Chapter 58: Many Hands Make Light Work

Qin Feng returned to the residence with his men, his face full of gloom.

Arriving before the main hall, he said, “Come out. That bastard isn’t stupid.”

Before long, a man dressed as a scholar emerged from the inner chambers.

“Family Head Qin.”

The scholarly man cupped his hands.

“To have accomplished nothing leaves me deeply ashamed.”

“It isn’t your fault.”

Qin Feng waved a hand, his complexion still dark.

At that moment, several constables emerged from the various rooms throughout the Qin Residence.

Before long, more than a hundred people had gathered.

Most carried longbows.

A smaller number held objects resembling fishing nets, with hooks attached along the edges.

“Then I shall return first and report to the County Magistrate.”

“When this matter is settled another day, I shall invite Registrar Ji to share some fine wine.”

“You are too courteous, far too courteous.”

After exchanging a few polite remarks, Registrar Ji departed with a large number of men.

At that moment, a youth approached from the side.

It was Qin Huan, the Qin Family’s sole remaining heir.

“Father, where has Mother gone?”

Qin Huan looked extremely uneasy.

“Why haven’t I seen her all day?”

“I had her return to Dafeng Village first. After all, it is very dangerous here.”

Qin Huan breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Feng then asked,

“Have you seen your Second Uncle?”

Qin Huan shook his head.

At this point, Qin Feng’s sense of foreboding grew stronger and stronger.

Disposing of a corpse was not a particularly difficult task.

Unless something had happened.

Surely not!

The hatred in Qin Feng’s eyes intensified.

He shouted,

“Men! Organize a search party and find Second Master. Alive or dead, I want him found! Do not overlook any suspicious clue.”

A group of Qin Residence servants immediately ran outside.

Meanwhile, Li Lin arrived at the attic of another wealthy household carrying the supplies he had just purchased.

He had discovered something.

The homes of wealthy families were enormous.

Yet many areas received little attention.

Hiding in such places was actually quite convenient.

Spreading out the bundle, Li Lin took everything out and sorted the items into piles.

Then he took out the white paper, scissors, and cinnabar.

First, he cut more than a dozen paper figures from the white paper, each about the size of a palm.

Then he used cinnabar to add eyes and mouths to the figures.

Afterward, he drew talisman patterns on their backs and infused them with yin energy.

The white paper gradually gained color and turned pink.

[Paper Effigy Art +1]

Li Lin could not help freezing in surprise.

He took out Detailed Account of the Daoist Gong and looked through it.

Then he looked at the pink paper figures he had created.

Puzzled, he said,

“After infusing them with yin energy, shouldn’t they become blood-red? Why did they turn pink?”

He tried controlling the paper figures.

He found them extremely easy to control.

They could run and jump with remarkable agility.

There did not seem to be any mistake.

So why had the color faded?

Li Lin made several more paper figures.

All of them turned pink instead of blood-red.

Then he stopped worrying about it.

As long as they worked, who cared what color they were?

Blood-red paper figures were too frightening.

Pink paper figures were actually rather cute.

Moreover, when drawing their eyes, he had instinctively used a chibi-style art design.

In one go, he created more than a dozen paper figures.

Then he dispatched all of them.

Their task was to find Wang Tianyou.

The little paper figures bounced and hopped as they drifted out of the attic.

They did not seem particularly intelligent.

Although they followed Li Lin’s instructions and deliberately traveled through hidden, dark places, their independent actions remained rather clumsy.

As a result, some fell into foul-smelling ditches.

Others were snatched up and torn apart by cats.

But in the end, several of them managed to find Wang Tianyou.

Wang Tianyou was hiding in a dilapidated house, circulating his cultivation method to heal his injuries.

Three martial attendants stood guard nearby.

Before long, one of the attendants suddenly drew his sword.

A pink paper figure that had just emerged from a corner was cut in half.

Wang Tianyou opened his eyes.

“Paper figures leading the way.”

The attendant held his sword and said,

“We can’t stay here anymore.”

Wang Tianyou nodded.

Just as the four were about to leave, several more paper figures appeared around them.

“The Qin Family really won’t stop haunting us.”

