The Decaying World-Chapter 71 - 66: Handling 2

「The next morning.」

Lin Hui once again arrived at the Black Dragon Sect’s headquarters.

Wang Hongshi and Chen Yuan were already waiting for him.

Wang Hongshi was a top genius whom Song Zhanlong had taken as a disciple late in his training. He wasn’t a local and had no support or anywhere else to go.

Furthermore, although his master had treated him well, Song Zhanlong’s selfish and volatile personality meant he didn’t have good intentions. He was cultivating Wang Hongshi to be a shield for him in the future.

Wang Hongshi was aware of all this. So, after a night of mental adjustment, he quickly came to accept the matter of the merger.

It was just as Lin Hui had said: with Song Zhanlong’s unexpected death, the Black Dragon Sect was in a precarious state. If a powerful figure didn’t step up to stabilize the situation, the entire sect would likely collapse and be destroyed within days.

From this perspective, he felt that although Sect Leader Lin Hui’s methods were a bit unseemly, he was genuinely acting with his late master’s interests in mind. The merger was indeed a good thing for the Black Dragon Sect.

Perhaps, just as the other party had claimed, the Qingfeng Sword Sect was a righteous local martial arts hall. Although they’d had conflicts with the Black Dragon Sect in the past, they wouldn’t resort to excessive measures at a critical moment.

This was a Sect Leader with principles.

That was Wang Hongshi’s assessment.

So he had come. In his heart, regardless of what plans his master had for him, the fact was that he had received his master’s grace and thus had an obligation to stabilize the Black Dragon Sect.

The other, Chen Yuan, hailed from a distant branch of the Chen Family. Like Chen Chong before him, he couldn’t just run away, so he had no choice but to show up.

His feelings toward Lin Hui were mostly fear, and he was ready to bolt at any moment. He wasn’t as straightforward as Wang Hongshi.

Besides these two, another person, someone who surprised Lin Hui, had also appeared in the main hall of the headquarters.

It was his former Second Senior Brother, Zhao Jiang’an.

When Lin Hui entered, this senior brother was standing in the hall, looking utterly bewildered, his face a mask of confusion about what had happened.

He had just slacked off for a bit, gone home to rest for a few days, and now he comes back to... this? How did things turn out like this??

And why had his junior brother from the Qingfeng Sword Sect, Lin Hui, suddenly popped up to take charge of this major merger with the Black Dragon Sect?

Right, and what the hell was this "merger" anyway??

When his Eldest Senior Brother Wang Hongshi asked him to step forward and smooth things over with Lin Hui, he was completely stunned.

Because of his connection to Chen Zhishen, he had once admired Lin Hui and had even tried to invite him to join his family, only to be politely refused.

He never imagined that now...

Zhao Jiang’an stared dumbly as Lin Hui walked in and, with a perfectly natural air, sat down in the grandmaster’s chair that Song Zhanlong used to occupy.

"Did you bring the documents and contracts?" Lin Hui asked, looking at Chen Yuan and Wang Hongshi.

"We brought everything. Under the Black Dragon Sect’s name, there are thirteen apothecaries, two large-scale Elixir production workshops, and four Copper-Red Deer farms. In total, there are ninety-seven sect members and two hundred thirty-two employees remaining. The latter are on the payroll and require monthly wages," Wang Hongshi said calmly, taking out a neat stack of contracts from his robes. These were all the deeds to the Black Dragon Sect’s properties.

"Previously, the Black Dragon Sect’s average monthly income was around 3.6 million cash, with a low of two million and a high of five million, but it’s hard to say now. After all, many of our businesses relied on our master’s prestige. Now, our rivals might try to encroach on and seize our market share."

Wang Hongshi had clearly done his homework, getting a detailed understanding of the Black Dragon Sect’s entire structure.

"Doesn’t matter. Spread my name. If anyone dares to make a move and encroach on our business, I’ll personally pay them a visit. Since we’ve merged, we’re all one family now," Lin Hui said casually. ’This is all my money now!’

He didn’t care how Song Zhanlong had snatched it from others. In this day and age, which rising power had clean hands?

It was all blood money, and now that it was in his hands, it wasn’t going anywhere.

