Chapter 53: Newcomers and Old Hands Are Very Different

The next morning.

The fat man’s corpse had already been moved back into the main hall of the Qin Residence.

Someone had even thoughtfully dressed him, no longer leaving him exposed and naked.

A middle-aged man with half-white hair looked at the corpse on the ground, grief written across his face.

“Who did this?”

The gatekeeper shook his head desperately.

“Master, I didn’t see anything.”

The middle-aged man lifted a leg and kicked the gatekeeper flying.

The gatekeeper flew several metres and crashed into a wall.

Ignoring the blood he was coughing up, he immediately crawled back up and began kowtowing repeatedly, his head striking the floor with loud Thud, thud sounds.

“Spare me, Master! Please spare me, Master!”

“Get out!”

The gatekeeper scrambled away on all fours.

Another middle-aged man standing nearby was named Qin Wu.

He said, “Big Brother, I’ve already examined Lang’er’s wounds. Both injuries were short-blade strikes directly to the kidneys. To my knowledge, none of the sects in our southern region have techniques like this. Even in an ambush, people either stab the heart or slash the throat. Someone who specifically targets kidneys, this is the first time I’ve seen it and the first time I’ve heard of it.”

The head of the Qin Family was named Qin Feng.

He had a rugged appearance and a long beard, earning him the title of the Beautiful-Bearded Lord of Feirong County.

His voice sounded somewhat weak.

“Could the killer have deliberately concealed the origin of his techniques?”

“That’s possible.”

Qin Wu nodded in agreement.

“But Lang’er’s wounds are extremely narrow and clean, without any unnecessary injuries. This clearly required a specialized weapon and a special method of exerting force. The killer is highly skilled at this type of attack. Therefore, the killer...”

At that moment, a servant burst through the doorway.

Blood covered his body, and his face was deathly pale.

The two men looked over and their expressions changed drastically.

The servant was clutching his kidney area.

His lower body was almost completely soaked with blood.

Even his trousers had turned black.

Wherever he passed, bloody footprints were left behind one after another.

“What happened?!”

Qin Feng crossed the distance in several strides.

“You’re Tian’er’s attendant. How did you end up like this?”

The servant had only his final breath remaining.

The fact that he had managed to run here while clutching his wound and bleeding was already a miracle.

“Young Master... went to find the killer...”

The servant’s voice grew weaker and weaker.

At that moment, Qin Wu immediately pressed a hand against the servant’s back and infused a strand of vital energy into him.

A trace of life returned to the servant’s eyes.

In broken phrases, he said, “In Waterlogged Alley... at the end of the alley... a man in black... stabbing people... Young Master and us...”

At that point, the servant’s body twitched for a while before going still.

“Tian’er!”

Bloodshot veins appeared in Qin Feng’s eyes.

His expression became terrifyingly dark.

His hands trembled as well.

“Second Brother, stay here and guard the family. I’m afraid this is an enemy’s scheme to lure the tiger away from the mountain. ”

Suppressing his grief, Qin Feng continued, “I’ll go take a look.”

Qin Wu’s face was likewise filled with sorrow.

“All right. I’ll remain here and won’t let anyone cause trouble.”

Qin Feng turned and left immediately, hurrying away.

After everyone had gone, Qin Wu’s expression shifted from grief to a trace of satisfaction.

Then he rubbed his face and muttered softly, No, no. I absolutely mustn’t be like this.

Next, he began examining the servant’s wound.

After looking for a while, he shook his head.

“How vicious. Although it wasn’t instantly fatal, it was enough to rob someone of the ability to resist and leave them in unbearable agony. Calling such a killing technique torture would not be excessive. Since when has someone this ruthless appeared in our southern frontier?”

At this moment, Li Lin was dressed in ordinary clothes and hiding atop a tree.

Although he was quite far from the “crime scene,” his elevated position still allowed him to see everything clearly.

He watched a middle-aged man clutch the dead servant’s corpse and howl in grief.

He watched the man rampage nearby, punching and kicking several household servants who followed him.

He also watched the middle-aged man rage helplessly.

“Beast! If you’ve got the guts, come out! My Qin Family will not rest until one of us is dead!”

“Hmm, this should be Family Head Qin Feng.”

Li Lin nodded lightly, memorizing the man’s face before flipping down from the tree and leaving the area.

He arrived at a small stall on West Street and began eating a bowl of tofu pudding.

