Decaying World

Chapter 123

Closing the door and stepping into the courtyard, Lin Hui accepted the cloak Ding Ning handed him, draped it over his shoulders, and looked up at the hazy sky, now darkening into evening.

Based on Han Xiaoyue's words, he suspected the "Lin Sha" she spoke of was likely herself. Yet, judging by the subtle nuance in her tone, that didn't seem quite right either.

'Forget it. I won't overthink it. We are just in a cooperative relationship, anyway.' He cast the thoughts aside. He hadn't even sorted out his own affairs—was his Body Tempering with the Wild Wind Sword Technique complete? Did he really have the leisure to worry about someone else's privacy?

Pulling his cloak tighter, Lin Hui walked toward his bedroom.

"The Mist is coming. Ding Ning, return to your room quickly."

"Rest assured, Young Master. My room is right next to yours, connected by a sealed corridor, so I'm not afraid of the Mist seeping in. The Master just hired the Sealing Ward to inspect it a few days ago;

there are absolutely no gaps. Whether you come to my place or I come over tonight, there won't be any noise," Ding Ning said with a smile, her words carrying a faint implication.

Lin Hui glanced at her. The young girl's eyes held a vague trace of worry and a hint of charm. Clearly, Han Xiaoyue's arrival had given her a slight sense of crisis.

"Don't let your imagination run wild all day. Just do your work properly," Lin Hui said calmly.

"Yes," Ding Ning replied helplessly, lowering her head.

…Early the next morning, Han Xiaoyue was dragged away by Second Mother Liu Shenglan to go boating on Lushan Lake.

Lushan Lake was the largest lake in the nearby Outer City, rich in fish and teeming with pleasure boats. Because part of it lay within the Mist-Free Zone, many people set up lantern boats there, allowing for overnight stays on the water.

Lin Hui, having finished his sword practice and Body Tempering, spent the afternoon playing with Lin Xiaoliu.

Toward late afternoon, his father secretly called Lin Hui into the study.

"I think this girl is quite good. When will you two get married? Is within a month okay? I found out she has quite a few pursuers," Lin Shunhe asked in a hushed voice.

"Uh, this... we haven't discussed it yet." Lin Hui hadn't expected the progress to be pushed so fast and was momentarily stunned.

"Then hurry up and discuss it with her! If you don't have children now, what will you do when she gets older? Miss Han has good strength and high bloodline concentration. If we're lucky, the children born will be able to last for at least three generations without worrying about Feather Blood concentration issues. At that time, we would be a true Inner City family! This is a massive leap!" His father clearly saw a bright future and was somewhat agitated.

"This... I'll ask." Lin Hui was helpless. He needed to discuss a countermeasure with Han Xiaoyue.

"Did you practice martial arts until you turned stupid, kid? Hurry up and go!" His father shoved Lin Hui, urging him on.

Lin Hui was speechless and went to find Han Xiaoyue.

In the courtyard, Han Xiaoyue was sitting cross-legged under a tree, eyes closed in cultivation, a faint, cold aura flowing over her body.

Lin Hui waited for a while before she moved and opened her eyes.

"What should we do about the pressure to marry?" he asked directly.

"Then let's just get married. If you mind, we don't have to," Han Xiaoyue said with a calm expression.

"...Is it that casual?" Lin Hui was a bit stunned.

"It was originally just cooperation to reduce trouble. What else do you want?" Han Xiaoyue asked in confusion.

"Then what if we're pressured to have a baby after marriage?" Lin Hui asked again.

"Just drag it out for a while, can't we?" Han Xiaoyue replied. "If worst comes to worst, we'll just pretend we can't conceive."

Infected by her indifferent attitude, Lin Hui calmed down as well.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I have some matters to deal with," Han Xiaoyue said.

"Alright. If you need anything on your end, I will fully cooperate. Thank you for this time." Lin Hui nodded.

"It doesn't matter... I also... haven't been this close to anyone in a long time," Han Xiaoyue said faintly.

Lin Hui looked at her and suddenly felt an inexplicable aura—an uncomfortable sensation—spreading out from her. But this aura flashed by and vanished in an instant, as if the feeling just now had been an illusion.

…

Inner City, Wang family territory.

Square gray-black fortresses of varying sizes were scattered across a broad gray plain. Inside the largest fortress in the center, a black metal gate slowly lifted, revealing a gap.

Chi.

Figures flashed out through the gap one by one, exiting the fortress and standing on the plain's carriage road, waiting quietly. The one in the lead was Wang Yueheng.

His gaze was fixed on a dark brown carriage gradually approaching from the distance. The horses pulling the carriage were extremely fast, their hooves at least twice the size of those of ordinary horses.

Before long, the four horses arrived in front of the group like the wind and came to a sudden halt. An invisible, transparent force instantly enveloped the surroundings, dissolving all the carriage's inertia into nothingness.

Clatter.

The carriage door was abruptly pulled open, and a tall woman wearing pale gold skirt-armor stepped down.

The woman had black hair draped over her shoulders, wore a gold crown, and carried a dense row of golden short spears on her back. Her facial features were extremely similar to Wang Yueheng's, only slightly softer, and her forehead was embellished with a mysterious dark gold crystal.

"Little Brother, how is the best friend I asked you to look after for me? You didn't cause any trouble, did you?"

As soon as she got off the carriage, she scanned left and right, her pale gold pupils holding the coldness of a predator as they instantly fixed on her brother.

"Sister, since you personally instructed me, I naturally went all out to solve Sister Han's problems! No matter what it was, as long as I could do it, it's handled!" Wang Yueheng said with a touch of smugness.

