Chapter 23: A Gui Becomes a God

After leaving the Huang residence, Li Lin felt that something was strange.

The Huang family seemed to want to do something, yet their conversations were perfectly normal. Even when chatting with Huang Qi, they discussed nothing more than everyday household matters.

But that was not Huang Qi’s usual style. This proud scholar normally spoke of lofty ambitions and concern for the world the moment he opened his mouth.

Everything felt a little odd.

However, Li Lin could also tell that the Huang family did not seem to harbor any ill intentions, so he did not dwell on it and temporarily set the matter aside.

He wandered around the marketplace, intending to buy an alchemy furnace, but could not find one. Then he remembered that the marketplace was merely a place for ordinary people to trade. To buy something like that, he would have to go somewhere specialized.

Unfortunately, he had only recently entered the profession of Spirit Hunter and did not know much. He wanted to seek advice from Senior Su Huafang, but then remembered that Su Huafang had gone to Jin City to attend a gathering.

After thinking for a while, he visited the largest medical hall in the county.

Anhe Hall.

There were no alchemy furnaces for sale there either!

So he decided to buy a medical text instead.

The result...

They refused to sell one.

They would rather sell that Spring Renewal Health Preservation Art at a discount than sell a medical text.

With no other choice, Li Lin could only leave and hope that he might obtain a medical text through some other channel in the future and study it.

Afterward, he strolled around the streets for a while. By evening, he found an inn and stayed there.

After eating dinner, night had completely fallen.

But unlike the countryside, the county seat was lively at night.

Several of the main commercial streets were brightly illuminated and bustling with people.

Because once night arrived, a massive gui would envelop the entire city.

The whole county seat was protected beneath its dharma manifestation.

Not to mention feral gui, even other powerful gui did not dare cause trouble there casually.

With safety came a flourishing nightlife.

That night, Li Lin did not practice his cultivation.

He simply slept and rested.

The dharma manifestation above the county city was simply too intimidating. If he took out the Shengxi Pills and consumed them, and that gui happened to notice, Li Lin had no idea what the consequences would be.

He understood the principle that one should not reveal one’s wealth.

The next day, after getting up, eating breakfast, and paying his lodging fee, he was preparing to return to the village when he ran into an acquaintance on the road.

It was Bai Liwei, a fellow Spirit Hunter and a middle-aged man of thirty-five.

A young man followed behind him, his eyes full of that proud and “clear” confidence.

“Senior Bai, you’ve come to the county seat as well.”

Li Lin took the initiative to greet him.

“So it’s Patrol Hunter Li.”

Bai Liwei walked over and returned the greeting with a smile.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

“Judging from how delighted you look, something good must have happened.”

Bai Liwei burst out laughing.

He beckoned the young man beside him over and said,

“This is my nephew, Bai Bufan. A few days ago, he successfully cultivated a spiritual cultivation method and is now qualified to become a Spirit Hunter.”

“Congratulations, congratulations.”

Li Lin smiled.

At the same time, he felt somewhat envious.

It was good to have people backing you.

They had both become Spirit Hunters, yet the other party immediately had a spirit-taming cultivation method to practice, while Li Lin could only painstakingly consume blood rice to refine qi and blood, gradually grinding his strength upward bit by bit.

Even so, he remained very grateful to Su Huafang.

Without Su Huafang’s discerning eye, Li Lin would probably still be nothing more than a somewhat unusual villager.

“Many thanks.”

Bai Liwei continued smiling.

“Xiaofan has already been registered at the county yamen. Now we must seek a stroke of fortune for him from Fourfold Wonder True Lord. Would you like to come and observe the ceremony?”

“Let’s go together.”

Li Lin smiled.

An opportunity to build a better relationship with a colleague naturally could not be missed.

In this world, anywhere humans gathered, there would be an altar.

The size of the altar and the prosperity of the incense offerings determined the upper limit of the strength of the gui being worshipped there.

The inner city of Yulin County had slightly over one hundred thousand residents, while the outer city had fifty thousand. Including the villages and towns under its jurisdiction, the total population was around two hundred and twenty thousand.

The three arrived before a temple.

Above it hung a plaque bearing the words Fourfold Wonder True Lord.

