Chaotic World Book
Chapter 387 - 378: Treatment

Chapter 387: Chapter 378: Treatment

Tang Wanzhuang and Huangfu Qing were the same age, twenty-nine this year.

For twenty-nine years, she had never tasted what kissing was like.

Because of her more reserved personality, the kiss rendered her even more bewildered than Huangfu Qing was initially, while Huangfu Qing could still entertain a jumble of wild thoughts, Tang Wanzhuang was now utterly blank, obsessed with just a few repeating phrases, "Didn’t we agree not to discuss matters of men and women?" "Didn’t you say I was just Auntie Pu Xin, what are you doing?" and beyond that, she had no other thoughts.

Actually, if she could analyze this single train of thought, she would wonder why she was not resisting or feeling disgust, but instead pondering why he berates me as Auntie and yet kisses me...

Nor had she considered the fact that there had never been romantic talk between them, what gave you the right to kiss me?

In her confusion, another thought surfaced.

After all, only three months were left.

In her daze, it was as if her soul drifted to a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. The air was fresh, the fragrance of flowers pleasant, lush grasses all around, the scent of spring pervasive. There was a stream flowing down from a mountain peak, the sound of the water faintly audible, the geese returning in the endless sky, their calls echoing through the Nine Heavens, looking up to see a vast expanse of azure sky.

There was a valiant young man dressed in the neat attire of a samurai, clean and handsome, with fine and striking features, smiling at her from the west.

She looked back, and on the young man’s face, was that a scar of a blade?

Yet it did not mar his comeliness, but rather amidst the tender and graceful scenery, it added a touch of wild beauty.

It was as if it were a painting from some deity of Heaven.

Upon seeing her gaze, the young man smiled slightly and sat down cross-legged.

Before him, a guqin had appeared at some unknown time, and as the young man brushed his fingers across it, the sound of the instrument flowed through the air.

Bao Qin held a bunch of books tenderly, standing nervously by her side, peeking around.

She contentedly sat down, casually took a scroll, and leaned on a rock to read.

Gentle breezes kissed her face, melodies filled her ears, all was wonderfully comfortable.

Was this the life she dreamt of after retiring from the affairs of the King’s realm—a pastoral idyll with mountains and waters, books and music, and a handsome valiant man smiling at her?... Eh... no, something’s not right, what are you doing playing the qin here? Shouldn’t you be governing your lands?

Tang Wanzhuang abruptly came to her senses, realizing there were no such mountain vistas or leisurely reading by streams; the young man was indeed there, right in front of her, kissing her.

Tang Wanzhuang regained clarity and was about to push the scoundrel away when she suddenly noticed a change in her body.

His True Qi flowed within their interlocked lips and tongues, cycling with the universe, back and forth like a bridge.

In this confluence of Yin and Yang, the energy she perceived was more than ten times stronger than the simple hand-holding Rejuvenation Technique before. The vision of blooming spring in her dream was most likely derived from here...

But at the same time, what transferred to her wasn’t only that.

Just as Xia Chichi could use this connection to impart the essence of the Azure Dragon to Zhao Changhe, Zhao Changhe could likewise share with Tang Wanzhuang the understanding of landscapes, the beauty of nature, and the music of Heaven and Earth he had acquired from the second page of the Heavenly Book, presented entire in Tang Wanzhuang’s sea of consciousness.

He had his eyes closed, focusing completely on these things without a trace of frivolous thought. His lips and tongue did not possess even the slightest movement of sucking, and his hands were still. He was completely absorbed in the exchange of his Qi and intent.

Such an action was immensely draining, leaving no room for distraction.

"That’s why you need to cooperate with me," that’s what he had said.

It seemed to have some effect... The combination of the Dual Cultivation Method with his strange inspiration of natural landscapes seemed to offer substantial replenishment for what she had lost from her forceful Secret Realm Breakthrough. Coupled with his possession of the Azure Dragon Rejuvenation Method from the Four Symbols Sect, with these three combined, it seemed... it could be the only solution for treating her condition?

Tang Wanzhuang was stunned. What was happening?

All the power of the nation could not achieve it, even the most preeminent in the world were at a loss, but how did he inexplicably find a way?

Was this someone sent by Heaven to save me?

Although still weak, he wasn’t powerful enough... But to make slight improvements to her condition, to repair the meridians a bit, to contain and reduce the loss of energy just a little, it seemed possible...

Not to say a cure could be guaranteed, but there might be a chance to extend her life...

Tang Wanzhuang stared blankly, her hand had been on his shoulder, but ultimately, she couldn’t bring herself to push with any force.

Her hand felt a warm and moist sensation—that was... the blood on his shoulder.

He had been wounded by Yu Cixiu’s spear and had yet to be treated... but all he could think of was healing her.

Perhaps because her hand touched the wound on his shoulder, Zhao Changhe felt a twinge of pain, furrowing his brows and finally opening his eyes.

The healing halted abruptly, eyes met eyes.

Their lips were still locked together, neither’s gaze revealing what they might be thinking.

Zhao Changhe couldn’t discern the emotions in her eyes, but he could tell she was awake, so he dared not linger on her lips. He slowly pulled back a little and whispered apologetically, "Sorry... this was the only way I could think of to try... I didn’t have the patience to slowly debate with you about ’whether it’s possible’ or not."

Tang Wanju didn’t respond, just kept looking at him.

