Chaotic World Book

Twilight.

The setting sun was like blood.

Wild crows circled, hovering over the desolate village, their shrill caws mingling with the screams of agony from the villagers, making the place seem like a ghost prison.

Zhao Changhe stood dumbfounded behind a distant tree, observing the chaotic scene within the village. He hadn't yet recovered from the disorienting sensation of traveling between two worlds when the severely ravaged small village appeared before his eyes.

Broken window panes and door fragments were strewn about. The pungent stench of blood wafted from every household, the disordered corpses laid out by doors and windows, with the naked bodies of women carelessly discarded on the roads, showing signs of violation.

Men in black were still wreaking havoc, breaking into houses to plunder treasures. With his enhanced vision, he clearly saw a woman being dragged out into the street and violated, while a group of men in black laughed heartily.

So this is the so-called "safe starting location"?

Appearing outside the village in the woods, not directly in the village itself, the assailants unaware of his presence, is this considered safe because he could quietly leave?

But then he saw a man in black leading an ox cart full of bloody loot, impatiently shouting, "Enough, how much can these village women have to offer? The sun's almost down, kill them all, leave no trouble behind."

Zhao Changhe, seeing a man in black raise a cleaver intending to slash towards a child beside him, was overtaken by fury and could no longer hold back. He snatched up a thick stick from the woods and charged out.

Thinking of how his broadsword always appeared in his dreams previously... whatever, to hell with safety, it's just a dream! If he died, he'd wake up—it was the perfect opportunity to go back and ask that blind man what he was scheming!

"Whack!" With a whoosh, the stick flew through the air, the man in black caught off guard, his cleaver deflected. Zhao Changhe, hands not stopping, swung the stick in a wide arc, a solid strike to the man in black's face, blood spraying.

The man in black clutched his head, screaming in pain, while his companions turned in astonishment. Zhao Changhe, grabbing the child, turned and fled. He knew he couldn't win against a group, saving lives was what mattered.

Someone suddenly scoffed, "There are still survivors. Kill them."

Grins spread across the faces of the men in black as they pursued in unison. How could Zhao Changhe, burdened with a child, hope to outrun them? He vividly "saw" the scene behind him, as a longsword aimed for his neck.

Did his extra sense truly work?

Zhao Changhe swiftly sidestepped, raising the stick to block, but it was chopped in two. He swiftly dodged to the side as the longsword left a long cut across his face.

But that slight delay was enough for another assailant to slash the child down.

Zhao Changhe, ignoring the pain on his face, was dumbstruck.

The child was dead... just like that, cut down before his very eyes, beyond saving.

It seemed there was no one left alive in this village...

"Damn it all!" Zhao Changhe roared with fury, wildly swinging the remaining half of the stick like a mad tiger.

"So it turns out to be just a peasant with no martial arts training, only brute strength," the men in black laughed. The previously struck man moved swiftly, easily dodging Zhao Changhe's flailing hits, his longsword deftly aiming for his neck.

It was over.

No escape.

What kind of shitty nightmare was this? Even worse than before, and the difficulty had increased!

As the thought flashed through his mind, a sharp noise cut through the air, "Ding," and the man in black's longsword was sent flying.

At the same time, the sound of galloping hooves approached from afar, someone was riding in fast. Before the horse arrived, its rider had already leapt off. Zhao Changhe barely caught a glimpse of a flash of red, the cold light of sword qi, and suddenly, splashes of blood erupted, followed by screams that were almost simultaneous, then abruptly silenced.

Only then did the charging horse reach him, the red figure flipped back onto it.

Now, Zhao Changhe finally got a clear view of a woman dressed in red, with a high ponytail, straddling a horse with a green mane, a red-sheathed longsword slung at her waist, her eyes fierce and commanding like lightning.

"Thud," "thud," the sounds came in succession as the men in black around him fell to the ground, all dead on the spot.

Zhao Changhe, who had been cutting and killing in confusion in his dreams for so long, now for the first time experienced what the novels described as "One Sword Drops Nine Geese."

This was martial arts! It truly existed!

The woman, surveying the grim scene around her, also showed a hint of sorrow in her eyes, murmuring to herself softly, "If only I had arrived a moment earlier…"

Zhao Changhe, gasping heavily from the close brush with death, an experience that couldn't overshadow the outrage brought on by the village's tragedy, had even forgotten to express his gratitude. Bewildered, he looked up at the woman and asked, "Who are these people?"

The woman shook her head in silence, only speaking after a long pause, "I was merely passing by... but perhaps there is a clue. First, let me ask, is it this road that leads to the Luo Family Manor?"

So she was just passing by and happened upon this scene, lending a hand... Zhao Changhe, unaware of what Luo Family Manor was, could only shake his head.

Seeing Zhao Changhe's confused look, the woman understood his mood and didn't say much. She rode her horse around for a bit and then saw a stone stele at the entrance of the village inscribed with "Zhao Mansion". She nodded, "Zhao Mansion, before when asking for directions, they said it's several tens of miles ahead from Zhao Mansion, so this is definitely the right path..."

