Decaying World

Chapter 131

Lin Hui didn't wait for the statistics. He quickly assigned a few lucky disciples whose Jade Talismans hadn't shattered to treat the wounded, then left Clear Wind Temple and flashed toward his home.

Not long after, arriving at the perimeter of the Lin Manor, he saw the hired hands repairing the outer wall. The workers divided the labor;

some mixed mud and sand, while others laid bricks.

Lin Hui didn't stop. He flew into the Lin Manor and quickly made a round to check the situation.

Second Mother Liu Shenglan was holding Lin Xiaoliu, swinging in the courtyard. The rest of the servants and guards were all fine. His father, Lin Shunhe, was discussing something with Elder Du in the study.

It seemed everything was stable at the Lin Manor.

Lin Hui didn't disturb them. He quietly returned to Clear Wind Temple.

By this time, the statistics were out. Xue Meng, Wang Hongshi, and the others met with Lin Hui in the Council Hall.

Xue Meng was covered in blood, his expression exhausted. Clearly, he hadn't been able to avoid last night's sudden upheaval either.

"The temple has thirty-seven dead, one hundred sixty-two seriously injured, and two hundred seven with minor to moderate injuries," Xue Meng said in a deep voice. "It was too tragic this time... but because we controlled it well and the rescue was timely, the death toll isn't considered high. As far as I know, many large clans with courtyards in town lost quite a few people last night... When I came over, I passed a courtyard. It used to hold at least several dozen people, quite lively, but now... they're all gone."

"Is your family okay?" Lin Hui asked."I'm alright, just lost a few servants." Xue Meng nodded. "But the other two Elders haven't arrived yet..."

"Ignore them for now. The disciples in the temple have suffered heavy casualties;

we must rest and recover. Also, go investigate where that explosion last night came from."

"Yes!"

Everyone cupped their fists and dispersed.

After inspecting the wounded again, Lin Hui went to the Hundred Flowers Sect.

Just stepping out, he heard wailing on the streets. Some houses had completely collapsed, leaving huge gaping holes in the walls. There was blood, severed limbs, and corpses everywhere on the ground.

Amidst the clattering of hooves, government officials led teams on patrol. Someone in the team was holding a notebook, registering something.

Lin Hui noticed that even among these guards from the government yamen, some had tear-streaked faces. Clearly, their family and friends had also suffered in this disaster.

Walking through Xinyu Town, almost seventy or eighty percent of the residents' houses emitted the sound of crying or hung white cloth. This meant someone in the family had died.

He returned to the Lin Manor. By this time, Liu Wujun had also returned from outside the city and was talking with Second Mother and Lin Xiaoliu.

Lin Hui waited outside for a moment. When Liu Wujun came out, he went up to greet him.

"Big Brother, what exactly happened last night?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.

Liu Wujun sighed and led the way to a separate courtyard. This uninhabited courtyard was usually his temporary residence when he returned;

it was suitable for the two to talk right now.

"You know about the notice I suddenly issued a while ago, telling people not to enter the Inner City for the time being?" he asked.

"Naturally, I know this." Lin Hui nodded.

"Last night, it was the monster from that notice. It crashed into the Inner City's population center, causing casualties. Then, That One from the core of the Moon Tower made a move."

"That One?" Lin Hui was stunned.

"The legendary one, who has lived for thousands of years. Suddenly attacking, striking down from the top of the Moon Tower with a single move. That's why it caused such a huge commotion. Originally, the Inner City planned to dispatch Palace Masters to surround and kill it, but..." Liu Wujun smiled bitterly.

What could he say? What did he dare to say?

"That monster roamed for several days. Aside from eating some caravan wanderers, it didn't breach a single settlement. But when That One landed the move..."

The casualties caused far exceeded those of the monster. He didn't finish the sentence.

Lin Hui also understood. Both fell silent.

"Don't let your imagination run wild. It's good that the family is safe. I just came back to check on the situation." Liu Wujun patted Lin Hui's shoulder. "This time was a pure accident. Usually, I'm in the Inner City. If you encounter any difficulties, come to the Rain Palace to find me. Don't worry."

As the Lin family's biggest backer, this genius High Divine Officer Liu Wujun indeed had a strong human touch. Immediately after the incident, he returned to his mother's side to check on their safety. He also did his best for Lin Hui, his newfound younger brother.

