Decaying World-Chapter 47

Leaving his teacher's house, Lin Hui returned to the drill grounds. In the distance, the students from the two newly recruited groups were practicing swordplay amidst laughter and playfulness.
Little Hu and Little Fatty were earnestly rearranging the stones that served as boundary markers. These stones had been found by Weiwei specifically to demarcate the territories of the three Clear Wind Temple branches. Which area belonged to whom was clearly defined by the lines formed by these stones.
The Black Mist... the environment outside is so dangerous. So, what power is protecting the entire city? Where does that power originate?
Thought after thought surfaced in Lin Hui's mind.
He had originally assumed the Inner City would be a place of safety, but now it seemed the Inner City had its own hardships.
Hefting his sword, Lin Hui understood his master's mindset. To live a stable life, without any particularly grand goals—eating well, dressing well, living peacefully—that was enough. At the very least, the surrounding dangers had been cleared away. For Mingde, that was the greatest relief.
But...
Lin Hui turned his head slightly, looking toward the Inner City's massive white wall that towered into the clouds, its boundaries invisible. Then he looked in the opposite direction at the boundless gray mist.
The area where the people of the Outer City lived was merely a long strip of gray sky overhead, allowing sunlight to filter through. At this moment, the spring rain was subsiding. Sunlight pierced through the gray mist, but even its color turned breathless and ashen.
Lin Hui looked up. The sky remained a gray haze; neither the sun nor the clouds were visible. The entire city was like a gigantic sphere—centered on the Inner City, it forcibly squeezed out the mist, propping up a massive spherical cavity.
Perhaps I should enter the Inner City first to see if the rumors are true, before deciding whether to move the whole family in.
Having made his decision, Lin Hui hesitated no longer and resumed his sword practice.
Days passed.
With the continuous evolution of the Blood Seal, his mastery of the Clear Wind Sword Technique leaped forward constantly. As Lin Hui continued his Body Tempering, strengthening his constitution, the evolution time for each move of the Clear Wind Sword Technique began to shorten.
By the time he reached the evolution of the sixth move, the required time had dropped from five days to four. This gave Lin Hui even more motivation to strengthen his physique and temper his energy.
In the blink of an eye, spring ploughing passed, followed by wave after wave of farming activity. The Black Mist period arrived in tow.
Just as Lin Hui was quietly waiting for the Blood Seal evolution, Daoist Baohe finally woke up.
Clear Wind Temple, Temple Master's Bedroom
Cough, cough...
Daoist Baohe’s face was the color of gold paper. Half-reclining on the sickbed, he turned his head to look at his three junior brothers standing in the room: Mingchen, Mingde, and Mingxiu.
The three stood respectfully, waiting for him to speak.
A thick scent of medicine drifted through the room. Even with the heavy incense burning on the table, it couldn't suppress the distinct smell of blood emanating from Daoist Baohe.
"Shangguan Fei... of the Flying Cloud Fist... how is he?" Baohe covered his mouth with his hand, coughing up another trace of bloody water as he asked weakly.
"Hallmaster Flying Cloud... passed away half a month ago... heavily injured by the Hundred Flowers Sect..." Mingchen sighed.
"Is that so... it seems this is all fate..." Baohe sighed.
"Senior Brother..." Mingchen started to speak but stopped.
"Say no more. For our Clear Wind Sword Sect to have developed to this point... having been glorious once is enough." Baohe coughed a few times. "I can't hold on any longer... After I leave, the Clear Wind Temple will be handled by the three of you. The situation is difficult now... wait for the Black Mist to pass... you all... should leave this place and seek another... As for my children... tell them not to open a martial hall again..."
Baohe and his three junior brothers all had clans behind them. Baohe’s clan was the most populous; with his collapse, his clan's situation would naturally be dire. During this period, they had already been divided and scattered in flight. No one was willing to care for the comatose Daoist Baohe.
"You... you all..."
Baohe pointed a finger at the three, wanting to say more, but he couldn't catch his breath. He struggled three times in succession, but eventually, his right hand crashed down, devoid of strength.
"Senior Brother!!" Mingde cried out, rushing forward to grab the edge of the bed, tears streaming down his face.
The other two followed, looking at Daoist Baohe's corpse, their eyes brimming with tears.
Outside the bedroom, the core disciples of the three branches lowered their heads in silence, listening to the voices inside, their minds filled with myriad thoughts.
Lin Hui stood with Weiwei and Wang Yun. Listening to the weeping inside, he sighed inwardly.
"Junior Brother, do you... have any plans for the future?" Wang Yun asked softly from the side. "Practicing the sword costs money, but looking at the state of Clear Wind Temple, I’m afraid it can't support your training anymore."
"It's fine. I'll just go to the mist zone to hunt some materials," Lin Hui replied calmly.
"That isn't a long-term plan. You are young and strong now, without burdens or dragging responsibilities, so naturally, you can say such things. But what if you fall ill one day and get delayed? Or what if you marry and have children in the future? Your safety alone will concern the safety of your whole family. When you get older, taking risks will be too dangerous," Wang Yun said softly.
"What does Senior Sister mean?" Lin Hui looked at her.
"You are a person who values emotion and righteousness," Wang Yun said. "Your talent is also decent. Why not join my Wang family, just like Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren? Stop muddling along in the martial hall world."
Lin Hui understood her meaning. Being unable to survive in the martial hall world didn't mean the Clear Wind Sword couldn't survive elsewhere. With their movement skills, switching to other, downgraded circles would make them far from weak.
