Decaying World-Chapter 21

Amidst the cacophony of clashing steel, Qiu Yiren and the disciple from Flying Cloud Martial Hall exchanged moves with blistering speed. To the bystanders, their figures were mere blurs—phantom afterimages colliding relentlessly in the center of the room.
Lin Hui frowned slightly, his gaze locked on the combatants, his hand resting on his sword hilt, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Qiu Yiren had not yet fallen into a disadvantage, so he naturally saw no rush to intervene. The longer this dragged on, the more advantageous it was for them. After all, they were Auxiliaries Watch; a commotion this loud would inevitably draw the official constables.
Since he didn't move, the two men across from him—who had been eyeing him like tigers stalking prey—were visibly relieved to remain stationary as well. No one, after all, enjoyed fighting a patrol auxiliary representing the government without good cause.
Everyone was just out here trying to survive; if violence could be avoided, why court death? Posturing, putting on a show of support, and acting as window dressing were a perfectly acceptable alternative.
The two men looked ferocious on the surface, but their internal thoughts betrayed them.
A glance at Lin Hui confirmed their suspicions. Their eyes met, and in that instant, a mutual understanding passed between them:
Let's not do this.
Lin Hui's mindset was simple: avoid combat whenever possible. In a world of daily slaughter, getting injured or causing a scene that escalated into a major incident was foolish. Far better to put on a show, strike a pose, and create a tense atmosphere of "imminent explosion" to save everyone's face.
Upon returning, they could simply claim:
It wasn't that we didn't fight, but the situation was so tense that a single spark would have detonated the room. Fortunately, at the critical moment...
With a twist of rhetoric, the situation would sound suitably dramatic.
Lin Hui and his two opponents found their minds in perfect sync. While keeping one eye on the duel, they began to hurl vividly abusive insults at each other.
"You brat, try moving a muscle and see what happens!"
"I am a patrol auxiliary! Move against me, and you oppose the Yamen!"
"Which of your eyes saw us move first? Just because you're an Auxiliary, you think you can oppress the common folk and strike law-abiding citizens first!?"
"It was clearly you who started it! You barged up here armed with lethal weapons—that is a violation of the law!"
"Violation of the law?? Which article of the Tuyue Code forbids us from wearing armguards!?"
While the three engaged in a fierce war of words, Qiu Yiren and the Flying Cloud Martial Hall disciple continued their exchange of blows.
As the fight dragged on, fatigue set in. Qiu Yiren and her opponent simultaneously backed away, sheathing their weapons. They demanded water from a cowering waiter, downed it to quench their thirst, and then rushed forward, ready to resume the slaughter.
But then they noticed Lin Hui and the two lackeys. The trio was still standing in their original spots, cursing at each other with fiery passion but not moving an inch.
The fighting spirit of the combatants was instantly extinguished.
Seeing Lin Hui standing there, immovable as a mountain yet cursing with such full-throated vigor that his face was flushed, Qiu Yiren was rendered speechless.
She held her sword and exchanged a look with the Flying Cloud Martial Hall disciple.
"Forget it, forget it! I'll let you off the hook today!" Qiu Yiren waved her hand in exasperation, her tone impatient.
The Flying Cloud Martial Hall disciple had actually suffered a minor disadvantage; though they seemed evenly matched, he had taken several small, stinging thrusts to his waist. He had no desire to push his luck.
"If you have the guts, leave your name!" he growled, trying to save face.
"Clear Wind Temple, Qiu Yiren!"
"Good! Flying Cloud Martial Hall, Ning Dong. I have learned from you today!"
The man, Ning Dong, stormed off, taking his brother and the cursing lackeys with him. They descended the stairs rapidly and swaggered away.
They had the numbers, so Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui didn't stop them. Since names had been exchanged, the official patrol could simply hunt them down later.
However, anyone daring enough to leave their name clearly wasn't afraid of the consequences.
With the exchange of names, the onlookers instantly committed the two identities to memory.
Qiu Yiren and Ning Dong.
"Ay, that sword light just now was so fast, I couldn't even see it clearly! Too strong."
"Martial artists really are different from ordinary gang thugs! Both sides were incredibly fast. As expected of Clear Wind Temple and Flying Cloud Martial Hall, sects that prioritize agility!"
"I've widened my horizons today. That Qiu Yiren is not only beautiful, but her swordsmanship is terrifying!"
"Brother, brother, may I ask where Clear Wind Temple is? Can I send my son there to learn martial arts?"
Having witnessed the spectacle, the crowd was satisfied and broke into animated discussion.
The reputations of Clear Wind Temple and Flying Cloud Martial Hall spread outward like ripples from a stone cast into a lake.
Qiu Yiren, having finished her fight, turned back to see Lin Hui standing exactly where he had been, unmoving. She sighed, utterly exasperated.
"Why didn't you fight?"
"Why should I fight? Isn't not fighting the best outcome? As long as we don't fight, there is absolutely no danger. We're all out here for safety. If we can earn money standing securely, why go looking for trouble?" Lin Hui replied earnestly.
"That's what you say, but we are martial artists. When things happen, if we don't step up, isn't that..." Qiu Yiren frowned.
"Junior Sister, look." Lin Hui gestured vaguely at the surroundings. "Neither you nor the Flying Cloud Martial Hall disciple was seriously injured; it was effectively a spar. No blood feud was formed. That is one. Two, everyone saw how strong Clear Wind Temple and Flying Cloud Martial Hall are, which will encourage them to send their children to learn martial arts—expanding our business. Three, the dispute in the restaurant was resolved. The other party retreated voluntarily, which counts as giving up."
