Change of Heart II

Lin Hui nodded and glanced at his grandfather, Lin Chaoyi, and the two people behind him.

Lin Chaoyi was one thing. Of the other two, one was Lin Hongzhen's father, Lin Shunjiang, while the other was Lin Shunchong from the second branch.

One wore a helpless expression, the other looked gloomy. Both stood with folded arms, watching Lin Chaoyi put on his performance.

By now, Lin Chaoyi was trembling all over with rage at Lin Shunhe's words. He pointed at him, unable to utter a single word.

"Ah!" x2

Just then, both men rolled their eyes back at the same time and fell backward onto the floor.

Father and son moved in exactly the same way. The instant they hit the ground, foam began spilling from their mouths as their bodies convulsed.

Yao Shan and Lin Shunchong rushed forward at the same time to catch them, then cried out anxiously in unison.

"Father! What's wrong with you!?"

"Dear! What's wrong!?"

"Father, you can't let anything happen to you!!"

"Dear, why have you started vomiting blood!?"

Listening to the utter pandemonium in the hall, Lin Hui set down his luggage in the bedroom, utterly speechless.

That old bastard could not be hit—no matter how thoroughly they had severed ties, he was still Lin Shunhe's father. Nor would it be right to drive him out. What if they threw him outside and he simply knelt at their door?

A biological father kneeling to his son would be a spectacle so explosive it would draw eyes anywhere.

As Lin Hui listened to the commotion outside, it had already escalated to his mother, Yao Shan, shouting for them to stop vomiting blood.

In the hall, Lin Chaoyi and Lin Shunhe were both twitching on the floor—one foaming at the mouth, the other coughing blood. The sight was downright bizarre.

Lin Hui did not go out. It was obvious that Old Man and Lin Chaoyi were competing to see who had fewer scruples.

If it were him, he definitely would not be as practiced at this trick as Old Man.

He would probably have just thrown them out. That would feel satisfying, but it would not do his reputation any good.

Having thought it through, he let Old Man, Lin Chaoyi, and the others wear each other down out there.

Meanwhile, he calmly took off his coat in the bedroom, lay down, and rested.

He had not slept well for a single day in the Mist Zone. The monsters outside were noisy enough as it was, but his master Mingde even snored... and talked in his sleep in the middle of the night, muttering his wife's name dozens of times every night.

The moment he lay down, drowsiness surged over him. All the exhaustion he had accumulated came flooding out at once, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

He slept without dreams.

When he woke and opened his eyes, it was already pitch-black outside. In the hall beyond the bedroom, only his parents' low voices could be heard. Evidently, Lin Chaoyi and the others had already left.

Lin Hui stretched, slowly got down from the bed, draped an outer robe over himself, and opened the door.

Lin Shunhe was mopping the floor, while Yao Shan sat nearby sewing up a large black padded coat. They worked and chatted at the same time.

When she saw Lin Hui was awake, Yao Shan hurriedly set down her work and stood.

"A-Hui, you're awake? You must be hungry, right? I'll heat up something for you. I just finished stewing Jade-Bone Chicken Black-Velvet Soup."

"Okay, Mom." Lin Hui nodded, then looked at Old Man. "Dad, when did those people leave?"

"They left not long after you fell asleep. That old bastard saw there was nothing to gain and that we absolutely would not return to the Lin Family, so he dragged things out until it was nearly dark before leaving." Lin Shunhe's face filled with scorn. "He didn't apologize when he stole our family's opportunity back then, but now that you've shown a little promise, he comes running to take a piece of the pie. Pah! Not a chance! I've finally seen clearly what kind of man Lin Chaoyi is! Trying to play games with me? I coughed up more blood than he did!"

Lin Shunhe tugged at the cheap gray cloth shirt across his chest, stained red with chicken blood, his face flushed with anger.

"Dad, take it easy... Don't actually hurt yourself." Lin Hui was speechless.

"It's fine, it's all chicken blood. Didn't we just kill a chicken to nourish you? I figured I'd put it to use. I even changed into a set of cheap clothes specially for this."

Lin Hui gave him a thumbs-up.

"Old Man, you're really something!"

"Really something? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means strong. Impressive."

"You only just figured that out?" Lin Shunhe laughed.

