Chaotic World Book

Yue Hongling really wanted to say, "Wait for my wounds to heal my ass. Do you even know how many days you need to rest?"

He wasn't just injured from the counterattack... That overdraft from forcibly using an ultimate skill was outrageous. Yue Hongling could see that his whole body's blood energy was completely depleted, his muscles limp. Just now, he had said his True Qi was of very high quality, but now it was so drained that not even a trace could be seen. Even a goose could kill him at this moment.

Yet he was still smiling, extremely cheerful and elated, truly looking forward to the next fight.

Truly heroic.

Such a person shouldn't get involved in matters of men and women. He was born to cleave rivers and split mountains in this Worldly Society.

Yue Hongling pouted and didn't mock him but instead said, "I have some guesses about the nature of your True Qi."

"Hmm?" Zhao Changhe looked up at her.

"Just now, you didn't just use True Qi to drive away the Chasing Souls and Demanding Lives but also utilized the power of both blood energy and True Qi at the same time, mixing them together as if they were one Cultivation Technique. This indicates its unparalleled compatibility, able to transform into any type of force you need at any moment, whether internal or external. Currently for you, it's as if you have an extra reserve of blood energy from the Blood Evil Skill."

Zhao Changhe said happily, "That's great!"

Yue Hongling said, "Currently, it's because you mainly use the Blood Evil Skill, but I suspect that as you delve deeper, it should be the other way around. No matter what other cultivation you have, it can be absorbed and contained by this True Qi. The idea of 'embracing all rivers' is truly grand. I wonder who created it; it's really impressive."

Zhao Changhe nodded slightly; that was right... It perfectly matched the mindset of a Cultivation Technique left for a bastard in the outside world by Xia Longyuan. No matter what the child learned from his mother or others, it could be compatible and accumulated with this Cultivation Technique, and in the Late Stage, it still transformed into his main technique. And this idea of 'all rivers flowing into the sea' should also be the Emperor's Intent, or to put it another way, it might as well be 'the land under the heavens belongs to the emperor.'

For the first time, Zhao Changhe had some respect for this Emperor he had never met. Awesome was truly awesome. He suddenly wondered whether such an awesome person could really become confused and create chaos in his later years. Logically, he wasn't that old, was he? For someone with such cultivation, was he considered old in his fifties or sixties?

There could be some issue here... Was he actually already dead? Or did he suffer some mishap during his cultivation practices?

While he pondered, Yue Hongling lazily went inside the house, "No matter how many thoughts you have, you must rest well tonight. Now it seems not like I'm taking refuge here to heal, but rather I'm going to be your protector."

Zhao Changhe laboriously made his way into the house step by step, and upon entering, he saw Yue Hongling applying medicine and bandaging the wound on her lower abdomen.

Strangely enough, in the past, they would have avoided such things, with Zhao Changhe stepping out and Yue Hongling blushing. But at this moment, watching somehow felt that there was nothing special to avoid. It was just a wound on the stomach, looking very ferocious. What ambiguous sentiments could be discerned from this view? Absolutely nothing at all.

Perhaps it was just because they were practically strangers who had just met at that time, and now they were friends?

He didn't know, but anyway, Zhao Changhe glanced at it, felt nothing, and took care of himself by sitting on the bed to restore his energy. Yue Hongling also casually applied the medicine and tied the bandage before sitting in a chair to meditate, completely at ease.

Before long, both of them entered a state of Meditation, and the night finally returned to calm.

This seemed to be the scene Yue Hongling had wanted when she came to seek refuge, but its arrival was a bit late... It would have been better if those awkward incidents hadn't happened. Before entering Meditation, both of them almost simultaneously had this same thought.

...

The next morning, Yue Hongling finished her healing practice first and opened her eyes.

Zhao Changhe was still in Meditation, his brows slightly furrowed, looking somewhat in pain.

It wasn't the pain of recovering from an overdraft, but the inherent issue of the Blood Evil Skill, which was harder to bear when weakened. However, it looked like his Inner Strength was smoothing it over, and the situation was fairly good.

Yue Hongling thought that this man went through more hardship in his cultivation than ordinary people. The torment of the Blood Evil Skill could occur at any time, and the more diligent he was in his practice, the more frequent these torments became. Many of the Blood God Sect who practiced the Blood Evil Skill had given up, but Zhao Changhe worked even harder, as if challenging the pain, "Come at me!"

Outsiders couldn't see it; they only saw his bold and unrestrained spirit, like a mighty river.

He asked repeatedly about various Cultivation Techniques as well as his age issue, simply wanting to see if the current Cultivation Technique could replace the Blood Evil Skill. The ultimate answer was that it couldn't, not yet. He must be disappointed inside, but you couldn't tell from his expression; he remained carefree.

Yue Hongling knew she really admired such a person. He said he saw the Worldly Society he imagined in her, but isn't it the same from her perspective?

Banditry? She actually had it in spades. Chivalry and banditry are very close at many times, probably all part of the 'Worldly Society children,' very different from people like Cui Yuanyong. In the eyes of Cui Yuanyong, she, Yue Hongling, was just a vulgar woman with deep banditry.

They were alike, hence the closeness. And Cui Yuanyong, graceful as jade, was indeed a good man, suspecting her of falling into thieves' hands and coming to rescue her with injuries, but it was difficult for them to be in harmony.

Footsteps were heard from outside, someone was approaching.

Yue Hongling's hand rested on the hilt of her sword, and her eyes instantly turned sharp.

"Knock knock," a knocking sound came from the door, "Boss."

