Chaotic World Book
Chapter 86 - 84: The Commoner Idol Mr. Zhao

Chapter 86: Chapter 84: The Commoner Idol Mr. Zhao

Once again a small town, shrouded in drizzle and fog, was full of fluffy willow catkins blowing in the air.

Previously confident in his robust health, Zhao Changhe, who thought nothing of getting soaked, finally began to agree with Cui Yuanyang’s cursing of the rotten weather.

Rain during Qingming, the poets may leisurely recount their tales, but as a traveler on the road, you can only curse your bad luck. Especially when you’re covering a thousand miles—a far cry from a quick visit to the neighboring village.

Such was the inconvenience of travel in ancient times, hence at every parting, countless timeless masterpieces were born. Because one never knew whether, after a separation over mountains and rivers vast, a reunion was ever in the cards.

Having recently acquired a fine horse, he felt particularly distressed for Wuzhui trudging through the snow, fearing the rain might ruin it, utterly unaware whether horses minded the rain or not.

Carefree at departure, but now amidst the mist and rain, his mood soured, and he found himself missing Yangyang, wondering whether she was at home, sobbing and sighing.

Thus, he too understood what they meant by—"How much idle sorrow can one ask about? Amidst the tobacco waves, the whole city is filled with drifting catkins and plum blossoms sing in the season’s rain."

If Yangyang had been looking out from her pavilion, surely this line was in her heart too.

There, becoming a poet again. It’s strange though—being an arts student, he could never remember more than a few poems, returning them to the teacher soon after learning them, yet having wandered the Worldly Society for half a year away from classrooms, more and more verses were surfacing in his mind.

He wondered if it was due to cultivation enhancing his memory, or because the Worldly Society’s mist and rain were particularly provocative of poetic sentiment, similar to how he tended to wax poetic around Yue Hongling more than at other times.

"Innkeeper, watch my horse for me, give it the best hay." Zhao Changhe led the horse to the front of the tavern, asking the waiter to tend to it while he peeked inside to see if there were any patrons mocking him for being a fool.

The waiter came up to greet him: "Rest assured, sir. Our establishment is the most professional at... Oh! What a fine horse!"

"That it is." Zhao Changhe’s eyes held a hint of wariness. Damn it, there wouldn’t be a problem like horse theft, right?

The waiter, somewhat infatuated with Wuzhui, laughed and said, "Please come in, sir. You haven’t said what you’d like to eat yet."

"Uh, just bring me a bowl of noodles. I can die of hunger, but I can’t let my horse starve."

The waiter empathized, knowing he would feel the same.

Such a splendid horse indeed!

Zhao Changhe suddenly thought that, if this were the modern world, it would probably be like a limited edition luxury car... casually gifted by the Cui Family, no questions asked.

"Have you heard? A new ruthless figure has emerged in the Worldly Society lately."

Such a familiar line, tears streamed down Zhao Changhe’s face as he sat in a corner, listening to what others said about him.

"Yeah, Han Wubing is truly ruthless. Sword Pavilion is his birthplace, right? He killed thirty-two of his fellow disciples in one go."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

It’s nothing to do with me.

"Why are all the people rising up these days so rebellious? This time it’s Han Wubing, last time it was Zhao Changhe."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Still got my part, huh.

"Haha, Han Wubing might be ruthless, but Zhao Changhe is more amusing. Didn’t he escort Miss Cui Family for a thousand miles last time? Everyone was saying he was going to be the Cui Family’s son-in-law, but the Cui Family, with their usual temperament, disdaining a common bandit, chased him off. It was a pointless fight, and who knows if he’s hiding somewhere crying his eyes out, haha..."

"I feel more and more that this kid is tragic, always after the women he can’t get. Whether it’s Yue Hongling or Cui Yuanyang, why bother, wouldn’t it be better to be pragmatic..."

"Isn’t that just like us?"

"Ahahaha, well said! I’m giving Zhao Changhe the title of number one Hidden Dragon grounded in reality! Any objections?"

"I object." Zhao Changhe couldn’t help himself: "Can’t you talk about Han Wubing? It’s always Zhao Changhe, I’m tired of it, what’s the point?"

"Who are you? We love talking about Zhao Changhe. What can you do? Riding a fine horse and acting all high and mighty? Do you think Cui Yuanyang should belong to you noblemen? Are you unhappy about hearing Zhao Changhe’s name? We support Zhao Changhe taking Cui Yuanyang for himself, you got a problem with that?"

Zhao Changhe resignedly ate his noodles: "Sure, sure, Zhao Changhe here would also thank you for your support. Please, continue."

Another person said, "Actually, the Cui Family’s protests only serve to reveal their anxiety. How could Zhao Changhe and Cui Yuanyang spend so many days on the road alone without doing anything? Could their daughter still possibly marry out?"

"It might not necessarily be the case. Under such life and death circumstances, I really don’t believe something happened between them. The Cui Family is so confident only because they know their daughter is still pure."

"Maybe Zhao Changhe is just a silver-gun poseur, all talk and done in three thrusts?"

"Hahaha, brother, you have a high opinion and that could very well be the case!"

Zhao Changhe’s forehead vein throbbed.

He had thought they were a group of fans, but it turned out they were just a bunch of haters.

