New and dark light years

Chapter 498 I've Set My Mind on Him

After leaving the Zhenjun Temple, Li Lin led his personal guards straight to Tianjin.

Because today, a new prefect takes office.

A document was sent to notify me a few days ago.

Even though Li Lin understood that the other party might be targeting him, he still had to go and meet them.

After all, basic etiquette cannot be neglected.

For this purpose, he also had his personal guards bring a piece of calligraphy by a famous poet from the previous dynasty.

This gift was chosen by Huang Qing; in terms of interpersonal relationships, her judgment is definitely better than Li Lin's.

After all, she was born into a truly wealthy family.

Unlike Li Lin, who came from a poor family!
Jin County was more prosperous than before, with long queues of travelers at all four city gates.

Li Lin arrived with his personal guards, so there was no need to queue. He simply opened the small door next to him and went straight in.

They then went to the government office.

The guards at the gate naturally recognized Li Lin and immediately came forward to help him with his horse, saying, "Governor, you've finally arrived."

He looked aggrieved as he spoke.

"What's wrong?" Li Lin asked curiously.

"The new Prefect has cut our monthly salary by nearly 30%."

"Wouldn't that be almost the same as before?"

"Yes," the constable said helplessly.

Father-in-law Huang Yan, most of the time, is in sync with Li Lin.

Seeing that Li Lin was increasing the salaries of the yamen runners in Yulin County, he followed suit, but not by as much as in Yulin County.

But for the yamen runners, this was already considered a pretty good treatment.

Sometimes, those extra ten or twenty coins a month could be the difference between whether a family could afford to eat a decent meal.

"Let me see the new prefect first," Li Lin patted the other man on the shoulder. "No need to rush."

The constable was flattered and repeatedly nodded and bowed, saying, "Then I'll trouble you, sir."

Only after Li Lin went inside did the yamen runner straighten up.

Several constables gathered around, looking on in astonishment.

"You're quite something, kid. You actually dare to speak to the military governor."

"If we ever get our salaries back to what they were before, I'll acknowledge you as my boss."

The constable said smugly, "I told you long ago that the military governor is very easy to talk to, but you just didn't believe me. I came from Yulin County, how could I not know!"

The constables praised it repeatedly.

Li Lin was naturally unaware of what was happening behind him. He walked through the corridor and arrived at the courtroom.

The newly appointed prefect was directing a dozen or so servants to carry an altar out from the backyard.

The other party was dressed in a green official robe, making him very easy to recognize.

Li Lin stood at the door, sizing up the other person.

This is a young man, probably around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

His beard had just started to grow and hadn't fully matured yet.

But there's already a hint of composure in them.

The other person seemed to sense Li Lin's scrutiny. He turned his head, and his eyes instantly became very sharp, like two long arrows shooting towards him.

Upon seeing Li Lin's appearance, he immediately withdrew his sharp gaze, cupped his hands in greeting, and walked over, smiling as he said, "Your Excellency is a man of exceptional talent, a rare beauty in the world. You must be Li, the military governor of Cangwu Road."

Li Lin returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "It is indeed I, the Prefect Ren."

"I, Ren, have met the Military Governor." Ren Hai formally bowed before slowly rising.

There's no way around it; in terms of official rank, a military governor is higher than a prefect.

They even had the power to dismiss the local prefect.

Of course, it still needs to be approved by the Secretariat in the end.

The mere existence of this power is already a significant deterrent.

Li Lin glanced at the altar beside him: "Prefect Ren is going to the Zhenjun Temple."

"Yes," Ren Hai replied, "Would the military governor be willing to attend the ceremony?"

"Go together."

……

A moment later, a dozen or so strong young men carried a huge altar in front of them, walking slowly.

A female ghost with a blue face and fangs floated on the altar.

However, it was clear that the other party was intelligent; it was very quiet while also observing its surroundings.

However, whenever she sees a strong, muscular man, she can't help but lick her lips.

Especially when she saw Li Lin, the desire in her eyes became even more apparent, but after being glared at by Li Lin, she dared not look at him any longer.

"I heard that the military governor was originally a hunter of spirits," Ren Hai suddenly asked.

Li Lin nodded.

"Then you should be able to see the True Lord whom my clan worships, and what she looks like."

"He has the appearance of a ghost or god."

Ren Hai was speechless; it was practically the same as saying nothing at all.

However, he immediately realized that his own True Lord probably wasn't very good-looking.

As he walked, he said, "I have heard about the path to becoming a military governor. I have the utmost respect for you, sir."

"Why?"

"Because you dared to kill the Crown Prince."

Li Lin turned around and found that Ren Hai was smiling very strangely.

There was a hint of... schadenfreude in his expression.

"Do you have a grudge against the Crown Prince?"

