Chaotic World Book

The two briefly discussed and still planned to visit incognito, feeling that even if they guessed wrong and worried for nothing, it was better than acting rashly and imprudently.

Hiding in the woods, Zhao Changhe took out the Qinghe Mirror and faced it, looking left and then right as he pondered what kind of disguise he should apply. The once favored random strokes on a yellow-faced Han had been used too frequently and seen by many, making it unsuitable now; the later-used Wang Daozhong—alas, the man died, ying ying ying.

Poor Daozhong, didn't even get the chance to burn incense at his grave.

As Zhao Changhe lamented, he smeared his face with ointment. After a short while, the reflection of Snow Eagle appeared in the mirror.

Zhao Changhe pinched his throat and let out a series of owl-like chuckles, "Hee hee hee," then turned to Yue Hongling and asked, "Do I look like it?"

Yue Hongling couldn't help laughing and crying, "Snow Eagle is usually very calm, okay? This isn't Wang Daozhong; don't be too extravagant."

"Oh, I'll be careful."

"Also, don't touch me with that face."

"..." Zhao Changhe, feeling helpless, handed her a brush to apply makeup, "You just do a quick one. Lady Si from before can't be used, oh actually, upon thinking about it more, that name wasn't good to begin with, making it sound like Mr. Si's wife, you are my wife, you should be called 'Lady Zhao.'"

Yue Hongling was both annoyed and amused as she let him smear, and after a short while, a messy and ugly face emerged.

"Do you distort so much that you can't even bear to let others take a few more glances at me?"

"Not really." Zhao Changhe said earnestly, "I truly can't imagine another face that matches yours; no matter how I paint it, it will look a lot uglier than the original."

The blind: "Ugh..."

Having not heard many sweet nothings, Yue Hongling was actually quite pleased and accepted this explanation, "Consider yourself sensible. Now, how do we arrange this?"

Zhao Changhe glanced outside the mountain forest, pondering for a moment.

The Miao Region wasn't just about the Miao Region map; within Taoyuan Town, there was also an entrance to the Spirit Clan Secret Realm. The Spirit Clan territories extend over vast thousands of miles; this place is actually two maps. No one knows whether Sisi is currently outside or inside the Spirit Clan's domain.

Even just the Miao Region territory is vast. If Sisi is outside, is she in Taoyuan Town, or maybe Dali, or even possibly in a bigger place like modern-day Kunming? There's no telling.

Yue Hongling said, "From the looks of it, we should split into two groups to investigate. I once attempted an assassination on the Provincial Governor in Dali and am familiar with the pathways; I will head to Dali to check, while you go to Taoyuan Town. Whatever we find, we will meet here at midnight and exchange information."

Zhao Changhe hesitated, "I was thinking of staying with you."

Yue Hongling sighed with a smile, "We are two people who can obviously do things separately, why insist on acting as one? Splitting up to investigate and exchanging information—isn't that a form of collaboration? Childish."

Zhao Changhe then didn't dwell on it, "Then let's meet here at midnight tonight. No matter what, don't be absent. Here, take the Qinghe Mirror with you. Since I have learned the Diamond Sutra, I should be much better in repelling evil and poison. There are many Gu poison and wicked spirits here; it's better if you carry it with you."

Yue Hongling did not refuse, took the mirror, and with a slight step, flew backwards, even making a hand folding gesture to bid farewell, as graceful as can be.

Zhao Changhe looked into the creek at his Snow Eagle appearance with great satisfaction, then stepped out of the woods. He signaled Wuzhui to find a spot to graze and headed straight for Taoyuan Town.

...

It was still morning upon arrival, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet when entering Taoyuan Town. The market in town hadn't closed their stalls, and the crowd was bustling.

The biggest difference between Taoyuan Town and other towns like Dali was that its main inhabitants were Xia people, or what we should now call Han people. Walking in, one wouldn't feel any difference in clothing and language from Central Plains towns; the reminder that this place was not Central Earth was the architectural style and the occasional presence of people from the Alien Clan.

Quite like a Chinatown.

Zhao Changhe swaggered along the streets he remembered, heading straight for the main fort of the Spirit Clan settlement.

From a distance, he saw that the guards were strict outside, and the fully armed military troops were patrolling around the fort in an orderly fashion. Inside, there were strong bows and crossbows, all ready for battle at any moment.

