Decaying World

Chapter 39 039 Measurement Three

As Lin Hui left home, he already had a plan in mind.

He couldn't possibly choose to leave Qingfeng Temple; out of a sense of morality and considering the sunk costs he had already incurred, leaving now would be too troublesome.

Moreover, he was pursuing speed all along. Among all the martial arts schools in the outer city, Qingfeng Temple already had top-notch speed and agility. In terms of external martial arts, it was hard to find a martial art that was faster than it.

Therefore, simplifying the current elite structure and optimizing Qingfeng Temple's martial arts might be the key to solving its competitiveness in the future.

'But first, let's see how far I've come.'

On his way back, Lin Hui pondered where to test the new fusion's special effects, but all he could think of were the figures of monsters in the fog zone flashing before his eyes.

'Although it's somewhat dangerous, as long as I'm careful and don't take any risks, it should be fine.'

Having spent so much time in the fog zone, he roughly knew what kind of monsters roamed the fog zone behind Qingfeng Temple.

Faceless Man, One-Horned Spider, Thousand-Legged Eyeball, Mist Barbarian.

These four types of monsters are common creatures in the foggy area. They are confused and unconscious, but they are extremely aggressive like wild beasts.

Having made his decision, Lin Hui didn't hesitate any longer and quickened his pace to return to Qingfeng Temple. He needed to make preparations, and he also needed to borrow some things from his master, such as Ning Xiang.

He wasn't worried about not being able to borrow the money; in fact, Mingde supported his decision to go to the foggy area to practice swordsmanship.

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The Lin family's land.

Lin Chaoyi bowed and scraped as he saw a steward from the Chen family out of the gate. He and a group of clansmen watched the steward get into his carriage and leave until the carriage was no longer in sight, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Still no news. We need Ade's help in a pinch, but we just can't get in touch with him."

He looked at the somewhat desolate fields outside the compound and the two-story building that had recently been vacated on the opposite side of the road, a hint of helplessness and repression flashing in his eyes.

“Right now, the profits of our shops are shrinking everywhere. The shops that were dealt with before are now being harassed again by people who want to collect protection money. Can’t Hongyu do something about it?” He looked at Lin Hongyu’s father, Lin Shuntao.

“Father, Hongyu is truly helpless now. After the incident last time, she immediately went to the Zong family’s law enforcement hall, but…” Lin Shuntao’s face was grim.

"Sigh," Lin Chaoyi knew that Lin Hongyu lacked the aptitude for summoning, and although she had joined the Chen family, she was still just an ordinary member of an outsider clan. Unable to summon, she could only learn the various internal martial arts techniques collected by the Chen family.

Although Hongyu has excellent aptitude, internal energy cultivation requires time and accumulation; its effects cannot be seen overnight. External skills, on the other hand, can be mastered much faster, as seen in Lin Hui's case.
Thinking of Lin Hui, Lin Chaoyi turned and went back into the courtyard, asking as he did so.

"By the way, how is the fourth brother's family doing now?"

"The fourth son is finished." Lin Shunchong, the second son's son, looked gloating on the right. "He was removed from the police force by the yamen, and the Qingfeng Temple was also ruined by the newly built Black Dragon Gate. Now it's split into three, and the Qingfeng Sword technique has been reduced to a third-rate sword technique. No matter how well the fourth son's family learns it, no one outside will recognize it."

"Such a big brand as Qingfeng Sword, just like that, it's gone down like this?" Lin Chaoyi was stunned.

“Indeed, things have changed so fast these past few days. Those martial artists from Xingdao City seem to be losers who were driven out from there, but these losers were able to quickly defeat our Tuyue outer city martial arts school. It’s said that martial arts are very popular there, and fighting is a common sight. Now it seems that it’s true.” Lin Shunchong explained.

Lin Chaoyi fell silent for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face.

After a short while, he slowly spoke: "Have you delivered the valuables and gifts you planned to send to the fourth brother's family?"

"Not yet," the old butler replied in a deep voice.

"That's good. Let's put it on hold for now. Given the current trend of Qingfeng Temple, it's probably hard for it to recover. The fourth family's future development is limited, and it would be a waste to throw more money into this area," Lin Chaoyi said in a deep voice.

"But didn't you say these gifts were to ease tensions?" Lin Shunjiang, the father of Lin Hongzhen from the eldest branch of the family, asked in surprise.

“That was before. Now that the family has encountered some changes, there’s no need to give away these valuables.” Lin Chaoyi frowned.

“But if we don’t repair the relationship now, what use will it be if the fourth brother’s family experiences another ups and downs in the future? Will it still be useful to send gifts then?” Lin Shunjiang found it hard to understand.

“It’s alright, I know Lao Si. We can send him over later. Last time we went, he pretended to refuse, but he actually wanted to return. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let us into the inner room at all,” Lin Chaoyi said.

“Father is right. Fourth Brother is known for his sharp tongue but soft heart. If things don’t go well for him, we won’t say anything. But if they do, Father can come over again. It won’t be a problem,” Lin Shunchong from the second branch of the family said with a smile. “Given Fourth Brother’s personality, he will definitely help when the family is facing a life-or-death crisis. So whether we give him this benefit or not, the result will be the same. We might as well use it to win over the swing voters.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Chaoyi couldn't help but glance at the second brother again; that was indeed what he was thinking.

"However, it seems that the general situation of the martial arts school market is set in stone. Only those martial artists at the Inner Strength Realm can influence this kind of situation," he said softly.

“That’s right, I even asked him. That kid Lin Hui just won’t leave Qingfeng Temple no matter what. The Black Dragon Sect has already tried to recruit him, but he refused. He just stubbornly stays where he is. Now most of the people in Qingfeng Temple have run away, and only he and a few others are still barely holding on.” Lin Shunchong shook his head and said.

