New and dark light years

Chapter 359 Liu Shen, who is frequently beaten up

Generally speaking, prisons are quite smelly.

But the prison in Yulin County is actually quite clean and doesn't have any strange smell.

This is mainly because... Li Lin has allocated a lot of funds to this area.

Generally speaking, people in places with better economic conditions tend to be cleaner.

Now the prison guards are able to eat their fill and have some spare money to do other things, and they are starting to pay more attention to their working environment.

They no longer liked the dirty, smelly smell. If the prisoners were too dirty, they would even bring some water so that the prisoners could take a bath in their cells.

After Li Lin entered, the prison guards were terrified and felt guilty, so they lowered their heads and dared not look at him.

"Where was that kid locked up before?" Li Lin asked.

"The sixth cell on the right," someone replied.

As Li Lin walked over, the prisoners on both sides saw him and rushed to the fence, reaching out to grab him.

Some begged him to let them go, while others hurled insults at him.

Because most of these people were arrested after Li Lin investigated their cases.

The jailers took out short sticks and started banging on the noisy prisoners through the bars, making them scream and howl until they quickly quieted down.

Li Lin stopped in front of the sixth cell and looked inside.

Because it's an iron fence, it's easy to see everything inside.

There was nothing there except a patch of slightly moldy straw.

He checked the cell door lock again and found that there was no damage.

"Did someone open the door for him?" Li Lin asked instinctively.

Several jailers were so frightened that they knelt down immediately. The jailer was an old man with white hair. He shook his head vigorously and said, "Reporting to the county magistrate, we have checked and no one opened the door for him. We dare not do so."

Li Lin's gaze swept over the dozen or so prison guards, and he nodded slightly.

That is indeed the case in theory.

Through his mediation, the salaries of these lower-level county government officials were significantly increased, and since these were relatively respectable public positions, they would certainly be extremely distressed and depressed if they lost their jobs as a result.

The chances of them opening the door for that person are slim.

But regardless, when something like this happens, an internal investigation should be conducted first.

"You all stay here and don't go anywhere. I'll send some people to take over your work and see how the thief escaped."

"Yes, sir," the jailer whispered.

Li Lin then left, and a dozen prison guards watched his departing figure with heavy hearts.

He returned to the torture chamber, summoned several constables, and told them what had happened.

So two constables led their men to conduct an internal investigation of the prison guards, while several other constables led their constables to search the streets for people.

Li Lin stayed in the interrogation room, processing case files while waiting for news.

Some old cases are very troublesome to deal with and could essentially be ignored, but Li Lin still takes them out to look at from time to time and collects information whenever he has nothing else to do.

This actually helped him solve several cases from years ago, and it also made him even more famous in the local area.

Around noon, Officer Zhou, who had been conducting an internal investigation, returned.

"Reporting to the county magistrate, I have investigated and it should not be the case that the jailer released the person on his own."

"How did that kid escape?"

"According to the jailers and other prisoners, they suddenly realized that the man was gone."

That's it.

It seems this matter needs to be viewed from the perspective of the mysterious.

Li Lin felt somewhat helpless. That's the downside of the extraordinary world; many things defy common sense, yet they actually happen.

"Then send some more people to track down the criminal. First, go to the city gate and ask. If you're sure he didn't leave the city, then search the city for a few days. Remember... try not to disturb the people."

"Yes."

Officer Zhou also left with his men.

Li Lin looked at the case file for a while longer, and just as he was about to go home for lunch, Jiang Jili walked in.

"It's quite a sight to see. It's already noon, and the county magistrate is still working in the torture chamber," Jiang Jili said with a smile.

Li Lin usually leaves on time, but today he forgot the time while looking at the case files and was a little late.

He used to be treated like a beast of burden, but now that he's an official, he can't be treated like a beast of burden anymore.

Upon hearing this, Li Lin looked up at the other person and asked, "Does the County Magistrate have something to discuss with me?"

Jiang Jili nodded, took a few steps forward, and whispered across the table, "Something has happened to the Huang family in Beijing."

Li Lin was taken aback, then said, "Let's find a convenient place to talk."

Jiang Jili naturally agreed.

Li Lin sent a constable to his house to inform the gatekeeper Zhang Afu that he was going out for a drink and that his wife and the others should eat first and not wait for him.

Then he followed Jiang Jili to a private room on the third floor of the Fugui Restaurant, which they frequented.

