Chapter 68: The Baseness of the Martial World
Among the men in white martial uniforms, the leader was a young man.
He looked at Li Lin with interest and asked, “Are you here to help Shunfu Escort Agency?”
Li Lin shook his head.
At that moment, Lin Qiyu shouted from the side, “Patrol Hunter Li, don’t be afraid of them. Our chief escort will be back very soon. Tianyi Sect is nothing to worry about. You only need to help us hold on for a short while.”
Li Lin shot him a cold glance.
The young man opposite him continued, “How can you prove you’re not here to lend them your support?”
“I don’t need to prove it. I’ll just leave.”
“Then please.”
The young man stepped aside and made a welcoming gesture.
Li Lin did not walk in the direction indicated by the other party.
Instead, he slowly backed away.
Su Huafang had once said that when conflicts occurred between people, others might appear willing to let you go.
The danger was that they might launch a sneak attack the moment you turned around.
Li Lin remembered that advice very clearly.
Not until Li Lin had withdrawn to a safe distance did the young man make any move.
Seeing that Li Lin was about to leave, the young man cupped his fists and said, “Please forgive us, Brother. This is a grievance between Tianyi Sect and Shunfu Escort Agency. Thank you for giving Tianyi Sect face.”
Li Lin replied from afar, “I wasn’t here to lend support in the first place.”
“No matter. Whether you were or not, Tianyi Sect will remember this favor.”
The young man continued smiling.
“If we meet again someday, I will certainly treat you to fine wine.”
Li Lin cupped his fists from a distance.
Then he turned and left.
As he did so, he vaguely heard the young man’s voice from behind.
“Lin Qiyu, you’re just as despicable as ever...”
Li Lin left the intersection and decided to take a longer route around.
Jin City was enormous.
Taking the longer route consumed quite a bit of time.
Nearly half a shichen later, he arrived at the entrance of the Artisan Bureau.
Two yamen runners stood outside.
After Li Lin explained his purpose, a middle-aged craftsman quickly came to receive him.
Ordinary people were not permitted to commission items directly from the Artisan Bureau.
Spirit Hunters, however, were officials and part of the government establishment, allowing them to make purchases there.
“I’d like an alchemy furnace. It doesn’t need to be large. About the size of a small cooking pot will do.”
Hearing this request, the middle-aged craftsman smiled.
“If it were a large alchemy furnace, we’d have to custom make it. But for small ones, we have many prototypes here. Would this Patrol Hunter like to take a look?”
“Yes.”
Li Lin selected a lotus-shaped small alchemy furnace roughly the size of a small pot.
After paying five taels of silver, he carried it out of the Artisan Bureau.
Unexpectedly, he ran into an acquaintance.
“Patrol Hunter Li, you’ve come to Jin City too?”
Zhao Hao looked somewhat surprised.
Li Lin nodded.
“Senior Su invited me to escort a caravan and earn a little spending money.”
“And you’ve come here...”
Zhao Hao’s gaze fell on the alchemy furnace in Li Lin’s hands.
“The things you study really are diverse.”
“Nothing special.”
Li Lin smiled.
“All right, I have some business to take care of inside.”
Zhao Hao laughed.
“Come find me at the prefectural office tomorrow. I’ll show you around properly. No matter what, I count as half a local of Jin City.”
“I won’t trouble you. I’d rather wander around on my own.”
Zhao Hao froze for a moment before suddenly “understanding.”
“Oh, I see. In that case, you really should explore by yourself. Remember to have them give you a red packet.”
Li Lin rolled his eyes helplessly.
Zhao Hao burst into laughter and entered the Artisan Bureau.
Li Lin, meanwhile, returned to the inn first and put away the alchemy furnace before heading out again.
He watched acrobatic performances.
He watched a strongman break stones on his chest.
He watched fire breathing.
He watched people retrieve coins from boiling oil.
He also ate a great deal of street food.
Only after his stomach was completely full did he return to the inn and prepare to sleep.
It was at that moment that someone suddenly began pounding on the door.
Subconsciously, he grabbed the red-tasseled spear hanging nearby and asked, “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Zhao Hao.”
Li Lin opened the door and saw Zhao Hao standing outside, his face filled with urgency.
“How did you know I was staying here...”
