Chaotic World Book

Zhao Changhe seemed oblivious to the shifting shadows behind him, and so was Yue Hongling. Hand in hand, they walked for a while until it was getting late in the day, they both mounted the horse again and flew toward the southwest.

Even their flying was at a leisurely pace.

Wuzhui's own ability to fly was an advantage, as it allowed for... well, not shattering the ground with its landing – no, it meant you didn't have to control it manually, and could simply enjoy the scenery and exchange sweet nothings while on horseback.

For Yue Hongling, it was her first time riding a flying horse. She was curiously cuddled in front, face to the blustering wind, feeling utterly exhilarated. "It's so comforting, the sensation of flying."

"Mm-hmm," Zhao Changhe mumbled in response.

The cold wind blew, causing the young lady's hair to flutter and fly behind. Zhao Changhe, seated behind her, circled his arms around her waist and dodged the strands of hair with his head, resting his chin on her shoulder, cheek to cheek.

Too lazy to talk.

Yue Hongling said, "I've just come to realize that flying high in the sky requires cultivation too. Otherwise, the oncoming wind and air currents are difficult to withstand. Wuzhui is flying slowly right now; going any faster would make it even harder to resist."

"Mm-hmm."

"But how come I don't feel any power circulating within you to counter it? Is your face made of iron?"

"It's because the air currents dodge me." As the words left his mouth, Yue Hongling felt that the air wasn't hitting her face anymore, and her flying hair settled down.

She was quite surprised, "Just how many skills do you have now?"

Dodging the question, Zhao Changhe asked, "Do you want the air currents back? I noticed you enjoy the breeze."

Yue Hongling shot back, "You're the one who enjoys the breeze."

"I do, indeed."

"...go away, go find Sisi, she's the shameless one."

"Sisi... It's hard to say if she is still as clingy as before... With everyone so far apart, time can dilute many things."

Yue Hongling squinted into the distant setting sun and murmured, "What about you then? Do you still like her as before? Or perhaps, was it never really about liking her but more about conquest?"

Shaking his head, Zhao Changhe clarified, "Ever since she saved me in the Blood Pool, our bond became inseparable. As for conquest, that's how Central Earth relates to the Spirit Clan; it had to be that way. The Barbarian fears force and doesn't appreciate kindness. Being too mutualistic can spell trouble sooner or later; I had to make them fear me... but that's not about her and me personally."

Yue Hongling seemed to smile, "With that said, do you ever think of her?"

"I have, though not often," Zhao Changhe admitted honestly. "My thoughts aren't on people much in general... It's not that I'm heartless, but one issue follows another, leaving me no time to catch my breath, let alone think of anything else. Of course, if you all insist on calling me heartless, I can live with that..."

Yue Hongling chuckled, "Who's calling you names? Whatever suits you."

Zhao Changhe sensed something odd in her words, unsure whether she was jealous or speaking on behalf of Sisi, but too lazy to ponder, he turned and kissed her cheek.

Yue Hongling shrank her neck, playfully scolding, "Like a little puppy."

"Isn't that what I am?"

"I heard you were a pig."

"Eh? Who told you that, who in the Four Symbols Sect are you chummy with? That shouldn't be..."

Yue Hongling bent over laughing, "Caught red-handed."

Zhao Changhe's neck turned red as he reached out to tickle her, and the two of them twisted and fought in the air once again.

Wuzhui: "..."

You two love to brawl, but I'm just a horse. I can't bear all this wild ruckus.

The setting sun gradually completed its descent, with just a sliver of the top half still peeking out, while on the other side, the moon rose, shining together with the remaining daylight.

Wuzhui had just reached the top of a hill ahead, its hoofs a mere few yards from the mountain peak below, where the shadows were starkly obvious. The summit was dotted with trees, their dark silhouettes swaying ominously in the breeze.

And the young couple, as though tired from their playful tussling, seemed to be moved by the cool mountain breeze at dusk. They sat on their horse and gently kissed, oblivious to the world around them.

As the sky darkened, layers of shadows enveloped them unnoticed. Yue Hongling had her longsword at her waist, and Zhao Changhe had all his swords and daggers in his ring.

Silently, a shadow approached Zhao Changhe from behind, preparing to skewer the couple in the next moment.

However, just as the attacker was about to strike, the couple abruptly separated. The shadow's attack missed, slicing through thin air, and Wuzhui neighed sharply and fled into the distance. With a clang, Yue Hongling drew her longsword, and Zhao Changhe gripped his broadsword, both slashing at the passing shadow from left and right.

The shadow was severed, its controller's Qi force connected to it, and the couple immediately traced it back to its source. Two whistling sounds filled the air, and before the Snow Eagle assassin could grasp what had happened, the husband and wife had surrounded him in the void.

