Zhao Yuling

Lin Family, Book Repository.

With Lin Xueling gone to Annan, the place had become much quieter.

But for Chu He, who had already spent several decades here, it made no difference.

A pile of books made from parchment scrolls sat before him, utterly out of place among the rest of the books in the repository.

He had asked Lin Xueling to bring these out from the Lin Family Scripture Repository.

The Book Repository was filled with tales of martial arts heroes and various records of strange happenings, but whenever it came to truly hidden secrets, they were always glossed over in a few strokes.

The Scripture Repository, however, contained detailed records.

For the past few years, Chu He had been reading these books.

Chu He casually pulled one out, dragged over a reclining chair, found a comfortable position, and rocked gently as he opened the book.

"Five hundred years ago, at the height of the Xia Clan's prosperity, there were over a thousand Half-step Kings within the clan, with ten true King Old Ancestors presiding over it. Among the regions surrounding the Barbarian Domain, its strength ranked among the very best... It possessed the might of a fourth-rank major power. Yet at that very time, a great upheaval struck, severely crippling the Xia Clan and leaving it barely able to survive within the Barbarian Domain. Its living space was squeezed again and again!"

According to the records—

"Five hundred years ago, an alien race known as the Charm Clan infiltrated the Xia Clan and established a force under the guise of the Gu Xin Sect. In secret, they targeted countless talented and gifted members of the Xia Clan. By some unknown method, they caused drastic changes in their temperaments. During that period, the entire Xia Clan was thrown into chaos, and even Half-step King Old Ancestors fell victim to underhanded attacks."

"A King Old Ancestor personally conducted a covert investigation and eventually locked onto the Gu Xin Sect, dragging the Charm Clan hidden in the shadows into the light."

"A heaven-shaking conspiracy was exposed. The Charm Clan actually fed on the souls of intelligent beings after they had been corrupted. The Xia Clan, with its immense population, became their target. They had secretly plotted to raise the Xia Clan like livestock."

"The Xia Clan's ten King Old Ancestors were enraged. At immense cost, they fully activated the Map of Mountains and Rivers, exposing every Charm Clan member whose ability to hide was exceptionally strong."

"A world-shaking battle swept across the entire Xia Clan territory. In the end, most of the Charm Clan were slain, while the rest fled the Xia Clan's lands in haste. Yet this battle also dealt the Xia Clan a devastating blow: four King Old Ancestors fell, three were severely wounded, three lightly wounded, and an unknown number of Half-step King Old Ancestors perished."

"That was not even the most fatal blow. When the house leaked, the rain came pouring through all night. Just as the Xia Clan was at its weakest, before it had even had time to root out and purge the traitors who had colluded with the alien races and recuperate, several neighboring clans that had once been hunted by the Xia Clan were united by a fourth-rank Tiger Clan. They began encroaching upon Xia Clan territory. An even harsher era arrived. The Xia Clan lost vast stretches of fertile land and held fast only to its current resource-poor territory. Only then did the Tiger Clan cease its encroachment, allowing them a chance to gasp for breath!"

Chu He fell into thought as he read the information.

Several centuries ago, the Xia Clan had been considered a fairly powerful race in the Barbarian Domain. It had declined because of a great upheaval, and many ancient texts contained vague records of this.

They simply lacked detail. The books in the Book Repository occasionally mentioned it, but only in passing.

This book from the Scripture Repository, however, contained a detailed account.

And its credibility was extremely high.

"The Charm Clan, huh!"

Chu He remembered this race.

They fed on the souls of intelligent beings.

Such a race was exceptionally evil and dangerous.

If he ever encountered them, it would be best to crush them to death immediately.

Just then, Chu He sensed something and raised his head.

Someone had come to the Book Repository!

"Are you my little aunt's Little Chu Brother?"

She was a little girl of around eight or nine, delicately lovely, with two horn braids. She looked very adorable.

She walked up to Chu He, tilted her head up, blinked her large eyes, and asked.

"You're little Xueling's niece?"

Chu He asked in return.

"Yes!"

The little girl nodded. "My mother is Little Aunt Xueling's older sister!"

Chu He nodded.

He had heard Lin Xueling mention it.

She had an older sister who, twenty years ago, while the Lin Family Ancestor was still alive, had been arranged to marry far away in Heavenly Mountain Commandery. She later gave birth to two daughters.

One should have been over ten years old, while this eight- or nine-year-old was naturally the younger one.

"What's your name?"

A brilliant smile appeared on Chu He's face, and he could not help reaching out to pinch the little girl's cheek.

It felt wonderful, worthy of her cuteness.

"Hello, Uncle. My name is Zhao Yuling."

The little girl was not shy around strangers and answered crisply.

She smelled a pleasant scent on Chu He that made her feel at ease and comfortable, so she did not dislike having her cheek pinched.

"That's a lovely name. But you can't call me Uncle—it feels too strange. How about you call me Little Chu Brother too, just like your little aunt does?"

Chu He said with a smile.

"Okay!"

"Little Chu Brother!"

Zhao Yuling nodded readily and called out to him.

"Such a good girl!"

Chu He reached out and rubbed the top of her head, pleased by how obedient she was.

"What did you come here for? To read?"

Chu He asked with a smile.

"No, I came here to find a senior master and learn peerless divine arts! Little Chu Brother, do you know where the master is?"

The little girl craned her neck, her face full of expectation.

Looking for a master?

Chu He froze.

Wasn't she looking for him?

"Who told you there was a master here?"

Chu He asked doubtfully.

Lin Xueling knew he disliked being disturbed. Over all these years, she had kept her mouth tightly shut and had never exposed his identity.

And apart from Lin Xueling, no one should have known that he was a great hidden master within the Lin Family.

"I heard it from my mother. Little Aunt used to have merely passable talent, about the same as Mother's. But ever since she began liking the Book Repository, her cultivation started advancing by leaps and bounds. Even talented prodigies could only watch her dust from afar."

"Mother said that the Lin Family has a hidden senior with extremely high cultivation, and she guessed that he might be in the Book Repository."

"Little Aunt is his disciple, and Little Chu Brother should be his disciple too—and his eldest disciple at that. Right?"

Wisdom gleamed in Zhao Yuling's eyes.

Though she had only heard these things from others.

The fact that she could remember them and recount them so clearly showed that she was sufficiently clever.

"Sound reasoning and solid evidence. Very convincing."

Chu He nodded.

He felt that this round of analysis was quite good.

This was probably what most people outside thought and guessed as well.

It was just that they likely could not imagine—perhaps were incapable of imagining—that the true master was him, the little menial of the Book Repository.

After all, his status was far too lowly, and the traces of his life were far too clear. It was truly difficult for anyone to associate him with a master.

Thinking of him as the master's eldest disciple was already the highest possible estimation of him.

And that was only thanks to how excessively close Lin Xueling was to him.