Chapter 23: Cover Flipped Open
Judging from that power, Yue Hongling thought some high level bandit had come from the stronghold. Perhaps it was the stronghold master himself!
However, when that large man approached, her eyes widened and she gaped slightly. She was stupefied.
Zhao—Zhao Changhe?
He now had a beard that merged with his sideburns and a scar on his face… He looked unfamiliar to her.
Zhao Changhe used the Vicious Blood Art and ran at full speed. Even though he had not learned any movement art, he was much faster than a normal human, although this pace was quite tiring to keep up. Fortunately, the Zhang Village was relatively close to the stronghold. He arrived only after a few tens of minutes, exhausted and gasping for air.
His head was full of sweat as he stood in front of Luo Qi and looked at Yue Hongling. He wanted to say something, but was still panting heavily.
Come to think of it, Yue Hongling’s pretty cute when she makes this face…
The snow drifted past them and in an instant everything became calm. Luo Qi, who was behind Zhao Changhe, tilted her head.
Yue Hongling slowly retreated with a stunned expression. She was a little indifferent. “So it’s like this. You’re actually at the Beimang Branch. I missed this place. I didn’t even think of coming here.”
Zhao Changhe said, “Your first reaction was to look for Cult Leader Xue?”
“I thought you died then.” Yue Hongling told the truth. “I regretted sending you, someone I just saved, into a tiger’s den. I could have brought you along with me. You even requested to train under me, but I wanted to remain unrestrained and left you at the Luo Family Village… After I thought you were dead, that fury and blame I felt toward myself was something I couldn’t tell anyone else. I didn’t know if I was a match for Xue Canghai, but I knew if I didn’t seek out answers from him, I wouldn’t be at ease.”
Sure enough…
The Tome of Troubled Times shone in the night sky that day, announcing that Yue Hongling had pursued Xue Cang Hai for a thousand li… This battle was actually all for Zhao Changhe’s sake.
Zhao Changhe sighed. “You must have heard about Zhao Changhe the Manslayer afterward, right? What did you think? Did you regret sending this horrible person to the Luo Family and causing Luo Zhenwu to die?”
Yue Hongling looked at him quietly for a moment and sighed faintly. “I did not. I heard from other people what you said at the time of the incident. You knew it was Luo Zhenwu who slaughtered the Zhao House. You were taking revenge. That’s why I felt that you must have followed the Blood God Cult and became a bandit because you had no other choice. That place isn’t somewhere you should have ended up at. I wanted to take you away… But I never would have thought that you were in Beimang.”
Zhao Changhe gulped and softly said, “Thank you.”
Luo Qi tilted her head and watched from behind. If she were Zhao Changhe, she’d also be moved by Yue Hongling’s words. It was unfortunate that she was not Zhao Changhe. At this moment, she felt that Yue Hongling looked even more revolting.
You’re not at all familiar with this man, so what are you talking about righteousness for? If his soul is stolen, will you take responsibility?
She heard Yue Hongling say, “But from what I can see today, it looks like you’re doing pretty well? You’re cultivating the Vicious Blood Art and have even reached the first layer of the Profound Gate… It’s only been a month…”
Zhao Changhe said softly, “If I didn’t learn demonic arts, I’d have no way to protect myself.”
Yue Hongling replied, “It’s as you say… But you’re not in too deep yet. You can still turn back. After some time passes, no one will pay any attention to your wanted posters. As long as you disguise yourself and conceal your identity, you can still lead a normal life.”
“Conceal my identity?” Zhao Changhe suddenly broke out in laughter. “Big Sister Yue… Miss Yue, I won’t lie to you. Whether I can still turn back or not is one thing, but concealing my identity is not something I wish to do. I didn’t come to this world to fool around in the countryside.”
Zhao Changhe the Manslayer!
These words surfaced in Yue Hongling’s mind.
Has that innocent youth died in just a month? No… he was never an innocent youth to begin with.
That’s why, now that they were meeting again in the jianghu, she could not hear him call her “big sister” again like he used to.
“So… Is this the reason you’ve come to assist these bandits today?” Yue Hongling’s gaze gradually grew sharper. “Are you going to say that in a nest of devils, you’re not free to do as you please?”
Zhao CHanghe answered calmly, “No. It’s because of the person behind me.”
The corners of Luo Qi’s mouth curved upward without her realizing it.
Yue Hongling could not ascertain the gender of this person and thought Zhao Changhe was speaking of brotherhood. “Is he your good friend?”
Zhao Changhe said, “Our fates are intertwined.”
Luo Qi grinned.
Yue Hongling remained silent for a moment before quietly sighing. “He has not killed anyone, and the women in the village are unharmed… You two can leave. But from now on, we are strangers. The youth I was searching for for a month is dead. Next time, if I happen to run into you committing acts of evil, I won’t be so lenient even if it’s you, let alone him.”