Then, she surveyed the bodies of the men in black, frowning and murmuring to herself, "So this is where they came from? But why would they stir up such a commotion?"

She crouched down and carefully searched two of the corpses clad in black, but found only a few silver coins, with no other identifying marks. The woman knitted her brows in thought for a while, then turned to see Zhao Changhe still standing there blankly and sighed, "Do you... still have family?"

Zhao Changhe still shook his head.

The woman said, "I have business at Luo Family Manor, you might as well come with me. The aftermath here can be handled by someone from the manor. You can also find a job there to settle down and establish yourself."

Go to Luo Family Manor to find a job? Zhao Changhe wondered if this was getting off track from what he was supposed to do in the Dream Entry... But if he had to find a goal himself, where would he go?

Seeing his hesitation, the woman persuaded him, "In these times of chaos, if you haven't practiced martial arts, you can only be bullied. The Luo Family Manor is after all a prestigious household of Great Xia and is said to have significant ties with the Royal Family. If you can learn a move or two there, you'll have a hope for vengeance and it will also serve as a foundation for establishing a home in the future."

Great Xia...

This dream even comes with a world view?

Zhao Changhe didn't feel like thinking that far ahead at the moment and blurted out instinctively, "Sister, you're so powerful, if I were to learn martial arts, could I learn from you?"

"Sister? It's not yet clear who is older between us." The woman laughed, shaking her head, "I wander the Worldly Society and can't take on an apprentice. The Luo Family Manor is quite suitable for you. If I take you there, they might show me some respect."

Zhao Changhe could only say, "Alright. I was momentarily confused and forgot to thank the lady for saving my life. May I ask for your name?"

"Yue Hongling." The woman casually replied, then curiously asked, "Your manner of speaking suggests you've had an education. What's your name?"

"Zhao Changhe."

Unexpectedly, it matched the name of this place, Zhao Mansion.

Yue Hongling said no more, reached out her hand, and Zhao Changhe felt as if he were soaring through clouds, quickly landing on the horseback, sitting behind Yue Hongling.

The slender and straight back was just inches in front of his eyes, and he could faintly smell her fragrance. Zhao Changhe, a lifelong bachelor, was embarrassed to let his imagination run wild and instead held onto the back of the saddle honestly, finding this Dream Entry even more absurd than previous dreams, because the details were just too vivid...

There were conversations, scents, and a heroic and unrestrained heroine, truly like a real person.

The thin snow around him, the wind from galloping on horseback was very cold, and the tips of Yue Hongling's hair brushed past his cheeks lightly, bringing a slight itch.

These were experiences he definitely couldn't have had in previous dream sequences that focused on nothing but battles; they were so vividly detailed.

The wound on his cheek from a cut earlier still hurt and when he touched it, his hand came away with streaks of blood.

Zhao Changhe, looking at the blood on his hands, suddenly felt a pang of panic—what if this wasn't a dream?

His mind was in disarray, and he didn't know how to ask Yue Hongling anything, so he remained silent throughout the journey.

After traveling several tens of miles, a vast expanse of fields appeared in front of them. It was early winter, with sparse snow in the fields, no one working, and the end of the fields were bordered by the continuous walls of a manor, its extent unknown. In the center of the official road leading to the manor stood a large archway with gilded characters "Luo Family Manor".

Yue Hongling slowed the horse, looking at the guards at the front and let out a sigh, "It seems this manor is still unharmed."

Soon a house servant blocked their path, "Halt, visitors!"

Yue Hongling pulled on the reins and saluted with a fist in the Worldly Society's manner, "Please inform Manor Master Luo that Yue Hongling from Luoxia Manor is here for a visit."

Her voice wasn't loud, yet it rang out like the drifting sound of morning bells. Zhao Changhe envied her; this was Inner Strength, wasn't it? Unlike him, he almost jostled an internal injury sitting on the horse...

Before the house servants could reply, a hearty laughter came from within the manor first, "What wind has blown Miss Yue to our manor? Truly, your presence is like a light in a dark place. Open the gates, and welcome our guest!"

The servants hurriedly swung the middle gate wide open, and a middle-aged man with a long beard took big strides to greet them, smiling upon seeing her, "Indeed, at this twilight hour, the sunset glow against Hongling seems like a scene not of this world. The accolades of the Worldly Society are certainly not unfounded."

Zhao Changhe: "Ugh..."

Yue Hongling: "..."

Zhao Changhe didn't do it on purpose; it was his first experience with a rough horse ride, and he had indeed been jostled until he felt nauseous. If he had a choice, he would have liked to agree with the other person's words—Yue Hongling was indeed very beautiful.

The middle-aged man's gaze fell on Zhao Changhe, his eyes inquiring, "And this young man is..."

"Cough." Yue Hongling coughed dryly, helping Zhao Changhe off the horse and bowed with her hands clasped, "Hongling has met Manor Master Luo. I've come here for a private matter. This person happens to be somewhat related to this matter..."

Zhao Changhe pricked up his ears.

The second card displayed a Jade Pendant, said to point to the starting position, but this initial experience was strangely unrelated to the Jade Pendant. Perhaps the confidential matter Yue Hongling was about to mention related to this?