Decaying World

Chapter 141, Change 141 (What should we eat tonight, Alliance Leader?)
"What? Something's happened to the Lin family's main branch?"

Inside Qingfeng Temple, Lin Hui had just returned when he heard the news from his family.

Lin Shunhe, the old man, had already arrived at the Zong family's place ahead of time, and someone was sent here to inform him to go there as well.

"Yes, quite a few people died. It's said that Lin Hongyu returned and went mad, killing indiscriminately. She cultivated at the Chen family's main branch, so no one could stop her," Xiao Xin said in a deep voice. She felt she should appear even more somber and sympathetic. After all, who knew if Lin Hui still had any feelings for the main branch? It would be terrible if she left a bad impression on him.

"When did this happen?" Lin Hui vaguely remembered Lin Hongyu asking him to trade information, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
“About an hour and a half ago,” Xiaoxin replied.

"I understand." After tossing out a few silver coins as a reward, Lin Hui flashed out of the hall, gave Wang Hongshi a few instructions, and headed straight for the Zong family.

Streets and houses flashed by on both sides, and he kept recalling his childhood memories in the main family.

Surprisingly, he felt nothing about the trouble that had befallen the main family. Apart from being somewhat worried about his eldest uncle, he had no recollection of the others.

But the eldest uncle had long since stopped living in the main family home. Since Lin Chaoyi's death, the eldest branch of the family had moved out of the main family home in order to avoid being looked down upon by the rest of the family.

'When Lin Chaoyi snatched my opportunity back then, I wonder if he ever thought this day would come,' Lin Hui thought to himself.

In the distance ahead, the outline of the Lin family's ancestral residence gradually came into view.

A large crowd had already gathered outside the courtyard, including government officials.

The head constable, Xu Ansheng, was tall and strong, and his signature black tiger-head belt around his waist was still the same as before.

He was speaking quietly with Lin Shunhe, explaining the situation here.

call!
A gentle breeze blew by, and Lin Hui landed beside the two of them. His sudden and swift movements startled Xu Ansheng, making his eyelids twitch wildly.

Several years ago, he led the disciples of Qingfeng Temple to participate in the cleanup mission. Who would have thought that things would change? Qingfeng Temple, which had fallen, rose again. Lin Hui, a disciple who was not particularly famous before, is now a prominent figure who has taken charge of several towns in the surrounding outer city.

Judging from this strength, it's a level he can hardly even imagine.
Xu Ansheng, whose expression had become much more cautious, quickly cupped his hands in greeting to Lin Hui.

"Abbot Lin, it's been a long time."

"Officer Xu, thank you for your trouble. What's the situation? Where is Lin Hongyu?"

As soon as Lin Hui landed, he saw blood everywhere inside the Zong family compound. Lin Shunchong lay on the ground, his eyes wide open in death, a large hole clearly visible in his chest. There was no need to investigate the cause of death.

“All the members of the main branch inside are dead. Only the eldest and fifth branches living outside, and your branch, remain,” Xu Ansheng sighed. “As for Lin Hongyu, she hasn’t been found yet. She probably ran away with the main branch’s meager assets.”

"I'll have my men help with the search," Lin Hui said in a deep voice. The word "help" immediately stirred Xu Ansheng's heart, letting him know Qingfeng Temple's attitude.

Clearly, compared to Lin Shunhe, who had a deeper affection for the main family, Lin Hui, as the son, felt nothing about it and didn't care about it at all.

“Well, it’s always like this every few years, I don’t know why,” Xu Ansheng sighed.

"Are there many cases like this?" Lin Hui asked, taken aback.

“Not many, but not few either, and their characteristics are highly consistent,” Xu Ansheng replied.

"Alright, let's stop chatting here. Lin Hongyu belongs to the Chen family's exploration team. Have they notified them yet?" Lin Shunhe interrupted.

“We’ve already notified them, but the Chen family most likely won’t send anyone. What I just mentioned is related to this. Several of the previous cases were related to the expedition team. Lin Hongyu is the youngest one this time,” Xu Ansheng said.

Lin Hui narrowed his eyes, sensing something was wrong, but there was too little information to analyze anything.

