Chaotic World Book
Chapter 413 - 402: Won Them All

Chapter 413: Chapter 402: Won Them All

Zhao Changhe, thinking he was clever for noticing the detail that Huangfu Qing was slower than Tang Wanju, felt immensely shrewd and raised what he believed to be an even more significant blind spot, "You had Marquis Wu Ping escort Wang Daozhong relying on the fact that Wang Daoning did not know something had gone wrong. Now with the Chaotic World Book reporting such, Wang Daoning should be aware. What if he attempts to ambush and free the prisoner?"

Tang Wanju snuck glances at Cui Yuanyang, nestled in her arms, and said, "There are several roads to the Capital; which one can Wang Daoning block if he comes from Langya?"

Zhao Changhe asked, "What if he blocks the entrance to the Capital directly?"

Tang Wanju sighed somewhat melancholically, "If the Emperor’s seat, right under his nose, allows Wang Daoning to hijack a major prisoner of the Demon Suppression Department... that would mean His Majesty has completely lost any control. Wang Daoning might as well rise in rebellion when he returns, and whatever elaborate plans we make... would all be for naught."

Zhao Changhe was silent.

"If someone dares to intercept right at the entrance of the Capital, Empress Wang would dare to release the prisoners directly from the prison, and you wouldn’t be able to prevent it, so if they really can save the prisoner, then let them," said Huangfu Qing with her arms crossed. "But don’t expect my palace to go back and confront Empress Wang for you."

Zhao Changhe glanced at her, thinking to himself that from the perspective of the Four Symbols Sect, she would not want to see Wang Daozhong doomed. Their Venerable still needed the Wang Family to rebel; they couldn’t weaken them too much. Perhaps the situation of being rescued suited the Sect’s needs more. But still, she had lent a hand in that moment, which meant she put him, Zhao Changhe, above the Sect. That was truly no easy feat...

With that thought, his heart softened, and he whispered, "Then it depends on whether Wang Daoning has the courage and whether old Xia will make a move. We’ve done what we should do; we can’t worry about everything."

A group of people openly discussed who should rebel, whether to confront the Empress or not, and even called the Emperor "old Xia." Yang Jingxiu stood aside, gazing inwardly, pretending to be a statue.

Conversations within Aristocratic Families were already bold enough, but this group was almost no different from bandits. And here was Tang Wanju, with the Cui Family girl cuddling in Zhao Changhe’s arms and still not coming out until now...

Old Yang thought it was a miracle that this group could gather together in the first place...

Of course, he wasn’t silent because he was made of clay. This matter pertained to him after all! If Wang Daoning would hijack the prisoner at the city gate, then so be it, but if it was Empress Wang who would release him, did they really think the Grand Commandant was just for show? At this moment, Yang Jingxiu had no mind to attend to the aftermath; he wanted to hurry to the Capital to keep watch. If he could secretly eliminate Wang Daozhong in the prison, that would be best...

But then he heard Zhao Changhe say, "Alright, now that things have quieted down, let me try to awaken the Lianshan Sword."

Yang Jingxiu was momentarily stunned, "Can you really cure it?"

So you’re not deliberately here to sabotage Wang Daozhong? You actually have a way with swords?

Zhao Changhe said, "I’ve already said, I have some thoughts, but I need to try..."

With that, he embraced Cui Yuanyang and walked towards the Lianshan Sword, "Yangyang, let’s work together."

Cui Yuanyang nodded happily, "Mm!"

Looking gleeful, she hardly resembled a frightened little rabbit hiding in a man’s embrace.

What a perfect excuse to burrow into a man’s arms... Tang Wanju and Huangfu Qing glanced sideways at each other, both subconsciously grinding their teeth.

Both considered the other a rival, not expecting that the most troublesome brat was actually right here.

Here below the heavens, you and I, the heroes, stand tall as fire looming over Chi Bi and Yiling...

Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe carefully scraped off the Mystic Light Mysterious Soil from the Lianshan Sword, which, having lost its Yin energy, was essentially worthless. He then placed the sword hilt in Cui Yuanyang’s hand, "Your turn."

