Moving House II

Lin Hui looked toward the direction of the Inner City.

In the distance, he could only see a massive white stone wall that enclosed the entire urban area.

That white wall was at least several hundred meters high, its upper section disappearing into faint clouds. The surface was smooth and level, exuding an air of simple, solemn majesty.

The entire wall, from top to bottom and left to right, appeared as if it had been crafted from a single solid piece.

"Why is everyone heading to the Inner City?" he asked in a low voice.

"It's because of the recent Door-Breaking Ghost incidents. Everyone with a bit of savings is planning to take refuge in the Inner City first. As long as you aren't looking for permanent residency, finding a temporary place to stay for a while is still affordable," Peng Shan replied.

"Hasn't the city sent anyone to investigate?"

"They have. The government sent quite a few patrol squads. It seems they are tracking something."

Peng Shan didn't stay long before planning to leave. However, just as he stood up, he saw a bullock cart marked with the Chen Family insignia slowly driving past on the road in the distance.

The curtain at the back of the carriage was pulled aside, revealing several young people inside chatting and laughing.

"It's the Chen Family's recruitment convoy!" Peng Shan said instinctively.

Lin Hui was startled and stood up to look at the convoy as well. He was searching for Lin Hongyu, but after scanning it several times, he didn't see her. She was likely in another carriage.

"The Chen Family..."

The Lin Family compound.

Lin Chaoyi sat in the head of the household's seat in the main hall, looking at the representatives from more than a dozen branch families below.

"Has Hongyu left?" he asked in a low voice.

"She has, she's on the carriage. The Chen Family Outer Carriage Agency sent people to pick her up," Lin Hongyu's father replied hurriedly.

"Fourth has moved out, and his old courtyard is now vacant. Since my side has a lot of people and we're short on rooms, how about these few rooms..." The second branch's Lin Shunchong was a sickly-looking, sallow-faced man. He sat with one leg bent up on the stool, posture sloppy and insolent.

"Second Brother, you have a lot of people, but do you think my family doesn't? My son is still waiting to take the imperial examinations and enter the government office! My three grandsons are also waiting for a place to live in the future. Why should it all go to your second branch?" A woman on the side refused to accept this and spoke up.

"Your son has been taking those exams for years and hasn't even made the top five hundred in the public selection. What imperial career?" Lin Shunchong sneered.

"Enough. Fourth has moved out, does anyone know where they are living now?" The old patriarch Lin Chaoyi interrupted the topic to ask.

"Who cares? Didn't he want to sever ties with the family? Why bother with him?" someone said indifferently.

Severing ties was a good thing; after the old man passed away in the future, there would be one less branch to split the money with. Although everyone didn't say it, they were all secretly pleased.

"Fourth still has some ability, after all..." Lin Chaoyi frowned.

"Don't tell me you're worried about Fourth making a comeback, Father?" Lin Shunchong said. "He's just an oil mill manager; no matter how capable he is, that's all he'll ever be. As for his wife and son, his wife is just an aging hired hand, and his son has no skills and only knows how to loaf around all day. With that composition, what are you worried about?"

"I just find it a pity... Fourth is actually a decent man..." Lin Chaoyi sighed. "It's just that he's been dragged down by that son of his."

"That's true. Among all our younger generation, everyone else has arrangements and a future. The eldest and sixth branches are already arranging betrothals. A prosperous family with flourishing descendants is just around the corner. Since Fourth's family has split off now, they better not have the nerve to come crawling back for favors once the family takes off," Lin Shunchong laughed.

"Alright, since Fourth wanted to sever ties with the family himself, Second, you have acquaintances at the government office, so go and update the registration later to avoid any disputes in the future. Let's not talk about this anymore. Next, let's discuss how to support the development of the eldest, fifth, and twelfth branches in the Inner City. Since we are holding a clan meeting, we intend for everyone to contribute and support these three branches..." The old patriarch Lin Chaoyi began his traditional routine: sacrificing the branches to perfect the main trunk.

"Father, I want to learn martial arts."

At Lin Hui's new home, the family had just sat down to eat lunch when Lin Hui blurted out those words.

"Learning martial arts?" Lin Shunhe looked at his son, his brow furrowing. "What's the use of learning martial arts? I've already calculated it. You should learn to be a manager from me. First, go to the oil mill to get familiar with the environment. If there's really no other way in the future, following in your father's footsteps will at least give you a way to make a living. But if you want to be a manager, you have to work very hard; after all, the final decision rests with the small government office in town."

"Can managing an oil mill save my life?" Lin Hui asked.

"It can save up money to enter the Inner City. Once you're in the Inner City, you'll be safe," Lin Shunhe replied.

"The Inner City still relies on others. If you run into a Door-Breaking Ghost, you'll die just the same!" Lin Hui said in a deep voice.

"Learning martial arts is useless!" Lin Shunhe said with some impatience. "The guard team I manage has over ten people. Aren't they all trained in martial arts? The worst of them has been practicing for over ten years, and what now? They're still just guarding the door for the oil mill! Their monthly pay is less than a tenth of mine. Tell me, what's the use of learning martial arts?!"

"It's a good thing for a child to have something they want to do. It's better than him just staying cooped up at home all the time," Yao Shan, who was on the side, gently mediated.

"But at his age, he won't learn anything good. Internal martial arts have age restrictions, and he won't be able to learn them. External martial arts are all short-lived paths; you'll just die early if you learn them, which is even more miserable! It's better if I just feed him well and let him loaf around for the rest of his life!" Lin Shunhe said irritably.

"I'll just learn external martial arts, it's fine. Anyway, I'm just practicing casually to pass the time. If I can manage to get a job at a martial arts school, that would be even better," Lin Hui explained.

