Chaotic World Book
Chapter 386 - 377: Senior, you don’t want the Crown Prince to go bad either, do you?

Chapter 386: Chapter 377: Senior, you don’t want the Crown Prince to go bad either, do you?

"What exactly are you asking to come in for?" Tang Wanzhuang’s face blushed outside, she said indignantly, "This is a secret chamber; no one can come in if you don’t open the door."

"Ah..." Zhao Changhe leapt off the bed, went over, and opened the door: "I forgot about that, come in quick."

Seeing his somewhat anxious look, Tang Wanzhuang’s face turned even redder.

What are you thinking, what do you think I’m here for...

However, after Zhao Changhe closed the door, the next sentence was, "How are you? You vomited blood after battling Maitreya and your face was as white as paper. Why on earth are you pushing yourself to oversee work without taking a proper rest?"

Tang Wanzhuang didn’t quite know what to feel and said helplessly, "Someone has to take charge, otherwise, should it be left to Wang Daozhong or Yang Jingxiu?"

"And now?"

"They’ve all left. Yang Jingxiu did leave a message, though; he hopes you’ll attend his birthday next month..." Tang Wanzhuang’s beautiful eyes lingered on his face for a long time, then suddenly she smiled and said, "It’s quite obvious he holds you in high regard, even more so than me."

"We’ll talk about that later. Right now, all I want to know is the real extent of your injuries. I’m afraid you’ll drop dead if I look away."

Tang Wanzhuang couldn’t help but laugh silently: "Isn’t that a bit exaggerated..."

But as she spoke, her face was visibly pale, with an extremely unhealthy pallor, and one could even observe a wisp of black qi... After Zhao Changhe learned the Rejuvenation Technique, his understanding of human medicine, albeit vague, made him realize something was terribly wrong.

He grabbed Tang Wanzhuang’s hand with a serious expression.

Tang Wanzhuang did not resist, watching him quietly.

Zhao Changhe held her hand, which was smooth and soft but icy cold. He had no intention of savoring it, but focused intently on probing with his True Qi to perceive her state.

Upon close examination, he slightly relaxed his breath.

Her vomiting blood was actually a normal consequence of clashing with a powerful adversary. Such injuries, Zhao Changhe had suffered too many to count and didn’t take too seriously, which is likely why Tang Wanzhuang also seemed easy-going about it.

Moreover, it had to be said, her meridians were indeed thick, and her Dantian was vast...

Compared to her, Zhao Changhe had worked hard just to broaden his meridians to that of an ordinary person, which seemed childlike—Tang Wanzhuang had the truly good foundation for cultivation, which is why she advanced quickly in whatever Cultivation Technique, and her explosive force when releasing True Qi far surpassed his, due to her meridians’ higher tolerance.

And with her True Qi infinite and robust, as if inexhaustible, it sustained her frail body. Thus, she had managed many tasks even with her injuries, appearing as though nothing was amiss.

In a normal situation, even during the coughing phase she had before, it wouldn’t have been a serious issue; some medicine and a couple of days of rest would generally do the trick.

But the problem was, she was not in a normal state now.

As Zhao Changhe probed, the relaxation previously on his face gradually turned dark as the bottom of a pot.

Previously, she had suppressed activating the Third Secret Treasure... According to the blind man’s claims, the issue wasn’t with her lung meridian but with her Divine Soul, which was why Xia Longyuan couldn’t address this kind of problem. The so-called lung meridian damage, as it appeared now, was actually her suppression of the Third Secret Treasure’s power, which, without release, had to find a meridian to "flood over," thus constantly scouring that lung meridian, causing severe damage to it.

Had it continued for another year or so, she would have been completely ruined, and none would be left...

And this time, attempting to fully release the suppression would mean not just one meridian enduring the flood but an explosive outbreak of power. It might have allowed her to execute Maitreya and address the crisis in Xiangyang in the short term, but it could also cause her body to completely collapse under the surging outburst, resulting in a ruptured body and death.

Luckily, Zhao Changhe intervened in time, and she only managed to unleash a small fraction.

That mere fraction had already allowed her to overwhelmingly defeat Maitreya, who was previously her equal.

But the same fraction was also ravaging her already overburdened lung meridian even more furiously. Now, the meridian looked like a rope gnawed by mice, full of unevenness, on the verge of breaking. If it could have endured a year or more before, now it might need to be halved.

Add to that the recent violent injury with blood vomiting, and it was like adding frost to snow, perhaps even halving it again.

You have, at most, three months left to live! Yet you can still smile, and so gently at that!

Zhao Changhe couldn’t help being furious, and said angrily, "Do you have any idea what condition your body is in?"

Tang Wanzhuang felt the unique sense of rejuvenation within her, seemingly attending to her recent shock injury, albeit feebly, with little significance, feeling at most like it would heal a minor cut. But he still futilely transferred his Alien Power into her, completely unaware that he himself was also injured, with blood still oozing from his shoulder...

While his mouth scolded and his face showed annoyance, his hands were healing her, desperately wanting to pour all his strength into her.

Tang Wanzhuang smiled again, softly saying, "I know."

"Then why are you smiling?" Zhao Changhe was frantic, "My skills, they can’t heal you!"

"What does that matter?" Tang Wanzhuang replied softly, "In a human lifetime, we’re like plants in the fall. To be able to do what I want, to see the situation gradually improving, what is there not to be content with?"

