The Decaying World-Chapter 38 - 33: Change of Heart, Part 1

「Several days later.」

In the Fog Area.

Amidst the gray, hazy fog, a tall, sturdy man with a ponytail, dressed in filthy white Formal Clothing, dragged an object that looked like a black tree branch into the small courtyard, his face etched with exhaustion.

THUMP.

He dropped the object on the ground and sniffed. The faint aroma of eggs fried in lard drifted through the air.

CREAK. The wooden door slowly opened, and Daoist Mingde ambled out holding a bowl. He was munching on a large green onion as he glanced at the object on the ground.

"How did it end up looking like this?"

"I don’t know. I finally managed to hack it off, but it shriveled up almost immediately." Lin Hui shook his head. He had severed the right arm of one of the Faceless People. When he’d first cut it off, it had been whole and plump, even dripping with transparent blood. But now, only a few minutes later, the arm had withered and shriveled into this state.

"Alright. It was probably just stored improperly," Mingde said, shaking his head. "I’ll count it as a pass."

"Thank you, Teacher."

"Don’t get ahead of yourself. This is just the first test. You’ve already experienced the benefits of training in this fog. Your Body Tempering has progressed much faster, hasn’t it?" Mingde said with a smile.

"Yes..." Lin Hui nodded. ’I’m also very curious. Does this fog actually benefit Body Tempering?’

"I’m not sure, but whether it’s Body Tempering or cultivating Inner Strength, the efficiency inside the Fog Area is much greater than in the No-Fog Zone. That’s a result verified by everyone," Mingde said. "You’ve been training for so long, it’s about time you went back for a rest. If you stay here too long, you’ll need to replenish your Ning Xiang, and your mind can start to drift, leading to all sorts of problems."

"Yes," Lin Hui nodded respectfully.

The master and disciple slowly packed their things, ate the fried eggs, and locked up the small cabin before heading back toward the Daoist Temple.

As they traveled, Mingde took the opportunity to teach him the finer details of Swordsmanship.

The Swordsmanship of Qingfeng Temple has several levels of mastery when it comes to practical application in combat.

This isn’t apparent in a training method like the Seven-Section Quick Sword, but the distinctions begin to emerge with the Nine-Section Swift Sword. By the time one learns the Qingfeng Sword, the gap widens rapidly. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Lin Hui listened with rapt attention, his understanding of the Quick Sword style deepening.

"The moves are the same. Swordsmanship really only has a few basic Techniques. So why are the results worlds apart when different people use them? The key is understanding."

Mingde’s voice echoed in his ear.

"Why did so many of our ancestors and predecessors seek inspiration for their Martial Arts from different sources? Why not just single-mindedly pursue the one strongest path, the one strongest style?"

"There are two reasons."

"First, everyone is different. The path that suits you is the best one for you."

"Second, more people flock to the strongest style, the strongest path. Unless the gap between paths is enormous, forcing your way in means you’re ultimately competing on effort and resources. And if it comes down to that, how can an ordinary person ever contend with the elite?"

"So, our predecessors chose to forge their own paths."

Before long, Mingde stepped out of the mist and back into the No-Fog Zone.

Lin Hui followed close behind.

"So, your next step is to become so familiar with the Swordsmanship that you can begin to adjust and adapt it to your own abilities and condition. You must transform the sect’s Swordsmanship into your own. That is what creates an individual’s style."

"Fast, slow, timing, which Techniques your body is naturally better coordinated for—these are all things you need to discover for yourself. Remember, the Techniques are fixed, but you are not."

Mingde’s guidance gave Lin Hui a completely new perspective on the Swordsmanship he had learned.

He had tried practicing according to some online theories from his past life, but nothing was as reassuring as having his master personally affirm that he was on the right path.

Comparing the two, his understanding of Swordsmanship and Martial Arts deepened rapidly.

The two returned to Mingde’s courtyard.

"Alright, you haven’t left for a while. You should go home and see your parents. A lot has been happening lately. Go and put their minds at ease," Mingde instructed.

"Yes." Lin Hui nodded and took his leave.

Back at the Daoist Temple, he tidied up, took a bath, changed his clothes, and tended to his wounds. Only then did he take some silver coins and head for home.

Before leaving, he glanced at the Blood Seal. The remaining time for its evolution was a little over three months. He had figured it out—the Blood Seal simply counted down from a predetermined time. It wouldn’t speed up just because his understanding and mastery of the Nine-Section Swift Sword had improved.

’So inflexible.’

’In the future, it’ll be more efficient to evolve techniques one by one. This nine-month evolution for the entire set of Swordsmanship can’t incorporate my own practice and insights, which is far too slow. If I evolve them one at a time, the new Technique can be integrated with my current progress, saving a lot of time.’

Lin Hui calculated his options as he quickened his pace.

The journey from Qingfeng Temple to his home wasn’t short. It had taken a full half-day by cart before. Now, traveling on foot and using his Body Technique to increase his speed, it still took him over half an hour just to reach town.

The sky was a hazy gray.

Ahead, bare fields gradually appeared on both sides of the blurry, yellow-dirt road.

Some of the powdery snow had melted, leaving the fields a patchwork of yellow, green, and white. The variety of colors was actually quite beautiful.

A few crude scarecrows dressed in gray stood forlornly in the middle of the fields, their tattered rags flapping in the wind.

Lin Hui felt a little more at ease and continued onward.

Gradually, farmers carrying hoes and other tools appeared on the paths beside the fields. Birds chattered and squabbled at the field’s edge. With the end of the snowfall, life and vitality were slowly returning.

Before long, individual small courtyards began to appear along the road. Some were enclosed by mud walls, others by stone, and the poorer ones had only a wooden fence.

