The Decaying World-Chapter 123 - 116: Implication, Part 2

Lin Hui followed several ox-carts loaded with vegetables into the city of stone pillars.

The streets here were quiet, the only sounds being footsteps and the lowing of oxen and horses. Everyone seemed to have a clear purpose, using the small flags on crossbars beside the stone pillars to identify their destinations, then going in and out to run their errands.

Lin Hui carefully examined these flags. Even at his pace, it took him more than an hour to finally locate a short, thick stone pillar with simple wooden steps built at its entrance, tucked away on a remote street corner.

’Bailin Residence—Raw Medicinal Ingredient Trading Center.’

Pushing the door open, Lin Hui immediately saw a wooden table directly opposite the entrance. It was densely packed with all sorts of medicinal ingredients, each with a small paper strip attached as a label, noting its price and quality.

Behind the wooden table, an old man wearing glasses sat with his legs crossed, flipping through a small book.

"Look for what you need yourself. Minimum order is ten portions. We don’t sell single items," the old man rattled off without looking up.

"Do you have any Yun Lingzhi?" Lin Hui asked directly.

"We do, but it’s quite expensive. How much do you need? You know the going rate, right?" the old man asked, looking up in surprise.

"How much per stalk here?" Lin Hui glanced around, noticing a small tea hall to his left. A few people were sparsely seated inside, and books lay on the tables, available for anyone to read.

His entrance had caused two customers near the door to glance up. A flicker of curiosity was clearly visible in the eyes of a woman wearing a white hat.

Lin Hui also noticed how different he was from the locals.

Nearly everyone here had cyan eyes. Their attire was mainly gray, brown, and black; pure white was rare.

An all-white outfit like his was clearly conspicuous.

MEOW~

A black cat ambled out leisurely from the tea hall, its demeanor lazy as it passed by Lin Hui’s boots.

"At least twenty stalks. If the quality is good, I can place a long-term order." Lin Hui was a little curious. ’With the Inner City’s radiation levels, how can a cat survive here?’

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. He looked away and turned back to the old man.

"Hmm... this much." The old man held up his hand, making the gesture for the number eight.

"Eighty thousand? Done."

"Decisive! Since you’re so straightforward, I also have some Top-grade Purple Cloud Ganoderma. Its effects are several times stronger than Yun Lingzhi. Interested?" A pleasant smile appeared on the old man’s face.

"What’s the price?"

"Five hundred thousand a piece."

"I’ll take one to try," Lin Hui said boldly.

’I can’t believe I found Yun Lingzhi so easily here. It’s not nearly as hard to find as Wang Yueheng claimed. Obviously, that guy was just stringing me along. No, maybe he just didn’t take it seriously. He probably never even bothered to look at all.’

He quickly settled on a delivery time with the old man, paid a deposit, and walked out of Bailin Residence with the token for his order.

Before leaving, he learned the old man’s name during the transaction: Zhao Bingsheng, a member of the Cyan Eye Race and the Shopkeeper of this Bailin Residence.

With his goal for the trip perfectly accomplished, Lin Hui recalled the person in blue he had met on the way. Now he didn’t want to linger here a moment longer.

He immediately broke into a run, leaving the city district like the wind and returning the way he came, not pausing for a single moment.

Except for taking a long detour around the stone bridge, he sped through all other areas at full speed.

The agreed-upon transaction time with the old man was in five days. After returning to the Outer City, Lin Hui fell back into his usual routine.

This trip had allowed him to open up a new channel for purchasing medicine, one separate from the Wang Family, which was a significant gain.

However, not two days after his return, a piece of news arrived from the Lin Mansion.

Lin Chaoyi was dying.

"Are you going to see him?" his father, Lin Shunhe, asked. He was sitting in the study at Qingfeng Temple, looking at Lin Hui, who sat in silence with his eyes closed.

"With the Zong Family in its current state, what’s there to see?" Lin Hui replied.

"True. We’ve already split from the main family and cut ties. They didn’t help us when we were at our worst, so there’s really nothing to see now," Lin Shunhe said. The words were meant for Lin Hui, yet it seemed he was also saying them to himself.

"Once Lin Chaoyi is gone, who in the Zong Family will be left to take charge?" Lin Hui asked.

"No one," Lin Shunhe sighed. "Every branch is in a bad state. The second branch, the only one doing passably well, is incredibly stingy. The family will fall apart after this. I doubt there will be a Zong Family of the Lin clan anymore."

"Send the old man some money for a coffin," Lin Hui said, also feeling a bit wistful.

The Zong Family’s situation had been deteriorating for years. Ever since Lin Hongyu started causing trouble and brought one blow after another, the family was like a stone rolling down a slope, picking up speed. The small foundation they had painstakingly accumulated was completely drained by Lin Hongyu’s incessant demands.

Now, with the clan leader about to pass away, there would be no backbone left to hold the branches together. It was highly likely that the family would completely splinter.

"How are things with you? I know an old friend’s daughter, she’s very graceful and dignified..." Lin Shunhe started to ask.

"Wait," Lin Hui quickly interrupted. "I already have someone I love. And I’ve decided she’s the only one I’ll marry."

"Hmm?" His father was stunned. ’It hasn’t been that long, and he’s already decided she’s the only one he’ll marry? Who could be so charming?’

He knew his son’s temperament well, and his curiosity was instantly piqued.

"What’s her name?"

"Han Xiaoyue."

"How old is she?"

"I don’t know... but she looks very young."

"Where does her family live? What’s her background?"

"I’m not sure. But she plays musical instruments and is very knowledgeable, so her background can’t be bad." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"....How do you know nothing about her?" His father was speechless.

"This is the token of affection we exchanged." Lin Hui decisively took out the Hongyu that Han Xiaoyue had given him.