Thoughts I

After sorting through the materials, he packed them into a concealed cloth sack. Early the next morning, Lin Hui dragged the sack with him, took a day off, and headed for town.

Xinyu Town was not large. Only a few intersecting streets formed its center. The streets looked bustling with people coming and going, but most were nearby farmers and peddlers. Occasionally, a traveling merchant caravan passed through, drawing a flock of children after it to watch.

That was probably the freshest thing this place had to offer.

The recent upheaval and decline of Qingfeng Temple had also been one of Xinyu Town's greatest events in the past decade.

As for the various accidents and dangers from before, they were commonplace here, things that surfaced every so often. Everyone had long grown used to them.

Lin Hui carried the materials around several streets in town, making several rounds, but failed to find a suitable place to sell them.

The only shops on the street that barely fit the bill were the two pawnshops. But if he went to either of them, it would be far too easy to leave traces behind.

Among these materials was a mutated Four-Armed Barbarian. Materials from a monster of that level could easily expose his true strength.

Left with no choice, he decided to sell off part of the lower-grade materials first.

One-Horned Spiders and Thousand-Foot Eyeballs—selling a few of these weaker harmless-grade monsters would not matter much.

Low-grade materials were much easier to handle. He found a channel his master had previously given him—the Illusion Restaurant.

This was an upscale restaurant in the center of town. It was said that its owner came from the Inner City and was not from any of the town's great clans. His background was mysterious, and any kind of material could be sold here, though the prices were relatively low.

However, because Mingde was friends with the manager here and had once helped him greatly during his lowest days, disciples under Mingde could sell materials here at market price.

In the dim yellow appraisal room of the restaurant, Manager Huang Shangying smiled as he stroked his beard and examined the pile of materials on the table.

"Not bad. Fresh, and the crystalline bodies are of good quality too. There's no rot. Three pieces here are of superior quality as well. How about a total of one hundred and seventy thousand?"

"Thank you, Manager Huang!" Lin Hui cupped his fist.

"No need to thank me. A fair trade, with both parties willing." Manager Huang smiled approvingly. "You still refuse to leave your master's tutelage even now. That speaks to your character. Your master and I have been close friends for many years. Though I know nothing of martial arts, if there is anything within my power to help with, come find me!"

"On behalf of my master, Lin Hui thanks you, Manager!" Lin Hui clasped his hands again, his expression sincere.

"Enough with speaking on each other's behalf. Just tell your master to come drink with me when he has time. When a man gets old, there are not many pleasures left. Having a little drink for amusement is still rather nice." Huang Shangying laughed.

After saying that, he suddenly remembered something. He glanced around, then lowered his voice. "By the way, another team from the Inner City recently entered Swallow Mountain to explore, but they returned with terrible casualties. Seven out of ten died. The Black Mist may be approaching, and the season suitable for exploration is nearly over. Exploration teams have been going out especially frequently lately. Qingfeng Temple happens to lie beside one of the exploration routes in and out—North Wind Forest Path, right? Be careful yourselves. If you encounter experts from exploration teams, stay far away."

"Black Mist?" Lin Hui searched through his memories and recalled that his father had mentioned the Black Mist when he was young. But he had not explained it in detail.

"Manager, may I ask what exactly this Black Mist is? Everyone says it is dangerous, but dangerous in what way?" he asked softly.

"The Black Mist is considered a natural disaster. It appears once every unpredictable stretch of time. You are young and did not often come into contact with the Mist Zone before, so it is only natural that you do not know. Let me explain it properly." Huang Shangying paused, gathered his thoughts, then continued.

"The Black Mist is when the fog density in the Mist Zone rises sharply within a short period, turning black. Its toxicity and corrosiveness both increase by a great deal. At such times, even Ning Xiang cannot hold out for long. And once this Black Mist touches someone, they will contract Insect Disease. Those infected have a long incubation period. In their later lives, they slowly become neurotic, irritable, and prone to madness. In the end, they kill people everywhere and attack civilians, while their bodies also undergo lesions and fester."

Lin Hui's expression shifted slightly.

"Is there medicine to treat it?"

"Of course there is, but only the Inner City has it, and it is extremely expensive. Ordinary people in the Outer City can only rely on Wanfu Meat to resist Insect Disease, but you know the drawbacks of Wanfu Meat." Huang Shangying sighed and did not continue.

Wanfu Meat was really nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst.

A chill ran through Lin Hui's heart. Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside. He turned his head slightly and looked through the window beside him.

Below the second-floor window of the restaurant, a sedan from the Inner City was slowly passing down the street, forcing pedestrians, carts, and horses to respectfully make way. Some civilians who moved aside too slowly were even whipped by the Martial Artists clearing the path before the sedan.

The gap between the Inner City and the Outer City, between the two classes, was laid bare in all its dripping detail at that very moment.

"The Black Mist period generally lasts two or three months. Before it ends, ordinary people cannot enter or leave. During that time, the city will also lack large quantities of materials and monster meat. So I am not losing out by taking this batch of materials from you. If I stockpile them, then when the Black Mist period arrives, I can raise the price and sell them to the Inner City." Huang Shangying pinched his beard. "If you have more materials in the future, bring them all to me. I'll raise your price by ten percent!"

"Alright!" Lin Hui nodded in agreement.

"Oh, and if there is anything you want from the Inner City, I can purchase it on your behalf as well," Huang Shangying continued.

"What good goods does the Inner City have?" Lin Hui truly did not know much about that. His father had only supplied oil to the Inner City in the past and had never had many opportunities to enter it.

In his childhood memories, the Inner City had been mysterious, towering, and majestic. The people living there were all wealthy and powerful. Occasionally, his father brought him novel little toys, such as a rattle-drum that beat itself and a little blue fish pendant that glowed automatically at midnight.

