The Decaying World

Three days later, Lin Hui departed from Jiu’an and returned to Xidong.

Armed with a large supply of stamina-enhancing drugs, many of which were high-quality Treasure Medicines on par with Light Soul Water, he had no mind for anything else. He entered secluded cultivation at home, focusing solely on consuming them.

And the aftereffects of reaching Perfection in the First Layer of the Sword technique gradually began to surface.

The Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique was of a much higher caliber than any swordsmanship he had cultivated before. After reaching Perfection in its First Layer, he had immediately felt some kind of burden being lifted from his body.

At the time, however, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

It wasn’t until he returned to the sword dojo that he discovered his entire body’s flesh and blood had begun to take on a strange, translucent state.

Only then did he understand. The "spiritual burden" removed by the First Layer was his own flesh and blood.

He didn’t pay it too much mind. At his level of cultivation, such transformations were to be expected; a change in one’s very life form was an almost inevitable process. He had long been mentally prepared for it.

’This body’s aptitude is truly top-tier. Back in the Fog People World, I was never able to sense the Time Strings so clearly.’

’Even with the world-altering changes back then, there must have been Time Strings present...’

Meanwhile, the political situation outside was in flux. Following the great fire in Jiu’an, uprisings flared up one after another across the country.

Outside of Liu Chang’s territory, the lands of the other two great warlords were engulfed in the flames of war, leaving them completely overwhelmed. To make matters worse, the armies of Essin and Docini were massing at the borders.

The entire country was in a fervent uproar. Uprisings, revolution, and foreign invasion had become the most popular topics on everyone’s lips.

Many refugees, hearing that the rebel armies were opening their granaries to distribute food, disregarded the dangers of the wilderness and desperately traveled with their families to reach them.

Many died on the journey, but some found protection, managed to arrive safely, and joined the revolutionary army.

Lin Hui maintained the sword dojo’s basic operations, teaching Wu Anning, Xie Tienu, Liu Xuezhen, and the others.

After also accepting Tienu as a Core Disciple, he stopped taking in new students. He simply spent his days contemplating his sword technique and the changing times, occasionally visiting the mountains to chat with the eccentric Mei Xin Mountain Man.

His life took on an air of "let the world change as it may; I shall remain unmoved."

He quickly consumed all the Treasure Medicine he had obtained, successfully shortening the Blood Seal’s evolution time to about five hundred years.

The Renyi Court and Yao Ying’s Xianyun Pavilion could still provide a steady supply of medicine, but the quantity was dwindling due to the political turmoil.

A large number of pharmaceutical factories had been destroyed in the crossfire of war. As a result, medicine was increasingly imported from overseas, leading to a dramatic increase in cost and a significant decrease in supply.

Many factories even stopped producing aphrodisiacs, switching instead to trauma medicine and disinfectants.

Because of this, Lin Hui went out several times to search for a substitute but found nothing. He had no choice but to give up and make do with the Black Emperor Pills he refined from his own old recipe.

As his tolerance for the medicine returned, the effectiveness of the Black Emperor Pills also slowly declined.

Fortunately, through his connection with Yao Ying and his dealings with the Renyi Court, he managed to obtain two new, relatively suitable recipes that could sustain him for a while.

「Two years passed in the blink of an eye.」

「The Lin Family Mansion.」

Lin Xiangnan looked at his son, whose complexion had become increasingly like translucent crystal, and didn’t know what to say.

The boy only returned home once every few days, and even when he did, he would often zone out during meals, lost in who-knows-what thought.

Outside, his wife Fu Yunxin was at the doorway, ladling out hot congee for two passing children who were begging for food.

With war raging and all the men gone to fight, the famines across the land had worsened. The horrific tragedy of people exchanging children to eat could occasionally be witnessed in the nearby countryside.

Now, he didn’t even dare to leave the house for anything besides buying groceries. His son, however, continued to teach his disciples at the sword dojo every few days, come rain or shine.

