Decaying World-Chapter 34

Lin Hui nodded, glancing at his grandfather, Lin Chaoyi, and the two men standing behind him.
Lin Chaoyi was one thing, but the other two were Lin Hongzhen's father, Lin Shunjiang, and Lin Shunchong of the Second Branch. One looked helpless, while the other wore a gloomy expression, arms crossed as he watched Lin Chaoyi perform.
At this moment, Lin Chaoyi was trembling with rage at Lin Shunhe's words, pointing a shaking finger at him, unable to force out a single sentence.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Just then, the two men rolled their eyes back simultaneously and collapsed backward onto the ground in perfect unison.
The father and son's movements were identical; the moment they hit the floor, they immediately began foaming at the mouth, their bodies convulsing violently.
Yao Shan and Lin Shunchong rushed forward at the same time to catch them, shouting anxiously.
"Father! What's wrong!?"
"Husband! What's happening to you!?"
"Dad, you can't die!!"
"Husband, why have you started vomiting blood!?"
Listening to the chaotic uproar in the main hall, Lin Hui put down his luggage in the bedroom, utterly speechless.
He couldn't beat this damned old man—after all, no matter how severed their ties were, he was still Lin Shunhe's father. Driving him out wasn't easy either; if he were physically thrown out, what if he just knelt outside the door?
A father kneeling to his son—no matter where this happened, it was an explosive scandal that would draw immense negative attention.
Lin Hui listened to the commotion outside. It had now escalated to the point where his mother, Yao Shan, was screaming for them to stop vomiting blood.
In the main hall, Lin Chaoyi and Lin Shunhe were both trembling on the floor—one spitting foam, the other spitting blood. The situation was truly bizarre.
Lin Hui didn't go out. It was obvious that his dad and Lin Chaoyi were competing to see who had less of a bottom line.
If it were him, he definitely wouldn't be as skilled at these tricks as his dad. He would likely just throw the people out. While satisfying, it would damage his reputation.
Having thought this through, he decided to let his dad and the three Lin family members stalemate out there. He settled down in the bedroom, took off his coat, and lay down to rest.
He hadn't slept well a single day in the mist zone. The noise of the monsters outside was loud and frequent enough, but his master, Mingde, actually snored... and talked in his sleep, muttering his wife's name dozens of times a night.
Lying down now, drowsiness surged instantly. The accumulated exhaustion flooded out, and he unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
A dreamless slumber.
When he woke up and opened his eyes, it was pitch black outside. In the main hall beyond the bedroom, there were only the hushed voices of his parents talking. Clearly, Lin Chaoyi and his group had already left.
Lin Hui stretched, climbed slowly out of bed, draped his outer robe over his shoulders, and opened the door to walk out.
He saw Lin Shunhe holding a mop, cleaning the floor, while his mother, Yao Shan, sat nearby sewing a large black cotton padded jacket. The two chatted as they worked.
Seeing Lin Hui up, Yao Shan quickly put down her work and stood up.
"Ah Hui is awake? Hungry, right? I'll heat up some food for you. I just stewed some Jade Bone Chicken Black Velvet Soup."
"Okay, Mom." Lin Hui nodded, then looked at his dad. "Dad, when did those people leave?"
"Not long after you fell asleep. That old thing saw he couldn't get any benefits and that our family refused to return to the clan no matter what, so he dawdled until nearly dark before leaving." A look of mockery appeared on Lin Shunhe's face. "He didn't apologize when he stole our family's opportunity back then, but now that he sees you have some promise, he runs over trying to gain advantages. Pah! No way in hell! I've seen clearly what kind of person Lin Chaoyi is! Trying to play me? I vomited more blood than he did!"
Lin Shunhe tugged at his gray cloth shirt, stained red with chicken blood on the chest, his face flushed with indignation.
"Dad, you should take it easy... don't actually hurt yourself," Lin Hui said, speechless.
"It's nothing, it's all chicken blood. Didn't we just kill a chicken to nourish your body? I thought I'd put it to use. I even specifically changed into cheap clothes," Lin Shunhe said dismissively.
Lin Hui gave a thumbs up.
"Dad is still impressive!"
