Chapter 38: It's the New Year, Since Everyone Is Here Anyway

Chapter 38: It's the New Year, Since You're Here

Whether one is simple or not is relative.

Zhao Changhe never thought of himself as a simple child; back in school, he'd skip class when punished, a rebellious streak. But looking back, the scholarly Zhao Changhe of campus days was nowhere to be found, replaced by a deep bandit air, a mouth full of curses, and a blade that rained heads.

Compared to now, wasn't he simple back then?

When Yue Hongling asked this, Zhao Changhe could roughly imagine why she still lingered in this godforsaken place.

She was probably torn over whether she had saved a demon, so she deliberately stayed to observe.

The result of her observation, well... it wasn't the same as her initial impression, but it wasn't a demon either. On the contrary, he restrained the stronghold, harmed no innocents. He didn't know how she judged it, but at least she must have breathed a sigh of relief.

So after being injured, worried about mishaps, she actually came to seek refuge here...

If things had truly changed, would he have taken the chance to seize her as his mountain wife?

Forget it, he couldn't seize her anyway. Even injured, she could slip into your room silently; cutting off your head would be simple. Did he really think she was at his mercy?

"Then I suggest you'd better not trust me. Everyone in the stronghold knows we lack nothing now except a mountain wife." Zhao Changhe casually placed the medicine and bandages on the window sill, eyes slightly lowered: "Can you apply it yourself? A little thing like this from wandering the jianghu shouldn't need help, right? I'll go out and keep watch for you."

The two sentences were opposite in meaning. Yue Hongling was speechless, unsure how to judge... If she knew the word "tsundere."

"I can apply it myself, thanks." She ignored the mountain wife remark, took the medicine in hand, and looked at Zhao Changhe, meaning she was about to start.

Zhao Changhe strode out the door without even a backward glance, walking far away.

He could still be heard shouting outside: "No need to set up here, dig farther away, over at the square. It looks like our drill ground; no one would expect traps even there. Finish this and we're done; tonight everyone eats and drinks freely!"

Yue Hongling smiled faintly, then bit her lower lip, gently lifting the clothes at her abdomen.

There was a sword wound, shocking to behold.

Actually, the wound had been roughly treated; the blood wasn't fresh, but old.

She carried her own medicine, probably better than Zhao Changhe's, and didn't need his. She just wanted a relatively safe place to heal in peace, because this wasn't just an external injury; there was still sword qi rampaging inside her body, not as simple as it looked.

She wasn't guarding against her opponent in this battle; on the contrary, she admired him quite a bit... She was guarding against other outsiders who might have witnessed the fight. Who knew if some petty person might harbor ill intentions? Alone, she couldn't fend off ambushes; she needed someone trustworthy to watch over her.

And such people weren't very strong; Zhao Changhe's forces were more than enough to block them.

She had truly come to seek refuge with Zhao Changhe. A few hours ago, even she hadn't imagined things would unfold like this.

Now Zhao Changhe's reaction proved she hadn't misjudged him.

"Done?" came Zhao Changhe's voice from outside.

Yue Hongling carefully tied the bandage, lowered her clothes, and thought of how this man was outside while she lifted her clothes. Her face unconsciously flushed slightly, but she quickly calmed down: "Done."

Zhao Changhe stepped inside and saw her still leaning lazily by the window, not like Yue Hongling at all. He frowned: "I feel your injury isn't that simple. Is there internal damage too?"

"Yes, at this level, pure external injuries are rare." Yue Hongling smiled. "But it's not a big deal. A few days of rest in peace, and I'll be fine."

"In this mere Beimang, I've beaten everyone. Who could wound you? That's absurd; my stronghold could be wiped out in a blink."

"Your stronghold, if someone took it seriously, could indeed be wiped out in a blink."

"...So who is this formidable figure?"

"Third of the Hidden Dragon, Cui Yuanyong of the Qinghe Cui clan."

"Third of the Hidden Dragon, meaning the original second was pushed to third by you?"

"Yes."

"So he came to settle scores because you took his spot? From Qinghe all the way to Beimang, probably tracking your whereabouts, heard you appeared here, and came specifically?"

"Yes."

Zhao Changhe looked up at the sky: "The Chaos Scroll hasn't moved... I feel your kind of fight is different from mine. Internal ranking battles can decide positions. Since the list hasn't changed, it means you're hurt, but he's worse off, right?"

"Yes." Yue Hongling said "yes" three times in a row, then suddenly laughed: "What are you doing, proving you're not a crude warrior?"