At first, he had dismissed it, thinking that cold weapons could never be a match for firearms.

But a few days ago, when some deserters tried to break down their door to rob them, a disciple from the Songfeng Sword Dojo had intervened just in time, killing three of them by throwing short swords from a distance.

That was right. The Songfeng Sword Dojo had modified its original Songfeng Swordsmanship, turning it into a versatile style for both close-quarters and long-range combat.

Within a hundred meters, a disciple with a short sword in hand was almost certain to hit their target.

Thanks to this remarkable skill, the Songfeng Sword Dojo enjoyed an excellent reputation among the local residents.

"The situation in the country is getting more and more chaotic," his father, Lin Xiangnan, said, his speech growing less guarded. "A few days ago, General Liang’s main force over in Zhonglin was crushed in a frontal assault. Over one hundred and fifty thousand men surrendered, changed their banners, and joined the New Revolutionary Army. General Wang’s army won’t last much longer, either. They’re losing battle after battle. Their loyalties don’t lie with the people, so they’re destined to become dust in the annals of history."

Although his words expressed worry, his tone betrayed an irrepressible hint of joy.

"When people are oppressed for too long and can no longer survive, rebellion is the only path left. It’s an inevitable process," Lin Hui said calmly.

"Yes... I heard that Commander Liu has also come to an agreement with his contacts. He’ll be changing his banner in a while too. His stance has always been flexible, and he’s been moderate in his own territory, so he’s always been a target for their recruitment. It seems they’ve finally succeeded," Lin Xiangnan sighed.

In fact, he was one of the people who had helped make this happen.

He felt a great sense of accomplishment as he spoke of it. But seeing his son’s usual detached expression, he had the urge to blurt out the whole truth, just to shock him.

But thankfully, his remaining rationality suppressed the impulse.

"So, you’re saying the overall situation is settled?" Lin Hui asked, following his father’s train of thought.

"Not quite. There are still some stubborn factions in the background who don’t want the situation to change. Although they can’t alter the grand scheme of things, there might still be casualties in smaller skirmishes. We still need to be careful," Lin Xiangnan replied.

"I heard that some of the remaining stubborn factions have already fled to the Essin and Docini occupied zones and joined forces with the foreign powers?" Lin Hui asked.

"That’s right. After we stabilize the internal situation, this will be the next difficulty we have to face," Lin Xiangnan sighed.

He looked down, his much rougher hands subconsciously rubbing his knees. He didn’t even notice the small holes that had worn into the fabric of his trousers.

Lin Hui had noticed recently that his parents had become increasingly frugal in their daily lives. On one hand, it was because prices were soaring; on the other, the family’s disposable cash seemed to have mysteriously disappeared.

So now he was gradually increasing the frequency of his meals at home, bringing back food to improve the family’s situation.

He had tried giving them money, only to find that they remained just as frugal, and the money he gave them would still inexplicably disappear.

A new "cultural elementary school," a model introduced from abroad, had recently been built in the city.

Lin Xiangnan had been hired as a teacher there, and his monthly salary should have been more than enough to support the family. Yet, in reality, their meals had become cheaper and plainer.

Soon, his mother Fu Yunxin also came in, a hesitant look on her face.

"What’s wrong, Yunxin?" Lin Xiangnan asked, rising to his feet as he saw his wife’s reluctance to speak.

"It’s about my father," she began in a low voice. "The shop’s business has completely failed. My brother fell gravely ill after his last trip out, and now he’s so frail he can’t even stand a draft. What will become of them... I was thinking, maybe we could bring them here to live with us? Xiangnan, what do you think...?"

"Bring them. It hasn’t been easy for your father and the others. It’s not a good time to be in business..." Lin Xiangnan sighed. "But don’t worry. Once the new era arrives, life will get better. Tax reforms are coming soon, and public order is improving. We just have to endure these hard times for a little longer... just hold on!"