"No." Ren Hai shook his head: "But what would you think if I said I have the blood of the Southern Barbarians?"

Li Lin turned to look at him and smiled slightly, "Prefect Ren doesn't seem to have any of the characteristics of a southern barbarian."

"That's because my ancestors had intermarried with women from the Qi people for six generations."

"Then they are already a Qi people."

"That's not necessarily true. At least... if I'm exposed to the scorching sun for even a short time, my skin will be much darker the next day, so I rarely walk in the sun."

And now, it's a cloudy day.

"Many people get tanned easily, and almost no one cares about it."

Ren Hai said with a hint of helplessness, "If I were a true citizen of the Great Qi, I would naturally not care, but it is because my ancestors were southern barbarians that I care so much."

Li Lin was somewhat at a loss for words.

Neither of them spoke again, and they walked on in silence.

After a while, Ren Hai said, "Governor, decades or even centuries ago, our Great Qi allowed the Southern Barbarians and Northern Di peoples to assimilate and serve as officials. But why is it that now, we cannot tolerate the Northern Di and Southern Barbarians?"

Li Lin frowned at him: "Prefect Ren, there's no point in saying that. If it weren't for the Northern Barbarians' raid on the capital more than sixty years ago, and the Southern Barbarians' forced entry into Yue County through Wenquan Pass, killing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, would we be in this situation now?"

"That was in the past."

“Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts.” Li Lin looked at Ren Hai and continued, “Or is it that Prefect Ren plans to bring in southern barbarians to serve as officials under you?”

"Don't dare."

Ren Hai repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting.

He could already sense the faint killing intent in Li Lin's tone.

Li Lin smiled, but the smile was devoid of any warmth.

The two then fell silent. They arrived at the Zhenjun Temple.

Li Lin then saw the 'Four Wonderful True Lords' emerge from the altar.

He was dressed like a scholar, and first looked at the female ghost on the newly arrived altar, then snorted coldly.

The female ghost was trembling with fear.

But he didn't make a move; instead, he looked at Li Lin.

Li Lin bowed slightly to him.

The Four Wonders True Lord smiled, then transformed into a streak of light and flew off in the northwest.

As he left, the altar he had previously 'contracted' quickly changed from light red to white, and finally shattered, turning into a pile of dust.

Ren Hai sighed and wiped his forehead.

He just felt a sudden heart palpitation and felt very uncomfortable.

“The Four Wonders True Lord has already left.” Li Lin nodded to Ren Hai: “We can now invite a new True Lord to take office.”

Ren Hai cupped his hands in thanks to Li Lin.

Li Lin took the brocade box out of his storage ring: "Congratulations on your new post, Prefect Ren. This is just a small token of my appreciation, please don't refuse."

Ren Hai was stunned for a moment. He looked at the brocade box that Li Lin had suddenly brought out, and was initially a little confused. Then he asked, "Where did you get this from?"

"A mere spell, not worth mentioning."

"Storage device?" Ren Hai stared intently at Li Lin.

Li Lin was somewhat surprised: "Prefect Ren also knows about these things?"

"I know a little." Ren Hai first took the brocade box, then glanced at Li Lin's hands, finally landing on the pale gold circular pattern: "The Li family of Jin County lives up to its reputation."

It was the Li family of Jin County again.

Li Lin no longer wanted to refute the title that had been forced upon him; there was no point in refutating it anyway.

At this moment, the altar was in place, and the ugly female ghost had already begun to enjoy the incense offerings.

Seeing this, Li Lin smiled and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. If there is time in the future, I will chat with Prefect Ren again."

“Yes…” Ren Hai bowed.

Li Lin left the Zhenjun Temple with his personal guards, and then he was going to inspect his sacred fields.

Because the new ling rice is about to ripen.

At the same time, he was also thinking about Ren Hai's matter.

The person had a faint insect smell, but it wasn't strong; it wasn't from their own body, but rather something they picked up.

This person is strange; he seems to have some knowledge of the cultivation world, which may be closely related to Yue County.

However, Li Lin did not find any signs of insects appearing just now.

However, he wasn't in a hurry. No matter what the other party's identity was, whether they were human, a monster, or an insect, they would eventually reveal their true colors given time.

Let’s see then.

Everyone is racing against time, but Li Lin still feels... the advantage is in his hands.

No one can outlast a spiritual practitioner in terms of time; there is no one.

…………

Hangcheng.

There is a saying: "Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou."

Hangzhou is a famous water town in the Jiangnan region. Anyone with a little savings will come to Hangzhou to experience its beauty.

At this time, a large number of "jianghu people" gathered at the foot of Wugong Mountain.

This is because this year's martial arts tournament is being held here.