Lin Hui laughed too.

He walked over and pulled a stool over to sit across from Old Man.

"Speaking of which, how are things with the main Lin Family now? How is Big Sister doing? I'm planning to visit her tomorrow. Is that all right?"

"Go ahead. I secretly slipped your eldest uncle some money just now. They're spending a fortune treating their daughter's injuries these days, and their income can't cover their expenses. Sigh... it's hard for them too. It's all that damn Lin Hongyu's fault!" Old Man cursed angrily.

"What's Lin Hongyu's situation now? Didn't they say she was betrothed to a main-family son of the Chen Family? Why did she end up worse off after getting engaged?" Lin Hui asked.

"The news is out. Lin Hongyu was just played with. They only said it casually—they never even gave her the chance to get pregnant..." Lin Shunhe sneered. "Truth be told, those main-family sons from the Inner City aren't so easy to win over. Since childhood, who knows how many men and women have tried to seduce them? If engagements were really so easy to secure, they'd have been devoured clean, bones and all, long ago. I thought something was off the moment I heard the news. Now it seems... heh."

"Makes sense." Lin Hui nodded in agreement.

"That's why Lin Chaoyi is anxious now. Lin Hongyu is stuck in that state with the Chen Family. She didn't even succeed in answering the calling, and now she's been dumped and lost her purity—her worth has plummeted even further. On top of that, Lin Hongzhen was implicated and seriously injured. Of the three lines the Lin Family invested in, two have snapped all at once. Only one remains."

"There's still one left? Who is it?"

"Lin Shunde of the Fifth Branch moved into the Inner City after making a bit of money. No one knows what kind of work he does—he's all secretive about it and hardly keeps in touch with the family. He only sends back a few things now and then during the New Year." Lin Shunhe replied.

"Forget it. No need to bother with the Lin Family's rotten business. We're doing quite well on our own." Lin Hui said. "It's just that the house feels a little empty. Old Man, this courtyard you picked is a bit too big."

"If you know it feels empty, why don't you hurry up and find a wife? Have more kids?" Lin Shunhe laughed as he scolded him.

"No rush, no rush..."

That night, the family ate, drank, and chatted until late before finally returning to their rooms to sleep.

Lin Chaoyi's matter was only a minor interlude. Over the next two days, he came again with people to make trouble, but Old Man Lin Shunhe simply shut the doors and refused to see them, hiding at home and pretending no one was there.

After visiting his parents, Lin Hui went to see his elder cousin as well, bringing some money and gifts.

Lin Hongzhen was far thinner than before. She lay there as though asleep, except she simply would not wake up.

Lin Hui did not know who could possess the strength and standing to injure his elder sister after she had successfully answered the Call, but he knew it had to be someone vastly stronger than himself.

Afterward, he had also sought out the two friends his elder sister had introduced to him before.

Neither side had given any response. After so long, it was clear they were deliberately keeping silent.

Once he had settled matters at home and returned to Qingfeng Temple, Lin Hui once more threw himself wholeheartedly into the rhythm of entering the Mist Zone for Body Tempering.

But after a time, his peaceful life was interrupted. A new assignment came knocking—the Emergency Response Team attached to the Security Office had received a mission.

Xinyu Town—Security Office.

A group of nine stood scattered across the Security Office's spacious rear courtyard, listening as the constable at the front explained the details of this emergency assignment.

The constable's surname was Xu, and his name was Ansheng. He was the strongest person in Xinyu Town's yamen. The day-to-day operation of the entire yamen also revolved around him as its core.

Though the director and deputy director held higher posts, he was the one who truly got things done.

Like the director, Xu Ansheng had come from an internal martial sect—the Floating Mountain Sect, one of the Three Sects and Six Clans of the Inner City. Many key positions in the Outer City's towns were controlled by internal martial experts like him.

He was a towering man, over two meters tall, his muscles sleek and streamlined, balanced yet powerful. He wore a pale green constable's uniform, and the decorative belt at his waist, adorned with a black tiger's head, was especially conspicuous. It was an important insignia of his status and rank.

"This mission is primarily to clear out the wandering sick around the town's edge. The rules are the same as before: don't casually make physical contact. If you encounter them, kill them on sight. Do not hesitate." Xu Ansheng clapped his hands, and someone immediately came forward carrying a tray of silver ingots.

