Decaying World

Chapter 100

"Fifteen Blood?" Lin Hui paused.

"Newcomer? We only accept Feather Blood for transactions here. No silver, no gold notes." The stall owner’s attitude turned cold in an instant.

Lin Hui looked at the short sword;

he was somewhat intrigued. The item appeared unusual at a glance, but the seller's insistence on Feather Blood made things difficult.

He glanced toward An Bo. That guy was already haggling with another stall owner over an incense burner.

"Can you explain the function of this short sword?" Lin Hui asked, turning back to the vendor before him.

"Sharp, sturdy, and comes with an innate mental paralysis effect," the stall owner answered concisely. Seeing that Lin Hui had no Feather Blood, he couldn't be bothered to waste another breath.

Helpless, Lin Hui could only stand up and continue browsing. He hadn't gone more than a few steps when An Bo finished his transaction ahead and turned to wave at him.

"Alright, I've bought my things. I'll be going first, friend."

"Mn, thank you for bringing me here." Lin Hui nodded with a smile.

"It's nothing. I usually explore and hunt for treasure in the ruins within the surrounding mist zone;

perhaps we’ll meet again." An Bo stuffed the small incense burner into his waist pouch, waved to Lin Hui once more, and then strode out of the temporary black market, departing with a flourish.Lin Hui watched his retreating figure, then turned back to wander a bit more.

The bizarre items from various creatures on the stalls broadened his horizons. Aside from the sky-blue short sword earlier, there was another item that tempted him.

It was a black-and-red inverted triangular jade pendant with a dark red eyeball embedded right in the center. The eyeball blinked occasionally, its pupil darting about randomly.

The stall owner told him it was called a Void Eye, capable of absorbing the distracting thoughts and mania in a martial artist's heart. It was a good item for alleviating the side effects of Extreme Martial Arts.

Unfortunately, it could only be traded for Feather Blood, and the asking price was much higher than the short sword, reaching over a hundred Blood.

After circling a few times, the sky began to darken. Lin Hui didn't dare stay long. This place was clearly far beyond his current level, whether in terms of asking prices or the martial power of the people around him.

These people could move and live freely in the Inner City, where the pollution was intense;

clearly, they all had something to rely on.

Unable to afford a single thing, he could only walk out of the temporary black market with some regret. Roughly judging the direction he came from, he braved the chaotic wind, exerted force underfoot, and abruptly vanished from his spot.

Running this far and still not crossing the Outer Ring gave Lin Hui a new appreciation for the sheer size of the Inner City.

After sprinting wildly for two hours, the sky finally turned completely black. Lin Hui returned once more to the cliff at the South Ninth Gate where he had first entered.

Following the main road of the cliff, he took the route he had walked with his Master last time, entering the urban area.

The night was hazy, devoid of mist.

On the streets, vendors large and small hung up crystal stones emitting soft white or yellow light, continuing to solicit customers. The cries of peddlers were actually livelier than during the day.

Passing by the small stall where he had eaten soup last time, Lin Hui stepped up to ask for the location of the Cloud Pine Pavilion branch.

"Cloud Pine Pavilion? Turn right at the street corner ahead, walk about three li, then turn left. The largest shop building on that street is the Cloud Pine Pavilion branch."

The stall owner no longer remembered Lin Hui, but he still enthusiastically pointed out the way.

"Many thanks." Lin Hui thanked him, quickly accelerated his pace, and followed the streets forward.

Streams of people brushed past him—chatting, laughing, scolding;

children crying, chasing each other. Everything felt fresh yet familiar to him, having not seen nightlife for a long time.

"Make way, please make way."

On the sidewalk to the right of the street ahead, a small giant over five meters tall, topped with a white rhinoceros head, walked toward him. Wearing a simple gray sweatshirt and ragged linen shorts, the rhino-man was carrying an ornamental pavilion step by step.

Most of the rhino-man’s shirt was soaked through with sweat. Just getting a bit closer released a thick stench of body odor, forcing the surrounding pedestrians to dodge out of the way.

Lin Hui stepped aside, watching the other party pass by carrying the stone pavilion. He noticed the words "peace moving" embroidered on the back of the rhino-man's shirt.

"Damn it, these stinking movers smell so strong wherever they go! It reeks!" a passerby complained aloud.

"He earns money by his own strength. If you can't stand it, why don't you go live in the Moon Tower? The Outer Ring has been like this for years. If you can't adapt, you should just pack up and move out quickly," someone mocked in return.

Lin Hui continued forward, turning the corner, walking a distance, and turning again.

Immediately, a massive rectangular signboard appeared in his field of vision: Cloud Pine Pavilion.

It was a five-story gray-white building. The entrance was piled with various black wooden crates of different sizes, stacked layer upon layer in a disorganized mess. Stuck into a gap between the crates was a metal flagpole hoisting a white cloth flag;

the words "Cloud Pine Pavilion" were written upon it.

At this moment, the flow of people entering and exiting the shop was heavy, mostly martial artists carrying weapons on their backs. Some belonged to other races.

Particularly eye-catching was a group of short figures on the right side of the shop, wearing straw rain capes and conical hats. These little ones had sparrow heads, bodies covered in gray feathers, and pale yellow beaks that were chirping away, seemingly discussing a problem.

The leader, carrying dual blades on its back and standing less than a meter tall, wore a serious expression. Its wing-hands patted one companion and stroked another, clearly trying to quell the group's anger.

