Chapter 365: Zhao Wangtang

Chapter 365: Zhao Wangtang

When the Maitreya envoy returned to finalize the time and route for the campaign, Zhao Changhe had already been living in the mountain stronghold for over half a month.

From the initially fervently worshipped holy son, he had become someone people fled from at all costs.

Xue Jiaozhu had been avoiding him for seven or eight days, refusing to meet him. Eventually, whenever he appeared in the stronghold, everyone scattered like startled birds, vanishing without a trace.

He had fought every capable fighter in the entire Blood God Sect—from duels to group brawls, from normal combat to fighting with one hand tied, from wielding blades to using swords, and finally to bare-handed combat.

He had fought everyone, and everything he needed to practice was now ingrained in his bones.

"Sun Jiaoxi, Sun Jiaoxi..."

"Scram, I don't know you."

Except for his earliest days in Beimang, Zhao Changhe had once again experienced a period of "beating everyone in the stronghold, undefeated." The difference was that back then, Sun Jiaoxi had watched his proud disciple with hopeful, admiring eyes as he rose from a mere novice to "Big Brother Zhao." This time, even Sun Jiaoxi fled at the mere sight of him approaching.

"Hey, I came to say goodbye, Old Sun! Why are you running!"

Sun Jiaoxi finally stopped and turned to look at the disciple who swept toward him like the wind, arriving in an instant.

This lightness skill was truly elegant—it had already surpassed the Blood God Sect's "Treading Blood Without Trace" by several levels, and it was no longer the "Walking on Water, Riding the Waves" he had used before. No one could even recognize its origin.

Zhao Changhe reached his side and quietly handed Sun Jiaoxi a booklet and a lump of "jelly."

"What is this?"

"The booklet contains my insights on the Blood Fiend Art and blade techniques. I ask for your correction, Jiaoxi."

You want to teach me, but you're too embarrassed to say it outright, so you ask me to "correct" you... Sun Jiaoxi didn't know what emotion he was feeling. He said flatly, "I don't practice axes. Axes are crooked... Fine, I'll reluctantly give you some pointers."

"Mm-hmm."

"And this lump? Is it Xue Jiaozhu's tits?"

Zhao Changhe: "...It's a special kind of energy crystal. It can be absorbed to transform the body and has some minor benefits for internal energy meridians."

Sun Jiaoxi's expression shifted.

Zhao Changhe lowered his voice: "Don't let anyone else see it. Use it in secret."

"I'm not stupid." Sun Jiaoxi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Are you really leaving?"

"Yeah. The Maitreya has made a move, so I should too." Zhao Changhe smiled. "Who would have thought that the two most comfortable times for me to accumulate and settle would both be in the Blood God Sect's stronghold."

Sun Jiaoxi said, "So banditry suits you. Have you considered changing your current demeanor? You talk too politely now. You've made the whole stronghold three parts more civilized. I'm not used to it, and I find you annoying."

"That won't do. I'm about to meet someone soon, and speaking crudely will get me beaten. Actually... a bandit's defiance lies in his actions, not his mouth."

"I don't see much banditry in your actions either." Sun Jiaoxi lacked the education, or he might have muttered, "If only life could be like the first time we met."

Zhao Changhe didn't linger. He clasped his fists in another salute: "Take care, Jiaoxi. Until we meet again."

With those words, his body drifted backward, retreating several zhang in a single step. Then, in midair, he turned gracefully, his toes lightly touching the edge of a fence before he soared into the sky.

Sun Jiaoxi's mouth hung open for a long time. He thought to himself, With lightness skill like that, even a man would find it stunning. Some girl is bound to fall for him this time.

The kid has grown up.

He squeezed the lump of "jelly," and his mood suddenly became excellent. Humming a little tune, he swayed back to his own room.

...

Zhao Changhe traveled all the way to the foot of the mountain, retrieved his black steed from the lowest stronghold, and headed straight for Xiangyang.

But he didn't ride the horse; he took a boat, bringing the steed along.

"Leaving at dawn from the White Emperor City amidst the clouds, returning to Jiangling in a single day, a thousand li away."

Going downstream to match the scene of that famous line—when else would he show off if not now?

There were still some days before the Maitreya and Xue Jiaozhu's agreed-upon attack on Xiangyang. By now, Zhao Changhe knew exactly how they planned to fight and how many troops they would bring. He was well-prepared.

Calculating the time, he should still have a chance to go to Gusu first and inform Wan Zhuang. But before that, he needed to scout Xiangyang. It wouldn't do to know the enemy's situation but be clueless about the place he was supposed to defend. Wan Zhuang would laugh him to death.

Because Xiangyang was still nominally under the Great Xia's control, but in reality, it might not be.

