New and dark light years

Chapter 1: The Society is Not Confidential
On the outskirts of Yulin County, at the foot of the mountain.

Li Lin squatted in the grass beside the country road, motionless.

From time to time, farmers passed by carrying hoes or things on their shoulders, but no one noticed him.

And in the lower right corner of his vision, a row of text was rising.

Stealth +1

Stealth +1

Stealth +1

Although his feet were numb from squatting, Li Lin felt a sense of accomplishment as he watched the characters appear continuously.

As long as he squats like this for a few hours every day, after a while, in a year or two, he will be able to protect himself even if he has to spend the night in the wild.

Just when he was feeling happy, the grass was pulled aside by a pair of large hands, and a bearded face appeared in front of him: "Brother Lin, why are you squatting here?"

Ah, how did this guy find me!

Li Lin felt puzzled.

He stood up by supporting his knees, but the numbness in his feet prevented him from fully straightening up in a short time.

At this time, the bearded man had a clear expression on his face: "I know, you must be here..."

"Shut up." Li Lin interrupted without hesitation: "If you dare to say that last word, I will pull out all your beard immediately."

The bearded man was so scared that he covered his face and backed away.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Lin finally straightened up. He stamped his feet and took a few more steps. Feeling that his feet were not so numb, he asked, "Xiao Hu, what do you want me to do?"

"Today is the day when the county distributes public grain." Xiaohu looked at Li Lin with admiration. "Then Ada asked me to beg you, and said that if you get the grain, let me go with you to the county town and buy some sundries for everyone to take home."

"Okay." Li Lin walked along the rural road towards the village: "You know the rules."

"I know, I know. I will definitely obey you."

Xiaohu nodded repeatedly, then ran back to the village happily, jumping and skipping.

But this cute look doesn't quite match his face.

Li Lin knew that this was normal. After all, the child was only thirteen years old. It was not his fault that he looked old, but his father's fault.

I walked along the country road back to the village and back to my simple home.

He first drank some water to quench his thirst, then took out a white jade token from under his pillow, tied it to his belt, and walked out.

At this time, Xiaohu also came trotting over with two empty baskets.

"Brother Ling, I'm ready."

At this time, a larger tiger came from behind.

The other party said in a muffled voice, "Li Xiaolang, please take good care of my little tiger. Old Zhao would like to thank you in advance."

"Uncle Zhao, you're too polite."

Li Lin smiled and bowed in response.

Zhao Xiaohu looks very similar to his father, the only difference is that one is taller than the other.

Coming out of the village, Li Lin walked in front, and Zhao Xiaohu was carrying an empty basket on a shoulder pole, jumping around and looking very happy.

The village is not far from the county town, and it takes about half an hour to walk there.

Entering from the city gate, you will see a fairly lively area. Unlike the village where there are dirt roads everywhere, the main roads in this county town are paved with bluestone slabs.

Zhao Xiaohu carried an empty basket and looked at the lively scene around him, his eyes full of curiosity and envy.

He was completely unaware that many people were staring at him with mocking eyes.

Li Lin walked in front and soon arrived in front of the yamen.

The yamen runners guarding outside saw him and immediately came forward and said, "Master Li, are you here to collect your grain?"

"Correct."

"It has already been prepared for you, please wait."

After he finished speaking, the bailiff ran in and soon came out with a yellow cloth bag in his hands.

He handed the cloth bag to Li Lin, panting a little, and then took out the signature from the side: "Master Li, please."

Li Lin pressed his red handprint on it, then said, "Thank you for your help."

The yamen runner looked flattered and said, "Of course I should."

Li Lin picked up the fifty-kilogram bag with one hand and walked towards the market easily.

Zhao Xiaohu followed up from behind and said, "Brother Lin, you are so impressive! Even the messenger is respectful to you."

Li Lin said as he walked, "It's not impressive, it comes at a price."

Zhao Xiaohu was a little confused.

He walked away for a while and then said, "Brother Lin, why don't you put this bag of rice in my basket?"

"Don't bother. This thing is light enough for me." Li Lin said with a smile, "Besides, if only one end of your basket is heavy, it will be uncomfortable to carry."

Zhao Xiaohu naturally understood and said nothing more.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the market, and then they saw that the market was not as lively as before, and seemed to be much quieter.

It’s not that there weren’t people… there were still as many people as usual, but now they were all sitting in a circle, facing inwards.

Li Lin's ears were sharper than most people's, and he heard screams from the crowd.

