Chaotic World Book

Yue Hongling wanted to speak, then hesitated.

Zhao Changhe turned his head to look at her and saw the lady hero's slightly troubled expression. He laughed and said, "You originally thought that their method of enhancement might be worth studying to strengthen your own sword body, then realized it's used by dead people and got a little uncomfortable?"

Yue Hongling shook her head, "What does my sword body have to do with this? I was thinking it would be more suitable for you... Your body refining constantly lacks protection, getting injured every day..."

Zhao Changhe stared at her, speechless for a long while.

"There's no need to be so moved," Yue Hongling huffed, "If it's for dead people, I, I..."

Zhao Changhe broke into a beaming smile, "Then let's not use it."

Originally, Yue Hongling felt a little queasy about it, but seeing Zhao Changhe decide so decisively, her heart softened once more. She thought to herself that it'd be a case of mistaken priorities to let these trivial issues keep him from continuing to improve his weak defenses.

Zhao Changhe had already determined his path to advancement, which included increasing his Blood Shura Body to push through his breakthrough; the next enhancement of the Blood Shura Body would undoubtedly need to address the lacking defensive power. This was critically important, and couldn't be stopped by such a small hiccup.

To find a reason for Zhao Changhe to study, Yue Hongling's mind raced and quickly came up with an explanation, "The idea of drawing the Qi of the Five Elements into the body can't be exclusively used by the deceased, right? Hmm... there must be many corresponding schools of thought in the world. I think Buddhist Golden Bell Shield and Divine Brilliance Sect's body refining techniques might involve something similar. You have the Heavenly Book, maybe you can create a new magic skill!"

Zhao Changhe was just about to dismiss the idea when his heart suddenly leaped with joy, and he stood up enthusiastically, "Sister Yue, you really are my lucky star."

Yue Hongling, bemused, was pulled to her feet and hugged tightly, spinning in a circle in his arms.

Yue Hongling didn't know why he was so happy, but his joyful mood was infectious, and she couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, alright, acting just like a child. What's gotten into you? Share it with me?"

Zhao Changhe smiled without answering, "Basically, we have a handle on Yin Corpse Qi and Gold Earth Qi, so let's not stay here too long. It's too depressing. Let's go back and rest. You haven't fully recovered from your bone injuries, you should take good care of yourself."

Yue Hongling had been practicing Wind Control since the morning and into the midnight now, and indeed her bone injuries were starting to throb, so without further ado, she wrapped her arms around Zhao Changhe's neck and hopped, "Carry me."

Zhao Changhe, obliging as ever, lifted her onto his back, and the couple chuckled their way down the mountain.

The blind man pursed his lips, watching the two who seemed like an old married couple yet displaying such youthful silhouettes, and suddenly he wickedly wondered if Zhao Changhe felt sticky in his trousers, considering they hadn't cleaned up after their last rendezvous.

Better not to ask. After all, if questioned, the materials he might use for cleaning are better left to the imagination.

...

If you're going to ask something, it should be this:

"Did you master the Yin Corpse Qi, or did you find a way to complete your Blood Shura body? Grinning like a blooming flower, not even caring about the graves anymore."

In the secluded hut, with the brazier warm, Yue Hongling had already fallen asleep in bed. Zhao Changhe sat by the window warming wine over the fire, seemingly enjoying himself, when the blind man's voice suddenly intruded upon his ears.

Zhao Changhe looked up and saw the blind man, arms crossed, standing in front of him, and couldn't help but be curious, "Tell me, when you appear, am I the only one who can see you?"

The blind man blandly said, "Whoever I let see me, can see me. When I don't want to be seen, nobody can see me."

"Tsk, don't be so stiff..." Zhao Changhe poured a flask of hot wine and passed it over, "Can your spiritual body drink it?"

The blind man paused, "Why would you do that?"

"Just to chat," Zhao Changhe smiled, "After all, hot wine can also be broken down to energy, and I think you can drink it. Here."

With that, he casually tossed it, and the wine cup floated steadily into the blind man's hands.

The blind man caught it thoughtfully, settled into the chair opposite him, and they both leaned back lazily, drinking across a small tea table.

Zhao Changhe finished a sip of his own, then turned to watch the blind man drinking, an inexplicable feeling stirring within him.

The blind man exhaled heavily and suddenly laughed, "It's been a while since I've had wine... Quite interesting indeed."

Zhao Changhe gave a slight smile, "That's good. At least at this moment, you and I are acquaintances of over two years, sharing drinks and conversation, rather than dealing with some high and mighty jerk who's always putting on airs and talking in riddles."

The blind man snickered, "Aren't you the one playing the riddle game now?"

