The County Magistrate's Luring

Shen Lin had initially thought Lin Youwei summoned him because of the Demonic Cultivator case, especially since it was his nephew who had died.

However, after their conversation, Lin Youwei hadn't mentioned the case at all.

They had chatted about everything from local gossip in Qiulin County to rumors from the prefectural city.

Gradually, Shen Lin realized.

He was... trying to win him over?

Even though Shen Lin had tried his best to conceal his cultivation, being at the Meridian Opening Realm at twenty years old was still rare in Qiulin County.

One might wonder if someone like Li Bailin, with his family background, couldn't obtain Meridian Opening Secret Arts or acquire Meridian-Opening Pills?

It wasn't for lack of resources; it was because ultimately, whether one succeeded in opening their meridians depended on themselves.

The human body was full of mysteries, and the location of meridians varied from person to person. A slight deviation could lead to a thousand-mile difference.

Even with the Meridian Opening Secret Art, one had to comprehend it themselves and locate their own meridians.

Therefore, talent became crucial.

As expected, the next moment Lin Youwei changed the subject, saying, "I heard you killed three more demonic creatures this time? Excellent! I'll personally communicate with the Demon Suppression Division, and I certainly won't let you be shortchanged."

Shen Lin put on a show of being flattered and immediately stood up to express his gratitude.

"Thank you, Magistrate Lin. I am humbled. Regarding that Demonic Cultivator case, I..."

"Ah!" Lin Youwei seemed to know what he was going to say and waved his hand to interrupt him. "Speaking of which, it makes me angry. You captured that Demonic Cultivator alive, and yet Hu Dongxing managed to have him silenced right under our noses, hmph!"

He shook his head and continued, "You don't need to worry about this matter! Hu Dongxing and Qian Dazhi messed things up, so cleaning up the mess is their responsibility!"

He paused, as if struck by a thought, and suddenly stood up. "Ah, yes, I haven't had a chance to thank you properly for this matter yet. Although solving murder cases is the duty of the County Yamen, he was my nephew after all. I must thank you properly..."

As he spoke, he began searching through the bookshelves behind him.

Shen Lin was rendered speechless by his actions.

Good heavens, I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere, and he still managed to bring it back.

Helplessly, he could only stand up and say, "Your Excellency is too kind. This is all within my duties. I recall the Demon Suppression Division offering bounties for Demonic Cultivators, so please don't trouble yourself, Your Excellency."

Hearing this, Lin Youwei's raised hand paused slightly, and he slowly turned around.

The smile was gone from his face, and he looked at Shen Lin expressionlessly.

The person who held the power of a county possessed an aura no weaker than the Meridian Opening Realm cultivators Shen Lin had encountered before.

However, Shen Lin didn't flinch at all and calmly met Lin Youwei's gaze.

What the other party wanted was, at most, to recruit him to his side.

Although, by rights, Shen Lin was now technically his subordinate, his loyalty was to the official uniform, not to Lin Youwei as a person.

He probably wanted Shen Lin to become his personal guest scholar, like that Golden Brush Guest.

Shen Lin didn't want to be his follower and just drift through life.

He still wanted to join the Demon Suppression Division and reach the pinnacle of martial arts cultivation through slaying demons and monsters.

"Heh heh, not bad, not bad! You're really quite good!"

After a moment of silence, Lin Youwei suddenly spoke with a smile.

He took a book from a nearby bookshelf, blew off the dust, and said, "With your martial arts talent, your chances of joining the Demon Suppression Division are very high. I understand you don't want to follow me and cut off your martial path. However, I'm not asking you to give up on joining the Demon Suppression Division."

He placed the book in his hand on the desk, pushed it forward, and chuckled, "I'm just... building good karma!"

Shen Lin lowered his head to look at the book, his pupils contracting slightly.

Eagle Claw Technique

Shen Lin had seen this martial art in the exchange manual at the Demon Suppression Division before.

It required a full 30 contribution points to exchange for, which spoke volumes about its rarity.

Was giving away such a precious martial art just to build good karma?

"It seems you know the origin of this martial art."

Lin Youwei smiled, sat down behind the desk, picked up his teacup, and said, "Take it with confidence. Your talent is worth my investment."

Shen Lin smiled and, without much hesitation, reached out and took the Eagle Claw Technique.

"Thank you, Your Excellency. If my martial arts path prospers in the future, I will certainly not forget your kindness today."

Initially, Shen Lin hadn't understood Lin Youwei's intentions and didn't want to accept any favors.

However, what the other party offered was exactly what he lacked most at this stage: a martial art!

Shen Lin had already opened ten meridians in his body, but two more remained undiscovered, requiring further martial art deduction.

Oh well, at most, I'll save his life if the opportunity arises.

With his mind made up, Shen Lin accepted the gift with a clear conscience.

"Good, good, good! That's how it should be on the martial path. Hesitation is not the demeanor of a martial artist!"

Lin Youwei seemed very pleased. He stroked his beard with satisfaction and said to Advisor Li, "Advisor, has the arrangement at Yanbin Tower been made?"

Advisor Li's face lit up with a smile, and he immediately said, "It's all arranged!"

"Nephew Shen, it's getting late. I've arranged a banquet for us at Yanbin Tower. We won't go home until we're drunk tonight!"

Shen Lin opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't refuse.

Compared to a banquet, he wanted to go home and deduce martial arts immediately.

However, he felt a bit embarrassed to turn them down after accepting their favors.

Yanbin Tower wasn't far from the County Yamen, so Lin Youwei didn't take a sedan chair. Instead, he walked and chatted with Shen Lin as they left the yamen, followed by the advisor and the Golden Brush Guest Du Yuanshan.

After walking for a short while, Shen Lin, who was listening to Lin Youwei's bragging, suddenly felt something and casually glanced behind him.

A young man in a blue robe had been cautiously following them since they left the yamen, his gaze never leaving Magistrate Lin.

Du Yuanshan also noticed the man at this moment and stepped forward, whispering a few words into Lin Youwei's ear.

Lin Youwei frowned, stroked his beard, and said, "Go and bring him here!"