Cui Yuanyang grasped the hilt and closed her eyes.

Zhao Changhe’s recently improved Rejuvenation Technique worked for Tang Wanju; logically, it should also have some effect on the Sword Spirit. The extent of its effect remained unclear, the main issue being his inability to reach the Sword Spirit and pinpoint the exact location to apply the Rejuvenation Technique—even testing it was impossible.

After all, swords differed from people. People have Spirit Platforms and Soul Seas, but where are the corresponding locations for a sword? And are they different for every sword? With his meager abilities, he couldn’t just cast a wide net and apply it to the whole sword, could he?

If he were a Third Layer Secret Treasure expert, maybe he could dive deep into the sword with his Divine Soul to investigate the specifics. But Zhao Changhe was far from mastering Divine Soul Refining and couldn’t do that.

But Cui Yuanyang could... Not because her Divine Soul was strong, but because she had experience in awakening the Qinghe Sword; she knew how to make the Sword Spirit react to the sword bearer.

In this moment, Cui Yuanyang’s spirit was clear, her Soul Sea seemed to manifest a Purple Qi coming from the east, forming into a Sword Shadow that pierced the sky. The enveloping Purple Qi covered mountains and rivers, rendering a magnificent Jiangshan landscape.

This was the unique Sword Intent of the Cui Family, also representing what these scions of the Divine Sword Families cultivated from their foundation, with the ultimate goal of resonating with their own Divine Sword, in hopes of one day being recognized as its master. This was something neither Vermilion Bird nor Tang Wanju could achieve; they had their own intentions, but those were not tailored for swords, not on the same path.

With this Purple Qi Qing River essence, Cui Yuanyang sought to correspond with the Lianshan Sword’s resonance. It seemed mismatched, but essentially, it could achieve a form of communication.

The watching Yang Jingxiu’s expression changed subtly.

Of course, he could also achieve such communication, but strangely enough, the Lianshan Sword paid no heed to its rightful owner, yet it responded to Cui Yuanyang whose intent was off by miles.

To Cui Yuanyang, it felt as though towering mountains stood before her, the Purple Qi like clouds, blocking the passage.

A faint consciousness came through, "Master of the Qinghe Sword? Have I been taken away?"

Cui Yuanyang: "..."

"Not right, you aren’t the master of Qinghe... Vast as the Qinghe is, your family’s Qi seems too meager, barely a delicate stream at best. However, you’re somewhat better than those wastrels of mine; at least you’re not far off the mark. As for their intent, pfft, I can’t be bothered with it."

Cui Yuan Yang: "..."

"Was it your family elder who snatched me from my good-for-nothing master and gave me to you to play with? Get lost, you’re not worthy."

Cui Yuan Yang’s lips quivered, almost cursing out loud.

But a breeze suddenly came from the side, gently brushing the soul, comfortable beyond measure. Cui Yuan Yang felt spring had arrived, and it was the season when rabbits ought to be doing what they do...

Rejuvenation Technique.

Although Zhao Changhe didn’t know what the perceptual world was like for Cui Yuan Yang, holding her like this surely allowed him to capture the meeting of their divine souls, so he decisively applied the Rejuvenation Technique at the very center of their meeting.

"Eh..." The Lianshan Sword seemed to emit a sound of surprise, but then it fell silent again.

Cui Yuan Yang clearly felt the mountains before her quiet down, and on the barren, grey peaks, it seemed as though bits of green were beginning to sprout.

Useful.

But not very...

Finally, Zhao Changhe’s consciousness reached the meeting point, "Have the nerve to say my Yang Yang is not worthy? You’re the one unworthy; you’re not even a whole, just a half. In my view, that’s a brain defect, and yet you dare to put on airs."

"Boom," annoyed and embarrassed, the Lianshan Sword expelled the consciousness of Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuan Yang altogether, shutting them out.

Cui Yuan Yang put the sword back on the rack, with her hands in her pockets.

