Chapter 74: Beacon Smoke Rises

The Tree Immortal Lady had always been cold and distant, and Li Lin was already used to it.

Then his eyes lit up.

He discovered that the Tree Immortal Lady’s lips were shining brightly, pale pink at the sides and vivid red at the center.

They looked exceptionally beautiful.

So this was Snow Marrow Vermilion.

“Your Ladyship, you’re wearing the rouge. It looks beautiful.”

The cold aura around the Tree Immortal Lady lessened somewhat.

Then she twisted her snake tail, turned around, and left.

Li Lin had actually wanted to say, “I’d like a taste,” because it genuinely looked delicious.

But he did not dare.

He believed that if he actually said it, he would most likely be whipped into a paste by the Tree Immortal Lady’s long snake tail.

After the Tree Immortal Lady left, Li Lin continued studying the book Detailed Explanations of the Daoist Ritual Master.

He had already finished learning the paper-crafting techniques.

That was because only two paper-crafting techniques were recorded within it.

This was perfectly normal.

A Daoist ritual master was merely a folk shaman and ritual practitioner. They did not need to possess great abilities. Being able to learn the basics of paper-crafting techniques was already sufficient.

Next came talisman crafting.

Detailed Explanations of the Daoist Ritual Master also contained an introductory cultivation method for it.

Li Lin had already purchased the necessary materials.

He immediately began drawing according to the instructions in the book.

【Talisman Arts +1】

【Talisman Arts +1】

As notification after notification appeared, Li Lin finally completed his first talisman after wasting several sheets of yellow paper.

Calming Heart Talisman.

This was a talisman every Daoist ritual master had to learn.

During funerals, many filial sons and daughters, or deeply devoted lovers, would cry themselves half to death.

If things went badly, they could easily damage their health.

If someone became too emotional, placing a Calming Heart Talisman on their back would prevent them from becoming excessively grief-stricken.

Looking at the talisman, Li Lin nodded in satisfaction.

Then he stood up and stretched lazily.

As soon as he turned around, he discovered the Soul-Guiding Paper Figurine running down from the mountain.

This time it was not swinging from tree to tree.

It probably understood that with a basket full of medicinal herbs on its back, excessive jumping would scatter everything.

Very quickly, the paper figurine arrived before Li Lin and set down the bamboo basket.

Li Lin crouched down and inspected it.

He found that all the herbs had been gathered correctly and were of excellent quality.

He was very satisfied.

Looking at the paper figurine standing silently nearby, an idea formed in his mind.

Since it could gather herbs, could it also light fires and cook meals? Could it tidy the house?

He extended a hand and infused more yin energy into the Soul-Guiding Paper Figurine while issuing new commands.

Sure enough, the idea worked.

The Soul-Guiding Paper Figurine really could perform such tasks.

The only thing it could not do was wash rice.

Before cooking, it poured the rice into the pot and then handed it directly to Li Lin, leaving the rest for him to do.

It seemed to possess a certain degree of intelligence and was not particularly stupid.

Then why were the small paper figures so foolish?

Could it be because this one used the Tree Immortal Lady’s appearance?

Li Lin did not know, nor did he care.

As long as it was useful, that was enough.

The next two days passed very comfortably.

Having a paper figurine helping with chores truly made life much easier.

Even alchemy became simpler.

He used the alchemy furnace to produce two batches of Beauty Preservation Pills in one go.

After that, he continued cultivating according to plan.

Martial arts had to be practiced.

Pills had to be refined.

Cultivation methods had to be cultivated.

Talisman arts had to be trained as well.

He left himself almost no free time whatsoever.

He had assumed these fulfilling days could continue a while longer.

Yet at noon on the third day, while he was eating blood rice, he suddenly saw a pillar of green smoke shooting into the sky in the distance.

Beacon smoke!

Judging by the location, it should be coming from the direction of Bobai Military Town.

The enemy had invaded.

Li Lin quickly shoveled the blood rice into his mouth.

Then he took out his bundle and packed Shengxi Pills, two bottles of Beauty Preservation Pills, and his mask into it before slinging it over his shoulder.

Picking up his spear, he ran out the door.

By this time, a large crowd of villagers had already gathered at the village entrance.

They pointed toward the beacon smoke while discussing it among themselves.

Every face was grave.

The villagers were not stupid.

They knew exactly what beacon smoke represented.

Using the Lightness Skill, Li Lin sprinted at full speed.