After the restaurant staff brought out the food and drinks, Jiang Jili poured the wine and said, "I only found out about the news last night. I came to find you as soon as I finished what I was doing."

"Let me tell you about the Huang family in the capital."

Jiang Jili nodded, and then explained the matter in detail.

It turns out that after the Huang and Fang families in the capital formed a marriage alliance, they became a bit arrogant. The elders spoke with much more confidence, and the younger generation was even more haughty.

Then a few days ago, a member of the Huang family got into an argument with someone on the street and had his servant beat the person up, almost to death.

It turned out that the man was a prince consort.

Then, the weeping princess filed a complaint with the emperor, Zhu Jing, who ordered an investigation into the matter and subsequently imprisoned the young man.

At this point, Jiang Jili smiled and said, "I suppose the county magistrate has already guessed what it is."

"Yeah, I think we've been set up."

What prince consort goes out without personal guards or servants?

What kind of prince consort gets beaten up and doesn't even reveal his identity?

Even... it's strange that the Huang family scion, also a playboy from the capital, didn't recognize the imperial son-in-law.

With so many doubts, it becomes clear that things are not as simple as they seem.

“I think so too,” Jiang Jili said with a smile. “It seems that the marriage between the Huang and Fang families has already given many people a headache.”

Li Lin sighed and said, "It's inevitable. With two powerful forces joining forces, it would be strange if others didn't cause trouble."

Jiang Jili laughed even harder: "Didn't your father-in-law foresee this?"

Li Lin shook his head: "He should be able to guess that something similar would happen, but he is in the southern border region now, not in the capital. He can only set the tone and remotely control the Huang family, so mistakes are inevitable."

Jiang Jili said, "You have a very close relationship with the Huang family. This matter will inevitably involve you sooner or later. Be careful."

"Don't worry," Li Lin said with a smile, "someone will protect me."

Jiang Jili nodded: "That's right. You've already made connections with the Mu family, and besides, you yourself are a force to be reckoned with. If something really happens to the Huang family, it shouldn't affect you."

When he said this, Jiang Jili's expression was full of envy.

Li Lin's 'growth' is too fast.

It was incredibly fast.

He grew up in the capital, a city teeming with the elite. He had seen many of them and felt they were just so-so. He figured with a little effort, he could eventually catch up to them and stand behind them.

Therefore, it doesn't seem that surprising.

But Li Lin's appearance made him realize that those so-called chosen ones in the capital were actually just... ordinary people.

Ordinary people who are a bit lucky.

Or... an ordinary person from a better family background.

Jiang Jili still needs to rely on family connections to have any say in things. Compared to him, he's utterly useless.

Li Lin thought for a moment and then asked, "How is the situation with the Fang family?"

"Then I don't know." Jiang Jili shook his head: "It seems that the Fang family didn't show their faces at all."

The situation in the capital seems to be quite complicated.

Li Lin said, "Thank you for informing me of this matter, County Magistrate. I will go to Jin County tomorrow."

"Discuss this matter with your father-in-law?"

"That's certainly true."

"That's only right," Jiang Jili said with a smile. "Also... if the county magistrate has any extra Youth-Preserving Pills, could you sell some to my Jiang family?"

"You want them too?"

"In the capital, everyone wants it!"

"Okay, I'll send you two bottles tomorrow."

"No, I mean, sell it to my Jiang family."

Li Lin sat back down in his chair: "So, this is business now."

"Yes."

“Then let’s talk business.” Li Lin spread out five fingers and said, “This price per bottle.”

Jiang Jili nodded and said, "No problem."

Li Lin then withdrew one finger: "But we are friends, so this is the only amount."

Jiang Jili laughed, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you."

"How many bottles do you want?"

“The more the merrier.”

Li Lin thought for a moment and said, "I've already supplied goods to two parties. If we include your Fang family, it'll be a three-party supply, so I can't give you much more."

"Then please give us as much as possible."

"How about one hundred bottles per quarter?"

Jiang Jili cupped his hands in thanks and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, County Commandant."

For the Chiang family, this saved them a lot of money.

After the matter was settled, Li Lin went home.

For him, a hundred bottles of the Youth Preservation Pill would be a matter of two or three days; it was very simple.

But this matter cannot be revealed to outsiders, after all... the easier and more numerous something is to make, the cheaper it is.

Reducing production to control prices is the right choice.

Li Lin returned home from the county government office and recounted what had just happened.

After hearing this, Huang Qing's expression was full of worry: "I wonder how my little sister is doing."

