Chaotic World Book-Chapter 453 - 440: Tax Silver Robbery Case

Zhao Changhe arrived at the town at the foot of the mountain to stay overnight.

Looking around, almost everyone had basic Body Refining, generally robust, but that was about the level of gym enthusiasts. Not everyone could have the foundation and talent for Martial Arts.

Another significant constraint was nutrition.

The rich excelled in martial arts. Large sects and schools that accepted disciples obviously had better nutrition supply. Those who were not accepted could only fend for themselves, and in today’s world, it was difficult for ordinary people to even have enough to eat, let alone provide the nutrients needed for Martial Arts.

This area, being under the control of the Divine Brilliance Sect, was relatively affluent on the whole, not because the land was exceptionally fertile, but purely because the officials dared not extort too much here.

As long as there was no trouble, the hardworking people could be self-sufficient.

Zhao Changhe had a good meal of three large bowls of pork rice noodles at the inn, feeling they tasted much better than the unnamed dish Zhai Muzhi had treated him to.

After dinner, night had fallen. Standing in the courtyard and looking out, the small town seemed somewhat subdued. If one listened carefully, one could faintly sense the sound of a large assembly of troops at the foot of the distant mountains, faintly wafting through the dark night.

This kind of commotion made Zhao Changhe a bit sensitive. Having frequently traversed through wars after his transmigration, he was very familiar with such signs and was almost certain that a battle was about to begin.

Could it be an internal assembly, preparing to attack others?

But looking at the people in the inn, from the boss to the waiter, none seemed to have a clue.

Li Shentong had mentioned that most of the properties in the town at the mountain’s foot were theirs.

Zhao Changhe, standing in the courtyard lifting a stone lock and practicing horse stance, became more and more unstable as he practiced, scratching his head in annoyance.

The Divine Brilliance Sect, as far as he could tell, didn’t seem like the type to rob and plunder. Whether it was gang warfare or town skirmishes, it seemed he ought to lend a hand, right?

Zhao Changhe put down the stone lock, and taking advantage of the darkness, he slipped out of the town and quietly followed the direction of the sound.

Sure enough, he saw a large and formidable troop, led by an old man who he recognized as the one who had passed by him when he had taken his leave.

It seemed the army had finished assembling, and the elder led the troops away. Zhao Changhe hesitated for a moment before quietly following them.

About an hour had passed since the march began, and they had left the domain of the Divine Brilliance Sect. The area was still mountainous, with an Official Army carefully escorting a convoy of large and small carts along the mountain path. He could hear the officer shouting, "Hurry up, we’ll rest in Emei!"

Before the voice died away, thousands of arrows were suddenly fired from all around, and the old man led his troops in a charge.

I thought it was just factional fighting. Are you daring to rob the Official Army?

Considering that Li Si’an dared to choose this route for his transport, there must be no tales of commoners or merchants being robbed here, otherwise, Li Si’an would have mentioned it. It could only be targeting the officials...

Zhao Changhe gazed up at the sky, deep in thought. The memory of the commoners of Shu County fearing Zhai Muzhi and Li Si’an’s words came to mind. Without waiting to see the outcome, he turned and left directly.

Help the Divine Brilliance Sect? Unnecessary. The average Official Army couldn’t beat the Divine Brilliance Sect. With his sensitive identity, pretending ignorance was already a help. Help Zhai Muzhi? He might as well go home and practice horse stance; he wasn’t Wang Daozhong.

Unexpectedly, Situ Xiao with his bushy eyebrows seemed like a rebel. However, the Divine Brilliance Sect had never let any such tales leak before, indicating they had previously been quite covert, unlike now where they were becoming brazen, performing such acts at the mountain’s foot so close to home.

No wonder, Wanzhuang was a bit wary of Li Shentong... it turns out she might have received some clues, but couldn’t be sure if he was really a rebel, worried about inviting trouble by calling on Maitreya and having him switch sides at the last moment...

But not all rebels were the same... The Four Symbols Sect were also rebels. You sure trusted Vermilion Bird a lot, eh? Did you develop feelings in the fight?

Atop the mountain, Li Shentong with folded hands stood under the moon, watching Zhao Changhe dash back to sleep with a slight smile.

...

Two days later, Li Si’an’s caravan arrived at the town located at the foot of the mountain, covered in dust.

The town wasn’t large, and he had not gone far when he heard a thunderous roar of cheers from the center.

