Chaotic World Book

"Damn it, I can't stand this ranking! Now the whole world knows I'm a complete idiot!"

"Uh, that's not right, I'm not an idiot!"

"Shit! What a lousy book, are you messing with me? Where's my judgmental phrase? Without it, all prestige is lost in an instant!"

On the way back, Zhao Changhe cursed all the way, showing none of the glory of being on the Chaotic World List, nor the guilt you might expect from someone who could attract envy. What bothered him was the unsightly number and the lack of a statement that could show off.

Wang Dashan and the others looked at Zhao Changhe's retreating figure with strange expressions, unsure how to judge their bizarre leader.

Not everyone gets a judgmental phrase. Out of the two hundred and fifty people on the Hidden Dragon List, there are only a handful with such a thing. No one knows what it's based on; after all, there have been people with a phrase who were chopped down the next day, which doesn't seem to mean much.

Being on the list is good enough... To think a mere First Layer of the Mystical Gate actually made it onto the Chaotic World List, when there are so many stronger than you who haven't. And you're stuck on being called an idiot.

The Hidden Dragon List is different from the Heaven, Earth, and Human List. The latter is a reflection of current strength rankings, while the Hidden Dragon List is not entirely so.

It's a list for rookies, focusing on potential demonstrated through battle achievements. It represents achieving better results under the same conditions than others, indicating a person's future is worth anticipating, hence the name Hidden Dragon. It doesn't mean you're already ranked among the top few hundred in strength.

It's just that higher-end battles are more telling. Mediocre fights, no matter how pretty, don't prove much. So, those with higher rankings are usually those with more advanced cultivation, while those with lower cultivation naturally have lower rankings. At a glance, it looks like a strength ranking.

A lot of people don't understand it and always feel like, "Damn, if you at First Layer can get on the list, why can't I at Third Layer? There are tens of thousands stronger than you; why do you get to be ranked 205th? If I knock you down, wouldn't that make me 205th?"

So, this is bound to bring countless troubles knocking on the door, why else would it be called the Chaotic World Book?

Zhao Changhe is still caught up on whether the number sounds good or not, is he unaware or does he truly not care...

And there's another thing...

This challenge, forcing the squad leader to cough up the money and grain, sure felt awesome... but now the Branch Leader conceded due to his injuries, when he recovers in a few months, how do you plan to die?

Wang Dashan and the rest feel like the days to come will be quite grim.

No matter what, having returned to the village and stored the spoils in the warehouse, they finally had rice in the pot. The bandits didn't care where it came from or what dangers it might bring. They all celebrated like it was the Spring Festival, cheering "Long live Chief Zhao!"

The object of these cheers, Zhao Changhe, stroked his chin, knowing this was not a sustainable solution.

Several carts of rice might seem like a lot, and the purchasing power of a few hundred taels of silver was no joke, enough to support many resources. But even so, it couldn't support a village of several hundred people for long. Hence, despite having some reserves, the village still needed people to rob or hunt; otherwise, they'd eventually run out of resources.

A village must have a reliable source of income, usually through banditry. Even if Zhao Changhe didn't want to, he couldn't avoid the issue.

Zhao Changhe had noticed that the recent editions of the Chaotic World Book coincidentally came with dates; this time, it was during the Minor Cold period, reminding people that the Spring Festival was just over twenty days away, and spring was nearing...

With spring comes change; the previously deserted roads of the last one or two months would begin to see travelers and merchants, even now some might already be starting to pass through—Who knew if anyone in this world would rush home for the New Year?

Perhaps not many, but there should be some.

"Boss, what do we do next?" In the Village Chief's hall, Wang Dashan asked from the side: "The Vice Leader had a point; the branch is currently without industry, and it's not sustainable to keep getting money from them..."

Zhao Changhe sat in the chief's seat, leaning back lazily, supporting his forehead: "Spring is coming, there will always be travelers... First, distribute the orders, tell the brothers to set up checkpoints on the mountain roads."

Wang Dashan: "?"

Zhao Changhe said languidly: "This mountain is mine, this tree is mine; if you want to pass through, leave behind a toll. Although this line is quite outdated, isn't that what being a bandit is all about?"

"Isn't that just robbing people?"

"It's a bit different from robbing because we're setting up checkpoints openly."

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"?"

"And we're not taking it all… The amount for today's City Entrance Tax is decent, so let's stick with that. Travelers just need to pay a little to pass through."

