Decaying World

Chapter 14 014 Farewell Part 2 (Thank you, Alliance Leader, for being able to eat you all in my eyes)

"Not at all. Even if we can't be in-laws, it's still good for the two of us to get along well and be friends." Lin Shunhe forced a smile.

Lin Hui, who had just approached, immediately understood what had just happened.

He realized that the girl in the white dress hadn't taken a liking to him, which was understandable. He'd gotten quite muscular lately, but his facial features remained unchanged, utterly unremarkable. Before, his family background had given him an advantage, but now that was gone, and his job was just a regular accounting assistant.

It's normal that people don't think much of him. After all, that's not how he seems on the surface.

What left him speechless was that his father had started arranging his marriage so quickly. It seemed he had a plan to rely on his grandson if his son wasn't up to par, hoping his grandson might be talented and destined for greatness.

Since the meeting didn't go through, the hunchbacked old man felt embarrassed to stay any longer, so he took his daughter Huan'er and said goodbye, then got into a car and left to avoid any awkwardness if he stayed any longer.

"That girl's name is Guan Qihuan. She's the third daughter of my old brother Guan Jing. Both our families were interested, but unfortunately, she wasn't interested," said Lin Shunhe, the father, helplessly.

"You should just forget about it. Just live a normal life. I have my own plans for marriage," Lin Hui said speechlessly.

"Plans? Could it be that you've found someone you like at Qingfeng Temple?" Upon hearing this, the old man's spirits immediately lifted.

"No, but I have my own plans." Lin Hui believed that with the blood mark, he had no time or energy to spend on romantic relationships.

What he needs to do now is to ensure his sense of security first, and then, once he has reached a certain level of strength, he can take a good look at what this world is all about.

"Son, how about we try somewhere else?" Lin Shunhe hesitated for a moment before asking.

"What's different? Going to a new place means you'll have to spend time getting used to everything again. Starting all over again, Dad, you shouldn't overthink it," Lin Hui advised.

At the entrance of the Taoist temple, he chatted with his father for a while and learned that the outer city had returned to peace and that many people who had taken refuge in the inner city had returned one after another.

Recently, however, there have been more people coming from other districts.

Beyond the city of Tuyue, in the distance, shrouded in mist, lie similar vast urban areas.

These nineteen districts together form the Taisu Federation, which is jointly ruled by the Inner Court and the Outer Court. The Inner Court is a small, separate fog-free area in the center.

Due to the fog and difficult travel conditions, the inner court was actually unable to govern the nineteen districts of the outer prefecture.

This also means that the Taisu Federation is actually a loose territorial alliance, with each district governing everything independently.

The government offices in each district were the actual governing bodies; for example, the one in Tuyue District was the Tuyue Prefecture Office.

The other urban area that Lin Shunhe mentioned refers to Xingdao, the nearest major urban area.

Xingdao City is said to be in a state of chaos year-round, where the strong prey on the weak and slavery is rampant. The Xingdao people who occasionally come out are mostly manic, neurotic, and prone to shouting for violence, making them quite fierce.

"It is said that many of the people who have come have been causing trouble all over the inner city. The sects and gangs that Tu Yue can rank are nothing more than the Three Sects and Six Gangs, but they have all been challenged by Xing Daoren, resulting in many injuries." Lin Shunhe is well-informed and has been traveling around doing business recently, so he knows much more than Lin Hui.

"What about the martial arts school?" Lin Hui asked, frowning.

“Martial arts schools are second-rate. The Three Sects and Six Gangs are powerful forces outside the Three Greats that pass on internal martial arts. Although they are far inferior to the Three Greats, they are like the difference between an adult and a child compared to martial arts schools. They cannot be compared.” Lin Shunhe looked around, pulled his son to a corner, and whispered.

"The reason I'm saying all this is that although Qingfeng Temple is only a middle-ranking martial arts school that teaches external skills, and it's unlikely that anyone will target it, you still need to be careful. Try to step back when something happens, and always remember that you have me and your mother behind you. If anything happens to you, your wife and I will really be in trouble." Lin Shunhe's tone and expression at this moment were clearly less spirited than before the incident.

But Lin Hui nodded seriously.

"I understand, Father."

"Good to know. I'm going back now. Things are a bit better off at home recently. I've found a new way to make money and started a small business. Don't worry about me. Don't send any more of your wages home. We have our own money." Without waiting for a reply, Lin Shunhe took some loose silver from his waist pouch, put it in a leather money bag, and stuffed it into Lin Hui's hand.

"Don't worry, no matter how hard things get for your dad, supporting the family is absolutely no problem!"

Lin Hui refused to accept the money. After some back and forth between the father and son, he walked his father for a while before returning to Qingfeng Temple alone.

Actually, the fact that my father walked all the way here alone instead of hiring an oxcart or horse-drawn carriage tells us the true state of our family.

However, he didn't expose his father's fragile pride; he simply returned the money he had given him.

Back at the Taoist temple, Lin Hui calmed down and continued to practice his swordsmanship diligently. His swordsmanship became increasingly light, swift, and precise.

Despite not having evolved from the Blood Seal, his understanding of the sixth and seventh moves deepened the longer he practiced them.

By comparing the perfect versions of the previous five moves, Lin Hui gradually began to discover the hidden flaws in the last two moves.

This discovery wasn't made all at once, but rather one every few days. After trying to modify and fine-tune it, Lin Hui keenly realized that the modified sword moves were more in line with his own style and easier to practice than the original version.

Time flies, and more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The sixth move unexpectedly ended the evolution prematurely. It seemed to be Lin Hui's own realization that had a time-saving effect.

