Chapter 332: line with translation of chapter title

title: Chapter 338 Totem

"Young Hero Lin finally agreed to show up."

Hu Suqi seemed to have long known that Lin Ke was trailing behind Senior Brother Shi, though it's unclear whether she guessed it or sensed it.

"Hehe..."

Lin Ke chuckled and told Hu Suqi, "I don't deserve the title of Young Hero that you, the Witch Charm Master, bestow upon me."

Hu Suqi's face darkened, and she said displeased, "Young Hero Lin, do you think I'm behind all this?"

"No, that's not it."

Lin Ke shook his head, thought a moment, then added, "Just a suspicion. Well, I came to confront the Witch Charm Master, didn't I?"

"Hmph..."

Hu Suqi snorted coldly, "You two brothers are truly upright gentlemen and righteous heroes, each of you sneaking into women's chambers at night! Is there anything that can't be discussed with a proper daytime visit?"

Facing the accusation, Lin Ke remained unmoved and smiled, "During the day I met the second daughter of a provincial governor; at night I met the Witch Charm Master who founded the Witch Charm organization. They're not the same."

"Hmph!"

Hearing Lin Ke's excuse, Hu Suqi became very indignant.

After a moment, she gestured for Lin Ke to sit down and talk.

Lin Ke obliged, going to the small sitting room beside the bedroom and sitting down, even taking a sip of the tea Hu Suqi poured.

"Aren't you afraid I'll poison the water, Young Hero Lin?"

Hu Suqi herself also took a light sip of tea, asking curiously.

"Not afraid, anyway this body is just a clone."

Lin Ke spoke frankly, hiding nothing.

"A clone..."

Hu Suqi was greatly surprised upon hearing that.

Despite her expertise in ancient witchcraft and her psychic power, she couldn't tell.

This is truly astonishing.

"Has Young Hero Lin also cultivated ancient witchcraft?"

Hu Suqi, puzzled, inquired.

"Just a little trick, making the Witch Charm Master laugh."

This remark left Hu Suqi speechless, and she remained silent for a long time.

Lin Ke, meanwhile, leisurely sipped his tea, feeling quite content.

He now increasingly feels that the Witch Charm organization is a good one; each interaction either unlocks a memory or triggers a new technique.

The method used to capture Yun Xinying in the haunted house was not a clone technique; instead, it used the haunted house's environment and light, employing powerful psychic power to construct an illusion and distort Yun Xinying's perception.

Upon arriving at Hu Suqi's villa and seeing that there were no warnings, defenses, or trap spells with any gloomy aura, Lin Ke felt inspired once again.

Many psychic-powered techniques surged into his mind like a tide.

The clone technique is precisely one of them.

"Let's lay things out plainly to avoid further misunderstandings."

Hu Suqi composed her emotions, finally breaking her silence, she said, "I indeed created the Witch Charm organization, and I am indeed the Witch Charm Master you speak of, but I really haven't managed the Witch Charm organization for a long time. In fact, the Witch Charm organization has abandoned my principles, is no longer aligned with me, and has even chosen another Witch Charm Master."

"Hmm."

Lin Ke nodded and easily accepted Hu Suqi's explanation.

"Do you trust me?"

Seeing this, Hu Suqi actually felt somewhat surprised.

"Of course I trust you—why wouldn't I?"

Lin Ke laughed, "Your protective spells lack any sinister ghostly aura, and you have no evil resentment clinging to you. I think your techniques must be quite different from those currently used by the Witch Charm organization. To be honest, I'm quite curious."

Hu Suqi caught Lin Ke's implication, pondered for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "I can give you all the restored and fragmentary ancient witchcraft I've mastered, but I have a condition."

"Ancient witchcraft?"

Without directly asking about the condition, Lin Ke became even more interested in the term 'ancient witchcraft'.

"This is my own definition."

Hu Suqi explained, "I call techniques that don't require using body parts, aren't bloody, and aren't heretical ancient witchcraft; I call those that are bloody, heretical, and made from refining human bodies evil witchcraft."

After a pause, Hu Suqi emphasized, "In fact, the origins of ancient witchcraft and evil witchcraft are completely different. This is also something I gradually discovered after withdrawing from the Witch Charm organization."

"Oh? Could you elaborate?"

Lin Ke immediately developed greater interest.

"Of course, but let's first discuss the condition."

Hu Suqi agreed, but then she forcibly steered the topic back.

To her, explaining the origins of the two witchcrafts is just a bit of talk, not very important.

What's most important is the condition Hu Suqi wants Lin Ke to agree to.

"Miss Hu, please speak."

Lin Ke composed his expression and changed his address.