Other than that, he knew nothing.

"The Inner City... it has plenty of good things." Huang Shangying sighed with feeling. "Food, clothing, housing, travel, entertainment—everything inside is more than one grade above what is outside. The resources and supplies sent in from outside can only be processed within, then sold back as the most ordinary, or even inferior, goods."

He turned around and took something from a drawer beneath the counter.

It was a feather from some unknown bird, sky-blue from end to end. Within the feather shaft, some sort of pale blue viscous liquid seemed to be flowing.

"This is Feather Blood from the Inner City. One feather is worth between five hundred thousand and eight hundred thousand coins. It is still a sought-after item in greater demand than supply. Do you know what it is used for?"

"I don't..." Lin Hui shook his head, his eyes fixed upon the Feather Blood. He could sense an indescribable feeling of radiation from it.

It was like approaching a glowing red stove in winter, every hair on his body faintly standing on end. The sensation was exceptionally clear.

"This is a bloodline extract possessed by most Inner City residents. Or rather, it is the threshold for becoming a true Inner City resident. Outer City residents can become Inner City residents by buying a house and obtaining identification, but after entering, you must continuously spend money to buy this, inject yourself with it, and raise the proportion of Feather Blood in your body. Otherwise..."

He sighed.

"Otherwise, you will only be eliminated from the Inner City."

"Why? Could it be that the Inner City has some dangerous trouble?" Lin Hui narrowed his eyes, curiosity stirring within him.

"Have you considered this? Since the Inner City possesses a power capable of isolating the fog, can ordinary people truly remain safe and sound the closer they get to that power? Can they pay no price and suffer no influence at all?" Huang Shangying sighed.

"..." Lin Hui understood at once. This Feather Blood was perhaps like medicine that offset the radiation of the Inner City's power. It needed to be injected over a long period to maintain the balance.

"Summoners do not need this. Many Inner City residents descended from Summoners, so they do not need it either. But once the concentration of their Summoner Bloodline falls below thirty percent, they must purchase this item. Otherwise... they will be eliminated and driven back out to the Outer City." Huang Shangying lowered his voice.

Lin Hui's heart tightened. Another label was added to his impression of the Inner City.

Cruelty.

"And if this is injected outside the city in advance, it can slowly raise the Summoner Bloodline within your body. If you inject enough and reach over thirty percent, you can easily obtain Inner City residency." Huang Shangying said calmly. "There is no need to meet hard requirements such as buying a house or obtaining identification."

"Then, may I ask, Manager, how many injections would be needed...?"

"I do not know either. But without ten or twenty, do not even think about it. And after entering the Inner City, the bloodline will slowly decline as well. You will have to keep injecting fresh Feather Blood."

"Do Martial Artists of the Inner Strength Realm need it too?"

"The same."

Lin Hui fell silent.

Afterward, Huang Shangying showed him several other unique products of the Inner City.

There were delicately shaped pastries, talismans said to bring blessings and ward off disaster, black mushrooms riddled with honeycomb-like holes and giving off a pungent odor, and small jade-white human skulls no larger than eggs.

They gave Lin Hui an even newer impression of the Inner City.

Half an hour later, he finally left the Illusion Restaurant and returned home for a look. His parents were not there, and only a newly hired young girl was watching over the shop. She said they had gone to purchase stock.

With no other option, Lin returned to Qingfeng Temple.

Along the way, he saw again those strange children's temples that sprang up from time to time.

In Xinyu Town alone, he encountered three of them on the road.

Before these temples gathered some listless wanderers with vacant eyes.

A faint, disease-like stench of decay clearly emanated from their bodies.

Lin Hui had seen much of that scent when he had previously cleared the Boundary District.

He hurried all the way back to his small courtyard, put down the banknotes he had exchanged, and hid the remaining Four-Armed Barbarian materials. Only then did he head out to join sword practice.

Yet as he practiced swordsmanship, he could not stop the image of that Feather Blood from flashing through his mind.

For several days in a row, he considered whether entering the Inner City was truly the right choice for ensuring his safety. If his foundation was unstable, then even if he entered the Inner City, he might ultimately still be eliminated.

Feather Blood was the key to that.

Just as he was immersed in hesitation over whether to enter the Inner City, on the fourth day, the first move of the Clear Sword Technique completed its evolution.

*

*

*

Spring rain fell in an endless drizzle, slanting down in fine lines and spreading evenly over the training ground in Qingfeng Temple's rear courtyard.

Lin Hui stood beneath a tree with his sword in hand. He appeared to be resting, but in truth, after finishing his Body Tempering, he was checking his own status information.

As his use of the Blood Seal grew more proficient, he could now easily arrange the information he possessed within the Blood Seal into a unified status display.

Lines of blood-red writing continuously appeared and reflected across the bottom of his vision.

Lin Hui—

Martial arts mastered: Perfect Seven Section Fast Sword, Perfect Nine Section Fast Sword. Clear Sword Technique (Incomplete)

Abilities mastered: Sealing Array toxin.

Items possessed:...

This status panel only displayed things that had evolved through the Blood Seal. Anything that had not undergone Blood Seal evolution was not shown.

At that moment, Lin Hui focused his attention on the Clear Sword Technique entry and lightly simulated a tap.

Hiss.

The options unfolded.

"Clear Sword Technique, first move: Boundless Wind Direction, evolution complete. (The Body Tempering effect will evolve as a whole after all eighty-one moves have completed evolution.)"

After reading the Blood Seal's explanation, Lin Hui was not disappointed. In any case, even his Seven Section Fast Sword had yet to reach the limit of Body Tempering, so there was no need to hurry.

He looked around and saw that most people had already left. Those ordinary students who had only enrolled to practice casually had finished class and gone to eat.