The sky was overcast today, with sunlight peeking through the mist. Lin Hui, holding a wooden sword, pushed open the door and stepped out, gazing thoughtfully at the blood-stained writing below his line of sight.

"The evolution process ended five days earlier than the normal two-month timeframe. It seems those five days were the result of my hard work during this period."

He could sense that his physique was now far stronger than when he first arrived. Therefore, he could absorb significantly more energy each day, which made it reasonable that he could conserve the energy needed for evolution.

Watching the students coming out of the various dormitories to prepare for sword practice and line up to fetch water, Lin Hui walked to a corner and focused his attention on the last move, the seventh move, Wind Thrust.

'Should I evolve it into the seventh move—Wind Strike?'

'Required resources: One wooden sword, fifty days' worth of stamina.'

Time required: Fifty days.

This is the last resort, finally.
Lin Hui sighed deeply, staring at the red characters that appeared before him. After pausing for a few seconds, he decisively confirmed the evolution.

'Yes. '

hiss.

The bloodstain on his arm quickly changed from a diamond shape to a circle.

No longer looking at the bloodstain, Lin Hui picked up his wooden sword and carefully felt the newly evolved sixth move.

Having mastered the Seven-Section Quick Sword technique to this level, he could achieve perfection at any time, and thus gained a profound understanding of the entire swordplay.

At this moment, raise your hand, thrust forward, flick upward, and swipe downward.
Each sword move flowed smoothly from his hands, possessing a strange and beautiful quality.

The two students practicing swordsmanship nearby glanced at him, and their movements slowed slightly as they focused on watching Lin Hui practice.

After repeating this several times, Lin Hui paused to rest, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and picked up the water bag and dry food from the ground to prepare breakfast.

"Ahui," Chen Zhishen slowly approached, "how much do you know about your second senior brother, Zhao Jiang'an?"

"I've never met him. He's the second-ranked formal disciple. I'm just an ordinary student who's still practicing the Seven-Section Fast Sword. I'm not even a formal disciple yet. What qualifications do you think I have to try and get on the good side of Senior Brother Zhao, who's second-ranked? What's wrong?" Lin Hui asked casually.

To be precise, students who haven't fully mastered the training methods are just unqualified individuals who have paid money to participate.

Only by mastering the seven-section fast sword, and then the nine-section fast sword, can one leap forward and officially become a true disciple of Qingfeng Temple, entering the circle of twenty people.

At that time, many gangs and wealthy families in Tuyue will extend olive branches to you.

Their future income and lifestyle will be good.

Chen Zhishen's goal is to become a formal disciple. His aptitude isn't the worst, and coupled with his extremely diligent sword practice, he's almost mastered it in just over a year, which is quite good. He has hope of improving his family's life.

"My second senior brother is kind and has superb swordsmanship. Yesterday, when the event ended, he said a few words to me, gave me some pointers on swordsmanship, and invited me to work for his Zhao family. He also said that if I agreed to go to the Zhao family, he would help mediate the conflict between me and Chen Chong," Chen Zhishen said softly, his words revealing a hint of respect for his second senior brother.

Lin Hui listened silently without saying a word.

"My second senior brother analyzed my options after leaving Qingfeng Temple. It's basically either joining a gang, working for another wealthy family, or working for a merchant firm. The Zhao family is a well-known clan in the nearby towns. My second senior brother and I are from the same lineage, so if I join, I'll be considered one of his direct descendants. I'll train with the senior brothers and sisters from Qingfeng Temple who joined before, and we'll have mutual support. Ah Hui, what do you think? Do you think I should go?" The more Chen Zhishen thought about it, the more suitable it seemed.

“That’s good.” Lin Hui thought for a moment and replied. “Second Senior Brother is probably using the family’s resources to cultivate his own power. You’ve mastered the Seven-Section Fast Sword in just over a year. Although your aptitude isn’t the best, with your diligence, you won’t be the worst after becoming a formal disciple. It’s worth him trying to win you over.”

"The wages are five thousand coins a month! My whole family can only earn ten thousand a year at most! I saved up for a long time to come here to learn martial arts. The Zhao family's treatment is so good, I always feel uneasy about something." Chen Zhishen hesitated again.

"It's alright, this treatment is normal. After all, you've already started body tempering, so you're no longer an ordinary student." Lin Hui noticed the subtle changes in Chen Zhishen at this moment. When he raised his hands and feet, his speed was noticeably lighter than usual.

This is a typical sign that the first body tempering is complete.

Clearly, it wasn't just him who practiced swordsmanship faster and faster; others, as they progressed, would also accelerate their progress due to increased proficiency and deeper understanding. Chen Zhishen was a prime example of this.

"Hey, you figured it out. Sigh, that wasn't easy." Chen Zhishen sighed. "Ahui, you'll be here soon too, right? Want to come to the Zhao family together, brothers,?"

He looked at Lin Hui with longing in his eyes.

"I've already signed an accounting contract with Qingfeng Temple, so I'll be here for at least the next five years. There's no other way," Lin Hui replied with a smile.

He was also pleased that Chen Zhishen could use this opportunity to escape Chen Chong's revenge.

"That's a pity," Chen Zhishen sighed. "However, Zhao Family Town, where the Zhao family is located, is only half an hour's walk from here. I heard from my senior brother that once you go in, the work and training won't take up too much time, and you'll get four days off every month. I can come back to see you often if I have nothing to do."

"Oh, right." He suddenly remembered something, rummaged in his fanny pack, and quickly pulled out a dark, murky object.

"Here, take this. You like the fragments left behind by the monsters in the fog zone, right? I picked up some myself when I had nothing else to do. This is the most complete and largest fragment of all that I found. It's yours."

(End of this chapter)