The Decaying World-Chapter 70 - 65: Handling (Part 1)

On the training grounds, the disciples looked at each other, completely lacking the furious outcry Lin Hui had expected.

Most of the young faces showed not anger, but indifference. They were likely waiting for someone else to take the lead.

’That makes sense,’ Lin Hui thought. He now understood. The Black Dragon Sect had grown so rapidly by essentially poaching all its disciples. A sect built on such a model, no matter how large, could never foster a true sense of belonging or loyalty.

Standing at the entrance, he glanced around. When no one responded, he turned to look at Chen Yuan and the others.

Chen Yuan’s face paled, and he instinctively took a step back. He didn’t dare face Lin Hui. Even Wang Hongshi had been defeated in an instant. If he stepped up, he would just be asking for a beating; there was no other possible outcome.

"After all this, the Black Dragon Sect Leader still won’t show himself?" Lin Hui stared at Chen Yuan. "How about you go and ask Sect Leader Song to come out?"

Chen Yuan’s lips trembled. He glanced around pleadingly, only to find that his fellow disciples had already subtly distanced themselves from him.

"I’ll... go at once!"

He ran toward Song Mansion behind the headquarters as if fleeing for his life, and quickly vanished.

The crowd of onlookers had grown, and a few patrolling Officials had even arrived. Like everyone else, they stood in the crowd to watch the spectacle.

Evidently, they had chosen to remain spectators in the conflict between the Black Dragon Sect and Lin Hui.

After all, the Lin Mansion’s reputation had recently skyrocketed in the surrounding towns, and the name Mountain and River United Supermarket was more than just a little famous.

Lin Hui also spotted Mu Qiaozhi and Xie Li hiding at the edge of the crowd. Mu Qiaozhi’s arm still hadn’t been reattached. ’After so much time,’ he thought, ’it’s probably a lost cause.’

Meeting his gaze, Mu Qiaozhi flinched and quickly lowered her head, not daring to look back.

Xie Li, at her side, turned even paler. She also lowered her head, not daring to move a muscle.

’She recalled the Lin Hui she once knew—the Qingfeng Sword Sect disciple who had been so kind to Chen Zhishen. Back then, Lin Hui was just a bit aloof, with no other hobbies. He spent nearly all his time practicing the sword.’

’And look at him now, surrounded by over a hundred people, yet speaking with such confidence and composure.’

’It was like he was a completely different person.’

’Recalling her and Senior Sister Mu’s previous assessments of Lin Hui, Xie Li’s cheeks burned. She didn’t know what words could possibly describe how she felt now.’

’She felt that she and Senior Sister Mu had been nothing but clowns. Her only sliver of comfort was the thought that he hadn’t overheard their conversation back then.’

Lin Hui retracted his gaze and waited quietly for Chen Yuan to return. ’He wasn’t sure if the now-blind Song Zhanlong would still dare to fight, but that was exactly what he wanted. As long as Song Zhanlong avoided the battle—for any reason—the Black Dragon Sect’s reputation would be utterly ruined from this day on, especially since Lin Hui had already fought his way into their headquarters.’

’Still, just standing here waiting on the training grounds... It’s fine for a short while, but if this drags on... it’ll get a little awkward.’

Lin Hui glanced around, then walked directly to the high platform on the training grounds, heading for a mahogany throne clearly reserved for important figures.

He turned and sat down, leaning his sword against his leg. Then, he leaned back in the chair and actually closed his eyes to rest.

He didn’t have to wait long. Just a few seconds after he sat down...

"Someone, help! It’s terrible!!"

"Something’s happened!!"

A series of shouts erupted from the Song Mansion behind the headquarters.

The cries were filled with sheer panic, as if something utterly terrifying had occurred.

A commotion rippled through the Black Dragon Sect disciples on the training grounds. After a quick look at Lin Hui to confirm he had no objections, one of them led a few others toward the Song Mansion to investigate.