“She’s with the Fang family, so there shouldn’t be any problems,” Li Lin said. “The problem lies in how the Huang family will respond.”

Huang Qing sighed softly.

Hongluan said from the side, "If you ask me, it's better to stay here. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so no one will bother us."

Li Lin said helplessly, "Yue County is eyeing Jin County covetously, and the Tang family's border troops are also like wolves lying in wait. Jin County is not having an easy time either."

Hongluan stuck out her tongue; she had really forgotten about these things.

Li Lin said, "I will go to Tianjin again tomorrow to discuss this matter with Taishan and see if I can be of any help."

Huang Qing looked at Li Lin and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

“There’s no trouble at all. Mount Tai has helped me a lot in the past, and this is just a debt of gratitude I owe him.”

……

The next morning, Li Lin first poured half of his spiritual energy into the storage ring, but the little thing still didn't react.

But Li Lin wasn't in a hurry. He had a feeling that as long as he fed it some spiritual energy every day and persisted, one day, the storage method would be opened.

Then I'll have some space to move around in.

He put the storage ring back on the shelf and glanced at the white jade immortal sword. The thing seemed to be behaving itself now, as if the white light from last time was just an illusion.

Li Lin knew that this was because Siluotuo had used his divine sense to chat with him in the space last time, which had greatly depleted his energy, and it would probably take a long time for him to recover.

He then rode away from home, heading towards Tianjin.

At this time, there were already many pedestrians on the road from Yulin to Jin County.

Just as Li Lin had predicted, once the official road was secured, communication returned to normal.

When Li Lin arrived at the Lanlin Zhenjun Temple on horseback, he saw many pedestrians queuing outside the temple, waiting to go in and offer incense.

Although the number of visitors is far less than that of the "Tree Fairy Goddess Temple" in the county town, it is still quite a few.

On the temple, Liu Shen patted her belly, looking completely satisfied with what she had eaten and drunk.

When she saw Li Lin, she immediately pounced down and said, "Look at my horns, they've grown longer!"

Li Lin looked over as instructed and indeed saw two small horns on Liu Shen's head, which were indeed a bit long.

It's about the length of two fingers.

"You've grown up a bit now?"

Liu Shen waved his hand: "No, it's because we have incense offerings to eat and our strength has increased, so our horns have grown. You can tell how strong my third sister and I are by the horns on our heads."

"And what about your eldest sister?"

“Look at her tail. The longer and more beautiful the tail, the more powerful she is.”

Li Lin thought for a moment, then nodded.

The Tree Fairy's tail used to be quite long and beautiful, but recently it looks noticeably shinier.

It has a better texture.

"Where are you going?" Liu Shen asked curiously.

"Go to Jin County."

"Aren't we going to your special mountain valley?"

Li Lin was somewhat surprised: "You knew?"

“I’ve seen you go there several times while I was flying in the air,” Liu Shen said smugly. “Then I even secretly went there a few times, chatted with your woman, and talked about those little plots of land you’ve acquired. They’re not really that great.”

"Not good?" Li Lin was taken aback. "Do you know what I'm doing?"

Liu Shen nodded and said, "I don't know what you want to plant, but those clods of soil of yours, aren't they spirit fields?"

Li Lin suddenly grabbed Liu Shen's shoulders and asked, "Do you know about the Spirit Field?"

“I know, I remember it was…” Liu Shen suddenly froze again, and after a while she said, “That’s strange, I remember that a superior spiritual field needs to be activated with a very special thing, what was it again… um…”

Seeing Liu Shen deep in thought, Li Lin felt a little nervous and didn't dare to disturb her.

After a while, Liu Shen pointed to the sky with one finger: "Ha, I remember now, we need Third Sister's saliva."

"Your third sister is..."

Then Li Lin remembered that Liu Li had disappeared and her whereabouts were unknown.

Li Lin then asked, "Besides ambergris, are there no other methods?"

“No, that’s not it. Spirit fields are the highest grade of arable land. The ones you’ve cultivated can also grow spirit plants, just not of very high quality.” Liu Shen suddenly remembered something and said, “A slightly lower grade of spirit field is fine too. You can also go to my eldest sister. Her nia… ah!”

A huge, illusory snake tail suddenly lashed out from the direction of Yulin County in the distance, striking Liu Shen.

The little dragon-man screamed and transformed into a star in the sky, disappearing without a trace.

Li Lin's face twitched slightly, but he pretended nothing had happened and continued riding his horse forward.

(End of this chapter)