Decaying World-Chapter 14

"Nonsense. Even if we can't become in-laws, the two youngsters can still get along well. Being friends is not a bad outcome." Lin Shunhe squeezed out a strained smile.
As Lin Hui approached, he instantly understood what had just transpired.
He could tell that the girl in the white skirt hadn't taken a liking to him. This was normal. Although his frame had grown sturdier recently, his facial features remained plain and unremarkable.
In the past, the augmentation of his family background might have compensated, but now that his family's status was gone and his job was merely that of an assistant ledger-keeper, he had little to offer.
It was only natural that she looked down on him. After all, on the surface, he was nothing special.
What left him somewhat speechless, however, was that his father had begun trying to arrange a marriage for him so soon. It seemed the old man had adopted the mindset that if the son was hopeless, he should pin his hopes on a grandson—perhaps a grandson would have talent and achieve great prospects.
With the meeting a failure, the hunchbacked old man felt too embarrassed to linger. To avoid prolonging the awkwardness, he took his daughter, Huan'er, and bid his farewells, departing by carriage.
"That girl is named Guan Qihuan. She's the third daughter of my old brother, Guan Jing. Originally, both our families had the intention, but unfortunately, the girl wasn't willing," Lin Shunhe said helplessly.
"You should just let it go. Let's honestly live a normal life. I have my own plans regarding marriage," Lin Hui replied, exasperated.
"Plans? Could it be that you've taken a fancy to someone in Clear Wind Temple?" His father's spirit instantly lifted at the words.
"Not that. But I have my own arrangements." Lin Hui, possessing the Blood Seal, had absolutely no time or energy to waste on romance.
What he needed to do now was to first secure a sense of safety. Then, after his strength reached a certain height, he would take a good look at what exactly was wrong with this world.
"Son, ah... should we, perhaps, move to a different place to try our luck?" Lin Shunhe hesitated for a moment before voicing the question.
"What difference would a new place make? Going somewhere new means spending time to familiarize ourselves with everything all over again. Starting the struggle from scratch... Dad, you'd best stop overthinking it," Lin Hui said.
At the entrance of the Daoist temple, he chatted idly with his father for a while longer. He learned that the Outer City had regained its calm, and many who had hidden in the Inner City were returning one after another.
However, in recent days, there had been a significant influx of people from other districts.
Beyond Tuyue District, far across the expanse of mist, lay other vast urban districts similar to this one.
There were nineteen such districts in total, collectively forming the Taisu Alliance. Taisu was ruled jointly by the Inner Court and the Outer Court. The Inner Court was the singular, central, small area free of mist.
Because of the shrouding mist and the arduous journey, the Inner Court had no practical way to govern the nineteen districts of the Outer Court.
This resulted in the Taisu Alliance being, in reality, a loose collection of territories, with each district governing itself independently.
The government office of each district was the actual ruling institution. For the Tuyue District, it was the Tuyue Prefecture Office.
The "other district" Lin Shunhe mentioned referred to the nearest major district—Xingdao.
The Xingdao District was rumored to be in a perennial state of chaos. The law of the jungle prevailed there, slavery was rampant, and the Xingdao people who occasionally emerged were mostly manic, neurotic, and aggressive—exceedingly fierce characters.
"It is said that many of the newcomers are already stirring up trouble everywhere in the Inner City. The sects and gangs that rank in Tuyue—specifically the Three Sects and Six Gangs—have all been challenged by Xingdao people coming to their doors. Many have been injured." Lin Shunhe was well-informed; having been running merchant errands recently, he knew far more than Lin Hui.
"What about the martial halls?" Lin Hui asked with a frown.
"Martial halls are considered unranked. The Three Sects and Six Gangs are major powers that inherit Internal Martial Arts, distinct from the Three Major Powers. Although they are far inferior to the Three Major Powers, compared to the likes of martial halls, the gap is like that between an adult and a child. They cannot be mentioned in the same breath." Lin Shunhe looked left and right, then pulled his son into a corner and lowered his voice.
