Chapter 36: There Are No Fools Among Spirit Hunters

Li Lin lightly smacked Zhao Xiaohu on the head and scolded him with a smile, “Stop dreaming about getting fat in one bite. First master the Spring Renewal Health Preservation Art. If you can’t rapidly refine blood rice, then you’re not qualified to learn the Nourishing Yin Cultivation Method.”

“Oh!”

Zhao Xiaohu rubbed his head and ran off to one side to practice spear techniques.

After all, he only possessed barely passable aptitude.

Whether it was physical training or cultivation, Zhao Xiaohu learned quite ordinarily.

In Li Lin’s eyes, he was even “slow.”

But Zhao Xiaohu had his own strengths.

Those were perseverance and persistence.

Although he constantly talked about wanting to learn this and that, he had never once neglected the training assignments Li Lin gave him.

He completed them all diligently and often added extra practice on top.

Watching Zhao Xiaohu somewhat clumsily wielding the spear, Li Lin smiled and continued practicing the Falling Lightning Incantation.

He could also tell that the Falling Lightning Incantation was extremely powerful.

But...

It was very slow.

Hand seals had to be formed.

Qi had to be guided.

That lightning strike just now had taken nearly ten breaths from the start of the hand seals to successful execution.

In a battle between experts, that amount of time was enough for him to die ten times over.

Therefore, increasing proficiency and accelerating the speed of forming hand seals was the most important thing at present.

He did not require instant casting.

But at the very least, he had to be able to unleash the Falling Lightning Incantation within a single breath.

Only a Falling Lightning Incantation cast at that speed would possess true deterrent power.

He practiced the Falling Lightning Incantation three more times.

The speed of his hand seals increased somewhat.

But he also felt waves of emptiness within his body.

His yin energy was nearly exhausted.

He did not know whether the Falling Lightning Incantation consumed too much energy or whether he had nurtured too little yin energy.

Fortunately, he had prepared for this.

He swallowed Shengxi Pills.

Then he sat cross-legged and refined vital energy for a while.

After that, he could continue practicing the Falling Lightning Incantation.

Thus, Shangtikou Village began experiencing more than a dozen thunderclaps from clear skies every day.

At first, the villagers were rather frightened.

But after hearing them many times and learning that Li Lin was merely practicing his skills, they relaxed.

Whenever they chatted idly, they would sigh in admiration at how formidable Patrol Hunter Li was.

They would also sigh over how fortunate that boy Zhao Xiaohu was.

Four days later, Li Lin had shortened the hand seal process to less than four breaths.

That was already remarkable progress.

It was also on this day that people from the Demon Suppression Bureau arrived at the village entrance.

They were heading to the Bobai military town fortress to install a new True Lord there.

Li Lin was required to accompany them.

It was a military order, and Huang Yan had approved it as well.

Accompanying the Demon Suppression Bureau were Bai Liwei, Zhao Hao, and Su Huafang.

The gathering in Jin City had already ended.

Su Huafang and Zhao Hao had both returned from Jin City.

They apparently had encountered something good there.

Both wore delighted expressions.

Zhao Hao in particular always carried an air of superiority when looking at others.

Only when speaking to Deputy Commander Zhang Minsheng did his expression appear normal.

Li Lin sat atop a fine horse.

He had brought along his red-tasseled spear, the mask, and some Shengxi Pills.

As he rode slowly, he swept his gaze across the Demon Suppression Bureau personnel and noticed that Huang Xiu was not among them.

Su Huafang rode closer and said, “Patrol Hunter Li, I’ve heard about what happened before. I truly never expected Old Xu to attack his own people.”

“It’s a pity that even now, we still don’t know why Xu Saifeng betrayed us.”

At that moment, Zhao Hao also rode over and laughed loudly.

“If you ask me, all of you were just too weak. If I’d been there, so many people would never have died. I could have beaten Xu Saifeng and Old Hou with one hand.”

Upon hearing that, Li Lin, Su Huafang, and Bai Liwei all smiled slightly, as though agreeing.

Li Lin glanced around and pointed toward a carriage in the rear.

