Chaotic World Book

"Let's call it a day," Luo Qi said wearily, waving his hand by the narrow mountain path outside.

The howl of ice and snow in the mountains was much colder than in the stronghold, at least there were many places to shelter from the wind and stay warm in the stronghold. Outside, working meant truly bone-chilling frost.

Luo Qi acted as a small leader, leading a team lurking along the mountain road, trying to plunder passing merchants. But how many merchants could there be in such freezing cold? After a whole day, not even a ghost's shadow was seen, and the falling snow had long covered his hair and shoulders, his weak body resembling a frost-laden eggplant.

When he left the Luo Family, he didn't have time to pack his valuables; he wore only a thin coat. Squatting in this snowy weather all day, despite his modest cultivation, he still found it very hard to endure.

Instead, his subordinates were all dressed warmly and were better off than him. Luo Qi, being new and without established authority, didn't feel it right to snatch his subordinates' clothing. He had been gritting his teeth and enduring it for a long time.

A subordinate nearby said, "Boss Luo, simply guarding this mountain path isn't working. It looks like we really have to head towards the city…"

Luo Qi shook his head, "We'll wait another two days and see. I don't know if the higher-ups intend to spread teachings in the city. When the time comes, there will naturally be followers making offerings. We mustn't act recklessly."

Spreading teachings and making offerings versus bandits plundering were two typical sources of income for the Demon Sect. If things went well, they might even be able to invest in businesses. But this new squadron was just starting out, without anything. So far, the food everyone was eating was still what they had procured by going into the mountains - their start-up funds.

The subordinate said, "But we've been hungry all day! And if we go back to the stronghold, we'll only get scolded and likely won't get any food at all. If this keeps up, we'll starve to death ourselves!"

Luo Qi said, "Another day, we'll go to the city privately, and I'll treat my brothers to a meal."

His followers showed a flattering smile. It seemed this newly promoted leader knew how to handle people, easing their worries a bit.

Luo Qi dismissed his subordinates and dragged his tired body back to the stronghold in the sunset.

Passing by the underground altar, Luo Qi glanced unconsciously at the secret door that was so well hidden no one could recognize it and sneered slightly.

He knew what this was.

Zhao Changhe thought he had been coerced into coming, but only he himself knew the truth. It wasn't a transfer of a prisoner on the way here, and he wasn't so frail he couldn't walk. He could have left halfway, so why choose to come here and suffer?

Because he had always understood what this place was, what the Blood God Sect did, and... why they ultimately wanted to destroy the Luo Family.

He had come here by his own decision, after deep contemplation.

He walked into the stronghold as if nothing was amiss, went to Deacon Hall to report on today's plundering task. Being empty-handed, he naturally got scolded to his face, and sure enough, he didn't get a bite to eat. Luo Qi left with a forced smile and slowly headed back to the residential area.

Seeing his own wooden hut from afar, Zhao Changhe was at the door, reading in the last glints of the setting sun.

It rather looked like the scene of 'catching fireflies or carving walls to steal light.'

His posture even resembled a warrior's stance, squatting half-bent, with a book in his left hand and holding a single-blade sword in his right, demonstrating the motion of a downward strike, over and over.

There was a wooden post in front of him, seemingly trying to land every strike in the same spot, but so far the post was a mess of blade marks.

Luo Qi dared to say he had never seen anyone work this hard... well, though he hadn't met that many people.

Zhao Changhe turned his head and saw him returning, his face showing a look of surprise: "You're back?"

This natural expression of surprise made Luo Qi feel quite odd: "What are you so excited about?"

"Hmm... I was worried you might be in danger," Zhao Changhe replied with a smile. "Looks like you're okay? That's good. Have you eaten?"

Luo Qi's gaze grew even stranger, and after a long pause, he said, "I have."

In reality, aside from the morning's cornbread, Luo Qi hadn't had anything to eat all day. As soon as these stubborn words left his mouth, his stomach "gurgled" as if on cue.

Luo Qi's face turned red instantly, glaring at Zhao Changhe with angry eyes.

Zhao Changhe, who wouldn't bother arguing with someone so proudly stubborn, turned and went inside: "I was just worried that the icy snow wouldn't permit 'just eating,' so I saved you some food... You came back just in time, the food is still warm."

Luo Qi followed as though in a trance, staring at the still-warm leftovers on the table, his mind in a muddle.

Seeing him standing there lost in thought, Zhao Changhe said with a stern face, "Don't tell me you're disgusted by my leftovers? Make do with it, my dear senior brother."

Luo Qi said nothing and silently sat down at the table, looking down at the meal.

