The Decaying World
Chapter 265 - 252: Reunion, Part 2
Staring at the pale red soil of the small island, Lin Hui was suddenly struck by a strange sense of unreality.
He had no real sensation of having just casually slaughtered hundreds of thousands of aliens. For him, swinging his sword had long since become muscle memory.
He had simply swung his blade as he always did, unleashing the Typhoon Swordsmanship, and watched as its terrifying power devoured and tore apart the lives of hundreds of thousands of aliens.
It was like playing a long-range shooting game.
Utterly detached.
But now, as he stood on this small island soaked in blood and gore, he finally felt the true consequences of his actions.
’There is no Pulse of Life. Does that mean... I didn’t save any lives at all this time?’ Lin Hui wondered.
Perhaps this meant the intelligence Black Cloud had given him was faulty. These aliens hadn’t been harming many other living beings here, so killing them didn’t generate any Pulse of Life.
Because no lives had been saved.
’Whatever. No use overthinking it. Time to head back.’ Lin Hui treated it as just another completed mission.
"By the way, my subordinates just reported spotting a passing merchant fleet and a small pirate fleet in the nearby waters. Would my lord care to take a look?" Ouyang Yining asked softly from behind him.
"Is there something in it for me?" Lin Hui instantly understood what she was getting at.
According to the information he’d read before, a rescuer could claim half the cargo from any merchant vessel they saved at sea as a reward.
And pirate ships were even more lucrative. All resources from a captured pirate ship, including the vessel itself and its crew, belonged to the captor.
"Well, on one of the ships, we found some human slaves from your homeland..." Ouyang Yining transmitted her voice to him softly.
"Human slaves?"
"Yes. Tuyue actually dabbles in the human slave trade on the side. This kind of business is usually run jointly by the Python Race and the Tiger People," Ouyang Yining replied. "However, this time it involves people from your homeland..."
"You handle it." Lin Hui fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.
The more he learned about the world outside, the more he felt Tuyue was a real piece of work.
"Yes, my lord." Ouyang Yining nodded.
With the mission perfectly completed, she had smoothly transitioned into the role of Lin Hui’s permanent assistant, tasked with managing his various affairs in Black Cloud.
"Then... what should be done with those human slaves?"
"What’s the normal procedure?"
"We sell them off. Black Cloud has plenty of dealers in the major city districts. There’s a high demand for human slaves, so selling them is no problem," Ouyang Yining answered.
"And sending them back?"
"That would be quite expensive. There aren’t many fleets heading back towards Tuyue, and the passage fees are very high."
"Then just set them free and let them fend for themselves. I don’t owe them anything. Saving them was more than enough," Lin Hui said casually.
"About that, my lord... if we set them free, they won’t be able to survive in Black Cloud," Ouyang Yining said cautiously.
"Why not?"
"Most jobs here in Black Cloud require a background endorsement. Since human slaves have no verifiable background, most employers won’t hire them. They can only do the most menial labor, and that kind of work is basically trading your life for money," Ouyang Yining explained simply.
"..." Lin Hui hadn’t expected a newly ascended Blood Progenitor like Ouyang Yining to be so knowledgeable about such things.
"Fine. You figure out what to do with them," he said in a low voice.
"Yes, my lord."
Ouyang Yining quickly relayed a few orders via voice transmission, delegating the task to her subordinates.
Gazing at the island, Lin Hui suddenly recalled the merman warrior who had been the first to charge out, the brave soul who had rushed him in a fury, brandishing a bident.
"Didn’t he know he was going to die? That after death, there would be nothing left?"
he murmured.
Ouyang Yining understood what he was getting at.
"Does my lord feel it was a waste for that man?"
"No, I’m just contemplating the meaning of life," Lin Hui replied.
"The meaning of life? Such questions only occur to those who have lived in peace for a very, very long time—so long that they’ve come to see stability and happiness as a given. Perhaps my lord is simply too powerful, and that is why you have the luxury of such worries." Ouyang Yining’s hand tightened slightly on the hilt of her blade as she spoke in a low voice.
"Then let me ask a different question." Lin Hui smiled. "What do you think we live for in this world?"
"To pursue power!"
"Power has its limits," Lin Hui said.
"Then you surpass those limits!"
"And if you can’t surpass them?"
"Then that is my fate!"
"So your fate is to keep charging forward until you either break through your limits or die trying?" Lin Hui pressed.
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Ouyang Yining countered.
"You’re right... there’s nothing wrong with it. Because that’s what everyone does, isn’t it?" Lin Hui chuckled.
Ouyang Yining didn’t answer. She suddenly had a strange feeling that the man before her was, at his very core, completely and utterly different from all the other high-ranking figures she knew.
"Let’s go." Lin Hui’s feet gently left the ground, and he rose into the air.
Ouyang Yining followed suit, lifting off gracefully and heading toward the Moth Car hovering in mid-air.
But she had only flown a dozen or so meters when she abruptly stopped.
"My lord, there is something you may need to see for yourself. On one of the three pirate ships, we found someone who claims to be a Disciple of your Qingfeng Temple."
"Hm??" Lin Hui paused and turned around. "Do they have a name?"
"Mingde."
"Say that again!?" Lin Hui’s eyes snapped open.
"Mingde! ...And three others: Mingchen, Mingxiu, and Weiwei. Four in total! The Black Army discovered them while documenting the origins and identities of the captives."
