The Decaying World-Chapter 145 - 136: Gaze 4

"Big Brother..." Lin Hui took a breath. He ran a quick simulation in his mind. ’Without Han Xiaoyue’s warning, Liu Wu Jun would likely have been taken down this time. Then Liu Xiao, who’s stationed outside, would definitely quit her post and rush back in a rage. With a temper like hers, she would have been even easier to ambush.’

’Once the two of them fell... The vast and powerful Liu Family’s Zong Family would be fine, of course, but the Lin Family, which is connected to them, might get dragged into the mess...’

"Since you’re here and have seen me, you can let Uncle, Auntie, and Mother know that I’m all right. I’ll maintain the appearance of being only lightly injured and make some public appearances to deter anyone with crooked ideas. While you’re in the Outer City, remember to keep a close eye on the family. Uncle Lin has some of his own connections, but it’s ultimately borrowed power. If anything sudden happens, you must immediately take the family and flee the city. Go to another district; don’t stay where you are."

"Is the situation that serious?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.

"As long as I’m still around, it’ll be fine. But if you ever find that the sphere I gave you has shattered, don’t hesitate. Flee at once! Take Mother, Auntie, and Uncle Lin with you and run!" Liu Wu Jun said with great seriousness.

"Okay!"

Lin Hui nodded heavily.

He could see that Liu Wu Jun’s situation wasn’t good, and he felt a pang of self-blame.

After all, he was the one who had initiated the conflict with the Wanhua Sect.

His Big Brother had later stepped in to take care of the trouble, but he never expected it to lead to this.

"Don’t overthink it. This has nothing to do with you," Liu Wu Jun said, patting Lin Hui’s shoulder reassuringly. "It’s just someone in the Liu Family’s Zong Family who can’t stand me. This isn’t their first time colluding with the Wanhua Sect. Even without your incident, they would’ve found some other power to work with. Besides, I’ve dealt with situations like this before. It’s no big deal."

"Mm," Lin Hui nodded heavily.

Leaving the Rain Palace, his mind was heavy with worry. Instead of going straight back, he found a carriage house to ask for directions to the Moon Tower in the Core Area, planning to make a detour to see it before returning.

"The Moon Tower District??" The clerk at the carriage house counter couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "No offense, buddy, but do you have any idea how far the Moon Tower is from here?"

"What do you mean? A two-day ride should be enough, right?" Lin Hui asked, surprised.

"Two days?" the clerk said, shaking his head and holding up six fingers. "A horse galloping nonstop from here would take at least six days and six nights!"

"Even if you’re a great noble traveling by Moth Car, it would still take a full day of flying to get there," the clerk added with a laugh. "What were you thinking, buddy?"

"Besides, why would you go to the Moon Tower for no reason? That place is filled with high and mighty lords," a nearby worker moving boxes chimed in. "And those lords are notoriously forgetful. If one of them doesn’t recognize you, they might just strike you dead on a whim, and there’s nowhere you can even go to plead your case."

"You say that like you’ve been there yourself," the counter clerk retorted with a laugh.

"I’ve heard the big merchant caravans talking about it when they get back, haven’t I?" the box-hauler retorted.

"’Forgetful?’" Lin Hui narrowed his eyes. "’I thought the people in the Core Area’s Moon Tower were all either top-tier Martial Artists, Advanced Summoners, or Original Blood Nobility. How could powerhouses of that caliber be ’forgetful’?’"

"I’m not clear on the details. All I know is the traveling merchant caravans mention it often. That place... they say it’s a land of pure pleasure. Anything you could ever want, you can find it there. The best food, the best fun, the best drinks, the best entertainment... it has it all," the mover said, a look of yearning on his face.

Lin Hui asked for more details about the Core Area, but the worker knew little else. He had no choice but to leave the carriage house and head toward his second objective: the New Martial Alliance.

He had another goal for this trip, one he intended to accomplish now: to understand the subsequent realms and power levels of a Martial Artist.

Through his training, he had long since deviated from the conventional Martial Artist System of Inner Power Martial Artists, instead walking the path of Blood Seal Evolution Martial Arts, which focused on both Body Tempering and Inner Strength.

But which was stronger: Blood Seal Evolution Martial Arts or the conventional Martial Artist System? And where did his current strength place him within the New Martial Alliance? He needed to confirm these things, to find a suitable benchmark for comparison.

Therefore, a trip to the New Martial Alliance was essential.

In truth, the best benchmarks would be the Three Sects and Six Gangs, but they were overwhelmingly powerful and their affairs too murky. The New Martial Alliance was a more manageable target.

Learning his lesson from the last time, Lin Hui bought a full set of Night Clothes on the street. He then bought four masks at once, placing them on the front, back, and sides of his head. Finally, he equipped the steel sword that he had just evolved. No one had ever seen this sword, so it was the perfect opportunity to test its power.

After asking for directions along the way, he quickly found out that the New Martial Alliance headquarters was located in a mountain forest in the Central Ring, very far from his current position. Abandoning the idea of traveling to the headquarters, Lin Hui changed his destination to the nearest branch.

「Four hours later.」

Before a mountain fortress in the Outer Ring, Lin Hui, led by a guide he had hired, finally found a signpost for the New Martial Alliance branch.

On the signpost, the labels for the New Martial Alliance’s Yuan Mountain Branch and the Garden Mountain Fortress were stacked on top of each other, both pointing in the same direction.

"Friend, are you familiar with the New Martial Alliance?" the guide asked. "Want me to tell you about them? This organization was only established and rose to prominence in the last few years. This particular branch is a pretty significant power near the South Nine Gates."

The guide, a burly, bearded man and a trained practitioner himself, took one look at Lin Hui’s getup. Wrapped from head to toe and wearing four bizarre, mysterious masks, he was clearly looking for trouble.

"I know a little. Go ahead and tell me," Lin Hui said, casually tossing the man a small piece of gold. The guide’s face instantly broke into a wide grin.