The Decaying World

His father’s death made the already desolate Lin Mansion even quieter.

His mother, Yao Shan, would sit in the courtyard all day in a daze, flipping through the various ledgers his father had personally transcribed, lost in thought.

Lin Xiaoliu often brought her son to visit. He had grown tall and strong and had attended both the scholarly and martial academies. While he showed no special talent for either, he was honest and down-to-earth.

His parents had arranged a marriage for him, and he voiced no objections. The bride-to-be was beautiful, from a good family, and had a gentle personality.

In his own words, if his family hadn’t been so well-off, she would have never looked twice at him. For that, he was perfectly content.

Liu Wu Jun also came to visit her from time to time, sharing amusing stories about his experiences at the Rain Palace. He, too, seemed to have lost the sharp drive for cultivation breakthroughs that once defined him.

The world was at peace, trade was flourishing everywhere, and all lands were in a state of rest and recovery.

The dangers of the outside world had greatly diminished, and life seemed to be getting better and better.

He no longer felt the relentless pressure from his environment that had once driven him madly forward.

Though only in his seventies, he had started to carry himself like a world-weary old man.

Liu Xiao and Lin Hui also came often to keep her company, just to talk or to personally cook her some delicious food.

But no matter what, Yao Shan just couldn’t lift her spirits.

「In the blink of an eye, another year passed.」

「The Wind Prison.」

Lin Hui gazed at Song Feishi, who was sitting upright inside the dark prison cell.

Her face was unchanged, her skin still delicate and fair. But small red spots had faintly begun to appear on her body.

They were a sign of impending decay.

Not only that, but on the exposed skin of her arms were faint, blue wind-scars... a sign of imminent erosion.

"Is there anything else you want to say or do?" Lin Hui had originally only come to see what sort of secret measure from the Bright Heart Association Leader was hidden within Song Feishi.

But from the looks of it... this mysterious measure couldn’t help Song Feishi resist the erosion and decay.

"There’s nothing to fear in death. The moment I joined the Bright Heart Association, I put all thoughts of life and death aside," Song Feishi said calmly.

"You don’t hate him anymore?"

"He was just trying to preserve me in his own way. But I refuse to accept such a method." Song Feishi had clearly thought through what had happened back then.

She wasn’t completely isolated from the outside world in the Wind Prison. She would occasionally chat with the disciples who came in on patrol.

As a Fog Person of imperial blood with a lifespan of over ten thousand years, the various Secret Techniques and Martial Arts she knew were useless to someone at her level, but for ordinary disciples, they were incredibly potent.

By trading this knowledge, she could easily learn about the situation outside every so often.

For instance, she knew about major events like the complete annihilation of the Bright Heart Association, the great changes in the world, and the relocation of Qingfei Mountain.

"Do you want to get out?" Lin Hui asked suddenly.

"You’re willing to let me go?" Song Feishi asked in surprise.

"If you all hadn’t kept coming to cause trouble, I would have never gotten involved," Lin Hui said.

"It’s because you see I’m about to die and have no more value, isn’t it?" Song Feishi said with a small smile.

"Not really. You didn’t have much value to begin with. I only just remembered you," Lin Hui replied.

"..." Song Feishi felt an urge to punch him. "Do you want to know how I’ve managed to last this long?"

"Suit yourself," Lin Hui said indifferently.

"You... You’re no fun at all!" Song Feishi said, exasperated.

"Such is the way of the world." Lin Hui’s expression was calm. He glanced at the time on his wrist, then turned and left the Wind Prison.

’Regardless, the secret Song Feishi carries will definitely be exposed before she dies.’

He had just returned to the small courtyard above when he saw Liu Xiao enter with a freshly printed newspaper.

"Quick, come look, Ah Hui! That Guo Shengyu from the Imperial City broke through again! ’His breath forms waves, his gestures stir the winds...’ They say on the night he broke through the Realm, the entire Royal City experienced tremors, and some houses even collapsed from the shaking!"