This surprised Hu Suqi quite a bit, and also delighted her.

The Witch Charm Master and Miss Hu are indeed different.

Lin Ke made this change naturally because he was fairly certain that Miss Hu the Second was not the Witch Charm Master who punished Yun Xinying from afar.

The two merely share many similarities.

And the provincial military governor, in his youth a playboy, his romantic affairs innumerable, the love debts he owed too many to count.

The information system set up by Lin Ke alone revealed that the provincial governor has no fewer than fifteen illegitimate sons and daughters.

Among them is an illegitimate daughter whose appearance and bearing are hardly different from Second Miss Hu's.

Lin Ke knows this is no coincidence; that illegitimate daughter has repeatedly, openly or semi‑openly, stated that she was required from childhood to emulate Second Miss Hu.

That illegitimate daughter of the governor is none other than the secret financier behind the Lotus Heart Pavilion!

With that in mind, who the current Witch Lord of the "Witch Charm" organization is becomes obvious.

Perhaps because the suspicion of secretly harming Li Sisi was lifted, Hu Suqi's face lit up and her tone grew more enthusiastic as she said, "My condition is simple: you step forward to dispel your senior brother's misgivings."

"Hmm…"

Lin Ke heard this, fell into thought, and curiously asked, "Miss Hu, are you developing feelings for my senior brother?"

"What do you mean by developing feelings or not?"

Hu Suqi gave Lin Ke a fierce sideways glance, unintentionally revealing the charm of a mature young woman.

No wonder my senior brother has experienced something as unlikely as an iron tree blossoming, and is deeply infatuated.

"Oh? Then why does Miss Hu care so much about my senior brother's opinion?"

Lin Ke kept his gaze straight, his heart undisturbed, and continued his questioning.

"Your senior brother is just a blockhead; how could I possibly develop feelings for him?"

Hu Suqi's mouth remained firm as she explained, "You should know my reputation isn't actually good. It's rare to find someone who thinks highly of me; I don't want to lose that."

Over thirty, still unmarried, often doing work for Governor Hu, mingling in high‑society circles, and being beautiful, well‑proportioned, and of good bearing, she naturally attracts gossip.

Whether it's sour grapes because they can't have them, or envy and hatred, or some other ulterior motive—anyway, Second Miss Hu's reputation is truly hard to speak of.

"Fine, I agree, Miss Hu."

Lin Ke, however, knows that this Second Miss Hu actually maintains strict personal integrity, values feelings and chastity highly, and never indulges casually.

She was merely deceived in her youth by a philandering literary man; although she didn't lose her virginity, she lost her innocent heart and a fortune, and thereafter she began to disguise herself.

Being a socialite is also a way of disguising oneself for protection.

Having received Lin Ke's assurance, Hu Suqi's lingering resentment from repeated interruptions and misunderstandings vanished; she rose briskly, entered the study, and took out a thick tome.

"This is the orthodox ancient witchcraft I've compiled over the years; a small part has been restored, while most remains fragmentary."

While speaking, Hu Suqi handed the tome to Lin Ke.

"Thank you, Miss Hu."

Lin Ke received the tome, thanked her, and then said, "Please, Miss Hu, explain the origins of ancient witchcraft and evil witchcraft."

"All right."

Hu Suqi agreed, thought for a moment, and said, "Ancient witchcraft originates from antiquity, when humans revered nature, feared powerful beasts, worshipped heaven and earth, and longed for longevity. Strictly speaking, the human immortal martial way is the extraordinary system developed by the sages in their pursuit of immortality. Young Hero Lin is a genius of the southern jianghu human immortal martial way; he certainly knows that this path stresses balance of essence, qi, and spirit. In fact, early human cultivation placed primary importance on the spirit."

She paused, then continued her explanation with a hint of longing:

"Some sages believed that heaven and earth are a sea of suffering, the mortal body a precious raft carrying the divine soul symbolizing the true spirit across the sea of suffering to the far shore, seeking to shed the mortal form and let the divine soul transcend."

Later, several schools of ancient witchcraft successively announced that their own great beings had ascended to the upper realm and achieved transcendence, bringing ancient witchcraft to the height of its prosperity.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last; according to ancient witchcraft theory, those great beings who ascended to the upper realm could maintain a certain connection with the lower realm, respond to the sacrifices and prayers of their disciples, and bestow protection and power.

Yet no school managed to achieve this.

This sparked doubt within the cultivation world.

Whether ancient witchcraft can truly transcend became a question rather than a truth.

Then, one day, a meteor shower fell from the sky.

Someone obtained a fragmented stone tablet inscribed with some information from a meteorite crater.