The two of them began talking again about the various recent changes.

Lin Hui listened intently from the side, seeing the same faint, inexplicable flame burning in both their eyes.

He couldn’t help but think of the many students and disciples who had recently left the sword dojo.

A large portion of them had gone to join the army. Not because they were conscripted, but because they had voluntarily joined the various rebel forces.

He didn’t know what fate awaited them. The non-Core Disciples lacked the blessing of the Three Seals and the Immortal Holy Eye to guarantee their survival. In fact, in this era, he was the only one who could accumulate resurrections with the Immortal Holy Eye.

The other Core Disciples only had a single, guaranteed resurrection.

Since they couldn’t cultivate a power system and could only temper their physical bodies, the intensity of the radiation they emitted was nowhere near enough to accumulate a second resurrection charge.

Thus, the so-called "absorbing radiation to accumulate charges" had become a basic, one-time life-saving guarantee.

Wu Anning was the same as ever, diligently cultivating her swordsmanship. She had now begun to practice the perfected version of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship, but since she couldn’t develop Inner Strength, she could only train the Sword Techniques.

Lin Hui couldn’t help her, because his Star Power would rapidly dissipate the moment it left his body, making it completely impossible to use on others.

Even when he used it on himself, it only worked because his body had long since adapted to the Star Power’s properties and intensity, preventing any excess dissipation. And since the distance was extremely short, he could increase the output to compensate for some of the loss.

But for others, he was powerless to help.

Seeing that his parents, despite living a relatively hard life, had the light of hope in their eyes, he felt a sense of relief.

But in reality, because of his dealings with the Xianyun Pavilion, he knew very well that the old warlord powers were far from defeated.

The Iron Buddha Temple and the other two of the northern Three Great cultivation sects, as well as the strongest of them all, the Great Golden Cloud Temple, were still standing. The Heavenly Immortal experts within their ranks had yet to make a move. These groups were, in fact, part of the old guard—and its most stubborn elements at that.

He too was waiting, waiting for these Heavenly Immortal experts to finally make their move, so he could gauge their true strength.

There was also the overseas Holy Spirit Mage Association... Many troubles still lay ahead. That burning, transparent flame of hope—could it truly sustain the nation? How many more people would have to be sacrificed? No one knew.

But the Lin Family was fortunate, for they had him.

’If it comes to it, I plan to pass some intelligence from the Xianyun Pavilion to my parents’ cause, earning them some major credit. Just to make them happy.’

After the meal, he left home and returned to the sword dojo. The once-bustling dojo now had only seven or eight people practicing on the training grounds.

Although there were few people, Wu Anning was still conscientiously leading everyone through their daily practice.

Seeing Lin Hui return, she quickly put down her sword and came forward to bow.

"Dojo Master, two more people went home today."

"Did they say why?" Lin Hui asked faintly.

"No..." Wu Anning’s expression was also a bit helpless.

"Let them be. As long as the core members remain, that’s enough..." Lin Hui turned and walked into the inner room. "In a little while, you will move the sword dojo with me."

"Ah? Move where?" Wu Anning was taken aback.

Lin Hui didn’t answer, merely waving his hand as he entered the room and closed the door.

The sword dojo no longer served the purpose of concealing his identity. Since it was no longer necessary, it was best to let it fade into history.

Keeping a few core members and moving into the mountains to keep that Mei Xin Mountain Man company wouldn’t be so bad.

Once he had enough medicine and the Blood Seal was undone, he would probably leave anyway. There was no need to leave behind unnecessary ties.

In the past two years, by gathering all sorts of information, he had gained an increasingly clear picture of the possible situations in the Celestial Court and the Underworld.

The only things still missing were a proper assessment of the Heavenly Immortal level and a trip to the Celestial Court to uncover the truth.

And that day was not far off. As the flames of revolution continued to spread, the old powers like the Great Golden Cloud Temple, now backed into a corner, would sooner or later be unable to hold out.

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