The Decaying World-Chapter 56 - 51: Perilous Situation 3

The former site of Qingfeng Temple.

In the area belonging to the Sword Sect, elderly men and women leisurely held wooden swords, following Xiaohu’s lead as he taught them a slow-paced version of the Seven-Section Quick Sword to exercise their bodies.

This was the perfected version that Lin Hui had improved. Even without mastering the points of force application, it still had a considerable exercise benefit for the elderly.

Although it was rather difficult to learn, they could take their time mastering it one move at a time before proceeding to the next. If there was one thing these old folks had, it was plenty of time.

In the afternoon, outside the Qingfeng Sword Sect’s residence.

Lin Hui’s father, Lin Shunhe, led two newly hired, brawny guards toward the courtyard where Lin Hui lived within the Sword Sect.

Each of the two guards carried a large pack of Full Essence Powder on his back, all pre-packaged in yellow paper bags.

"It’s just ahead. One more building to the left... yes, that’s it. Look for the nameplate—the one with ’Hui’ on it is the one..."

Lin Shunhe directed the two men, and they soon arrived at the courtyard gate. He knocked.

There was no response from inside.

’Could Ah Hui have gone out?’ He glanced around, looking for someone to ask, but on the training grounds not far away, there was only a group of elderly people practicing with swords and a disciple busy teaching them. He truly couldn’t see anyone else.

Just as Lin Shunhe was about to head to Mingde’s place to ask about the situation...

Suddenly, a group of tall figures dressed in pure white robes strode through the wide-open main gate of the Sword Sect not far away.

The white robes were form-fitting, clearly outlining the powerful physiques beneath.

What was most striking was that the normal old men and women here, and even the Qingfeng Sword Sect’s Xiaohu and Xiaopang, were at most around 1.8 meters tall. But of the group that had just entered, the shortest among them was over two meters, and the tallest was nearly three meters.

This tallest person was a powerfully built woman with snow-white skin and three thick braids in her hair, which resembled three black horns.

She flexed her arms. A single one of her arms was as thick as a grown man’s waist, and her green eyes continuously scanned the grounds.

"This is Qingfeng Temple? The martial arts hall closest to the North Wind Forest Dao?" the woman asked coolly.

A brawny man from behind her bowed and stepped forward.

"Replying to you, Milady, yes, it is. If you wish to inquire about the specific situation in the Forest Dao in recent years, the people here should be the most knowledgeable."

"Get someone," the three-meter-tall woman said impatiently. "If you can’t produce someone within thirty breaths, I’ll hold you accountable."

"Yes!" The brawny man trembled, hastily excused himself, and quickly scanned his surroundings. Then he charged straight for the bewildered Xiaohu.

WHUMP!

He rushed in front of Xiaohu and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up.

"Kid, where’s the person in charge?! Go get your master! Lady You Ying of the Rain Palace is here in person! Tell him to come out and greet her immediately!"

"My... my master... he went out, I don’t know..." At that moment, only Xiaohu and Xiaopang were at the Sword Sect, along with a few ordinary, temporarily hired handymen. Mingde had gone out drinking, Weiwei had gone to a festival, Wang Yun rarely ever came by, and Lin Hui had gone to an outer town to hunt for materials. For a moment, it turned out that he and Xiaopang were the only ones in charge of the entire Sword Sect...

Now, with the brawny man’s hand clamped on his collar, Xiaohu felt the immense pressure of the man’s blood qi up close and instantly lost a good deal of his courage. He tried to struggle for a moment but found that the man’s strength far surpassed his own, so he didn’t dare move again.

"No one’s here? Impossible! You can’t be the only one in charge of this place, can you? Where are the others? The adults!? Get them out here!" The brawny man was getting anxious.

"I... I..." Xiaohu’s mind went blank, completely stunned.

Seeing his dumbfounded expression, the brawny man’s gaze swept over the group of cowering old men and women. These people were all shrewd; the moment they heard the name "Rain Palace," any dissatisfaction they might have felt instantly vanished.

"Damn it! Useless trash!" The brawny man grabbed Xiaohu, lifted him high, and his expression turned savage. If he failed his task, he would be crippled once the time was up. As a temporary guard by You Ying’s side, he was already the seventh one this month!

