Chaotic World Book

Upon returning to the stronghold, no one knew that a small squad had almost been completely wiped out by a female hero. The place buzzed with excitement as everyone discussed the latest developments.

"Have you heard? The squad leader Fang was penalized severely by the Vermilion Bird Venerable for his incompetence; he nearly had his bones dismantled."

"Just heard... serves him right. Damn it, we're supposed to search the mountain yet he doesn't trust any of our brothers in the stronghold, not even dropping a hint, just letting those few dozen official followers search quietly. What the hell can they find? This mountain is so damn huge, a few dozen people spreading out is like throwing a needle into the sea. Does he think it's his family's kiln where everyone is an in-law?"

"Shh, keep it down, if the squad leader hears us we're done for."

"Who cares? That idiot got seriously injured by the Vermilion Bird Venerable, he might even die."

"Speaking of which, Blood God Sect is actually a subsidiary of the Four Symbols Sect. I thought it was just a vassal, but seems it's clearly a branch directly under the Venerable's control."

"Even if it was originally a vassal, how hard is it to become a subsidiary? The Four Symbols Sect is too powerful..."

"That's why the strong are impressive; just let everyone search. Whoever finds it will be bestowed with the Blood God Skill, and might even be admitted directly into the core of the Four Symbols Sect!"

"Yeah, the Venerable's intention is that the object has its own Divinity. As long as someone is predestined, they might even encounter great Creation. The Sect needs such talents. Isn't this much more generous compared to that stingy Fang?"

"Squad leader Fang doesn't want everyone to search together, probably because he's worried someone else will take his opportunity..."

However, while the discussion was heated, those who were cursing the miserly squad leader began to watch their conversing friends with wary eyes. Both parties suddenly realized that there was only one opportunity, and in fact, everyone was a competitor.

"Pfft." Zhao Changhe scoffed, pulling Luo Qi aside to quietly circle around, heading straight for the pool behind the back mountain.

They had to be quick, fearing someone might look for it later.

Fortunately, they had Yue Hongling. Otherwise, learning about the Dragon Star Formation from Grandmaster Sun would have taken ages. Now they could resolve it directly, especially since Luo Qi knew a bit about Array knowledge.

The two dashed behind the waterfall. Sure enough, no one else was there and the Star Map was still intact. Zhao Changhe took a deep breath and asked, "Which is the Heart Star?"

Luo Qi gave him a glance and silently pressed a star.

Zhao Changhe noticed that it was actually the brightest star in the entire Star Map. He looked at Luo Qi again. If it was this simple, shouldn't Luo Qi have been able to solve it earlier? Or was it because the most obvious clue was actually the most intimidating to touch, and Luo Qi was just being cautious?

With that thought fleeting by, Luo Qi had already pressed down on other Star Points in quick succession.

The Star Map slowly cracked open, revealing a small hole just big enough for one person to pass through.

"Done!" Zhao Changhe's face lit up with excitement, but he remained cautious, "Let's not go in rashly. I've heard that places like this might have carbon monoxide... uh, filled with poisonous gases. Let's try if a Fire Lighter can be lit..."

"No need." Luo Qi sighed, "I practice Inner Qi; I'm more sensitive to the breath than you. It's safe inside. But we should be careful of any Guardian Spirits or the like."

Zhao Changhe drew his long sword and took the lead, "In that case, I'll scout ahead."

Luo Qi pursed her lips and followed.

Inside, there was no bizarre space, no Guardian Spirits, zombies, or skeletons.

The space was actually quite small, about the size of a single room, even smaller than their double cabin. The space was round as if in response to the stars in the Heavenly Vault above, and in the center of the circle was a cyan Jade Seal shaped like a box with a handle. On it, a white orb the size of a goose egg with the form of a dragon swimming lazily within, as if alive.

"Heaven is round and Earth is square, the dragon roams the Nine Heavens... this must be the Azure Dragon Seal..." Luo Qi murmured inaudibly to herself.

Zhao Changhe didn't hear her clearly and turned to ask her, "Do you know what this is?"

Luo Qi, transfixed by the Azure Dragon Seal, whispered, "How would I know."

Zhao Changhe said, "Regardless, the Four Symbols Sect values this item highly. Based on the Dragon Star Map, it should be deeply connected to the sect's name. If we take it to the Vermilion Bird Venerable, joining the Four Symbols Sect would be definite, and if not, getting the Blood God Skill shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Luo Qi uttered a soft "Mhm."

Zhao Changhe crouched down carefully inching his sword towards it.

