The Decaying World

Unable to find Han Xiaoyue, Lin Hui wandered the Royal City for a while longer, searching for word of Xie Chang’an and Zhang Yao. He found the source of the Xie Family, but for some reason, there was not a single scrap of news about Xie Chang’an.

As for Zhang Yao’s maternal relatives, the Zhang Family... he found his mother’s tomb. Beside it was a new grave.

The Royal City’s Outer City, Ninth Tomb Area.

A misty rain fell.

Lin Hui held an umbrella, dressed all in black, silently staring at the gray-white rectangular tombstone before him.

’Tomb of the Honored Master, Zhang Yao’.

Zhang Yao’s name was clearly inscribed on the tombstone, along with a small, carved, black-and-white portrait. The carving was remarkably lifelike—clearly the work of a Martial Dao expert.

The level of detail was on par with the computer-etched photographs on stone from his past life.

That was how he immediately knew the tombstone was Zhang Yao’s.

Before the tombstone sat a jug of rice wine and two bundles of incense.

"It seems Brother Zhang left his mark after all," Lin Hui sighed.

Though Zhang Yao’s Martial Arts weren’t anything special, his study of formations was the most advanced of the three of them. The one who erected this tombstone was likely the disciple who inherited his legacy in formations.

"The Second City Lord... Ah, he was so good to me back then..." Pang Jiu sighed from the side.

"Forget him. You’re not far behind," Lin Hui said, looking at Pang Jiu. "What are your plans?"

"Teacher, Daoist Master, I’m afraid I won’t make it through the month," Pang Jiu said with a smile. "Can I just stay here instead of leaving? To enjoy what’s left of my life."

"Do as you wish. This life... is so very dull." Lin Hui’s gaze returned to Zhang Yao’s tombstone.

"No, no, don’t say that! You’re a great man, destined for great things. If someone like you finds life dull, the world is in for a world of hurt," Pang Jiu quickly placated him. "Besides, you’re fine now, and I doubt anyone in the world is your match. Why not focus on raising the next generation, or pick up a hobby? You have to find some fun in life to make it interesting, right?"

"Why are you so tense?" Lin Hui asked, looking at him with amusement.

"Don’t dismiss it. In many of the stories I’ve read, the great world-destroying villains were all normal people before they went off the deep end. The moment they started feeling like life was dull—that was the starting point for their turn to extremism," Pang Jiu said pointedly.

Lin Hui couldn’t recall any local tales with such a plot, but it was clear Pang Jiu was just using it as an excuse to gently admonish him in a joking way.

Seeing how earnest he was, Lin Hui smiled.

"Alright, I’ll give it a try when I get back..."

"Ah... Thank you for being so reasonable, Daoist Master." Seeing that Lin Hui had truly listened, Pang Jiu smiled as well.

"Let’s go." Lin Hui turned, the edge of his black umbrella tilting up slightly to reveal his calm, sharp eyes gazing at the heavy, gray canopy of mist.

The two of them departed the tomb area in silence, leaving no footprints or traces, as if they had never been there at all.

Just as they departed.

Before the tombstone, an aged figure slowly materialized.

The figure gazed at the portrait of Zhang Yao on the tombstone for a moment, then turned to look in the direction Lin Hui and Pang Jiu had departed.

’Thank goodness... At least he still has people he cares about... These are his anchors. If even more time passes for him... that’s when the real trouble will begin.’

The old man muttered to himself, and his figure dissipated with the wind.

*

*

*

「May.」

Lin Hui returned to Black Cloud. After settling matters on Qingfei Mountain, he disguised his appearance and took up long-term residence in the district that had been directly below the mountain’s original location. He spent his days recording the terrestrial energy and observing its patterns.

After Qingfei Mountain was relocated, the large crowds it had drawn quickly departed, moving on as well.

The once-bustling and prosperous neighborhood rapidly grew quiet and deserted.

Lin Hui mostly ignored the affairs of Qingfeng Dao, leaving everything to Su Yaping and Li Yuanyuan.

He didn’t ask Li Yuanyuan to join him in seclusion. Instead, he took only Liu Xiao. The two of them assumed new identities and lived in the district as an ordinary married couple.

They even gave the small courtyard they lived in a name: Qingyuan Courtyard.

Aside from occasional trips home to visit his parents, older brother, and sister, the two of them truly lived the peaceful life Lin Hui had always wanted.

Because he required a long-term regimen of Elixirs, Lin Hui posed as an ordinary practitioner of Alchemy and a Pharmacist, selling common Elixirs he casually refined each day as a cover.

Liu Xiao, in turn, simply helped him process the medicinal herbs.

Time flew, and more than half a year passed in a flash...

In early November, Lin Xiaoliu successfully gave birth to a baby boy.

She and Tao Changsheng had become parents, but amidst their joy, there was also a touch of disappointment.

The baby boy hadn’t inherited Lin Xiaoliu’s extraordinary perception, nor Tao Changsheng’s formidable Martial Arts Talent; he was just an ordinary child.

They named him Tao Linshan, combining their two surnames and adding the character for "mountain," hoping he would grow to be as steady and unshakeable as one.

The Lin Family held a celebration for the child. Lin Hui and his wife made an appearance, offered their blessings and a life-saving artifact, and considered the matter settled.

Lin Hui refused Lin Xiaoliu’s request to take the child as his disciple.

The boy’s innate aptitude was too poor for him to be close to Lin Hui. Poor aptitude meant poor strength, and by being too close, a single careless mistake during practice—even a breath drawn too heavily—could cause the boy’s instant death.

After that appearance, the Disciples of Qingfeng Dao rarely saw any trace of Lin Hui.

Su Yaping became the public successor of Qingfeng Dao, diligently managing its daily affairs and cultivating with great assiduousness.