"Let’s all go take a look." The screams didn’t sound fake to Lin Hui, so he immediately stood up.

SWOOSH! His figure blurred into a trail of afterimages, soaring over the wall between the Black Dragon Sect headquarters and the Song Mansion, landing gracefully before the mansion’s main gate.

A narrow, alley-like passage in front of the gate separated the Song Mansion from the Black Dragon Sect headquarters.

A crowd was now crammed into this passage, staring in horror toward the Song Mansion.

Just inside the open gates of the Song Mansion, a dozen meters away, a stiff corpse dangled from a roof beam, swaying gently. Beneath it was a pool of dark red blood, clear evidence that the person had been dead for some time.

Lin Hui recognized the body the moment he arrived.

’Song Zhanlong!’

His expression immediately turned grave.

He clearly remembered only blinding the man’s eyes yesterday. When he left, Song Zhanlong still had a considerable amount of Inner Strength left. ’Killing him would have required a drawn-out battle of attrition.’

But he could see the fatal wound on this corpse at a glance. It wasn’t to the head, but the heart.

The chest over his heart had been caved in by some unknown force. ’An autopsy wouldn’t be necessary to know his heart was smashed to a pulp.’

"Master!!" Chen Yuan’s eyes reddened as he dropped to his knees before the body and wailed.

’His acting was a little over the top. As a local who had joined the sect late, he couldn’t have possibly developed much of a bond with Song Zhanlong.’

’He was just putting on an act.’

It wasn’t just him. The other disciples who arrived were also stunned by the scene.

Some feigned grief, kneeling and weeping alongside him. Others silently backed away, preparing to bolt. But most were simply at a loss, uncertain of what to do next.

Mu Qiaozhi and Xie Li, along with Senior Brother Wang Hongshi who was being supported by others, and the rest of the top ten elite disciples, had all come over and witnessed the scene.

’Song Zhanlong is dead!?’

’His Hard Skills were so powerful, and when augmented by his Inner Strength, he was practically invincible. Who could possibly have killed someone like that?’

Standing before the gate to Song Mansion, Lin Hui carefully studied the fatal wound on the corpse.

A few disciples rushed forward, carefully taking hold of the body and lowering it.

Someone in the crowd had already left to report to the authorities, but the patrol team that had been watching the spectacle was the first to arrive on the scene.

The scene was quickly cordoned off.

With their leader gone and Senior Brother Wang Hongshi injured by Lin Hui, the Black Dragon Sect had lost its backbone. Many disciples began to quietly slip away. Once they reached the edge of the crowd, they stripped off their Black Dragon Sect uniforms and fled.

No one stood vigil over Song Zhanlong’s body. The entire Black Dragon Sect was like a sandcastle on the beach, crumbling at the first touch of the waves.

No one paid Lin Hui any mind anymore; the members of the Black Dragon Sect were too busy scrambling to renounce their affiliation.

A few of the bolder young women even slipped into Song Mansion and began secretly looting valuables.

Lin Hui was left speechless by the sight. He decided to simply find an acquaintance to lead him into Song Mansion.

’Since everyone else is already throwing stones down the well, I, the one who dug it, can’t be too slow.’

Amid the chaos, within just one hour, Lin Hui had blocked the exits to Song Mansion. From a disciple attempting to flee, he acquired Song Zhanlong’s most prized possession—the Black Dragon Claw Secret Manual.

"Excuse me, for what reason have you summoned us?"

Mu Qiaozhi stood before a dozen or so Black Dragon Sect members, looking cautiously at Lin Hui. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Among this dozen, Wang Hongshi, Chen Yuan, and the other top-ten disciples were present.

They had wanted to leave earlier but were summoned here by Lin Hui’s men.

When Song Zhanlong was still alive, they might have dared to band together and resist a little. But now their master was gone.

Senior Brother Wang had fallen in just two moves. Under these circumstances, the group was afraid Lin Hui would settle old scores, so they dared not refuse the summons.

