The Decaying World-Chapter 140 - 131: Unusual Movement 3

Before the casualty report was even compiled, Lin Hui quickly assigned some of the luckier disciples whose Jade Talismans hadn’t shattered to arrange treatment for the wounded. He himself left Qingfeng Temple, darting toward his home.

A short while later, he returned to the outskirts of the Lin Mansion and saw hired hands already repairing the outer walls.

A group of them worked in coordination, some mixing mortar and sand while others laid bricks.

Lin Hui didn’t linger. He flew into the Lin Mansion and quickly made a circuit to assess the situation.

His second mother, Liu Shenglan, was in the courtyard, holding Lin Xiaoliu as they swayed on the swing. The other servants and guards were all fine.

His father, Lin Shunhe, was in the study discussing something with Elder Du.

It seemed everything at the Lin Mansion was safe and sound.

Without alerting anyone, Lin Hui quietly returned to Qingfeng Temple.

By then, the statistics had been compiled. Xue Meng, Wang Hongshi, and the others met with Lin Hui in the assembly hall.

Xue Meng was covered in blood, his expression weary. He had clearly been unable to escape the sudden disaster last night.

"In the temple, we have a total of thirty-seven dead, one hundred sixty-two seriously injured, and two hundred seven with moderate to light injuries..." Xue Meng said in a low voice. "This was a catastrophe... But because we managed the situation well and our rescue efforts were timely, the death toll isn’t as high as it could be. As far as I know, many of the great families in town with large courtyards lost a lot of people last night... On my way here, I passed by one compound that used to be bustling with at least a few dozen people. Now... they’re all gone."

"Is your family alright?" Lin Hui asked.

"I’m fine, but a few of my servants died." Xue Meng nodded. "The other two Elders, however, still haven’t arrived..."

"Forget about them for now. The temple disciples have suffered heavy casualties and need to rest and recover. Also, go and investigate the source of last night’s explosion."

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone cupped their fists in salute and dispersed.

After checking on the injured again, Lin Hui made a trip to the Baihua Sect.

The moment he stepped outside, he was met with a scene of wailing on the main street. Some houses had collapsed entirely, leaving huge gaps in the remaining walls.

The ground was littered with blood, severed limbs, and corpses.

Amidst the CLOPPITY-CLOP of horse hooves, a team from the Government Office arrived to patrol. Someone in the group was holding a notebook, recording something.

Lin Hui noticed that some of the Government Office guards also had tear-streaked faces; clearly, their families or friends had also been caught in the disaster.

As he walked, he saw that nearly seventy to eighty percent of the residential homes in Xinyu Town had sounds of crying coming from within or white cloth hanging outside, signifying a death in the family.

He returned to the Lin Mansion. Liu Wu Jun had also come back from outside the city and was talking with Second Mother and Lin Xiaoliu.

Lin Hui waited outside for a moment, only approaching to greet Liu Wu Jun after he came out.

"Brother, what on earth happened last night?" Lin Hui asked in a low, serious voice.

Liu Wu Jun sighed and led the way into a side courtyard. This empty courtyard served as his temporary residence whenever he returned, and it was now a perfect place for the two of them to talk.

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

"Of course, I do," Lin Hui nodded.

"Last night, the monster from that notice attacked a populated area in the Inner City, causing deaths and injuries. And then... the one at the core of the Moon Tower made a move."

"The one?" Lin Hui was taken aback.

"The legendary one. Lived for thousands of years. They suddenly struck, a single attack from the top of the Moon Tower. That’s why it caused such a huge commotion. Originally, the Inner City had planned to dispatch the Palace Masters to surround and kill it, but..." Liu Wu Jun gave a bitter smile.

’What could he say? What would he dare to say?’

"That monster had been roaming for days. Aside from eating some merchants and lone travelers, it hadn’t broken through a single settlement. But when that one’s attack landed..."

He left the second half of the sentence unsaid: the death and destruction it caused far exceeded that of the monster.

Lin Hui understood his meaning.

Both of them fell silent.

"Don’t overthink it. It’s good that the family is safe. I just came back to check on things." Liu Wu Jun patted Lin Hui’s shoulder. "This was a complete accident. I’m usually in the Inner City, so if you run into any trouble, you can come find me at the Rain Palace. Don’t worry."

