Chapter 21: Against Propriety

The possessing female gui barely avoided the Tree Immortal Lady’s attack and mocked her again, “Looks like I guessed right, didn’t I...”

Then she no longer dared to speak.

Because a long spear appeared at a bizarre angle and thrust straight toward the left side of her body.

The possessing female gui reacted extremely quickly. She barely avoided the attack again, then turned her head and discovered that, at some point, Li Lin had already appeared on her left.

When had he gotten there?

The possessing female gui found it unbelievable.

At this moment, Li Lin’s attack had just missed, and the Tree Immortal Lady’s tail strike arrived immediately afterward, with impeccable timing.

This time, the possessing female gui had no way to dodge. She was sent flying by a single blow from the snake tail, landing far away, her body nearly broken in half.

Yet the woman still did not die. Opening her pair of black eyes, she shouted angrily, “You coordinate so well that I don’t even have a chance to fight back. Liu Zhe, this pretty boy must be your male favorite, right?”

At this moment, the eyes of the palace-dressed gui were filled with fury. Her long tail rose high, preparing to slam down.

“Wait!” Li Lin shouted loudly.

The Tree Immortal Lady actually stopped her tail.

“Many thanks, Lady.”

Li Lin cupped his fists.

Then he looked at the possessing female gui, who was already unable to move. “You came for me, didn’t you?”

“Make a deal with me, and I’ll tell you.”

The possessing female gui sneered.

Li Lin frowned.

“I’m a gui myself. I’m not afraid of death. I can abandon this body at any time,” the female gui continued.

Li Lin took a deep breath. “What deal?”

“I want qi and blood too!”

The female gui struggled to raise a hand and pointed at the Tree Immortal Lady.

“As rich as hers will do.”

Before Li Lin could even speak, a tremendous sound rang out.

Whoosh!

The enormous snake tail smashed down, turning the possessing female gui directly into a pile of mangled flesh.

A dense mass of black qi dispersed and drifted into the distance.

Without the restraint of a human body, this gui actually became stronger.

But in the end, it still feared the blazing sun. It dared not remain and fled.

Li Lin had no ability to stop it at this moment and could only watch the mass of black qi float away.

However, he could tell that after the Tree Immortal Lady shattered its body, the female gui was not in good condition either. As it drifted away, it swayed unsteadily.

The Tree Immortal Lady had originally intended to pursue it, but after glancing at the blazing sun high in the sky, she snorted. Unwilling though she was, she stared in the direction where the black qi disappeared, then turned and left.

Watching her retreating figure, Li Lin laughed.

“So your name is Liu Zhe.”

His voice was not quiet. He did not know whether the Tree Immortal Lady had heard him, but her departure suddenly became faster, and she no longer looked quite so graceful.

He stood there for a while, looking at the corpses and considering how to deal with the aftermath.

Then he heard bitter crying in the distance.

An old man came running from afar.

He saw his son and grandson.

He also saw the blood-and-mud-stained clothing of his daughter-in-law.

His body swayed once, and then, with bloodshot eyes, he charged toward Li Lin.

He was not running very fast. Before he had even made it halfway, a stick struck him on the head.

He collapsed unconscious.

The one who had acted was Uncle Zhao.

A group of villagers followed behind him.

“Young Li, leave the Han family’s funeral arrangements to us.”

Uncle Zhao glanced at Old Han, who lay on the ground, his eyes icy cold.

“Don’t worry. We in Shangtikou Village are actually quite skilled at seeing people off. We’ll make sure their whole family is neat and orderly.”

They had actually brought a gui into the village.

Had Patrol Hunter Li not been present, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The entire village now hated the Han family.

Li Lin smiled.

“Thank you for the trouble.”

Then he returned to his new home. After resting for a while, he took some banknotes and prepared to make a trip to the county seat.

The Han family’s matter was obviously connected to people from Feirong County, who, for certain reasons, had colluded with gui and then extended their reach into Yulin County.

He had to report this matter.

At the same time, it would serve as his own “protection.”

He was not foolish enough to fight a powerful enemy with a significant background all by himself.

At a time like this, bringing in a strong ally was the correct course of action.

When Li Lin arrived at the village entrance, he saw Zhao Xiaohu.