One attendant said angrily.

“They’re even using paper effigy arts now.”

Another attendant watched for a while and said,

“Why do all these paper figures look faded?”

“Who cares what color they are? They’re definitely not anything good.”

The attendant who had spoken earlier slashed several paper figures apart with his sword.

Just as he was about to destroy the last one, Wang Tianyou spoke.

“Wait. These paper figures don’t seem to have been sent by the Qin Family.”

The attendants took a closer look.

They discovered that the lone remaining paper figure was repeatedly pointing outward with its round little hand.

That did not look like it had found an enemy.

Instead, it seemed more like it was inviting them to follow.

Wang Tianyou walked over.

The paper figure immediately started moving away.

After traveling a certain distance, it pointed toward a direction outside once more.

“It seems to want us to meet someone.”

One attendant said,

“Could it be a trap?”

“If the Qin Family had discovered us, the paper figures would never have revealed themselves for us to see.”

Wang Tianyou covered his chest and coughed twice.

“I’m willing to gamble. I don’t think this is a scheme by the Qin Family.”

The three attendants exchanged glances and nodded.

They felt their young master was right.

The paper figure led the way ahead.

Although it was not especially fast, it always took shortcuts, so its actual pace was not slow.

Fortunately, Wang Tianyou and the others knew lightness techniques.

Otherwise, they truly would not have been able to keep up with the little paper figure.

After traveling for some time, they arrived at a wasteland south of the county city.

Then the paper figure collapsed limply to the ground.

The pink color on its body gradually faded away.

It seemed its time limit had expired.

After all, the amount of yin energy infused into it had been limited.

Wang Tianyou looked around.

Soon, he noticed a figure emerging from the darkness.

All four immediately became alert.

But after recognizing the newcomer, Wang Tianyou cried out in surprise,

“Brother Li, why is it you?”

“Why can’t it be me?”

Li Lin said with a smile.

Wang Tianyou let out a sigh of relief.

“So you’re the one who killed the two Qin Family young masters?”

“That’s right.”

Wang Tianyou said admiringly,

“It’s only been two months since we last met, yet you’ve already entered the ranks.”

“Thanks to the Nourishing Yin Cultivation Method you sent me.”

Li Lin smiled.

“This isn’t a place for idle conversation. Let’s move somewhere safer before we talk.”

Naturally, Wang Tianyou agreed.

Before long, the five of them arrived at the attic where Li Lin had previously hidden.

Then Li Lin took out his travel rations.

Wang Tianyou and the three martial attendants devoured them ravenously.

They were genuinely starving.

Over the past several days, they had been chased from place to place.

They had barely had time to eat.

Their circumstances were far less comfortable than Li Lin’s.

After eating two pieces of hard dried rations, Wang Tianyou patted his stomach.

“Brother Li, I owe you a favor. Once we return home, there will certainly be a generous reward.”

Li Lin waved a hand.

“We can discuss that later. Right now, we should be thinking about how to kill Qin Feng and bring down the Qin Residence.”

“Why does Brother Li also have a grudge against the Qin Residence?”

Wang Tianyou asked curiously.

Li Lin naturally recounted the previous events.

Of course, he omitted the matter of the two Gui-Hiding Cloaks.

And the clothes he was currently wearing were not Gui-Hiding Cloaks either.

He understood the principle of not flaunting wealth.

“With people like us against them, the Qin Family has truly kicked an iron plate.”

Wang Tianyou suppressed a laugh.

“My family sent me here to deal with the Qin Family. I never expected Qin Feng to be even more troublesome than we imagined.”

“What we need to do now is not launch a direct assault, but find more helpers.”

“There are still helpers in this city?”

Li Lin asked.

“The Ding Family also has informants stationed here.”

Wang Tianyou smiled.

“Previously, we never had an opportunity to contact them. But now, with Brother Li’s paper effigy art, we have a way.”

“Speaking of which... Brother Li, you actually know paper effigy arts as well?”

“I learned it a long time ago. I’ve only truly mastered it in the last few days.”

Li Lin smiled.

“Then let’s contact the Ding Family’s people first. Many hands make light work. How many paper figures do you need me to make?”