Lin Hui soon arrived before a large courtyard with a gray-white stone wall. He looked at the red spring couplets on the door: "Shadows of bamboo sweep the street, yet no dust stirs; the voice of spring enters the home, and good fortune lingers."

The horizontal scroll above read: "Peace Is a Blessing."

’You can tell at a glance they paid someone to write this. Looks like the family is doing well now.’ Lin Hui’s mood brightened considerably.

He stepped forward and knocked on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK...

Before he could knock a third time, the door creaked open a crack on its own.

Lin Hui paused, faintly hearing voices from a room inside.

He simply pushed the door open and walked in.

A flock of little yellow chicks scurried around the courtyard, scattering into the corners in fright at his sudden appearance.

The voices from the main room were much clearer now.

"...the intentions were good, but the situation at the time was truly difficult. There was only one opportunity..."

The voice was somewhat familiar, and Lin Hui frowned.

He strode forward and pushed open the door to the main room. He saw both his parents inside, sitting on chairs with grim expressions, clearly wrestling with a difficult decision.

The two of them were startled to see Lin Hui walk in and quickly stood up.

"Ah Hui, why are you back? Isn’t it your break yet?" Yao Shan hurried over and squeezed her son’s arm. Confirming he was still solid and hadn’t lost weight, she felt a wave of relief.

"And you’re wearing new clothes. What happened to the outfit I made you last time?"

"Er..." Lin Hui trailed off. That outfit had been torn open during his fight with the Faceless People.

’This practical combat method for Body Tempering is fast, alright,’ he thought, ’but it’s rough on the clothes.’

"You punk," Lin Shunhe said, walking over with a helpless expression. "You didn’t even give us a heads-up you were coming home. Your mother and I could have prepared a meal. Your appetite is huge now; if we don’t shop ahead of time, we’ll never have enough food for you."

"It’s fine, Dad. I’ll go with you to buy some later." Lin Hui smiled, his eyes drifting to the other people in the room. They were clearly the source of his parents’ foul mood, the reason they had forgotten to even close the front door.

When he saw who they were, he understood completely.

’No wonder his parents were in such a foul mood. If he were in their shoes, he’d feel even worse.’

The visitor was none other than the Lin Clan Patriarch, Lin Shunhe’s father, and Lin Hui’s own grandfather—Lin Chaoyi.

Lin Chaoyi’s aged face wore a benevolent smile. He was dressed in a clean, bluish-green gentleman’s robe and held a mahogany cane inlaid with turquoise. His demeanor was worlds apart from the way he used to ignore Lin Hui’s family.

"Ah, it’s Lin Hui. Long time no see. Grandpa has come today to apologize for my poor treatment of your family." His smile vanished as he let out a sorrowful sigh. "Before..."

"Apologize for what? I’ve already forgotten all about it." Lin Hui glanced at his parents’ grim expressions, understood the situation, and cut him off.

"You don’t remember? That’s good, that’s good. I was just saying..." Lin Chaoyi sighed again. "The truth is, with that business back then, it was my fault as the Lin Clan Patriarch for not handling things properly..."

"No, you handled it perfectly. Aren’t we all doing just fine on our own now? You’ve seen how we are, so you can go back now. No need for you to worry about us here," Lin Hui said with a smile, cutting in again.

"You see? You still haven’t forgiven me. You blame me. You blame this old man for acting so dishonorably back then..." Lin Chaoyi lowered his head, his aged face trembling. "A thousand wrongs, ten thousand wrongs, it was all my fault..."

"You did nothing wrong. Now, you can go home. At your age, you shouldn’t be out in the elements. Just go and enjoy your remaining years in peace," Lin Hui continued.

THUD.

The words had barely left his mouth when his expression changed, and he quickly dodged to the side.

Lin Chaoyi, without a moment’s hesitation, bent his knees, tossed his cane aside, and knelt before him and his parents.

Lin Hui dodged, and surprisingly, his parents sidestepped the gesture with practiced ease, showing no shock on their faces whatsoever.

This stunned Lin Hui, but it also made him understand why his parents had looked so grim and conflicted when he first arrived.

He stared at Lin Chaoyi kneeling on the ground. The old man was still babbling apologies, going on about what he shouldn’t have done back then.

"Old Si! I’m kneeling to you! A thousand wrongs, ten thousand wrongs, it was all my fault! But no matter what I did, we are still family! Blood is thicker than water! Do you have any idea... after you left, every single night, all alone, I’d think about my decision back then, and it felt like a knife twisting in my heart..." Lin Chaoyi’s voice trembled, making him seem utterly pitiful, as if he might collapse at any second.

Seeing this, Lin Shunhe didn’t hesitate either. He pulled his wife down, and they both knelt before the old man.

"Father, back when you stole my son’s opportunity, when you stole the fruits of my wife and I’s life’s work, did you ever stop to think that you might be driving us to our deaths?"

His expression was resolute, utterly unfooled by his father’s theatrics. Growing up, he had seen Lin Chaoyi put on this kind of act far too many times.

"You’re my son! How could I, your own father, want to drive you to your death!?" Lin Chaoyi’s voice rose. "Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cub, let alone a man!"

"You know about tigers not eating their cubs? We’ve been gone for so long. You didn’t come to apologize then, you didn’t come to apologize any time in between, but the moment you see our family showing signs of improvement, you come running? Father, I’ve seen all your cheap tricks before. Why don’t I put on a show for you? I can faint, then foam at the mouth, maybe even spit up a little blood?" Lin Shunhe’s voice rose to match.

He glanced at the equally speechless Lin Hui, who had no idea what to do. He waved his son off, signaling that he would handle it and that Lin Hui should go inside and rest.