"The Yin Corpse Qi isn't something that can be figured out in a short time, but now that I have a clue in my heart, pondering over it for a few days will surely yield a glimpse. Out of the several things you asked me to investigate, at least this one is making progress. I can't expect to accomplish everything all at once, it should be taken step by step..."

"Heh..." The blind man sipped his wine, not responding.

Zhao Changhe also leisurely took a sip of wine and continued, "As for the Blood Shura Body, I actually do have some ideas now."

The blind man said, "Your so-called 'ideas' couldn't possibly be to engage in Dual Cultivation with this generation's White Tiger a few more times, so you can then control Gold, could they?"

"That's an idea, but not for now. Chichi has attained the Eastern Extreme Dao Fruit, so her understanding of the Azure Dragon Law far exceeds the others. White Tiger hasn't kept pace on this aspect... Even if I wanted to borrow her insights, it wouldn't be enough."

"So what are you so happy about?"

"The reason I am strong in offense but weak in defense is twofold: one, my battle strategy dictates it, and two, the muscle composition formed during Body Refining has its own bias. My tendency is towards strength and attack, while those from the Divine Brilliance Sect lean towards endurance. Once the muscle composition is set by Blood Qi, it becomes very difficult for even Guigui to teach me defensive techniques." Zhao Changhe chuckled, "Since elemental Gold Earth can be introduced to change one's own composition, wouldn't it make sense to think differently, perhaps introduce something else to change it?"

The blind man's expression flickered slightly.

"The place we are in belongs to the Spirit Clan, and Lie came from the Spirit Clan. His Body Refining surely doesn't follow the Five Elements... If he needed to introduce something into his body to temporarily change its composition, to switch from offense to defense, what would he introduce?" Zhao Changhe smiled, "It could only be beasts or Gu. Here I am, in the ancestral lands of Lie, so why look further afield? The Great Success of the Blood Shura Body is still to be found right here!"

The blind man stopped speaking and simply sipped his wine, silently agreeing that he was right. If they followed Lie's Body Refining Technique, this was indeed the correct solution.

One had to admit, cunning as he was, sadly, he was smartest when it came to his muscles.

Zhao Changhe narrowed his eyes as he studied the blind man's jade-like profile and suddenly said, "Speaking of Chichi's Gold Control... Since she herself is stuck with White Tiger's Creation, shouldn't she also head westward at the appropriate time?"

The blind man replied offhandedly, "The Western White Tiger is naturally in the west, do you even need to ask?"

Zhao Changhe continued, "Earlier, when I thought of using Vermilion Bird here to deal with Jiuyou, and now, I'm thinking of bringing White Tiger over too. The saying 'Vermilion Bird and White Tiger converge in the wild southwest' seems to match up... Could it be that the words don't necessarily point to time, but actually represent people related to the Four Symbols and Five Elements?"

The blind man said, "Just because you have thought of Vermilion Bird and White Tiger coming here on multiple occasions, you think that proves the proverb is related? Did you learn your logic from a doorman? Where's the logical chain?"

"I used to work cases like this, starting from a presupposed outcome and working my way backward to verify it."

"Your cases were mostly down to luck, and even more so, your current reasoning is far-fetched. That's called making stuff up, not verification."

"So, if I must work backward from this saying to its cause, how should I verify it? Do I need to find other related clues, such as why Yin Kui knows the secrets of the Spirit Clan, proving that there must be a thread related to this at Jiuyou's end? If I gather all the clues together, the truth will emerge, right?"

"You're clearly aware of that..." The blind man felt it was almost as ludicrous as saying one plus one equals two, and replied casually, "There must be a thread connecting cause and effect, rather than causality forming out of nowhere. As long as you grasp that thread, whether you're seeking to find the effect from the cause, or tracing the cause from the effect, or even if you want to reverse the cause and effect, or cut through them, the key lies in that connection."

"That thread, in reality, is a logical chain; in Cultivation, it becomes tangible, visible, and controllable." Zhao Changhe suddenly rose from his seat, cupped his hands, and bowed slightly, "Thank you for enlightening me on the Way of Cause and Effect."

"Ptui..." The blind man sprayed out his wine, momentarily dumbfounded.

It seemed… although simplistic, he actually managed to articulate the fundamental essence.

He had truly, sincerely taught him the Cultivation of Causality!

What on earth was he doing here, drinking and asking such ridiculous questions?

Looking at Zhao Changhe's faintly smiling face, the blind man remained expressionless for a long while before finally saying, "Earlier you were quite happy, so the real reason for your joy was that you had found a way to trap me?"

"Because you wish for me to be motivated, that's why you fell into this trap, which is the very essence of causality." Zhao Changhe turned earnest, "Thank you."

The blind man stopped short of speaking again.

What a hammer of causality, I don't wish for you to be motivated at all!