Decaying World-Chapter 17

Xinyu Town.
Under a dim, jaundiced sky, fine rain drifted down endlessly.
The yellow mud on the road had been trampled into a sticky, wretched paste—utterly revolting. Occasionally, an ox cart or horse carriage would trundle past, splashing filthy mire into the air. Pedestrians kept their heads low, clad in bamboo hats and rain cloaks, their footsteps hurried and anxious.
Creak.
Lin Hui pushed open the gate to his courtyard. Inside, it was empty and silent.
The apricot tree, planted not long ago in the yard, shivered, its delicate branches trembling in the drizzle.
"Father? Mother?" he called out. No answer.
Gone to work, he guessed. He stepped into the courtyard and turned to close the gate.
Creak.
Another sound of wood grinding on hinges echoed from nearby. The gate of the neighbor's small courtyard swung open.
Two stocky, muscular men emerged. One weighed a gray money pouch in his hand, cursing as he spat thick phlegm onto the ground.
"Fuck! What kind of garbage is this? Making me search it myself. 'No money, no money'—isn't this fucking money? These old dogs are all trash; they only know how to run their mouths."
"Brother Huang, should we go to the... Hey, someone's next door! Brother Huang, look!" The other man was about to speak when he spotted Lin Hui standing at the gate of the Lin residence. His eyes instantly lit up.
"Did we collect from that one yet?" Brother Huang looked over, hesitating slightly.
"Don't think so. We just got to this section, right? Who else would have collected? But it's better if they have paid. If they paid someone else, and we collect again, isn't that double for us?" The other man let out a strange, greedy laugh. "I heard this family used to run an oil workshop. They've got money!"
Collecting double fees wasn't exactly new to them. Brother Huang made up his mind instantly and turned, swaggering toward Lin Hui.
"Friend, it's time to pay your protection fee. We're from the Muhua Gang, responsible for the security and business management in this area," Brother Huang said, approaching with a warm, deceptive smile plastered on his face.
"Muhua Gang? I recall it being the Fuan Gang," Lin Hui raised an eyebrow slightly. He didn't doubt the fee itself—everyone had to pay—but he was puzzled by the change in management.
"Ah, that's where you're out of the loop. The Fuan Gang has been beaten so badly by us that they don't dare step out of their front door. From now on, this territory belongs to Brother Muhua," Brother Huang's eyes darted around as he smiled.
"How much?" Lin Hui didn't question further. He happened to have some wages on him. Paying for his parents would save them the trouble.
"Not much. Since your family plans to open a small shop—residence plus shop—that'll be five thousand coins." Brother Huang held up five fingers, grinning.
"How much?" Lin Hui paused in the act of reaching for his money, looking up sharply.
"Five thousand," Brother Huang repeated, the smile on his face taking on a menacing edge.
"Gentlemen..." Lin Hui kept his tone polite. "Five thousand seems a bit..."
"A-Hui!" A familiar voice drifted from the road nearby.
His mother, Yao Shan, and his father, Lin Shunhe, were walking back quickly under an oil-paper umbrella. Seeing Lin Hui blocked by the two Muhua Gang members, their pace quickened instinctively.
"A-Hui, are you alright? Do you people from the Muhua Gang have no rules? Didn't you just collect a few days ago!?" Yao Shan rushed over, grabbing Lin Hui's arm and pulling him back as she glared at Brother Huang.
"They are them, and we are us. The guys who came before weren't from our Muhua Gang at all. You were definitely scammed!" Brother Huang laughed.
"Every door has its laws, every gang has its rules. Is the Muhua Gang just going to let people collect repeatedly and drag its name through the mud?" Lin Shunhe frowned as he approached.
"Heh, you say you paid, but where's the proof? What evidence do you have?" Brother Huang's tone grew impatient, his voice rising in pitch.
"The Muhua token you gave us is still inside!" Yao Shan was trembling with anger.
"Anyone can whittle a wooden flower. It's not some special artifact. Who doesn't know how to carve one?" the other thug sneered. [Muhua —> wooden flower]
Lin Shunhe wanted to argue further, but Lin Hui finally couldn't watch any longer. He reached out to stop his parents and spoke up.
"Does your Muhua Gang have anyone from Clear Wind Temple?" Lin Hui changed the subject abruptly, checking the background.
"Clear Wind Temple? What place is that?" Brother Huang paused, looking blank.
"Brother Huang, Consecrator Yu seems to be from Clear Wind Temple..." the lackey beside him reacted much faster, whispering a reminder.
"Consecrator Yu!?" Brother Huang's expression shifted. He immediately scrutinized Lin Hui. Under the cover of Lin Hui's leather rain cloak, he finally spotted the specially made waist token of a Clear Wind Temple formal disciple.
"Take a close look." Lin Hui unhooked the token and tossed it over.
Brother Huang caught it hurriedly, inspecting it carefully to ensure it wasn't a fake. He had indeed seen a similar token on Consecrator Yu.
His face changed. With both hands, he respectfully offered the token back.
"Since you are from Clear Wind Temple, the monthly fee can be waived. As for the previous payment... I'll check with the gang when I get back. We should be able to refund a significant portion."
"That's it?"
Lin Hui pocketed the token, his expression impassive.