The young man asked nervously, “Brother Lin, when you go to the county seat, will you come back?”

“Of course I’ll come back. I’m only going to report this matter. I’ll probably return tomorrow.”

Zhao Xiaohu let out a sigh of relief.

Then he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Xiuniang’s matter was actually connected to the Han family, the gui, and Feirong County, right?”

Li Lin was somewhat surprised.

“You figured that out?”

“A’Da told me!”

Tears glistened in Zhao Xiaohu’s bell-like eyes.

“Big Sister Xiuniang was such a good person. She had already let go of her previous family. If nobody had tempted her, she would never have become like that. Only gui have that kind of ability.”

Although Uncle Zhao looked like a tough and rough man on the outside, the stereotypical image of a brute, Li Lin knew that he was actually very meticulous.

Half a year ago, when Li Lin had mysteriously appeared in Shangtikou Village while unconscious, wearing strangely styled clothing, the other villagers had all assumed he was a gui and wanted to bury him.

Only Uncle Zhao had been both bold and careful. Convinced that Li Lin was not a gui, he saved him, fed him, provided furniture for his room, and helped him survive.

He had even taken him to the county seat to broaden his horizons.

That was how the newly appointed Spirit Hunter, Li Lin, had come to be.

Li Lin patted Xiaohu on the shoulder.

“The reason I’m going to the county seat is precisely because of this matter. Don’t worry, Xiuniang’s grievance will be redressed.”

“But I’d rather take revenge myself.”

Zhao Xiaohu looked at Li Lin expectantly.

“Brother Lin, can you teach me spearsmanship? Can you teach me how to become a Spirit Hunter?”

“Your body is still weak. Let’s talk about it after you’ve recovered, alright?”

Zhao Xiaohu nodded heavily.

More than half a shichen later, Li Lin arrived at the county yamen.

The yamen runner guarding the entrance looked surprised.

“Master Li, it’s not time to collect the public grain stipend yet. What brings you here?”

Generally, Li Lin only appeared at the county yamen when it was time to collect his public grain stipend.

The vast majority of Spirit Hunters were the same.

“May I ask if the County Magistrate is in the yamen?”

“The County Magistrate is on leave today.”

Li Lin thanked the yamen runner and then headed to the nearby Huang residence.

The gatekeepers of the Huang residence recognized Li Lin and immediately went to report to the county magistrate, Huang Yan.

Huang Yan received Li Lin in his study.

Ordinarily, if an elder or superior received you in their study, it meant they valued you greatly.

After all, a study was not a place that even one’s wife and children could casually enter under normal circumstances.

“Patrol Hunter Li, judging from your grave expression, I assume something important has happened. Speak freely.”

Li Lin let out a breath and recounted everything that had happened during this period, including his own suspicions and judgments, exactly as they were.

Naturally, he concealed the matter of the Earth God temple.

After hearing everything, Huang Yan slammed the desk heavily.

“Hmph. Has Qin Jiqing lost his mind? He actually got involved with gui.”

Actually got involved with gui?

Li Lin was somewhat shocked.

Apparently, the people here already knew something about what was happening in Feirong County.

And the county magistrate over there had the surname Qin?

He remembered now.

The gui who had cast the Secret Rite of Wraith Womb Gestation on Xiuniang the night she died also had the surname Qin.

Could that gui... have been raised by the Qin family?

Was Xiuniang helping them give birth to gui?

A chill crept up Li Lin’s back.

How vicious and despicable must a person be to do such a thing?

At that moment, Huang Yan suddenly said, “Patrol Hunter Li hurried all the way from the countryside to deliver this report. You must be quite exhausted and thirsty. You may rest in the rear courtyard for a while. I’ve already sent someone to call Qi’er back. He had been planning to visit you in the countryside within the next couple of days, yet you arrived first instead. I suppose that can be called fate.”

Li Lin felt that the other man’s smile seemed especially kind.

He cupped his fists in thanks and then headed to the rear courtyard.

After waiting for a while, Huang Qi did not arrive.

Instead, a pair of sisters appeared.

One was a delicate and beautiful young girl.

The other was a Hu maiden.

This was truly against propriety.

Without elders or family members present, it should not have been the turn of two unmarried young women to entertain a guest.