"Does it, does it seem to have some effect?" Zhao Changhe felt slightly panicked under her gaze, his earlier dominance seemingly vanished, as he awkwardly backed off, muttering, "If you’re, if you’re upset, you can hit me, just... go easy..."

He thought to himself whether this was being frivolous or whether he was at a loss since he really hadn’t experienced anything; his entire focus was on operating the cultivation technique at full strength. It was only just before pulling away that he felt a hint of softness, and he couldn’t continue under her unwavering stare.

What did Ginsengfruit taste like again? A loss.

With an expressionless face, Tang Wanju watched his awkward retreat and, for some reason, only felt like laughing.

Yet her face remained cold as she questioned, "What sorcery are you practicing, and what illusion did you pour into me?"

"Ah? That wasn’t an illusion; that was the natural order," Zhao Changhe explained. "If there was something missing when you broke through the secret treasure that year, my guess is that your martial intent conforms with mountains and rivers in paintings, but you yourself are trapped in a cycle of military preoccupation and bureaucratic toil. You understand its essence, hence the breakthrough; but you can’t achieve it, thus you force it. The root of the problem lies there."

Tang Wanju was genuinely astounded. How could he, with his level of cultivation, see such a root cause?

That was the highest level, the stuff of the Third Secret Treasure—and he had not even touched the outskirts of it.

Of course, Zhao Changhe had thought of this only after the blind man’s prompt. If Tang Wanzhuang’s Divine Soul was injured, why was it injured? And why was the second page of the Heavenly Book said to be useful to her? His Martial Arts Realm might not be there, but his logical analysis was still intact; combining the two, the truth was pretty much as he had surmised...

In theory, if Tang Wanjuang really wanted a proper breakthrough, it would mean stepping down from her duties and retiring to nature. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do it and was forced to try anyway, which ultimately led to complications. To heal completely, apart from needing the right methods, she would indeed need to resign and recover...

Seeing Tang Wanju’s silent demeanor, as if she didn’t intend to take him to task for his impropriety, Zhao Changhe grew bolder and whispered softly, "Like I said, you shouldn’t overtax yourself... I’m here for you."

At this moment, to say such a thing was a stark declaration, ripping off the veil of the once so-called "uninvolved in affairs of men and women" and "everyone-believes auntie."

Tang Wanju seemed not to understand, instead asking something off-topic, "You said that it was the natural order, so why were there people? If it’s not an illusion, then what is it?"

"People?" Zhao Changhe was taken aback, scratching his head. "The Perception I bequeathed to you was of nature and mountains, nothing to do with people... Oh, if there were, it was because my Rejuvenation Technique is waking up your zest for life, maybe combined with the essence of nature, you might envision a desirable life you would want to live. If there’s a person, it’s someone your own mind conjured up, someone from the life you wish to see."

My own conjured person, the life I wish to see.

Bao Qin was by her side, timid and endearing. He was playing the lute, his eyes smiling, his expression gentle and warm.

Tang Wanju pursed her lips tightly, her usually calm and composed demeanor suddenly changing, pushing Zhao Changhe fiercely, "Don’t think you can take liberties with me just because it’s under the guise of curing an illness, and as if you’d even cure it!"

Once she regained her strength, Zhao Changhe couldn’t withstand it and stumbled backward, legs hitting the edge of the bed in the cramped chamber.

With a push, Tang Wanju toppled him onto the bed, her delicate hand sweeping away and his shirt falling off.

Zhao Changhe covered his chest in alarm, "What are you doing?"

Retaliation was like this, wasn’t it? Then please do it with more force!

But he saw Tang Wanju expressionlessly take out a jar of ointment, applied a bit to his shoulder, and grumbled resentfully, "All you do is berate me for not caring about myself. Are you any better? Without any substantial cultivation, you always pretend to be as tough as iron. If you don’t treat that injury properly, it will ache in damp weather, and you’ll regret it!"

While scolding, she seemed to punish him with a bit more force than necessary, sending a sharp pain through Zhao Changhe’s shoulder, making him break out in a cold sweat.

Zhao Changhe grimaced in pain from the shoulder, watching her huffing with anger, but then he suddenly smiled, "This is great."

Tang Wanju angrily retorted, "Not heavy enough for you, is it?"

"You’re too calm, it scares me," he confessed, "because I don’t know if you’ve grown so weary of life that you think you’ve only got a few months left... When you show anger, it assures me that you still have passions, that you still want to live."

Tang Wanju’s "punishing" hands lightened their grip by three degrees, sighing inwardly.

"And..." Zhao Changhe looked into her eyes, continuing quietly, "your anger makes you seem more alive... like back when you were unruffled by slander... like a lifeless figure in a painting, stepping out into the world."

With no expression, Tang Wanju asked, "What does that have to do with you? Are you breaking your promise?"

Zhao Changhe said, "A man..."

Tang Wanju thought he was going to say ’A spit on the hand, an iron nail,’ but heard him sharply change course: "How could he be bound and entangled by mere words?"

Tang Wanju was puzzled.

Zhao Changhe stated with conviction, "As for words, there was another phrase I said back then."

Tang Wanju asked subconsciously, "What?"

"I’m not only a bandit, but next time I might even covet Tang Wanju! Tell her to wash up and wait for me!"

"Ahh--!" A scream echoed through the chamber, almost overpowering the room’s soundproofing, faintly reaching the duck farm.

Great Zhou looked at his ducks and couldn’t help but wonder if the reason Tang Wanju came here in the dead of night was a possibility that she was looking for something.