"What situation is improving? Maitreya has escaped, the south is unstable, and now the north is about to be in chaos, do you have no clue what Wang Daozhong is planning!"

"But..." Tang Wanzhuang said in a low voice, "Now... I have you..."

Zhao Changhe’s eyes widened as he stared at her.

Tang Wanzhuang met his gaze, her eyes shining with unshed tears, her true feelings unreadable.

Zhao Changhe’s voice chilled, "Is that how you see it?"

Tang Wanzhuang pursed her lips and did not answer.

Zhao Changhe coldly said, "When I said I am here, it was because I care about you overexerting yourself. If you were not in the world, why would I bother doing these things?"

Tang Wanzhuang slightly shook her head. "You will do it because you can’t stand by and watch."

Zhao Changhe suddenly flew into a rage, "Don’t you believe that the moment you die, I’ll immediately join the Four Symbols Sect and be the leader of the rebellion!"

"It doesn’t matter. Even then, you would still be doing things to make the world a better place..."

Zhao Changhe suddenly choked up. He knew Tang Wanzhuang was right.

But the fury in his eyes had yet to dissipate.

So, you found the successor and even became entangled in a grand cause. Maybe he could do better than you. So now you can die in peace, is that it?

Am I just that to you... and what do you think you are?

"If you don’t even respect your own life, don’t talk about respecting the world—it sounds too hollow," Zhao Changhe finally spoke, his tone had become calm. "Actually, thinking that I would do as you expect after you die is a bit too optimistic."

Tang Wanzhuang quietly watched him.

Actually, she herself didn’t know how much of what she said was genuine... After all, it was incurable. What else could she say?

To say I’m very sad, to say I can’t bear to, and then let him watch me die in despair?

What’s the point in that?

But now, seeing the anger hidden beneath his calm facade, Tang Wanzhuang was also saddened.

But what can be done? Even Your Majesty couldn’t cure it, and your little efforts are just a drop in the ocean. What can you do?

However, Zhao Changhe said, "Do you know, without Yue Hongling, there might not be a heroic and righteous Zhao Changhe. He would have been just a bandit, brandishing the flag of justice while committing atrocities, bloodthirsty and brutal."

Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes stirred slightly.

"And do you know, without Tang Wanzhuang, Zhao Changhe might have become a second Xia Longyuan?" Zhao Changhe slowly said, "Many people have said that about me. Even the childish Yangyang can see it. I speak with Zhao Mansion’s dialect, coldly observing the world as if you all were just characters from a book, with all joys and sorrows having nothing to do with me... Don’t tell me you can’t see that?"

Finally, Tang Wanzhuang said, "Yes. I can see it, but it’s no longer like that now..."

"Who got me involved in this mess?" Zhao Changhe exclaimed loudly. "Can’t you see that?"

Zhao Wangtang.

It seemed that everything was already revealed.

Tang Wanzhuang slightly bowed her head, whispering, "You and I had an agreement... not involving love... you promised you had no interest in me."

"Stop believing that nonsense. Did I do it for your charms, Auntie?" Zhao Changhe said coldly. "It’s just because there’s such a person who makes me feel that there is light in these troubled times. But have you ever thought, if the example given to me by this person is to meet a bad end, do you think I’ll still be willing to continue?"

Tang Wanzhuang was taken aback, realizing she had never thought she’d get a response from such a perspective.

"He who warms others with firewood should not freeze to death in the snow," Zhao Changhe finally softened his voice, slowly saying, "Whether it’s for the public good or for chivalry, such people shouldn’t meet a bad end... Maybe some say that’s profound, but I say fuck your profundity. I just want a fairy tale. I’m only willing to rush around for a perfect fairy tale, and not to toil half my life for only shattered illusions."

Tang Wanzhuang felt a stir in her heart, as if something had struck and caused ripples to emanate layer upon layer.

A fairy tale, huh...

Isn’t everyone an idealist?

"You only care about your ideals. Have you ever thought that you’re shattering mine? Or in your eyes, is this bear’s ideal not worth mentioning?"

Tang Wanzhuang blurted out, "It’s not like that."

"You probably don’t know what a man with shattered ideals looks like." Zhao Changhe spoke as if he hadn’t heard her, sizing up her delicate body. "Self-pleasure is easy—who can’t do that? I want to feel good too. Look at you, about to die—want to give me a thrill before you go?"

Even though she knew he was provoking her, Tang Wanzhuang still felt her eyebrows invert with anger, her hand instinctively wanting to smack his face.

Zhao Changhe had anticipated this and moved like lightning, grabbing her wrist, "You’re already in this state, yet still pretending to be tough."

"Bang!" He moved forward, forcing her back, and Tang Wanzhuang felt a surge of force pushing her, her back slamming against the door of the secret chamber.

Zhao Changhe leaned in close to her pale lips, whispering, "A Zhao Changhe without Tang Wanzhuang might be like this in the future... Sect Leader, you wouldn’t want to see that, would you?"

Tang Wanzhuang didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry, but his overwhelming presence truly unnerved her, leaving her breathlessly saying, "Already said it’s not like that..."

"Just because it’s incurable, you say those words of resignation?"

"Just because it’s incurable."

"You want to heal?"

"... I want to heal."

"Then cooperate with me," Zhao Changhe said, and suddenly leaned in, fiercely kissing her lips.

Tang Wanzhuang was caught off guard by his kiss, her mind going blank.

What’s happening? Didn’t you say it’s not like that, didn’t you already understand that I only spoke out of desperation?

Why did you still kiss me?