Decision

"There have been two incidents in Xinyu recently, and even more in Rao Shan—five in total, all occurring during the day," Lin Hongzhen said in a low voice, her expression somber.

"Are your uncle and aunt planning to move into the inner city?" Lin Hui suddenly asked.

He remembered that Lin Hongzhen's parents were merchants in town and were better off than his own family. Plus, Lin Hongzhen herself was a helper at the Shayue Pharmacy and earned a decent wage, so moving into the inner city was a real possibility.

"Yeah, soon. Door-Breaking Ghosts have appeared in many towns lately, so my parents plan to move into the city to take shelter," Lin Hongzhen nodded slightly. She and Lin Hui had a decent relationship; they used to play together when they were younger, and he was one of the few clan members the Lin Family was willing to associate with.

"Times are not peaceful lately. Be careful yourself and stop trying to get involved in everything," Lin Hongzhen warned him.

She intended to continue, but a young girl with braided pigtails tapped her from behind to say hello.

"Xiao Qin, is that you?" She turned around, her face lighting up, and immediately began chatting with the girl.

Lin Hui, who had been planning to ask something else, stopped himself. He noticed the girl looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a very revealing style—a white tube top, a leather miniskirt that barely covered her thighs, and a simple snakeskin belt around her waist. It was a typical inner-city look. A brown wavy short blade was strapped to the outside of her thigh.

In the end, he took one last look at the bloodstains in the courtyard before turning and walking away in silence.

He followed the yellow dirt road toward town, and before long, his figure slowly disappeared around the bend.

The young girl glanced in his direction and looked at Lin Hongzhen.

"Your brother?"

"Yeah, a cousin, from the fourth branch. An honest kid," Lin Hongzhen nodded. "Do you think he has a chance of being selected in this recruitment? His family's situation isn't great, and you know how things are lately—staying in Xinyu isn't a long-term solution."

"His looks aren't quite there... You know how Yugong selects people; they prioritize appearance first. If you don't have the looks, you at least need to offer some benefits..." the girl shook her head. "To be honest, the only one in your Lin Family who could be selected based on talent is Lin Hongyu. As for the rest..."

"Lin Hongyu... you'd better stop mentioning that person; just hearing the name makes me angry. What about my cousin then? Could you pull him in to run errands where you are? He's started looking for work recently." Lin Hongzhen probed.

"Why don't you just have him go to the Chen Family and work as an agent?" The girl looked at her, speechless. "Don't you know what it's like inside Shayue?"

Lin Hongzhen gave an awkward smile.

"It's just that he's at this age, and we have a good relationship, so I want to find him a path."

Lin Hui was a well-known figure in the Lin Family. His parents were famous for doting on their only son, providing him with the best food and drink since childhood and never wanting to send him out to suffer or learn a trade. Now that he was older, they were finally starting to panic.

Usually, families sent their children out to learn a trade before the age of ten. The Lin Family was a large clan, and Lin Hui's father had a decent income as a manager, so he had pampered and spoiled his son in every way possible.

In the eyes of others, refusing to send him out to learn a trade was already considered coddling.

And yet, here they were...

Lin Hongzhen shook her head internally. Even she had gone out to be an apprentice and run errands at ten years old. It had taken seven years, and only last year did she finally earn the qualification to become a regular member of Shayue.

In Tuyue, there were only three ways for a commoner to get ahead.

Government selection, Shayue selection, or Chen Family selection.

If none of these three paths worked, one could only farm or become a shop hand to learn a craft.

If neither of those worked, then one ended up like Lin Hui—having to go out and sell his labor or take dangerous jobs just to make a living.

Essentially, in the eyes of the poor, Lin Hui was already the son of a manager, a young master who had completely escaped the hardships of poverty.

In Xinyu Town, he could barely be considered a "second-generation rich kid."

That was why Lin Hui's father would never be willing to let his only son take a dangerous path.

Lin Hongzhen understood this very well.

*

*

*

Xinyu Town, Xinyu Oil Mill.

In a dark corner thick with grease, large oil barrels were lined up neatly like soldiers in formation.

Lin Hui's father, Lin Shunhe, his eyes bloodshot, was quietly stuffing a heavy gray money bag into the hands of an elderly man with a large belly wearing a wealthy merchant's robe.

"Elder Chen, what do you think? About this quota to recommend him into the inner city...?"

"The goods are good, and the matter was handled beautifully. Don't worry, Little Lin, I've already passed the word along," the old man said with a smile.

Lin Shunhe's heart skipped a beat. He gritted his teeth and pulled out another money bag with silver trim he had kept close to his body, handing it over.

This was his retirement savings, money he had originally intended to use to move into the inner city with his wife, Yao Shan, but he couldn't worry about that now.

His son had been idling at home for over a year, doing nothing and living in a daze. If this continued, he might be ruined.

If he could get him a job as an employee at the Chen Family, it would be worth all this effort. One had to know that it usually took seven or eight years to go from a bottom-tier apprentice to an employee; his private deal and these savings were essentially buying those seven or eight years.

