Decaying World

Chapter 130:

Lin Hui’s expression was grave. He darted to the window, staring for any cracks that might appear in the doors or window frames.

This was the study, and outside lay the sealed corridor. Such corridors, sealed off nightly, were likely damaged during the severe tremor just now, causing cracks and leaks.

And it was night. Once there were leaks...

Lin Hui’s expression hardened.

He quickly put away the False Enactment Art, took down two long swords from the wall, and strapped them to his back.

"Hee hee hee hee..."

Suddenly, strange, ethereal laughter drifted in from outside.

"So many here... so many... come quickly..."

"Husband... where are you? I brought our child back."

"Flesh and blood... fresh."Strange whispers echoed continuously from outside.

Lin Hui’s heart sank. He knew the thing he least wanted to see had appeared.

The sealed corridor had cracked. The monsters in the Night Mist had entered!

He gripped the hilt of his sword, his expression grim.

To be honest, he had never truly encountered these monsters in the Night Mist.

He didn't know what they were, if they could be killed, or if they could be driven away.

From childhood memories to adulthood, he had only heard one thing.

Once the Night Mist breached the door, no matter a family’s status or position, there was only one outcome.

That was—everyone went missing.

Whether major clan or commoner, this outcome had not changed for decades.

Lin Hui gazed at the Jade Talisman hanging in front of the window. The item was swaying, and cracks were clearly visible.

He knew the situation was dire. It was very likely his study had also developed cracks and leaks during that severe tremor.

What exactly was the Mist?

He rapidly recalled all the relevant information he had collected.

The Night Mist can alter all things. It is suspected to possess mobility capabilities, able to move things to another location in a short time. Therefore, one must absolutely not touch the Night Mist;

otherwise, one is likely to be transferred elsewhere and unable to return.

Among all the data, the information his newfound older sister, Liu Xiao, had mentioned during a casual chat gave him a key clue.

At that time, when the two were teasing Lin Xiaoliu at the Lin Manor, Lin Hui had pressed her about the nature of the Mist. Liu Xiao had racked her brain to give this answer.

Lin Hui steadied his mind, reached out, and gently grasped the door handle.

Snap.

The Jade Talisman finally shattered and fell to the ground.

Inside the study, wisps of faint gray-white mist drifted in from unknown sources, floating in midair.

Seeing this, Lin Hui quickly circulated his Internal Force. A faint breeze blew around his body, pushing the approaching gray mist to the corners of the room.

Click.

With a heavy heart, he opened the door into the night for the first time.

The Jade Talisman in the study was broken. Whether he opened the door or not was meaningless. The key was to familiarize himself with the environment as soon as possible and determine if he could cope with the dangers of the Night Mist!

Squeak. A soft sound.

Outside the study door stood a person.

A smiling young woman with a sheet-white face, wearing a long pale red dress.

"Ding Ning!?" Lin Hui was both shocked and angry.

He recognized at a glance that the woman was the servant girl, Ding Ning, who should have been sleeping in her own room!

At this hour, she should have been back asleep!

Suddenly, he remembered that Ding Ning always liked to keep watch outside his door at night, waiting for orders at any time.

So, it was very likely she had been keeping watch inside the sealed corridor outside the study just now.

Looking at the smiling Ding Ning, a trace of sorrow rose amidst Lin Hui's shock and anger.

This was the only outcome for ordinary people when facing danger.

He could tell something had happened to her. If Ding Ning hadn't secretly stood guard outside his door, perhaps she wouldn't have...

A trace of self-blame flashed through his mind. Lin Hui slowly drew his sword, staring at Ding Ning outside the door.

"Are you still conscious?"

"Young Master... I have always liked Young Master very much..." Ding Ning smiled and took a step forward.

"Liked you very much, very much... liked you so much that... I want to eat you, Young Master!!"

Suddenly, she lunged forward. Her body seemed to be sliced open from top to bottom by a blade. Her entire body split into two halves, left and right, forming a large maw of dark red flesh and blood, snapping toward Lin Hui.

The large maw was filled with countless dark red wriggling insects. There were no teeth, only a pungent, choking breath that emitted faint smoke.

Clang!

In an instant, a silver sword light flared.

Wild wind surged. The wind pressure instantly turned into an immense force, blasting into the large maw and reversing her lunge, sending her flying backward.

With a loud bang, the monster resembling Ding Ning was blown away. It smashed through the corridor's wooden planks, flew out, and fell into the thick gray Mist, vanishing without a trace.

Lin Hui’s face was grave. Maintaining the invisible airflow circling his body, he stepped into the corridor.

He looked left and right. From both ends of the corridor, he could vaguely hear the screams and roars of disciples and students in the distance.

The severe tremor just now probably caused leaks in quite a few corridors... I don't know how many people will die in the Outer City this time... and the family... I hope the family is okay.

Lin Hui thought of the Lin Manor. Fortunately, his father had become increasingly reliable recently, building layer upon layer of safety measures. Plus, Liu Wujun and Liu Xiao should have provided protection methods, so there shouldn't be major problems.

He looked at the faint gray Mist seeping into the corridor. He didn't dare speed up, only moving step by step in the direction of the disciples' voices while maintaining the invisible airflow around his body to isolate the Mist.

One side of the corridor was a white stone wall, and the other was temporary, detachable brown wooden planks used for sealing. The problem lay with these brown wooden planks.

At this moment, the halos of the oil lamps hanging in the corridor swayed, flickering between bright and dim.

