Decaying World

Chapter 21 021 Patrol Three (Xie Qianzai and Nan Fengli, Alliance Leader)

Amidst the clanging and clashing sounds, Qiu Yiren and the Flying Cloud Pavilion disciple exchanged blows rapidly. Both moved with incredible speed, and to onlookers, all that could be seen was a series of afterimages colliding between them.

Lin Hui frowned slightly, keeping a close eye on the two sides fighting, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to make a move at any moment.

Qiu Yiren hasn't shown any signs of weakness yet, so he's naturally in no hurry to make a move. The longer it drags on, the better for them, since they are patrol assistants. If a fight breaks out here and causes a big commotion, officials will naturally come to patrol.

He didn't move, and the two men opposite him who were watching him were happy to stay still as well, since no one likes to fight with patrol assistants representing the government for no reason.

We're all just trying to make a living, so if we can avoid fighting, we should just show up and provide some support, creating a good atmosphere.

The two men appeared fierce, but this was what they were really thinking.

Looking at Lin Hui across from them, their eyes met and they immediately saw through each other's ulterior motives.

Lin Hui also believed that it was best to avoid fighting if possible. With all the fighting every day, if someone got hurt, it would escalate into a big mess. It would be better for everyone to just put on a show, create a tense atmosphere, and save face for everyone.

Back home, they said: "It wasn't that we didn't want to go, but the situation was so tense; it was like a spark could have caused an explosion. Fortunately, we escaped at the crucial moment."
That's when the topic changed, and the situation took a turn for the worse.

Lin Hui and the two opposite him were of the same mind at that moment. While watching the battle, they also began to curse each other.

"You dare to lay a hand on me!"

"I am the patrol assistant. If you dare to touch me, you are going against the government!"

"Which eye of yours saw us strike first? Does being a patrol officer give you the right to bully ordinary people and attack us law-abiding citizens first?!"

"You attacked first! You brought people up here with weapons, that's a crime!"

"Is this illegal?! Which law in Tu Yue forbids us from wearing arm armor?!"

The three of them were bickering on one side, while Qiu Yiren and the disciple of Feiyun Pavilion were sparring on the other.

As the fight went on, Qiu Yiren and the Feiyun Pavilion disciple got tired and stepped back to stop their attacks. They asked a waiter for some water to quench their thirst before rushing forward again to continue the fight.

As a result, when the two saw Lin Hui and his two henchmen arguing heatedly, their fighting spirit instantly vanished.

Seeing Lin Hui standing there unmoved, yet exchanging insults with great vigor, his face flushed slightly from the shouting, he was clearly very enthusiastic.

Qiu Yiren was speechless, and exchanged a glance with the disciple of Feiyun Pavilion while holding her sword.

"Fine, fine! I'll let you off the hook today!" Qiu Yiren waved her hand impatiently.

The disciple from Feiyun Pavilion actually suffered a minor loss. Although they seemed to be evenly matched, he had several small wounds on his waist. At this point, he stopped talking and just snorted coldly.

"Leave your name if you dare!" he finally hissed.

"A beautiful woman in the autumn breeze!"

"Fine! Ning Dong of Feiyun Pavilion, I've learned my lesson today!" The man, in a fit of rage, led his brother and several cursing followers downstairs and strode away.

Since there were many of them, Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui didn't stop them. Anyway, they had left their names, and they could just have the patrolmen come and find them later.

But since the other party dared to leave their name, they were clearly not afraid of trouble.

As soon as the two announced their names, the surrounding onlookers immediately remembered them.

Qiu Yiren and Ning Dong.

"Wow, that sword light was so fast, I couldn't even see it! It was too powerful."

"Martial artists are definitely different from ordinary gangsters when they fight! Both sides are too fast. No wonder Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Pavilion prioritize agility!"

"I've learned something new! This Qiu Yiren is not only beautiful, but her swordsmanship is also incredibly strong!"

"Brother, brother, could you tell me where Qingfeng Temple is located? Is it possible to send my son there to learn martial arts?"

The onlookers, having witnessed the spectacle, were immediately satisfied and began a lively discussion.

The reputations of Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Pavilion spread far and wide, like pebbles dropped into a lake.

Qiu Yiren launched a counterattack, but when she returned and saw that Lin Hui hadn't made a single move, she sighed in exasperation.

"Why don't you do it?"

"Why resort to violence? Wouldn't it be best to stay still? As long as we don't fight, there's absolutely no danger. Everyone comes out here for safety. If we can earn money safely, there's no need to seek out danger," Lin Hui said earnestly.

“That’s true, but we martial artists don’t step in when things get tough, isn’t that right?” Qiu Yiren frowned.

"Junior Sister, look." Lin Hui gestured slightly around the room. "Neither you nor that person from Feiyun Pavilion were injured. It was essentially a friendly spar, without any enmity. That's one point. Secondly, everyone around saw how strong Qingfeng Temple and Feiyun Pavilion are, and they'll all be thinking about taking their children to learn martial arts, which expands the business. Thirdly, the dispute over the restaurant has been indirectly resolved. The other party voluntarily withdrew, which is essentially giving up."

Lin Hui smiled slightly.

"We avoided making enemies, enhanced our reputation, and resolved the issue. Isn't the result perfect? ​​Do we really want everyone to fight to the death, escalate the situation, and cause trouble for our already busy superiors? Would it be better if things just got bigger and bigger?"