"Impressive? What do you mean?"
"It means strong, powerful."
"You just realized?" Lin Shunhe laughed.
Lin Hui laughed too. He walked over, pulled up a stool opposite his dad, and sat down.
"Speaking of which, how is the Lin main branch doing now? How is Eldest Sister's condition? I plan to visit her tomorrow, is that okay?"
"Go ahead. I just secretly slipped your eldest uncle a bit of money. They're spending a lot to treat their daughter's injuries right now. Making ends meet is hard. Sigh, it's tough. It's all because of that damn Lin Hongyu!" His dad cursed.
"What's the situation with Lin Hongyu now? Wasn't it said she was engaged to the Chen family main branch heir? How did getting engaged turn out so miserably?" Lin Hui asked.
"The news is out. Lin Hongyu was just played. The guy was all talk; he didn't even give her a chance to get pregnant," Lin Shunhe mocked. "Honestly, how could those main branch sons of the Inner City be so easily pinned down? Growing up, who knows how many temptations from men and women they've experienced? If it were really that easy to secure an engagement, they would have been eaten alive without spitting out the bones long ago. I felt it was abnormal when I heard the news back then. Now it seems... heh."
"Makes sense." Lin Hui nodded in agreement.
"That's why Lin Chaoyi is frantic now. Lin Hongyu is just like that in the Chen family—didn't even succeed in the Call. Now she's been dumped and lost her purity; her value has plummeted. Plus, Lin Hongzhen was implicated and seriously injured. Of the three lines the Lin family invested in, two broke instantly. Only one remains."
"There's one more? Who's left?"
"Lin Shunde of the fifth branch. He has some money and moved into the Inner City. Don't know what work he's doing; he's very mysterious and doesn't contact the clan much, only occasionally sending some things back during the New Year," Lin Shunhe replied.
"Forget it, let's ignore the Lin family's mess. We're living our own lives quite well," Lin Hui said. "It's just a bit lonely at home. Dad, this courtyard house you swapped for is a bit too big."
"Knowing it's lonely, why don't you hurry up and find a wife to birth a few more kids?" Lin Shunhe scolded laughingly.
"No rush, no rush..."
That night, the family ate, drank, and chatted until late before going to sleep.
The matter with Lin Chaoyi was just a small interlude. Two days later, he brought people to cause a ruckus again, but Lin Shunhe simply locked the door and refused to see them, hiding inside and pretending no one was home.
After visiting his parents, Lin Hui went to see his cousin, leaving some money and gifts.
Lin Hongzhen was much thinner than before. She lay there as if asleep, but she just wouldn't wake up.
Lin Hui didn't know who had the strength and qualification to injure his Eldest Sister, who had already succeeded in the Call, but he knew it must be someone far stronger than himself. Moreover, he had tried to contact the two friends she had introduced him to afterward. Neither side responded. After so long, it was clearly deliberate silence.
After handling family matters, he returned to Clear Wind Temple.
Lin Hui once again threw himself wholeheartedly into the rhythm of entering the mist zone for Body Tempering. However, after a period of time, his peaceful life was interrupted, and a new mission came knocking—the Emergency Suppression Squad attached to the Security Station had a mission.
Xinyu Town · Security Station.
A group of nine people stood scattered in the station's spacious backyard, listening to the Head Constable explain the content of this emergency mission.
The Head Constable's surname was Xu, given name Ansheng. He was the strongest individual in the Xinyu Town Yamen. Usually, the operation of the entire Yamen revolved around him as the core. Although the Director and Deputy Director held high ranks, he was the one who truly got things done.
Like the Director, Xu Ansheng also came from an Internal Style sect—specifically, the Fushan Sect, one of the 'Three Sects and Six Gangs' of the Inner City. Key positions in many towns of the Outer City were held by Internal Style experts like him.
The man was tall, over two meters in bulk. His muscles were streamlined, proportionate, and powerful. He wore the pale green official uniform of a Head Constable. A decorative black tiger-head belt at his waist was extremely conspicuous—an important mark representing his official status.
"This mission is primarily to clear out the wandering infected on the edge of town. The rules are the same as before: do not easily engage in close contact. Kill directly upon encounter; do not hesitate or waver."