Meanwhile, the myriad shadows at the original summit pierced the sky to no avail, missing their targets and leaving nothing but air where the couple had just been.

The Snow Eagle hesitated slightly before shaking his head with a sigh, "You've been acting all along. From visiting your subordinates to showing affection on the horse, you've portrayed utter ignorance of being watched, for a good four or five hours."

Zhao Changhe chuckled, "After all, Your Excellency has been an assassin all your life. No one can match your patience. If we remain on alert, you might not take action without complete certainty... And if you don't act, just lurking in the dark, how can I live my days? Always anxious, constantly fearing a thief? Even with my wife by my side, I dare not show my true feelings... If you can live like that, I can't. Naturally, I had to lure you into action, to end this once and for all. Otherwise, do you think I'm genuinely so hungry that I must snack atop the horse?"

Yue Hongling: "..."

The Blind Man: "..."

Aren't you? What misconception do you have about yourself?

The Snow Eagle didn't voice these thoughts, only asking, "How can you tell if someone is completely unguarded? It's easy to observe the tension in their muscles and Qi force, and you two seemed truly unprepared. How did you know when I would strike?"

"Guess?" Those 'eyes on the back of the head' are incredibly effective when used, overseeing kilometers around and witnessing every event right under one's gaze, and it's not some kind of psychic alertness, so obviously it's imperceptible to any sense of guarded tension.

The Snow Eagle's actions were like watching an old general on stage to Zhao Changhe, giving his all in a performance, almost prompting Zhao to reward him. Of course, the couple themselves were like young leads on the stage; he wondered if the Snow Eagle felt the same urge to reward them.

He didn't reply, and the Snow Eagle didn't press further, instead asking from a different angle, "Then how did you know I was plotting against you?"

Zhao Changhe answered this time, "The so-called sealing of space easily gives the impression that you've all withdrawn, diverting one's thoughts to when the space will reconnect. This inevitably leads to overlooking... If one is to hide, what does it have to do with that? You could have left someone behind on this side, couldn't you?... Your Excellency and Destruction are accustomed to concealment; perhaps you were there on that Secret Realm peak, watching the monks' bald geckos performance. And I was eighty to ninety percent sure there must be someone; otherwise, what you did before would be meaningless."

Yue Hongling stood behind him with a tense face, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She too had been misled into thinking of space, not considering the possibility of someone staying behind. Fortunately, Zhao Changhe's reaction served as a reminder, and she quickly came to the same realization.

"If someone were lurking, there would only be two targets: either to take control of the Buddha in the temple or to kill me outright," Zhao Changhe continued on his own. "I went to visit old comrades, drink, and have heart-to-hearts, far from the temple outside the city, to separate us as two targets and see which Your Excellency would choose. If something were to happen in the temple, it should have happened by now... But there was nothing, which implied the target was me."

Finally, the Snow Eagle said, "Indeed, the Buddha can be plotted against at any time, while opportunities to unexpectedly encounter King Zhao's movements are rare. Especially as King Zhao did not consider himself a primary target and was mostly unguarded, it presented the best opportunity. Between the choices, the Buddha could wait."

Zhao Changhe sighed, "It seems I've once again shielded the Buddha from a disaster."

The Snow Eagle spoke indifferently, "Not necessarily. Killing King Zhao and then turning back would amount to the same."

Zhao Changhe protested in jest, "Hey, you're used to ambushing, never straightforward. I suggested you should break this habit, add a bit more masculinity. It looks like you've actually thought about it, huh?"

The Snow Eagle's face remained expressionless, "It's just that King Zhao made me feel that it might be worth a try."

"Clang!" Suddenly, Yue Hongling parried a silent sneak attack with her sword, feeling a great force in her hands that she couldn't resist, making her retreat several yards and land on the treetops below.

At the same time, the Snow Eagle's figure wavered slightly, and his sword tip was already at Zhao Changhe's throat.

Zhao Changhe moved to dodge, trying to spin away, but he realized he was a split second too slow.

When the Snow Eagle's sword was drawn, it was with an impression of normal speed, but halfway through, it inexplicably accelerated, bursting with a suddenly overwhelming and explosive aura. They all had been pretending to be weak, his strength was nowhere near the Third Layer of the Secret Treasure!

Just that one misjudgment allowed the Snow Eagle's sword to mercilessly slash across Zhao Changhe's throat!

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PS: Last hour for the monthly ticket.

Also, as usual, there will be an extra release at 1 AM on the 1st. I just can't write it by midnight; it might take until 1 or 2 AM, so don't wait up.