Decaying World

Chapter 135

After rushing to the Inner City at top speed, Lin Hui failed to locate his Big Brother. He could only ask several people in the hall to pass on a message.

To prevent anyone from intercepting or sabotaging the message, he cast a wide net, seeking out individuals from several different Rain Palace branches and paying them gratuities to deliver the word on his behalf. Unless his Big Brother’s reputation was truly abysmal across the entire Rain Palace, someone would surely manage to get the message through.

Upon returning to Xinyu Town in the Outer City, Lin Hui noticed some unfamiliar faces on the road.

The demeanor of the Xinyu locals set them apart from these outsiders. With the Clear Wind Temple presiding over the area, no gangs dared to harass civilians, and public security had been excellent for the past two years. As a result, the locals walked with a gentle, unhurried temperament.

In contrast, the outsiders dressed in the bold, open style of the Inner City. Yet, despite their ostentatious attire, they carried a trace of vigilance in their stride, making them easy to identify.

Back at the Clear Wind Temple, Lin Hui summoned Wang Hongshi and instructed him to arrange manpower to investigate these strangers. Afterward, he returned to the rear courtyard, met up with Han Xiaoyue, and went to the Wild Wind Plains to cultivate.

They seemed remarkably compatible. After training for a while at the Wild Wind Plains, they would dine together. After the meal, they would pursue their individual studies—one reading books on pill medicine, the other studying music and variety plays—using this time as a rest break before continuing their cultivation in the afternoon.

Aside from their initial greetings, the two unexpectedly did not speak a single word for the rest of the day. It wasn't until the sky was nearly dark that Han Xiaoyue stood up to leave.

Lin Hui escorted her to the South Ninth Gate, watching her enter the city before turning back.

With the training for the Typhoon Sword Technique underway, the evolution of his subsequent cultivation methods needed to be put on the agenda.Regarding mind-spirit attacks, he possessed the False Enactment Art and the Spirit-Sealing Array. The former was slowly being cultivated, while the latter showed no progress in accumulating crystals; there was still only the initial single crystal. Since he needed nine crystals to activate it, it would likely be a long time before it was usable.

For his upcoming evolutions, Lin Hui planned to first evolve a weapon that was sufficiently sturdy and sharp, and then evolve a new cultivation method. Although his current twin swords were usable, as his opponents grew stronger, the gaps and chips on the blades were increasing. Slashing and cutting were becoming strenuous tasks.

Since a sustained conflict with the Clear River Sect was very likely, a robust weapon was indispensable. To this end, Lin Hui sought help from his father.

His father did not fail him, procuring about ten potential weapons. Unfortunately, these were all so-called "top-tier weapons" available on the external market. In the end, Lin Hui symbolically took a dagger and a long sword.

Inside the Clear Wind Temple, Lin Hui looked at the weapons placed before him, hesitating for a moment.

He had handled all the swords—the ones his father gave him and the two he currently carried—and the evolution plans provided by the Blood Seal were all similar.

[1—Steel Sword Enhanced Version]

[2—Soft Sword Enhanced Version]

[3—Thrusting Sword Enhanced Version]

There wasn't much to distinguish them; it was simply an increase in strength and toughness requiring about a month. Lin Hui thought for a moment and chose the Steel Sword Enhanced route.

After confirming the evolution, he placed the weapon into the large locked cabinet in his bedroom.

When he walked out of the bedroom, Han Xiaoyue was already sitting on the ground in the courtyard, eyes closed in cultivation. Sensing his presence, she opened her eyes and looked over.

"Going to continue cultivating today?"

"Mm. Do you have other plans?" Lin Hui asked.

During this period, he and Han Xiaoyue cultivated together almost every day. They would meet, eat breakfast, and then go directly to the Wild Wind Plains or the bamboo forest to cultivate and study. There was almost no communication between them during this time, yet Lin Hui felt that getting along with her was relaxed and comfortable.

"Today is the death anniversary of my family members. I plan to buy some things to pay my respects," Han Xiaoyue replied.

"Uh... do you need me to go with you?" Lin Hui asked.

"No need. They aren't here; I'm just paying respects symbolically." Han Xiaoyue shook her head. "Additionally, I may have to go on a trip in a while. It will take some time. If you don't see me, there is no need to wait."

"How long?"

"At shortest, half a year; at longest, three or four years..."

"That is indeed somewhat long." Lin Hui frowned.

Looking at the calm-faced Han Xiaoyue, he suddenly remembered the annoying matter of his father urging him to have children every few days. It was fine before, but now that he seemed to know Lin Hui had reached the Perfection of Internal Force—the theoretical limit for martial artists transitioning from External to Internal—Lin Shunhe began asking whenever they met: When are you conceiving? Is your body okay? Don't take too much medicine, lest it harm your body.

Fortunately, his mother, Yao Shan, was considerate and helped shield him. It had reached the point where Lin Hui would run straight to his mother whenever he went home, skipping his father entirely.

"Speaking of which, you have already reached the limit of Internal Force. There is no way to advance further. Do you have a new plan by continuing to train so hard?" Han Xiaoyue asked softly.

"Mm, I plan to walk a path I want to walk myself. Others say it is the limit, but I do not believe it." Lin Hui had prepared this excuse long ago and offered it naturally.

"Knowing it cannot be done, yet doing it anyway?" Han Xiaoyue's eyes moved slightly.

"Why? Do you think it's impossible?" Lin Hui laughed.