Now that his aura of purgatory has spread, even if there are problems, he has no time to care about such external matters. Whether the aura of purgatory will attract the attention of the local forces is what he needs to be wary of now.

Furthermore, he needed to carefully test how infectious the aura of purgatory was and through what methods it could infect people. He didn't want to turn everyone around him into madmen.

After talking with her father for a while, news came from the yamen a few minutes later that Lin Hongyu had been found.

*
*
*
On the bank of a pond outside the town.

A dozen or so constables, armed with swords and shields, approached a woman in blood-red clothes who was drinking water frantically by the water's edge.

The woman was wearing a dress that should have been white, but it was now completely stained red.

She lowered her head and drank water from the pond like an animal.

They didn't care about the grass clippings and unidentified debris floating in the water.

Xu Ansheng, Lin Shunhe, and Lin Hui were led over by the guide.

Upon seeing this scene from afar, everyone slowed their pace.

“This person has committed heinous crimes. What should we do with him? Brother Lin, do you have any suggestions?” Xu Ansheng asked Lin Shunhe tentatively.

After all, they are members of the Lin family, and the Lin family is now very powerful and influential, so we still have to consider their thoughts to some extent.

"Just do what needs to be done," Lin Shunhe sighed.

"It looks like he's addicted to drugs." Xu Ansheng was a man of wide experience and knowledge, having arrested dozens, if not hundreds, of criminals every year. He had seen plenty of people like this who were addicted to drugs.

"Haven't she been staying in the outer city? How come she's still addicted to drugs?" Lin Hui asked. "As far as I know, poisons like Violet Grass are rare in the inner city, after all, they're not cheap."

"This..." Xu Ansheng hesitated. "There's only one possibility: either she'd already been infected, or someone deliberately got her infected recently."

Lin Hui fell silent. Lin Hongyu had offended too many people; who knew who had gotten her addicted to drugs?

By this time, the constables had already surrounded them. They were all martial artists who had cultivated themselves and were skilled at body tempering. In this day and age, those who could become constables were all tall, strong, and intimidating in appearance.

At this moment, they were besieging the delirious Lin Hongyu, but they couldn't subdue her for a while. They even accidentally injured two others.

Xu Ansheng immediately felt embarrassed and drew his sword to join the battle. Unexpectedly, he also found it difficult to defeat Lin Hongyu.

After exchanging several blows, he discovered that Lin Hongyu's strength was extraordinary. After a few exchanges, his hand was numb and painful from the impact.

In the end, Lin Hui couldn't stand it anymore. He flashed and used his sword sheath to knock Lin Hongyu unconscious, thus ending the capture.

The matter was closed; there was no conspiracy or setup. All the investigations clearly showed that the murderer was a single person, and it was a crime of passion. That same day, Xu Ansheng escorted the perpetrator back to the yamen, where he was beheaded when the appointed time arrived.

Lin Hui visited his elder sister Lin Hongzhen briefly, then returned to Qingfeng Temple as if nothing had happened.

The controversy surrounding Lin Hongyu quickly subsided, with neighbors only occasionally mentioning it during their leisure time.

However, the turmoil caused by Xue Ying in the inner city was growing increasingly larger.

The three major powers in the inner city quickly issued a warrant for Xue Ying's arrest, offering a reward of ten inner city residency qualifications, a large mansion in the central ring, three thousand Feather Blood, and a set of top-tier Summoning Divine Skill.

The bounty was tempting, and the inspectors who came for training discussed it every day, but no one really thought it was something they could get.

Xue Ying is a fierce and ruthless woman who has killed even the High Priest and three other priests. With their meager strength, even a few hundred of them wouldn't be enough to defeat her.

Lin Hui had no other sources of information, so he could only chat with members of Hong Ling's Inspectorate from time to time to inquire about the progress of the manhunt.

At the same time, he was also testing the infection pathways of the purgatory aura.

After more than a month of focused research, he quickly found the core of the infection.

That is, as long as internal energy is circulating, it will naturally emit a faint aura of purgatory, spreading around.

This diffusion is extremely subtle and very weak, and it is quickly absorbed and digested by any living creature that passes by. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to detect.

Lin Hui only noticed this extremely subtle change after testing it dozens of times.

