Decaying World

Chapter 47 047 Thoughts Three (Thanks to Alliance Leader Scarlet Flowing Light)
After leaving his teacher's house, Lin Hui returned to the training ground and saw two other newly recruited students practicing their swordsmanship in the distance, laughing and joking.

Little Tiger and Little Fatty carefully rearranged the stones that served as the dividing line.

These stones were found by Weiwei and were specifically used to divide the entire Taoist temple grounds into three sections.

The lines formed by these stones clearly distinguish which area belongs to whom.

'Black fog. The outside environment is so dangerous, so what force is protecting the entire city? Where does that force originate?'

One thought after another kept popping into Lin Hui's mind.

I thought the inner city would be a safe place, but now it seems that the inner city also has its hardships.

Lin Hui could tell what his master was thinking when he picked up the sword.

To live a stable life, without any particularly lofty goals, with good food and clothing and a simple life, that's enough.

At least the surrounding dangers have been eliminated, which is the greatest relief for Mingde.

but
Lin Hui turned his head slightly and looked at the towering, boundless white wall of the inner city.

Then I looked at the endless gray fog in the opposite direction.

For the people in the outer city, the only thing visible in their living area is the long strip of gray sky overhead, through which sunlight filters down.

As the spring rain gradually subsided, sunlight pierced through the gray fog, turning even its color grayish-white.

Lin Hui looked up; the sky was still shrouded in gray fog, obscuring both the sun and the clouds. The entire city resembled a giant sphere, with the inner city at its center, forcefully pushing through the fog to create a massive spherical cavity.

'Perhaps I should go into the inner city first to see if it's really as rumored, and then decide whether to move the whole family in.'

Having made up his mind, Lin Hui no longer hesitated and continued practicing swordsmanship.

Time passes day by day.

As the Blood Seal continues to evolve, the Qingfeng Sword Technique also continuously improves its level of perfection.

As Lin Hui continued to temper his body, his physique was strengthened, and the evolution time of each move of the Qingfeng Sword Technique began to shorten.

By the time the sixth evolution move is completed, the time required has been reduced from five days to four days.

This gave Lin Hui even more motivation to strengthen his physique and temper his energy.

In the blink of an eye, spring plowing has passed, and the busy farming season is upon us. The period of dark fog has also arrived.

Just as Lin Hui was quietly waiting for the evolution of the blood seal, Baohe Daoist finally woke up.

*
*
*
Qingfeng Temple, the master bedroom.

Cough
Baohe Daoist's face was ashen, and he lay half-reclined on his sickbed, glancing sideways at his three junior brothers standing in the room.

Mingchen, Mingde, Mingxiu.

The three men waited respectfully for him to speak.

The room was filled with the strong smell of medicine, and even with the heavy incense burning on the table, it couldn't mask the distinct bloody scent emanating from Baohe Daoren.

"How is Shangguan Fei, the Flying Cloud Fist master?" Bao He covered his mouth, coughed up a trace of blood again, and asked weakly.

“Master Feiyun has been gone for more than half a month. He was severely injured and died by the Hundred Flowers Sect,” Mingchen sighed.

“Is that so? It seems it’s all fate.” Bao sighed.

"Senior brother." Mingchen hesitated before speaking.

"Say no more. Our Qingfeng Sword Sect has reached this point, and its glory days are enough." Bao He coughed a few times. "I can't hold on any longer. After I'm gone, the three of you will manage Qingfeng Temple. The situation is difficult right now. Wait, Black Mist, go, you wait. Or, leave this place and find another place. As for my children, tell them not to open their own temples."

Baohe and his three junior brothers all have relatives behind them, with Baohe having the largest number of relatives. Once he falls, the situation of his relatives will naturally be bad.

During this time, they had already been scattered and fled, and no one was willing to care about the unconscious Bao and the Taoist.

"You. You"

Baohe pointed at the three people, wanting to say something, but he couldn't catch his breath. He tried three times in a row, but finally his right hand fell down, and he had no strength left.

"Senior brother!!" Mingde cried out, rushing forward to hold onto the edge of the bed, tears streaming down his face.

The other two also stepped forward, their eyes filled with tears as they looked at Baohe Daoren's corpse.

Outside the bedroom, the core disciples of the three branches lowered their heads quietly, listening to the sounds inside, their minds filled with countless thoughts.

Lin Hui, Weiwei, and Wang Yun stood together, listening to the crying inside, and sighed in their hearts as well.

"Junior brother, what are your plans for the future?" Wang Yun asked softly from the side. "Practicing swordsmanship also requires money, but looking at the state of Qingfeng Temple, I'm afraid it can no longer afford to support your swordsmanship practice."

"Just go hunting for materials in the foggy area when you have nothing to do," Lin Hui said calmly.

“That’s not a long-term solution. You’re young and strong now, with no burdens, so you can say that. But what if you get sick someday and get delayed by other things? Or what if you get married and have children in the future? Your safety will be related to the safety of the whole family. It’s too dangerous to take risks when you’re older,” Wang Yun said softly.

"What does Senior Sister mean?" Lin Hui looked at her.

“You’re a loyal and righteous person,” Wang Yun said. “You’re also quite talented. Why don’t you come to my Wang family like Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, and stop hanging around in the martial arts world?”

Lin Hui understood what she meant.

Just because they can't make it in the martial arts world doesn't mean Qingfeng Swordsmen can't make it in other circles. With their agility and skill, they wouldn't be weak in any other lower-ranked community.