"No... It's just, I didn't expect that while you look quite gentle on the surface, you are a proud person in your bones." Han Xiaoyue shook her head. "Actually, sometimes, the path one takes in cultivation is not necessarily the correct one."

"But cultivation can bring me the power to protect myself and my friends and family," Lin Hui said. He felt there was a hidden meaning in her words.

"Power..." Han Xiaoyue hesitated. But looking at Lin Hui's confident and bright eyes, she couldn't hold back and added one more sentence. "If you have time, you can go to the Moon Tower District in the Inner City and take a look."

"Okay." Lin Hui felt she had left things unsaid; it was very likely that the core Moon Tower District held the answer she alluded to.

He decided to go to the Inner City in a few days, once the steel sword was enhanced. In any case, he had long wanted to visit the core district.

The two did not continue talking. Not long after, Han Xiaoyue left alone, and Lin Hui went to the Wild Wind Plains to continue cultivating the Typhoon Sword Technique.

Every time he cultivated the Typhoon Sword Technique, he maintained a delicate balance. Just before the massive air vortex could take shape, he would quickly disperse it, wait a while, and then repeat the process. To an outsider, it looked like he was practicing a slow-moving martial art similar to a Tai Chi sword form—baffling to witness. Only Lin Hui knew how exaggerated the flow of hidden power was within his movements.

Even Han Xiaoyue, who was with him, couldn't see the clues, which demonstrated the strong concealment of the Typhoon Sword Technique—a martial art completely different from the local system.

Three days later, Han Xiaoyue left. Aside from someone from the Wang family who went to send her off, only Lin Hui watched her departure from afar.

He watched her board the carriage, enter the Mist Zone, and slowly depart in an unknown direction.

This woman was mysterious and lonely. She was said to be Wang Yueheng’s best friend, but according to Lin Hui’s observations, the two didn’t seem like best friends at all. It looked more like the Wang family’s Eldest Sister was looking after Han Xiaoyue, conveying her needs and fulfilling them in the Wang family’s name.

Han Xiaoyue’s departure was like a grain of sand slipping from a desert; it caused no ripples in Lin Hui's life.

After waiting for less than a week, he obtained the new silver steel sword. It was double-edged and 1.6 meters long.

This was the first weapon evolved by the Blood Seal. It was a bit long and slightly wide, but its hardness was extreme. Lin Hui tested it and discovered that the steel sword could actually retract and shorten to just over a meter.

He named it "Ruyi," a nod to the legendary Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magical staff wielded by the Monkey King).

Having confirmed the weapon, Lin Hui finally began to proceed with evolving the martial arts following the Typhoon Sword Technique. Just then, bad news arrived from within the city.

"What? Big Brother is injured!?" Lin Hui looked in astonishment at the maid from the Lin Manor who had come to report the news.

Ever since Ding Ning left, he had given her family a large pension and hadn't taken on a fixed personal maid. Although it was somewhat inconvenient, he didn't wish to see scenes like the previous one happen again. However, in the current situation, no ordinary person was suitable to be his personal attendant.

"Yes. The message from the Rain Palace was exactly that. The Master asked you to be extra careful recently. Before, many conflicts were suppressed by Master Liu from above, but now that he is injured, they might all come at once," the maid replied. Her speech was clear and organized, carrying quite a bit of Ding Ning's capability.

"Has Big Brother returned to the Lin Manor?" Lin Hui asked.

"No, only the message was sent back from the Rain Palace."

"Understood. Go and send a reply," Lin Hui nodded.

"Yes. This servant is named Little Xin. In the future, I will be responsible for messaging between the Clear Wind Temple and the Lin Manor. If the Temple Master has other instructions, you may also entrust Little Xin to handle them." The maid curtsied and bowed.

"Mm."

Lin Hui nodded and watched her hurry away. From her movements, he could tell she had a foundation in martial arts; her footwork faintly carried the flavor of Lightness Skills. Clearly, his father had also recognized the weakness of the previous arrangement and had now replaced it with someone truly capable.

After she left, he quickly packed his things, greeted Wang Hongshi and Xue Meng, and, without further hesitation, headed straight for the South Ninth Gate to enter the Inner City.

Regardless of anything else, he intended to go to the Rain Palace to see exactly what his Big Brother's situation was.

Half an hour later, in a study within a side hall of the Rain Palace, Lin Hui was led inside and met Liu Wujun, whose complexion was strikingly pale.

"I knew you would come." Liu Wujun helplessly put down the booklet in his hand and looked at Lin Hui.

"Big Brother, what exactly happened?" Lin Hui looked at his complexion; it seemed the injury was serious. His eyes instantly turned solemn.

Liu Wujun's strength was likely in the upper tier even among High Divine Officers. A trouble that could injure him would be a cataclysmic disaster for anyone else.

"This time, it really was thanks to your message. If it had been even a step later, I might not have come back," Liu Wujun said.

"That serious!?" Lin Hui was stunned.

"Mm. Someone inside the Liu family colluded with the Wanhua Sect and ambushed me. The elites under my command were killed in a sneak attack—more than half died. Three experts of the same level besieged me, and in the distance, a very troublesome Imitation Evil Weapon locked onto me... There were also ambush array traps underfoot. Fortunately, I received your warning and stopped in time, avoiding a deep venture into Naiyun Mountain. Otherwise..."

Liu Wujun lowered his head and coughed a few times. Wisps of ice-blue mist drifted from his mouth and nose as he coughed. As soon as this mist emerged, it quickly dispersed and merged into the surrounding air, causing the temperature in the entire study to drop sharply.

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