"A tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives. He's still young and doesn't understand this." Lin Chaoyi sighed, knowing in his heart that Lin Hui was unlikely to have any hope anymore.

If the number of students at this martial arts school decreases, the money and resources will also decrease. With fewer resources, the progress of martial arts training will slow down. It seems that Lin Hui will probably only reach a level similar to his teacher Mingde in a few decades at most.

But look at Qingfeng Temple now; even Mingde himself is struggling to survive.

“Mingde made many enemies when he helped them back then. Given the current situation, I'm afraid it won't be long before things change.” He said softly. “There's no movement for now, but I estimate they're just observing.” Lin Shunchong nodded.

Upon hearing this, Lin Chaoyi lost all hope in the fourth brother's side.

"Sigh, forget it. Let's send that batch of valuables to Hongyu. As long as she can turn things around, everything will be alright."

"it is good!"

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Qingfeng Temple.

As evening approached, the fog began to rise and dissipate slowly.

Lin Hui and Mingde sat quietly at the table for their meal.

On the table were five dishes and a soup, all cooked by Weiwei herself. The dishes—stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, stir-fried shredded pork with edamame, braised pork, and garlic lettuce—were still steaming hot, clearly having just been cooked.

"You just said that you have completely mastered the Nine-Section Quick Sword and want to learn the Qingfeng Sword?" Mingde put a piece of braised pork into his mouth and squinted at Lin Hui.

“Indeed, please instruct me on how to wield the sword, Master,” Lin Hui said in a deep voice.

"You don't care that Qingfeng Sword is weak?" Mingde asked.

"This disciple has always felt that the Qingfeng Sword should not be a head-on confrontation. Our sect focuses on speed and agility, so we should make full use of our strengths. If the Abbot hadn't been forced into this situation, he might have won by using his agility to prolong the fight," Lin Hui said earnestly.

“You’re right,” Mingde sighed. He chewed the meat in a few bites and swallowed it. He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the hazy gray fog.

"Actually, according to the rules, if you want to learn the Qingfeng Sword, you should at least go through a certain test like everyone else. But in the current situation, there is no need to stick to the rules."

Although he was an alcoholic, he still kept a close eye on everything around him. For a martial artist at the Inner Strength Realm, drinking ordinary wine, no matter how much, would not make him very drunk.

It's simply a matter of wanting to get drunk; the wine is just the trigger.

“Many times, I think that all of this is like a dream. If I could wake up and everything would be back to normal, how wonderful that would be. It’s a pity that my senior brother is in such a bad state now that it’s hard to rise again. The Taoist temple has become this horrible mess again.” Mingde recalled the past scenes in his mind. Back then, his senior brother was fine, Qingfeng Temple was thriving and had a promising future. The top ten elites were like wolves and tigers, and their reputation was still great in the surrounding towns.

Come to your senses and look at the present.
Ugh.
He sighed.

"Alright, I'll pass on the Qingfeng Sword to you first. In a while, I'll have Weiwei do something to deliver something to an old friend. The journey is long, and I'm worried she won't be able to take care of herself. So, you might have to travel with her."

"Yes," Lin Hui replied.

Mingde concealed the strange look in his eyes. Lin Hui was arguably the most touching disciple he had ever taken in.

As the saying goes, true friendship is revealed in times of adversity. With the martial arts school on the verge of collapse and almost about to disband, Lin Hui's unwavering loyalty and dedication have given him a final sense of comfort.

Let him know that all his moral sacrifices over the years have not been in vain.

In this world, there are always some people who are unmoved by money or fame, and who still uphold qualities that seem foolish to outsiders.

He was like that, and so was Lin Hui.

But it's a pity.
He met Lin Hui too late.

If it had been ten years earlier, Lin Hui might already be...
Mingde's thoughts were instantly interrupted by Song Zhanlong of the Black Dragon Gate.

'So be it. Even if it had happened ten years earlier, and Song Zhanlong had come knocking, the result would still have been the same.'

Recalling the message his friend had secretly sent him yesterday, he learned that Liu Sitao, the man he had once helped and who had become his enemy, was now gathering a group of former adversaries and heading this way to seek revenge.

With Qingfeng Temple losing power and Baohe falling from grace, he only had a handful of followers left. If he were to truly face Liu Sitao and his gang...
Mingde knew that the final outcome was likely to be disastrous.

Therefore, he arranged for his daughter and Lin Hui to leave first. Wang Yun didn't need to worry about being in her powerful family home, and the other disciples could be dismissed at will to avoid being implicated.

At that time, I will be all alone, staying in the temple to wait for them, and finally settle the score with them.

He had everything arranged.

Composing himself, Mingde turned around and began to carefully explain the essentials of the Qingfeng Sword.

"The Qingfeng Sword is actually quite different from other sword techniques."

He stretched out his hand, made a sword with his index finger, and thrust it forward.

"In essence, the Qingfeng Sword is actually a fusion and enhancement of the Seven-Section Fast Sword and the Nine-Section Fast Sword. It incorporates the power-building training method of the Seven-Section Fast Sword into the whole, and integrates the explosive assassination of the Nine-Section Fast Sword into the offensive moves. Then, with a special mental technique, the two are perfectly fused together, ultimately forming a swordsmanship as swift as the wind."

"Gentle breeze, gentle breeze, what is gentle breeze? Clear and formless, like the wind, without form yet unstoppable, only then can it be called the Gentle Breeze Sword!" Mingde turned and walked to a spacious open space.

(End of this chapter)