Chaotic World Book

The indoor fireplace was warm, the scent of tea faint, and Yue Hongling, under the nourishment of the Rejuvenation Technique, was overcame by drowsiness and unknowingly fell asleep on the man's body.

Zhao Changhe looked around; this was the guest hall that the monks had set up especially to receive him. The outer part was the hall where guests were entertained, and turning inward was the guest bedroom. Zhao Changhe carefully picked up Yue Hongling, moved into the inner hall, and placed her on the bed, covering her with the quilt.

It was quite rare to see the usually fierce Yue Hongling sleep so peacefully, her brows relaxed, a smile on her lips, and an air of letting go of everything that could be seen from afar.

Zhao Changhe gently brushed away stray hairs from her forehead, and watched her intently for a while before bending down to kiss her, then stood up and walked over to the window.

The Xiangyang capable of hosting the Laba Temple fair was naturally without snow. The warmth of the half-moon outside and the cold of the north wind revealed a touch of tenderness.

The extremely faint and rhythmic chanting could be barely heard from somewhere; it was some old monks circling the Vajra Buddha, chanting to help him wake up sooner; and many more monks were not idle enough to sleep, having already entered the Secret Realm to explore the surroundings.

According to Yue Hongling's words, there must be an extremely hidden spatial node to pass through, Yue Hongling's understanding of the spatial path was superficial, unsure whether Yuan Cheng could see through it. He hoped it was possible, otherwise, the old monks might have to move...

Everyone was busy working for their own survival and ideals, not just himself and Yue Hongling.

Zhao Changhe took out Xia Chichi's liquor gourd, slowly drank the wine while looking at the stars and moon, somewhat lost in thought, reflecting that the kind of life he liked the most, even to this day, was still the one like Yue Hongling's... carrying a broadsword on the shoulder, a fine wine at the waist, striding through the mists of Worldly Society, cutting down all injustices.

Looking at it now, how long has it been since he last casually drank wine from the gourd? The wine in the gourd was even a bit sour.

Zhao Changhe frowned slightly, somewhat disgustedly poured out all the wine, and decided to ask for another flask from Yuxu.

He had forgotten who once said that he was more accustomed to being part of an organization... Perhaps it was because of this difference that everyone's paths diverged slightly, it seemed like his own "chivalry" was greater. Hongling also bragged about it, but heaven knows he preferred her way more. Does this mean they both envied each other's way of life?

In fact, neither was better, different jobs needed different people, not to mention this... Wanzhuang and her group wouldn't let him wear himself out with paperwork, it's clear that what suited him best was still carrying a broadsword and a bow, facing the winds and rains of Worldly Society, against the gods and demons of heaven.

And this time, Hongling was with him.

Anyway, he couldn't let her be alone anymore... regardless of what she thought this time. Those months where she hardly dared to sleep well sounded cool but were unspeakably tough.

Zhao Changhe put away the liquor gourd and silently reflected on his cultivation.

Before leaving the capital, Huangfu Qing had returned the Heavenly Book, claiming to have gained some understanding of the Destructive Flame; he did not know whether she could really achieve Breakthrough with it. And today, his own saber strike against the Snow Eagle was almost the core essence of his Breakthrough path; he needed to continue to explore and study whether there were aspects that could be improved, and then... create a Saber Technique unique to himself.

The moment he created the overall outline would be the time he reached the Imperial Realm.

His mind immersed in the Heavenly Book, the VR images repeatedly showed the slowed-down strike of his own and the ferocious glance of the Snow Eagle turning back, accompanied by the shadow of Destruction that obliterated everything.

Hmm, studying not just his own saber, but also the Snow Eagle's sword, the shadow of Destruction, especially the Snow Eagle's shadow dodging technique was truly amazing; he had always thought his own speed wasn't fast enough, and here it was...

Unconsciously, he also realized that he had pretty much forgotten about Xia Longyuan's advice to use the Heavenly Book sparingly...

He just couldn't help but use it... circumstances compelled him. Somebody with impaired vision would probably not worry a bit about him not using it, right?

Talking about it, in the old days, once the Heavenly Book recorded new combat images, previous ones would be overwritten, but now it's increasingly "multi-core" and "storage upgraded," and he could call up even earlier images if he wished, so he could still see the battles with Desolate Calamity and Feng Yin.

Damn it, since he used it, might as well ponder those two's techniques as well; anyway, the materials at Imperial Realm level are worth studying. There's no issue with biting off more than he could chew, as per Huangfu Qing's suggestion, understanding a little bit of everything was beneficial.

Time always flew by during cultivation, and Zhao Changhe didn't even realize what he had learned. Suddenly his heart stirred, and he withdrew from the Heavenly Book like a receding tide, and turned his head to look at the bed.