"Understood," Wang Hongshi nodded.

"Of course, don’t bother me with trivial matters. You can handle any trouble that doesn’t involve the Inner Power Realm yourselves. The Black Dragon Sect spends a considerable amount of resources on you every month, doesn’t it?" Lin Hui asked. The persona he maintained was that of a fighter who could defeat those in the Inner Power Realm without having reached it himself.

"Yes... The top ten disciples cost about one million cash in total, mainly for purchasing various training drugs and injury medicines," Wang Hongshi nodded.

"How is the money stored?"

"Most of it is in an account at the Tuyue Gold Shop under our master’s name. A smaller portion has been converted into various supplies and is kept in the warehouse. Actually, there were a lot more savings before, but our master spent it all on renovating the Song Mansion and his own training. So, the account only has last month’s profits," Wang Hongshi replied.

’Tuyue Gold Shop...’ Lin Hui knew of this chain of gold shops headquartered in the Inner City. It was basically a bank, like the ones he was familiar with from his past life.

The name was different, but its function was the same.

His father also conducted many of his financial transactions through the Tuyue Gold Shop, so he was fairly familiar with it.

Sitting in the grandmaster’s chair, Lin Hui was well aware of the current situation. Although the merger seemed successful, whether he could hold onto the Black Dragon Sect’s assets depended on whether his martial strength was sufficient.

With Song Zhanlong dead, there was no shortage of powers eager to grab this juicy piece of meat. He estimated someone would come knocking soon.

But it didn’t matter.

Lin Hui’s expression suddenly shifted. At that very moment, a massive surge of Inner Power Silk Threads flooded the blood vessels in his legs, like a cluster of sharp needles, and completely cleared the meridians in his legs.

First Layer of the Inner Power Realm, achieved!

"Among the goods in the warehouse, are there any Treasure Medicines that can increase one’s vitality?" Lin Hui asked, his face impassive.

"I’m not sure... We haven’t taken inventory yet," Wang Hongshi shook his head.

"I know about that!" Chen Yuan chimed in from the side, eager to prove his worth. "There are two Yun Lingzhi that were just delivered to the warehouse. They’re top-quality goods that Master acquired from a Medicine Man in the Fog Area! A single stalk is worth over a hundred thousand, and you can’t even find them on the market."

"Yun Lingzhi!?" Lin Hui shot to his feet. "Let’s go. Take me to see it!"

He was currently taking Full Essence Powder daily. While it had already sped up the evolution of his Gale Swordsmanship considerably, he still had to wait nearly two more years.

If there was a better medicine to boost his vitality, he might be able to complete the evolution much faster.

Immediately, led by Chen Yuan, the group quickly arrived at a pavilion to the right of the headquarters.

In a subterranean pharmacy on the first floor of the building, Lin Hui got his hands on the Yun Lingzhi, worth a hundred thousand.

"This is it? It can significantly boost vitality?" He carefully put on a pair of silk gloves and picked up a stalk of Yun Lingzhi to examine it.

It was a palm-sized White Lingzhi. Its surface was warm and smooth like jade, giving it the appearance of a jade carving—it looked almost fake.

But upon sniffing it up close, he could detect the faint fragrance of a lingzhi mushroom.

It was a light, somewhat woody scent.

"Yes. When this is ground into a powder and mixed with supplementary medicines, it was Master Song’s favorite concoction for enhancing stamina. He could go with ten women in one night..." Chen Yuan lowered his voice for the last part, a knowing smile on his face.

Lin Hui was speechless. No wonder it was so hard to find medicine that boosted vitality—it turned out people were using it as an aphrodisiac!

No wonder it was so sought-after on the market.

"Then how should I use it to purely boost vitality?" he asked directly.

"For that, you can just consume it directly. Slicing it and steeping it in water is usually better. It provides a gentle and refreshing boost," Chen Yuan replied.

Then he watched as Lin Hui, holding the Yun Lingzhi, gently bit off a small piece and swallowed it.

At that moment, Lin Hui was intently staring at the Blood Seal characters at the bottom of his vision.

’Gale Swordsmanship—a Swordsmanship evolved from Qingfeng Swordsmanship, can summon gales when used...’

