Chaotic World Book

Zhao Changhe suppressed a belly full of angry frustration, his eyes still holding the residual brutality of the Blood Evil Skill, as he strode towards the site of the trap.

This was a pitfall trap within the stronghold, located right beside the Martial Arts Arena. Originally, Zhao Changhe had ordered its construction himself, saying that no one would expect a trap in such a place. Yue Hongling had been listening by his side then... Unexpectedly, it was indeed this trap that caught a fish.

Later, Yue Hongling had people remove the spikes inside the stronghold's traps, leaving them purely for capturing enemies. The attacker was lucky this time; in the past, they might have been skewered by spikes at the bottom and wouldn't even be able to put up a fight...

Zhao Changhe arrived at the edge and saw a group of bandits wielding spears surrounding the deep pit, stabbing down into it swiftly, while sword light flickered from below, untouched by the numerous spears.

The sword of the person below seemed to be a treasure blade, as many spears were cut in half as soon as they stabbed down, leaving only a smooth, shortened stick in hand. But with the sheer number of people continuing their relentless stabbing, the trapped individual couldn't escape.

Zhao Changhe was speechless. From this scene alone, it seemed a pathetic bout of squabbling cocks.

You've got the person cornered in a pit, and this is what you do? You've been poking around for half an hour and still at it?

And the one below, judging by the swordsmanship and the treasure sword, should have an esteemed legacy. It felt like they also had Inner Cultivation around the Second or Third Layer of the Mystical Gate. With such cultivation, shouldn't you have sensed something off the moment you stepped on the trap and escaped promptly with Qinggong? How could you fall into the pit? Were you, like Yue Hongling, disrupted by your own Sword Qi?

What is this? Dog-taught combat experience and adaptability?

"Boss!"

"The boss is here!"

"Let's see this brat act tough now!"

The crowd made way for Zhao Changhe to approach, but in that brief gap, a cold Sword Qi surged out, nearly allowing the trapped person to escape.

Suddenly, a Blood Moon appeared, and Sword Light flew in from above with a resounding "clang," followed by a faint moan, and the sword light fell back into the pit.

Zhao Changhe stood at the edge, looking down to see a young girl glaring up at him, her eyes betraying a mix of defiance and fear.

The girl looked quite pitiable, drenched from head to toe, with water dripping down her face. It seemed she had triggered a mechanism when she fell into the pit and had been doused with ice water. It was February; regardless of the warming spring, it was still cold. Was her level of Cultivation enough to withstand this?

At this moment, Zhao Changhe, full of explosive irritation, didn't bother thinking too much and straightforwardly said, "You have two choices. One, continue to resist, and we'll roll a big stone into the pit. Then you can become spring mud to nourish flowers."

The girl's defiant expression froze in place.

Finished, she thought she could hold out longer; her brother would surely notice her absence and come looking for her... But now...

The faces of the bandits around her were flushed.

After a standoff of half an hour, it turned out to be so simple.

Zhao Changhe continued, "Two, throw your sword out and surrender. I could use a woman to press down the fort."

The girl's face turned crimson with rage, and she yelled, "You'd better kill me! I'd rather die than surrender!"

"Tsck, not much skill, but still quite the temper," Zhao Changhe said as he began to undo his belt. "Seems your swordsmanship hasn't reached the level of being seamlessly tight. I didn't get to relieve myself when I got up just now, so I'll start with a stream to send you on your way."

The girl was dumbstruck, "You're despicable! Wait, wait a minute…"

"Hmm?"

"Don't pee! I, I surrender."

The surrounding bandits: "..."

Why didn't we think of that?

Seriously, how could that ever work?

The girl muttered, "You, you can't touch me. I'm a member of the Imperial Court."

Was this young girl just out from a pampered nest, naive to this extent?

A member of the Imperial Court? How convenient, we're bandits. What we love most is meddling with the court's folk.

As the young girl weakly tossed out her sword, people's minds were already filled with countless lewd storytelling scenarios.

Beholding the girl who belonged to the Imperial Court was somewhat useful to Zhao Changhe, but not overly so. It was the girl's naivety that really amused him, dispelling much of his earlier irritation and brutality.

He picked up the girl's sword, examining it for a while: "You all go back. Do what you need to and don't disturb us without reason."

The people dispersed, exchanging knowing looks, while Zhao Changhe pressed the girl's Acupoint and lifted her up. "Come on, young lady, follow me inside."

"You can't make me your fort-pressing wife," the girl protested indignantly. "When my brother arrives, he'll slaughter your entire stronghold!"

"Oh, you have backing, huh?" Zhao Changhe laughed, "Stop it, missy. I'm no saint, but I'm not into lolis either. I have no interest in your barely two ounces of flesh. It's just that I've never encountered someone from the Imperial Court before, and I have some things I'd like to find out."

The girl faced him as if ready to meet her end: "I won't tell you anything, no matter what you ask."

"Pfft." Zhao Changhe scoffed with a sneer, feigning to undo his belt.

The girl's expression changed drastically, "You wouldn't dare!"

"When you surrendered, did you not consider that although this might not go over your head, it could find a different location?"

"You're despicable! Shameless! Brazen!"