Yue Hongling sighed and turned to look at Zhao Changhe, who was still frowning in pain. Shaking her head, she went over to open the door.

Outside stood the cook, carrying a few steamed cornbread buns, two bowls of thin porridge, and several small dishes. When the "big sister" opened the door, a flash of amazement crossed the cook's eyes, but he quickly looked down and gave an apologetic smile, "Good morning, big sister. This is the breakfast ordered by the boss, with an extra portion for you."

Yue Hongling held her forehead, exasperated by such matters.

If only they'd stop calling her "big sister," life would be much more comfortable without these damn issues.

But at this point, she could only play this role, so Yue Hongling stretched out her hand to take the food with a sense of resignation, "Thanks."

Rubbing his hands together, the cook said, "Big sister really is like a heavenly immortal, the boss is truly blessed."

Blessed my ass, is being in pain and meditating considered a blessing? Yue Hongling thought angrily as she turned and placed the plates heavily on the table.

At that moment, Zhao Changhe opened his eyes. The pained expression on his face slowly eased, and soon he was smiling with his usual hearty cheerfulness, "Morning. Ah, breakfast is here? I don't know what you usually eat in the morning, so just make do for now."

"Us folks in the Worldly Society aren't so picky." Yue Hongling sat at the table with one foot propped up on a nearby stool, slurping her porridge eagerly.

This manner was quite different from her nonchalant pose leaning against the windowsill when they first met. Zhao Changhe was more accustomed to this, as people from the Worldly Society should be; they were not some sheltered noble young ladies.

He washed his face quickly and, after a brief morning routine, he sat down across from Yue Hongling with a smile, "You seem to be bursting with energy. Are your wounds healed?"

"They weren't serious injuries. Just a superficial cut and a bit of Sword Qi inside. A good night of rest has mostly taken care of it; in two or three days I'll be as good as new." Yue Hongling frowned, "You talk strange, what's this 'bursting with energy'..."

"It's Zhao Mansion dialect; just grasp the general idea," Zhao Changhe said, pausing momentarily and looking somewhat distracted. "It's likely that in a few days, you might not hear these words from me anymore. Eventually, I have to... blend in with the Worldly Society."

Yue Hongling thought he meant that the people of Zhao Mansion were all dead, leaving nobody to speak their local dialect with him, and she couldn't help but feel a sigh of regret, "If only I had gotten there a bit earlier..."

"What's past is past, there's no point in discussing it. Are you expecting me to constantly bring up that you saved my life?"

Yue Hongling said annoyed, "I can't see where you've felt grateful at all."

"So what do you think, when I saw you injured yesterday and wanted to kill Cui Yuanyong, what was the reason? He and I have neither grudge nor acquaintance, never even met. Did I really do it because of a secret love for Yue Hongling? Don't let the idle speculations of others tie you up."

Yue Hongling: "..."

"Eh, speaking of Cui Yuanyong, I don't really understand these Aristocratic Families; can you briefly introduce them?"

"I told you yesterday, not everyone has access to Divine Skills and Secret Techniques. Over time, those with good Cultivation Techniques formed various prestigious sects and powerful Aristocratic Family lineages. This is pretty normal; what else is there to introduce?"

"But why are they from Qinghe Cui too?"

"Too?" Yue Hongling was confused, "Why can't they be from Qinghe Cui?"

"Ah, could it be that their lineage goes back to the previous epoch? Or have they received a legacy from the last epoch? To tell you the truth, I've specifically looked through some history books and hardly saw them mentioned."

"I'm not sure about that, either. These families do indeed date back much further than Great Xia, surviving through numerous dynastic changes... As for the glorious history of their family, if you're interested, you should probably ask Cui Yuanyong himself. He'd likely be very willing to brag a bit, although how much of it is true is anybody's guess."

"Would he even give me the time of day?"

Yue Hongling thought for a moment, "Hard to say. These scions of Aristocratic Families are all genteel and courteous on the surface, but I've always felt they carry a sense of distance and scrutiny in their bones that makes me uncomfortable. As the number two Hidden Dragon, they acknowledge me as a figure and would interact with me. As for you... I don't know how the least of the Hidden Dragons would be seen in their eyes, maybe okay? After all, you're listed in the Chaotic World Book just like him."

Zhao Changhe nodded, "If you have a chance, please introduce us."

Yue Hongling was surprised, "Why are you interested in them? Going out of your way to cozy up to them, that doesn't seem right..."

Zhao Changhe gave her a peculiar look. Do you really know me that well?

But her understanding was indeed correct; with his temperament, he wouldn't normally be interested in these matters, much less bother to engage with Aristocratic Family heirs... Unfortunately, solving the puzzles of the world isn't something you can do based on personal preferences; these interactions are vital for him to lift the veil of the unknown, whether he liked it or not.

Yue Hongling felt uncomfortable under his strange gaze and finally couldn't resist slamming her hand on the table, "What are you looking at? We're not that acquainted, so what if your understanding is incorrect? How's your recovery? Come on, it's time for sparring!"

Zhao Changhe, caught between a laugh and a cry, didn't go on about her indeed understanding him, not wanting to turn what could have been a nice exchange into playful banter and spoil the atmosphere.

In truth, he did want to spar, but his recovery was not ideal, and he worried about Yue Hongling's wounds reopening. After a moment of thought, he asked, "You said you could teach me three aspects, what's the third?"

"How to use Sound Recognition to sense external enemies and...", Yue Hongling suddenly flicked the chopsticks on the table, sending them flying "whoosh" into the door panel: "Kill from a distance, Chasing Souls and Demanding Lives. Interested in learning?"