Zhao Changhe's face was expressionless: "I'm just thinking if I can strike while he's down and eliminate this threat."

"Even injured, he's not easy to deal with, especially since he has a sister watching over him." Yue Hongling sighed. "I wouldn't want to do that either. He challenged me openly on the main street; that's the way of a martial artist. How could I cause trouble afterward?"

"Did you come to me because you're worried he'll cause trouble?"

"I'm not worried about him. That man is honorable and has his own bearing... What's with that look?"

Zhao Changhe's expression was indeed dark, stiff. Hearing her question, he said bluntly: "Nothing. A noble son has his bearing, Hidden Dragon talents admire each other. We mountain bandits only take advantage of others' weakness."

The sourness almost overflowed beyond the mountains. Yue Hongling looked at him strangely for a long while, then finally said: "But I sought shelter with you, not him."

Zhao Changhe's expression softened a bit, then he felt his jealousy was baseless. Yue Hongling wasn't his woman, and that kind of mutual respect between warriors, a thrilling challenge—wasn't that very wuxia? Wasn't it something he liked too?

So what was he jealous about?

He felt he had lost face, embarrassed, and clumsily changed the subject: "Have you eaten? At the eighth level of Xuan Pass, you haven't achieved fasting, right?"

"No." Yue Hongling wasn't coy; she smiled and cupped her fists: "I am a bit hungry. I'll trouble Chief Zhao."

Zhao Changhe truly admired her straightforwardness, but somehow his words came out like this: "Meeting again on the jianghu, you call me Chief Zhao?"

Yue Hongling seemed amused: "Is this the jianghu? Isn't it your lair?"

Zhao Changhe was stunned. He thought she'd seriously ask what else to call him, but she dodged the question with this. So she had a bit of slyness too...

Right, after all, she was just a girl younger than him, not some fixed label of a gallant swordswoman.

Zhao Changhe laughed silently, didn't argue, and strode out: "They just went to town for supplies; good stuff hasn't arrived yet. I'll see what's left from lunch and bring you some. Don't run around; the stronghold is full of traps now. Without a guide, you'll easily fall."

Seeing Zhao Changhe stride out, Yue Hongling sighed.

"Whether the Way of Heaven exists or not, I walk my path!"

It seemed her choice was right. This man had a Way in his heart, not like ordinary bandits.

What should I call you? I don't know.

She struggled to stand up, leaning on the table, felt the chaotic sword qi inside, thought it seemed manageable, then carefully climbed out the window and slipped to the backyard.

Since she hadn't achieved fasting, there were other needs... like a female warrior needing to relieve herself.

How could she use a chamber pot in his room? Of course, she'd go into the mountains.

But as soon as she jumped out of the yard, Yue Hongling felt something off about her landing spot. Her heart skipped a beat, and she tried to leap up. But the sword qi in her abdomen twisted in pain; she couldn't jump, and with a "plop," she fell into a trap.

Yue Hongling was both angry and anxious. Zhao Changhe, are you insane? Digging traps right by your own wall—aren't you afraid of triggering them yourself when training?

But now her qi was tangled, and she couldn't jump out!

"Someone!"

"Behind the boss's yard, go check!"

"Damn, some fool asking for death!"

"No, that direction... seems like it came from the boss's room..."

In no time, voices rose from all sides, and a crowd rushed toward her.

Soon someone peered down from above the trap. Yue Hongling covered her face.

"Hey, looks like a woman... and from the boss's room..."

"Move, move!" Zhao Changhe strode over, yanking the peeping person behind him: "What are you looking at? Is it strange that I've hidden a mountain wife in my room? All of you, scram!"

Yue Hongling nearly wanted to claw her own face off.

The bandits were filled with grief and indignation.

They should have known—that bastard had a record; before, he hid Luo Qi in his room, and now he's hiding a woman.

Come on, you're so formidable now, no one dares to compete with you, why hide her?

Someone shouted into the pit: "Sister-in-law, the chief is good in every way except he likes to hide things—no fun. It's New Year's, since you're here, come out for the bonfire feast and join the fun..."

Damn "Sister-in-law"! What fun!

Yue Hongling simply wanted to die.

She was too famous; in some places, people even sold portraits of her, and many in the martial world could recognize her. Just like that day when Wang Dashan saw her passing by and knew Yue Hongling had arrived...

So did they want the whole world to know by tomorrow that Yue Hongling was the bandit chief's wife in a mountain stronghold?