Chapter 41: Only Look at Me

Two True Lords?

Huang Qi froze for a moment, then beckoned with his hand. An elderly martial artist walked over from nearby.

“Uncle Fang, go up and tell Cousin about this.”

Zhao Hao interjected, “If my guess is correct, then the extra True Lord should be the Hundred-Faced True Lord who caused a major incident in Wan City a few years ago!”

Other than Li Lin, everyone’s expression turned grave.

Huang Qi said to the elderly martial artist, “Hurry and notify Cousin so he can prepare.”

The old man immediately headed to the front lines.

With a solemn expression, Huang Qi said, “How did that Hundred-Faced True Lord end up in a place like Jin City?”

Naturally, no one could answer that question. Things like ghosts had always been unpredictable and elusive.

He then sighed and said, “That True Lord traveled all the way here from the Central Plains region, and who knows how many villages it wiped out along the way, yet so little news got out. One can imagine how rotten the local administration in those places must have become.”

Li Lin had also heard that for a great ghost like a “True Lord,” destroying a village of a hundred or so people was actually very easy.

Moreover, for experienced bureaucrats, concealing the disappearance of many villages was an extremely simple matter.

While Huang Qi was lamenting this, Huang Xiu retreated from the front and hurriedly asked, “Is it really the Hundred-Faced True Lord?”

“Based on Patrol Hunter Li’s description, I think so,” Zhao Hao stepped forward and said.

Huang Xiu asked, “None of you saw it?”

Bai Liwei, Su Huafang, and Zhao Hao all shook their heads together.

Huang Xiu looked at Li Lin. “Only you can see it?”

Li Lin took out the mask, put it on his face, then lowered it again.

Huang Xiu clicked his tongue. “A ghost artifact... Tree Immortal Lady’s. No wonder.”

Huang Qi’s face was filled with admiration. Though he could not see ghosts, living in Yulin County, how could he not have heard of the Tree Immortal Lady’s great reputation?

“Then it should indeed be the Hundred-Faced True Lord.” Huang Xiu smiled and looked at the fortress, which had already caught fire after two waves of flaming arrows. He said, “Let’s withdraw first. The place is already burning, and with the Hundred-Faced True Lord there, Zhang Minsheng and the others won’t survive.”

Huang Qi asked, “But the Hundred-Faced True Lord... if we leave, and it goes on a rampage through Yulin County and the surrounding areas, what then?”

Huang Xiu chuckled. “We’ll go back and ask the Fourfold Wonder True Lord to act!”

Huang Qi froze. “Is that possible?”

“We can’t do it, but Eldest Uncle can.” Huang Xiu said calmly, “As for us, we’re not even enough for a True Lord to eat. Staying here serves no purpose. The sooner we return and inform Uncle, and persuade the Fourfold Wonder True Lord to take action, the fewer casualties the county town will suffer.”

Just after Huang Xiu finished speaking, towering resentment suddenly surged up from inside the fortress.

Faint screams could be heard.

Under that shroud of resentment, not only ordinary people, even Spirit Hunters felt chills spread through their entire bodies.

The flames inside the fortress began to weaken.

White frost even started extending slowly outward from within.

“The Hundred-Faced True Lord has started moving,” Huang Xiu said.

“Then let’s go.” Huang Qi was no fool. Rubbing his right hand, which had already begun to grow cold, he immediately took out the County Commandant’s token and shouted, “All constables and village soldiers, heed my command! Withdraw immediately and return to the county town without delay!”

Upon hearing this, Bai Liwei, Zhao Hao, and Su Huafang all let out sighs of relief.

Their nerves had clearly been stretched tight just moments before.

Li Lin was initially puzzled, but immediately understood.

Under normal circumstances, whenever ghosts were encountered, whether great ghosts or lesser ghosts, Spirit Hunters were always expected to take the lead.

The three of them had been afraid that Young Master Huang Qi, the aristocratic County Commandant, might not know his limits and would send the four Spirit Hunters to deal with a True Lord.

That would truly be like throwing meat buns at a dog, gone forever.

Fortunately, the Huang family did not produce fools.

Upon receiving the order, the nearly four hundred-man force immediately withdrew in an orderly and disciplined fashion. The troops had clearly been very well trained.

Although they were marching at night, the combined vitality and blood energy of four hundred people, together with several Spirit Hunters mixed among them, was enough to deter the wild ghosts for the time being.

Furthermore, the force was constantly moving, and the wild ghosts gathered only slowly, so there was no immediate danger from them.

Several days later, when the village soldiers passed through Shangtikou Village, Li Lin parted ways with Huang Qi and the others.

“Brother Kunge, you’ve worked hard these past few days. Once you’ve recovered, come to the county town. I’ll offer my apology then,” Huang Qi said sincerely.

“What do you have to apologize for?” Li Lin asked, somewhat confused.

“The idea of using Spirit Hunters as bait was mine, but I never expected Father would assign you as well.” Huang Qi smiled bitterly.

“It’s fine. I know you didn’t do it intentionally.” Li Lin waved his hand indifferently.

Huang Qi said seriously, “You must come. In ten days, I’ll be leaving for Jin City. After that, I may only return to Yulin County during important occasions.”

Li Lin thought for a moment.

“All right.”

At that time, he would simply consider it a farewell gathering for Huang Qi.

Having received Li Lin’s promise, Huang Qi happily departed with the village soldiers.

Before Li Lin had even returned to the village, he spotted a blue-green figure at the village entrance.

Then it flashed away.

Though he had not seen the face, he had clearly seen the long snake tail.

He smiled and walked over to the altar.

The Tree Immortal Lady was hiding inside and did not come out.

Li Lin did not mind. He recounted everything that had happened over the past few days, then said, “If it weren’t for the mask you gave me, we might have died in there before Huang Qi and the others could rescue us. But such luck may not come a second time. No matter what, thank you first.”

The Tree Immortal Lady emerged.

She looked at Li Lin.

There seemed to be no expression on her beautiful face, but within those pale gray eyes, one could discern a trace of... concern.

She pointed at the ground and said, “Don’t go out!”

Li Lin understood what she meant.

She intended to protect him for the rest of his life.

“That works too. From now on, if there’s no reason, I won’t leave the village. Lady, you’ll have to protect me for life.”

The Tree Immortal Lady stared at him fixedly without speaking.

Over the next two days, Li Lin returned to his previous routine.

Training, cultivation, and teaching Xiaohu.

In fact, he worked even harder than before.

Since there was a path to becoming stronger, he had to take it even more seriously.

After all, this world was not friendly in the slightest.

On the night of the third day after returning to the village, Li Lin had just fallen asleep when he was suddenly awakened by an immense aura.

He climbed out of bed, ran into the courtyard, and looked toward the direction from which the aura was coming.

His eyes widened.

The aura was coming from the direction of the county town.

A giant was standing there!

So enormous that even from more than thirty li away, about 15 km (~9.3 miles), he could clearly see its eyebrows and eyes.

The vast aura generated waves of pressure that swept outward in every direction.

With the giant at its center, the entire world seemed to tremble under the gale.

Li Lin recalled what Huang Xiu had said before, about inviting the Fourfold Wonder True Lord to take action.

“So this is the Fourfold Wonder True Lord?”

Li Lin murmured.

The Tree Immortal Lady appeared beside him at some unknown moment.

She looked at the Fourfold Wonder True Lord, her eyes filled with hatred.

Then she covered Li Lin’s eyes with both hands.

“Don’t look at him... from now on, you can only look at me.”