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Wang Dashan said, "Boss, you were just saying the government troops would come to suppress bandits... You're doing this so openly..."

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"We're on our own turf, why wouldn't the government troops throw a fit if they showed up? Can they really stay there forever? Right, because we're wary of the government troops, we can't flaunt our presence. We can only operate within our own mountain. Do you think I enjoy setting up a toll station on the highway?"

"…"

"Speaking of government troops, although Branch Leader Fang promised well, we can't really count on that… Pick a few clever ones to stay in the city and keep watch. Report back immediately if there's any hint of trouble."

"Understood."

"For the rest, we might as well hunt for game. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Oh right, change the big flag in the village to one that says 'Upholding Justice on Heaven's Behalf', and this hall, put up a sign and call it the Gathering Hall."

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Wang Dashan's eyes went round in confusion, unable to grasp what the boss was thinking.

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But he always had a feeling that the boss didn't actually want to engage in plundering, just dragging things out day by day… Maybe it was an illusion. After all, the boss was an extremely fierce person, a natural bandit, how could he not want to rob…

Isn't the knife he's holding right now a stolen one?

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"Alright," Zhao Changhe stood up tall. "Dad's gonna go train. You guys should train too. Don't lie flat thinking that because Teacher Sun is gone, you can slack off. You'll know what death is when the government troops come. Dismissed."

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After the meeting was adjourned, Zhao Changhe went straight to the previously mentioned herbal warehouse to prepare the Medicine Bath aided by the Cultivation Technique detailed in the Blood Evil Skill.

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He had absolutely no interest in developing the stronghold; indeed, he was dragging things out day by day. Hiding out in Beimang as a mountain overlord wasn't for farming or rebellion, nor was it to be entangled endlessly with a mere Branch Leader. How low could that be?

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The most obvious privilege of being a Village Chief was the right to command… no, the right to order the menials to heat water for a Medicine Bath. Not taking advantage of it would be foolish.

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External Skill often involves the use of Medicine Baths as an aid, which is standard practice as it helps stimulate the flow of Qi and Blood and has qualities that enhance one's defensive power against strikes. However, these baths are generally quite uncomfortable to endure.

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Zhao Changhe felt the reason Vice Leader Huang couldn't withstand a single hit from him was that he hadn't trained much in that aspect. Otherwise, cultivating the Blood Evil Skill, which tends towards resilience, would offer a substantial advantage in enduring blunt force, although not to the extent of being invulnerable to sharp weapons. With proper training, how could one be taken down by a single kick?

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The more he trained, the more he realized how formidable the Blood Evil Skill was. With its aggressive and domineering attacks, and quite impressive defensive capabilities, it was full of strengths on both offense and defense. The reason for its average reputation was mainly its severe drawbacks, as the training involved was extremely uncomfortable. Yet Zhao Changhe believed that even with Inner Strength, one shouldn't shy away from the difficulties and abandon External Skill training. He needed to persist.

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That's what simultaneous internal and external cultivation is all about.

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Starting this late, without double the effort, how could he hope to rise above the average?

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"Hiss! Damn it, it's indeed…" Inside the chief's hut, Zhao Changhe winced and grimaced in the hot water tub, almost curling up from the pain.

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It felt like millions of needles piercing his skin, both painful and itchy. Then, as his blood surged and his head heated, a certain part of him proudly rose on its own.

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Well, judging solely by its effects, this Medicine Bath was a fine thing, no deception there…

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But it was indeed… terribly hard to bear, barely any less than when the side effects were acting up, no wonder Vice Leader Huang and the others hadn't trained much.

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Defeating Vice Leader Huang in three moves was, in Zhao Changhe's own mind, nothing to boast about. Where there's a fallen ship, a thousand sails pass by; that man was merely a backward has-been worn down by luxury and comfort— a cautionary tale. Zhao Changhe could not afford to become another fallen ship.

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Continuing his training was the only sensible thing to do.

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Even if this wretched Cultivation Technique was unbearable, he had to keep at it.

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Zhao Changhe clenched his teeth tightly, gripped the edge of the tub, enduring the agony while driving the operation of the Blood Evil Skill through his body.

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The wooden tub creaked under his grasp, and without knowing when, he had indented shallow finger marks into the solid wood.

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Could he defeat Branch Leader Fang once he recovered in a few months? Zhao Changhe couldn't be bothered to think that far ahead. Regardless of the future, at least he would have tried his best.

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