"My purpose in saying this is that, although Clear Wind Temple is only mid-tier among the martial halls teaching External Kung Fu and is unlikely to be targeted, you must still be careful. Try to stand at the back when things happen. Always remember in your heart that you have me and your mother behind you. If anything were to happen to you, us old couple would really... sigh."
Lin Shunhe's tone and demeanor at this moment clearly lacked the spirited ambition he possessed before the incident.
But Lin Hui nodded seriously.
"I know, Dad."
"As long as you understand. I'll head back first. Our family's finances are a bit more comfortable these days. I found a new opportunity and made a small business deal, so don't worry about us. No need to send your wages home anymore; we have enough of our own now." Lin Shunhe refused to take no for an answer. He pulled a handful of broken silver from his waist pouch, wrapped it in a leather purse, and stuffed it into Lin Hui's hands.
"Rest assured. No matter how hard it gets, feeding the family is absolutely no problem!"
Lin Hui didn't accept the money. After a round of pushing and declining between father and son, he walked his father part of the way before returning alone to Clear Wind Temple.
In truth, seeing that his father hadn't hired an ox cart or horse carriage but had walked here on foot, he knew the real situation at home.
However, he didn't puncture his father's fragile self-esteem. He simply returned the money that had been forced upon him.
Back at the temple, Lin Hui settled his mind and continued his bitter practice of swordsmanship. His sword grew increasingly light, swift, and precise.
Although there was no evolution from the Blood Seal, as he practiced bitterly over time, his comprehension of the sixth and seventh moves deepened.
Combined with the perfect versions of the first five moves he used for reference, Lin Hui gradually began to discover the hidden flaws in the final two moves.
This discovery didn’t happen all at once. Instead, Lin Hui would find one flaw every few days. After attempting to modify and fine-tune the moves, he keenly realized that the modified sword techniques suited him better than the original versions and were smoother to practice.
Time flowed away like water. In the blink of an eye, another month passed.
The evolution of the sixth move was completed ahead of schedule, surpassing expectations. It appeared that his personal insight had contributed to saving significant time.
Today, the sky was dim and heavy. Sunlight was just beginning to reveal itself within the mist.
Lin Hui pushed open the door, wooden sword in hand. He looked at the Blood Seal script floating at the bottom of his vision, lost in thought.
It ended five days earlier than the normal two-month evolution time... It seems these five days are the result of my bitter practice during this period.
He could feel in his heart that his physique was now far stronger than when he first arrived. Consequently, the energy absorbed daily had increased significantly. Saving on evolution consumption was only logical.
Watching the students from the various communal sleeping quarters coming out to prepare for sword practice or line up for water, Lin Hui walked to a corner. He focused his attention on the final move—the seventh move, Wind Sound Thorn.
[Evolve the Seventh Move — Wind Sound Thorn?]
[Required Resources: One wooden sword, fifty days of reserve energy.]
[Time Required: Fifty days.]
The final move. Finally...
Lin Hui let out a deep sigh. Gazing at the red script emerging before his eyes, he paused for several seconds before decisively confirming the evolution.
Yes.
Hiss.
The Blood Seal on his arm rapidly transformed from a rhombus into a circle.
Ignoring the Blood Seal, Lin Hui hefted the wooden sword and carefully felt the newly evolved, complete sixth move.
Having trained the Seven-Section Swift Sword to this stage, he could achieve perfection at any moment. As a result, he had gained an extremely deep understanding of this entire set of sword techniques.
Raising his hand, he thrusted forward, flicked upward, slashed downward...
Move after move appeared in his hands like flowing clouds and flowing water, carrying a strange beauty.
Two nearby students practicing swords caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of their eyes. Their movements involuntarily slowed a beat as they focused entirely on watching Lin Hui practice.
After several consecutive repetitions, Lin Hui paused to rest. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and picked up the water skin and dry rations on the ground to prepare breakfast.
"A-Hui." Chen Zhishen slowly approached at this moment. "How much do you know about Second Senior Brother, Zhao Jiang'an?"