“Once you leave this circle, you can practice other martial arts without anyone gossiping,” Wang Yun said, her voice even softer. “After that, I’ll help you find a marriage partner. Once it’s settled, you can start a family, have a bloodline to carry on, your family will be at ease, and you yourself will have no worries.” Lin Hui remained silent.

Hearing the crying coming from the bedroom, he lowered his head.

"And then what? What about practicing swordsmanship?"

"What's the point of continuing to practice? The current body tempering technique is fast enough. What level can we reach by practicing the Qingfeng Sword? Isn't the purpose of martial arts to live a good and safe life? As long as we achieve our goal, isn't it all the same no matter what method we use?" Wang Yun said softly.

She paused for a moment, then looked at Huang Shanqiu Yiren to the side.

“Look at them, several of them are about to leave. They’ve signed agreements with the Mu family. Ah Hui, you have to remember, martial arts training is for making a living, not putting the cart before the horse and sacrificing your life to pursue martial arts. Look at Mu Qiaozhi and Zhao Jiang’an, they’re very clear-headed.”

Lin Hui remained silent.

He admitted that what Senior Sister Wang said made sense, and that Wang Yun had done a great job by persevering until now.

She didn't care about Qingfeng Temple; she only cared about Teacher Mingde. So, she didn't care about Qingfeng Temple; she had plenty of alternatives.

For them, or for 99% of the disciples, sword practice is merely a means to achieve their goals.

"Yes, people have their limits. After the period of rapid growth, if you continue to train, the effort you put in is not worth the reward, and it's not worth spending too much time and energy on it," he sighed.

“Aren’t you quite clear-headed?” Wang Yun said. “Think it over carefully. If you make a decision, you can come to the Wang family to find me anytime.”

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Lin Hui nodded. "By the way, where is Senior Sister Weiwei?"

“She had already agreed. And, in fact, Master had tacitly approved.” Wang Yun lowered her voice.

Lin Hui fell silent again.

Even the master's own daughter
Looking at the bedroom door ahead, that antique dark red wooden door, his thoughts had already drifted far, far away.

Judging from the words and actions of Wang Yun, the teacher, and Senior Sister Weiwei, he knew that even they themselves had given up hope of restoring the glory of Qingfeng Temple's martial arts.

Even Master Mingde thought it was impossible for them to rise again.

The Qingfeng Sword is far inferior to the martial arts techniques of these new martial arts schools.

Lin Hui also had a fleeting thought of giving up, but when he saw the words in the bloodstain that appeared in his field of vision, "Seven-section quick sword, nine-section quick sword," he realized that he had spent so much time, resources, and effort to master the Qingfeng Sword Technique.

If he gives up now, wouldn't all his previous investments be wasted?

Besides, even if one switches to learning other, stronger martial arts, wouldn't it take even longer?
The funeral of Baohe Daoren lasted for three days, but very few people came to pay their respects. The once prosperous Qingfeng Temple has now disappeared.

Finally, three Taoist priests of the Ming generation carried the coffin down to the burial site.

From then on, Qingfeng Temple was completely divided into three branches, instead of just temporarily.

Lin Hui took the opportunity to go home and tell his parents about it.

His father's reaction was also something he hadn't expected.

"What are you thinking?" Old Man Lin Shunhe sat on a small stool under the shade of a tree in the yard and looked at Lin Hui.

"I was thinking, I've practiced for so long, I really don't want to give up," Lin Hui replied.

"Since you enjoy sword practice, why not choose a stronger one? The Qingfeng Sword is no longer viable, that's a fact. You'll spend the same amount of money, time, and effort, and in the end, you'll still be inferior to others. Is it worth it?" The old man's words were surprisingly rational and realistic.

Master Ke, Lin Hui hesitated.

“Mingde himself has lost hope, otherwise would he have agreed to let his daughter study other martial arts?” Lin Shunhe said. “Think about it. When it’s time to turn back, you should turn back decisively. Don’t get deeper and deeper into trouble and end up failing completely and making a mess of things.”

He stood up, patted his son on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Lin Hui was left alone, sitting in the same spot, gazing at the muddy path outside the courtyard where people came and went, lost in thought.

He sat there from morning until noon. His mother, Yao Shan, came out to call him for lunch and noticed that Lin Hui's eyes were different from before.

"What? You've made a decision?"

"Yes, I'm going to keep practicing," Lin Hui nodded in reply. "Anyway, I'm not short of money, and things are better at home now. I just want to keep practicing and give it a try. I like the Qingfeng Sword Technique."

"You're such a stubborn person. Fine, it'll be fine as a hobby." Yao Shan said helplessly, "Let's go in and eat."

"Okay." Lin Hui smiled, stood up, and followed him into the house.

If it weren't for the blood mark, he might have already switched to another technique. But since the blood mark is there, he can evolve the Qingfeng Sword Technique once it has fully evolved.
In this way, it might take a long time and effort to evolve again, but it would also take a lot of time and effort to start practicing other martial arts.

Therefore, it's better not to make any changes. This saves the trouble of relearning the process.

After making this decision, Lin Hui returned to his master's place from home.

Master Mingde and the other two have spent several days dividing Qingfeng Temple into three parts and building a thick dividing wall in the middle.

Mingde's branch changed its name to Qingfeng Sword Sect, which can be considered a return to its former name.

After the name change, Mingde himself became inconsistent in his work, leaving everything to his daughter and Lin Hui. He spent his days either fishing or drinking with Manager Huang, living a leisurely and carefree life.

As for sword practice? I gave up on that long ago. My busiest thing is cultivating my internal energy and stabilizing my state.

The Qingfeng Sword Sect is no longer considered a martial arts school; it can only be regarded as a free-form training tradition.

(End of this chapter)