Those who came to burn incense and worship offered their incense in the burner outside the temple and did not enter.

The trio of Spirit Hunters entered the temple and saw a gigantic black altar.

There were many dried black bloodstains upon it.

Surrounding the great altar were fourteen smaller seated altars.

All of the altars emitted cold resentment qi, which was also why ordinary people could not enter.

They could not withstand such resentment qi. Even a little exposure made them prone to illness.

An old man stood guard beside the altar.

He was gaunt and thin, his face so pale that it resembled plaster. He seemed to possess very little of the vitality of a living person.

Hearing people enter, he opened his eyes.

“Have you come to invite a god?”

His voice was shrill, sounding almost like a woman’s.

“Elder Qi.”

Bai Liwei first bowed, then pointed at the young man behind him.

“This is my nephew. He possesses the aptitude of a Spirit Hunter and has already been registered at the county yamen. We have come to seek an opportunity for him.”

“Elder Qi, this is the proof.”

Bai Bufan stepped forward and removed the white jade token from his waist, presenting it respectfully.

“Not bad, young man.”

After examining Bai Bufan, Elder Qi nodded lightly.

Then he accepted the white jade token and placed it on the altar.

Next, he took incense candles and joss paper made of gold and tin foil from a nearby cabinet.

First he lit the incense candles.

Then he burned the paper offerings.

Blue smoke from the incense rose and spread through the air.

The smoke was thick and drifted very slowly, as if it possessed powerful stickiness.

At the same time, more and more resentment qi emerged from the altar, and the temple grew increasingly cold.

The cold was enough to pierce one’s bones.

Within this frigid atmosphere, Elder Qi, Bai Liwei, and Li Lin all appeared completely normal.

Only Bai Bufan’s body was trembling.

The main reason was that Bai Bufan had only recently become a Spirit Hunter. His strength was still weak, and he was temporarily unable to withstand such powerful resentment qi.

Bai Liwei glanced at Li Lin somewhat strangely.

Even he felt cold under these circumstances, yet Li Lin was enduring it without difficulty.

But he soon found it understandable.

After all, Li Lin was the only Spirit Hunter who still possessed a virgin body. His yang energy was abundant, and after cultivating for more than half a year, not fearing this level of resentment qi was entirely normal.

His nephew Bai Bufan was about the same age as Li Lin.

Yet three years ago, he had already ceased to possess a virgin body.

It was only natural that his body would be somewhat weaker and more susceptible to cold.

As the resentment qi grew denser and denser, the blue smoke produced by the incense candles and paper offerings also began to drift downward.

It slowly revolved around the large and small altars.

A faint, strange shadow appeared upon the great altar.

Its appearance could not be seen clearly.

It even seemed to wave a hand.

Afterward, a figure appeared upon each of the smaller altars.

Among them was one Li Lin knew very well.

It was the Tree Immortal Lady.

The moment she appeared, she looked at Li Lin, her gaze seeming somewhat reproachful.

At this moment, Bai Bufan looked at the dozen or so figures and unconsciously swallowed.

His hands were clasped together, and his body trembled, yet he still diligently examined each figure.

Every figure upon the altars looked rather strange.

Some had dog heads and human bodies.

Others had fangs protruding from their mouths or spider eyes growing from their abdomens.

Bai Bufan looked around once and then pointed at the Tree Immortal Lady.

“I want...”

After all, she was the most attractive.

Her figure was graceful and alluring. Although a mask concealed her face, she instinctively gave people the feeling that she must be a great beauty.

Then he could not continue speaking.

Because the Tree Immortal Lady was glaring at him.

Her eyes were filled with coldness.

Bai Bufan was startled.

Unable to finish what he had been saying, he could only withdraw his hand and laugh awkwardly.

He turned his gaze toward his uncle, wanting the latter to offer some advice on which one he should choose.

But he suddenly discovered that his uncle’s expression was wrong.

The atmosphere throughout the temple was wrong.

At this moment, no one was paying attention to him anymore.

Elder Qi, Bai Liwei, and Li Lin were all staring at an empty small altar on the eastern side.

They had been waiting for quite a while.

Yet no figure had appeared there.

“Go inform the County Magistrate at once.”

Elder Qi spoke in an urgent tone.

“It seems a major problem has occurred.”