Turning the First Page

Judging by that imposing presence, Yue Hongling had thought some high-level bandit had arrived from the Mountain Stronghold, perhaps even its chief.

But when the burly man drew close, her eyes widened and her lips parted in stunned disbelief.

Z-Zhao Changhe?

This Zhao Changhe, with his full beard and scarred face... looked so unfamiliar.

Zhao Changhe had driven the Blood Baleful Art at full power as he sprinted over. Though he had never learned any lightness techniques, he discovered that it did indeed make him much faster-it just tired him out easily. The Mountain Stronghold was actually relatively close to Zhang Village. He had reached it in a dozen minutes or so, yet he was already panting for breath.

Drenched in sweat, he planted himself in front of Luo Qi and looked at Yue Hongling. He wanted to say something, but he was breathing too hard to get the words out.

Come to think of it, that expression on Yue Hongling's face was rather cute...

Snowflakes drifted past. Silence settled over them, and behind Zhao Changhe, Luo Qi tilted his head.

Yue Hongling's astonishment slowly faded, giving way to a trace of cool detachment. "So that's it. You were at the North Mang Branch. I overlooked what was right beneath the lamp-I never thought to look here."

Zhao Changhe said, "Was your first reaction to go to Cult Master Xue and demand he hand me over?"

"I thought you were dead at the time." Yue Hongling made no attempt to hide it. "I regretted it terribly. I'd sent an innocent boy I had just rescued from the Wolf's Mouth straight into a tiger's den. I could have taken you with me. You even wanted to become my disciple, but I wanted my freedom, so I left you at Luo Family Manor... The anger and self-reproach I felt in that instant when I thought you were dead were not something I could explain to anyone else. I didn't know whether I was a match for Xue Canghai, but I knew I would never have peace of mind if I didn't go demand an explanation."

Just as he had thought.

The Book of Troubled Times had shone in the night sky, and Yue Hongling had pursued Xue Canghai for a thousand miles... That battle really had been fought for him, Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe sighed. "You must have heard about 'the killer, Zhao Changhe' afterward. What did you think? Did you regret sending that bastard to the Luo Family and getting Luo Zhenwu killed?"

Yue Hongling watched him quietly for a long while, then sighed softly. "No. I heard what you said when it happened, and learned that Luo Zhenwu was responsible for what happened at Zhao Cuo. You were taking revenge. So I thought you had followed the Blood God Cult because you had no choice but to enter a bandits' den. That wasn't where you belonged. These past days, I searched every Blood God Cult hideout I had ever heard of, hoping to bring you out... I never imagined you would be in North Mang."

Zhao Changhe's throat worked. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Behind him, Luo Qi watched with his head tilted. He supposed he would have been moved too if he were Zhao Changhe. Unfortunately, he wasn't Zhao Changhe, and right now, Yue Hongling only looked more detestable by the moment.

You barely even know this man. Why are you being so loyal to him? Will you take responsibility if you steal his soul away?

Then Yue Hongling said, "But now it seems you're doing quite well? You've been practicing the Blood Baleful Art, and you seem to have gained a real command of it... In just one month..."

Zhao Changhe said quietly, "Without learning a demonic art, I had no way to protect myself."

Yue Hongling said, "If that's all it was... you haven't fallen too deeply into the demonic path yet. You can still turn back. After a while, people won't care so much about that wanted notice either. Disguise yourself a little, conceal your name, and you can still live an ordinary life."

"Conceal my name?" Zhao Changhe suddenly laughed. "Big Sister Yue... Miss Yue, I won't lie to you. Leaving aside whether I can turn back now, hiding my name alone is not what I want. I, Zhao Changhe, did not come into this world to while away my days in the countryside."

The killer, Zhao Changhe!

Those words passed through Yue Hongling's mind.

Had that innocent boy died in the space of a single month? No, he had never been an innocent boy at all.

And so, meeting again in the martial world, she would never hear him call her big sister again.

"So... is that why you came to help a bandit today?" Yue Hongling's gaze gradually sharpened. "Are you going to tell me that, living in a demon's den, you have no control over your own actions?"

Zhao Changhe answered calmly, "No. Only because he's the one standing behind me."

The corners of Luo Qi's mouth lifted into an involuntary smile.

Yue Hongling could not hear a gender in the spoken pronoun, and assumed Zhao Changhe was speaking out of loyalty. "Is this man a close friend of yours?"

Zhao Changhe said, "We depend on each other in life and death."

Luo Qi was now grinning.