Yue Hongling was sitting up in bed, gazing at him steadily, her cheeks still flushed from the warmth of sleep, her eyes tender as water.

"You're awake?" Zhao Changhe walked over to the door side and fetched a basin of water for her.

Yue Hongling turned her head to look at his back, feeling a softness in her heart and said softly, "You've watched over me by the window all night."

"I was also practicing, two birds with one stone." Zhao Changhe brought the water over, smiling, "It's rare for me to practice in such peace and quiet too, here."

Yue Hongling took the twisted towel he handed her and sighed, "They say I'm not leaving this time, and that you're going to wear me down with tender care..."

"It just came naturally, like when I used to take care of you when you were injured. How did it become a 'tenderness-trap' now?"

Yue Hongling smiled faintly, "The first time you caught me to be your bandit chief's wife, that's exactly what you did—treating my wounds and guarding me outside."

Zhao Changhe was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Old lady, you're into reminiscing about the past now, huh?"

Yue Hongling hummed as she finished washing her face and threw the towel aside, "Now that this sister is full of energy and in great shape, just say who you want to deal with."

"Deal with me."

"?"

In the next moment, Zhao Changhe had pounced over, pinning her down and nibbling: "Red cheeks, let me have a nibble."

Yue Hongling struggled, "Are you dealing with yourself or dealing with me!"

Such bold words even caused Zhao Changhe, who was busy nibbling, to twitch, and the couple quickly started wrestling.

"Boom!" The morning bell rang from the temple, startling the flirtatious couple.

Right on time, a knocking sound came from outside the door, "Ahem, is King Zhao well?"

Yue Hongling's face turned crimson to the tips of her ears, and with resentment, she flipped Zhao Changhe off her, jumped out of bed, and went to the outer hall to open the door.

Upon opening the door, Yuan Xing stood there with a serious face, his palms pressed together, "Amitabha, this humble monk has come to invite you both for a meal."

Yue Hongling glared at him, "Did you hear anything?"

Yuan Xing was taken aback, "Ah? This humble monk didn't hear anything."

Zhao Changhe poked his head out from over Yue Hongling's shoulder, "At such a critical time, who cares about breakfast!"

Yuan Xing thought to himself that if they didn't eat breakfast, who knows how long this pair of bandits would carry on; better to have breakfast. Aloud, he could only say, "The master has made some discoveries in the Secret Realm and sent this humble monk to inform King Zhao."

Zhao Changhe lost all other thoughts and got serious, "That fast? Let's go, we'll talk over breakfast."

Yue Hongling shook her head and laughed, not saying anything more, and followed him closely. Whatever had just happened, if it was heard, then it was heard. What's the big deal? As a mountain king and his bandit chief's wife, that's just how things are. Are you jealous? Go find yourself a partner too.

Yuan Xing didn't bother with the couple who were desecrating the temple, sighing to himself, "It's not that our discovery was swift, but it's very possible that the connection to the Kunlun space has been severed. The master flew directly northwest, and it didn't take long before he hit an invisible spatial barrier. Did Venerable Yue come across this when you arrived?"

Yue Hongling shook her head, "There wasn't one upon arrival, but how can you be certain that it's a complete barrier, and not just a small door left somewhere that hasn't been discovered yet? Or perhaps a one-way door, where they don't have a barrier coming here, but you encounter one going there."

Yuan Xing said, "The master also holds this view. Whether it is one-way is currently undetermined. Everyone is now using the barrier to search for a door, appearing like a group of bald geckos."

The couple couldn't help but burst into laughter. It seemed that they had indeed been prejudiced against the Buddhist sect before, but once the monks became familiar, they were quite amusing.

"Anyway, such menial tasks don't warrant the trouble of King Zhao's guidance. It's just right to have some breakfast first, then go take a look afterwards," Yuan Xing led them to an adjacent hall, where monks had already brought vegetarian meals.

Yuan Xing invited them to sit down and asked, "Venerable Yue's arrival from Kunlun is a separate matter, let's not speak of that for now. King Zhao's sudden arrival must have a reason, we have yet to ask if there's any way we could be of assistance?"

Zhao Changhe, sipping his porridge unceremoniously, said bluntly, "There is."

"Please speak, King Zhao," Yuan Xing said. "If it is within our ability, we will certainly do our utmost."

"There's no need to probe, I've already told you what I needed before. Now I have another question for you..."

Yuan Xing glanced at Yue Hongling, pressed his palms together, and said, "Please, King Zhao."

Zhao Changhe, holding a mantou, took a big bite and asked indistinctly, "What is your relationship with Yuxu? Or do you have any archenemies like the Bodhisattva or the like?"