Long ago, someone had told him that everywhere now, people were raising their own armies. Every region had its own agenda. And as a suspected prince, once he set foot in such places, he would be in danger. He didn't know if Xiangyang was one of them. Having been away from the world for so long, he had almost lost track of the global power structure.

Anyway, after scouting the situation and getting a clear picture, he could leave the arrangements to Wan Zhuang. He didn't understand war strategy or tactics; he only knew how to fight.

But Wan Zhuang understood.

Even Tang Buqi had studied military texts since childhood, and Wan Zhuang was even more knowledgeable. Speaking of which, Huangfu Qing was the real deal—a true general's daughter. She should have been armored and riding a horse, a female warrior like Mu Guiying or Fan Lihua. What a waste for her to enter the palace.

Earlier, Wan Zhuang had stayed in Jinling, facing off against the Maitreya. Later, both sides realized that such personal stalemates were idiotic on a battlefield with thousands of troops, so they tacitly withdrew. At that time, Wan Zhuang had no military authority. Aside from using her personal presence as a deterrent, she couldn't do much else and had to return to the capital helplessly.

Now, she had left the capital again to take charge in the south. If she had been granted the authority to command troops and horses, that would be a different story...

The situation in Jiangnan was dire. Although the Maitreya Sect hadn't achieved the sweeping conquest they had hoped for, they had triggered a trend of regional separatism. Wan Zhuang must have a headache. Whether Zhen Xia Longyuan had expressed any opinion on this was unknown. But the puppet emperor, being a fake, was probably restless and might have given Wan Zhuang some authority.

Of course, it was also possible that Wan Zhuang no longer wanted to follow the rules so strictly and was acting on her own. With her prestige and the Tang family's foundation, it wouldn't be difficult for her to gain military power. She might even rally most of the local militias in Jiangnan under her banner... But that was only a hair's breadth away from raising her own army. He didn't know if the loyal Wan Zhuang would be willing to do that.

Amidst these shifting thoughts, as his perspective turned from the martial world to the political landscape, Xiangyang came into view.

Zhao Changhe looked at the banners of Xiangyang from afar. For a moment, he couldn't discern anything unusual. The city walls still flew the Great Xia dragon flag, and beside it was a commander's banner with a large "Lü" character.

It vaguely reminded him of Lü Wende of Xiangyang... But the city lord of Xiangyang here had nothing to do with that. He was Lü Shiheng, ranked forty-eighth on the Human Roll, known as the "Xiaoxiang Divine Sword."

This was a title bestowed by the Chaos Book, just like Yue Hongling's "Sunset Divine Sword" and Chi Li's "Demon Fox." It was a great honor.

Anyone on the Human Roll with such a title was no fraud. They were undoubtedly secret-artifact grandmasters.

And interestingly, the Maitreya Sect's commander for this attack on Xiangyang was a mad demonic cultivator ranked just a few places above Lü Shiheng—forty-fourth on the Human Roll, "Soul-Reaping Wraith" Yu Cixiu.

He wasn't originally a member of the Maitreya Sect. He was a long-established demonic master in the south, but he had likely been recruited by the Maitreya with money and beautiful women in the past year, becoming an important general. Zhao Changhe didn't know if he had changed his dharma name. Following the Maitreya Sect's pattern, would he have to change it to "Fa Xiu"?

Zhao Changhe thought his own made-up name, "Fa Dian," sounded better.

Add to that the Blood God Sect's Xue Canghai, ranked seventy-first on the Human Roll—though his actual combat power was now higher. This battle would truly gather several Human Roll experts. It promised to be quite a fight.

Lost in thought, he led his horse slowly forward, and before he knew it, he had reached the city gate.

The gate wasn't closed in preparation for war. People were still coming and going, after all, Lü Shiheng had no idea that the Maitreya Sect was colluding with the Blood God Sect to launch a fierce attack. However, the gate inspection was strict, and the entry tax was very high.

"Halt! What are you doing!" Several guards pointed their spears at Zhao Changhe. "Where is your travel permit?"

This time, Zhao Changhe actually had a travel permit. The Blood God Sect had a plethora of fake identities. Xue Jiaozhu had at least a hundred prepared identities and permits, and he could just grab one.

He obediently pulled out the permit and handed it over. The guard took it and glanced at it: "From the capital, traveling south for study? Traveling south in times like these... Not a bad name, Zhao Wangtang..."

Zhao Changhe: "?"

Wait a minute. He had grabbed a permit at random and stuffed it in his bosom without even looking.

Old Xue, what's the meaning of this name?

"Alright, one tael of silver to enter the city." The guard extended his hand.

Zhao Changhe finally understood what it meant to be robbed.

The stronghold robs money—how does that compare to the government's direct extortion?