Following that was a pile of introductory text he’d seen before, which was quite convoluted.

’It would be great if this could be simplified,’ the thought flashed through Lin Hui’s mind.

HISS.

In an instant, the characters in his vision blurred and then reappeared, sharp and clear.

’Gale Swordsmanship—Next evolution stage of Qingfeng Sword. Time remaining for evolution: 1 year, 322 days.’

’Much clearer now.’ Lin Hui was a little surprised but quickly accepted it. He guessed that the Blood Seal had formed its text by extracting information from the database in his mind. The fact that it could change to suit his needs meant the Blood Seal’s internal system was a constantly adaptable model.

This was actually a good thing.

He stared intently at the remaining time.

One minute, two minutes...

Suddenly, the time in his vision jumped. The "1 year, 322 days" instantly decreased by three days, becoming "1 year, 319 days."

’It works! This is truly a great medicine!’ Lin Hui was overjoyed.

He immediately and carefully placed the Yun Lingzhi back into its wooden box, picked it up along with the other box in stock, and prepared to take them home to consume.

"Keep an eye out for any more vitality-boosting medicines for me," Lin Hui instructed the three men. Then, he eagerly left the headquarters and headed for home.

He needed to convert these two herbs into progress as quickly as possible, lest their medicinal properties dissipate and go to waste.

When he got home, he had just stepped inside and placed the medicine in his private pavilion when he saw his father, Lin Shunhe, slowly approaching outside.

His father’s bearing had changed with his new status and environment. The way he walked now carried an aura that set him apart from ordinary people.

His belly had grown, his face had rounded out, and his eyes shone with vigor. Someone with even slightly less confidence wouldn’t dare to meet his gaze.

Lin Shunhe was wearing an outer robe of black silk with a gold coin pattern, the typical attire of a wealthy gentleman. A string of Jade Talismans and keys dangled and clinked from one side of his vibrant green sash. Following behind him was a strong, elderly man in black, his head bowed respectfully.

"Ah Hui. Have a moment to talk?" Lin Shunhe asked, slowly entering and knocking on the door panel.

"Father? Of course." Lin Hui had been about to take the medicine, but it was rare for his father to initiate a chat. He figured something must be up, so he paused, placed the medicine box on the table, and rose to greet him.

The father and son closed the door, and the old man waited outside, clearly in the role of a bodyguard.

Lin Shunhe glanced at the medicine box on the table first but didn’t ask about it. His gaze then moved to his son’s resolute face.

"The matter with the Black Dragon Sect... was that your doing?" he asked directly.

"You already know, Father?" Lin Hui was slightly surprised. The news had just gotten out, yet his father already knew. It was obvious he was keeping a close watch on him.

"Although the Black Dragon Sect isn’t on the level of a Great Martial Arts Hall like the Baihua Sect, it’s still a medium-sized power. An incident this major naturally causes quite a stir," Lin Shunhe said, shaking his head.

He paused, looking at his son.

"What do you plan to do next?"

If another powerful figure had annexed the Black Dragon Sect, he could have accepted it naturally.

But when he heard from his subordinates that his own son had done it—and done it alone—capitalizing on the Black Dragon Sect Leader’s unexpected death to swallow the entire sect in one gulp, he was utterly astonished.

In his heart, he had always thought his son, Lin Hui, was a good kid who just buried his head in swordsmanship, focusing only on the things he loved.

He could accept that his son was a quiet, introverted type. He could also accept that he was a good child who valued kindness and righteousness.

But... to suddenly leap from being a child to the leader of a sect? And the Sect Leader of the Qingfeng Sword Sect, one who carried the air of a powerful expert, no less.

This...

"I just went with the flow," Lin Hui said with a smile. "Since Song Zhanlong of the Black Dragon Sect is dead, the feud between him and my Qingfeng Temple is settled. Now the Black Dragon Sect is in turmoil. If others can seize its assets, why can’t my Qingfeng Sword Sect?"

"..." Lin Shunhe fell silent, staring fixedly at his calm and confident son. He suddenly had the strange feeling that he was only now truly getting to know him.

Perhaps, when he wasn’t paying attention, his son had quietly grown up...