Lin Hui was speechless. He took the newspaper from her hands and glanced through it.

It was filled with all sorts of praise for the "Martial Saint," Guo Shengyu. The description of his breakthrough was incredibly exaggerated.

"This Guo Shengyu... I’m really not sure he’s any weaker than you..." Although Liu Xiao was getting on in years, she still loved to gossip about matters of the Martial Dao.

"I mean, how many times has he broken through now? We hear about it every couple of years. It has to be more than ten times by now. You were never this outrageous, were you?"

"Indeed..." Lin Hui smiled, not bothering to argue. "Anyone who can break through so many times in a row is surely stronger than me. I haven’t had a breakthrough in many, many years..."

He had long since finished recording the Earth Qi, and the process of sorting it was more than halfway complete.

With just a little more to go, he would complete the fourth layer of his cultivation.

This had taken him decades, and that was *after* he had already obtained the experience of the Blood Seal’s Cultivation Observatory Master. Without that inherited knowledge, he would have been fumbling around like a headless fly, completely lost. He might still be stuck at the stage of recording Earth Qi.

After all, a normal person in his situation might know they needed to record the Earth Qi, but they would have no idea how much they needed to record for the process to be considered complete.

Starting their cultivation like that, they would eventually get stuck and be unable to advance. They would have no choice but to backtrack and review their progress, wasting time and energy, and might even start to doubt themselves in the end.

But he didn’t have that problem.

"I think so, too," Liu Xiao said with a serious expression. "It’s been so many years, and you rarely fight anyone. I’m afraid you’re forgetting how to even swing a sword. He’s different, though. He’s out fighting people every other day."

"You have a point," Lin Hui nodded.

"Sigh... still, with your insight and Talent, Ah Hui, if you had taken his path, you might have been able to incorporate the strengths of a hundred schools and create even more powerful Martial Arts," Liu Xiao sighed.

"Perhaps."

"You know, even though you’re a gentle person, it’s really no fun when you just agree with everything I say," Liu Xiao said, exasperated. "Never mind, never mind. I’m going to see Master Yunxia."

She went on to ramble about household matters, wondering why they hadn’t heard from Xiaoliu in so long and worrying if something was wrong with her. She also mentioned that their mother had been eating less lately, likely due to a poor appetite, and that she was planning to make some medicinal, appetite-stimulating food to help Yao Shan.

After chattering for a while longer, she changed her clothes and rushed out the door, full of energy, to find Master Yunxia who lived nearby.

Through the open courtyard gate, he could see that Master Yunxia had also aged. There were more fine wrinkles on her skin, and small red spots had appeared on her neck.

Although her Martial Arts Realm was extremely high, she had lived for many years. With the environment now degrading, it was impressive that she had managed to hold on this long.

The two left together to go shopping. Before long, the small courtyard was quiet once more.

Lin Hui sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to quietly regulate his breathing.

「A little over an hour later.」

Outside the courtyard gate, a tall, burly, bald middle-aged man slowly approached.

The man wore only a black sleeveless vest embroidered with the silver pattern of a nine-headed sea serpent, revealing powerful, well-proportioned, streamlined muscles.

His facial features were as sharp and angular as if carved by a knife, exuding a peculiar, unyielding temperament.

His deep gray eyes were somewhat similar to those of Xia Si, who had departed long ago. However, he lacked the tainted scent of the Power of Ashes that had clung to Xia Si.

He walked up to the courtyard and stopped at the gate.

Like an ordinary passerby, he glanced inside with casual curiosity.

At this point, a truly ordinary person, upon seeing Lin Hui sitting cross-legged under a pear tree, would have averted their gaze and walked on.

But this man did not move.

He stood at the gate, watching Lin Hui, and suddenly broke into a warm smile.

"Am I in the presence of Daoist Master Qingfeng?"

Suddenly, though his lips didn’t move, his voice traveled directly into the courtyard and into Lin Hui’s ears.

