Chapter 57: Drawing Water with a Bamboo Basket

Li Lin continued monitoring the Qin Residence.

He watched Qin Feng leave with a large group of people.

He also watched the sole remaining heir of the Qin Family, a youth named Qin Huan, pacing back and forth within the residence, looking restless and unable to sit still.

But he did not enter the Qin Residence to cause trouble.

Instead, he tailed Qin Feng’s group.

The reason was simple.

The Qin Residence had already been ambushed by him once.

They would certainly have taken every precaution by now.

For all he knew, the current Qin Residence might be a trap.

Therefore, secretly following Qin Feng to see what he intended to do was the wiser choice.

Qin Feng led a large number of men all the way to an alley in the western part of the county city.

After turning two corners, they surrounded a residential house.

He did not bother calling out.

Instead, he directly ordered,

“Bring the fire-water. Burn the house.”

The so-called fire-water was actually kerosene.

Several buckets of foul-smelling liquid were immediately splashed onto the house.

Then a fire starter was thrown over.

The small wooden house instantly erupted into towering flames.

Three figures burst through the thatched roof and flew out.

Landing on the tiled roofs nearby, each raised a hand to brush away the sparks clinging to their bodies.

One of them was Wang Tianyou, accompanied by his three martial attendant guards.

Li Lin noticed that Wang Tianyou’s complexion was somewhat pale.

Presumably, he was injured.

“Family Head Qin, to think you’d use such underhanded methods even against a junior like me. Looks like you’re really getting desperate.”

“You shameless brat. Even at death’s door you’re still barking. This time next year will be your death anniversary.”

Qin Feng sneered and leapt onto a nearby rooftop.

Several Qin Family experts also jumped onto the roofs, surrounding Wang Tianyou from both sides to prevent his escape.

Looking around, Wang Tianyou knew that he might truly die here today.

Immediately, he drew a flexible sword from his waist with a flick of his right hand.

“So what if I die?”

Wang Tianyou laughed.

“My father has seven sons. I’m just one of them. No great loss.”

“Unlike Family Head Qin. Two of your three sons are dead, and the remaining one is in quite a dangerous situation as well.”

Qin Feng narrowed his eyes.

“Is that bastard hiding in the shadows one of your people?”

“Hahaha, I don’t know that senior expert.”

Wang Tianyou laughed.

“Family Head Qin has brought out all his elites. Aren’t you afraid your home will be robbed again?”

“I am not foolish enough to be toyed with again and again.”

Qin Feng said coldly,

“If that bastard dares enter my residence, he’s dead.”

Wang Tianyou’s expression darkened slightly.

His earlier words had merely been intended to provoke Qin Feng into leaving.

But he had not expected that his own capture was also part of a scheme, a plan to lure out that other person.

Seeing Wang Tianyou fall silent, Qin Feng waved his hand.

Several Qin Family experts attacked.

Meanwhile, the remaining Qin Family guards formed a perimeter around the area, blocking Wang Tianyou and the others from escaping.

Their strength was not great.

But they could still delay someone briefly.

And that brief delay was enough for the Qin Family experts to force them back again.

The battle on the rooftops raged back and forth.

Wang Tianyou’s face grew increasingly pale.

Although his silver sword danced in brilliant flashes of silver light, appearing both imposing and strange...

The Qin Family experts had seen flexible swords before.

They knew how to deal with them.

As for the three attendants, under the siege of multiple Qin Family experts, they were gradually being pushed into a difficult position.

After all, having more people than the opponent was a considerable advantage.

Seeing that the battle was nearly decided, Qin Feng prepared to join the fight himself and bring this farce to an end.

But suddenly his body trembled.

Instinctively, he turned around and looked behind him.

Though there was no one there, he felt a tension as though facing a formidable enemy.

“Family Head, what’s wrong?”

One of the Qin Family experts nearby asked.

“Someone is watching me.”

Qin Feng’s gaze swept the surroundings.

“He just leaked a trace of killing intent. I sensed it.”

“Approximately which direction?”

