Chaotic World Book-Chapter 57 - 56: He is unlike the people of this world

"How old exactly are you this year?"

In the room, Zhao Changhe was instructing the inn's servant to heat some water and, seizing the moment when no one else was present, quietly asked Cui Yuanyang.

He always felt that everyone's gaze towards him was somewhat peculiar...

Cui Yuanyang's face flushed as she whispered, "I'm in my teens!"

"Exactly how 'in your teens'?"

"What do you think? I'm already over five chi tall!"

"That's just under five chi, does your head even reach my armpit?"

"?" Not convinced, Cui Yuanyang tried to lean into his armpit to compare, "I'm clearly taller than your armpit..."

Zhao Changhe dodged quickly, pressing down on her head, "I'll give it to you, you've got a face! It's too tender still, baby fat hasn't even disappeared, all round and rosy!"

"Mind your own business; I look young!"

"... What does the law in Great Xia say again?"

"What law? During prosperous times nobody cares, let alone now? Who would bother?"

The door creaked as the servant brought in the water, casting an even weirder look at the two of them.

They both shut their mouths, finally realizing that discussing this topic might appear somewhat abnormal to others.

"Really, what business is it of mine how old you are?" Once the servant was gone with his peculiar demeanor, Zhao Changhe said helplessly, "Alright, you better take a bath and change your clothes quickly, don't catch a cold. I'll head next door, let me know if you need anything."

"Wait, wait a moment..." The young girl said with her head down, "I... I didn't bring any clothes."

"?" Zhao Changhe's eyes widened, "Don't you have a bundle with you?"

"That tiny bundle? It just contains silver and medicines; it couldn't fit winter clothes in it." Cui Yuanyang looked at Zhao Changhe with a puzzled expression, as if saying, 'Is it you who lacks worldly experience, or me?'

"Crap." Zhao Changhe was truly helpless, "You wait here, I'll go out and look for a ready-made clothes store to buy you a set."

Watching Zhao Changhe rush out into the rain again, Cui Yuanyang's gaze twinkled.

In such heavy rain, if it had been my brother, he would've just scolded me and then told a servant to go buy it.

It's strange; this person doesn't even look like a bandit, and at times, he hardly seems of this world. I wonder if anyone else has ever felt the same way about him...

Zhao Changhe really wanted to die of helplessness on the other side; he truly had no interest in a young girl barely five feet tall and at most an A cup whose body hadn't fully developed yet. Just look at Xia Chichi and Yue Hongling, with their tall and slender figures, graceful and toned... ugh.

In any case, she might be cute but also truly annoying. But Miss Little Lady of the Cui Family couldn't be hit or scolded, and he even feared chasing her away lest she'd get into trouble. He had to send her home, considering the face of Cui Yuanyong.

Let it be, for now I'll just think of it as taking care of a classmate's little sister in this life.

Though there were ready-made clothing stores in the street, they were all closed by this time. Zhao Changhe helplessly climbed over the wall and entered; he had never thought that his first act as a gentleman thief in this life would be to steal women's clothes!

If this got out, his already not-so-great reputation would completely bottom out... at least it wasn't this bad yet.

Zhao Changhe rapidly grabbed a set of fluffy clothes that seemed very similar to whatever Cui Yuanyang was wearing. Just as he was about to leave, he tapped his head, blushing slightly, and went to the lingerie section for a quick glance. With an even redder face, he grabbed a bellyband, hastily left a silver piece, and ran off as if escaping for his life.

What did women's underwear of this era even look like? He had no clue. He had never seen Yue Hongling's, Xia Chichi was disguised as a man back then, using chest wraps, so, well, novels always mention bellybands, so it should be right.

Moments later, Cui Yuanyang, huddled by the fire basin, looked surprised as Zhao Changhe handed over the item with a stern face, her cheeks bunched up likened to a peach.

If you're buying clothes, buy clothes, there are so many kinds of undergarments, why buy a bellyband... embroidered with mandarin ducks no less... this man's hands touched the bellyband, and then I wear it... oh dear...

Living with a man truly was so inconvenient; it was odd, how did Yue Hongling manage to live with him for half a month? They couldn't really be in that kind of relationship, could they?

Zhao Changhe couldn't care less about what this simpleton was thinking; he was cold and tired, and had long since rolled into his own room to take a bath and go to sleep.

The daily practice of basic skills unaffected by wind or rain was missed... truly unlucky.

...

The rain thinned and wind surged throughout the night.

Being out alone with a man, the young girl was supposed to feel somewhat uneasy and sleep poorly, but Cui Yuanyang slept soundly without any ounce of lightness, feeling more restful than she ever had been at home... of course, it was just an illusion caused by sheer exhaustion.

If Zhao Changhe hadn't urged her to soak in a hot bath, she might have actually gotten seriously ill.

Waking up sluggishly in the morning, Cui Yuanyang still felt a bit weak and stretched out lazily, ashamed as she gazed down at the bellyband.

He said he would behave in all eighteen manners, yet he really did nothing, does wearing a bellyband count?

While pondering this, I heard noises outside the window—saber howls and footsteps shuffling.