"There is no Daoist Master Qingfeng here, only an ordinary alchemist," Lin Hui said indifferently.

"My apologies, I was being presumptuous," the bald man said with a slight smile. "I previously heard a friend mention that a Daoist Master Qingfeng of Black Cloud once reigned supreme, nearly unrivaled in his generation. My curiosity was piqued, and I made inquiries about this area. I hope you can forgive me."

He extended his right hand, palm facing up.

TSSH.

A ring of invisible force spread out from his palm, instantly blanketing a hundred-meter radius around the courtyard.

All the passersby within this area felt a sudden, inexplicable discomfort and quickly moved away.

Soon, only the two of them remained in the area.

"My name is Guo Shengyu. I am currently traveling the world, seeking out every powerful expert to deepen my own insights. Now that I have arrived in Black Cloud, I hope the Daoist Master will grant me some pointers."

The bald man smiled and took a step forward, planting his feet on the courtyard’s threshold. But he went no further, stopping there.

Lin Hui slowly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the man.

He had sensed the man’s arrival long ago but hadn’t expected him to be the "Martial Saint" whose fame had exploded in recent years, a man at the zenith of his power.

"I have not fought in many years. My Martial Arts have regressed, and my body is failing. It would be inconvenient to spar." But he had no intention of crossing hands with the man.

’At his level, expanding his knowledge of Martial Arts is no longer the nourishment he needs.’

Guo Shengyu looked at the wrinkles on Lin Hui’s face and body and sensed the aura he naturally exuded. He could tell that the man truly hadn’t fought in a very long time.

"No matter. Since Senior is unwilling to fight, we can simply chat and exchange some of our experiences with the Martial Dao."

’He surprisingly lacked the domineering air and sharp edge common to powerful experts of the Martial Dao. He said he wouldn’t press the issue, and it seemed he truly meant it.’

This came as a surprise to Lin Hui.

’Typically, when a powerful expert of the Martial Dao travels a great distance seeking their path, they will force a confrontation even if their opponent is unwilling, all to fulfill their goal of accumulating experience through challenges.’

’Otherwise, after traveling so far and spending so much time—with such high sunk costs—wouldn’t it all be for nothing if they couldn’t get a fight?’

’But this Guo Shengyu...’

Lin Hui extended his hand in an inviting gesture.

A gentle breeze caressed the courtyard gate, pushing it open wider as if inviting the man in for a chat.

This effortless display made Guo Shengyu’s eyes brighten, and an even more intrigued smile spread across his face.

"Since you’ve invited me, I will impose."

He strode into the small courtyard, glanced around, then walked to a spot not far from Lin Hui and, copying him, sat down cross-legged.

"You have come from afar, my friend, and the name of the Martial Saint is renowned throughout the world. Why do you continue to seek greater heights?" Lin Hui asked softly. "You have already reached such a level; there is no real need to walk this path any further. As far as the eye can see, those who can match you are few and far between. Why do you still press forward?"

"Why continue?" Guo Shengyu laughed. "Would you ask a drunkard why he fancies a couple of drinks?"

"I see." Lin Hui smiled as well. He could sense that as the man spoke, his Heart and Spirit were open and clear, without a shred of hesitation or concealment.

’Without a doubt, this was an incredibly pure individual.’

"Since I’m already here," Guo Shengyu said with a laugh, "and I’ve long heard that the Qingfeng Dao is famous for its fast sword—that its Body Technique and Sword Speed are unparalleled—how about we exchange a few ideas on the art of swift victory, since the Daoist Master is unwilling to fight?"

He took an object from his waist and placed it on the ground in front of Lin Hui.

"This is called a ’Quanyi.’ It is a treasured relic that can elevate the color, aroma, and flavor of any food by a full level just by shining it on the dish. Please accept it as a gift of thanks for the Daoist Master’s willingness to exchange ideas."

The object appeared to be an exquisite, palm-sized mirror. It was crafted from a special, pale-yellow metal, its back and sides engraved with intricate, ancient patterns.

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