When the information was deciphered, it turned out to be a cultivation method, and it was extremely similar to the ancient witchcraft then called 'fang arts'.

After the news spread, more and more cultivators went to search for meteorite craters and those fragmented stone tablets.

As more and more fragmented stone tablets were unearthed, a cultivation system similar to yet distinct from the fang arts appeared in this world.

Many believed this was a heavenly road devised by the ascended great beings to send something back down to the lower realm, and so they ignored the warnings of the discerning and forcibly cultivated it.

From then on, the evil witchcraft that seizes essence, qi, and spirit from sentient beings to nourish itself spread, bringing calamity upon the world.

The human immortal martial way took the opportunity to classify both the fang arts and evil witchcraft as heretical demonic paths and exterminate them.

Thousands of years passed, and the fang arts and evil witchcraft vanished completely—until 168 years ago.

Someone excavated a relic and obtained from it a partial inheritance of the fang arts mixed with evil witchcraft.

A group calling themselves 'wu' appeared, enjoyed a brief prosperity, brought chaos to the world, and was then exterminated.

Lin Ke listened quietly to Hu Suqi's exposition, lost in thought.

He could be certain that Hu Suqi herself deeply believed her own account.

As for whether it is true, that remains to be debated.

After all, so much time has passed that much of the content is speculation, even conjecture.

However, these details are not important; whether true or false makes little difference.

"Miss Hu, there is something I need to make clear with you first."

Lin Ke decisively switched the topic, first giving a heads‑up.

"What is it? Young Hero Lin, speak frankly."

Hu Suqi's attitude was extremely good, perhaps because she loves me and thus extends that affection to my associates, or perhaps for other reasons.

"The Witch Lord who manipulates the Witch Charm organization and set a trap against my master—I am determined to investigate to the end; I've told you this in advance, Miss Hu, to avoid any later misunderstanding."

Lin Ke solemnly declared his resolve.

Hu Suqi heard this and let out a soft sigh.

After a long silence, Hu Suqi slightly nodded: "Young Hero Lin, go ahead and act as you see fit."

"With Miss Hu's words, I can rest easy."

Lin Ke stood up, took the large volume and walked out, "Sorry to disturb you tonight, Miss Hu."

His words fell, the person had already disappeared, and even that large volume was taken along.

Hu Suqi sat quietly for a while, let out a faint sigh, went back to bed to rest, and did nothing extra.

Lin Ke's true form, at extreme speed, returned to the martial hall before Shi Shixiong.

The large volume obtained from Hu Suqi was also retrieved via secret method from the clone's location and brought back.

Regardless of whether Senior Brother Shi would come at night, Lin Ke turned on the light, sat at the desk, and read the large volume seriously, hoping to obtain some useful information and reference.

Ancient witchcraft, evil witchcraft—as long as it helps unlock memory and perfect the Construct system, it doesn't matter.

Black cat, white cat—as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.

With that, he watched from late night until dawn.

The harvest was naturally not small.

The unlocked memories, the sparked inspiration—set aside for now.

Just figuring out how to perfect the Construct system gave Lin Ke a clearer direction.

Whether ancient witchcraft or evil witchcraft, the proportion of Totems is extremely large.

Of course, 'Totem' is Lin Ke's own translation for easier understanding.

In fact, it is done in the form of tattooing, using a specific secret method, specific pigments, to draw specific symbols or patterns on the body, thereby achieving the effect of the branding art.

Such a branding art applied to a certain body part—for example, the Ghost Eye in evil witchcraft—has the advantage of quick casting, without needing to temporarily seek casting materials.

The disadvantage is that the process is cumbersome, time-consuming, and material-consuming.

Lin Ke certainly wouldn't pick up sesame seeds and discard watermelon; he would not abandon his Construct system to specialize in ancient or evil witchcraft's Totems.

However, once it became clear that Constructs could be implanted in people of this world, many problems were readily solved.

Furthermore, since we have already caught the Witch Master's tail, let's drag him out.

No need to waste any more time.

Closing the large volume, hiding it well, Lin Ke left the bedroom.

"Senior Brother, I have some matters; I need to leave for a period of time."

Having found Shi Shixiong, Lin Ke directly stated his intention: "During this time I may need to conceal my whereabouts, so for a while you may not receive news of me; Senior Brother, do not worry."

"Good, be careful."

Shi Shixiong neither obstructed nor said much.

His interest was also not high, his expression listless.

Lin Ke smiled, turned and walked toward the outside of the martial hall, sending a mental transmission to tease:

"Second Miss Hu is fine; Senior Brother, keep up the effort."