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking a while longer, they found a second corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dead man’s eyes were wide open, unblinking, with a black hole in his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The paper figures hopped and somersaulted over the corpse; when Li Lin approached, they fled again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai BuFan couldn’t help saying: “Li Xunshou, your paper figures are… oddly lively.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, I learned this paper-folding technique from the Dao Gong tradition—it differs from the ones in Central Plains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin could only blame the Dao Gong shamanic tradition for the oddity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t admit these little paper figures were just manifestations of his own inner nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too embarrassing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai BuFan eyed Li Lin skeptically, then examined the corpse: “Killed by a longsword. The strike was brutal—after piercing the throat, the blade was twisted several times, creating this wound.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was indeed brutal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Neither my uncle nor Su Huafang uses swords,” Bai BuFan took a breath, then said. “But Ding Xun uses a sword. The Ding family’s Wind and Thunder Sword Art is well-known.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu walked over: “Should I go notify them again to collect the body?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Beiliu County people are dishonorable. Ignore them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xiaohu believed him and grunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai BuFan’s lips curled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin suddenly sensed something and sprinted forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he reached a small grove, he stopped and signaled the other two to be silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three then moved slowly forward, using trees and bushes for cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin didn’t use a stealth technique—only softened his steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, they entered the grove and heard angry muttering ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These disgusting paper figures—how many are there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve cut down several, and more just pop up again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And they’re fast, darting around everywhere—so annoying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Spirit Hunters were chasing several small paper figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the paper figures weren’t extremely fast, the terrain was complex, making them slippery as they darted about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, they were far stronger than the paper figures. After some time, they reduced all the paper figures to shreds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two leaned against tree trunks, panting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thin-faced man said: “That Ding woman is a pain—even poisoned, she’s unaffected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And that Su—when I find him, I’ll peel his skin off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin’s eyes sharpened—the surnames matched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Huafang and the others must have arrived here, but for some reason, clashed with the local Spirit Hunters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Lin looked at Bai BuFan and Zhao Xiaohu, then made a throat-slitting gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai BuFan’s expression twisted into a feral grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1177,"2026-06-19T19:39:18.782Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0ac585008ec1bd29f5f48b74613d25a84bbc87961c849b5b505c38370fc60a92","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-99","dark-and-dawn-light-years-chapter-97",221,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdark-and-dawn-light-years-cover.jpg"]