Chapter 421: Buqi Has Not Slept Either

Chapter 421: Buqi, Too, Was Not Yet Asleep

The blind man vanished. Zhao Changhe opened his eyes. Outside the window, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

It was still night...

He must have gone to bed too early. Everyone was still at the banquet when he fell asleep, and now he had no idea what time it was.

He roughly assessed his body’s condition. It still hurt, but he could basically get out of bed and walk. A chest wound from a sword slash that healed enough to let him move this quickly—the medicine of the Four Symbols Sect was indeed starting to border on the mystical...

Of course, it also had much to do with his Blood Rakshasa Body having made some progress. Though the Blood Rakshasa Body wasn’t defensive in nature, it was at least tougher than a normal physique, with an exuberant life force and blood energy, greatly enhancing both resilience and recovery.

He really should work on elevating the Blood Rakshasa Body further...

His repeated victories across levels—or rather, his current streak of a hundred wins against peers—owed much not only to his blade insights but also to the Blood Rakshasa Body. After all, his strength surpassed that of his peers, and that was the foundation of his performance.

Judging from this battle, the Corpse Demon’s immunity to blades and spears could also be seen as a special physique. If the world underwent a great upheaval and everyone developed various special physiques, his own would no longer stand out, losing its advantage.

On the contrary, its weakness would become apparent—his meridians were still slightly weaker than an ordinary person’s. He had previously resolved that issue enough to train smoothly up to the First Secret Treasury. But what about beyond? It probably wouldn’t be enough.

The blind man’s meaning was clear: no matter how the world’s situation changed, one person’s ranking on the Human Roll couldn’t make much difference. What mattered most to him was improving his own cultivation.

In truth, Zhao Changhe had only opened the First Secret Treasury in the first month of the year, and he had entered the Human Roll in early February. It had been merely a month and a half since then. Subconsciously, he couldn’t help thinking, “I’ve only just reached this position; I should pause for a bit.” But in the blind man’s eyes, this stage was no different from the minor levels of the Xuan Pass—there was no need to stop...

Their perspectives were different.

Now he had the Secret Treasury-level techniques for the Blood Fiend Art, and the next upgrade path for the Blood Rakshasa Body was clear. He could indeed head straight for the Second Secret Treasury. The Stellar Intent needed for forging the sword should also be something he could unlock at this stage.

If this era was severely disconnected from the previous one, then the various secret realms served as the bridges linking them. Among these, races like the Ancient Spirit Clan, which still had surviving members, held a wealth of things suitable for exploration at this stage.

There might be many such races—for instance, the Sea Clan—but the one with the deepest connections was indeed the Ancient Spirit Clan. He really should go there.

Yet he felt the world was undergoing a great transformation. Would it be wise to disappear into a large dungeon, cut off from the outside world for who knew how many months?

Zhao Changhe paced for a moment and walked to the window.

He suddenly froze. Under the moonlight, a bottle of medicine sat on the windowsill table, along with a bowl of herbal soup.

He picked up the soup, sniffed it, and took a small sip. It was still warm.

The preparation... bore the unmistakable style of Tang Wanzhuang. She had taught him all his medical knowledge and pharmacology; one sip was enough to recognize it.

A scene formed in Zhao Changhe’s mind: Tang Wanzhuang, having finished her social engagements, hurriedly hid in her room to personally brew the medicine, then quietly carried it over in the dead of night, slipping in through the window.

She had looked at him sleeping, not disturbing him, carefully set the medicine aside, glanced back once, and gently left.

Just imagining that picture made his heart soften.

After a moment’s thought, he downed the medicine in one gulp, pushed open the door, and set out to find Tang Wanzhuang for a talk.

Whether it would be about his subsequent plans or about matters of the heart, he didn’t yet know.

In truth, he could have imagined a bit more deeply.

She hadn’t only personally brewed the medicine and brought it over. She had stood in the room under the moonlight, quietly watching his sleeping form for nearly half an hour.

Before leaving, she had even touched his face... then pulled her hand back as if shocked, and swiftly slipped out the window.

If Zhao Changhe had known that, he would probably have been walking on air...

But as he stepped out, he realized he had no idea which courtyard Tang Wanzhuang was staying in.

This place was the former Kuaiji Prefect’s mansion, later the headquarters of the Maitreya Sect. After Tang Buqi took over, it had clearly undergone a thorough purge. Now there were no servants in the mansion. Ying Wu, Cui Yang, and the others each had their own quarters and needed no attendants or guards. As a result, he couldn’t find anyone to ask even if he wanted to.

He opened his senses and listened. The city was still noisy—Tang Buqi was directing the cleanup and sweeping up the remaining Maitreya followers, working late into the night...