Xia Si spent her days wandering and playing, but that only lasted for a few years before she grew utterly bored. After meeting with the Fourth Princess Song Feishi in the Wind Prison, she stopped obsessing over defeating Lin Hui and departed for the outer seas, disappearing without a trace.

Master Yunxia also found a courtyard near Lin Hui and his wife, assuming a new identity to live in seclusion alongside them.

Conversely, it was the female disciple Lin Hui had once unexpectedly accepted, Fan Lingxi, whose fame gradually began to rise, her strength growing to an astonishing degree.

In one challenge, she managed to fight Su Yaping—who remained in one spot the entire time—to a draw, earning her the fourth-highest position in all of Qingfeng Dao. Even that old turtle, Cloud Cleansing, was no longer her match.

But after her successful challenge, the young woman went on a trip. When she returned, she became quiet and withdrawn. To everyone’s surprise, she too found a man she loved, married, had children, and settled into a peaceful life, just like Lin Hui.

It was as if in just a few short years, all the key figures of Qingfeng Dao had learned from Lin Hui’s example, all of them fading into obscurity.

Within Black Cloud City, the Martial Arts of Qingfeng Dao continued to be taught, but the number of practitioners gradually dwindled.

Because the need for it had vanished, and this particular Martial Art had high aptitude requirements for relatively modest returns.

This was especially true after several foundational Martial Arts, created by the so-called Heaven-Opening Martial Saint in the Royal City, began to circulate. The nominal disciples of Qingfeng Dao started to leave in droves.

Lin Hui had not bestowed the Dharma Seal or the Three Incense upon these disciples, nor had he given them the Indestructible Sacred Eye. The millions who practiced this Swordsmanship had done so only to avoid being polluted. Now that this need was gone, they naturally began to seek out Martial Arts that they preferred and were better suited to.

"I heard that Heaven-Opening Martial Saint from the Royal City created a hundred secret arts and is teaching them to the entire world for free. That’s quite a grand gesture."

In Qingyuan Courtyard, Liu Xiao returned from a walk and began to excitedly tell Lin Hui, who was seated cross-legged in the Court, about the interesting things happening in the outside world.

"I’m talking about Guo Shengyu! The one who killed the Royal City’s Blood Ancestor and has been on an unbroken winning streak, sweeping through the Imperial City undefeated!"

Although she could no longer grow stronger through cultivation, Liu Xiao still had a competitive streak and was very interested in such gossip.

"Ah Hui, did you see this Guo Shengyu when you were in the Royal City? What’s he like? Is he really as incredible as the rumors say?" She walked over to Lin Hui’s side and sat down close to him, clinging to his arm like a koala and giving it a little shake.

"I never met him... but I heard his name. People were talking about him all over the Imperial City," Lin Hui replied gently, opening his eyes.

"I heard he created a hundred techniques in a single night and is teaching them all publicly for free, carving them onto steles for anyone to comprehend. They say most of these hundred techniques are Upper Martial Arts that even ordinary people can learn, with low barriers to entry and inexpensive medicinal requirements. Just how strong do you think he is? Is he at the level of the Fog People?" Liu Xiao asked, her interest piqued.

"He most likely is. Over in the Imperial City, although most Blood Ancestors are relatively young, a few of them are former Fog People who have devolved. That group is extremely powerful, with strength on par with the Fog People of the past. For him to win an unbroken string of victories, he must possess the power of a Fog Person-level expert, and possibly even more, since he can counter the Blood Ancestors’ regenerative abilities," Lin Hui explained.

"Then why don’t you create some Martial Arts and spread them around? You could build up a good reputation for yourself, couldn’t you?" Liu Xiao added.

"That’s not something I pursue," Lin Hui replied with a smile.

Liu Xiao felt a bit helpless. She was naturally competitive and loved a good contest, but she herself was no longer able to participate. Lin Hui, on the other hand, was completely uninterested by nature; no matter how she tried to coax him, it was useless.

The two continued to chat about recent changes within the family and some rumors from Qingfeng Dao and the Rain Palace.

When they grew tired of talking, Liu Xiao went inside to rest.

Lin Hui remained seated in his original spot, continuing his cultivation and his work recording the terrestrial energy.

With the flow of people drastically reduced, his progress in recording the energy had sped up considerably. He was now about one-third of the way done.

Once the recording was complete, he could officially begin to guide and organize it.

Since the Battle of Haiming, the environment seemed to have gradually cleared. The mist in the sky grew thinner, and more than half of the fog over the outer seas had dissipated. The night fog had vanished completely from most places, with only a few stubborn patches remaining in certain sea regions.

Without the heavy mist, the sunlight pierced through from above, shining down with ever-increasing brightness and clarity.

The entire district felt clearer and brighter than before.

About a quarter of an hour later.

Lin Hui’s eyes suddenly snapped open. His body flickered and vanished from where he sat.

A few seconds later, he appeared inside the Qingfei Mountain Daoist monastery, located on the sea thirty kilometers away.

Su Yaping was waiting before the courtyard gate with a youth who wore a black eye patch.

Upon seeing Lin Hui appear, she stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Daoist Master, your disciple has unintentionally discovered a new Disciple, a genius of unparalleled aptitude. I truly couldn’t bear to watch his potential waste away day by day, so I have taken the liberty of bringing him to meet you..."

The youth behind her followed suit, kneeling and performing three decisive kowtows.

"Disciple Yuanhe greets the Daoist Master."

"I know of you." Lin Hui had noticed this person before, but he hadn’t expected the boy to have actually stirred a martial arts fanatic like Su Yaping to the point that she would personally bring him here.

Clearly, the boy’s Talent must be highly unusual.

He said nothing, simply extending his perception, his Heart and Spirit sweeping over the boy to ascertain his condition.

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