Chapter 225: The Vanished Han Wubing

Chapter 225: The Disappearance of Han Wubing

Moments later.

The thugs from the robbery lay sprawled across the ground, groaning in a heap. Zhao Changhe sat astride one of them, raising a fist the size of a vinegar jar: "Talk. What's the deal with Han Wubing? With your lousy skills, how could you have driven him off?"

The man he was speaking to was nearly in tears: "I just used Han Wubing's name to scare you. It wasn't us who drove him away..."

"Then what happened?"

"All I know is that Han Wubing killed the leader of the Xingyi Gang, Chief Ji, and was surrounded and attacked by the whole gang. Then Boss Peng of the Pinghu Society stepped in, and after that, Han Wubing left..."

"What a mess. What does that have to do with your so-called Master Sha?"

"Didn't I tell you? I was just trying to scare you into thinking there was a connection."

"Damn it!" The vinegar-jar-sized fist slammed down, knocking the man unconscious.

Zhao Changhe crouched down and patted down each of them. They had little money—just low-level gang members who had seen him pull out silver to buy a pancake and been seized by sudden greed.

Cursing under his breath, Zhao Changhe stood up, stuffed a few bits of silver into his pocket, and turned to see Yihuo Snake tilting its head, watching him loot. The little pig's adorable face instantly lifted his spirits. "What are you looking at?"

Vermilion Bird laughed. "Why did you stop me? Were you really afraid I'd kill them?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"Then I was right to stop you." Zhao Changhe headed out of the city. "A small matter like this—no need to always think about killing. It's unnecessary."

Vermilion Bird didn't argue. Instead, she hummed in agreement and walked out with him.

She seemed in an even better mood than Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe was a bit puzzled. "So obedient?"

"Nothing much." Vermilion Bird said leisurely, "I see you're not some pedantic hero. You're to my taste."

"Tch, what a character."

Vermilion Bird meant it.

At first, when he had stopped her, she was a little displeased. But after watching Zhao Changhe's antics, she found it amusing—especially his way of robbing people. After all, she was a leader of the demonic path. Whether they got along depended not only on ability but also on temperament and style of action.

So far, Zhao Changhe's temperament and actions perfectly matched the aesthetics of the Four Symbols Sect.

As for Han Wubing and the rest, what did she care? In fact, she was secretly annoyed that because of this mess, they definitely wouldn't be able to continue their stroll.

Anyone who had studied Zhao Changhe knew that although his time with Han Wubing had been brief, Han held a high place in his heart. Apart from women, Han Wubing was his first friend—they had hit it off at first sight, sharing a bond of mutual trust. Before Tang Buqi, Situ Xiao, and the others appeared, he was even his only friend.

Sure enough, Zhao Changhe had lost all interest in shopping. He quickened his pace and hurried out of the city.

Vermilion Bird sulkily tossed the last bit of her pancake far away.

...

By the Ancient Sword Lake, the scene was much the same as before. A few people lingered here and there, hoping to stumble upon the legendary ancient sword—unaware that it had already been taken. At most, they knew that the Maitreya Sect and the Four Symbols Sect had clashed here, only to end things abruptly and mysteriously.

Thus, the search for the sword never ceased, though in recent months, no one had been mysteriously killed by sword qi anymore.

If nothing unexpected happened, over time, people would realize the sword was probably gone.

But now, it seemed something unexpected had occurred...

Zhao Changhe couldn't believe that a swordsman like Han Wubing would be forced to "flee" by a mere local gang. Even if outnumbered and temporarily outmatched, he would likely retreat to the space beneath the lake and wait for another chance to fight.

Arriving at the lake, Zhao Changhe dove straight in without a second thought. People searching for the sword often jumped into the water, so it was nothing unusual.

Vermilion Bird followed him down, suddenly struck by a thought.

When the Four Symbols Sect had opened this dimensional space before, many conditions had been required—they had formed a formation, offered sacrifices, and summoned the Ice Soul to actively break through the space. But what about now? Could anyone come and go as they pleased? And what if someone else found it?

On the other hand, if Han Wubing had truly fled in panic, he might not have been able to return here. If he hadn't shaken off his pursuers and was seen entering this place, it would be like trapping a turtle in a jar.