She remounted her horse and left.
For the past month, Yue Hongling had braved the winds, snow, and rain, moving over ten thousand li to search for that youth. She came to Beimang to try her luck…but she had never expected their meeting to be like this. The youth she was searching for had gotten in her way for the sake of someone else, to the point where they were just short of crossing blades.
Even Luo Qi felt some pity at this very moment. As she watched that red-cloaked woman ride away, she was beset by an indescribable melancholy.
Zhao Changhe raised his voice and said, “Miss Yue, things aren’t as you think they are. Like this Zhang Village chief. It’s vile. No better than Luo Zhenwu, in any case. My brother here has found irrefutable evidence for this. There’s no need for you to feel so conflicted over this. As for…”
Yue Hongling tugged on the reins of her horse and looked back at him, wanting to hear what else he had to say.
Zhao Changhe paused for a moment and then smiled. “As for when we next meet in the jianghu, I really don’t think I can call you big sister, because I asked around and found out that you’re actually younger than me by two months.”
Yue Hongling: “...”
Zhao Changhe laughed. “But there’s no need for us to be strangers… I’ve always been glad that my first encounter with the jianghu was with the chivalrous and righteous Yue Hongling. That’s why no matter how the ways of the world affect my own views of it, the jianghu of my heart will always be the one that you showed me.”
Yue Hongling had a surprised look in her eyes. She suddenly laughed and urged her horse onward. “Then I shall wait and see what kind of name Zhao Changhe can make for himself in the jianghu—the very Zhao Changhe who people say has cleaved open a path for the arrival of troubled times.”
“It is precisely in the jianghu that troubled times spring from.” Zhao Changhe replied calmly. “What I did was nothing more than flip open the cover of the Tome of Troubled Times.”
Those words were poignant. Not just Yue Hongling, but also Luo Qi sized up Zhao Changhe as if they were meeting him for the first time. Looking at him, Luo Qi wanted to pat him on the shoulder and say “not bad, you’re pretty cultured.” In the end, however, she restrained herself.
Luo Qi felt that when Zhao Changhe confronted Yue Hongling, he had an especially refined air about him… But Yue Hongling was clearly not a cultured person at all. She was your typical person in the jianghu. The type that had probably never studied before.
How truly strange.
Yue Hongling also wanted to say something, but she felt there was nothing to be said. Since the conversation had ended here, it was enough for her to look at his actions. There was nothing to be gained from speaking any more.
Before she rode too far off, the distant, rose-tinted horizon suddenly looked like it was on fire, painting half the sky an ardent red. Then, it quickly faded away. The sun set, and it soon got dark.
Yue Hongling furrowed her brow lightly, saying in a low voice, “Vermillion Bird… You’ve come to Beimang as well? Just what kind of secret is hidden here…”
Zhao Changhe was moved by the sight. He suddenly shouted, “Miss Yue!”
Yue Hongling looked back.
“You’ve seen many things during your travels in the jianghu. Might you happen to know where the array core of the seven-star Azure Dragon Constellation Array is located?”
“It’s usually located in the Heart Mansion star.” Yue Hongling replied casually. She did not say any more and finally disappeared far into the distance.
Yue Hongling was not a rude and impetuous person. With her current strength, if she was confronted by Venerable Vermillion Bird, she would not fare very well.
Yue Hongling was only among the first few places on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons, while Venerable Vermillion Bird was…on the Ranking of Earth. This list only consisted of outstanding masters of the highest level.
After Yue Hongling disappeared from Zhao Changhe’s gaze into the darkness of night, he turned around and looked at Luo Qi with a glow in his eyes.
Luo Qi returned that same glowing gaze.
Zhao Changhe had broken off relations with Yue Hongling for her…
The jianghu of his dreams, the heroine of his dreams… None of them could compare to Luo Qi.
To be honest, no one could predict what Yue Hongling thought. What did the relationship between her and Zhao Changhe count for? There was not actually any friendship between them. On the contrary, it was Zhao Changhe who owed her for her grace. If she was greatly disappointed, it would not have been strange for her to pull out her sword and cut down Zhao Changhe on the spot. Yet, he had summoned up the courage to put his life on the line and confront her.
Luo Qi felt warm in her heart. If Zhao Changhe said a few pleasant words to her to make her happy, she was even willing to hug him to sleep at night.
However, Zhao Changhe said, “The Vermillion Bird is here. There’s an eighty to ninety percent chance she’s in charge of digging up that secret. We need to act tonight. There’s no time to waste.”
Luo Qi turned pale, a strange expression on her face. She bit her lower lip.
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