Li Si’an, puzzled, squeezed through the crowd and saw Zhao Changhe, his upper body bare, revealing his muscular build, walking around holding a massive stone lion that appeared to weigh at least five or six hundred pounds... He suddenly tossed it into the air and caught it steadily on the way down, without a change in his expression or a skip in his heartbeat.

The surrounding crowd became as excited as if they were injected with chicken blood and started to shout, "Nice!"

It was as lively as the New Year.

Li Si’an, with his hands in his sleeves, was utterly speechless, "Brother Zhao, are we performing here?"

You, a remarkable person on the Human List, a Martial Artist of the Secret Treasure Level, the possessor of the Blood Shura Body, are showing off your strength to a bunch of townspeople—do you think you’re awesome or something?

"I am Body Refining, you don’t understand anything." Zhao Changhe put down the stone lion and walked over with a big smile, "You come here just to eat? Eat and then leave."

If it hadn’t been for waiting for Li Si’an’s caravan, Zhao Changhe would have probably run off that very night. How could he stay idle here when he’s worried about Yue Hongling? But he also knew that it was basically impossible to find her by himself. Beyond the border, it was only due to good luck that they all happened to go looking for trouble with the Shanxi traders and accidentally encountered her. How could there be any leads when Yue Hongling was deliberately hiding here?

He could only wait. Sharpening your axe does not delay the work of cutting wood.

Since he had waited already, he might as well train his body. In truth, he had never really tested his own strength limit. It was actually contrary to the principles of Body Refining. But in the spirit of national fitness, he quickly recovered the demeanor that a Body Refining Martial Artist should have.

The townspeople were very enthusiastic in inviting Li Si’an and his caravan for a meal, "You are friends with young hero Zhao? Young hero Zhao really lives up to his reputation on the Human List; that strength—tsk, I think he could kill a cow with a single punch!"

Li Si’an’s mouth twitched, "A master of Inner Strength doesn’t need to show off, a punch could kill a cow just the same, so why make a spectacle?"

"What’s so great about that, it’s womanly!" The townspeople took a glance at Li Si’an’s delicate appearance, instantly felt it was tasteless, and scuttled back to Zhao Changhe, "Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao, show us another trick!"

Li Si’an could hardly laugh or cry, "Enjoying yourself, huh?"

Zhao Changhe, putting on his clothes, "Isn’t this just waiting for you... But speaking of which, I really forgot what Body Refining is. I actually started to think of myself as an Inner Strength Cultivator... These past two days, I’ve felt a sense of returning to the basics, and my strength seems to have increased."

Li Si’an said speechlessly, "You’ve grown stronger in just two days?"

"It’s not about the two days, it’s about finding a foundation that better suits my Cultivation."

Li Si’an still didn’t quite understand and said, "There are many strange things in Miao Region; maybe you can find a solution for your meridian issues there."

"Let’s hope so, after all, cultivating both internally and externally is the right path."

"Have you heard? Recently, a batch of tax silver sent by the Provincial Government was intercepted... Shu County is in turmoil, and I think it will soon shake the whole court, and the Official Army will be investigating here." Li Si’an looked around, puzzled by the calm environment, "Logically, isn’t the crime scene close to here? Aren’t these people panicked?"

It’s their doing... Zhao Changhe chuckled, "At the foot of Divine Brilliance Sect’s mountain, someone’s got them covered, so they don’t fear officials causing trouble like other places do. It wasn’t them, so why the panic?"

Li Si’an lowered his voice, "Really not them?"

He paused, his gaze drifting over a passing townsperson with a bandage tied around his shoulder, obviously a fresh wound.

Zhao Changhe nonchalantly said, "Of course not, I’ve been living here these past two days, how could I not know if there was anything abnormal? Geez, why stare at someone who got injured? It was just a dog scratch, I saw it."

Li Si’an was a Secret Agent from the Demon Suppression Department; his sharp eyes... I have to cover for them. I’ll talk to Wanzhuang about it in private later.

Li Si’an looked at him meaningfully, "Hey, I have another identity; I’m also a bandit."

Zhao Changhe’s face was expressionless, "You can take that story to Lord Fifth."

What a messed-up world, everyone has multiple identities, suddenly I feel the masks of the Four Symbols Sect are just too fitting...

Well, I have an identity too.

Zhao Changhe squatted back onto the cart and reattached the beard that belonged to Wang Daozhong, "Let’s go... Although this trip was quite rewarding, I’m worried about Hongling... If I don’t go to Miao Region soon, I’m going to explode."

————

PS: Just a few dozen monthly tickets behind the front runners and ahead of those behind... begging for votes~

These two days are the prelude to the big plot, don’t be impatient, ha.

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