"Never interacted with him. That's the second-ranked figure among the formal disciples. I'm just an ordinary student still practicing the Seven-Section Swift Sword—someone who doesn't even count as a formal disciple. Do you think I have any qualifications to build connections with Senior Brother Zhao? Why do you ask?" Lin Hui asked casually.
Strictly speaking, students who hadn't fully mastered the training method were merely unqualified personnel spending money to consume resources.
Only by mastering the Seven-Section Swift Sword and then the Nine-Section Swift Sword could one leap forward and officially become a true disciple within Clear Wind Temple, entering that circle of twenty-some people.
At that time, many gangs and wealthy households in Tuyue would extend olive branches.
Future income and livelihood would not be poor.
Chen Zhishen's goal was the level of a formal disciple. His aptitude wasn't the worst, and coupled with his extreme diligence in sword practice, mastering it in a little over a year was considered decent. There was hope for improving his family's life.
"Second Senior Brother is amiable and has superb swordsmanship. Yesterday, when we dispersed, he spoke a few words to me, gave me some pointers on my sword technique, and even invited me to work for his Zhao family... He also said that regarding my conflict with Chen Chong, if I agree to go to the Zhao family, he would step forward to mediate," Chen Zhishen said softly, his words revealing a trace of admiration for the Second Senior Brother.
Lin Hui listened silently, making no sound.
"Second Senior Brother analyzed the paths available after leaving Clear Wind Temple for me. It's nothing more than going to gangs, other wealthy households, or trading firms. The Zhao family is a famous clan in the nearby towns. Since I share the same lineage as Second Senior Brother, if I enter, I'll be considered his direct subordinate. I'll train together with the senior brothers and sisters from Clear Wind Temple who joined previously, and there will be someone to look after me. A-Hui, what do you think? Do you think I should go?" The more Chen Zhishen thought about it, the more suitable it seemed.
"It's quite good," Lin Hui thought for a moment and replied. "Second Senior Brother is likely using his family's resources to cultivate his own faction. You mastered the Seven-Section Swift Sword in over a year; although your aptitude isn't great, combined with your diligence, once you become a formal disciple, you won't be the worst. You're worth his recruitment."
"The wages are five thousand coins a month! My whole family can only earn ten thousand at most in a year! I saved for so long just to come here to learn martial arts... The Zhao family's offer is so generous that I can't help but feel a little uneasy." Chen Zhishen began to hesitate once again.
"It's fine. This treatment is considered normal. After all, you've already begun Body Tempering. You're not an ordinary student anymore." Lin Hui noticed the subtle changes in Chen Zhishen. When he moved his hands and feet, his speed was noticeably lighter and faster than usual.
This was the typical sign of completing the first Body Tempering.
Evidently, it wasn't just him practicing the sword faster and faster. As others progressed to the later stages, their proficiency would rise, and their comprehension would increase, leading to accelerated mastery. Chen Zhishen was exactly such a case.
"Heh, you saw through it. Sigh, it wasn't easy..." Chen Zhishen sighed. "A-Hui, you're close too, right? When the time comes, do you want to come to the Zhao family too? We brothers can be together!?"
He looked at Lin Hui, eyes filled with hope.
"I've already signed an accountant's contract with Clear Wind Temple. I'll be here for at least the next five years. I can't," Lin Hui smiled and replied.
He was happy to see Chen Zhishen borrowing strength to escape Chen Chong's retaliation.
"That's such a pity..." Chen Zhishen sighed. "But Zhao Family Town, where the Zhao family is located, is only half a shichen's walk from here. I heard from Senior Brother that work and training don't take up too much time after entering. There are four fixed rest days every month. I can come back to visit you often when I'm free."
"Right." He suddenly remembered something. He fumbled in his waist pouch and quickly pulled out a pitch-black object.
"This is for you. Don't you like those fragments left behind by the monsters in the mist zone? I went and picked some up when I had nothing to do. This is the most complete and largest one among all the fragments I found. It's yours."