"This... this was our offense. We will definitely give you an explanation, brother! We'll be going now." Brother Huang gritted his teeth, clasped his fists at Lin Hui, and turned to leave quickly with his lackey.
Only when their figures had completely vanished at the end of the road did Lin Hui turn to look at his parents.
His mother was shocked, unable to process what had just happened.
"They just... left? Just like that? And they said they'd refund the money?"
She couldn't believe it. The Muhua Gang, a faction known for its domineering arrogance, had suddenly become so reasonable?
"It should be true," Lin Hui nodded. "To be honest, many of these gangs have connections with martial halls like ours behind the scenes. It's not me they fear, but the place I represent. And the people from Clear Wind Temple backing them."
Yao Shan listened, still somewhat incredulously. It seemed to her that the problem had been resolved too easily. Yet everything that had happened before her eyes was undeniably real. She had no choice but to accept it.
"You've completed Body Tempering? You've broken through to become a formal disciple?" His father, Lin Shunhe, suddenly asked.
"Yes, I just broke through," Lin Hui nodded frankly, meeting Lin Shunhe's gaze.
Instantly, he saw a look of immense relief wash over his father's face, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"That is good... that is good..."
But Lin Shunhe knew clearly that the influence of a formal disciple was limited. If the Muhua Gang didn't have people from Clear Wind Temple in their ranks, they wouldn't have retreated so easily.
After all, there were so many martial halls and so many disciples. Unless one was a ranked elite, if every disciple demanded face and refused to pay, the gangs would starve.
"Those two just now might not have been telling the whole truth. It's highly likely they realized you are a formal disciple who has entered Body Tempering—not an ordinary person—and knew they probably couldn't beat you. So they just went with the flow, found an excuse, and ran," he sighed. "Don't truly believe this identity is all-powerful. Do not rely on it as a crutch."
"Mn, I know, Father," Lin Hui nodded.
"As long as you know... Sigh... But you truly have reached the point where you can share the family's burden... A formal disciple of Clear Wind Temple counts as a skilled hand even in the great households. You finally have the qualifications to receive some exemptions..."
The heavy load he had been carrying alone suddenly lightened by at least thirty percent, solely because of the reduction in the Muhua Gang's fees.
"Come, Shanshan, warm up some wine and dishes. Let us father and son sit and drink a little." In his relief and joy, Lin Shunhe turned and instructed.
"Alright, I'll go right away." Yao Shan hurried into the house.
The family went inside and locked the courtyard gate. Not far away, the neighbor's gate opened quietly.
A pair of eyes peeked out, glancing secretly at the Lin house several times, filled with envy and helplessness.
After a long while, the eyes vanished, and the gate closed.
Clink.
In the courtyard, beside the stone table, Lin Shunhe and Lin Hui sat opposite each other, snacking on bought pig ears with their wine.
"This is old yellow wine from Old Liu's liquor shop. It's infused with medicinal herbs—builds blood, boosts Qi, lifts the spirit. Drinking two cups won't hurt you," Lin Shunhe lifted his cup and gently clinked it against his son's.
The two gray-white cups made a crisp, pleasing sound in the air.
"Actually, I don't like drinking," Lin Hui said helplessly. "Can I drink a little less?"
"Not liking it is good, haha." Lin Shunhe drained the small cup in one gulp and laughed. "Sigh, only those with bitterness in their hearts seek wine to temporarily relax themselves. It seems you have no bitterness yet."
"Indeed," Lin Hui nodded. He took a small sip of the pale yellow, amber-like wine. It tasted sweet, carrying a peculiar medicinal flavor. Surprisingly fragrant.
"To be honest, for matters like the Muhua Gang, I could have gone to old friends for help. But favors... use it once, twice, three times... people won't help you forever. If you use it too much without giving back, even the best relationship will break," Lin Shunhe sighed.
"So, favors must be used at critical moments," Lin Hui nodded.
"That is so. But don't forget one point. Favors fade with time. If you don't use them for a certain period, people won't recognize you anymore. So... grasping the balance is extremely troublesome," Lin Shunhe lamented.
"But what exactly is a favor?" Lin Hui asked calmly. He hadn't been interested in these things before, but the conversation led naturally to it.
"Favors... are coming and going," Lin Shunhe smiled. "Only when others feel they owe you will there be a return later. But this return can't be a precise one-to-one calculation. Everyone does things seeking a surplus. When you return a favor, you can't calculate it exactly; you have to give a little more. That way, others will come back to repay you again. With this back-and-forth, trust is built."
"But the premise of all this is 'coming and going'?" Lin Hui looked thoughtful. He compared it to situations he had seen in his previous life. It was indeed so.
"Yes. You must have the ability to 'go' before others will 'come' to you. If you lack that capability, then you have to rely on the other's sense of morality, because that kind of giving is unlikely to see a return," Lin Shunhe continued. "Before, I didn't use favors because I cherished them. But now that you can support part of the family, the days ahead will be much easier. I don't have to worry constantly about what happens when the favors run out."
"I see." Lin Hui nodded in understanding.
"Come, let's have another cup!"
Clink.
Cups touched lightly. Father and son drank cup after cup, and soon, a small pot of wine was empty.
Lin Shunhe's face was flushed red. In the end, he was happily humming a little tune as Yao Shan helped him into the inner room to rest.