Zhao Changhe wrapped his arms around her, joining her with hands in his pockets as well.

Yang Jingxiu watched the two anxiously from the side, "How, how is it? I felt the Lianshan Sword’s qi fluctuations; it’s never been so intense in all these years..."

When a coma patient gets angry, the family never blames you for making them angry but is overjoyed instead.

But Zhao Changhe looked at the excited family member, unsure whether to reveal the truth to him.

The truth was, these sword spirits were incomplete, with a high likelihood that Xia Longyuan had taken half for his own important matters.

In reality, for a sword spirit, losing half isn’t fatal. Swords inherently lack spirits, and it’s the owner’s intent that nurtures them into being. If the current owner is completely in sync, it’s possible to recreate a whole spirit in no time. However, if the current owner’s intent does not align, what remains of the residual soul is only aversion, and even communication becomes difficult, hence the ’disappearance’ or ’dormancy’ of the sword spirit.

And as the Cui siblings began to align with the intent of the Qinghe Sword, the sword spirit also started to respond, but the residual soul still hadn’t fully recovered. After all, the Cui siblings were still green and not yet qualified.

That was the root of the problems with all the family sword spirits—the result of dual causes.

The Wang Family managed to resolve this because the soul power of the Sea Race combined with the sword spirit, filling the gap. Thus, naturally, the sword spirit ’awoke,’ although whether it was still the Sea Suppressing Sword’s spirit became uncertain.

The families might have guessed that Xia Longyuan tampered with them, but without solid evidence. If Zhao Changhe spoke out, he would be the definitive proof, with unimaginable consequences that might follow.

And even if he chose not to confront Xia Longyuan for the other half of the sword spirit, solely relying on his own Rejuvenation Technique could indeed solve the problem. Although the sword spirits were damaged, they differ from human souls and do not suffer from cognitive deficits, being purely depleted of a great deal of soul power. This was a typical case for revitalizing weak souls.

This not only required further advancement of the Rejuvenation Technique, but also sufficient vigor of his own soul power. Otherwise, his current soul power would be like using a toothpick to stir a big vat—utterly inadequate. In addition, a deeper understanding of the sword would be beneficial, considering these were sword spirits.

Not just the Yang Family’s, but the Cui Family’s sword spirit could also be dealt with, the Cui’s being even easier to handle...

After much deliberation, Zhao Changhe still chose not to discuss the pathology. After all, what the family cared about most was the possibility of a cure, so he simply said, "I can treat this disease..."

Yang Jingxiu exclaimed joyfully, "Your Highness has any demands, we..."

Zhao Changhe interrupted, "But my current level is not enough, like how I’m also not skilled enough to treat Wanzhuang yet. Give me some time. Elder, don’t worry, the sword spirit won’t dissipate on its own. By its lifespan, it won’t die even after I’m gone."

Huangfu Qing’s lips curled into a smile.

Smart move, you’ve achieved the leverage we wanted. With those words, won’t the Yang Family follow our lead in the future?

Yang Jingxiu rubbed his hands and said, "It makes sense; I understand."

This guy is, after all, just at the First Layer Secret Treasure and has only been studying medicine for a handful of days. It’s normal to need improvement. Yang Jingxiu thought for a moment and asked, "What does Your Highness need from the Yang Family to advance your medical skills? Should we find a famous doctor for you? Or perhaps ancient medical books, medicinal herbs? Or maybe something that would help improve your martial arts?"

Zhao Changhe said, "I’ve heard the Yang Family possesses Soul Entangling Grass; I want some. Uh, not much, just one stalk will do."

Yang Jingxiu patted his chest, "No problem at all, Bugui, fetch three stalks of Soul Entangling Grass!"

Zhao Changhe sighed with relief, seeing the wealth and generosity on display. He had been worried they might have just one stalk reserved for their own sword spirit, reluctant to share, yet here they were, offering three without hesitation.

Tang Wanju’s lips also lifted into a smile.

Still remembering to help me find the medicine...