Qiu Yiren nodded unconsciously, feeling that it made sense.

But she also felt that this was different from the martial arts world she had imagined. She opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't find any reason to do so.

Seeing this, Lin Hui felt somewhat relieved, since he had started practicing martial arts for safety from the beginning. He wouldn't easily resort to violence; avoiding conflict was his philosophy. These past few days, he had been patrolling while also studying the specific mechanisms of his special effects.

In addition, practicing the Nine-Section Fast Sword also takes time. Under normal circumstances, without special effects, he is not very good in actual combat, so not making a move is of course the best outcome for him.

"Although what you said makes sense, are you sure you're not just a coward?" Qiu Yiren couldn't help but ask. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized it was inappropriate and immediately waved her hand.

"Alright, alright. Since you're unwilling to take action, then just watch from the sidelines from now on. If things get really bad, go and call for help for me. Is that alright?"

She figured that since Lin Hui was terrible at actual combat anyway, forcing him to fight might only harm him. So she decided to let him make full use of his speed advantage from body tempering and run away to call for help if things went wrong.

"Senior sister is so generous!" Lin Hui immediately changed his tune and smiled.

"So you're saying 'senior sister' is useful to you, and 'junior sister' is useless to you?" Qiu Yiren said helplessly.

The two left the restaurant and waited for a while before the patrol officers slowly approached.

The officials were also martial artists, all of them having undergone body tempering. They were all tall and strong, and if you looked closely, you could see that their skin had a faint grayish tinge.

That is a special phenomenon that occurs when practicing certain hard skills.

After the handover, Lin Hui and his companion leisurely continued their patrol for a while before returning to their usual rest area.

The second day, the third day, and the fourth day.
Next, Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui encountered two more minor conflicts similar to those before, but they were always resolved quickly. Sometimes Qiu Yiren won, and sometimes other martial artists won.

But regardless of which side it was, everyone only went as far as they could, never going all out. They only sparred to determine who was better, and then immediately stopped. Afterwards, they loudly proclaimed that they came from a martial arts school or gang.

In these exchanges where the balance is carefully maintained, Qiu Yiren's practical experience has become increasingly rich, and her moves have become more and more precise, allowing her to handle situations with ease.

Lin Hui, on the other hand, only made occasional moves, and when he did, it was always in close combat with others; he never had any outstanding achievements.

However, Qiu Yiren also subtly observed from the side that her senior brother, who had entered the sect before her, was now moving faster and more steadily with his sword. Clearly, he was also improving.

Time flies, and more than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The patrol assistance mission at Qingfeng Temple is also nearing its end. This kind of assistance mission is not continuous, but is carried out once every certain period of time.

The task wasn't solely entrusted to Qingfeng Temple; several other families took turns enjoying the meat.

The last few days are approaching.

Lin Hui clearly felt that the effect of his body tempering was getting stronger and stronger, and his sword speed was getting faster and faster when he drew his sword.

He knew very well that he was only reaching the upper limit of body tempering each day, which was ten times the limit.

During the patrol, Huang Shanqiu, Yi Ren, and their senior brother would have to reduce the number of times they practiced sword tempering because too much time was taken up.

Because their body tempering isn't something that can be done successfully every time. To reach the maximum of ten times, it would take at least half a day of repeated attempts and luck to complete, and that's assuming they're in good condition.

These patrols take up so much time that they can only temper their bodies a maximum of four times a day.

With this ebb and flow, Lin Hui's progress appeared exceptionally rapid.

In just over half a month, he clearly felt that his attacks left an afterimage. He had obviously quietly improved his body tempering by one level.

The transition from first rank to second rank was achieved so quietly.

But that wasn't what he valued most. What really caught his attention was the special effects that made him light-footed.

Boom.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed; rain was imminent.

On the street near the oil mill in Xinyu Town.

Lin Huiqiu returned from her patrol and sat down at the tea stall at the rest stop. Before the owner could serve her tea, she saw Huang Shan return alone with a cold face.

"Our senior brother has something come up today and can't lead the team. I don't want to patrol with Chen Chong by myself. Senior Brother Lin Hui, could you switch with me, just this once?" Huang Shan pleaded, his voice filled with barely suppressed frustration.

"This... doesn't Junior Sister know that Senior Brother Chen and I have had conflicts before?" Lin Hui frowned.

"One thousand coins." Without saying a word, Huang Shan took out a Tu Yue silver note from his money bag and placed it on the table in front of Lin Hui.

"Deal." Lin Hui glanced at the money. Although he wasn't short of money for the time being, he didn't have much savings. He was thinking of saving up to move his parents into the inner city. A house in the inner city would cost at least a million yuan, so saving more wouldn't hurt.

As for Chen Chong, he planned to simply separate from the other party and avoid seeing them altogether.

"Thank you very much, Senior Brother Lin." Huang Shan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gratefully.

She then looked at Qiu Yiren beside her, a smile spreading across her face, and went up to her to talk about what she had seen and heard these past few days.

Lin Hui sat alone on the bench. Seeing that Chen Chong had not returned, he continued to focus his attention on the special effects.

The Blood Seal is still reinforcing the sealing patterns on the insect eggs, so it's not needed for now, but he has indeed made some progress in testing the lightness effect.

Sitting on the bench, Lin Hui's left hand appeared to hang naturally at his side, but in reality, his fingertips were constantly flicking out, bending, flicking, repeating this process.

(End of this chapter)