Decaying World

Chapter 65, 065 Processing 1
On the training ground, the disciples looked at each other in bewilderment, completely unlike the excited atmosphere Lin Hui had anticipated.

On most of the young faces, there was not anger, but indifference. Perhaps they were waiting, waiting for someone else to step forward.

That makes sense, Lin Hui thought for a moment and realized that the Black Dragon Sect had developed so quickly in such a short time, and its disciples and members were almost all recruited by force. With this kind of model, no matter how big the sect became, it would be impossible for it to have any sense of belonging or cohesion.

Standing at the gate, he looked around and, seeing no one respond, turned to look at Chen Yuan and the others.

Chen Yuan's face paled, and he involuntarily took a step back. He dared not face Lin Hui. Even Wang Hongshi had been defeated instantly. If he went up against him, he would only be asking for trouble.

"It's come to this point, isn't the Black Dragon Sect Master coming out yet?" Lin Hui stared at Chen Yuan. "Why don't you go and invite Sect Master Song out?"

Chen Yuan's lips trembled, and he looked around for help, only to find that his fellow disciples had already quietly distanced themselves from him.

"I'll go!"

He fled for his life, quickly heading towards Song Zhanlong's residence behind headquarters, and soon disappeared from sight.

At this point, even more people gathered around, and several patrol officers arrived, standing in the crowd to watch the spectacle, just like the others.

Clearly, they chose to remain on the sidelines between Black Dragon Gate and Lin Hui.

After all, the Lin family is now quite famous in the surrounding towns, and the reputation of Shanhe United Supermarket is exceptionally well-known.

At this moment, Lin Hui also saw Mu Qiaozhi and Xie Li hiding on the outside. Mu Qiaozhi's hand hadn't been taken yet. After so long, it seemed like there was no chance.

Upon meeting his gaze, Mu Qiaozhi trembled in fright and quickly lowered her head, avoiding eye contact.

Xie Li, standing to the side, turned pale and lowered her head, not daring to move.

She recalled the Lin Hui she once knew, the Qingfeng Sword disciple who was very kind to Chen Zhishen. At that time, Lin Hui was just a little aloof and had no other hobbies. He spent almost all his time practicing swordsmanship.

Now look at him, facing hundreds of people all by himself, still talking eloquently and calmly.

The two are completely different people.

Recalling her and Senior Sister Mu's comments about Lin Hui, Xie Li's cheeks burned as she looked on, unsure how to describe her feelings.

She felt that both she and her senior sister Mu were like clowns. The fact that their conversation hadn't been heard by the other was just her only consolation.

Turning his gaze away, Lin Hui quietly awaited Chen Yuan's return with the results. He wasn't sure if the blind Song Zhanlong would dare to fight, but what he wanted was for the other party not to fight. As long as they avoided battle, regardless of the reason, once he had even stormed into the other party's martial arts school, the Black Dragon Gate's reputation would be completely ruined from this day forward.

Just standing there waiting in the training ground is fine if it's only for a short time, but it can get a bit awkward if it goes on for too long.

Lin Hui looked around and walked straight to the high platform in the training ground, to a mahogany throne that was clearly reserved for important figures.

He turned around and sat down, leaning the sword against his leg. He leaned back in the chair and actually began to close his eyes to rest.

He wasn't made to wait long; he had only been sitting down for a few seconds.

"Help! Something terrible has happened!!"

"problem occurs!!"

Shouts came from the Song residence behind the headquarters.

The cries were filled with intense panic and disbelief, as if they had encountered something extremely terrifying.

The Black Dragon Sect disciples on the training ground couldn't help but stir. After glancing at Lin Hui and confirming that he had no objections, some of them took a few attendants and went to the Song residence in the back to check the situation.

"Let's go take a look together." Hearing the call, Lin Hui didn't think it was fake, so he immediately stood up as well.

In a flash, his figure left a trail of afterimages, leaping over the wall between the Black Dragon Gate headquarters and the Song residence, and landing lightly in front of the Song residence's gate.

There is a narrow passageway in front of the main gate, which separates the Song residence from the Black Dragon Gate headquarters.

At this moment, a group of people were crowded in this passage, looking in fear towards the Song residence.

Inside the open gates of the Song residence, a dozen meters away, a stiff corpse was hanging precariously from a roof beam, with a pool of dark red blood dripping from beneath it, indicating that it had been dead for some time.

As soon as Lin Hui arrived, he recognized the body.

Song Zhanlong!
His expression quickly turned serious.

He clearly remembered that he had only blinded the other party yesterday. When he left, Song Zhanlong still had a lot of internal energy left. It would probably take a long time to kill him.

But the fatal wound on the corpse in front of him was immediately apparent to him: it wasn't in the head, but in the heart.

The area around the heart was severely caved in by something unknown; even without an autopsy, it was clear that the corpse's heart had been smashed into a pile of minced meat.

"Master!!" Chen Yuan's eyes reddened, and he knelt down in front of the corpse, shouting.

His acting was somewhat exaggerated. As a local who became an apprentice halfway through his life, how could he possibly develop much of a master-disciple relationship with Song Zhanlong?

This is all just an act.

Not only him, but the other disciples who arrived were also stunned by what they saw.

Some people pretended to kneel and cry, while others silently retreated, preparing to run away. Many more were at a loss, unsure of what to do next.

Mu Qiaozhi and her companion, along with the senior disciple Wang Hongshi who was being helped, and the other top ten elite disciples, all came over and witnessed this scene.

Song Zhanlong is dead?! His physical skills were so strong, and with the addition of internal energy, he was practically invincible. Who could kill someone like Song Zhanlong?