There was actually a piece of meat in the rice.

"You... need meat more at this time," he said somewhat awkwardly.

Zhao Changhe waved his hand indifferently, "I ate three portions at noon, that's enough, I'm not hungry."

Luo Qi didn't speak. There's no logic in not eating dinner just because you ate lunch...

Zhao Changhe sat beside him, accompanying him while eating, and asked, "In the dead of winter, where are there any passing merchants? How is such a task supposed to be done?"

"There are still the occasional few, and if there really aren't any..." Luo Qi paused without finishing his thought but turned his head in surprise to Zhao Changhe, "Maybe this winter will see a lot of affairs of the Zhao Mansion happen in our hands. Don't you care at all? Wouldn't your anger then be quite ironic?"

Zhao Changhe stared at the sunset outside, lost in thought, and spoke softly, "Before you came back, I was already struggling with this. I thought about it for a long time, and I wanted to discuss some things with you."

"What things?" Luo Qi asked, curious.

"Previously, we had no other choice but to take things as they come. Now, we actually have some freedom to choose," Zhao Changhe lowered his voice again. "For example, can we choose our targets? Like targeting the Luo Family, wreaking havoc would seem justifiable in the name of punishing the rich for the poor, right? I suspect many heroes make their living this way..."

Luo Qi's expression became very animated, staring at Zhao Changhe as if he were some oddity for a good while before he finally laughed and said, "I thought you were a gallant hero, but you can be so naïve too."

"Naïve, perhaps," Zhao Changhe said quietly. "But there are some things I really don't want to lose."

Luo Qi didn't mock him, merely poking at the grains of rice in his bowl, "When in the Demon Cave, one cannot control their own fate. You know in your heart what is impossible."

Zhao Changhe said, "If it's impossible now, then we must become stronger. Today, I've seen that the Demon Sect really respects power. If you're formidable, others respect you, and no one would dare to fart in your presence. Just as you are a squad leader, at the very least you have some decision over your team. And what if one day you become the squad leader? Then wouldn't you call the shots around here?"

Zhao Changhe had one more thing he didn't say.

As long as he had enough power to handle any future pursuits, then worst case, just run away. It's just a lousy stronghold; if one really wanted to slip away, it could be done easily.

Strangers in a foreign land—who cares about whom. Already branded natural-born outlaws, having one more born defector isn't anything to fuss about.

"Heh..." Luo Qi sighed deeply, not sure if he caught the implication in Zhao Changhe's words or not, "I hope you can keep your conscience and your naivety. Like this meal... Thank you."

Zhao Changhe smiled, "That's not an easy tone to take, we're friends now, right?"

"Hmm," Luo Qi responded softly, "We have been for a long time."

Actually, 'friends' was an understatement; they were more akin to companions in life and death, though Luo Qi never thought that this term would ever apply between him and someone else.

"So we can share a bed tonight, huh?" Zhao Changhe tapped the table. "Have you had enough with one person sleeping on the bed and the other slumped over the desk? How long are we going to keep living like this? Regardless of what you say, I'm sleeping in bed tonight; I'm freezing to death."

"..." Luo Qi responded woodenly, "You take the bed. Or maybe one day I'll die out there, and you won't have to worry about this anymore."

Zhao Changhe replied irritably, "Are you sure you're not a woman? Why are you being so melodramatic? The trope of women disguised as men is so passé that even novel readers are tired of it."

Luo Qi pointed at his Adam's apple, equally annoyed, "Look, Mr. Zhao, are you going mad? Is everything women to you?"

"The exact opposite! I'm in no mood to fuss over women right now!" Zhao Changhe retorted angrily. "I certainly don't wish you were a woman. Men are so much more convenient, do you know that? If you were a woman, that would be a problem! Why can't you just man-up a bit!"

Luo Qi's eyes widened, and after a moment, he couldn't help but laugh, "Truly... the words of a Worldly Society hero."

"So what you're saying is that I'm a straight-talking man, huh. Oh right, you wouldn't understand that term," Zhao Changhe resignedly said. "So what if I am? The bottom line is, you're a man, so from today on, we sleep together. If you turn out to be a woman, I'll go right away tomorrow morning to see the Blood God to sell my ass, begging him to switch rooms for me! It's just sleep; really, what a fuss!"

Luo Qi poked at the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks, almost mashing the piece of meat he had yet to eat, mumbling just barely audibly, "Truly an outlaw, so crude."

Zhao Changhe didn't catch it, "What?"

"It's nothing," Luo Qi lifted his head, "Let's sleep together. What, am I supposed to be scared?"