"Take me to them!" Excitement surged in Lin Hui’s heart.
For so many years, he had been searching for news of his master. He never expected to meet him again here, on the distant Jade Sea.
He didn’t suspect Ouyang Yining of lying to him, as it was likely the first time she had ever heard those names.
Soon, aboard one of the all-metal black pirate ships, Lin Hui saw the four people being led out of the cabin by the Black Army.
Three scruffy, withered old men and a long-haired woman whose face was covered in soot and grime.
They were all dressed in the simple tunics that marked them as human slaves. In this part of the sea, the temperature was only a few degrees, cold and damp, yet they had nothing to protect them from the elements.
As the four were brought up one by one, they looked completely bewildered, their eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
But when they got on deck and saw Lin Hui standing at the center of the crowd, they found him familiar. He looked a lot like someone they once knew.
But here, so far away on the Jade Sea, it was clear this person held a high station. They naturally wouldn’t assume he was the Lin Hui from their past, thinking it was just a coincidence that they looked so similar.
"I greet you, my lord. May I ask what you require of us?" As their representative, Mingde stepped forward and was about to kneel.
But his knees were held up by a gentle force of wind, preventing him from kneeling no matter how he tried.
"Master... How did you... end up like this!?"
Lin Hui flickered and appeared in front of Mingde in an instant, gripping his arms to support him. His voice trembled faintly.
Master!?
That single word made Mingde shudder. And that familiar voice... it was almost unchanged from how he remembered Lin Hui’s voice when he left all those years ago.
It instantly unearthed a memory long buried in his mind!
He timidly raised his head and slowly looked over the man before him.
"You... you’re Lin Hui!!?"
"Yes, it’s me, Lin Hui! Master, didn’t you leave to travel the world? Why are you in a place like this!?" Lin Hui’s heart ached as he looked at Mingde’s gaunt appearance.
He always repaid in kind anyone who had ever shown him goodness.
He respected Mingde from the bottom of his heart. Now, seeing the man he revered reduced to such a state, both heartache and anger grew within him.
At that moment, Mingchen, Mingxiu, and Weiwei, who were standing to the side, were all stunned.
Lin Hui!?
Weiwei was the last of them to leave Xinyu Town. Before she left, she had even bid a solemn farewell to Lin Hui, saying she was going off to pursue her true love.
Thus, she was the one most familiar with him. Now, seeing him actually admit that he was Lin Hui, a huge sense of absurdity washed over her.
She couldn’t quite understand it, even suspecting she was dreaming.
Wasn’t this the Jade Sea? The Jade Sea, an immense distance from Tuyue!
How could they run into Lin Hui here, surrounded by the Black Army??
Each element of the scene before her seemed normal on its own, but when put together, they created a bizarre picture she found impossible to believe.
Mingxiu and Mingchen, on the other hand, found it easier to accept. They weren’t familiar with Lin Hui and just assumed they’d hit the jackpot, running into a former Disciple of Qingfeng Temple who had made a name for himself.
Upon learning that Mingde had passed the position of Observatory Master to Lin Hui after leaving, the two felt nothing. All that mattered was that they were saved. By establishing this connection, they might even be able to ride on Lin Hui’s coattails and receive some future benefits.
Meanwhile, Mingde, with trembling lips, was recounting his experiences over the past few years.
It turned out that shortly after leaving Xinyu Town, he had been caught in the crossfire of an unexpected battle between Circulation Martial Artists. In the chaos, he had been incredibly unlucky and was severely injured. Afterward, to recuperate, he sought out a nearby friend from the Python Race, but as it turned out...
He had even written letters back to Qingfeng Temple, but they were likely intercepted en route. None of his letters ever made it through.
After listening, Lin Hui also marveled at the good fortune. If he hadn’t accepted this mission, and if the four of them hadn’t been trapped in this foggy stretch of sea, they might never have seen each other again.
"This is no place to talk. Come back to the city with me first!" Lin Hui said quickly.
"Right, right, let’s get back to Tuyue first. This black fog is lingering. Even though it just dispersed, there’s no telling when it might erupt again. It’s best we leave quickly," Mingde nodded repeatedly.
"Master, we’re not going back to Tuyue. Your disciple has already relocated Qingfeng Temple to Black Cloud. The foundations of the Qingfeng Path are now in Black Cloud City," Lin Hui corrected him.
Black Cloud!?
All four of them were taken aback. Their eyes swept over the Black Army soldiers behind Lin Hui, and the stunningly beautiful, yet cold-looking Ouyang Yining with her fiery figure.
They were getting more and more confused.
"Let’s not talk about it now. We’ll rest up back home and talk then. Now that I’ve found you, Master, your disciple won’t let you just wander off again. First, come back with me and get to know the new place!" Lin Hui said in a serious tone.
"My lord, what should we do with the captains and crews of these pirate ships?" Ouyang Yining interjected from the side.
"Do with them as you please," Lin Hui said casually.
"Thank you, my lord." Ouyang Yining understood at once.
Hadn’t she eagerly tagged along for this very moment?
Although her lord had killed the enemy so quickly that they were instantly torn to shreds without a trace...
...there were still plenty of good "ingredients" on these pirate ships. Devouring them directly would help stabilize her Blood Core.
It wasn’t so easy to devour a Palace Master-level expert in Black Cloud. Every expert at the Palace Master Realm had a powerful backer. If she dared to make a move, she would face interrogation and retaliation from their faction.