As Lin Hui passed by to enter the store, he heard their dialect—a very crisp, rapid language with many liaisons, not the Tuyue tongue.

"They are villagers from Sparrow Village who came to sell Jade Bone Seeds. It turns out the quantity of seeds they sold was inexplicably short, and now their companions suspect a mole stole them, so they're quarreling."

Seeing his curiosity, the pretty attendant at the door whispered an introduction.

Boom.

Thunder rolled in the sky outside;

it seemed it was about to rain.

Lin Hui nodded to the attendant. "So that's it. This is my first time seeing Sparrow Men."

"We actually don't see many either. The place they live is quite far from here, and they only come over occasionally," the attendant smiled. "What does the guest need?"

"Do you have swords? I want one with better material. By the way, you accept gold notes here, right?" Lin Hui asked in advance.

"Of course."

A moment later, Lin Hui walked out of Cloud Pine Pavilion carrying a long sword in a pure white scabbard on his back.

White Smoke Sword, a high-grade, precious sword of Cloud Pine Pavilion. Claimed to slice through iron like mud, it was a fine sword slightly superior even to the Clear River Sword. It was also the best stock available on the market.

Lin Hui spent a full 1.1 million to get his hands on it. Even for someone like him who didn't care about money, spending so much just to buy a weapon that could barely hold up for a while still caused a bit of heartache.

Carrying two swords on his back, he asked for the address of his next stop and headed straight for the Rain Palace.

….

Rain Palace, Yuanming Hall, Incense Burning Office.

Inside a quiet reception room, Liu Xiao and Lin Hui sat opposite each other. Between them lay a low white wooden table, upon which sat a palm-sized brass incense burner. Faint white smoke rose upward, emitting a tranquil fragrance.

"It’s rare for you to come to the Inner City. Big Brother happens to be receiving an important guest, but speaking to me is the same." Liu Xiao wore a veil, her crescent-moon eyes clear and sharp. Even in a calm state, she faintly exuded a fierce temperament.

She sat upright on the chair, her back straight and dignified, possessing an air of awe-inspiring purity.

Lin Hui noticed that Liu Xiao's attire was very different from other women in the Inner City. She was wrapped up tightly, wearing white trousers and a long tunic, with a robe over that, and a brown leather vest over the robe. On her chest, she wore a complex white-gold ornament that looked like an enlarged snowflake.

"It’s like this: while in the Outer City, I accidentally learned that the Jade Talisman can be controlled by the Inner City to fail. I was worried, so I wanted to verify this. I don’t know if..." Lin Hui withdrew his gaze and spoke frankly.

"You are correct. The Tuyue Jade Talisman can indeed be remotely deactivated. Theoretically, the Rain Palace of the Inner City does control the life and death of the Outer City. But there is no need for that," Liu Xiao answered calmly.

"It is best if you don't know too much about the inside story of the Jade Talisman, lest you be targeted. You only need to know that the Inner City has a list for outsiders. Ordinary people aren't qualified to be on the list, nor are they qualified to have their Jade Talismans remotely controlled. The people in the Inner City with this power and capability are basically high-level existences. With their limited time and energy, why would they bother targeting ordinary people in the Outer City to control their Jade Talismans? If they really wanted to kill someone, a mere mention would send plenty of subordinates to do the deed proactively."

"What about me?" Lin Hui asked directly. "Am I qualified to be on this list now?"

"Of course. But we are in the Rain Palace—what are you afraid of?" Liu Xiao said coolly. "I crossed off everyone in the Lin family from the list last time. Now, you, Uncle Lin, and Auntie are equivalent to non-existent. Unless someone investigates ordinary people one by one, they basically cannot locate the Lin family."

She paused, then sighed. "Feel at ease now?"

"At ease." Lin Hui heaved a huge sigh of relief. He trusted that Liu Xiao wouldn't lie to him. After all, she did not need to.

"If you're at ease, then go back quickly. Don't stay here too long," Liu Xiao said helplessly, her tone finally softening. "By the way, since you're here, come with me to the temple hall to offer a stick of incense and register."

"Is there some meaning to this?" Lin Hui asked, puzzled.

"Do you know where the 'noble patrons' spoken of by the Outer City population come from?" Liu Xiao asked in return. "Being qualified to offer incense and register in the main hall is considered the threshold for being a so-called noble patron. When people from the Inner City are sent out on business, they bring a list with them. If they encounter someone on it, they will be lenient."

"Understood!" Lin Hui felt a jolt inside. This was essentially a liability exemption list. As long as he didn't court death excessively, minor troubles could likely be ignored completely.

Liu Xiao mentioned a few more points to pay attention to when offering incense, such as how to bow, how to light the incense, how to place it, and where not to look.

Soon, she pulled Lin Hui away from the Incense Burning Office and into the central main hall. Inside the ordinary-looking white main hall, he offered three sticks of incense to a statue of an Eight-Armed Faceless God.

It looked no different from anyone else offering incense, but after Liu Xiao finished, she ran to the side to speak a few words with the person watching the incense table. That person then took out a small booklet and recorded Lin Hui's name, marking the end of the process.

"Right, you aren't young anymore. Your path in external martial arts is nearing its end;

you should properly consider starting a family next. Also, visit Little Sister more often. She will likely be sent to the Inner City very early for Call training. If you delay, you might not see her many times," Liu Xiao exhorted before leaving.

"Start a family..." Lin Hui was left speechless.

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