"Let’s see in three years. Who knows, this guy might actually make it onto the Human List. I’ve never seen anyone cultivate so quickly, I’ve never even heard of such a thing."

"So, the Cui Family isn’t entirely devoid of righteousness this time, are they? At least they’re leaving some room for consideration."

"Yes, as difficult as it is, it’s not entirely impossible for him."

"If that day really comes, I’ll treat everyone to a drink!"

To have fans willing to buy drinks for one’s wedding... You all have more confidence in me than I do. Zhao Changhe ate his noodles, slightly lost in thought.

The agreement with the Cui Family had indeed had its effect; Yangyang’s reputation hadn’t suffered much, and most people still thought it impossible for anything to happen. They said it would be over in three denials; most of it was just bluster anyway. And the Cui Family didn’t have to bear too much of a reputation for ingratitude. After all, such conduct is typical for an Aristocratic Family; leaving some consideration for you is already seen as quite decent by most...

Does this mean being too good is futile, but a villain who leaves some leeway will not be berated? Is that the logic here?

And Zhao Changhe’s reputation in the Worldly Society wasn’t as bad as that of those notorious rebels anymore. Generously returning the young lady to the clouds, though people didn’t say it aloud, they probably all gave him a thumbs up in their hearts. Then being sent away made him even more down-to-earth, like some sort of popular icon... even though his fans were all haters.

More importantly, along the way, he had discovered that the wanted posters had been withdrawn, and he was no longer a criminal who couldn’t walk under the sunshine.

Everything he had done before had finally borne fruit.

Fortunately, he had toughed out the direct criticism. Eventually, people got tired of talking about Zhao Changhe, and turned their attentions back to Han Wubing, "I hadn’t heard before that Han Wubing was from Sword Pavilion. I thought he was a lone wolf. Who was it that said he came from Sword Pavilion?"

"Hmph, among those in the Worldly Society who have made a name for themselves, who truly has no background or heritage? Even Yue Hongling comes from some third-rate Sect. Zhao Changhe is still using the Blood God Sect’s cultivation techniques. A lone wolf? Even if there really is a lone wolf, they’re the reclusive types taught by some hermit; no one just pops out of a crack in a rock to become a lone wolf..."

"So why did he have a falling out with Sword Pavilion?"

"I don’t know about that, the master of Sword Pavilion is eighth on the Earth List. I wonder if he’d personally take care of this renegade?"

"Nobody just summons such powerful experts to deal with traitors on a whim. Xue Canghai hasn’t even made it onto the Human List, so it’s not like he’d personally go after Zhao Changhe. There are other matters to attend to."

Zhao Changhe covered his head, thinking talk about Han Wubing if you will, I do want to hear his story, but why does every sentence have to pivot to me, what does this have to do with me...

As a result, he listened for a long time and got no useful information.

This so-called "rumor mill of the Worldly Society" seemed all-encompassing, but when it came to the real inside story, few people actually knew it; listening to wild guessing could lead you astray.

"Interested in Han Wubing?" Suddenly, someone sat down in front of him and smiled, "Actually, there’s a place you can go to quickly understand nearly all the happenings in the Worldly Society."

Zhao Changhe looked up, seeing an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, indistinguishable in any noteworthy way.

He finished his noodles in a few bites and said indifferently, "If I want to know about Han Wubing, I could simply ask him directly. I’m merely curious to listen while eating, don’t think I’m particularly interested in other people’s gossip. I can’t be bothered even to ask how old your leader is this year, or whether she wants to get married."

The middle-aged man’s expression changed slightly, "How did you know I’m from the Demon Suppression Department? Just from that one sentence?"

Zhao Changhe smiled, "No big deal, it doesn’t have much to do with you... I do have a few words, though, please relay them to Chief Tang."

The middle-aged man bowed slightly, "Please speak."

Zhao Changhe casually wiped his mouth, "First, I’ve made a promise to meet someone at Ancient Sword Lake, and time is short. I don’t have time for other trivial matters; I don’t have to go wherever someone calls me."

The middle-aged man said helplessly, "Chief Tang suggests that the situation at Ancient Sword Lake is unpredictable at best, and it would be wise to avoid going there."

Zhao Changhe remained unmoved, "A promise is worth a thousand gold; I’ll keep it even if it’s raining knives from the sky. Besides, what trouble can there be that Han Wubing can face but I can’t?"

The middle-aged man sighed, "I respect your commitment to your word. But it’s not impossible for knives to literally fall from the sky... At least along the way, Blood God Sect’s high-ranking officials will be after you. The more famous you get, the more they lose face, and they can’t stand it. If you’re willing to talk with us, we can help solve this issue. Otherwise, I fear reaching Ancient Sword Lake might be difficult."

"There’s no need for your help. Matters with the Blood God Sect can almost be considered a personal vendetta. I’ll handle it myself; I don’t need your favors." Zhao Changhe suddenly laughed, "The one who lost face the most must have been the Sect Hierarch of the Blood God Sect getting overpowered, right? Compared to that, what does my issue count for?"

The middle-aged man was speechless.

"Second, although I’m refusing your offer, it’s not that I have anything against you... It’s just that if Tang Wanzhuang wants to discuss something with me, I hope she finds the time to come talk to me personally instead of indirectly hinting and beating around the bush. It’s tedious." Zhao Changhe stood up, "Waiter, check, please!"

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