Chaotic World Book
Chapter 98 - 96 Reciprocity

Chapter 98: Chapter 96 Reciprocity

P.S.: I messed up again in the previous Chapter, typing 95 instead of 94, already corrected... Don’t laugh at my senility...

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Zhao Changhe really didn’t know how to find Xia Chichi. He couldn’t even locate Han Wubing right now, let alone Xia Chichi.

With his head full of confusion, he went back to the inn, only to run into Han Wubing, who had also just returned.

Zhao Changhe let out a sigh of relief and glanced at the ordinary sword in Han’s hand. He smacked his forehead, "I forgot... I should have asked them for a sword just now."

Han Wubing asked curiously, "Who?"

"Uh, it’s nothing... Did Brother Han also come back empty-handed?"

"Not exactly. Someone invited me to Ancient Sword Lake to watch the swords. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a look, so I agreed."

Zhao Changhe’s expression became rather animated.

Loyal and trustworthy, how did I not see it before? Little Brother Han fits the bill almost perfectly! And now the Four Symbols Sect is coming to him.

Forget about just watching; when it comes down to it, you, a sword fanatic, won’t be able to resist. Moreover, the sword might just choose you.

"By the way... have you ever had a lover?"

"Never."

"What about that friend you blood sacrificed?"

"...That was a man. Our relationship was somewhat similar to ours. We became friends through dueling and found mutual respect and understanding."

So being a single dog has its perks. If you’ve never been in love, of course, there’s no chance of faithlessness, so all you need to be is a trustworthy person, and that’s that.

Zhao Changhe looked at him from the side, "Similar to me, you mean if I were gone, you would seek vengeance for me as well?"

"Of course," Han Wubing replied as if it were a matter of fact.

Zhao Changhe laughed and patted his shoulder, "I think you really could take that sword. But while precious swords are easy to come by, people’s hearts are unpredictable. Be wary of those who invited you; they might have ulterior motives. If nothing comes of this, then let it be, but if it does, I’ll be there with you."

Precious swords are easy to come by, people’s hearts unpredictable... These eight words struck a chord with Han Wubing, a shadow crossing his eyes, "Alright."

Unexpectedly, this secured the other party’s action plan and main character. Zhao Changhe felt somewhat relieved, thinking to himself that for the next couple of days, he should look for Chichi. If he found her, great, he would ask her to call off the plan. If not, then on the day, he’d follow Han Wubing and figure out a way to covertly communicate with Chichi and have a backup plan just in case.

As it turns out, when a cursed one feels like they have a guaranteed draw in a loot box, that’s really all they end up with.

Zhao Changhe nearly scoured all of Sword Lake City over the next several days, encountering several dim-witted thieves who wanted to steal his sword, causing several murder cases, but Xia Chichi was nowhere to be found.

Of course, the Four Symbols Sect wouldn’t make it easy for him to find them while dodging the Demon Suppression Department’s surveillance; Xia Chichi wouldn’t dare come out for a secret tryst under such scrutiny. These days, Tang Wanju was also sending people to secretly search for her, without luck. If even she couldn’t find Xia Chichi, Zhao Changhe stood even less chance.

But Zhao Changhe felt that this time, Chichi was thoroughly crushed by Tang Wanju. They knew what you were up to and roughly when you planned to do it, around the arrival of summer. Just watching the lake would suffice, what good was hiding well in the city? If they really wanted to capture members of the Demon Sect, the net of heaven and earth around the lake would already be cast. The only reason they hadn’t acted, in Zhao Changhe’s opinion, was to save face for him, and he was quite grateful for that.

In any case, this time Chichi really lost. The demoness leading her first mission, her and her subordinates, probably never expected that their opponent for such a trivial matter would be the head of the Demon Suppression Department herself, not on the same level...

On second thoughts, if Tang Wanju knew that her actual opponent was the true Princess, I wonder how she would feel?

...

The Dipper points to the southeast, marking the beginning of summer.

Han Wubing slowly walked along the shore of Ancient Sword Lake, searching for traces of the other party.

Ancient Sword Lake was not teeming with tourists; in fact, compared to the bustling city nearby, it was quite desolate. Because of the "Sword Qi that spontaneously erupts and kills," there was no one there for leisure; those who dared come were the brave and fortunate treasure hunters, and they came only occasionally. A few scattered groups of people around the vast lakeshore made it look quite empty and silent.