That guy really had it tough... He wondered if he had returned to rest yet.

Zhao Changhe sighed, flickered, and headed straight for the main courtyard.

Given how much Tang Buqi doted on his aunt, he would surely have arranged for her to stay in the main house. No need to ask.

He crept quietly to the main courtyard of the rear residence. Still no servants. Moonlight poured like water into the yard, casting a faint glow on a stone table where remnants of tea had yet to be cleared.

Since they had come to Kuaiji for the decisive battle, Baoqin was obviously not around. In his imagination, Tang Wanzhuang sat alone in the courtyard drinking tea, sighing at the moon. Zhao Changhe’s heart itched even more, and he gently knocked on the door.

She certainly wasn’t asleep—the medicinal soup had still been warm, meaning she had only recently returned.

The door creaked open.

Zhao Changhe’s smile froze on his face.

Tang Buqi’s large face appeared before him, dark circles under his eyes from exhaustion, looking helplessly annoyed. “What do you want, in the middle of the night?”

Damn it. So you actually took the main house for yourself? I never expected this from you, with your honest face—where’s your filial piety...

Zhao Changhe coughed dryly. “I was unconscious from my injuries earlier, and when I woke up, I was in the dark. You’re the commander, so of course I came to discuss matters with you. I thought you were high in cultivation and didn’t need much sleep—hope I didn’t disturb you?”

Tang Buqi sighed. “I had just gotten into bed to rest... It’s fine, we can chat.”

He walked over to the stone table and started brewing tea. “This is from when Master Yuancheng visited earlier and we had tea. I didn’t even have the energy to clean up.”

“Ahem.” Zhao Changhe sat down, opened his gourd, and said, “Don’t bother boiling water. How about some wine?”

Tang Buqi smiled. “Right, I forgot you prefer wine to tea.”

Actually, Zhao Changhe had developed an interest in tea too, but he didn’t want to waste time boiling water. He just wanted to make small talk and then leave...

He casually poured wine for Tang Buqi and sighed. “Who would have thought? Now you’re a famous general of the Great Xia...”

“Hardly a famous general,” Tang Buqi said. “To be honest, fighting the Maitreya Sect doesn’t really show much skill. If one day we truly go to war with the Wang family, that might better test my mettle.”

“I feel Wang Zhaoling can’t beat you. At least, he doesn’t have your battlefield experience.”

“The Wang family has plenty of experience fighting the Hu.” Tang Buqi changed the subject. “Speaking of which, back then I was afraid of death. I worried that if I wandered the jianghu alone with my sword, I might die somewhere without anyone knowing. Now I find that commanding battles suits me better. After all, there aren’t many times when the commander has to personally charge into battle. And when it’s necessary, I’m not afraid.”

“Because every battle is planned and prepared for, so you have confidence?”

“Something like that...” Tang Buqi laughed. “Though deep down, I still envy the freedom of the jianghu... Ha, maybe it was never meant for me. That stage is for people like you.”

“Come on, aren’t you the type to ride a horse leaning on a bridge, with red sleeves beckoning from every tower? That’s jianghu freedom too.”

Tang Buqi squinted at him. “Is that why you flirt with everyone you meet?”

Zhao Changhe sipped his wine in silence.

Tang Buqi was dead tired and said grumpily, “I’m too lazy to lecture you now. You come in the middle of the night just to talk nonsense? If you have something serious, say it quickly. I want to sleep...”

Zhao Changhe was racking his brain for a topic when Tang Wanzhuang’s voice came from outside the courtyard: “Why aren’t you two resting yet? Drinking in the middle of the night—do you care about your health at all?”

He turned to look. Tang Wanzhuang walked slowly in from outside, ethereal under the moonlight like a phantom.

Tang Buqi was about to complain that it wasn’t him neglecting his health—he had just gotten into bed after a long day—when this guy showed up out of nowhere, spouting flattery for no apparent reason...

But before he could speak, Zhao Changhe cut in: “My little injury—someone carefully prepared medicine for me, and I’m almost recovered. I was bored at night and came out for a stroll. I happened to find Buqi not yet asleep, so we chatted about old times. Quite congenial...”

Tang Buqi: “...”

Tang Wanzhuang’s beautiful eyes flickered between the two, a hint of a smile in them. “Buqi has worked hard today. Let him rest first. You brothers can talk tomorrow. Come with me—I want to see your injury.”

Tang Buqi blurted out, “No, I’m full of energy. Aunt, it’s better not to be alone with him. Why don’t we all have a drink together?”

The pair of dogs and women glared at him in unison: “When adults speak, what business is it of a junior? Go to sleep!”

Tang Buqi was filled with indignation. You’re not even pretending anymore, are you?