As the Lin Family’s greatest backer, Liu Wu Jun, the genius High Priest, was indeed very warm and personable.

He had returned to his mother’s side immediately after the incident to check on her safety. He also did his best for Lin Hui, this "convenient" younger brother of his.

Lin Hui was moved and nodded, accepting the gesture of goodwill.

"Thank you, Brother."

"Nothing to thank me for. I’m not usually in the Outer City, so I have you to thank for looking after things here. Xiao Xiao and I are often busy with missions, and our cultivation takes a lot of time. From now on, I’ll have to rely on you to take care of Mother and Xiaoliu here at the Lin Mansion," Liu Wu Jun sighed.

"I will," Lin Hui replied, understanding his implication.

’Liu Wu Jun’s mindset was actually the same as those children from his past life who lived far from their parents.’

’The more successful the children were, the harder it was for them to look after their parents. Conversely, the less capable ones were often the ones who could stay by their parents’ side and care for them in their old age.’

’In Liu Wu Jun’s eyes, this was exactly the relationship between him and Liu Xiao, and their younger brother, Lin Hui.’

"Take this, and be sure to keep it on you at all times. If you encounter a danger you absolutely cannot handle, crush it immediately. I’ll know right away and rush over." Liu Wu Jun finally gave Lin Hui a Black Jade Ball before taking his leave.

Lin Hui watched his retreating figure, now understanding a little better why his parents had always been so insistent on moving into the Inner City.

*

*

*

After the night fog invasion incident, the entire Outer City seemed to fall silent. All the factions and families were licking their wounds and recovering.

Almost every day, processions of coffins were slowly carried to the edge of the No-Fog Zone to bid farewell to the deceased with a "fog burial."

Lin Hui returned to Qingfeng Temple and officially began to familiarize himself with the Illusionary Performance Technique he had just evolved. The Dharma Gate had evolved successfully, but mastering it was up to him.

So now, in addition to Body Tempering and Alchemy, his daily cultivation routine also had to include the Illusionary Performance Technique.

As for the Blood Seal, he was still hesitating over what to evolve that would be useful the next time the night fog invaded.

Qingfeng Temple had been lucky this time and hadn’t encountered any powerful monsters. If their luck ran out next time... the situation could be completely different.

「Morning of the 25th.」

Light rain was falling.

Lin Hui stood in the rain, watching over the entire Qingfeng Temple courtyard.

This complex, which had once been the headquarters of the Black Dragon Sect, was now filled with traces of Qingfeng Temple everywhere.

He stood on the roof of an auxiliary building on the periphery, dark red tiles under his feet. Behind him, the roofs of other buildings rose in tiers like a staircase.

From this vantage point, he could look out over all of Qingfeng Temple. He could see the disciples in the front courtyard’s training grounds practicing their swordsmanship in unison, servants and maids bustling back and forth through the central corridors, and the cooks and servants in the rear courtyard busy cleaning and preparing food.

A flock of palm-sized spotted birds chirped as they landed on the corridor roof, hopping about carefreely.

Their cheerful display was a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere below.

"Master, all by yourself up here again?"

Tao Xuehai’s figure leaped up, landing lightly beside Lin Hui.

As he landed, he seemed to have twisted his injured side. He instantly sucked in a sharp breath, grimacing as he clutched his left hip.

"How’s the injury? Are you recovering well?" Lin Hui snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the young man.

"It’s fine, it’s fine! The medicine from my family is very effective. It should be fully healed in another two days or so," Tao Xuehai answered quickly.

"And those two girls?" Lin Hui asked again, his tone not blaming or teasing, merely calm.

"Sigh... Most of their family members are gone... From now on, they plan to stay with me," Tao Xuehai sighed. He had been living with those two girls for the past few days, lost in pleasure day and night, indulging in revelry and forgetting all his worries.

He was probably using the two girls as his only solace in his time of pain, venting all his negative emotions through carnal pleasures.

Tao Xuehai was no virgin; he was well-experienced in these matters from his time in the Inner City, so he naturally accepted all comers.

"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 are all too calculating. In the Outer City, on the other hand, many girls may not have much talent or family background, but they’re simple-minded. Being with them is so, so much more relaxing. You don’t always have to be on your guard," Tao Xuehai explained.

