The Decaying World-Chapter 51 - 46: Thoughts 2

After Xiaohu and Xiaopang came over to greet him, they also left.

Lin Hui then gripped his longsword, closed his eyes, and prepared to test the power of Boundless Wind Direction.

The first move was originally called Wind Formless. Now that it had evolved into Boundless Wind Direction, its power had surely increased; he now wanted to see by how much.

SWISH!

He suddenly swung the sword in his right hand, creating more than a dozen afterimages of the blade that fanned out before quickly converging again, forming what looked like a large, inverted silver flower bud.

The next moment, the bud burst open.

A glint of cold light shot from its center, stabbing deep into the ground.

It left a hole in the ground, half a meter deep and as wide as the blade.

It looked as if he had simply thrust the sword into the ground at an angle.

’It doesn’t seem any different from before...?’ Lin Hui’s brow knitted. He crouched down to observe it closely.

He touched the edge of the hole. It was smooth and warm.

’Maybe the effects manifest in other ways. I’ll wait until the whole set has evolved before I judge it.’

Without hesitation, he had the Blood Seal begin evolving the second move of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship.

It would still take five days.

After closing the Blood Seal interface, Lin Hui gripped his sword again, planning to practice a little longer before getting something to eat.

But he had been practicing for less than two minutes when a figure rushed in through the back door of the Daoist Temple.

It was Weiwei!

"Junior Brother, Father wants to see you!" Her expression seemed normal, but her eyes betrayed a hint of anxiety she couldn’t hide.

"Alright!"

Sensing something was wrong, Lin Hui’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly followed her out of the Daoist Temple and hurried toward Mingde Courtyard.

He entered the courtyard and pushed open the door to the main hall, but his master was nowhere to be seen.

"This way," Weiwei said, turning and heading straight for the inner room.

Lin Hui hurried after her. As soon as they entered the room, they saw Daoist Mingde reclining on the bed.

His face was pale. His right shoulder and arm were thickly wrapped in white cotton bandages, with faint bloodstains still visible in some spots.

"Master! What happened to you?!" Lin Hui’s heart sank. He rushed over and knelt by the bed to check on him.

"It’s nothing, just a minor injury." Mingde waved him away, refusing to be examined. "Don’t let your Senior Sister scare you. It’s just a flesh wound. The other guy didn’t get off much better."

As he said this, a smug smile even appeared on his face.

But the smile was quickly replaced by concern.

"I called you here mainly to tell you that the trip in a few days is canceled. You don’t need to go for the time being."

"Father, is your trouble... resolved?" Weiwei, standing nearby, suddenly looked delighted.

"Hey? What did I tell you? Did you forget already?" Mingde chided, seeing his daughter’s lack of discretion.

"Yes..." Weiwei glanced at Lin Hui, realized she had spoken out of turn, and quickly lowered her head.

Since the collapse of Qingfeng Temple, her temperament had become much more subdued; she was no longer so arrogant.

"Alright, Weiwei, you can leave us for a moment. I need to speak with Lin Hui alone," Mingde said.

"Okay..." Weiwei glanced at Lin Hui, then reluctantly turned and left, gently pulling the door shut behind her.

Now, only the master and his disciple remained in the room.

Only after her footsteps faded into the distance did Mingde lower his head and let out a few coughs.

"Ah Hui... I have you to thank for this. It was because you perfected the Nine-Section Swift Sword. If I’d gone into that fight with my previous level of skill, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have made it back."

He sighed. His old rival, Liu Sitao, had come for revenge, and not alone. There was another group that had secretly followed him.

It was an incredibly perilous encounter. Fortunately, my opponent misjudged my strength, which gave me the chance to fully leverage my speed. Otherwise...

"Unfortunately, I still lost." A melancholy look crossed Mingde’s face. "Even with the perfected and enhanced swordsmanship, I still lost."

"Master, why did you lose?" Lin Hui wasn’t disappointed, merely asking calmly.

He had already heard rumors about someone coming for revenge, so he wasn’t surprised by his master’s decision.

What made him curious was that his master, having obtained the perfected Nine-Section Swift Sword and raised his strength by a whole level, had still lost. This could only mean his opponent’s strength far surpassed that of the old Qingfeng Temple.

"This has nothing to do with you. You’ve already done more than enough. It’s an inherent limitation of our school’s swordsmanship... The Qingfeng Sword itself is inferior to our opponent’s art in terms of Body Tempering and raw power. The Inner Strength we cultivate is therefore of a lower quality as well. It’s a complete, fundamental disparity, and it’s not your fault... I have no complaints about my loss," Mingde sighed.

"Then, Master, where exactly do our Qingfeng Temple’s Martial Arts fall short? Did you get a sense of it?" Lin Hui frowned.

"We lack a weapon powerful enough to break an opponent’s defense. Our swordsmanship focuses too much on agility and speed, ignoring the raw killing power of weight and impact. And the Body Tempering from the Qingfeng Sword is outdated; it can’t keep up with modern methods and was completely outclassed by the master from Xingdiao."

Mingde pushed himself up to sit a little straighter.

"I am the ceiling for the Qingfeng Sword. Senior Brother Baohe might be slightly ahead of me in experience and swordsmanship, but fundamentally, we’re at the same level."

As Mingde said this, his gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Hui.

His feelings about Lin Hui were quite complex. The boy’s aptitude was simply outrageous; he had perfected the Nine-Section Swift Sword just by practicing on his own. Who’s to say he couldn’t elevate the Qingfeng Swordsmanship to a whole new level in the future?

’But was it right to let such talent continue to languish here with him?’