Zhao Changhe had intended only to scare her a bit, and just as he was about to up the ante, a knocking came from outside the door, "Boss, Boss!"

Zhao Changhe frowned, "What's up?"

"The squad leader is here, says he has captured someone from the Imperial ranks, and that our stockade cannot handle it alone, that we must hand them over to the sub-unit, as that is the rule."

"Damn it all!" Zhao Changhe scoffed coldly, "He can fly, can he? Arriving so quickly? Someone must have tipped him off half an hour ago, right? Clearly, he's just doing this deliberately to snatch a woman from me for fun and only found out she's an Imperial officer once he got here. What's he pretending for?"

Silence came from outside the door.

"Fine, where is he?"

"Just on the mountain path, about to reach the stockade."

"Got it, I will take this woman there myself."

No more sounds came from outside.

Zhao Changhe turned to glance at the girl, who looked back at him, her face pale.

"Huh, you see the consequences of surrendering now, don't you?" Zhao Changhe pulled her to the door, walking toward the gates of the stockade.

"Zhao Changhe! And I thought you were a real man! Groveling and fawning over the squad leader like this, you don't deserve... huh?"

Before she could finish her sentence, the girl realized her acupoints had been released and the sword that had been taken from her was stuffed back into her hand.

"Are you an idiot? Who told you the stockade has only one gate? This is the back door!" Zhao Changhe waved his hand, "Go on, get out of here. With your foolish look, you should train with Chief Tang for another three years before you talk about going on a mission again. Don't assume all bandits are as easy to talk to as I am."

The girl stared at him blankly, "You... you know who I am?"

"Not someone Chief Tang sent?"

"Yes, that's right."

"That's all there is to it." Zhao Changhe said impatiently, "No matter who sent you, I wouldn't do such a lowly thing. I was going to ask you some things since you were said to be from the Imperial court, but since the timing is wrong, forget it. Get lost. I have other things to do and you're delaying me."

The girl said, "You, your squad leader is at the Mystical Gate Fourth Layer, and you haven't even broken through the Third Layer. If you release an Imperial captive and he finds out about it, what will you do..."

"Ah? You're waking up now?" Zhao Changhe laughed aloud, "Enough, I have my own plans. Don't bother me here."

The girl lowered her head and pursed her lips for a long time, then suddenly pulled out two wet elixirs from her pocket, "These elixirs can help you break through the Third Layer. Thank you, I'll go find someone right now to help you!"

After saying that, she dashed off, obviously aware that she was just a hindrance, seeking reinforcements.

Zhao Changhe hesitated for a moment. Her Qinggong was so elegant and quick, definitely born of a prominent sect. Which sect would let such an naive disciple out on delivery duty? Wait a second... nearby prominent families... Cui Yuanyong has a sister.

He sighed silently, looking at the elixirs in his hand. Cui Family's medicine?

He sniffed lightly at the tip of his nose and sensed it, and quickly felt a stir in his Dantian.

Clearly, this was an Inner Elixir, beneficial for the Xia Eights Refinements, not the Blood Evil Skill... but for now, he had been using the Xia Eights Refinements as an aid and booster for the Blood Evil Skill, so maybe it was worth a try?

Well, it didn't matter now; Fang Buping was already knocking at the door.

Zhao Changhe threw his head back and swallowed an elixir, letting the Qi in his Dantian begin to swirl as he walked briskly toward the Gathering Hall.

Wang Dashan and others were inside, arranging drinks and dishes, ready to welcome Fang Buping's guidance. Seeing Zhao Changhe come in, they too paused: "Boss, where is the woman?"

Zhao Changhe appeared to walk casually forward, smiling, "Let's talk about the woman later, I want to borrow something from you."

Wang Dashan, not understanding his intention, laughed, "What talk is this? Whatever you want, just take it, why speak of borrowing? What is it that you want?"

"I'm about to break through the Third Layer of the Blood Evil Skill, all is ready except the push of Blood Evil Qi." Zhao Changhe spoke, and suddenly drew his steel knife: "I've come to borrow your head for this purpose!"

"Swish!"

The sword light flashed, and blood spurted.

Wang Dashan's head flew off, eyes still frozen in disbelief.

He, how dare he?

The squad leader had already arrived...

The entire room was shocked, everyone shivered at the sight of Zhao Changhe's bare murderous aura.

"Boom/boom/boom!" Zhao Changhe looked inward at his Dantian, the effects of the elixir just now terrifyingly powerful, swirling Qi streams rushing through his meridians, piercing through acupoints. The Mystical Gate Third Layer Acupoint at the center of his chest, which he had not intended to break through, was blasted open.

Meanwhile, as murderous intent arose from within, the Blood Evil Qi surged through his heart and rushed straight to the Spirit Platform, his blood raged like a torrent, angrily hitting the barrier that had previously held him back. The freshly broken through Inner True Energy promptly came forth, fusing with the Blood Evil Qi, and with intense pain, the barrier was thunderously breached.

Zhao Changhe howled to the sky, overshadowing the intense pain of the breakthrough, and with another slash, he shattered the Gathering Hall's signboard, laughing as he left: "To speak of the Dao without following it, to gather in the name of righteousness without possessing it, what use is there to keep it! Farewell until we meet again!"