In response to the spread of this aura, he used the body tempering method of the Typhoon Sword Technique to carefully sense it and forcibly restrain it, quickly controlling the spread of the purgatory aura to a great extent.

Although this area has been brought under control, the portion that had already spread cannot be recovered.
This made him wonder if he should evolve something opposite to counteract this polluting atmosphere.

Time passed slowly, and more than two months went by in the blink of an eye. Blood Seal was still evolving the steel sword, and it was just a little bit away from completion.

The town and its surroundings were calm and peaceful, but Lin Hui felt a sense of impending doom.

Now that it's mid-July, Qingfeng Temple is starting preparations for its mid-year internal competition to determine the new top ten elites.

All the disciples temporarily forgot the pain of losing their loved ones due to the previous night fog and focused on the competition.

Lin Hui brought out many good things to cultivate a competitive spirit within the sect.

The Wang family also sent people to attend the ceremony. In addition, representatives from the town government, Yugong Yuanming Hall, the inner city inspectorate, Baihua Sect, and other forces associated with Lin Hui also sent people.

In addition, there were representatives of powerful clans who wanted to observe the strength of Qingfeng Temple and hire experts from Qingfeng Temple to assist their own families.

The entire competition was much more lively than the one held at Qingfeng Temple.

At the meeting, Lin Hui, as the host, sat in the main seat of the grand chair, with three elders, including Xue Meng, beside him, followed by representatives from the Wang family, the Yu Gong family, his own father, and the Inspectorate, represented by Hong Ling.

Compared to these figures, constables like Xu Ansheng from the town government were relegated to the third tier, sitting alongside representatives of prominent families from various towns.

Elders like Chen Sui, Huang Shan, and Qiu Yiren were secretly shaken when they saw this row of important figures sitting down.

This is undoubtedly a grand display of Qingfeng Temple's influence and connections. Unbeknownst to many, Qingfeng Temple has accumulated such a level of influence.

Soon, the host, Xiao Bi, went on stage to warm up the atmosphere. During this time, a middle-aged man named Wang Chengdong, representing the Wang family, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Hui.

"Master Lin, shouldn't the quota for this year's summoning be finalized this time as well? I've come here with a mission from Young Master Heng."

"The top five in this competition are eligible to enter the city," Lin Hui replied casually.

At his current level, ordinary inspirers are nothing special, not worth mentioning. They are merely bait to spur and encourage his disciples.

Upon hearing this, the representatives of the various factions present were all unsettled.

Qingfeng Temple has a deep connection with the Wang family, and it can even help the Wang family cultivate Summoners. Everyone knows this. However, judging from the tone and attitude of the two people's conversation, it seems that this relationship is closer than the Summoner cultivation quota obtained through a transaction.

"That's good. Also, I wonder if Abbot Lin is aware of the major case that has recently occurred in the inner city?" Wang Chengdong said again.

"The case of Xue Ying has implicated four medium-sized clans. Investigations have revealed that each of these four clans had members secretly providing him with information, making the pursuit impossible. Among them is the Tao family, the direct disciple of the abbot, Tao Xuehai."

Upon hearing this, the people in the VIP section who had been whispering among themselves fell silent and looked at the two of them.

The Tao family has been implicated and is under investigation. This is no secret in the inner city, but few people in the outer city know about it. Lin Hui only found out about it at this time.

"I have also heard about this matter in my Yuanming Palace." The representative of the Rain Palace was a graceful woman with a white veil and a silver dress. Her name was Lu Xuan, and her beautiful eyes were bright and captivating. The rumor that there were no ugly people in the Rain Palace was obviously very accurate.

Even the three disciples she brought with her were all handsome and well-proportioned.

The three men acted intimately with her, frequently kissing her on the lips, clearly indicating that they were either her lovers or had a close relationship in private.

Such is the state of the people in the inner city; the atmosphere is open, and once men and women have power and influence, they begin to indulge in unrestrained behavior.

“The Tao family has been confirmed to be innocent, but that’s not the problem. The key issue is that the Tao family sent people to participate in the siege of Xue Ying in order to prove their innocence, and they have suffered many casualties recently,” Lu Xuan said in a deep voice.

"How is the Tao family doing now?" Lin Hui asked.

(End of this chapter)