Unlike the ordinary members, Lin Hui had seen all their faces. They also had families and connections. They could run, but they couldn’t hide.

So, when the call went out, all of the top fifteen ranked disciples came obediently.

This was partly due to Lin Hui’s ruthless and decisive style, but also because they weren’t entirely against meeting with him again to resolve things.

"Sect Leader Lin," Wang Hongshi began, stepping forward and cupping his fists. He had taken some medicine to regulate his condition and seemed to have recovered slightly. "Now that Master Song of my Black Dragon Sect has met an unexpected end, and with the Government Office about to investigate, I’m afraid we have neither the time nor the energy to host you..."

He was already at the Body Tempering Limit thanks to his Hard Skills, just one step shy of the Inner Power Realm. The impact from the sword had only jolted his heart. After a brief recovery period, he was mostly fine.

Among this group, he was likely the only one who still genuinely considered himself a member of the Black Dragon Sect.

After all, he had been Song Zhanlong’s most favored disciple, without exception.

"And what do you think I called you over for?" Lin Hui said, flipping through a few pages of the Black Dragon Claw Secret Manual in his hands before casually putting it away. His face wore a look of melancholy.

"My Qingfeng Temple is not one to kick a man when he is down. The Black Dragon Sect is at its lowest point. With Sect Leader Song’s unexpected death, the sect is in a precarious position. Although my Qingfeng Temple has had minor conflicts with Sect Leader Song in the past, our sect has always acted with integrity. How could we possibly stand idly by at such a critical juncture?"

"..." Wang Hongshi fell silent for a moment, apparently struggling to process Lin Hui’s sickeningly sanctimonious tone. "Then, what you mean to say is, Sect Leader Lin...?"

"The Black Dragon Sect’s situation is dire. After Sect Leader Song’s... accident, I fear the assets under your jurisdiction are now beyond your ability to manage. Therefore, this matter of a United Sect..." Lin Hui sighed, his gaze sweeping across the dozen or so people before him one by one.

Wang Hongshi’s face went white. Now that his master was dead—and because he had no direct family, only a few recently acquired concubines who, in this era, had no right of inheritance—the only person with any semblance of a claim was him, Song Zhanlong’s once-favored disciple.

But he also knew his master had acquired those assets through trickery and force. Now that he was gone, his enemies would surely come back to settle the score. The few of them stood no chance against them.

"Sect Leader Lin is truly magnanimous..." Feeling that gaze, sharp as a sword, sweep across his face, Wang Hongshi managed to force out the words.

"I... am willing to represent the Black Dragon Sect in merging with the Qingfeng Sword Sect..."

"Alas... Sect Leader Song has fallen. You are all good men for being willing to stay and support the Black Dragon Sect. Anyone would commend you for it." Lin Hui looked at the dozen elite disciples, his expression quickly shifting to one of sincerity.

"Where is the Fundamental Diagram for the Black Dragon Claw Secret Manual? Sect Leader Song has only just passed, and I worry that scoundrels might use this opportunity to seize his property. It would be better if I kept it safe for his family," he inquired again.

"...I know where it is." Wang Hongshi’s face twitched as he nodded.

The group followed him deep into Song Mansion. Soon, in a small study, they found the Black Dragon Claw Root Diagram hidden in a secret compartment in the wall. It was the foundation necessary to break through to the Inner Power Realm.

All fifteen of them—with the exception of Mu Qiaozhi—pledged on the spot to join the Qingfeng Sword Sect and become members of a new Black Dragon branch.

Two of the more shameless ones even tried to take Lin Hui as their master right then and there, but he politely declined.

He brought Chen Yuan and Wang Hongshi with him to gather the remaining sect members and announce the decision.

Then, he dealt with the Officials who came to investigate, bribing them with a hefty sum to close the case.

Thus, the merger of the two sects became a legitimate affair, officially registered and on record at the town’s Government Office.