Who in all of Tuyue didn't know that the Chen Family's benefits were top-tier? As long as one could get into the Chen Family, at the very least, one could live in the inner city and be guaranteed basic safety.

"Now you're being a stranger, aren't you? But greasing the wheels does cost money. Don't worry, Little Lin, I'll handle this," Elder Chen's smile widened. He opened the bag, glanced inside, and weighed it in his hand.

"Just send him over later. Lin Hui, right?"

"Yes, yes," Lin Shunhe nodded repeatedly.

"Alright, I've got it," Elder Chen nodded. "It's getting late, I'm going to go eat. You can bring him to the third gate of the Chen Family Fortress around tomorrow afternoon—the one where you can see the Haoyi Tower from the outside. Don't go to the wrong one."

"Understood, I will be there on time!" Lin Shunhe replied quickly.

Watching Elder Chen slowly walk out of the oil mill warehouse with his hands behind his back, the heavy stone in his heart finally fell.

Although he had used up years of savings in one go, even throwing in his retirement fund, as long as his son could make something of himself after getting in, the money could always be earned back later with more hard work...

*

*

*

Lin Hui wandered toward the town along the road.

Xinyu Town was a tiny place, shaped like a comb with five intersecting streets. The so-called streets were actually just ordinary yellow dirt roads that had been packed down.

The town's main industry consisted of a dozen or so workshops, the oil mill being just one of them. There were also clothing workshops, leather workshops, grain mills, fruit processing shops, and so on.

Aside from the workshops, there were only residential houses, either square earthen huts or stone-walled courtyards.

The only thing that left a deep impression on Lin Hui was a dilapidated temple he passed by the roadside.

He didn't go inside, just stood outside and peered through a hole in the crumbling wall. There was no deity enshrined within, only rows of clay figurines of children with missing limbs.

The pitch-black clay figurines were crafted with extreme delicacy and looked lifelike, as if rows of children under three years old were truly sitting cross-legged in the temple, their faces full of laughter.

It was precisely because of their missing limbs that the scene appeared particularly eerie.

That was also the reason he didn't dare to go inside.

Seeing that it was nearing noon, Lin Hui turned back toward home. On the way, he looked far out toward the edge of town.

White fog filled the air, a vast expanse of gray where nothing could be seen or discerned.

Mist shrouded everything in this world; only by clustering around the giant cities could people find a No Fog Zone and earn the right to survive.

Sighing, Lin Hui quickened his pace. As he neared the Lin Family compound, he happened to run into three or four Clan Members respectfully seeing a pot-bellied old man out.

Standing at the front of the group was none other than the Lin Family patriarch, Lin Chaoyi.

This old patriarch, now over seventy, was the current helmsman of the Lin Family. He leaned on a dark red cane, his complexion ruddy, his silver hair neatly combed back. His usually stern face was now exceptionally soft.

He was carefully holding the back of the hand of a beautiful young girl beside him, speaking incessantly to the pot-bellied old man.

Seeing Lin Hui return, the old patriarch stopped talking and patted the girl's arm one last time.

"This matter is settled," the old patriarch said decisively.

"But, isn't this bad? This is the spot that brother Lin Shunhe fought for..." The pot-bellied old man was Elder Chen, who had just come out of the oil mill. He hadn't expected that the moment he stepped out, he would be intercepted by the Lin Family patriarch, who had been waiting outside. Without a word, the man had stuffed a massive bribe into his hands, with the sole request that he transfer the spot to Lin Hongyu, also of the Lin Family.

The old patriarch offered even more benefits, so Elder Chen was naturally happy to agree, but this spot was something Lin Shunhe had risked his life to earn from the young master. If he changed it like this...

"There is nothing bad about it. We are all Lin family members. I am the patriarch, and I decide all matters, big and small, in this house," the old patriarch Lin Chaoyi said firmly. "I didn't think Shunhe would succeed before, but now that he has, it would be a waste to let little Hui enter such a good opportunity at the Chen Family. Only by giving it to Hongyu, with her talent and perseverance, can she develop well in the Chen Family and attain a high status. Then she can pull little Hui up later; that is the Great Path. It is the optimal choice that is best for the entire Lin Family."

"And what about Shunhe..."

"I will talk to him. I am his father! If he dares to disobey, this cane of mine isn't just for show!" Lin Chaoyi said in a deep voice.

Elder Chen glanced at the group of Lin family members and shook his head inwardly. It seemed this family had been waiting here for a long time, aiming to prey on Lin Shunhe's family.

Ruthless.

But these were the Lin family's affairs. As long as he got the benefits, the rest had nothing to do with him. In any case, he had fulfilled the spot for the Lin Family in the end.

Seeing Lin Hui approaching slowly, the old patriarch lowered his voice to say a few more words to Elder Chen before sending him off to the carriage by the road.

The group passed by Lin Hui, squeezing him to the side. Once they finished seeing the guest off, the old patriarch turned back to look at Lin Hui. Observing his thin frame and vacant eyes, he let out a cold snort and led the others back into the courtyard.