The previous six had either died or gone insane.

The thought made him increasingly desperate, and the force of his grip grew stronger, constricting around Xiaohu’s neck until he could barely breathe. At the same time, his eyes darted around, searching for anyone who might be in charge.

*

*

*

「Shiqiao Town Fog Area.」

Lin Hui stared at the giant Tree Scorpion before him and silently activated Special Effect Feathering.

His body, at the Body Tempering Limit, bent slightly as he gripped his sword.

SWISH!

In an instant, he vanished, transforming into a gentle breeze. He executed the Qingfeng Swordsmanship, continuously circling the Tree Scorpion and striking at it relentlessly.

Sparks flew as his Qinghe Sword clashed with the Tree Scorpion’s exoskeleton.

DING! DING! DING! DING!

Amidst the flying sparks, Lin Hui searched for the Tree Scorpion’s possible weak points.

The gaps between its joints, its abdomen, its eyes, its mouthparts—he had struck every place he could try, but nothing seemed to work. Everything was blocked by an incredibly tough membrane.

It was as if the Qinghe Sword was repeatedly striking a metal statue. The recoil made his hands go numb, yet he still couldn’t find the Tree Scorpion’s weakness.

Amidst the clanging, Lin Hui finally understood what Daoist Baohe must have felt when he faced the Black Dragon Sect Leader, Song Zhanlong.

No openings, completely invulnerable, utterly impenetrable.

’No wonder Tree Scorpion Tails are so rare. A single one contains enough material for ten doses of the medicine, yet there’s so little supply on the market. So this is why they’re so hard to kill.’

At this thought, Lin Hui no longer hesitated. The Sealed Array Poison, which he had never used before, quietly coiled around the tip of his Qinghe Sword.

With his next strike, he suddenly circled behind the Tree Scorpion and stabbed at its rear excretory orifice.

Just then, the Tree Scorpion raised its tail high, about to fire another venomous stinger, which happened to expose the orifice.

THWACK!

This strike also failed to penetrate. The hard shell around the edge of the orifice was also incredibly tough; he couldn’t break through its defense at all.

This made Lin Hui realize that without the enhancement of Inner Strength, it was nearly impossible to kill a Fog Area monster of the Tree Scorpion’s level relying on speed and the sword’s sharpness alone.

But the purpose of this strike wasn’t to kill it, but to test the Sealed Array Poison.

CLINK.

The sword tip struck hard against the orifice, and the invisible Sealed Poison was instantly injected into the scorpion’s body.

An unseen force instantly caused the Tree Scorpion’s massive body to jolt to a halt, freezing it in place.

It lasted for a full second.

Only then did the Tree Scorpion begin to move again. But startled by the seal, its previous fearlessness was gone. The Tree Scorpion was beginning to panic.

That inexplicable paralysis made it frantic. After realizing it couldn’t hit Lin Hui no matter what it did, it turned and fled into the depths of the fog.

Two seconds later, Lin Hui caught up to the fleeing creature once more.

CLANG!

With a sharp sound, the Tree Scorpion’s massive, four-meter-tall body froze in place again, unable to move.

Taking advantage of this moment, Lin Hui accelerated wildly, searching all over its body for the weakest point.

Finally, after immobilizing the creature four times in a row, he at last found a weak point that wasn’t exactly a weak point.

—a curved, brown pattern where the Tree Scorpion’s tail connected to its body.

The pattern was protected by a hard shell, but when the creature was immobilized, the shell here was much thinner than elsewhere.

After Lin Hui dodged and looked for opportunities, striking that same spot more than thirty times in a row...

With a sharp CRACK...

Finally, the Tree Scorpion’s entire tail was severed.

The intense pain made the tailless Tree Scorpion even more terrified. It fled madly into the depths of the fog and soon vanished, never to be seen again.

Left behind was the ingredient Lin Hui wanted for the Full Essence Powder—a Tree Scorpion Tail.

’That took a good hour... So hard to kill...’

He walked over and picked up the hefty, massive Scorpion Tail. The tail was over five meters long, covered in a glossy black shell, and tipped with a black-and-red venomous stinger. It was an exaggerated sight.

’But at least I succeeded...’ The difficult process of breaking through its defense made Lin Hui yearn even more for the Second-Time Body Tempering of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship. If he could generate Inner Strength, killing the Tree Scorpion wouldn’t have been so difficult...