Clearly, Zhao Changhe was worried about this too. Reaching the spatial node, he slipped through with a "whoosh" and immediately frowned.

There were no signs of intrusion by others, meaning no one had found this place yet... but Han Wubing was indeed not here.

He could see a bed, a table, and chairs off to one side. On the table were bowls, chopsticks, and food scraps, already moldy. It seemed Han Wubing hadn't tidied up before leaving—he had gone out, encountered trouble, and never returned.

Had he been so desperate that he couldn't even make it back here?

Vermilion Bird followed and looked around. Apart from the traces of daily life left by Han Wubing, the original atmosphere of the sword chamber remained. Swords of all kinds hung on the walls, and there was nothing else—not even a storage cabinet, just bare stone walls.

There couldn't be any secret passages, because this was an independent space. The walls couldn't be dug through, and the only entrance was the spatial node. No secret passages were possible. No wonder she had been certain there was nothing left when she came in earlier—there simply couldn't be.

As for the lingering sword intent, it hadn't been diluted by the signs of daily life despite Han Wubing's long stay. On the contrary, because his main purpose in secluding himself here was to comprehend the sword—spending all his time except eating and sleeping on that—the air was thick with his own sword intent, mingling with the ancient sword intent from before, sharp and fierce.

In a sense, Han Wubing was also keeping the ancient predecessor company, ensuring her soul was no longer lonely and that her legacy had a chance to be passed on.

At this moment, Zhao Changhe was closing his eyes, absorbing the sword intent in the air.

Vermilion Bird inspected the place thoroughly and reached the same conclusion as Xia Chichi: although the woman here had some connection to the Night Emperor, from this sealed, narrow sword chamber alone, there was nothing more to learn. It was worthless.

Seeing Zhao Changhe with his eyes closed, feeling the sword intent, she finally broke the silence: "Is it because you've learned swordsmanship that you're now interested in this?"

Zhao Changhe hummed in affirmation. Vermilion Bird didn't disturb him further and went to admire the swords hanging on the walls.

In truth, Zhao Changhe's main thought was that if he let the Heavenly Book come into more contact with the sword intent here, it might yield something. That was why he wanted to return to this place—but he couldn't say that.

Earlier, he had stayed two nights in the inn opposite the Wang family residence to see if the stuff he had smeared would cause changes the next day... And sure enough, the next morning, the golden leaf had evolved further, proving that smearing it was indeed useful.

The new evolution was that he no longer needed to take out the golden leaf to look at it. With a single thought, information flowed directly into his mind, forming a virtual-reality illusion that made him feel as if he were there.

This included the Wind Thunder Palm manual that Situ Xiao had given him. Though he had never even flipped through it after receiving it, he had actually learned it over the past two days on the road. He just hadn't practiced it yet—his mind knew it, but whether his hands could execute it was another matter.

It also proved that the threat "I'll kill you first after I'm unsealed" hadn't come true. Perhaps the unsealing wasn't complete... He would try again next time.

For now, a shadowy female figure appeared in his mind. Because she was too ancient and her sword intent too ethereal, all he could see was a hazy image—even her face was unclear.

Then an image of Han Wubing appeared. The two of them were demonstrating a sword technique, each absorbed in their own practice.

Zhao Changhe shook his head and temporarily withdrew from the illusion.

This wasn't the time to study sword techniques. As long as he confirmed that the golden leaf could receive information, that was enough. He could study it later. And what he needed to study wasn't their sword techniques, but to analyze the woman's swordplay for any connection to the Night Emperor's arts. That would likely take time—like deciphering the Sword Emperor's legacy—and would require patient effort. He would deal with it later.

The priority now was to find out what had happened to Han Wubing.

Sensing that Zhao Changhe had emerged from some special state, Vermilion Bird turned her head and smiled. "So? Did you learn any sword techniques?"

"No... By the way, do you still have people from the Four Symbols Sect stationed here?"

"They withdrew long ago. Are you asking us to help you investigate?"

"Yeah..."

"Then why come to us? Go to the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion. I don't believe you don't have some token from Tang Wanzhuang on you."

Zhao Changhe suddenly remembered—he was still a secret agent of the Demon-Suppression Office. That broken badge always sent him on investigations. This time, it ought to finally come in handy, shouldn't it?