“The True Lord’s altar is inside that carriage?”

Su Huafang nodded.

“That’s right.”

Bai Liwei continued, “This True Lord seems somewhat different. I can sense extremely heavy baleful energy from it.”

“Of course!” Zhao Hao leaned over again, looking very pleased with himself. “I heard from my uncle that this True Lord was invited from a temple in Jin City.”

“Wouldn’t that be overkill?” Su Huafang asked in surprise.

“Who knows.” Bai Liwei looked meaningfully toward the Demon Suppression Bureau convoy behind them. “Perhaps the situation in Bobai Town is even more serious than we imagined.”

Li Lin and Su Huafang both wore grave expressions.

Zhao Hao laughed loudly.

“Relax. I’ll protect the three of you. As long as I’m alive, nothing will happen to you.”

He vigorously slapped his own chest.

Li Lin and Bai Liwei exchanged strange looks.

Su Huafang was older and more tactful.

Clasping his fists, he said, “Many thanks, Young Master Zhao.”

“Hahaha, easy enough.”

With Su Huafang acting as a lubricant between the groups, Zhao Hao was barely able to get along with Bai Liwei and Li Lin.

By evening, the Demon Suppression Bureau set up camp in an open area to rest.

At that point, the Demon Suppression Bureau’s foundation became apparent.

They directly scattered three rings of boundary-warding powder around the resting area.

The protected zone was especially large.

At the same time, they carried the altar out of the carriage and set it on the ground.

A large gui with a human face, an exceptionally muscular body, and red fur all over its body appeared floating above the altar.

Its expression was extremely cold.

The way it looked at the living people around it carried a trace of amusement.

But that only proved one thing.

This True Lord was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

Under the protection of those two measures, forget wild gui.

Even major gui probably would not dare appear.

Although they were all within the same camp, the Spirit Hunters and the Demon Suppression Bureau remained clearly separated.

The four Spirit Hunters sat in a corner eating dry rations.

Meanwhile, the more than twenty members of the Demon Suppression Bureau occupied the center, setting up cooking pots and preparing food.

“Most people in the Demon Suppression Bureau are martial artists, while only a minority are Spirit Hunters.” Bai Liwei knew Li Lin was a newcomer and unfamiliar with such matters, so he explained, “That’s why they’ve all inherited some habits from the military.”

So that was it.

Li Lin nodded.

No wonder he sensed a degree of strict discipline among these people.

Before long, the meal was finished.

Then Zhang Minsheng walked over carrying an iron pot with both hands.

Several large chunks of meat rested inside.

“Four Patrol Hunters, this journey to the military town will require considerable effort from all of you.” Zhang Minsheng smiled as he set down the iron pot. “We cooked a little too much meat, so please enjoy it at your leisure.”

Zhao Hao immediately stood up and clasped his fists.

“Easy enough, easy enough. If any difficulties arise during this mission, just tell us. We’ll find a way to solve them.”

Upon hearing those words, Bai Liwei’s eyebrows unconsciously shot upward.

Who exactly are you?

Why are you taking responsibility for everyone?

Did you even ask us first?

Su Huafang, however...

Maintained a calm expression.

Zhang Minsheng laughed a couple of times and casually chatted with Zhao Hao for a few more sentences before leaving.

Zhao Hao sat back down.

With his back toward the Demon Suppression Bureau members, Su Huafang flicked his right hand.

Several long, thin needles appeared between his fingers.

The needles probed into the chunks of meat and were quickly withdrawn.

“There shouldn’t be any problem. It’s safe to eat.”

Both Bai Liwei and Li Lin were momentarily stunned.

Yet Zhao Hao seemed not to have noticed Su Huafang’s actions at all.

He reached out, grabbed a piece of meat, and began chewing heartily.

Bai Liwei and Li Lin both looked at Zhao Hao with strange expressions.

Zhao Hao smiled and said, “Don’t just stare at me. Eat the meat. You’ll need the strength for tomorrow’s journey.”

Li Lin laughed softly as well.

It seemed he really had underestimated the people of this world.