He walked forward, pushed aside the crowd, and saw a young man in tight clothes kicking a dark-skinned middle-aged man.

Every time he kicked the middle-aged man, he screamed.

Next to them, there were a few people who looked like followers, forcing a young man to kneel on the ground.

The young man watched the middle-aged man being beaten, his eyes filled with tears. He looked at the strong-dressed young man who beat him with a resentful expression.

"Brother Lin, he is a spirit hunter just like you."

Li Lin nodded slightly. There was also a white jade token hanging around the young man's waist.

Then he asked the onlookers nearby: "Uncle, what happened?"

"I don't know either." The wrinkled old man next to him shook his head. "That nobleman came over and just grabbed Old Man Wu and beat him up without saying anything."

Li Lin raised his eyebrows.

This matter was unclear and he didn't want to bother with it. He also noticed that although the young man looked ferocious in his beating, he actually hit people in areas with plenty of flesh that were not likely to cause illness.

The old man looks miserable, but actually he should be fine after a few days of rest.

But Zhao Xiaohu next to him looked a little indignant, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

At this time, the young man in tight clothes grabbed the injured old man's hair and lifted him up. Then his throat was rumbling and he was about to spit a mouthful of clear phlegm on the old man's face.

"stop!"

A loud and powerful shout shook the entire market.

Everyone's eyes turned over... and then fell on Zhao Xiaohu.

There was no way, the sound came from this side, and Zhao Xiaohu's eyes were as big as copper bells, he had a thick black beard, and he was tall, a real tough guy. Everyone felt that the loud shout just now was made by him.

The young man in tight clothes also looked at Zhao Xiaohu with displeasure in his eyes.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhao Xiaohu suddenly became anxious and shook his head vigorously, shouting, "It's not me, it's not me."

Then he hid behind Li Lin.

At this moment, a young man dressed as a scholar squeezed in from outside the crowd.

Li Lin was surprised to see this man, because he knew him. The scholar walked up to the young man in the tight-fitting clothes, bowed, and said, "My dear warrior, as a spirit hunter, it's not right for you to bully ordinary people."

"Bullying?" The young man in tight clothes threw the old man aside and said with a smile, "It's you who are bullying me, a foreigner."

The scholar was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

"This old man sold his daughter to me yesterday and received ten taels of official silver from me. But now, his daughter is gone." The young man in tight clothes said with a smile, "I came to ask him about it, but he said he didn't know and refused to return my money. What do you think, should he be beaten?"

The young scholar's expression became subtle.

The onlookers were also talking about it.

The old man did not refute, and thought that this should be the case.

That really deserves a beating.

The young man in tight clothes continued with a smile, "I can afford ten taels of silver. Anyway, I beat him up and my anger has subsided. But you, on the other hand, are so ignorant and just trying to stand up for others. You will definitely suffer in the future."

The young scholar's expression became embarrassed.

"Let that little wolf cub go." shouted the young man in tight clothes.

Several followers threw the boy to the old man's side.

The young man in tight clothes walked over and put his right leg on the back of the boy's right hand: "I can see that you hate me very much, and even want to kill me."

The young man retracted the fierce look in his eyes.

"But since you didn't make a move, I can't find any reason to deal with you. After all, I'm a kind person." The young man in tight clothes didn't step hard on the boy; he just used this method to restrict his movements. "Remember, my last name is Wang, and my name is Tianyou! When you grow up and become capable, you can come find me. Either you kill me, or I kill your whole family. Do you understand?"

Wang Tianyou had a gloomy face, which was scary to look at.

The boy didn't dare to look at him and trembled all over.

Wang Tianyou stood up straight, laughed, and looked around. When he saw Li Lin, his gaze paused for a moment, then he turned around and left with a few followers.

Seeing the murderer leave, several people who were familiar with the old man walked over to support him.

The scholar walked up to Li Lin, bowed and said with a smile: "Brother Kunge, it's been a while since we last met."

Li Lin also clasped his fists and smiled, "It's been a while indeed. How come Zijing is here at the market?"

This young scholar was the eldest son of the local county magistrate Huang Yan, Huang Qi, whose courtesy name was Zijing.

The other party is the descendant of an official and has a noble status. Logically, there is no need for him to come to a messy place like the market.

"I came here specifically to look for Brother Kunge. The yamen runner said you should be here." Huang Qi made an inviting gesture: "Would you please come sit with me in the restaurant next door and chat for a while?"

Li Lin nodded, untied the white jade token from his waist, and said to Zhao Xiaohu beside him, "Take this and go to the market to buy things. If anyone bothers you or dares to cheat you, tell them my name and give them this token for their inspection."