Zhao Changhe paused for a second, then tapped his head, realizing that of course only the strongest military presence could protect a region. Theoretically, at this time, the Miao Region was not in a unified state; it was an alliance of different clans, and blatantly flaunting military strength was normal. Being able to maintain such a disciplined and powerful military force during a relatively peaceful period was indeed an impressive feat accomplished by Sisi.

Unlike the initial period when the force was established, where it was mostly composed of Han soldiers, now more and more people from the Alien Clan were present, with an almost equal ratio to the Han soldiers. Among them, who knows how many were Spirit Clan people who had come out from the Secret Realm, a delicate balance indeed. It's unclear if there were any racial tensions buried here, but for the moment, it appeared normal.

Normal was normal, but how to infiltrate and gather intelligence?

Even if his own strength was great now, he hadn't learned how to turn invisible. Was he supposed to use the Soul Capturing Technique to sneak in? It hadn't come to that yet...

While he was hesitating, a low whisper suddenly came from beside him, "Lord..."

Zhao Changhe didn't immediately realize who was being called, but the Secret Transmission was definitely for his ears alone; he looked around discreetly and noticed a seemingly ordinary man drinking at a table by the door of a nearby tavern. When he turned to look, the man made an incomprehensible gesture.

No matter whether the gesture made sense or not, the man was indeed calling him.

Zhao Changhe couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration; as Wang Daozhong, he had been chased by Wuding, which felt like a troublesome matter stirred up in reverse. And now, disguised as Snow Eagle, he encountered another situation, though it seemed like a stroke of luck this time.

He approached without changing his expression and sat down across from the man, saying indifferently, "You've disappointed me greatly."

As he spoke, his gaze flashed with Sword Intent, as if a real sword was thrusting directly at the man's Spirit Platform, causing a stabbing pain in his head.

The sharp and piercing Sword Intent, be it from the Sword Pavilion or the Listening Snow Tower editions, was something that Zhao Changhe had always possessed. His last visit to the Miao Region was also for the purpose of honing his Sword Intent, having confirmed much with Wuding, the Snow Eagle. Imitating the Snow Eagle now, his portrayal was nearly on par with his previous impersonation of Old Wang.

The man's face twisted in pain and he sweated profusely, nearly wishing to kneel but dared not show it in the bustling tavern, and could only bow his head: "Lord, the guards are indeed formidable; we can only infiltrate slowly, and cannot hasten the progress... We did not anticipate provoking the Lord himself to come here; for this... we are unforgivable."

Zhao Changhe said coolly, "Cut the nonsense; I just want to know the progress."

"As far as we know, the Divine Axe is not outside; it has been brought into the Spirit Clan Secret Realm. The opinion within the Spirit Clan is that this object is somehow related to them... It's not clear whether this claim is about the treasure itself or if there's some truth to it."

The Longevity Heaven God Axe... After Thief Saint stole the axe, it wasn't taken to the Thief Sect in Kunlun, but to his apprentice here?

If one were to say that the Longevity Heaven God Axe was fated with the Spirit Clan, Zhao Changhe's first thought was of the giant in the Spirit Clan Secret Realm who seemed to be one with the earth. A giant axe opening the sky matched the theme well. This supposed destiny might indeed have some merit, but for regular people, the Longevity Heaven God Axe was huge, whereas for the giant of the Spirit Clan it would be the equivalent of a toothpick, which made it somewhat ill-fitted.

Although these thoughts crossed his mind, he intentionally said, "The God Axe belongs to Ye Wuzong. If it's given to Xiang Simeng, it's because of his fondness for his apprentice. What claim does the Spirit Clan have? Are they thinking of challenging Ye Wuzong? How dare they?

The man whispered back, "According to our observation and reports, Ye Wuzong has been injured and has not recovered until now, and Xiang Simeng has expended a great deal of effort in taking care of his mentor."

Zhao Changhe's heart skipped a beat.

Everyone had seen Thief Saint get injured stealing the axe; he hadn't realized the injuries were still affecting him... that was a long time ago...

Was the backlash from the axe truly that formidable?

No wonder Thief Saint didn't dare return to Kunlun, seeking refuge with his apprentice instead. It wasn't about gifting the axe to his apprentice; rather, Thief Saint was seeking protection, not trusting Yuxu.

And now, some people from Snow Eagle were plotting to obtain the axe!

————

PS: Seeking base level support for monthly tickets~