The last one was held at Mount Hua, and there was even a Mount Hua Sword Tournament. I heard that several sword-wielding sects fought tooth and nail to compete for the title of the best swordsman in the world.

Lu Ying sat on the second floor of an inn, by the window.

The inn wasn't big, and several fellow disciples were protecting her.

In addition, two paper figures stood beside her.

The two paper figures look remarkably like Li Lin.

Lu Ying picked up a salt-fried soybean with her chopsticks!
This stuff... men love to eat it when they're drinking, but she doesn't really like it; it's too hard and hurts her teeth.

It wouldn't be good if I damaged her pretty little teeth; it would affect her appearance.

After eating a few soybeans, a woman in a tight-fitting outfit walked up to him.

When Lu Ying saw her, she stood up and waved: "Senior Sister Fang, over here."

This Senior Sister Fang was from the Fang family. She was already married at this time, and because she was no longer with the Tianyi Sect, she escaped Li Lin's purge of the Tianyi Sect.

"Junior Sister Lu, and fellow disciples," Senior Sister Fang said, walking over and greeting with a fist and palm salute.

She looked extremely beautiful. The several fellow disciples of Tianyi Sect were originally only looking at Lu Ying, but when she arrived, these men felt that this Senior Sister Fang was not bad either.

"Senior Sister Fang, please have a seat." Lu Ying offered her her seat.

Senior Sister Fang came to Lu Ying's side and looked at the two paper figures standing there. Her expression was a little strange.

"I see that these two paper figures resemble old friends."

Lu Ying blushed slightly: "Senior Sister Fang admitted her mistake."

After looking at it for a while, Senior Sister Fang confirmed that it was someone she knew.

She then sat down and said, "Junior Sister Lu, why would you get involved in such matters? Didn't you always refuse to come out before?"

Lu Ying sighed softly, "Our senior brother and sect leader are currently swamped with many matters, so I have to help the sect deal with some of them. These fellow disciples are not very strong, so I have to come and keep an eye on them, otherwise I'm a little worried. Senior Sister Fang, why are you here too?"

"I was worried they wouldn't be of much use." Senior Sister Fang's gaze swept over the men, then she smiled and said, "But it seems they are still somewhat useful, at least they were able to protect you and bring you here from Jin County."

A male disciple from the Tianyi Sect standing nearby said defiantly, "Senior Sister Fang, don't underestimate us. We have some skills too."

"If you were truly capable, you wouldn't have allowed your sect to be slaughtered..."

At this point, everyone's expression changed, especially Lu Ying's, whose expression shifted rapidly.

Senior Sister Fang realized she had said the wrong thing, and she immediately said, "It was my fault."

"Senior Sister, please don't say that." Lu Ying realized what was happening. "Senior Sister Fang should have met Senior Brother Li before, right?"

"I've seen him. I even fought with his concubine." Senior Sister Fang said with a frown, "His concubine is a bit strange. She doesn't look like she comes from a martial arts background, and her moves are very rigid, but her vital energy is so profound that it's as if she started practicing martial arts in the womb."

Lu Ying asked softly, "Which concubine are you referring to?"

"The biggest one among the two soft mounds."

“Oh, it’s Sister Hongluan.” Lu Ying nodded: “Her moves are indeed very hard-hit, but her energy is also very large. She’s even stronger than Sister Gong now.”

"And who is Sister Gong?" Senior Sister Fang asked, "Is she Li Lin's newly acquired concubine?"

Lu Ying nodded.

At this moment, Senior Sister Fang looked at Lu Ying's face and said, "Junior Sister, he is not a good match."

Lu Ying naturally knew who the other person was talking about.

She whispered, "Senior Sister Fang, you don't need to worry about this. I have my own ideas."

"I'm still your senior sister, how can you just ignore me?"

"But even the eldest brother didn't care. He's the sect leader now, and he still doesn't care about this."

"He knows nothing!" Senior Sister Fang cursed, then shouted, "All he cares about is reviving the Tianyi Sect, but he doesn't understand human nature. He'd rather sacrifice my junior sister's happiness than..."

Lu Ying sighed and interrupted her: "Senior Sister Fang, I don't want to argue with you. I've made up my mind about this."

Lu Ying raised her head, her face full of determination.

Senior Sister Fang was taken aback for a moment, then her attitude softened: "Alright, it's good that you understand. By the way, you need to be careful. Li Lin's paper doll technique is now famous throughout the world, and you have already caught the attention of all the major sects. They will definitely come looking for you in the future, whether by soft or hard tactics, to get you to hand over the secret manuals and techniques."

“They won’t dare to use force,” Lu Ying said confidently.

"Why?"

Lu Ying smiled broadly: "Because Senior Brother Li will help me."

(End of this chapter)