Lin Hui walked slowly on the stone bricks, determined the direction, and headed toward the nearest voice first.

The dim light cast his shadow long behind him, projecting it onto the white wall, appearing twisted and dark, like a monster.

Brown wooden pillars passed by his side one by one.

Suddenly, his footsteps paused.

On the ground ahead, a large hole had been broken through the brown wooden planks on the right.

On the ground at the edge of the hole lay the corpse of a Clear Wind Temple disciple.

She held a long sword, face down, blood constantly oozing from her head.

Lin Hui approached silently and used his sword to flip the corpse over.

The corpse's face had been hollowed out by some creature, leaving a gaping cavity.

The eyes, mouth, and nose were all gone;

only a mass of mangled flesh and blood could be seen.

Just then, Lin Hui noticed the corpse's abdomen beginning to bulge rapidly and abnormally.

The speed of the bulge was like blowing up a balloon;

in two seconds, it swelled to the size of a human head.

Bang!

The bulging meat sack exploded, and a dense swarm of countless white flying insects flew out from it.

But just as the flying insects emerged, they were swept up by a gust of wild wind, blown back, and forcibly redirected, slamming into the brown wooden planks on the side.

Bang!

A large hole was instantly smashed through the brown wooden planks, blasting the insects out to disappear into the gray Mist outside.

The flying insects vanished, but the gray Mist poured into the corridor even faster.

Lin Hui quickened his pace, constantly careful to draw airflow from mist-free areas to surround himself.

Walking along, avoiding the misty areas of the corridor, he saw several corpses in succession, all dead from having their faces hollowed out.

This caused a strong sense of crisis to emerge in his originally steadying mind.

Originally, he thought that with the Jade Talisman and with Liu Wujun and Liu Xiao in the Inner City ensuring the Talismans remained active, he could stay peacefully in the Outer City to cultivate and live the quiet life he wanted.

But the severe tremor brought by that huge explosion just now completely shattered all his previous fantasies.

Just one accident, and the Jade Talisman failed, and the Night Mist began to invade on a large scale.

Corpses appeared before Lin Hui's eyes one by one, and the anger in his eyes became increasingly distinct.

Soon, passing through the corridor, he arrived at the accommodation area where the disciples rested.

Elders lived in private residences outside. Those staying at the Clear Wind Temple Black Dragon headquarters were generally disciples and students accustomed to bitter cultivation or those whose family backgrounds were poor, as those with means mostly went home to rest.

In the accommodation area, corpses littered the ground, and blood spilled everywhere. Fortunately, only one-third of the rooms were breached;

the rest remained sealed.

As Lin Hui walked past, he could hear suppressed, fearful breathing coming from inside.

He didn't knock to inquire or alert them. At a time like this, whatever he did would make others think he was a monster of the Night Mist.

Soon, Lin Hui found a vacant bedroom. He entered, used the wind to drive out all the mist, then closed the door. He checked the Jade Talisman;

it had long since shattered.

He suddenly understood why none of the people who encountered accidents at night in the past survived.

Once a leak occurs at night and the Night Mist seeps in, the Jade Talisman will be damaged. Without the Jade Talisman, the Night Mist can spread unchecked. During this time, even if someone discovers a new safe room, the moment they open the door, the previously sealed and secure environment inside will be breached, and the Jade Talisman will instantly shatter. No matter how many safe rooms one finds, the outcome is always the same.

The advanced sealing and the Jade Talisman—neither of these two conditions could be missing.

In the room, Lin Hui kept an eye on the Mist at all times. Once a wisp entered through a crack, he immediately manipulated the airflow to blow it out.

He continued this way until dawn approached and the Night Mist gradually dissipated.

The crowing of roosters came from a distance.

Only then did Lin Hui slowly relax and push open the door.

At this time, he also heard the temple disciples walking out of their surrounding rooms one after another.

Crying and retching sounds rang out continuously.

"Why... Ah Xing... Ah Xing, wake up..."

"My hand was bitten by that monster! Quick, help me stop the bleeding!"

"Temple Master! Why is it like this! The sealing was clearly done well. Where did that explosion come from!?"

Disciples walked out one by one. Some were distraught;

some rushed outside, obviously worried about their relatives and friends at home;

and some were covered in blood, heading straight for the pharmacy.

Huang Shan was supporting a junior sister, helping her stop the bleeding with Internal Force.

Qiu Yiren looked pale, leaning against the wall and staring blankly at everything.

Wang Hongshi had already organized some clear-headed disciples and students, responsible for arranging care for the wounded and managing the situation.

Lin Hui gripped his sword hilt tightly.

"Tally the number of casualties. Mobilize the temple's funds and medicine in my name, and go all out to treat everyone!" he ordered.

"Yes!" Wang Hongshi hurriedly nodded.

"Where is Tao Xuehai!?"

"He fought a monster to save a junior sister earlier and fell into a coma from poisoning. That junior sister took him to the pharmacy."

Lin Hui’s figure flickered rapidly, and he sped to the pharmacy. Inside, Chen Meng was hurriedly treating the wounded.

There was no more room to lie down inside. Dozens of people lay on the ground outside, a dense crowd wailing.

Lin Hui immediately spotted Tao Xuehai among them. The guy was flanked by two pretty junior sisters who were feeding him medicine while he wore a pained expression.

After confirming that the brat was all right, Lin Hui went on to check the condition of the other wounded one by one, his mood growing heavier with each patient he examined.

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