Chaotic World Book-Chapter 59 - 58: Storm at the Mountain God Temple

Zhao Changhe, with Cui Yuanyang by his side, had sped along, escaping for dozens of miles before finally stopping to catch their breath, leaning against a tree, too exhausted to speak.

Cui Yuanyang also crouched near him, panting heavily, but her eyes sparkled as she looked at Zhao Changhe.

"It's really fun, this is what leaving home feels like."

"I'm not just a bandit, next time I might fancy Tang Wanzhuang! Tell her to clean herself up and wait!"

Hehe, fun, just my cup of tea.

Zhao Changhe glanced at her askance, "Why are you squatting like a toad?"

"The ground is dirty."

"It hasn't rained here, the ground is fairly dry. When you're out and about, you can't fuss over everything."

"Hey, it's really strange, why is it raining over there? We've come only a few dozen miles and there's no rain here? Looking at the ground, it hasn't rained for at least two days; it didn't just stop."

Zhao Changhe chuckled, "Do you believe the rain will follow us here? That's called being a child of destiny, even the heavens chase after me crying."

Cui Yuanyang fluttered her big eyes, puzzled.

Zhao Changhe lazily said, "You can go home and ask your parents about these things later... But I suggest you better ask some old farmers, you haven't spoken to them in this lifetime, have you?"

That sense of detachment came again, but this time Cui Yuanyang didn't mind, still blinking her eyes as she asked, "I could easily clear up the trouble with my status, maybe even get a meal from the Prefectural Governor, and ditch this little trouble of me. Why instead ruin your own reputation, making people think you've abducted a young lady?"

Zhao Changhe lazily said, "Miss Cui hasn't even come of age; staying in an inn with a man would ruin your reputation. As for me, I'm already seen as a low-class bandit by nature, rebellious, what's one more accusation of being lecherous?"

"So you decided to claim to fancy Tang Wanzhuang to fit that image even more?"

"I didn't think too much about it, am I not allowed to be angry with her? I'm an individual with my own thoughts, not an object at others' disposal... Even though I understand her, what's the use? Mutual understanding is what's valuable, otherwise, that's just being a lickspittle."

Zhao Changhe stretched languidly and stood up, "We've rested enough, let's go. It was my oversight this time, shouldn't have been so conspicuous in the city. If my reputation falls further, it's my own fault... We might avoid entering towns from now on, staying in the outskirts instead, can you handle that?"

Cui Yuanyang clenched her fist resolutely, "Of course I can!"

Zhao Changhe glanced at her lively little figure, chuckled, and said, "Let's go."

He thought this little tag-along wasn't as much of a drag as he had imagined. She completely grasped and cooperated with his actions—actually, she wasn't clueless at all... It's just that she asked questions like a hundred thousand 'whys' afterward, but she was endearingly curious, which wasn't annoying.

Having such a companion along the way was pretty nice, wasn't it?

Cui Yuanyang followed step by step, still bombarding him with questions, "Hey, why don't you scold me for causing trouble, instead saying it's your own fault?"

"Do you want me to scold you?"

"No... just asking."

"Even though you disrupted my plans, ultimately, it's me, not you, who decides our actions. Forgetting my own situation is my own fault. What good does shifting blame do for one's growth? Enough chatter, the rain is coming, run!"

Cui Yuanyang looked back, and sure enough, she saw a heavy rain chasing after them, which looked quite miraculous.

Cui Yuanyang held her head and ran, looking back intermittently at the pursuing rain, laughing as she ran.

Really fun.

...

Dusk, countryside.

A dilapidated Mountain God Temple.

Zhao Changhe stopped in front, looking up at the dust-covered plaque hanging on the temple gate, silent for a long while.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

"I'm not called 'hey' or 'oi'... Speaking of which, you seem less cultured than me."

Cui Yuanyang pouted, what else should she call him then? Brother Zhao? Too formal. Changhe? She dared not, lest he throw her out by the ears. Maybe Brother Zhao? Just thinking about it gave her goosebumps.

She simply skipped the topic and kept asking, "What are you looking at? This inscription isn't even well-written; I could write better than this."

"I was thinking, in a world with gods, does the Mountain God really exist? If so, why allow its temple to fall into ruin."

Cui Yuanyang paused, murmuring after a while, "I don't know, never seen one."

"Also, I was thinking, this is the classic scene of a rundown temple in the wilderness, something might happen tonight."

Her eyes wide, she thought, what's all this? If you think something's going to happen here why insist on staying? Can't we change places? It's not too late; we could still find a farmhouse ahead to spend the night. I have money...

Before she could voice her thoughts, Zhao Changhe had already pushed the door open and entered.

Clearly, he was the one eager to stay in this dilapidated temple!

Cui Yuanyang muttered to himself and stepped over the threshold, only to see Zhao Changhe freeze in place; his gaze, sharp as lightning, fixed on a corner of the temple, his hand already on the hilt of his blade.

A slender youth in black clothes, holding a sword, leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to their entrance.