"Get a job at a martial arts school?" This actually sparked an idea in Lin Shunhe.

He pondered it carefully, and his mood softened.

"If you can truly endure the hardship, working at a martial arts school is actually fine. I have connections with several martial arts schools in town. The oil mill often hires people from them for escorts, so the relationship is quite good. If that's your plan, it's not bad."

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

He knew his son's situation. Although his body was weak, his son had one major advantage: his calculation skills were strong, far surpassing others of his age.

He did not know where his son had practiced this ability, but the martial arts halls were often short on people with strong arithmetic skills; perhaps going in to work there would actually be a viable path.

Thinking of this, he looked up at his son and saw a seriousness in the boy's eyes he had never seen before. His own heart immediately grew a bit more solemn.

"Have you thought it through? You really want to learn martial arts? Let's get this straight first: you definitely can't go into internal arts, as they all require you to be under ten years old. You can only go to an external school, and at the external school, you are just to practice casually—no injuring your body!"

"I just want to learn the skill of running away fast; I'm not interested in anything else. Don't worry, Dad! I absolutely won't overexert myself!" Lin Hui replied with ironclad certainty.

"Good! Your intentions are clear! That's a good thing!" Lin Shunhe paused, feeling that it was true; the Outer City was becoming increasingly dangerous, and practicing some footwork to run fast was indeed a way to ensure safety.

Thus, his mind quickly flashed through the few external martial arts venues where he had connections.

"In that case, there are three places I can arrange for you. Take a look and see which one you choose?"

"Which three?"

"Feiyun Martial Arts Hall for Feiyun Fist, Hongsha Temple for Copper Arm Technique, and Qingfeng Temple for fast sword techniques. Because I am a long-term supplier of oil to all three, I have frequent dealings and good relationships with them, making it easy to arrange. As long as your father is still here, you will receive some care once you get in. Once you are older and have built up your own connections, I can hand things over and let go. That is how the transition will work," Lin Shunhe planned.

"Of the three, which one teaches the fastest martial arts for running away?" Lin Hui asked directly.

"Feiyun Fist and Qingfeng Temple are both fast. However, all things considered, I lean toward you going to Feiyun Hall. Although Qingfeng Temple is faster, Feiyun Fist is more oriented toward real combat, and the hall master, Shangguan Fei, is much stronger than Daoist Baohe of Qingfeng Temple. The business at Feiyun Hall is also better than at Qingfeng Temple, so your income will be significantly higher there."

"No, I'm going to Qingfeng Temple!" Lin Hui's gaze was firm.

Having witnessed the Mist at night and the Door-Breaking Ghost during the day, his need for self-preservation was incredibly desperate.

Anyway, as Peng Shan said, no matter how strong you get at martial arts, you still can't beat a disciple from one of the Three Greats, so he might as well specialize in one thing: survival is the only priority.

"Fine... then you'll start there... if a better path opens up later, I'll find a way." It was rare for Lin Shunhe to see such determination in his son's eyes, so he felt he should strike while the iron was hot and get things settled before his son's enthusiasm faded.

He immediately finished his bowl, shoveled down the rest of his food, grabbed his coat, and walked out the door.

"I'm going to arrange it right now! Yao Shan, take a leave of absence this afternoon and help Xiao Hui pack his things at home!" After giving these hurried instructions, Lin Shunhe pushed the door open and soon disappeared into the street.

"Your father is always so impulsive, he doesn't even eat his meals properly..." Mother Yao Shan looked helpless.

Lin Hui nodded and was about to speak when he suddenly felt an itch on the back of his right hand.

His heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the back of his hand, discovering that the itching was coming precisely from the location of the blood-colored mark.

At this moment, the blood-colored mark was writhing eerily, as if a liquid crystal screen were embedded in the back of his hand, with the patterns inside changing and flickering rapidly.

"What's wrong?" his mother asked from the side, looking puzzled.

"Nothing... nothing at all." Lin Hui raised his hand and deliberately waved the back of it within his mother's line of sight, confirming that she could not see anything at all.

His anticipation for the Blood Seal now rose to the extreme.

This thing had awakened along with him; perhaps it could truly help him carve out a path to survive in this unstable environment.

Gently stroking the Blood Seal, he lowered his hand and returned his attention to the dining table.

"Come on, stop thinking about it, have a chicken leg." Mother Yao Shan had just placed a braised chicken leg into his bowl.

The light brown chicken leg, plump and juicy on the surface with a sheen of oil, rolled a small circle in the dark red mixed-grain rice and stopped, resting right under Lin Hui's eyes.

Swish.

At that moment, the Blood Seal on the back of his hand suddenly stopped flickering.

The chicken leg before his eyes suddenly brightened, emitting a red glow.

A line of small text extended and emerged from the right side of the chicken leg in his field of vision.

"Braised Chicken Leg—Ordinary food for replenishing blood and qi, shelf life 2 days, ordinary taste.

Evolvable branches: 2."

Lin Hui's eyes widened instantly.

He stared fixedly at the text; they were the Chinese characters he was most familiar with, and the long-lost sense of intimacy made his emotions surge suddenly.

"Evolvable branches? What could a chicken leg possibly evolve into!?" He felt both surprised and strangely confused.

But the change in the text before him was clearly brought about by the Blood Seal.

His gaze involuntarily focused on the location of the evolvable branches.

Swish.

With another soft sound, the '2' behind the branches opened up, expanding into two dotted lines pointing in different directions.

One pointed upward, connecting to a new line of red text: 1—Purgatory Black Wind Chicken Leg.

The dotted line below connected to: 2—Extreme Cold Secret Recipe Chicken Leg.

"..." Lin Hui looked at these two dotted lines and fell into deep thought.