Standing in front of the Song residence, Lin Hui stared intently at the fatal wound on the corpse.

Several disciples rushed forward, carefully lifted the corpse, and lowered it down.

Some people on the outskirts had already gone to report to the authorities, but the patrol team that had been watching the commotion outside arrived first.

The scene was quickly cordoned off.

Next, the Black Dragon Gate lost its leader, and its eldest brother Wang Hongshi was also injured by Lin Hui. In a short time, many people quietly fled, took off their Black Dragon Gate clothes on the outskirts, and ran away.

With no one guarding Song Zhanlong's body, the entire Black Dragon Gate was like a sandcastle on a beach, ready to collapse at the first pound of seawater.

Lin Hui was no longer being paid attention to; the Black Dragon Sect members were all busy relinquishing their disciple status.

Several daring young women even went into the Song residence and began to secretly loot its valuables.

Seeing this, Lin Hui was speechless, so he simply found an acquaintance to take him into the Song residence.

Since everyone else is kicking him when he's down, he can't be too slow in digging his own well.

Amidst the chaos, only half an hour passed.

Lin Hui then blocked the entrance and exit of the Song residence and obtained Song Zhanlong's most essential skill—the Black Dragon Claw Hard Technique—from the disciples who were trying to escape.

"May I ask why you summoned us here?"

Mu Qiaozhi stood in front of about ten Black Dragon Sect members, cautiously looking at Lin Hui.

Among these ten or so people, Wang Hongshi, Chen Yuan, and others were prominently listed in the top ten.

They had wanted to leave, but Lin Hui gathered his men around.

When Song Zhanlong was still alive, they at least dared to gather together and put up a fight, but now that their master is gone.

Senior Brother Wang was defeated in just two moves by the opponent. Under such circumstances, the group was afraid that Lin Hui would seek revenge later, so they dared not not come.

They were different from the other ordinary disciples; they had all shown their faces to Lin Hui and had families and backgrounds behind them. They could run away, but they couldn't hide.

So when they called out, all the top fifteen ranked disciples obediently came over.

This was partly due to Lin Hui's ruthless and decisive actions, and partly because the group also wanted to meet with Lin Hui again to settle their scores.

"Sect Leader Lin, now that Master Song of my Black Dragon Sect has died unexpectedly, and the officials have come to investigate, I'm afraid we will not have the time or energy to entertain you," Wang Hongshi said, having recovered after taking medicine. He stood in front and clasped his hands in greeting.

He was already at the limit of his physical strength, just one step away from entering the inner strength realm. However, the impact of the sword had shaken his heart, but after a little relief, he was fine.

At this moment, he was probably the only one among this group who genuinely considered himself a member of the Black Dragon Clan.

After all, he was the disciple whom Song Zhanlong cared for the most during his lifetime, without exception.

"What do you think I called you here for?" Lin Hui held the Black Dragon Claw Secret Manual in his hand, flipped through a few pages, and then naturally put it away, a hint of melancholy on his face.

"Qingfeng Temple is not one to kick someone when they're down. The Black Dragon Gate is currently at its lowest point, and with the unexpected death of Sect Master Song, it is in a precarious situation. Although Qingfeng Temple has had some conflicts with Sect Master Song, our sect has always acted with integrity and uprightness. How could we sit idly by at such a critical moment?"

Wang Hongshi paused for a moment, seemingly trying to adapt to Lin Hui's disgusting style. "So, what does Sect Leader Lin mean?"

“The Black Dragon Gate is in a critical situation right now. After the Sect Leader Song went out of his way to cause trouble, the industries under its jurisdiction are probably beyond its ability to take care of. Therefore, this matter of merging the sects is necessary.” Lin Hui sighed, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so people opposite him.

Wang Hongshi's face turned pale. His master had died, and since he had no family members, only some concubines he had recently taken in, concubines in this era were not entitled to inherit property.

The only one who was somewhat qualified was him, Song Zhanlong's most beloved disciple.

But he also knew that the business had been seized by his master through trickery and force, and now that the master was gone, his enemies would surely come back with a vengeance. They alone couldn't possibly compete with those people.

As the sharp, sword-like gaze swept across his face, Wang Hongshi managed to squeeze out a single sentence.

"Wang is willing to represent the Black Dragon Sect and merge into the Qingfeng Sword Sect."

"Alas, Sect Master Song has passed away. You are all commendable for staying and upholding the Black Dragon Sect's reputation. Anyone who comes here would praise you." Lin Hui looked at the dozen or so elite disciples in front of him, and his expression quickly turned sincere.

"Where is the fundamental diagram of the Black Dragon Claw Secret Manual? Sect Master Song has just left, and I'm worried that some villains might take the opportunity to steal his belongings. It would be better if I kept it safe for his family." He asked again.

“I know where it is,” Wang Hongshi said with a forced smile and a nod.

A group of people followed him into the depths of the Song mansion. Soon, in a small study, they found the fundamental diagram of the Black Dragon Claw hidden in a secret compartment on the wall. This was the foundation necessary for entering the Inner Strength Realm.

Of the fifteen people, all except Mu Qiaozhi pledged on the spot to join the Qingfeng Sword Sect and become members of the Black Dragon lineage branch.

Two shameless individuals even tried to become Lin Hui's disciples on the spot, but Lin Hui refused.

He led Chen Yuan and Wang Hongshi to regroup the remaining disciples and announced the decision.

Then, he dealt with the officials who came to investigate by giving them a lot of money to settle the matter.

Thus, the merger of the two factions became a legally compliant matter officially registered by the town government.

(End of this chapter)