Lin Hui sighed inwardly and nodded, accepting this favor. "Many thanks, Big Brother."

"Thank me for what? I'm usually not in the Outer City. Thanks to you for looking after things here. Xiao and I often have missions, and cultivation consumes a lot of time. In the future, Mother and Xiaoliu will rely entirely on your care here at the Lin Manor," Liu Wujun sighed.

"I will." Lin Hui heard the underlying meaning in the other party's words.

Liu Wujun's thoughts were actually the same as those of children who lived far away from their parents in Lin Hui's previous life. The more successful the children were, the harder it was for them to look after their parents. Conversely, those with less ability were able to accompany their parents for a long time and take care of the elderly.

In Liu Wujun's view, his and Liu Xiao's relationship with their brother Lin Hui was just like this.

"Take this. Make sure to keep it close to your body. If you encounter a danger you absolutely cannot handle, crush it immediately. I will know instantly and arrive in time." Liu Wujun gave Lin Hui a black jade ball before departing.

Lin Hui watched his retreating figure. Only now did he somewhat understand why his parents had been so persistent about moving into the Inner City.

After the Night Mist intrusion, the entire Outer City seemed to fall silent. All forces and families were tending to their wounds and recovering their vitality. Almost every day, processions of coffins were slowly sent to the edge of the Mist-Free Zone to bid farewell to deceased relatives via Mist Burial.

Lin Hui returned to Clear Wind Temple and officially began to familiarize himself with the False Enactment Art he had just evolved. The method had evolved successfully, but cultivation still depended on himself.

So, his daily practice now included the False Enactment Art, alongside Body Tempering and pill refining.

As for the Blood Seal, he was still hesitating about what he should evolve to be effective if another Night Mist intrusion occurred. This time, Clear Wind Temple was lucky and didn't encounter any powerful monsters. If luck was bad next time... the situation might be completely different.

…

Morning of the 25th. Light rain.

Lin Hui stood in the rain, gazing at the entire Clear Wind Temple compound.

This architectural complex, originally the headquarters of the Black Dragon Gate, was now marked with traces of Clear Wind Temple everywhere.

He stood on the roof of an auxiliary building on the periphery. Beneath his feet were dark red tiles, and behind him were the roofs of other buildings rising layer by layer like steps. Overlooking the entire Clear Wind Temple from this angle, he could see the disciples in the front courtyard drill grounds chanting in unison as they practiced swordsmanship. In the middle corridors, servants and maids shuttled back and forth, busy with their tasks. In the rear courtyard, cooks and servants were busy cleaning and cooking.

A flock of palm-sized spotted birds chirped as they flew down to the roof of the corridor, hopping about, carefree and without worries. It formed a sharp contrast with the tense atmosphere below.

"Master, are you here alone again?" Tao Xuehai's figure leaped up, landing lightly beside Lin Hui.

Upon landing, he seemed to have twisted his injured left waist. He instantly sucked in a breath of cold air, grimacing as he covered his side.

"How is the injury? How is the recovery?" Lin Hui came back to his senses and looked at him.

"It's okay. The medicine from home is very effective. It should be fully healed in another two days or so," Tao Xuehai quickly answered.

"What about those two girls?" Lin Hui asked, his tone devoid of blame or teasing—only calm.

“Sigh... most of their family members are gone. From now on, they plan to follow me.” Tao Xuehai sighed. He had been living with those two girls these past few days, enjoying himself so much that he’d forgotten about home, singing every night, utterly carefree.

Presumably, those two girls were his only solace in times of pain, a way for him to vent his pent-up emotions through the affairs between men and women. Tao Xuehai was no innocent youth;

he had long been experienced in such matters back in the Inner City, so naturally, he turned no one away.

"Just handle it as you see fit." Lin Hui nodded.

"Master, please don't blame me. It's just that the people in the Inner City think too deeply. In contrast, the girls in the Outer City may lack aptitude or background, but their hearts are simple. Being with them is truly much, much more relaxing. I don't have to stay on guard all the time," Tao Xuehai explained.

"I don't concern myself with such things. You young people's affairs, and I..." Lin Hui broke off mid-sentence as he suddenly remembered that he was also still young, so he hurriedly changed the topic.