After all, no matter how much the Qingfeng Swordsmanship was perfected, its power had a ceiling. At best, it could reach the upper echelons of Outer Strength arts. Going from mid-tier to upper-tier was an incredible feat, but the gap between it and the Inner Strength Martial Arts of the Inner City was still immense.

’If I could get him into the Three Sects and Six Gangs... with his talent, couldn’t he truly soar to incredible heights?’

"Master?" Seeing his master staring at him blankly, Lin Hui called out to him in a low voice.

"It’s nothing." Mingde snapped out of it. ’Unfortunately, in my current state, my connections in the Inner City are useless now.’

’Such is life, such is fate. There was nothing to be done.’

"Ah Hui, what are your plans for the future?" he asked quietly.

"I don’t really have a plan. I just want to focus on my swordsmanship," Lin Hui answered honestly.

’He didn’t know what path to take in the future either. He’d just have to rely on the Blood Seal and keep evolving.’

"Do you still want to get into the Inner City?" Mingde asked.

"Not so much anymore..." Lin Hui then told him about what had happened with Feather Blood.

"Ah, that. Competition in the Inner City is much fiercer than out here. The people inside aren’t necessarily any happier. It’s safer, sure, but the pressure is much greater," Mingde said with a smile. "That’s why some people choose to just leave and head to other city districts."

"Master, are the other districts really that different from ours?" Lin Hui asked.

"I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been," Mingde said, shaking his head. "Take Black Cloud City District, for example. To get there, you first have to travel to Xingdiao. From there, it’s a four-day boat ride to Moen Pier. Then, from the pier, it’s another week by carriage just to reach the place. Legend says Black Cloud City District is an exceptionally peaceful place where everything is stable. It’s said to be the most prosperous and powerful district in all of northern Taixu."

"That’s too far..." Lin Hui frowned.

"It is. It’s too far, and the journey is fraught with danger. The common folk can’t afford the trip, and the wealthy don’t dare make it. Only a rare few who have both money and power—and aren’t afraid to die—would ever attempt it," Mingde said with a chuckle. "So, for our lifetimes, it’s best we just stay put here in Tuyue. The Inner City is too cutthroat. We can just carve out our own safe area in the Outer City. As long as you reach a certain level of strength, you can live a good life here..."

As he spoke, Mingde’s gaze toward Lin Hui grew increasingly gentle.

’Weiwei isn’t getting any younger,’ he thought. ’She’s a little older than Ah Hui, but older women are better at taking care of people. With Ah Hui’s talent and aptitude, if he and Weiwei had a few children, maybe my branch of the family could rebuild Qingfeng Temple and restore it to its former glory.’

At this thought, Mingde found himself looking at Lin Hui with increasing approval.

’He’s talented, powerful, and values loyalty. His looks are a bit plain, but that’s not important. Strength is its own kind of charm.’

’If I can just convince Weiwei to be a little more forward, an inexperienced young man like Lin Hui could probably be roped into marriage without much trouble...’

’Mingde wasn’t a man of great ambition. Living a peaceful, stable, and comfortable life in the Outer City was enough for him. If Lin Hui and Weiwei could get married and have a brood of healthy sons, that would be even better...’

"Ah Hui, what do you think of Weiwei?" Mingde suddenly blurted out.

’Uh...’ An image of Weiwei’s voluptuous figure flashed through Lin Hui’s mind—her large breasts, shapely rear, long legs, and pretty face. She wasn’t far off from the online influencers he’d seen in his past life.

’The main thing was, her body was all real. Not a bit of it was photoshopped.’

"Senior Sister has changed a lot. She’s great," he said earnestly after a moment’s thought.

"That’s good." Mingde gave a benevolent smile. He had entertained the idea of pairing his daughter with Lin Hui before, and now that the greatest crisis had been averted, the thought was stronger than ever.

’With Ah Hui’s talent and Weiwei’s looks, their descendants could grow strong over the generations. They could even establish a new, great clan in the Outer City District.’

"Alright, you may go. Send your Senior Sister in to see me," Mingde said.

"Yes, Master. Please get some rest and take care of yourself." Lin Hui nodded and, after offering the advice, turned to leave.

A short while later, Weiwei was called in. She closed the door and looked at her father quizzically.

"What is it, Dad?"

"Come here. I want to ask you... what do you think of that young man, Ah Hui?" Mingde asked, lowering his voice.

"Huh?" She recognized that look on her father’s face. It was the same one he always had whenever he was trying to set her up with someone.

Weiwei understood instantly.

"Aren’t we a bit ill-suited, with our age gap? I’m already twenty-three! He’s only eighteen, isn’t he?"

"What’s there to be afraid of? Just be a little more proactive. Treat him like a little brother for a few years and he’ll mature," Mingde said dismissively.

"But..." An image of Lin Hui’s face appeared in Weiwei’s mind, and she looked troubled. "But... he’s really not handsome..." She only liked good-looking, cheerful guys. Not only was Lin Hui not handsome, but he also had a rather gloomy air about him. He really wasn’t her type. In fact, he was the complete opposite.

"What good are looks? A good personality and great talent are more than enough!" Mingde said sternly.

"I can’t. When I think about having to look at that face every day for the next few decades... I just can’t get past it. I spend all this time on my makeup and my figure so I can find a handsome man. Otherwise, what’s the point of all the effort?" Weiwei argued, making her case.

"You...?!" Mingde’s chest tightened, and for a moment, he was speechless.

"Alright, Dad, you get some rest. I’m going to head back now." Seeing her chance, Weiwei quickly made her escape.