Qin Feng pointed toward the edge of a flying eave.

That expert immediately used a lightness technique to leap over, broadsword in hand.

After landing on the rooftop, he searched the area thoroughly.

Then he shook his head at Qin Feng in the distance.

At that very moment, all the Qin Family experts, including Qin Feng, subconsciously tensed.

At the same time, they all looked toward a particular direction.

The spiritual force there was being drawn by yin energy.

Then a streak of blue-green and crimson lightning formed.

The Qin Family expert who had just searched the flying eave immediately retreated in panic.

Fortunately, he was fast enough.

A blue-green and crimson bolt of lightning struck the flying eave.

Fragments of stone exploded outward.

The thunderous roar was deafening.

Had a person been struck, they would probably have been blown into pieces.

At that moment, everyone saw a shadowy figure retreat to a more distant rooftop.

It was obvious that the Falling Lightning Incantation had been cast by that person.

“Bastard!”

The instant Qin Feng saw him, his eyes turned red.

His two sons had died at this man’s hands.

With several leaps, he rushed over.

But when he reached that rooftop, he discovered that the shadowy figure had already vanished.

“Bastard! If you have the guts to kill members of my Qin Family, then come out and face me!”

He roared furiously while swinging his longsword.

Several sword energies crisscrossed the surroundings.

They sliced apart numerous roof eaves and shattered the rooftops of quite a few poor households.

Yet the shadowy figure had indeed disappeared.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the disruption caused by the sudden attack, Wang Tianyou and his three subordinates broke through the encirclement and escaped.

Qin Feng looked around in every direction.

His eyes were bloodshot as he let out an enraged roar.

After all his efforts, everything had come to nothing.

How could he not go mad?

At this moment, Li Lin was already far away.

In truth, he also felt somewhat fortunate.

A sword energy had passed right over his head just now.

Moreover, while in stealth, he had intended to attack Qin Feng by throwing his spear from a distance to help Wang Tianyou escape.

But the moment the red frame behind Qin Feng appeared, Qin Feng reacted strongly.

Li Lin had never believed that the stealth technique was invincible.

Zhao Xiaohu had been able to find him while he was hidden in stealth.

Others might be capable of the same.

Thus, he was always cautious.

It was precisely that caution that had kept him from getting too close.

Otherwise, the outcome might have been difficult to predict.

Seeing Wang Tianyou successfully break out, Li Lin also breathed a sigh of relief.

Pressure was always best when someone helped share it.

He dropped onto the street.

Then he headed for the paper horse shop.

It was already approaching evening, but the shop had not yet closed.

The shopkeeper sat behind the counter looking dispirited.

“Shopkeeper, we meet again.”

Li Lin walked in.

The shopkeeper shot him an irritated glance.

“Get out, get out, get out. Seeing you annoys me.”

“I haven’t offended you, have I?”

Li Lin said with a smile.

“I’m here to buy some things. Don’t tell me you’re no longer doing business?”

The shopkeeper sighed.

“What do you want?”

“Cinnabar, yellow paper, white paper, silver paper money, scissors...”

Li Lin listed a long series of items.

The shopkeeper looked at him suspiciously.

“You learned the paper effigy art and talisman arts from that book this quickly?”

“No. Just practicing.”

“I figured.”

Turning around, the shopkeeper gathered everything Li Lin had requested.

He placed it all onto a square cloth and thoughtfully wrapped it up.

“Eight taels of silver.”

“That’s a bit expensive.”

“When I do business, I treat young and old alike with honesty.”

The shopkeeper snorted.

“These are all top-quality goods. I never pass inferior products off as good ones.”

“Fine.”

Li Lin paid the money and prepared to leave with the items.

“Qin Feng’s Eight Directions Wind and Rain Sword is very fast, but his forehead is his weakness. The defense there isn’t particularly strong.”

Li Lin turned around, looking puzzled.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing. I simply felt like saying that.”

Li Lin left with a thoroughly baffled expression.

The shopkeeper stroked his thin mustache.

“So it really isn’t this kid?”