A journey that normally took half a shichen was completed in just a little over one stick of incense for him.

Because of the beacon smoke, Yulin County had already entered lockdown.

Ordinary civilians were forbidden from entering or leaving.

When Li Lin ran over, the local soldiers guarding the walls recognized him immediately.

They opened the city gate slightly and let him through.

After all, nearly all of the local soldiers knew Li Lin by sight.

Upon entering the city, Li Lin once again sensed a heavy atmosphere.

There were far fewer pedestrians on the streets than usual.

Instead of heading directly to the county yamen, he first went to the Huang residence and knocked on the door.

The vermilion gates opened.

The gatekeeper looked at Li Lin, froze momentarily, then respectfully said,

“Patrol Hunter Li, have you come to visit the master? He has already gone to the county yamen.”

“No. Is Hongluan here?”

“She is.”

“Please ask her to come out. The sooner the better.”

“Hongluan!”

The gatekeeper called inward.

Soon a young girl hurried out.

She wore a puzzled expression at first, but the moment she saw Li Lin, delight immediately appeared on her face.

“Young Master Li, what brings you here?” Hongluan asked curiously, her face slightly red.

Li Lin took out the Beauty Preservation Pills from his bundle.

“Help me deliver these to your young lady. They’re Beauty Preservation Pills. They’re very effective.”

“Oh!”

Hongluan accepted them and patted her full chest confidently.

“Don’t worry. I’ll personally deliver them to Miss.”

“Thank you for the trouble.”

Li Lin turned and left, heading toward the nearby county yamen.

Hongluan quietly watched his departing figure.

There was a special emotion in her eyes as well.

The gatekeeper chuckled beside her.

“Stop staring. He’s already gone. Following Miss, you’ve got quite a fortunate life yourself.”

Hongluan shot the old gatekeeper an annoyed glance.

Holding the two porcelain bottles, she returned to the inner courtyard.

Meanwhile, Li Lin had already arrived at the main hall of the county yamen.

Huang Yan was already seated above.

When he saw Li Lin, he gave him a slight nod.

At this moment, not everyone had arrived yet.

All the Spirit Hunters were present.

Even Zhao Xiaohu had arrived.

However, several constable chiefs and military captains had not yet appeared.

After waiting a little longer, several more people arrived one after another.

Two of them still smelled of alcohol.

Fortunately, they appeared sober enough.

“Everyone is finally here.”

Huang Yan’s expression looked no different from usual, but concern remained visible in his eyes.

“Everyone should have seen the beacon smoke coming from Bobai Military Town. At present, we do not know whether Bobai Military Town can still hold out. Regardless, we must dispatch troops. Captain Shi, how many local soldiers under your command are still fit for battle?”

Captain Shi stepped forward and cupped his fists.

“Four hundred men. One hundred archers, one hundred sword-and-shield soldiers, and two hundred spearmen.”

“Then assemble them immediately and march to reinforce Bobai Military Town. If the situation proves hopeless, withdraw at once and defend the county seat.”

“Yes!”

Captain Shi returned to the ranks.

Huang Yan looked toward the left side of the hall.

“Constable Chief Qiu, take twenty men and immediately light the beacon towers.”

“Understood.”

Huang Yan continued,

“Deputy Constable Chief Mo, take thirty men and patrol the streets to maintain order. Anyone committing crimes is to be arrested immediately. Anyone who dares resist, execute without mercy.”

“Yes!”

Huang Yan then turned his gaze toward the Spirit Hunters.

“All Spirit Hunters will accompany Captain Shi to Bobai Military Town. Assist Captain Shi whenever possible. However, at critical moments, you may make your own decisions. Patrol Hunter Su Huafang will exercise command over the Spirit Hunters.”

“Yes!”

The Spirit Hunters all cupped their fists together and accepted the order.

Huang Yan picked up the magistrate’s wooden block and slammed it heavily against the desk.

Bang!

“Depart immediately!”

The people in the hall quickly dispersed.

Large numbers of yamen runners also left the county yamen.

The place became quiet all at once.

Huang Yan sat there in a daze for a while.

Then he let out a soft sigh.

His eldest son, Huang Qi, had previously led local soldiers to support Tang Qi’s frontier army.

Originally, they had maintained communication through carrier pigeons.

But now...

He had not received any news from him for several days.

He had no idea what his situation was.

Hopefully he was safe and unharmed.

Huang Yan sat silently for a while longer before finally standing up.

He intended to return home and get some rest.