On the wooden tray covered in red cloth, fist-sized silver ingots had been arranged in neat rows, exceedingly eye-catching.

"This time, the funding is plentiful. Just focus on doing the job. Execute ten, and your reward will be doubled."

"Yes!"

All nine answered in unison.

Lin Hui was among them. From the corner of his eye, he glanced over the others. His eldest senior brother Chen Sui was there, along with his former second senior brother Zhao Jiang'an and former eldest senior sister Mu Qiao Zhi. Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, and his fellow disciple Deng Mingchao were also present. Most of them were familiar faces.

Xu Ansheng then explained the key area for the cleanup.

He had someone bring over a map of Xinyu Town.

A crude overhead map had been drawn in white lines on a black board.

"I'll say it once again: the entire town is divided into the central street district, the outer suburban fringe, and the boundary zone. The trouble this time is in the boundary zone. That area is mainly inhabited by those who have fallen ill, and some criminals hide there as well. So remember—do not hesitate. When it is time to act, act decisively!" Xu Ansheng warned.

Lin Hui saw that the others, such as his eldest senior brother, remained calm and composed. Clearly, they had participated many times and already had experience.

He secretly glanced at the Blood Seal again. Two months and four days remained. Then he would completely master the perfected version of the Nine Section Fast Sword.

When he came back to himself, Xu Ansheng had already swept out a hand, signaling them to depart.

Lin Hui looked at the Emergency Response Team's destination this time. It was far from the street district, far from the suburban area where his home stood, directly at another border near the Mist Zone.

That place had been specially circled in white, forming an area comparable in size to the central street district.

"Never been to this boundary zone before?" Deng Mingchao sidled over from the side and asked quietly.

"No. I'd only heard about it before. I've never been there." Lin Hui searched through his memories, but found no relevant information.

"That place is full of sick people and criminals. Of course normal people wouldn't go there. But the town's black market is near that side too, so quite a few people secretly hide out there in seclusion. In short, it's a very troublesome place. Stay behind me and be careful in a moment. I'll first help you get familiar with the surroundings." Deng Mingchao said in a low voice.

They were fellow disciples under Mingde. Looking after their junior brother was only natural.

"Alright!" Lin Hui nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

"We're fellow disciples. What are you being polite for?"

At that moment, the nine members of the Emergency Response Team followed Xu Ansheng out of the Security Office and hurried toward their target area.

After passing through the street district and suburbs, the fields lining the road began to thin out. Fewer and fewer normal earthen and stone houses could be seen, replaced by ramshackle black wooden huts.

The number of wooden huts increased from sparse to dense. Some had clearly been newly built. Between them, one could faintly sense furtive gazes shooting out from inside—wary and terrified.

After they walked a little farther, dense black wooden huts already lined both sides of the dirt road.

Groups of raggedly dressed people occasionally emerged from between the huts, staring numbly at the members of the Emergency Response Team.

"It's around here. This area isn't large. Move quickly, everyone, and sweep it clean." Xu Ansheng waved a hand and drew his saber.

The nine of them split up, closing in on the district formed by the black wooden houses.

"Stay with me." Deng Mingchao gripped his sword and walked ahead of Lin Hui, speaking in a low voice. "Watch for the signs. Bloodshot eyes, a vacant expression, strange misshapen tumors growing on the body—those are the afflicted targets that need to be cleared out."

"What kind of illness is it? Do you know, Senior Brother?"

Lin Hui followed behind him. The two of them happened to be one of the slowest pairs. As he looked over this area he had never encountered before, he could not help asking in a hushed voice.

"Do you know Wanfu Meat?" Deng Mingchao fell silent for a moment before answering. "If you eat too much of that stuff, you'll fall ill..."

Lin Hui froze, then fell silent as well.

Wanfu Meat could be collected for free. Other than the poorest and most miserable people, who would treat it as their main staple to survive on?

No wonder Wanfu Meat had never appeared in the Taoist temple's meals. No wonder Old Man had never given him even a single piece of Wanfu Meat since he was little.

That thing existed solely to keep the poorest of the poor hanging onto life.