Yue Hongling fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "This man hasn't hurt anyone, and the women in the manor are unharmed... Go... Whatever ties you and I once had, we're strangers from now on. I'll consider the boy I spent this past month searching for dead. If I catch you committing evil next time, never mind him-even you will receive no mercy from me."

With that, she swung onto her horse and prepared to leave.

For this past month, she had weathered wind, frost, snow, and rain, traveling countless miles in search of that boy. Even this trip to North Mang had been to try her luck here... Yet she had never expected their reunion to turn out like this. The boy she had sought was standing in her way for someone else, barely a step away from drawing his saber against her.

Even Luo Qi felt a little regret at that moment. Watching that figure in red, he sensed an indescribable desolation.

Then Zhao Changhe called out, "Miss Yue, some things aren't what you imagine. Take Zhang Village, for example. Its evil deeds are countless, no less than Luo Zhenwu's. My brother found plenty of solid evidence beforehand, so you don't need to trouble yourself over this incident. As for the rest..."

Yue Hongling reined in her horse and looked back, waiting to see what else he had to say.

Zhao Changhe paused, then suddenly smiled. "If we meet again in the martial world someday, I probably really won't be able to call you big sister. I asked someone and found out you're actually two months younger than me."

Yue Hongling: "..."

Zhao Changhe smiled. "But we won't necessarily be strangers... I've always been grateful that my first glimpse of this martial world was of Yue Hongling, a chivalrous heroine who stood up for what was right. So no matter what impression this world leaves on me, the martial world in my heart has always remained there."

Surprise flickered in Yue Hongling's eyes. Suddenly, she laughed and urged her horse away. "Then I'll be waiting to see what reputation Zhao Changhe-the man people say cleaved open an age of turmoil with a single stroke-makes for himself in the martial world."

"The troubled times were already there," Zhao Changhe replied calmly. "At most, I merely turned the first page of the Book of Troubled Times."

There was something rather evocative about those words. Not only Yue Hongling, but even Luo Qi studied him from behind as though seeing him for the first time. He looked positively ready to pat Zhao Changhe on the shoulder and say, "Not bad, you've got a bit of culture," but forcibly restrained himself.

Zhao Changhe seemed to take on a distinctly literary air when facing Yue Hongling... Yet Yue Hongling herself was hardly a scholarly sort. She was a typical wandering martial artist, the kind who had barely read any books at all.

How strange.

Yue Hongling wanted to say something, but felt there was nothing left to say. At this point, his actions would speak for themselves. More words were pointless.

But before she had ridden far, the lingering clouds on the distant horizon suddenly blazed like fire, fiercely staining half the sky red before fading just as swiftly. The sun sank in the west, and darkness soon fell.

Yue Hongling's brow furrowed slightly. She murmured, "Vermilion Bird... Has she come to North Mang too? What secret is hidden here...?"

Something stirred in Zhao Changhe's mind, and he called loudly, "Miss Yue."

Yue Hongling looked back and heard Zhao Changhe ask, "Miss Yue, you've traveled widely and seen much of the martial world. Do you know where the core would usually be in an array laid out in the shape of the Azure Dragon Seven Stars?"

"Usually at the Heart Mansion," Yue Hongling answered offhandedly. With no inclination to talk further, she finally rode away.

Yue Hongling was no reckless fool either. With her current strength, she would most likely be in serious trouble if the Vermilion Bird Venerable intercepted her.

She was only near the top of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, whereas the Vermilion Bird Venerable was...

On the Earth Ranking.

She was one of the foremost grandmasters in the entire world.

Watching Yue Hongling disappear into the night, Zhao Changhe finally turned around and fixed Luo Qi with an intent gaze.

Luo Qi gazed just as intently back at him.

For his sake, Zhao Changhe had all but broken with Yue Hongling...

The martial world of his dreams, the heroine of his dreams... neither mattered as much as he, Luo Qi.

In truth, no one could have predicted what Yue Hongling would think. What did that little connection count for? Examined closely, they barely had any friendship at all. Rather, Zhao Changhe owed her a debt of gratitude. If she had truly been bitterly disappointed, it would hardly have been strange for her to draw her sword and cut him down. Zhao Changhe had gritted his teeth and stood in her way with his life on the line.

Warmth filled Luo Qi's heart. He wondered if Zhao Changhe was about to say something sweet. If those words made him happy enough, then tonight-tonight, letting him hold him as they slept would be all right.

Instead, Zhao Changhe said, "Vermilion Bird is here. She's almost certainly come to oversee the excavation of that secret. We'll act tonight, immediately. If we delay, we'll be too late."

Yet, strangely, Luo Qi's face turned pale, and he bit his lower lip hard.