Chaotic World Book
Chapter 188 - 184 Langya Wang

Chapter 188: Chapter 184 Langya Wang

"A thousand dragon boats amidst the green silk threads, once they arrive in Yangzhou, never to return.

Perhaps it was heaven’s will to open the Bian River; for a thousand miles around, no mountain to be seen.

A large ship bearing the flag of the Cao Gang now headed north along the river.

In these chaotic times in Jiangnan, the Cao Gang had cease delivering southern resources to the Capital; the Imperial command unusually ordered that the goods of Jiangnan be kept for local use. Many of the Cao Gang’s lads were now even assisting the official forces to resist the Maitreya Sect. Wan Dongliu’s covert identity as a member of the Four Symbols Sect now mattered not—the Cao Gang remained a righteous brotherhood tied to the fate of the officialdom.

This particular ship had few boatmen and only carried personal trade goods for the Wan Family, its direction not toward the Capital, but toward Qingxu instead.

What was peculiar about this ship was that it had two passengers hitching a free ride. One shameless fellow even brought along a horse without paying a crossing fee.

With the widespread announcement from the Chaotic World Book, even the arrogant Zhao Changhe didn’t dare to continue his activities within the Maitreya Sect’s territory—being cornered was no laughing matter. That very night, he took a northbound crossing to Yangzhou, conveniently hitching a ride on Wan Dongliu’s ship to make his getaway.

He had earlier wished to take a ship to Wushan up the Yangtze River, but this wasn’t on the route. Given the tumult of war, with no suitable ships available, it was a matter of getting out first. Heading north felt right—at Yanmen, he might find a place where he could lend a hand.

The other freeloader was the Taoist Xuan Chong, who was on his way back to his sect, the Taiyi Sect, at Taishan—a truly convenient route for him.

At the moment, Xuan Chong sat at the bow, leisurely sipping wine and contemplating the scenery with a mind full of poetic and pictorial splendor.

Even more comfortable was the chessboard before him. Across it sat a bear of a man with furrowed brows, not having moved a muscle for the length of an incense stick.

"Brother Zhao," Xuan Chong said leisurely, "you said you didn’t play Go, so we switched to Chinese chess. And it was you who invented Gomoku after losing at chess. Now facing this five-in-a-row death blow, you want to switch to what? Three-in-a-row?"

Zhao Changhe sniffed and grumbled, hands tucked away, "Aren’t you martial artists? One by one, you’re all masters of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. And you claim you’ve never played Gomoku?"

"The rules are simply too basic; there’s no need to have played before," Xuan Chong replied leisurely. "Rather, it seems Brother Zhao’s mind, aside from martial practice, is rather... too... um, too..."

He seemed stuck, hesitant to utter a word that might offend—if he said Zhao was simply too stupid, would the man turn hostile?

"I can play the zither now, so don’t say I lack artistic finesse." Zhao Changhe grumbled, reaching into his pocket with obvious distress and handing over a copper coin, "Here, a bet is a bet. Indeed, gambling should never be touched..."

Xuan Chong nearly burst into laughter watching his expression.

The two were amusing themselves on the journey, both claiming aversion to gambling, so they had settled on a single copper coin for entertainment. Who could imagine Zhao Changhe being so miserly over losing a mere coin? Was the Zhao Changhe people knew somehow all wrong?

"What’s so funny? I was holding my breath under water and drilling into the boat, and forgot my silver notes were all waterlogged. I’m out of money now..." Zhao Changhe lamented. "Why isn’t there something like a Storage Bag in this world? It’s so inconvenient having to hide a knife in the reeds."

Xuan Chong chuckled silently.

"Hey, Brother Taoist, are you cultivators? Have you heard of something like a Storage Bag or Storage Ring, or were there such things in the past?"

"In stories, yes, but I’ve never seen one in reality," Xuan Chong replied at his own pace. "From the previous epoch... there might have been. These things are essentially a form of spacial magic. What people today can’t achieve doesn’t mean the God Demons from the past couldn’t. Looking at the various legends, it seems they should have been capable. Brother Zhao, if you’re truly looking for such a thing, maybe you’ll stumble upon it in some ruins by sheer luck."

Zhao Changhe scoffed. The Sword Emperor’s Tomb was certainly a top-tier ruin, yet nobody dared to delve deeper—aside from some legacies, there was little of value on the periphery, let alone treasures of storage... He wondered if Sisi had come across any; no one had mentioned such things at the time.

Even if there were such items, with everyone’s current level of cultivation, they probably couldn’t use them. What would they use to reach into the space of a ring to retrieve items? True Qi? Currently, True Qi wasn’t even capable of moving things through air...

Zhao Changhe couldn’t resist trying, stretching out his hand in an attempt to magically snatch a chess piece from the air. The piece budged slightly but remained ungraspable.