Cui Yuanyang tiptoed out of bed and peeked out of the window sill.

Zhao Changhe was practicing with his saber in the courtyard.

The heavy rain had stopped that morning, but it was still sprinkling lightly. Annoyed by wet clothes, Zhao Changhe simply took off his jacket, letting the rain beat down on his body, his saber dance vigorous and forceful, his well-defined muscles clearly outlined.

Cui Yuanyang's heartbeat quickened as he watched, and soon he pulled back his head, not daring to look any longer.

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He is so diligent. Judging by his appearance, he had been practicing for a long time, not just starting now... We're just staying at an inn, does he have to train like this?

At home, elder brothers from a young age were pushed by the elders with whips, but they were never this diligent... Is someone whipping him?

Cui Yuanyang's own cultivation might be lacking, but with his family's deep knowledge, after seeing much, his discernment was certainly online. He could tell that Zhao Changhe was consciously incorporating the Trigram Steps from yesterday's challenge into his footwork. But how to put it... While others' techniques were part of a system, revealed during battle based on the situation, what can you really learn from sneaking a peek like this?

Cui Yuanyang felt a bit of pity. He truly had everything at his disposal but hadn't learned well. Zhao Changhe's conditions were truly poor; the Blood God Sect's rubbish martial arts were begrudged even in dribbles, and he treasured whatever little he got.

Why didn't Yue Hongling teach him?

As he pondered this, his gaze shifted subtly.

It was clear that Zhao Changhe's initially clumsy adjustment to his steps had become smoother and smoother. He wasn't stealing the Trigram Steps from others but rather absorbing their strengths, attempting to refine his own footwork.

No wonder Yue Hongling didn't teach him the steps; his footwork had already assimilated nutrition from her, and it was no longer purely the complement to the Blood Evil Saber Technique.

If he continued, eventually he would possess a footwork unique to himself.

This is the ambition of someone who has only practiced martial arts for four months? Quite ambitious.

Suddenly, Cui Yuanyang felt he had wasted his fifteen years on earth.

"Guest, guest," the waiter peeked his head in from the courtyard door: "The pork slices and Eight-Treasure Porridge you ordered are here."

"Oh, just leave it there," Zhao Changhe stopped his practice and, wiping sweat and rain off his body, walked toward Cui Yuanyang's room: "I'll go see if the pig has woken up yet."

Cui Yuanyang rushed back to the bedside in a tumble: "Wait a minute! I haven't put on my clothes yet!"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

The waiter: "..."

"What's with that expression?" During the meal, Cui Yuanyang asked Zhao Changhe curiously: "Why was that waiter brother bleeding from his nose earlier? Did you hit him?"

"No, you hit him." Zhao Changhe drank his porridge expressionlessly: "Never mind him, I almost bled myself because of you. Lucky my imagination is a bit poor."

"I've never practiced hitting people through the air."

"You don't need to practice; it's your natural talent." Zhao Changhe looked up at her, twitching the corners of his mouth, then continued to lower his head and drink his porridge.

The fluffy hooded coat she had grabbed last night without much thought, how did it end up having rabbit ears on the hood?

Being too cute is cheating.

Yet Cui Yuanyang herself didn't find it strange, presumably used to wearing this kind of attire at home. She bowed her head to drink the porridge and said softly, "You struggle on your own, whether it's the saber technique or the footwork... Why not ask me for a secret book, the Cui Family's martial arts are impressive... I don't think you've even considered it."

Zhao Changhe laughed nonchalantly: "You can't provide the real secrets either, only some common stuff. Unless I really intend to forsake the orthodox path, and just kidnap you right now."

Cui Yuanyang pretended not to hear the latter half, whispering, "Well... those definitely can't be leaked unless you... Err, even the common stuff I could give to someone, that's still much better than those Trigram Steps..."

"No thanks."

"Why?"

"Young Miss, you're naive, but your family is not. I have no intention of owing the Cui Family any favors, nor do I want to be overly bound to the Cui Family, thereby being restricted at every turn."

"But... but your current experience and knowledge are really not enough to support you in developing your own martial arts; it's too soon."

"I don't expect to amalgamate my own creations just yet, still at the stage of accumulating experience. Truth be told, Cui Family's martial arts might be good, but that's mostly sufficient. What matters is who uses them. Your brother's learning is certainly superior to Yue Hongling's, but he still lost to her by a margin, which is evident."

Cui Yuanyang fell silent. That feeling of him not being from this world surged up again. While the logic seemed faultless, who in the world would take it seriously? Doesn't improved martial arts gained through diligent effort offer more direct benefits than groping around? Even knowing it would bring some trouble, it's hard to remain so calm, Yue Hongling included, right?

Zhao Changhe said, "I actually think, if the Cui Family continues to indulge in the glory of their martial arts prowess, they will, sooner or later, like Great Xia, march toward decline."

Seeing Cui Yuanyang's somewhat unconvinced little face, Zhao Changhe didn't say more, rising to his feet: "Let's go, travelling the Worldly Society doesn't always involve dealing with evil spirits; sometimes you have to right the wrongs you see. I just hope that on our journey to Qinghe, the injustices we encounter are not related to your family."