This arduous hunt for ingredients quickly knocked down the trace of arrogance he had developed after killing two members of the Baihua Sect.

He couldn’t even kill a single Tree Scorpion; all his effort had only managed to sever its tail. How could he possibly hope to face a high-defense Inner Power Realm Martial Artist like Song Zhanlong of the Black Dragon Sect?

From the looks of it, Song Zhanlong’s defense was definitely much higher than the Tree Scorpion’s. Back then, even Observatory Master Baohe’s Treasure Sword, infused with Inner Strength, couldn’t pierce him. That just showed his fortitude.

"Inner Strength, Inner Strength... I still need Inner Strength..." Lin Hui sighed, dragging the Scorpion Tail, which weighed dozens of pounds, as he turned and headed back the way he came.

This one tail was enough for at least ten portions of Full Essence Powder.

*

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*

「Qingfeng Sword Sect Training Grounds.」

CREAK...

Amidst the faint sound of fabric stretching taut, Xiaohu was held high in the air by the brawny man. He struggled, slapping and clawing at the arm that held him, but the difference in strength was too great. It was useless.

As his face grew redder, Xiaohu’s struggles became more violent. As time passed, it was clear his breathing was severely restricted.

It looked like he was about to pass out.

"My good man, your grip is too strong. You’re choking him. The boy couldn’t speak even if he knew the answer, could he?"

Just then, Lin Shunhe, who was nearby with his two guards, called out in this direction with a smile on his face.

"What? You want to be a hero?! Do you know where the person in charge is? Or are you the one in charge here!?" The brawny man was counting the time and growing more and more frantic.

"I am not, of course, but if you’re asking about the recent situation on the nearby North Wind Forest Dao, I do know a thing or two. I ask that you please put the young man down first," Lin Shunhe said quickly.

Hearing this, the brawny man’s expression relaxed. He tossed Xiaohu aside, and his figure flashed, leaving a trail of afterimages as he abruptly crossed more than ten meters in an instant, appearing right in front of Lin Shunhe.

If Mingde had seen his Body Technique’s speed, he would have been astonished.

His speed was comparable to that of a Qingfeng Swordsmanship practitioner at the Inner Power Realm.

And this was merely a temporary guard by You Ying’s side, one who could be crippled at any moment.

WHUMP.

The brawny man grabbed Lin Shunhe, lifted him up, then turned and dashed back toward You Ying at top speed. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The two returned to their original spot, stopping before You Ying.

One man was two meters tall, the other 1.7 meters. Compared to the nearly three-meter-tall You Ying, they looked like children next to an adult—small to the point of being comical.

But when Lin Shunhe was set down, he showed no fear at all. Instead, he calmly tilted his head back to look up at You Ying.

"Milady, regarding the North Wind Forest Dao, I am familiar with the situation within the No-Fog Zone. But for the area outside the Fog Area, you would need to find the merchant caravans that frequently travel through. As far as I know, the caravan from Zhao’s Dried Goods travels this route most often. You could ask them for details."

"You go find them," You Ying said, looking at him calmly. "I’ll give you one hour to get from here to the town."

"...One hour... is a bit tight..."

"If you can’t, then you can die. My patience only lasts for one hour," You Ying interrupted.

A chill ran down Lin Shunhe’s spine. He had only stepped forward because he couldn’t bear to watch Xiaohu get killed, but he hadn’t expected this lady to be even more ruthless.

"In that case... I will do my best!"

Seeing her cold eyes, he, who had judged countless people, instantly knew that she was truly one of those powerful figures from the Inner City who meant what she said.

If he failed, his life or death would truly rest on her whim.

He had encountered people like this before, just none as direct as the one before him now.

But the crux of the matter wasn’t just the travel time to town; it was that if, by chance, the person in charge at Zhao’s Dried Goods wasn’t there... then he would be in real trouble...

He would have to rely on a bit of luck.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down his back. Lin Shunhe’s mind raced, but his expression remained calm and still. He quickly waved his two guards over.

He clearly instructed them on who to find and where to go, promising them a huge reward that made both men’s eyes light up. After committing his words to memory, they took off at a dead run, sprinting toward town.