Xuan Chong couldn’t help but smile wryly, "Brother Zhao, you might be able to lift a piece of paper, but give up on the chess piece. Unless you’ve specifically trained in Absorption Martial Arts, like the Dragon Capturing Skill, mastering a special Energy Transmission Method, you might have a chance."

Zhao Changhe’s eyes lit up. "Is there such a Martial Art? Where can I find it?"

"The Thief Sect, of course. Who else would be more skilled in remotely transferring objects?"

"Uh..."

"Speaking of which, I have no idea where Ji Chengkong has gone..." Zhao Changhe suspected that he had recognized Sisi, and since the message had been passed, there was no need to continue "looking for someone." So he left. It’s somewhat entertaining to think about the Thief Sect, Zhao Changhe thought he might deepen their exchange if he had the chance.

Xuan Chong seemed to be quite experienced and knowledgeable too. Given the conversation had gotten to this point, why not take the opportunity to ask about something else, "Then, if I’m looking for some fierce fist and palm skills, which family’s is the most famous? The Beggar Gang?"

"While the Beggar Gang is well known, their martial arts are mainly focused on the staff, and their fist and palm techniques are not particularly notable, nor do they practice the way of fierceness." Xuan Chong said with surprise, "Brother Zhao, your lack of knowledge about the Worldly Society’s lore is astonishing. Even though you’ve only been involved for a short while, you’ve got quite a relationship with Yue Hongling and Tang, the head of the sect. Yue Hongling has traveled all over the world, and Tang has abundant intelligence. What on earth have you talked about all this time?"

Zhao Changhe really wanted to slap a ’pointing-at-a-clown-laughing’ meme on his own face.

Xuan Chong was speechless, "If we’re talking about the number one in terms of fierce fist and palm skills, it’s of course ’My Fist’ of His Majesty, which is unmatched in its fierceness."

"What kind of a name is that?"

"That’s what His Majesty called it."

Zhao Changhe thought to himself, why does it feel as cringy as Dragon Sparrow? The sword goes with the master?

"And second to that?"

"The second would be the Sky-clearing Sea Suppressing Palm of the Wang Family’s Langya, as well as the fist technique of Four Symbols Sect’s Xuanwu. I don’t know the name, but it’s said that one punch can explode a person..."

To explode a person—if it’s injecting True Qi to burst from within, that’s believable—but to explode someone with mere fierceness was a bit far-fetched; Zhao Changhe didn’t buy it. After considering his options, he felt that both the Wang Family and Xuanwu’s martial arts were out of reach. Was he again on the path to recognizing some wild father?

"And what about your Taiyi Sect, brother Dao? Are you really cultivating immortality?"

"Our Taoist Sect focuses on the principle of overcoming the strong with gentleness; our fist and palm techniques are decent but don’t fit with what you’re seeking."

Is that so... Zhao Changhe looked at him thoughtfully but didn’t press the issue. He was about to ask about the third tier of options when urgent hoofbeats approached from a distance on the shore.

Both men were quick to sense that, despite the distance, it seemed the riders were heading towards their ship. They exchanged a glance and halted their conversation.

Soon enough, a troop of knights swept forward, reining in their horses neatly at the bank.

The leading knight projected his voice and called out, "Stop the ship!"

The Cao Gang’s sailors, used to their rough ways, ignored them. The large boat continued on its course without pause.

"You’ve got nerve! The Cao Gang dares to cross the Wang Family?" The leading knight sneered, and without any visible preparations, he suddenly took off from his horse, eagle-like, soaring toward the edge of the ship.

The ship was normally a considerable distance from the shore; Zhao Changhe remembered how he had to wait for Cui Yuanyang to row close to the bank before leaping ashore, but this knight sprang up and was only about ten feet from reaching the ship.

Zhao Changhe watched with interest as, just as the knight’s leap appeared to come up short, he released a hook that snatched onto the ship’s edge, using it to skillfully land on the bow.

Passersby on the shore who saw this cheered, "What a marvelous skill!"

Zhao Changhe inwardly praised as well, considering the move to be quite intriguing—wondering if it was something he could learn. Dammit, he thought, I have too many things on me; it might not be convenient.

The ship owner emerged from the cabin, his face looking a bit sour, "Wang Family?"

"That’s right," the man proudly declared.

The ship owner thought to himself, you arrogant prick, if we hadn’t heard you mention the Wang Family, your flying-over-here act would have made you an easy target for us to shoot you into a porcupine.

Of course, since it was someone from the Wang Family, arrogance came with the territory, and the Cao Gang didn’t dare offend. The ship owner had no choice but to suppress his anger, "May I know why the Wang Family is stopping the Cao Gang’s ship?"

The man didn’t respond; suddenly, there was a "smack", a slap landed on the ship owner’s face, causing him to stagger.

Xuan Chong abruptly stood up, and Zhao Changhe’s gaze became fiercely sharp in an instant.

That person suddenly felt a chill all over, as if he were being targeted by a ferocious tiger, not knowing whether it was from one of the two men at the bow.