Decaying World

Chapter 25 025 Unexpected Event
Qingmo Tower is located at the junction of the inner and outer city, next to the tall and white city wall. The whole building is like a huge golden sculpture, with layers of golden lights shining out from inside.

That was the light reflected from the lamplight onto the gold-painted walls and windows.

The building is shaped like a teapot, with the entrance at the handle and the spout at the front being a unique semi-transparent private room.

Lin Hui arrived here early at nine o'clock the next day. Standing at the entrance, he looked up and gazed at the Qingmo Building, which was a hundred meters away in the courtyard.

'I have absolutely no idea where Qing and Mo are.' Speechless, he took out the invitation, slowly walked in, and handed it to the guard.

"Someone has already arrived at the private room in the Heaven and Earth area. Please follow me." After verifying the information, the guard personally led the way, going up the spiral staircase on the outside of the first floor.

Lin Hui followed closely behind, walked around five or six times, went up to the third floor, and arrived at a spacious gold-colored private room.

dong dong dong.

The guard knocked gently on the door and asked if it was convenient for the person inside. After receiving a response, he gently opened the door and led Lin Hui inside.

As soon as Lin Hui entered the room, the first thing he saw was Lin Hongzhen sitting cross-legged at one end of the room.

Lin Hongzhen looked completely different from the last time we met.

If she still had some feminine features last time, she had now completely transformed into a tall, muscular man.

If it weren't for the obvious protrusion on her chest, it would be almost impossible to recognize her as a woman.

Fortunately, her facial features were still the same, without much change. Apart from having more muscles, her appearance was still the same, which allowed Lin Hui to recognize her immediately.

"Cousin," he greeted her as soon as he entered the room.

"Come, sit here." Lin Hongzhen patted the seat next to her. "I met a few friends today, all from within the sect. Get to know them; you can ask them for help if you encounter any problems later."

Lin Hui walked over and sat down, then looked at each item as Lin Hongzhen introduced them.

"Xiaoqin, you met her before. Her family is quite influential in the local religious circles." The first person introduced was Xiaoqin, the girl he had met before.

She was still dressed in revealing clothing, a white strapless top and a purple mini leather skirt, her snow-white thighs crossed and raised without any cover, and she was currently playing with a curved dagger inlaid with rubies and sapphires in her hand.

"Hello, Sister Xiaoqin," Lin Hui said politely.

"Yes, if you need anything in the future, you can ask Xiao's for help on Tongyou Street. That's my family's business." Xiaoqin nodded casually in response.

"Thank you very much, Sister Xiaoqin," Lin Hui said quickly.

“Alright, this is Fei Wenyi, my colleague and close friend. He comes from the Fei family in the inner city. If you ever go to the inner city, you can get 20% off goods at his family's chain stores,” Lin Hongzhen said.

"Brother Yi!" Lin Hui greeted him quickly.

Fei Wenyi was a relatively gentle-looking man who appeared to be a bit older than Lin Hongzhen and the others. After the introduction, he gave Lin Hui a gentle smile.

"You can come visit the Fei family in the inner city when you have time. Just say my name when you get to the door," he said softly.

"Then there's Meng Xiao. She's also my friend." Lin Hongzhen finally stood in front of a young woman with long, slightly blonde, and curly hair.

The woman was wearing a long, bright red dress, with her fair insteps slightly peeking out from under the hem. She crossed her legs and held a document that resembled a map in her hand. Upon hearing this, she smiled and nodded at Lin Hui, as if to greet him.

"You all know my brother now, right? Please take care of him for me when we're in the outer city," Lin Hongzhen said to the three of them, patting Lin Hui on the back in a half-joking manner.

“Your brother is Miss Lin’s brother, so you should at least pay some attention to him. Don’t worry,” Fei Wenyi said with a smile.

Xiaoqin nodded in agreement.

Meng Xiao, however, simply smiled and remained silent.

Lin Hongzhen noticed the man's attitude and patted Lin Hui on the shoulder.

"It's alright, with your Brother Fei and Sister Qin here, there won't be any problems." She then looked at Meng Xiao.

"What? Did you come to this banquet on purpose to cause trouble? You're turning your back on us the moment I tried to win you over, aren't you?"

The joking tone in her voice faded considerably, replaced by seriousness.

Meng Xiao closed the file, a half-smile on her face.

"Since you know perfectly well what's going on, why bring it up and humiliate yourself? You were given some face before because you had above-average aptitude for attracting attention, but now you're just below average. Heh."

"Sister Meng, you didn't say that when Hongzhen was doing things for you before." Xiaoqin said with dissatisfaction before Lin Hongzhen could even speak.

"Isn't the matter finished?" Meng Xiao said with a smile.

The atmosphere froze slightly after those words were spoken.

The four of them fell silent for a moment. Lin Hongzhen's expression turned cold as she stared intently at Meng Xiao.

"Fine, I'm incompetent. I can only inspire the lowly. I'm not worthy to be your friend, Meng Xiao."

After a long pause, Lin Hongzhen said in a deep voice.

"If you think I'm not good enough, why did you come today?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. Now that I've seen you, I'm satisfied." Meng Xiao stood up, her smile unchanged, and slowly walked towards the door.

"Farewell."

"I won't see you out." Lin Hongzhen's chest heaved with anger, and she didn't even turn her head.

The door creaked open, and the person slowly left. But the atmosphere inside the private room remained incredibly tense. Lin Hongzhen had originally planned to call a friend to pave the way for her younger brother, Lin Hui, but unexpectedly, this whole mess had happened.

To outsiders, she appears to have received a calling, but only those within the church know that her calling is actually of the lowest level. This has led to her current physical imbalance, with her once delicate face and figure becoming extremely strong and unsightly.