There are many unscrupulous merchants in the market who like to bully the villagers who come to the market from other villages.

It is normal for things to be sold at a high price, and it is even impossible for them to be shortchanged in weight. It is even possible that you will not be given the goods even if you have paid for them.

With the spirit hunter's jade token, no one would dare to bully Xiaohu.

"Okay, Brother Lin."

Zhao Xiaohu took the jade token and left carrying two baskets.

Huang Qi and Li Lin sat down in the hotel. After the waiter brought the wine and food, Huang Qi raised his glass and said, "Brother Kunge, I'll drink first."

"Drink together."

Huang Qi put down his empty cup after drinking the yellow wine. He said, "Half a month ago, I went to Jincheng and met a noble man."

Jincheng is a big city, and Yulin County is under its jurisdiction.

Li Lin also put down his cup and listened quietly.

"He has a heart for saving the world, a talent for saving the people, and is even more willing to work hard for this purpose." Huang Qi said with admiration: "Compared to him, I am far inferior."

Li Lin still didn't speak.

Huang Qi had been trying to pique Li Lin's interest, but since he didn't respond, he pondered for a moment and continued, "Brother Kunge, you're the person I admire most in Yulin County. But don't you think it's a bit of a waste for you to stay in this small county with your abilities?"

"I quite like it here." Li Lin chuckled.

Seeing that Li Lin was still unwilling to respond, Huang Qi stopped beating around the bush and told the truth: "Brother Kunge, this noble man, feeling the power of one person is limited, is gathering people to help more people in need. I have joined them, and I hope you can join us in saving the people from danger."

"Are you planning to form a society?"

Huang Qi looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them, so he whispered, "It can't be considered an association. It's just that everyone is discussing and doing things together for a common vision, in order to help more people in need."

Li Lin chuckled softly, "Brother Zijing, I'm different from you scholars. I'm a warrior, I don't understand the principles of the world, and I'm also a spirit hunter. According to the laws of the Great Qi, spirit hunters can't join any society, except... the Demon Subduing Division."

"Of course I know." Huang Qi looked into Li Lin's eyes and said slowly, "But does the imperial court still have the energy to control you spirit hunters?"

"But I can manage myself."

Huang Qi looked at Li Lin, whose face was calm. He sighed softly, stood up, bowed, and left.

Li Lin stayed in the hotel drinking and eating snacks.

About an hour and a half later, Zhao Xiaohu came back carrying a basket.

The two baskets were filled with things, including things from the Zhao family and daily necessities that other people in the village asked them to buy on their behalf.

"Brother Lin, I've bought enough things. Should I go back to the village now?"

As he spoke, he returned the white jade tablet to Li Lin.
Li Lin looked at the sky outside and said, "Don't worry, there's still some time. You should eat something, otherwise you won't have the energy to travel. Anyway, someone has already paid for the food and drinks."

"Ok."

Zhao Xiaohu sat down without hesitation and ate and drank heartily.

Soon, he finished all the delicacies on the table.

The two of them got up and returned.

Compared to when they came, they walked much faster this time.

There were also many villagers from other villages who left the county town with them, and they were also walking at a fast pace.

On the way back to the village, Zhao Xiaohu didn't dare to look at the valleys and woods on both sides of the country road.

He just kept following Li Lin, walking forward with his head down.

After about half an hour, they returned to the village entrance and Uncle Zhao was already waiting there.

The man with the big beard was very easy to recognize; I knew it was him from a distance.

Seeing the two men come back, Uncle Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, walked over quickly, took his son's shoulder pole and carried it on his back.

"Sorry to bother you, Li Xiaolang. I'll take Xiaohu back first."

"Okay, say hello to Aunt Hua for me."

"I know."

Zhao Xiaohu waved to Li Lin and followed his father home.

After they returned home, they immediately closed the door tightly. At this time, there was no one walking around in the village.

Li Lin did not go home, but went to the center of the village and found a dead tree with a bluestone altar under it.

There are strange lines painted on this altar, and it exudes an evil aura.

Li Lin pressed his left hand, and soon a translucent woman in palace dress appeared on the altar. She wore a black leather mask on her face, so her appearance could not be seen clearly.

As soon as she appeared, she lay on the altar, hugged Li Lin's left hand, stretched out her long forked snake tongue, and licked Li Lin's palm again and again.

Licking very vigorously.

With every lick, a faint red glow was carried away by her tongue and swallowed into her stomach.

(End of this chapter)