Who knew why such a thing was left without powerful protection - maybe it had its own formidable prohibitions. Zhao Changhe felt a bit nervous, carefully probing with his sword first.

Behind him, Luo Qi bit her lower lip tightly, slowly drew a Dagger from her sleeve, and watched Zhao Changhe's back with an indescribable complexity in her gaze.

Zhao Changhe's heart jolted as he saw clearly behind him, his complexion changing entirely.

This is...

Is Luo Qi trying to kill me?

Luo Qi is trying to kill me...

This...

"Don't trust anyone, including me."

Luo Qi's words echoed in his heart, and to this day, Zhao Changhe couldn't believe this scene; he even doubted whether his rear sight was mistaken, showing him the wrong image?

If she wanted to kill him, she could have done so on any given night with a single stab—why wait until today?

Even yesterday, she was easing his pain; how could she seem like she intended to kill someone?

Could it be... just because a treasure has appeared and she wanted to have it all to herself?

Laughable that he had just scoffed at the fortress-dwellers, thinking once the Brother Sword appeared there would be no more brotherhood—would it also apply to him and Luo Qi?

Zhao Changhe's heart sank to rock bottom, his grip on the knife tightening, as he waited with a stubborn hope for the moment Luo Qi would strike.

Who would have thought that the purpose of cultivating one's rear sight was not to stealthily watch others bathe, but for this moment. All those days and nights of practicing the turn-around slash were going to be used on Luo Qi...

Who knows how much time had passed, maybe it was just a second, when Luo Qi's stiff hand finally moved.

Zhao Changhe's tense heartstrings suddenly snapped, and he turned around with a slash.

But he saw that Luo Qi was not striking at him, but instead threw the dagger forcefully to the ground.

Zhao Changhe stopped the knife urgently, the blade precisely halting at Luo Qi's neck, not advancing an inch further.

Luo Qi looked at Zhao Changhe in astonishment, and Zhao Changhe returned her look expressionlessly. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Luo Qi finally laughed, "Not bad, not bad... Your painstakingly honed precision control is actually to spare my life. Strange, how do you possess such alertness to threats from behind with your level of cultivation?"

Zhao Changhe said softly, "You... just now..."

"Planning to kill you," Luo Qi completely relaxed, "But I really couldn't bring myself to do it. What can I say, after all, our dear Boss Zhao just shielded me from Yue Hongling, didn't he? I'm not heartless."

"Even... even if there hadn't been the incident with Yue Hongling just now..." Zhao Changhe spoke with difficulty, "I really can't think of you killing me... how could you possibly kill me... just for a treasure?"

Luo Qi quietly watched Zhao Changhe's disconsolate expression, the pain in his eyes seeming to surpass the torment of last night's breakthrough. A fleeting look of distress passed through her eyes as she earnestly replied, "Why can't I do it for a treasure?"

Zhao Changhe shouted, "Don't lie to me, you're not that kind of person!"

"How much do you know about me? Just because we slept together?" Luo Qi also raised her voice, "I've been deceiving you from the start, haven't you realized?"

"You..."

"I could have solved the array yesterday, but I pretended not to because you were there! Do you understand? I've always been deceiving you!"

"..."

"I had planned to quietly retrieve it myself today, but I couldn't leave because of the mission. The mission wasn't complete, and then Yue Hongling interfered, and interference was bad enough, but Vermilion Bird also showed up! It caused the whole mountain to be searched!" Luo Qi got angrier the more she spoke, "Is the whole world against me!"

Zhao Changhe twitched the corners of his mouth, "Alright, keep it down. You're making it sound like a petty domestic spat, so foolish."

Luo Qi's expression turned odd, and she lowered her voice, "Yeah, everyone's out there now searching for the stuff. Drawing them here would mean the treasure at your fingertips is truly lost."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

"You really need this thing," Luo Qi spoke softly, "Whether it's to join the Four Symbols Sect, or to obtain the Blood God Skill to escape your current painful predicament, or even... the treasure has the power of Wash Marrow, which could erase the disadvantage of your late start in martial arts. You've always seen it as something within your grasp, never once considering that I might want it too, did you?"

Zhao Changhe's eyes finally stirred, he replied softly, "No, I've always felt it belonged to both of us."

"Belong to both of us? Is that so?" Luo Qi's tone was somewhat melancholic, "You've only ever thought about the benefits you'd gain from it, have you ever spared a moment to contemplate its use to me? Changhe, do you know that I came to Beimang from the very start for this thing, it's even been my childhood wish... If I were to watch you take it away before me, then what would my life be all about..."