"Once you leave this circle, no one will gossip if you concurrently cultivate other martial arts." Wang Yun lowered her voice even further. "Later, I'll help introduce a marriage match for you. Once you settle down, establish a family and career, and have a bloodline to carry on, your family will be at ease, and you will have no worries behind you."
"..." Lin Hui fell silent.
Listening to the weeping coming from the bedroom, he lowered his head.
"And then? What about sword practice?"
"What is there to practice? The current Body Tempering speed is enough. How much higher can you train the Clear Wind Sword? Isn't our goal in practicing martial arts to live well, to live safely? As long as the goal is achieved, does the method matter?" Wang Yun said softly.
She paused, looking toward Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren on the side.
"Look at them. Several are about to leave, having signed agreements with the Mu family. Ah Hui, you must remember: practicing martial arts is for life, not the other way around—sacrificing life to fulfill martial arts. Look at Mu Qiaozhi and Zhao Jiang'an; they have clear heads."
Lin Hui remained silent.
He admitted that Senior Sister Wang's words made sense. To persist until now, Wang Yun had already done very well. She didn't care about Clear Wind Temple; she only cared about Master Mingde. So she didn't care what happened to Clear Wind Temple—there were plenty of replacements.
For them, and for ninety-nine percent of the disciples, practicing the sword was merely a method, a means to achieve an end.
"Yes... people have limits. After passing the high-growth period, continuing to practice yields too little return compared to the investment... it's not worth continuing to spend so much time and energy on it..." he sighed.
"Aren't you quite clear-headed?" Wang Yun said. "Think about it properly. If you make a decision, you can come to the Wang family to find me anytime."
"Many thanks, Senior Sister." Lin Hui nodded. "By the way, what about Senior Sister Weiwei?"
"She agreed long ago. And actually, Master tacitly approved it," Wang Yun whispered.
Lin Hui fell silent again.
Even the Master's own daughter...
Looking at the bedroom door ahead—that antique, dark red wooden door—his thoughts drifted far, far away.
Judging from the words and actions of Wang Yun, his teacher, and Senior Sister Weiwei, he knew that even they had given up hope of the Clear Wind Temple's martial arts regaining their glory. Even his master, Mingde, felt that rising again was impossible.
The Clear Wind Sword was more than a notch inferior to the martial arts of these new martial halls.
A thought of giving up rose in Lin Hui's heart as well. But the moment he saw the words floating in his vision from the Blood Seal—
Seven-Section Swift Sword, Nine-Section Swift Sword
—he remembered the time, cost, and energy he had spent to reach the Clear Wind Sword Technique.
If he gave up now, wouldn't his previous investments be in vain? Moreover, even if he switched to cultivating a stronger martial art, wouldn't it take even longer?
Daoist Baohe's funeral lasted three days. Very few came to pay respects; the former grandeur of Clear Wind Temple had vanished.
In the end, the three Daoists of the 'Ming' generation carried the coffin to its burial. From that point on, Clear Wind Temple completely split into three branches, permanent rather than temporary.
Taking the opportunity, Lin Hui returned home and told his parents about the matter. His father's reaction was something he hadn't expected.
"What do you think?" His father, Lin Shunhe, carried a small stool and sat under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, looking at Lin Hui.
"I just think... having practiced for so long... I don't really want to give up," Lin Hui answered.
"Since you like practicing the sword, why not choose a stronger one? The Clear Wind Sword is no good anymore; that is a fact. You spend the same money, time, and energy, but end up weaker than others—is it worth it?" His father was surprisingly rational and realistic.
"But Master..." Lin Hui hesitated.
"Mingde himself has lost hope; otherwise, would he agree to his daughter concurrently studying other martial arts?" Lin Shunhe said. "Think about it. When it's time to turn back, you must turn back decisively. Don't sink deeper and deeper, until you fail completely... a total mess."
He stood up, patted his son's shoulder, and turned to leave.
Lin Hui was left sitting alone, watching the muddy road bustling with people outside the courtyard, lost in thought.
He sat there from morning until noon. When his mother, Yao Shan, came out to call him for lunch, she immediately noticed that Lin Hui's eyes looked different than before.
"What? Made a decision?"
"Mn. I want to keep practicing," Lin Hui nodded. "Anyway, I'm not short of money, and the family is in good shape now. I just want to keep practicing and trying. I like the Clear Wind Sword Technique."
"...You, ah... you're a stubborn mule too. Fine, treating it as a hobby works too," Yao Shan said helplessly. "Let's go, come inside and eat."
"Alright." Lin Hui smiled, standing up to follow her inside.
In truth, without the Blood Seal, perhaps he would have switched cultivation long ago. But since the Blood Seal existed, once the Clear Wind Sword Technique finished evolving completely, he could evolve the sword technique again...
In that case, perhaps evolving again would take a long time and much energy, but re-cultivating another martial art would consume a massive amount of time and energy as well. Thus, it was better not to change. It saved the process of relearning from scratch.
Having made this decision, Lin Hui returned from his home to his master's place.
Master Mingde and the other two had spent a few days dividing Clear Wind Temple into three, building thick partition walls in the middle. Mingde's branch was renamed the Clear Wind Sword Sect, a return to its former name.
However, after this renaming, Mingde himself fell into a pattern of fishing for three days and drying nets for two—slacking off completely. He handed matters over to his daughter and Lin Hui. Every day, he either went fishing or found Manager Huang for a drink, living a leisurely and comfortable life.
As for practicing the sword? He had given up long ago. Cultivating Internal Force to stabilize his condition was his busiest task.
And the Clear Wind Sword Sect was no longer categorized as a martial hall; it could only be considered a loose cultivation gathering.