"By the way, you grew up in the Inner City. Do you know if there are any means to restrain the Night Mist besides the Jade Talisman?"

"Naturally, there are. Master, do you know of the ruins in the Mist Zone?" Tao Xuehai said.

"Naturally. You mean, inside the ruins, there is no mist?" Lin Hui had read the exploration team's data and knew that inside the Mist God Ruins, there was no mist.

“Exactly. The Jade Talisman was originally developed by imitating the Mist God Ruins. Because of that, both the Mist and Night Mist can be warded off with specific Relics. The problem is that such Relics are extremely expensive and classified as strategic materials. Any trade involving them is illegal. If the Moon Tower discovers it, it’s treated as a capital crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan,” Tao Xuehai explained.

"Mist God... I understand. Thanks for informing me." Lin Hui nodded. He knew where to find artifacts to counter the Night Mist now.

“By the way, Master, please be careful. The monsters in the Night Mist cannot be killed, and it’s best not to come into contact with them. Deal with them from a distance as much as possible. This is also the core reason why those in the Circulation Realm and High-Tier Called Ones focus on developing long-range methods,” Tao Xuehai reminded.

"En, got it. Go on, then." Lin Hui nodded.

Tao Xuehai jumped off the roof. Just then, two beautiful junior sisters came up to welcome him, supporting him on either side. The three of them walked towards the bedroom in incomparable harmony.

Lin Hui withdrew his gaze. He already knew what to evolve. Find a Mist God Relic and evolve the means to isolate the mist on it.

Jumping off the roof, he was about to return to the study to continue cultivating when he suddenly remembered the Water Man he had evolved earlier and left unattended in the manor courtyard. The courtyard wasn't a sealed environment, which meant the Water Man had been exposed to the Night Mist all along. It had been silent all these days.

I wonder how that guy is doing. I'll go take a look. A trace of curiosity rose in Lin Hui's heart.

Immediately deploying his movement technique, he quickly crossed the drill grounds and arrived at the rear manor. Entering the courtyard, he stood by the pool again. Dismissing the surrounding guard disciples, he held his sword and tapped the water's surface at the edge of the pool with the scabbard.

"Come out and see me."

Hiss...

With a splash, the Water Man slowly arched out of the pool, rose, and finally stood on the water's surface, facing Lin Hui motionless. It was still the same old way—couldn't speak, no facial features.

But Lin Hui was surprised to find that this Water Man seemed different from when it was first created. Originally, the Water Man had a transparent and pure body. Now, although its body was still somewhat transparent, countless tiny gray threads were flowing and moving inside. Those countless gray threads, like worms, nimbly scurried around everywhere inside the Water Man's body.

Lin Hui observed for a while and found he couldn't make anything out, so he mobilized the Blood Seal to appraise it.

[Water Man with Unknown Pollution — Quality: Ordinary. Lifespan: 84 years. State: Complete.]

[Evolvable Branches: 2.]

It can still evolve?

Lin Hui hadn’t expected that. He immediately opened the panel to take a closer look. Because everything could be evolved, he had formed the habit of only giving the Blood Seal’s information a quick glance before discarding it if nothing caught his interest.

[1 — Water Demon.]

[2 — Water Elemental.]

Does this represent two styles of development branches? Lin Hui fell into deep thought.

Closing the Blood Seal and ordering the Water Man to return to its original state, he entered the house to pack some equipment. Then, after explaining some arrangements to Wang Hongshi, he left Clear Wind Temple, put on a mask and hood, and headed straight for the Mist Zone.

This time, he brought the exploration team's copied map and had a deep understanding of the Mist Zone terrain around the Outer City. So as soon as he exited the Mist-Free Zone and entered the Mist Wall, he went straight for the Purple Crystal Ruins.

He planned to personally try the Purple Crystal, a resource that could accelerate Body Tempering and Internal Force cultivation, to see if he could handle the monsters inside the ruins.

As for the Blood Seal, he didn't evolve anything for the time being, saving it to appraise items in the Mist Zone. Otherwise, once evolution started, the Blood Seal wouldn't be able to appraise items at will.

Become a Pledge Member to read chapters in advance.

Join our Discord community to explore exclusive visuals and connect with fellow readers.

Please leave a 5-star rating on Novel Updates!

[Index]

[Next Chapter]