Lin Hui smiled faintly.
"One, no feud; two, expanded fame; three, problem solved. Isn't this result perfect? Must we fight to the death, blow the situation out of proportion, and force our already busy masters to come clean up the mess? Is making things bigger truly better?"
Qiu Yiren nodded unconsciously, feeling there was logic in his words.
But it still felt wrong—different from the martial world she had imagined. She opened her mouth to refute him, but couldn't find a valid argument.
Seeing this, Lin Hui felt relieved. He had practiced martial arts solely for safety. Naturally, he wouldn't fight easily. If he could avoid action, he would—that was his philosophy.
These days, while patrolling, he had been studying the specific mechanics of his special effect.
Coupled with the fact that practicing the Nine-Section Swift Sword took time, and his combat ability without the special effect was mediocre, avoiding combat was truly the best outcome for him.
"Although I feel what you say makes sense, but... are you sure you aren't just timid and afraid of trouble?" Qiu Yiren couldn't help but ask. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt they were inappropriate and waved her hand.
"Forget it, forget it. Since you aren't willing to fight, just watch from the side in the future. If things look bad, just run and call for help for me. That works, right?"
She reasoned that since Lin Hui's combat skills were a mess anyway, forcing him to fight might just get him killed. Better to let him utilize his Body Tempering speed to run errands and call for backup.
"Senior Sister is magnanimous!" Lin Hui immediately corrected his address, smiling.
"Useful, I'm 'Senior Sister'; useless, I'm 'Junior Sister,' is that it?" Qiu Yiren said helplessly.
The two left the restaurant and waited for a short while before the official patrol constables arrived at a leisurely pace.
The constables were also martial artists, all at the Body Tempering stage. They were tall and burly, and if one looked closely, their skin faintly exuded a grayish hue.
That was a special anomaly produced by cultivating certain hardening techniques.
After the handover, Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren continued their patrol for a while before returning to their daily rest point.
The second day, the third day, the fourth day...
In the days that followed, Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui encountered two similar minor conflicts. Both ended with point-to-point sparring—sometimes Qiu Yiren won, sometimes the other martial artist won.
But regardless of which side prevailed, everyone always stopped at the appropriate moment. No one used excessive force; victory was settled through the exchange of moves before weapons were sheathed. Afterward, each side would loudly announce their martial hall or sect affiliation.
Through these measured bouts, Qiu Yiren’s combat experience steadily deepened; her strikes became noticeably sharper and more fluid.
Lin Hui, on the other hand, only intervened occasionally, and even then, just enough to tie up opponents—he never managed to rack up any dazzling battle records.
However, Qiu Yiren observed from the side that this Senior Brother, who had entered the sect before her, was attacking and drawing his sword faster and more steadily than before. Clearly, he was also improving.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.
Clear Wind Temple's Auxiliary Watch mission was nearing its end. These auxiliary tasks were not continuous but performed in rotations.
The town did not hand the task solely to Clear Wind Temple; several other factions took turns "eating the meat."
In the final few days.
Lin Hui distinctly felt the effects of his Body Tempering growing stronger, his sword speed increasing.
He knew very well that he was hitting his tempering limit every day—ten full cycles.
During the patrol, Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, and even the Eldest Senior Brother had to reduce their sword practice and tempering sessions because their time was occupied.
For them, Body Tempering wasn't a guarantee; they couldn't succeed every time they tried. To hit the limit of ten times, they would need the better part of a day, relying on luck and condition.
Now, with the patrol taking up their time, they managed at most four tempering sessions a day.
With their progress slowing and his remaining constant, Lin Hui's improvement appeared exceptionally rapid.
In just over half a month, he clearly felt that his strikes had developed an additional afterimage. He had silently ascended a grade in Body Tempering.
From the First Rank to the Second Rank—achieved in silence.
But this wasn't what he valued most. His true focus remained on the special effect: Lightness.
Boom.
Thunder rolled, and lightning flashed. Rain was imminent.
On the street in Xinyu Town, near the oil workshop.
Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren returned from patrol and sat down in the tea shed at the rest point. Before the owner could serve tea to quench their thirst, they saw Huang Shan returning alone, her face cold.
"First Senior Brother had something urgent today and couldn't lead the team. I don't want to patrol alone with Chen Chong. Senior Brother Lin Hui, can you swap with me? Just for this one time." Huang Shan stood before Lin Hui, pleading, her tone unable to suppress her irritation.
"This... doesn't Junior Sister know I also have conflicts with Senior Brother Chen?" Lin Hui frowned.
"One thousand coins." Huang Shan said nothing more, pulling a Tuyue silver note from her purse and slapping it onto the table in front of Lin Hui.
"...Deal." Lin Hui glanced at the money. Although he wasn't short on cash temporarily, his savings were thin. He still planned to save enough to move his parents into the Inner City. A house there cost at least a million coins; saving more was never wrong.
As for Chen Chong, he planned to simply separate from him and ignore the man.
"Many thanks, Senior Brother Lin." Huang Shan breathed a sigh of relief, nodding in gratitude.
She then turned to Qiu Yiren, a smile blooming on her face as she stepped forward to discuss the events of recent days.
Lin Hui sat alone on the bench. Seeing that Chen Chong hadn't returned yet, he turned his attention back to the Lightness special effect.
The Blood Seal was busy reinforcing the patterns around the insect egg, so it was unavailable for now. Still, Lin Hui's experiments with the Lightness effect had begun to bear fruit.
Seated on the bench, Lin Hui’s left hand appeared to hang at his side, completely relaxed. In truth, his fingers were in constant, subtle motion—flicking, flexing, and repeating again and again.