Sweet.

The taste was excellent.

Across from him sat a burly man eating spicy tofu pudding drenched in red chili oil.

The two exchanged glances.

Then each looked at the other’s bowl.

Together, they let out a snort, mutually expressing their disdain.

After finishing the tofu pudding, Li Lin began searching the area.

Before long, he found a shop.

The signboard read Fang Family Paper Effigy Shop.

This should be the place.

Li Lin entered.

Inside were numerous paper effigies, paper horses used in rituals, and spirit money.

There was also a peculiar sandalwood fragrance.

The scents of various items mixed together, creating a rather strange smell.

“Shopkeeper, are you here?” Li Lin called out.

“Coming!”

Before long, a middle-aged man with sparse mouse-like whiskers arranged in a figure-eight pattern emerged from the back.

His eyes were small and his body was thin.

His clothing was also rather unusual.

On his head was a red Buddhist Vairocana cap.

He wore a black Daoist robe.

On his feet was a pair of wooden thong sandals.

The combination looked especially contradictory.

But Li Lin knew clearly that people like this were local ritual specialists of the southern frontier.

Their formal title was Daoist Gong practitioners.

They could officiate both funerals and weddings.

The shopkeeper emerged and, upon seeing Li Lin, was briefly stunned.

“Sir, your background... is extraordinary.”

His eyes carried a fox-like cunning.

Li Lin cupped his fists and smiled.

“The Tree Immortal Lady sent me.”

Hearing those words, the shopkeeper’s eyes widened.

His expression became one of delight and nostalgia.

Then his expression softened, and the cunning vanished from his eyes.

“Is Her Ladyship doing well?”

“She should be doing fairly well. She’s just not very talkative.”

“Haha, she’s always been like that.”

The shopkeeper invited Li Lin to sit down.

Then he asked, “Why did Her Ladyship send you to me?”

“I want to learn talisman arts. She recommended you.”

Li Lin looked at him.

“Shopkeeper, you used to be a Spirit Hunter too, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

The shopkeeper sighed.

“Talisman arts. Normally, I wouldn’t be allowed to teach them to you. But since Her Ladyship sent you, there won’t be any problem. You’re currently the patrol hunter of Shangtikou Village, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Twenty years ago, I was too.”

Li Lin was rather surprised.

“Aren’t you from Feirong County? You went to Yulin County to serve as a patrol hunter?”

“There were... many Spirit Hunters here.”

The shopkeeper revealed a strange expression.

“So back then, I could only go elsewhere to make a living. Later, some things happened... Forget it. Let’s not talk about the past. Please wait a moment while I fetch something.”

The shopkeeper turned and returned to the inner room.

Not long afterward, he came back out.

A yellowed old handwritten booklet had appeared in his hands.

“This is the talisman art Her Ladyship mentioned.”

Li Lin accepted it and discovered four large characters written on the cover.

Detailed Account of the Daoist Gong.

Daoist Gong?

“This is an inheritance of the Daoist Gong practitioners. The contents are rather miscellaneous and even somewhat chaotic, but it does indeed contain an introduction to talisman arts. My talent was limited. I only learned a few minor skills involving paper horses. The great path of talisman arts was beyond me.”

Envy appeared in the shopkeeper’s eyes.

“But since Her Ladyship sent you here, you presumably possess talent in that area.”

Li Lin accepted the book and asked, “How much silver do you want for it?”

“Pay whatever you like. It’s only a handwritten copy anyway. I still have one myself.”

Li Lin presented a one-hundred-tael silver note.

The shopkeeper did not even look at the amount.

He accepted it and slipped it into his sleeve.

Then he said absentmindedly, “Actually, I’ve been worried about Her Ladyship. She doesn’t consume blood and vitality. I don’t know how much longer she can hold on. I should find time to go back and visit her.”

Doesn’t consume blood and vitality?

“She does eat it,” Li Lin replied instinctively.

“She does?”

The shopkeeper froze.

Then he asked reflexively, “Whose does she eat?”

Li Lin said nothing.

The shopkeeper stared at Li Lin’s handsome face for a while.

Suddenly, he became furious.

“Get out! Get out of here!”

Li Lin instinctively stepped backward.

Then the shop’s front door slammed shut with a loud Boom!

From inside came the faint sound of the shopkeeper crying.

“Her Ladyship, my Ladyship...”