"Mn, you are the most reliable one at home. Among the bunch of younger brothers and sisters, you worry me the least." The woman walked up to Wang Yueheng—she was a full head taller than him—and reached out to gently pat his head.

"Sister, where did you go this trip?" Wang Yueheng immediately narrowed his eyes comfortably like a petted kitten.

"I went to the north. Night Mist erosion let in quite a few troublesome monster groups. On top of that, corruption within two fortresses led to the collapse of the seals." The woman spoke plainly. "What about Sister Han?"

"She went to the Outer City," Wang Yueheng said.

"Went to the Outer City? Why?" the woman asked in confusion.

"Isn't it because after you left a while ago, Sister, many people heard about her condition and ran over to propose matches to her?"

"What? Propose matches!? To her!?" The woman paused, her pupils shrinking.

Shua!

Everything within a hundred meters around her instantly froze and stagnated. Only she and her brother Wang Yueheng remained unaffected.

"Speak clearly... exactly who was proposing matches to her? Are these people crazy!?" the woman asked urgently, grabbing Wang Yueheng's shoulder.

"Well, quite a few. After all, a woman with high bloodline concentration like Sister Han, who is all alone, makes many people envious..."

Seeing her reaction, Wang Yueheng immediately sensed something was wrong;

it felt like he might have done something he shouldn’t have. He knew his sister’s personality all too well—she killed without blinking and had a violent temper. Even within the family, she might take a life over the slightest disagreement. Yet because she was powerful and possessed terrifying talent, the clan elders were openly biased in her favor.

Although she doted on him, if she ever lost control…

Just the thought made his heart tremble, and he hurriedly spilled everything in a single breath.

"I didn't do anything reckless! It was Sister Han who couldn't bear the harassment and asked me to think of a way, and I've already solved the matter now! Sister Han herself is quite satisfied!"

"With her condition..." The woman took a deep breath and didn't continue. "Fine, tell me, how did you solve it? I indeed didn't choose the wrong person;

among all the juniors, you are the most reliable!"

"I saw that Sister Han was annoyed, so I thought of a way for her: find someone to fake a marriage. And then... now no one goes to harass her anymore," Wang Yueheng said rapidly.

"Are those people that well-behaved?"

"Of course not. At first, some people were unwilling to give up. Later, after discussing with Sister Han, we announced to the public that Sister Han already 'had it' with that person—that the bloodline inheritance had already begun, so there was no way. Then they all settled down," Wang Yueheng said hurriedly.

"..."

The woman narrowed her eyes, the pale gold within them pulsing slightly as she stared at Wang Yueheng. After several breaths, she spoke again.

"She really had no objections?"

"No, Sister Han even praised me for a job well done." Seeing he hadn't been beaten, Wang Yueheng heaved a sigh of relief.

"Good... that's good... Then who did you find to fake a marriage with her?" the woman continued to ask.

"A business partner of mine, an Internal Force martial artist from the Outer City. Although he's only an Internal Force martial artist, his personality is very similar to Sister Han's. Both of them like quiet and faced the annoyance of matchmaking, so they just happened to come together." Wang Yueheng explained the entire situation in one breath.

"You... your guts are really big..." The woman shook her head slightly, released the surrounding confinement, and walked straight toward the family fortress.

"Sister, wait for me! I haven't told you about the situation with Liu Wujun and his sister yet! That guy recently got into it with the Wanhua Sect;

the two sides are fighting fiercely..." Wang Yueheng hurriedly followed.

But then he suddenly realized that the woman’s figure ahead had blurred and flickered before vanishing on the spot. He could only stomp his foot in frustration.

"Why like this again!? Too much!"

…

Top floor of the Wang family fortress.

Inside a pure white circular hall.

The floor suddenly cracked open, and a black stone platform rose from it. Standing on the stone platform was Wang Yueheng's sister. She had changed into casual wear: a white dress reaching the ground, with a simple white tube top on her upper body and a golden beast-head leather belt wrapped around her waist.

As the stone platform rose and she entered the hall, she quickly looked toward a burly man sitting cross-legged in the center. The man floated in mid-air, sitting cross-legged, his arms inlaid with strips of golden metal patterns.

"Grandfather. I have returned." The woman bowed.

"Yueting? It is good that you are back..." The man remained with eyes closed, making no movements;

only his voice resonated in the hall.

"What do you think about Han Xiaoyue's matter? Why didn't you stop Little Brother from messing around?" Wang Yueting asked urgently.

"Why stop it? Since she didn't object, just let nature take its course. Just treat her as a seemingly ordinary, marginal Trueblood—wouldn't that be fine?" the man said peacefully.

"But in case... in case she has an episode..."

"Then that is our fate. Fate is unpredictable... fortune and misfortune rely on each other;

there is no need to force it..." the man replied.

"I want to know, why must we in the Outer Ring accept them? The Moon Towers in the Inner Ring clearly have enough power. Why??" Wang Yueting gritted her teeth.

"Because no one wants dangerous sources that could explode at any moment close to themselves. This is true for the Moon Towers, true for the Middle Ring, and we have no way to refuse," the man answered calmly. "Moreover, in name, we must unconditionally cooperate with them and satisfy all their needs. Don't worry, it will end before long. They are only staying temporarily, waiting for the time to arrive."

Wang Yueting wanted to say more, but her vision blurred, and she found herself on the empty ground outside the hall.

She understood that if Grandfather did not wish to speak more, she would not be able to see him, no matter what.

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