“Urgent matter. We’ll talk while walking.”
“Wait.”
Li Lin returned to his bundle and took out a stack of paper figurines along with several Shengxi Pills.
After putting them into his clothing, he came outside and said, “Let’s go.”
Zhao Hao led the way in front, taking large strides.
“I came to Jin City because my uncle wanted to introduce me to an important person. But that important person disappeared not long ago.”
The anxiety on his face was obvious.
Li Lin suddenly remembered that Huang Qi had mentioned not long ago that the noble gentleman Zhu Lao San was coming to Jin City.
And Zhao Hao’s uncle seemed to be a registrar of Jin City.
That meant the important person Zhao Hao was supposed to meet was Zhu Lao San?
Zhu Lao San had disappeared?
This was a major matter.
Zhao Hao continued, “As for how I knew you were staying at the inn, there are local idlers everywhere in this place. Finding someone is easy.”
“But they can’t find that important person?”
“Because this matter may involve a gui!”
Zhao Hao sighed helplessly.
Li Lin subconsciously glanced up at the faint dharma manifestation in the sky.
Zhao Hao understood what he was thinking and continued, “True Lords don’t concern themselves much with mortal affairs. They only care about the bigger picture. Unless they actually see a gui causing trouble right before their eyes, they won’t bother intervening.”
The two quickly arrived before the prefectural office.
The guards recognized Zhao Hao and immediately let them in.
When they reached the main hall, they found a large crowd already gathered there.
There were both martial artists and Spirit Hunters.
At a glance, there were more than thirty people.
Li Lin even discovered that Su Huafang, Bai Liwei, and Bai Bufan were among them.
They also spotted Li Lin and Zhao Hao and waved them over.
The two walked over.
Su Huafang said helplessly, “Who would’ve thought? I assumed this trip was for earning money and enjoying myself for a couple of days. Instead, we’ve gotten mixed up in this affair.”
Li Lin asked, “You’ve already guessed what this is about too?”
“More or less.”
As the two were speaking, a middle-aged man dressed in official robes embroidered with cloud geese emerged from behind a screen.
Everyone cupped their fists and bowed, calling out, “Prefect.”
Li Lin also bowed together with them.
The official presiding over the hall was named Fang Hua.
He was a fourth-rank civil official and the Prefect of Jin City.
“An important person has disappeared within this city. It is suspected to be the work of a gui.”
Fang Hua did not sit down.
Instead, he stood rigidly upright, his expression extremely ugly.
“All of you serve as officials and functionaries under my jurisdiction. From this moment onward, you have three days to find that person. Otherwise...”
“My official position will be lost, and none of you should expect a pleasant outcome either.”
Having spoken, Fang Hua flicked his sleeve and departed.
Among the martial artists, a man dressed in black official attire with a saber hanging from his waist strode forward.
“Gentlemen, martial artists cannot deal with matters involving gui. I’ll take my people to seal the city gates and search for suspicious individuals. The rest is up to you.”
Among the Spirit Hunters of Jin City, a man appearing to be slightly over thirty cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks, Inspector Huang.”
The middle-aged man immediately departed with his subordinates, moving in great haste.
Those remaining behind were all Spirit Hunters.
The young man turned around and said, “As the Judicial Commissioner, I will temporarily take command. Does anyone object?”
Naturally, no one did.
A Judicial Commissioner was, after all, a seventh-rank official and possessed the authority to do so.
Seeing that nobody spoke, the young man continued, “Time is precious. Those skilled in locating people through special techniques, step forward.”
Immediately, six people from Jin City stepped out.
After thinking for a moment, Li Lin stepped forward as well.
The young man looked somewhat surprised at Li Lin before saying, “I don’t care what methods you use. Begin your techniques immediately and find this important person. Even if the methods aren’t particularly elegant, it doesn’t matter.”
The six immediately displayed their various abilities.
One began chanting incantations while performing ritual dances.
Another took out a small incense altar and lit incense upon it.
Another sat cross-legged and rolled his eyes back until only the whites showed.
Each possessed unique skills.
Only Li Lin remained motionless.
The young man looked over and asked, “Friend from Yulin County, are you facing some difficulty? Why haven’t you begun your search technique?”
Li Lin smiled awkwardly.
“I don’t know what the important person looks like...”