Members of the Four Symbols Sect were quite conspicuous here. They couldn’t hide even if they wanted to, surmising that at most some experts were concealed in the bamboo forest behind them. A group of people in black cloaks surrounded a beautiful girl, looking like servants taking a young lady out for spring outing.

But Han Wubing recognized the person who had spoken to him the other day at a glance, and just as quickly identified the beautiful girl as the little demoness who had verbally sparred with Zhao Changhe.

No wonder Zhao Changhe had followed along.

Han Wubing sauntered over and stopped outside the caution line where he could still make a quick getaway, and cupped his hands in greeting, "Han has arrived, how shall we view the sword?"

The little demoness glanced at him, her expression hesitant, and her first question was, "What’s your relationship with Zhao Changhe?"

Han Wubing: "...Friends."

"How close of friends?"

"He saved my life."

"You actually saved his life too." The little demoness put her hands on her hips, "If it weren’t for your meddling, I would have taken his head."

Probably a minor disturbance, I felt at that moment that you indeed might attempt it, but where to put it afterward would have been the question.

Han Wubing muttered under his breath, but said aloud, "So, Miss, are you seeking trouble with me because I spoiled your plans that day?"

Xia Chichi hesitated because if this man was Zhao Changhe’s good friend, she was worried that tricking him might upset Zhao Changhe. Truly troublesome, she had originally thought these two were sworn enemies looking to duel, and tricking one would be helping Zhao Changhe. But these past few days didn’t seem right; they seemed quite chummy...

"Zhao Changhe’s head easy to take, your little interference is no big deal. As long as you keep our deal, that little incident will be wiped clean."

Clearly, Han Wubing heard the demoness say this, but then suddenly he heard the conversation take a secretive turn with a secret transmission, "During the ritual later, the sword will definitely appear, but don’t be entranced by it. No matter how much you like it, you must say that the sword repels you. Don’t touch it, don’t take it. Remember, remember!"

Han Wubing’s heart stirred, piecing together Zhao Changhe’s warning, he instantly understood the general situation, and sighed internally. No wonder the first thing the little demoness asked was about his relation to Zhao Changhe, she did not wish to trick a friend of Zhao Changhe... This ability to transmit messages secretly was something he couldn’t even do himself; it indicated the young lady might have reached the Sixth Layer of the Mystical Gate. But transmitting secret messages was really risky among a group of strong individuals, she must really like Zhao Changhe.

He bowed without showing any reaction, "Han has already said, if the sword is suitable upon viewing, the agreement stands."

Xia Chichi chuckled, "Young Master Han is a man of his word, and we trust you. Now, with noon approaching, let the ritual begin."

Zhao Changhe, who was spying from a distance with his enhanced vision, was frustrated and anxious. Talking about finding a chance to communicate secretly with Chichi, but how in such an open place with a group huddling around her?

As he watched the group of black-robed people scatter and form a somewhat irregular Southern Dipper Formation, chanting words under their breath.

Forget about it, even Han Wubing had never seen such a fantastical ceremony in his life.

When he tried to sense it, despite his Fifth Layer of the Inner Mystical Gate’s enhanced senses, he could not detect any energy fluctuations or changes in Qi, clueless as to what effect this formation and ritual were supposed to have.

However, he could clearly feel something stirring at the bottom of the lake.

As the sun rose to its zenith and noon arrived, there was a faint tremoring from the lake’s bottom, as if an earthquake had occurred far away and they were feeling the aftershocks. Then, a swordsman’s intuition quickly tingled, and he could faintly perceive a sharp sword intent spreading from the center of the lake.

At that moment, a sudden explosive twang came from the bamboo forest, as an arrow shot out from nowhere towards the leader of the ritual, aiming for the Elder.

"Who dares cause trouble!" The Elder was the Azure Dragon Guardian, a powerful being on the Human List. With a flick of his hand, he deflected the arrow, but the ritual was indeed momentarily interrupted.

Zhao Changhe’s laughter echoed from the bamboo forest, "The Holy Daughter wants my head, so I spoil her event in return; fair is fair, come chase after me if you dare!"