Lin Hongyu and her father, Lin Shuntao, were also in the group. Seeing Lin Hui, she felt a bit embarrassed about taking his spot, so Lin Shuntao gently nudged his daughter.

"Go and greet your cousin; get closer to him in the future."

"If you want to go, you go. I'm not going," Lin Hongyu turned away impatiently. "I have to temper my mind every day; I don't have time to wander around like him. It's just that I owe him a little something; I'll just pay him back double later."

Seeing her Old Man still trying to urge her, Lin Hongyu became even more impatient.

"Don't push me. He has no ability himself and couldn't grasp the opportunity even when he had it. Who is he to blame?"

The group bickered as they returned to the courtyard, leaving Lin Hui to watch it all in confusion, feeling that something was wrong.

The group's voices hadn't been loud, and since he was standing a bit far away, he couldn't hear what they were saying at all.

Seeing everyone go back in, he followed them into the courtyard. He was truly tired after walking for so long.

*

*

*

BANG!!!

"What!! You gave little Hui's spot to Hongyu!!?"

A teacup was smashed fiercely against the wall.

Lin Hui's father, Lin Shunhe, stood up in a rage, his hands and clothes covered in lukewarm tea.

He was trembling all over, glaring at the patriarch Lin Chaoyi, who sat in the main seat of the hall, his chest heaving rapidly like a bellows.

"That was the spot I fought for... with my life... for my son!!"

He stared at Lin Chaoyi, saying each word with deliberate force.

"How could you dare!?"

"Are you trying to revolt!?" Lin Chaoyi also stood up abruptly, smashing his teacup onto the floor.

"I am your father, damn it! What's wrong with using a few of your things? What's wrong with that!? I raised you all these years, and this is how you repay me?"

Lin Chaoyi roared in anger, leaning on his cane as he stepped toward Lin Shunhe.

"What's this? You've grown some backbone!? You dare smash things in front of me now!? You've really grown capable, haven't you!?"

He grabbed Lin Shunhe's arm and pulled it toward his own head.

"Come on, if you have the guts, if you're a man, hit me! Hit your own father! I'm standing right here in front of you, hit me if you dare!!"

"Hit me!!" Lin Chaoyi bellowed, his roar making the entire hall hum with vibration.

The two men locked arms in a tense struggle, veins bulging on their dark skin.

Lin Shunhe's face turned purple with rage, his eyes bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the Old Man.

His fists were clenched tight, yet he remained motionless.

"The quota for Hongyu has already been submitted! The Chen Family has already accepted it! It's done, there's no way to change it now. What you need to do is face the facts! Help Hongyu grow and thrive within the Chen Family, and only then will you have a chance to pull your son up later! When that time comes, both of us from the Lin Family can enter the Chen Family—that is the true benefit for the family!!" Seeing that he had cowed his son, Lin Chaoyi's tone softened slightly as he began to explain coldly.

Lin Shunhe gripped his fists tightly, looking at the Old Man who wore a face of persuasion, the disappointment and sorrow in his heart nearly overflowing.

From childhood to adulthood, he had never received any support from the Old Man; any benefits almost always went to Hongyu's family. Even his current position as the manager of the oil mill was something he had obtained only because he had accidentally caught the eye of a noble from the yamen back then.

He had originally thought he would just let it go; after all, he was his father, and if he just endured it, life would go on. But he never expected that the quota he had fought tooth and nail to earn for his son would be so calculatedly snatched away by this old thing!!?

At this moment, the more Lin Shunhe thought about it, the angrier and more stifled he felt.

Before him, Lin Chaoyi was still rambling on, saying he should prioritize the entire Lin Family, and that as long as the family was strong as a whole, it would be of great benefit to everyone. He shouldn't hold a grudge just because of a temporary sacrifice...

"Ah!!!"

Suddenly, Lin Shunhe violently flung the Old Man's hand away, pointing a finger at him, gritting his teeth, his entire body trembling.

"From childhood to adulthood, I have never relied on you for anything! I endured it when you sacrificed me before, but now you want to sacrifice my son too!! Fine!! From this day forward, my family of three has nothing more to do with you or the Lin Family!! No more connection whatsoever!!!"

He used every ounce of his strength to let out a roar, and without looking at the crimson-faced Lin Chaoyi again, he turned and walked away.

"You!!" Lin Chaoyi pointed at him, too furious to even utter a complete sentence. "Unfilial son!! You, you unfilial son!!"

Bang.

The hall door was pushed open, and Lin Shunhe strode out, quickly disappearing around the corner of the courtyard.

Only Lin Chaoyi remained standing where he was, gnashing his teeth. However, he didn't dare call for anyone; after all, this matter was indeed dishonorable on his part, and if it were to spread, it would have a negative impact on him and the entire Lin Family.

"But what did I do wrong!? Everything I did was for the sake of the Lin Family, for everyone!" Lin Chaoyi gritted his teeth, breathing heavily.