Cui Yuanyang felt uneasy; having stood outside so long, he hadn't sensed anyone inside until now. Even paying close attention, it was hard to detect the youth's breathing—faint yet sustained, surely the sign of advanced Inner Strength.

Sure enough, something was about to happen.

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Just as Cui Yuanyang was about to speak, Zhao Changhe's hand left his blade's hilt, and he gestured quietly, "In the wild, land belongs to no one, first come, first served... Others arrived before us; let's not disturb them, we can just sit down and rest on the side."

Obediently, Cui Yuanyang followed Zhao Changhe and sat across from the youth in black, carefully taking some pastries out of his bag, "Want some?"

Zhao Changhe exclaimed, surprised, "When did you buy pastries? I didn't even notice..."

"This morning, while you were paying at the counter, I went next door to Eight Treasures House. They're much tastier than those stale buns you brought from the inn. Also, that place at noon, not a single piece of meat..."

Zhao Changhe chose not to lecture him about indulging in luxury while traveling and simply reached out for a piece of osmanthus cake.

Who doesn't enjoy good food? It's great to carry some richness with you.

Zhao Changhe unscrewed his liquor flask and sipped from it, pairing it with his pastry, keeping an eye on the youth in black from the corner of his vision.

But until he almost finished his food, the youth didn't move at all, as if dead.

Just when Zhao Changhe thought everyone was going to spend the evening peacefully, a faint sound of footsteps came from above; someone was on the roof.

Zhao Changhe's hand stealthily reached for his blade again.

The atmosphere turned silent, with a hidden intent to kill.

Suddenly, voices outside shouted, "Damn, there was no rain just now; how did it start pouring like this?"

"Let's take shelter first, then figure things out."

Amid these words, a large group pushed the door open, and the wind and rain blew in with them, beating loudly against the temple.

A middle-aged man in the lead glanced over and saw three people sitting in opposite corners. He impatiently waved his hand, "This place has been reserved by the Cui Family; you all should leave."

Cui Yuanyang almost choked on the cake in his mouth, gawking with wide eyes at the newcomers, trying to recognize anybody, but couldn't find anyone familiar.

Yet to be honest, the Cui Family's influence had expanded across several prefectures; he didn't know everyone, there was no way to tell if these were indeed Cui Family members. Subconsciously, it felt... unsurprising if they were.

He glanced cautiously at Zhao Changhe, who slowly ate the last piece of cake and then capped his flask, all without a word.

The youth in black still showed no reaction.

The leader waited for a few moments, but seeing no one moved, his face contorted into a sneer, "People who refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit are plenty. Kick them out!"

However, none of his men approached the youth in black; they all rushed towards Cui Yuanyang's side, "Young lady, the night deepens, and the dew gets heavier; it's chilly in this rain—why not come warm up with us, brothers? Sticking with these rough men is simply a waste..."

Before he could finish, Cui Yuanyang drew his longsword, his pretty face flushed in anger, "You—you know I am..."

"Yo, quite spirited!" Someone couldn't resist reaching out to touch her cheek, "This little flushed face is really cute."

"Swoosh!" A blade flashed.

No one saw when Zhao Changhe drew his blade, but as the sound of a blade unsheathing echoed, a severed hand flew into the air and blood gushed forth. Only then did the man realize the pain, screaming as he held his bleeding arm, "Kill him! Kill him!"

In that instant the blade was drawn, the ever-still youth in black suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a sword, staring unwaveringly at Zhao Changhe's hand.

Furious and near tears, Cui Yuanyang swung his sword wildly, "I'll kill you, I'll kill you, wah..."

Even a simpleton from the Cui Family, being a practitioner of the Mystical Gate Third Layer with the highest expertise in Swordsmanship, scattered several men with his wild swings, turning the leader's face pale instantly, "Distant mountains like eyebrows, Cui Family Swordsmanship! You—you are..."

"Who cares who I am! I'll kill you, you owe my family's name, you owe my desired Worldly Society, wah..."

Amidst the chaos, Zhao Changhe did not make another move. He gripped the hilt of his blade so tightly that his hand sweated.

The pressure from the youth in black's gaze nearly matched that of Fang Buping's Tathagata strike.

"Crash!" The roof suddenly split open, wind and rain surged, a flash of sword-light mixed with the storm, reaching Zhao Changhe's throat in an instant.

A hidden strike from the rooftop intruder!

"Clang!" A bloody blade-light cleaved through the rain, Zhao Changhe, ready and waiting, diverted his prepared strike from the black-clothed youth to greet this uninvited guest fully.

The sound of clashing blades rang out, the newcomer grunted, clearly not expecting Zhao Changhe to be so fully prepared, suffering a significant blow. Yet his figure didn't stop; leveraging the force of Zhao Changhe's strike, he flipped through the air, directing his sword toward Cui Yuanyang's back!

Zhao Changhe's heart skipped a beat.

He had always assumed all danger was aimed at him, yet it turned out someone was actually targeting Cui Yuanyang!