"I don’t care about that. The affairs of you young people have nothing to do with m..." Lin Hui stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering that he was a young person himself... He promptly changed the subject.

"By the way, you grew up in the Inner City. Besides the Jade Talismans, do you know of any other ways to counter the night fog?"

"Of course there are. Master, do you know about the ruins in the Fog Area?" Tao Xuehai said.

"Of course I do. Are you saying there’s no fog inside the ruins?" Lin Hui had read the expedition team’s training reports and knew that there was no fog inside the Fog Spirit’s ruins.

"Exactly. In fact, the Jade Talismans were originally created by imitating the Fog Spirit’s ruins. Therefore, both the day fog and night fog can be circumvented with specific relics. It’s just that these relics are extremely expensive and are considered strategic items. Any trade of such materials is illegal. If the Moon Tower finds out, it’s a crime punishable by the annihilation of one’s entire clan," Tao Xuehai explained.

"The Fog Spirit... I understand now. Thank you for telling me." Lin Hui nodded. He now knew where to look for a relic that could counter the night fog.

"Oh, and Master, please be careful. The monsters in the night fog can’t be killed, and it’s best not to touch them. Try to deal with them using ranged attacks whenever possible. This is the core reason why those at the Circulation and Upper-Rank Summoning levels develop ranged techniques," Tao Xuehai reminded him.

"Mm, got it. You may go," Lin Hui nodded.

Tao Xuehai leaped off the roof. Two beautiful junior martial sisters came up to meet him, supporting him on his left and right. The three of them headed toward his bedroom in perfect harmony.

Lin Hui averted his gaze. He now knew what he should evolve.

’I need to find a Fog Spirit relic and evolve its method for warding off the fog.’

Leaping off the roof, he was about to return to his study to continue cultivating when he suddenly remembered the Waterman he had evolved and left unattended in the mansion courtyard.

The courtyard wasn’t an enclosed environment, which meant the Waterman had been exposed to the night fog all this time, remaining silent and still.

’I wonder how that thing is doing. I should go take a look.’ A trace of curiosity arose in Lin Hui’s mind.

He immediately executed his Body Technique, swiftly crossing the training grounds and arriving at the mansion in the back.

He entered the courtyard, stood once more by the edge of the pond, and waved away the surrounding guard disciples. Gripping his sword, he tapped the surface of the water with the scabbard.

"Come out and see me."

HISS...

SPLASH.

The Waterman slowly emerged from the pond, rose up, and finally stood motionless on the water’s surface, facing Lin Hui.

The creature was the same as before, unable to speak and without facial features.

But Lin Hui was surprised to find that this Waterman seemed different from when he had first created it.

The Waterman initially had a transparent, pure body. Now, while its body was still somewhat transparent, it was filled with countless fine gray threads flowing and moving within.

These countless gray threads were like worms, darting about nimbly inside the Waterman’s body.

Lin Hui observed it for a while but couldn’t make anything of it, so he activated his Blood Seal to appraise it.

’Waterman with Unknown Contamination — Quality: Common. Lifespan: 84 years. Status: Intact.

Evolvable Branches: 2.’

’It can still evolve?’ Lin Hui hadn’t expected this thing to be able to evolve again.

He immediately tapped it open and took a casual look.

Because all things could be evolved, he often just gave the Blood Seal’s information a quick glance; if it wasn’t interesting, he would dismiss it.

’1 — Water Demon.’

’2 — Water Element.’

’Do these represent two different styles of development branches?’ Lin Hui mused. He closed the Blood Seal interface, ordered the Waterman to return to its original state, and went into his room to pack some equipment. After giving Wang Hongshi some instructions, he left Qingfeng Temple, put on his mask and hood, and headed straight for the Fog Area.

This time, he brought a replica of the expedition team’s map and had a decent understanding of the Fog Area’s terrain around the Outer City.

Thus, as soon as he left the No-Fog Zone and entered the Fog Wall, he made a beeline for the Purple Crystal Ruins.

Purple Crystal was a resource that could accelerate Body Tempering and Inner Strength cultivation. This time, he planned to try it himself and see if he could handle the monsters inside the ruins.

As for his Blood Seal, he didn’t evolve anything for now, instead saving it to appraise things in the Fog Area.

Otherwise, once an evolution began, the Blood Seal couldn’t be used to appraise items at will.