Xu Ansheng clapped his hands, and someone immediately brought up a tray of silver ingots from the side. Inside the wooden tray lined with red cloth, fist-sized silver ingots were arranged neatly, extremely eye-catching.
"The funding this time is sufficient. Everyone, feel free to act. Double rewards for every ten executions."
"Yes!"
The nine people responded one after another.
Lin Hui was among them. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the others. First Senior Brother Chen Sui was impressively present, followed by the former Second Senior Brother Zhao Jiang'an and former First Senior Sister Mu Qiaozhi. Additionally, Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, and his fellow disciple Deng Mingchao were there. Most were acquaintances.
Next, Xu Ansheng explained the key cleaning area. He had someone bring over a map of Xinyu Town. A simple overhead map was drawn with white lines on a black board.
"I'll say it again: the entire town is divided into the central street urban district, the peripheral edge suburbs, and the Demarcation Zone. The trouble this time is in the Demarcation Zone. That place is mainly inhabited by the sick, and some criminals hide there as well. So remember, do not hesitate when acting. Strike decisively when you must!" Xu Ansheng instructed.
Lin Hui looked at the others. People like the First Senior Brother looked calm and composed, clearly experienced veterans of many such missions.
He secretly glanced at the Blood Seal again. Two months and four days remaining. The Perfected Version of the Nine-Section Swift Sword would be thoroughly mastered.
Coming back to his senses, Xu Ansheng waved his large hand, signaling departure.
Lin Hui glanced at the target location for the suppression squad's deployment. It was far from the streets and his family's suburban home, directly at another boundary approaching the mist zone.
That place was specifically circled with white lines, forming an area comparable in size to the central street district.
"Never been to this Demarcation Zone?" Deng Mingchao leaned in from the side, whispering.
"No. I've only heard of it before, never been there." Lin Hui dug through his memories but found no relevant information.
"That place is full of sick people and criminals; normal people obviously wouldn't go there. However, the town's black market is also near there, so quite a few people hide and live in seclusion inside. Anyway, it's a troublesome place. Follow closely behind me later. I'll take you to familiarize yourself with the environment first," Deng Mingchao whispered.
They were fellow disciples under Mingde; taking care of the junior brother was only right.
"Okay!" Lin Hui nodded. "Many thanks, Senior Brother!"
"We are fellow disciples; no need for politeness."
At this time, the nine members of the suppression squad followed Xu Ansheng out of the Security Station, rushing rapidly toward the target area.
Passing through the streets and suburbs, the fields on both sides of the road began to decrease. Normal earthen and stone houses became fewer and fewer, replaced by dilapidated black wooden shacks.
The number of wooden shacks grew from few to many. Some were obviously newly built. Between them, one could faintly feel obscure gazes peeking out secretly from the houses, vigilant and terrified.
The group walked a while longer until both sides of the mud road were densely packed with black wooden shacks. Crowds in ragged clothes occasionally emerged from between the houses, staring numbly at the suppression squad members.
"It's near here. This area isn't large. Everyone move faster; clear it out quickly." Xu Ansheng waved his hand and drew the saber at his waist.
The nine people scattered, approaching the patch formed by the black wooden shacks.
"Follow me." Deng Mingchao gripped his sword and walked in front of Lin Hui, whispering. "Pay attention to distinguishing features: bloodshot eyes, sluggish expressions, and strange, misshapen tumors growing on the body. Those are the infected targets that need clearing."
"What kind of disease is it exactly? Does Senior Brother know?"
Lin Hui followed him. The two formed one of the slowest teams. Looking at this area he had never contacted before, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
"You know Myriad Blessings Meat?" Deng Mingchao fell silent for a moment before answering, "That thing... if you eat too much of it, you get sick..."
Lin Hui started, then fell silent.
Myriad Blessings Meat could be claimed for free. Apart from the poorest and most bitter people, who would use it as their main ration for survival?
No wonder Myriad Blessings Meat never appeared in the meals at the Daoist temple. No wonder his dad had never let him eat a single piece of Myriad Blessings Meat since childhood.
This thing was purely used to keep the poorest people hanging onto life.