Being unattractive is extremely taboo in Amamiya. While it might not lead to expulsion from the cult, it would make further promotions very difficult.

Meng Xiao realized this, which is why she instantly became realistic.

"Ahui, you should go back now. If you need anything in the future, you can ask your sister Qin and brother Fei for help," Lin Hongzhen said with a forced smile.

"Okay, take care, sister. You can come visit me at Qingfeng when you have time." Lin Hui nodded.

Judging from the attitudes of the people around Lin Hongzhen, he could tell that although his cousin was doing well on the outside, her situation in the city was not so good.

Otherwise, Meng Xiao wouldn't have been so disrespectful.

Without eating or drinking, he bowed to Xiaoqin and Fei Wenyi, then turned and left the private room.

He originally wanted to inquire about the missing persons case today, but seeing his cousin's current mood, it was clearly not the right time.

After going downstairs, as he passed through the lobby on the first floor, Lin Hui unexpectedly saw Meng Xiao again. This woman was holding a wine glass and talking to another woman in white.

Seemingly noticing Lin Hui's gaze, Meng Xiao slightly turned her head and glanced in their direction.

Her perception was clearly extremely high; she could react quickly even from just a glance from more than ten meters away.

Lin Hui felt a chill run down his spine. He gave the other person a polite smile, then looked away and quickly walked out of Qingmo Tower.

Standing outside the building, he turned back and glanced at the magnificent, glittering restaurant. For some reason, he felt a strange unease.

He let out a breath and walked quickly toward the somewhat gloomy outer town of Xinyu in the distance, soon disappearing at the end of the street corner.

When Lin Hui got home, it was already late afternoon. He practiced the nine-section fast sword a few times before going to the shop to help out and chat with his parents.

In the evening, after packing up and going home, Lin Hui slept until the next day. As soon as he got up and finished washing up, he saw that his parents had already gotten ready and were going out to open the shop.

The three of them worked together for a while and arrived at the shop. Just as the old man, Lin Shunhe, unlocked the door, they heard police officers approaching quickly from the street.

A tall, burly, fat-headed, black-clad constable, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, approached.

"Who is Lin Hui?" he asked coldly, his gaze sweeping over the three men.

"Yes, that's me." Lin Hui's heart skipped a beat, wondering what had happened, and he quickly stepped forward to answer.

"There was a vicious attack at Qingmo Tower last night. Lin Hongzhen is your cousin, right? You were at Qingmo Tower at the time, right?" He asked twice.

"A vicious attack? Yes, Lin Hongzhen is my cousin." Lin Hui felt a chill run down his spine and quickly replied.

"She was attacked and is now seriously injured and unconscious. You need to come with me to the town police station to make a statement," the officer said quickly.

"What?! My cousin is seriously injured and unconscious!?" Lin Hui's eyes widened instantly. He had just seen Lin Hongzhen last night, and she was a burly woman with a powerful and imposing presence.

The result is that it can now attract elite troops!
"Let's go, stop talking nonsense," the constable urged impatiently.

This news shocked not only Lin Hui, but also Lin Shunhe and Yao Shan, who were listening nearby.

"Hongzhen is an elite follower who has successfully been converted. How could she be seriously injured and unconscious? This is simply..." Lin Shunhe couldn't think of any possibility that could have happened.

Lin Hui was stunned as he followed the police to the police station. By the time he finished giving his statement, it was almost noon.

He stumbled out of the police station, looking up at the bright, clear sky. From the questions and information revealed by the officers, it seemed that Lin Hongzhen's attack was subtly connected to Lin Hongyu.

According to the police, they initially suspected that it was a woman who had been close to the Chen family scion whom Lin Hongyu was about to marry who had secretly made the move.

This involves the entanglement and conflicts between the three major forces.

As soon as I came out, I saw my parents waiting in the tea stall opposite the police station, looking in this direction anxiously.

Upon seeing Lin Hui emerge, the two were overjoyed and quickly approached him.

"Ah Hui! Are you alright?" Lin Shunhe asked.

"It's alright, it's just a simple statement, nothing serious," Lin Hui replied. "Let's go back and talk about it later."

The three of them quickly returned to their home courtyard.

Only after entering the room did Lin Shunhe dare to speak again.

"Ah Hui, news has come from the Lin family compound that Lin Hongyu was also attacked last night, but only suffered minor injuries. An old friend of mine heard that he knew the inside story. Apparently, it was one of Lin Hongyu's rivals who used his family's influence to orchestrate the killing."

The old man's expression was indescribably complicated.

On one hand, Lin Hongyu was the one who stole her son's place, so she deserved what happened to her. On the other hand, her affair involved Lin Hongzhen, which complicated his feelings. After all, Lin Hongzhen had been good to his son, and he had a good relationship with the first wife's family. He didn't want anything to happen to Hongzhen, but now...
“If this is true, then Father and Mother, we should try not to get involved. The other side is capable of attacking both sides at once, so their strength is definitely not weak. How is my cousin now? Father, have you gone to visit her?” Lin Hui said in a deep voice.

"I checked on her. She's still unconscious. Your uncle and the others were there too. I brought some tonics and left. Go check on her again when you have time, but remember to avoid other people," Lin Shunhe said in a low voice.

"Yes, I know." Lin Hui also felt a little bad. He and Lin Hongzhen had a good relationship, but he never expected to be implicated by Lin Hongyu and end up like this.

After tidying himself up at home, he quickly went out and went to the town's government clinic, but found it empty. Lin Hongzhen had already been taken to the inner city by the Sha Yue Sect to receive better treatment.

He inquired about the situation and learned from the clinic staff that the situation was not good; his cousin's injuries were very serious, she remained unconscious, and she was likely to suffer serious long-term effects.

(End of this chapter)